Podcasts about Zec

New Age Alien Deceptions (audio) David Eells - 4/20/25   The camel's nose is in the tent. We are headed towards a New World Order in the midst of a Galactic Federation of “aliens” aka, demons by those of discernment. (Who of us voted for this? The Alliance leaders did. Is this Communism?) I want to share with you some updates regarding the AI, New Age and Alien Deceptions we are witnessing among the Alliance and others. I'm going to begin with some recent headlines from Operation Disclosure (4/17/25) that point to this federation: ·         Thurs. 24 April 2025: Planetary Council announced. New Global Alliance leaders step forward. Non-territorial cooperation treaty signed by 177 nations. (We are to be realigned as a one world order) ·         Sun. 27 April 2025: Interplanetary programs declassified. First public mention of secret space operations. Unity Accord with Off World Representatives acknowledged. (When did we have a say?) ·         Tues. 29 April 2025: New Earth Constitutions signed locally. Communities select Peace Councils to represent them in the Planetary Council. “Governments” replaced with Service Cells. (We are being absorbed into their Galactic terminology) ·         Wed. 30 April 2025: Final transfer to Quantum Internet complete. All devices migrate to Q-Net. Artificial Intelligence fully transparent, accountable and people-aligned. (We cannot be aligned with antichrist) ·         Fri. 2 May 2025: Healing centers begin opening across continents. Med Beds, DNA repair chambers, and neuro-harmonization technologies become publicly available. The Age of Restoration officially begins. (We must now harmonize with the rest of the pagan planet and Galaxy.) ·         Sat. 3 May 2025: The first interspecies council meeting is broadcast worldwide. Humanity is formally acknowledged as a sovereign civilization by the Galactic Alliance. Contact protocols enter public discourse. (A federation does not permit a sovereign planet.) ·         Sun. 4 May 2025: “Earth Year Zero” is initiated. (Is our history now abolished?) A new planetary calendar replaces systems rooted in empire and conflict. Time now begins from the moment of planetary liberation. (Resistance is Futile says the Borg.) ·         Mon. 5 May 2025: Starport construction begins in seven geostrategic locations. Civilian transport to orbital gateways is confirmed. Terra-farming partnerships announced for Mars and Luna sectors. ·         Wed. 7 May 2025: The Department of Human Advancement launches. Global curricula shifts toward consciousness training, ethics, quantum sciences, and planetary stewardship. ·         Thurs. 8 May 2025: Agricultural reset begins. Geo-engineered soil is restored. Food independence programs roll out. Seed vaults opened under open-source planetary stewardship mandates. ·         Fri. 9 May 2025: Language harmonization initiatives commence. (Back to Babel?) Ancient root languages are integrated into education. Telepathic development modules introduced for children under 9. (Will we know who is training our children?) ·         Sat. 10 May 2025: Planetary Defense Grid declared active. Not military—protective. Q-NET AI monitors for existential threats in space and time. Transparency dashboards are made public. ·         Sun. 11 May 2025: Official end of the Transition Phase. Humanity enters full-spectral sovereignty. No more passports. No more taxes. No more surveillance. Only stewardship, transparency, and service. A one world order.     How To Connect With The Galactic Federation https://thegalacticfederation.com/016-24 Many people believe that the Galactic Federation is a made up thing, some are so confused to even claim it's negative, but it is not. (If the people did not get to vote on this and the aliens are actually demons, this is traitorous.) The Galactic Federation is a group of highly evolved souls who have been around since the beginning of time. They are here to help you fulfill your purpose on earth. (Let the Bible be the judge.) The Galactic Federation is made of love, light, and peace. It is a collective of beings who have reached the highest level of consciousness possible. (Everybody believes that about their religion.) The Galactic Federation was created as an extension of each individual's soul to help them on their journey towards self-realization. They exist to help us live in harmony with one another, as well as with our environment and the rest of creation. Next, let me share a few revelations from brethren on our site that relate to these alien, aka demon deceptions.     Aliens Are Demons Manifested in Flesh There are many people convinced of “aliens” or “guides” that they feel are friendly to humanity, which is a strong delusion because all of the aliens are demons, as the Scripture says. Have you noticed that many of the Planet X / Nibiru researchers have fallen for what they read the ancients said of aliens showing up when Planet X did? They were deceived by demons as a type for our day. We should not be deceived; they are being released by God to deceive. Jud.5 Now I desire to put you in remembrance, though ye know all things once for all, that the Lord, having saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. 6 And angels that kept not their own principality, but left their proper habitation, he hath kept in everlasting bonds under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. It is possible they will play the good alien / bad alien game to drive the multitudes into the camp of the so-called “good aliens,” but they are all demons.   G.C. - 06/15/10  (David's notes in red) In my dream, I was outside in a populated area, maybe in a park or something. It was nighttime and it seemed like any other summer night. All of a sudden, a lot of strange lights started appearing in the sky. First, it seemed like hundreds of shooting stars falling to Earth; then, as the light became more illuminated, the objects took the shape of spacecraft. The night sky was lit up like the Fourth of July! Everyone was shocked and amazed; from east to west, the sky filled with this armada of craft entering Earth's atmosphere. (What the ancients believed were aliens, who showed up during the time of Planet X, according to their writings, were in fact demons who are fallen angels and can take on the appearance of physical bodies, just like God's angels can, but for the purpose of deception. The Tribulation covenant could be made under the cover of catastrophes. Just as the Woman is going into the wilderness, there is a war in heaven and Satan and his fallen angels are cast to earth to deceive the whole world. Rev.12:9 And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him. We also received a dream of a bright star falling from heaven and the confirming scripture Isaiah 14, where Satan is falling from heaven. Isa 14:12-13 How art thou fallen from heaven, O day-star, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, that didst lay low the nations! 13 And thou saidst in thy heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; and I will sit upon the mount of congregation, in the uttermost parts of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to Sheol, to the uttermost parts of the pit.) Satan deceives men into thinking he is God, and he is pleased with unregenerate, falsely called “good men,” which is the doctrine of the New Agers. 2Co.11:13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, fashioning themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel of light. 15 It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works. The Alliance is bringing about many good moral changes but it appears they are complicit in this deception of the nations. Rev.18:23 and the light of a lamp shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the princes of the earth; for with thy sorcery were all the nations deceived. Back to the dream, I was very skeptical, even while seeing this with my own two eyes. I confidently told everyone, “Don't be fooled; it's a hologram!” (Which is one of the theories.) I thought these sights were just a crafty trick (which is true but not as a false vision) but then the ships started to get closer to the ground and they ultimately landed. By this time, I was starting to get bewildered; I didn't know what to think. I was really caught off guard. I thought for sure it was all some sort of illusion by the evil rulers of the world. (Is the Alliance in on the plan of “strong delusion”, which is according to God's will to separate the wheat from the tares? 2Th.2:8 And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation of his coming; 9 even he, whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, (Can fallen angels perform lying wonders? Did we get to vote on joining the Galactic Federation?) 10 and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie: 12 that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. It appears in this dream the fallen angels' deception is so strong that God's people will be tested to see who really believes. Mar.13:22 for there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show signs and wonders, that they may lead astray, if possible, the elect.) Once the craft landed, the door opened and some humanoid beings walked out. Everyone was amazed and startled at the same time. I couldn't believe my eyes. Still believing this was a hologram, I ran over to the ship to touch it and realized it was real. (Satan and his angels are very technological, if they have to be, and have the ability to manifest and interact with the physical realm. They gave men atomic bombs and anti-gravity flying saucers.) I swallowed hard, realizing I was wrong, and I ran back to the crowd. The humanoid beings dressed in Star Trek-type apparel were being led out by a blond-haired woman. (There is a woman who has introduced many to speaking and hearing from aliens. This is no different than a seance, which is speaking to aliens called familiar spirits.) I, being overwhelmed and slightly intimidated, ran up to her and began to rebuke her in my tongue language. (I often do this in dreams when I feel physically or mentally helpless against an enemy; it often gets me results.) I thought for sure she would shrivel up in a puddle of goop, like something out of The Wizard of Oz. But, to my astonishment, she just kind of pushed me out of the way, without even acknowledging me. I was perplexed. (The answer to this is, when God sends a delusion to deceive the evil world, we cannot cast it down, nor should we try to. 2Th.2:11 And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie: 12 that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. As you can see, we only have authority to help the believers.) I watched the group of beings disperse into the crowd. It seemed like they had specific orders and didn't even stop to talk to anyone; they just went about whatever it is they were sent here for. I remember being surrounded by hundreds of people like me -- everyone just totally in awe of what they saw. After some time, I started to see the beings again, but now they did not look like humans. They had glass faces, like ice. It was like they were wearing a mask, but they weren't -- I could see through their heads and nothing was inside. (fallen spirits) They had hideous, clown-like faces with big smiles, like jack-o-lanterns. (Thinking these beings to be mere humanoids while in fact they are demon-possessed is more common than we think. But the whole world outside of Christ will be deceived and possessed.) They were now corralling people like cattle in different areas (FEMA camps). The adults were forced to separate from the children and were taken to a designated area. The children were all taken to another area and placed in long lines, all of which led into a large circus-like tent. (This alien disclosure will bring much confusion and distraction as well as cause some people to give up their faith in the One True God.) None of the children quite knew what was happening; they were all a little less concerned than the adults. I remember leaving the adult group and running over to see what was happening to the children. After seeing what was taking place, I immediately woke up.   I Met Satan :o) G.C. - 4/19/11 (David's notes in red) I would like to share a dream I had that confirms we should not fear Satan or evil. Evil is not as powerful as our minds sometimes imagine, and Satan is no different. I dreamed that I was with an unknown person in this dream who I believe was an angel. I could tell he knew a lot more of what was going on than I did. I accompanied him everywhere he went. I was like an observer. Toward the end of the dream, we entered an elevator. This elevator took us deep inside the Earth. I was told we were going to Hell to see Satan. The ride took a long time and my mind was wondering about how Satan would really appear. I was thinking, “Would he be intimidating? Would he be scary? How would I react to seeing him?” Once we arrived at the very bottom, the door opened. I looked around and we were inside a very large, dark cave. Hell was just like I'd imagined it: Big, dark and cavernous. I looked out of the area we were in and looked out into the larger opening. I saw armies and very sophisticated weapons. There was violence taking place and fire was everywhere; it was almost like a war itself. One of the weapons spotted us as we came out of the elevator and fired a missile at us, but it missed and exploded against the wall. My companion, the angel, was never frightened; it was like he knew nothing could hurt him. As he walked, I followed; he knew right where he was walking. He came to a door off in a dark corner in the cave. I realized this was Satan's office. Behind the door was the evil one himself. My heart was racing, not from fear but from the suspense. The angel I was with opened the door and there sat Satan in a chair behind a desk. But to my amazement, Satan was not a seven-foot giant with goat horns. He was a clown. Yes, a clown. And a cartoon clown at that. I was shocked and a little disappointed. I was expecting something more terrifying. Clearly the Lord is saying that Satan and his demons are putting on a false face but are not to be feared. Luk.10:17 And the seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject unto us in thy name. 18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan fallen as lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you. The angel then revealed to me that Satan is planning something big for Earth. During our trip back up in the elevator, I saw all these green vines shooting up through the elevator shaft from Hell and they were headed straight to Earth. There were a lot of them, like something from Jack and the Beanstalk. But instead of reaching from Earth to the heavens, they were going from Hell to the earth above. Then I woke up. (According to the follow up dream that Father gave him recently, the vines represent the alien deception that satan is sending to earth from the pit of hell.) G.C. said, “Below is a continuation from the dream above from 2011 called. “I Met Satan”. It has the “green vines connection” where green vines were growing up from hell, and the angel told me, “Satan is planning something big for Earth.” Well, it seems the green vines finally made it to Earth and the plan is revealed....     Satan is Planning Something Big for Earth G.C. - 5/13/22 (David's notes in red) G.C. said, “For a little context, many years ago I worked for mortgage companies securing and repairing vacant foreclosures.” I dreamed that my dad and I had been given a work order to secure and inspect a foreclosed home in Los Angeles, California. (Los Angeles means, “The angels.”) It was a big house in a nice neighborhood. It was owned by a black husband and wife in their 50's or 60's. (UFOs and aliens were big in the 50's and 60's. The black couple owning the house could represent that this is a house of sinners submitted to darkness.) (I gathered this information by looking at their family photos still left at the property.) I thought these folks looked very successful from the photos. It didn't make sense to me how they could lose their house to foreclosure. (Foreclosure means that they can't pay their debt so the house is taken back. The debt for our house has been paid by faith in Jesus. If it's not paid because there is no faith, then it belongs to the devil.) I thought maybe one or both of them died. But I wasn't sure. I just knew something was amiss. (When one loses one's house to the devil, their soul is his too.) We proceeded through the large house, taking photos with a camera I had rented at a local camera shop. These photos were to be provided to the bank. Then we walked into the basement and to our utter amazement, we saw a small alien infant tangled up in green vines that appeared to be growing from the floor of the basement. (And according to the previous dream, they came straight out of hell. This represents the alien deception.) The vines were attached to the wall and the infant was wrapped up in them. He had a large brown head with 2 large eyes. When we saw him and approached him he became aggressive and hissed at us. (The aliens/demons hate Christians.) I remember taking the rented camera and snapping pictures of him. Even though I was astonished at this, I was not overly distracted by it. I proceeded with my work at the property. My dad and I decided not to show the photos to anyone as it would become a distraction to the public. (Could this represent the Father hiding things from the wise and prudent and revealing them unto babes?) I knew people would not be ready to see this. I downloaded the photos, removed them from the camera and told my dad to return the camera to the shop. Later, I sent my report and inspection photos to the bank. The next day, I was out and about and realized the whole world was aware of the alien we had found! They had our photos! They were in every publication and on every news station. I had no idea how this had leaked. (True Christians will recognize this as a deception while the rest of the world will swallow the lie, like the waters out of the mouth of the Dragon.) I assumed it was because we returned the camera and the camera shop found the photos on the device and released them. I knew we had discovered it, but no one would ever know our identity. I was ok with that, but I was a little disturbed by how and why they were released. The world was in a frenzy, to say the least. A few days had passed and I was sent back to the same home by the bank to remove the small area of vines growing in the basement. When I got back to the house, the alien child was gone, but the basement dining room was now absolutely full of green vines. (This will be a worldwide deception that will be ‘fed' to all the people.) The walls and ceiling were now covered. I was supposed to remove them, and it was a daunting task. Then, my dad showed up, and we were talking about the alien. The next thing I knew, I stumbled across the rented camera in the basement. I got so upset at my dad because he returned the case but not the camera. (Honestly, I was worried about the late fees. Lol) He said he forgot to look inside the case when he returned it. I realized something strange had happened. How did the world know of the alien if we never took the camera back? Who released the photos? Then I woke up. (2Th 2:8-12 And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation of his coming; 9 even he, whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie: 12 that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.)     Flesh is Born of Flesh and Not Demons Excerpt from: Sons of God, Aliens and Giants   David Eells God said in John 3:6, That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. So Demons cannot birth Children through humans. Demons can infest humans with lying spirits. (Gen.6:1) And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born unto them, (2) that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all that they chose. Believers are the sons of God mentioned here and in the rest of the Scriptures (Psa.82:6; Dt.14:1,2; Hos.1:10; Isa.43:6; etc.). Notice this was “when men began to multiply” not angels. Jesus quoted Psa.82:6 to His people: (82:6) I said, Ye are gods, And all of you sons of the Most High. To be a son you must be born of God, not created, as the angels. Adam was called a son of God and he was born of God when He breathed into him the breath or Spirit (same Hebrew word) of life. Only his flesh was created from the earth and so was ours, which came from his. God specifically says that He never called an angel His son nor are they born of Him. (Heb.1:5) For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, This day have I begotten (Greek: “born”) thee?.... God specifically says their spirits were created. (7) And of the angels he saith, Who maketh (created) his angels winds (Greek: “spirits”). The proponents of this false doctrine say that Satan came among the angels in Job who were said to be sons of God. It does not say that. Satan, the highest fallen angel, was not a son of God but only came among them to be their accuser as he did with Job. (Job 1:6) Now it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan also came among them. He immediately begins to accuse them to God. (11) But put forth thy hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will renounce thee to thy face. Here is the same case. (Zec.3:1) And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of Jehovah, and Satan standing at his right hand to be his adversary. (2) And Jehovah said unto Satan, Jehovah rebuke thee, O Satan; yea, Jehovah that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee. (3) Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the angel. 4 And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take the filthy garments from off him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with rich apparel. Joshua, the Hebrew word for Jesus, and Jerusalem represent the same thing here, the body of Christ, who are being accused by Satan. Paul said the heavenly Jerusalem was “the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven” (Heb.12:23). We are seated with Christ in heavenly places. We, as the sons of God present ourselves before him constantly and Satan comes among us to accuse us. We are never out of God's presence. You will notice that God separated the line of Seth and the line of Cain in Gen.4 and 5, just as he separated Israel from the Gentiles and commanded them to not cross. In the New Testament Christians are forbidden to marry unbelievers (1 Cor.7:39), although if you are married to one do not leave them for God can save them (7:12-14). Notice in all three of these cases we are talking about crossing the sons of God and the sons of the Devil, or men, which is strictly forbidden (1 Cor.7:39; Ezra 9:2; 10:10; 2 Cor.6:14-18). In all of these cases when the sons of God fell away they began to have fellowship with fallen angels which we call demons (Psa.78:49, called here “angels of evil”; 2 Cor.12:7; Greek: “angel of Satan”) Demons did not directly create giants because they cannot. The Scripture teaches that each seed brings forth after its own kind. Jesus said, “that which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit”. Therefore, spirits cannot bring forth flesh. Some would argue that Jesus was born of God. Jesus' spirit was born of God but His flesh was born of David through Mary; “the seed of the woman”. Rom.1:3 concerning his Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 who was declared [to be] the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. Spirits can inhabit bodies of men that can procreate but they cannot have anything to do with making giants through marrying the daughters of men. (Mat.22:29) But Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. (30) For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as angels in heaven. Fallen angels do not procreate man's flesh but his spirit and soul. Spirits sow a spiritual seed, not a physical one. Jesus is the Word, who in Matthew 13 sowed the seed of the Word in His people's heart to bring forth His fruit in them, 30, 60, and 100 fold. In Mat.13:24,27,32 the word for seed in Greek is “sperma”. Demons also sow their “sperm” in mankind's hearts to bring forth their evil fruit but this is their spiritual man and not their flesh. Seth, the son of God, is mentioned in the spiritual lineage of Jesus. (Luk.3:38) the [son] of Enos, the [son] of Seth, the [son] of Adam, the [son] of God You will notice that God mentions all of Cain's wicked descendants in Gen.4:16-24. After this we are told, (Gen. 4:25) And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth. For, [said she], God hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel; for Cain slew him. (26) And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enosh. Then began men to call upon the name of Lord. Notice after all that evil seed God gave one to replace Abel the righteous seed. Why didn't any of Cain's seed replace Abel as a righteous seed? Obviously, his seed were evil. (1 Jn.3:12) not as Cain was of the evil one. Only after Seth and his son were born did the scripture say “men (plural) began to call on the name of the Lord”. Obviously Cain and his tribe did not call on the Lord. They were sons and daughters of men and as such called on the devil. After Adam there was not another son of God born until Seth; skipping over all of the seed of Cain. (Gen.5:3) And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begat [a son] in his own likeness, after his image (a son of God) ; and called his name Seth. Notice none of Cain's descendants were sons of God but were of men. How then were the giants made? Seth and Cain's lineages stayed separate for hundreds of years. They inbred within their lines, which was not against the command of God at this time. In nature, especially after the curse, this deteriorates the line. They became weaker, smaller, and less intelligent. Wherever there has been in-breeding today, the descendants are sickly in mind and body. When the sons of God began to fall away some became inhabited by demons. This also happened in Israel and Christianity because history always repeats. (Ecc.1:9) That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. When after years of inbreeding the fallen sons of God and the sons of men crossed, making what is called in nature hybrids. The “Nephilim” were bigger, stronger, and more intelligent because as hybrids they end up with the better physical characteristics of both lines. Later in the Law God forbid inbreeding, at least with close relatives. Now even cousins are a no-no because the farther from Adam we go the stronger the curse has become. The serpent obviously walked on legs in the Garden because God cursed him to crawl on his belly. That curse was gradual and increased as time went by. Even in Job's day, which was in Jacob's day, he saw dinosaurs in Job 40:15 - 41:34. You have to ignore the translator's silly notes calling them hippopotamus and crocodile. We have never seen a hippo with a tail like a cedar tree or a croc that stood so tall that a multitude of men with spears and arrows dared not even approach him. The dinosaurs were serpents with legs. Even today some serpents have vestiges of legs beneath their skin. The fire-breathing dragon in Job 41:18-21 was a tyrannosaurus. This was one type of the serpent in that time but it was cast down by the curse to crawl on its belly. Rev.12:9 And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent...The increasing curse made it more and more improbable for giants, human or beast, to be bred.     “Added Books of the Bible” Disproven by God David Eells – 4/20/25 The people are wrong who say: “There were other books of the Bible that should have been included or the apocryphal books should not have been taken out. Saying we only had 66 of them, while many were missing. The White Hats retrieved all of them from the basement of the Vatican.” Who made these people experts on the anointed words which they have never followed? There have been many books hidden at the Vatican, but Numerics is a pattern in every letter of the original Greek and Hebrew, parts of which are shown in various ancient manuscripts. Every manuscript can be proven as to where this pattern is or isn't, showing the original text. This pattern was designed by God to prove that only the 66 books are inspired by Him. No other book has been found to have this complete pattern in every letter and its position. The Catholics added their apocryphal books that were proven not to have this pattern. The original KJV had these books in it. Satan and his “aliens” want desperately to pollute the Bible. The “New Agers” throw out the book of Revelations, which has this perfect pattern disproving their 1000 years of peace. Where the original “Numeric Greek New Testament” is used Bible skip sequence codes will show up all through the text. God pronounces a curse at the end of the true Bible on all who add to or take from its Words. Rev 22:18-21 I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto them, God shall add unto him the plagues which are written in this book: 19 and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book.     66 Books Proven by Math Science Proves the Bible Numeric English New Testament The Holy Bible, Wholly True Numerics and the KJV Numeric Materials   Now I'm going to share an excerpt from this book by Philippe Besnard on New Age. Why? Because this sect has invaded the Alliance and is totally defenseless against this demon deception along with the Unitarian types and long dead “Christian” religions of shifting sands. Only the firm foundation of the Word and infilling of the Holy Spirit will give discernment.     Spiritual Warfare- Revelation of a New-Age Deception https://www.ubm1.org/spiritualwarfare-besnard.pdf (David's Notes in Red) North America, Birthplace of the Modern New-Age Movement (When I met Philippe, he was coming out of 30 years of the New Age movement, and as such, he was an expert in describing it.) The North American continent is the birthplace of the modern New Age movement, and when I immigrated to Canada from France, I felt in awe of what I saw as the vibrant “new spirituality” of this wild land. In comparison, I thought France and old Europe were still living in the Middle Ages. France is now catching up with the New Age, but for many years, it has been very slow to emerge. As part of my new identity, adapting to a new culture and learning English, I became a true product of the New Age. I was eager to embrace the lifestyle and social and spiritual trends of my adoptive country. For thirty years I had earnestly followed New Age teaching, traveled to workshops, conferences, seminars, training sessions, and festivals, met many of its teachers, and was personally taught by some of them. I had received countless readings from channelers, psychics, astrologers, palm readers, and Tarot card readers. I received spiritual healings from healers of all faiths and denominations, and even so-called “DNA activation” from a “Spiritual Scientist”. But the Bible says in Lev.19:31 “Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.” I had embraced the mystic path and the contemplative lifestyle. I practiced yoga and meditation for many years; sat in Darshan to receive the blessings of gurus, and participated in Satsang, chanting the names of Hindu deities and Buddhist mantras. I facilitated devotional evenings with my guitar, chanting Sanskrit mantras, the music of which I had composed. I traveled to India twice and other countries in the Far East seeking “truth, wisdom, enlightenment, and good karma”. I have been in the company of, and received teachings from, a number of swamis, gurus, yogis, lamas and so-called “enlightened” Western spiritual teachers. As a nature lover, I had worshipped Nature, called the earth Gaia, followed and believed in various native teachings and Shamanism. My space at home was cluttered with New-Age paraphernalia on the walls, tables, and corners. In the garden, I had crystals, posters, images and statues of Buddha and Hindu deities. The New Age is a melting pot made of practically every religious and occult philosophy found in the world. It is a strange convergence of mysticism, holism, pantheism, aboriginal animism, humanism, Luciferian Western occultism with Freemasonry, Theosophy, Rosicrucianism, modern Masonic witchcraft (called Wicca), the Illuminati, apostate Christianity, Gnosticism, Islam, Taoism, Buddhism, Zen, Sufism and Hinduism. The New Age is a broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture, with an interest in Druidism, shamanism, neo-paganism, Voodoo, exploration of human sexuality, environmentalism, modern-day occultism, worship of “Mother” Earth, psychic healing and extraterrestrial phenomena. Most of the ancient origins of the New Age are found in classical Hinduism, Buddhism, and pagan Babylonian religions. So, despite the name “New” Age, we are dealing here with a very ancient system. Paganism is a people or a community observing a polytheistic religion, which is the worship of many gods, as opposed to monotheism, the worship of One Almighty God, the Creator of All that is. A Pagan is also called an irreligious heathen, gentile, or hedonistic person... The great New-Age plan is dedicated to the unification of all races, religions and creeds. This plan is claiming to establish a “new order of things”, it is to make all things new - a new nation, a new race, a new civilization and a new non-sectarian one world religion that has already been recognized by the United Nations. This New Age globalism movement advocates a one-world government, a one-world religion, and a one-world economy; and this would mean the destruction of the sovereignty of nations and religions. New Age teachers are using standard texts of Eastern religions such as the Hindu Baghavad-Gita and the Tibetan Book of the Dead, as well as writings of Jewish mysticism called Kabbala and those gnostic scriptures often called the Apocrypha. Over the years, I became more and more confused in studying such “new revelations” as the Urantia book, the Keys of Enoch. (Academy for Future Science), A Course in Miracles, Elizabeth Clare Prophet (of The Church Universal and Triumphant). (General Flynn in Sept. 2021 offered a prayer at a large church gathering of Trump worshipping, patriotic “Christians” that originated from Elizabeth Clare Prophet invoking the 7 fold rays and the arch angels. Rick Wiles has denounced Michael Flynn, because he delivered a “New Age prayer” almost word for word by Elizabeth Claire Prophet, a New Age Theosophist and Christian Science advocate, at pastor Hank Kunneman's Christian conference last week and had everyone in the congregation repeat the invocation after him: “ Rick said, “My advice to you is to separate from Gen. Michael Flynn.” In this prayer Flynn invokes “the 7 fold rays and the arch angels”, “in your name and the name of your legions” to help guide humanity (Ascended Masters) and protect us against the enemy and further the purposes of their agenda. (Who is his god? And to whom is he praying?) The “7 fold rays and the arch angels” is based on New Age Theosophy developed by Helena Blavatsky. By the way, you can not achieve the rank of a military general without being initiated. The White Dragons who support the Alliance behind the scenes believe that the Abrahamic God is satan @ 11:53 minutes. (What's Behind General Flynn and the White Hats Alliance? Here is an informative Link: https://youtu.be/Dkx7v0JTmmw) Back to Philippe's text: I also studied... Rudolf Steiner (Anthroposophy), Edgar Cayce, Law of One, Aquarian gospel of Jesus Christ, Heindel Max (the Rosicrucian cosmo-conception-Mystic Christianity) the Gnostic gospels. There is a lack of uniformity in the doctrines of the New Age. The beliefs of New Agers vary from ‘group to group' and ‘person to person.' Thus, it is difficult to have a clear definition and a solid understanding of what the New Age really is. I believe this confusion has been created on purpose. It is very hard to pinpoint, identify and shoot the enemy when it is moving constantly, shape-shifting, or invisible. People entering these movements are generally concerned with having an experience, and not necessarily with finding the truth. Their actions are determined by feelings, not intellect. The emphasis is on “practicing and becoming god” and this is why meditation and many other techniques that teach “stillness of the mind” and a “receptive feeling mode” are promoted. We are told to “follow our bliss”, “go with the flow”, “let loose”, to “transcend the limitation of the mind,” and to “experience the pleasure and the ecstasy of the body”. Using your mind to discriminate and discern has become taboo. The principle of “spiritual vibration” is the belief that all things vibrate at some frequency. The ultimate goal of all New-Age practices is for humanity to vibrate at the same frequency so that we can all become one, spiritually and mentally. “We are all one”, this most repeated New-Age catch phrase, wants us to believe the unity of all things, heaven and earth, spirit and matter, the invisible and the visible worlds, the great melting pot of Darkness, Light, and everything in between. (WWG1WGA?) This “All is ONE”, “all is good”, “don't worry, be happy”, “don't judge” and “be in the moment” is a disastrous recipe that generates apathy and complacency. It is creating a generation of self-seeking, egotistical people who are indifferent to iniquity and the suffering of others. I have been a dedicated student of this school of thought and I have practiced being fully in my body, opening all “the inner channels” and feeling “the subtle currents”. I was proud of “feeling and being” but I was a total fool...! I had lost common sense and the ability to discern and discriminate good from evil. I didn't want to judge anything or anybody for the fear of being unloving, and spiritually not evolved. What a perfect brainwashing and a diabolical device to enslave, control people and turn them into powerless puppets! I was losing my God-given right to discriminate and I didn't realize that judging is necessary for preserving the integrity of my soul. I used to confuse judging with condemning, and I know this confusion had been fostered on purpose. Then I discovered I can judge a situation or someone without condemning and feel love and compassion toward all the parties involved. This was a very liberating and empowering realization. Of course, our human judgment is flawed and imperfect, but as we draw closer to God, we learn true Divine Justice. (And discernment)     Is Darkness Real and Is it a Sovereign Force? The beginning of the story starts with a question I have been asking myself over the years: “And what about God?” I often wonder how God is seeing me, seeing us, seeing the world. I often cry out to Him, asking, “Why, God? Why is there so much pain and suffering everywhere on this beautiful planet? Why is there so much injustice, poverty, and violence?” Do you have the feeling, as I and many others do, that something ominous is about to happen and that we are only seeing the beginning of a momentous transformation? It seems with each day, the world is spiraling down into greater chaos, deception, and destruction. I know a lot of us choose to look at the positive and ignore the increasingly rapid deterioration of our civilization, but refusing to see that anything serious is happening, denying that we, as a human race, are in deep trouble is not going to change it, resolve it, or make it go away. No, in fact, denying is not seeing, and if we don't see, we are blind and hopeless to change anything. Because of my willingness to honestly acknowledge and recognize the darkness pervading our world, I have been more readily able to recognize that this darkness is also within myself. I realized I can only change something in the world or within myself when I am fully aware of what is truly happening. I have heard many times people saying, “The dark only exists when you believe in it. If you believe in the devil, in darkness, you are giving it power, but if you focus on the light, the dark has no place to be.” I tried that belief on, wearing it for some time, but darkness was still there. This belief crippled my ability to discriminate evil from good. Is not believing in darkness preventing darkness from manifesting? Is the world such a paradise that there is no darkness to be seen anywhere? How can anyone believe this? The dark, of course, wants you to believe it is not there but even the most remote paradisiacal Pacific island has murder, theft, violence, greed, etc. In my twenties, I lived on Boraccai, a remote Philippine paradise island, for five months. I was living in a bamboo hut on the beach with no electricity, no running water or any modern amenities. Life was so gentle and simple, I felt surely, I had found the Garden of Eden. One morning, I heard that a man had been murdered the previous night. There had been some drinking and a knife fight broke out. I was deeply shaken to the core, as was most of the tiny population of the island. My innocent naivety that the world is a safe place was completely shattered. In that one moment I became aware of the pervading presence of the dark. “The light” is such a broad, impersonal concept when it is not mentioned as an attribute of God. In fact, many of us embrace the concept of “the light” standing all by itself as a sovereign, impersonal, beneficial force that is replacing the Name of God. Few people know the dark is quite capable and is a master at parading and appearing as the “light”. 2Co.11:13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, fashioning themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel of light. 15 It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. There is the assumption prevalent in New-Age circles that the light needs the presence of the dark to exist. We are told that within the fabric of the universe there is built in an eternal polarity that makes the light of God not being able to exist without the darkness of Lucifer. This is a clever but absurd concept invented, of course, by the dark to deceive people into accepting Lucifer as a legitimate, purposeful, and even beneficial force. The great paradox is this: that Lucifer is, indeed, purposeful, not as an independent sovereign entity but as a force that God uses for His own plan. The dark was created and is allowed to exist by God for His Sovereign purpose and actually needs God's approval and permission to continue to exist. On the other hand, God obviously exists outside of this fallen, polarized world and has no need whatsoever of anything or anybody outside of Himself. There is no darkness in the Kingdom of God, not even anything that remotely resembles darkness. 1 John 1:5 And this is the message which we have heard from him and announce unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If there is no darkness in the Kingdom of God, then surely this planet, which has been corrupted with darkness since the beginning of time, is not the Kingdom of God. Jesus confirmed that fact by saying: My kingdom is not of this world: John 18:36 Of course, this doesn't mean God is not present or is removed from His creation, but I wondered why God allows darkness to be here. Please be patient with me as I attempt to offer my understanding based on the fruit of my life experiences and the teachings found in the Bible.     The New-Age Movement For over thirty years I had been searching for God and the Truth while being completely lost in the great deception of the New Age. I was immersed in New-Age thinking, was an intimate part of its movement, and worked to promote its philosophy and belief system. I was brainwashed to blindly accept and embrace New-Age occult knowledge, and I was convinced my life of service and my spiritual studies were the highest expression of my love for God. I was sincere, as most New-Agers are, but I was also completely deceived and clueless. My study and knowledge of esoteric and ancient mysteries gave me a sense of belonging to the highest-evolved portion of humanity. Although I have always managed to retain some humility in my being, through a natural devotion to the Lord, I still had a typical new-age persona, a spiritual vanity, that vague illusion of having achieved a higher consciousness. This was constantly reinforced by countless readings, which I had received over the years from psychics, clairvoyants, mediums and channelers. I was repeatedly told how great, spiritual, and amazing I was and how I had come here on earth from the higher angelic realms to save lost mankind. I was a walking earth angel with a mission….!!! Of course, I knew everybody else was more or less told the same story, so I took all of it with a grain of salt as I was aware of the deception of ego-flattering, but I was hoping somehow I was special in the eyes of God. Little by little over the last few years, I came to realize through the grace of God's revelation, the many distorted truths and the outright evilness of the New-Age teachings. Because of my passionate nature, I had delved into this New-Age pool deeply and had many close encounters with renowned teachers and spiritual centers across North America. This first-hand, practical knowledge and in-depth study has given me a unique perspective to share with you, the discovery of a very shocking and disturbing truth. The Dark New Age of Aquarius is here right now, and those leading the way forward in this New Age are working hand-in-glove with the great and the powerful. Some of the wealthiest and influential men and women on our planet are openly identifying themselves with the New Age. From bankers, industrialists, politicians, celebrities, and religious leaders of all faiths, it seems everyone is going “New Age,” and they are bringing huge numbers of the population along with them. Darkness is a very powerful force at work over this world. It is a corporate entity made up of many individuals, and is described in the Bible as “the beast”. It is also the embodiment of one being who has been known by various names, including Thoth or Seth in Egypt, Manu in India, Hermes in Greece and Lucifer, the Devil, or Satan in the Judeo-Christian tradition. God is executing end-time Bible prophecy right this very day and He is allowing Lucifer to create the final end-time New World Order of the beast empire. One of the instruments for all this to come to pass is the New Age Movement, also called “The Plan” and what Freemasonry calls “The Great Work Of Ages”. (The QAnon movement has always said, “Trust the Plan.” Whose ‘Plan' are they referring to? Probably not God's plan, but the New Age plan and their AI computers.) This is Lucifer's rebellion and master plan in action against God. The New Age movement has become a powerful political, philosophical, and economic force in our contemporary culture and is exerting its influence into every facet of modern life. (As I've often said, One beast is being conquered by the other and we are grateful for that at this moment. The day will come when all this camaraderie will melt away because they are looking down their snoots at us.) Its ultimate goal and plan is to introduce a One World Order and One World Religion. The UN is gradually becoming the center of this New World Religion, and the “house of peace” with its programs and policies is even more worthy of comparison to what some have called a modern-day “Tower of Babel”. All of my research and personal experiences during those years have led me to believe that Lucifer is very real and he is rising, or descending, depending on which way we look at it! He is here on earth, in this dimension, causing havoc and chaos in an attempt to seat himself on the throne of a World State, and to inaugurate a New Religion with himself as its sole deity. Dan.11:36 And he shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every God, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished; for that which is determined shall be done. (Isa.14:13 And thou saidst in thy heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; and I will sit upon the mount of congregation, in the uttermost parts of the north; There is a false belief among many today that Lucifer and Satan are the same but this is propagated by the New Ager's. “Lucifer and Satan are actually two different aspects of the same creature. Lucifer, meaning “the brilliant one, son of the morning” in Hebrew, was an angel beloved by God until his fall and after his rebellion, he became Satan. While there is a significant difference between the two, the terms today have unfortunately become synonymous with each other and with the devil.” Satan has been busily working through his false prophets and religious harlots to pollute true Christianity and also offer a fake moralizing replacement for it to the world so that no one has to repent of sin.     False Prophet and Religious Harlot Experience and the Word have taught me concerning prophecy that if the majority of God's people believe something, it must be wrong. God hides his truths in dreams or visions that are parables so that the false prophets and carnal Christians cannot understand them as in (Mat.13:10-13) but privately He explains them to His disciples. He hides truths from the wise and understanding of this apostate religious system and reveals them to babes according to Jesus in (Luk.10:21). He reveals His hidden truths to those who are faithful. Rev.2:17…To him that overcometh, to him will I give of the hidden manna…. John's Revelation was given to him as a parable from Jesus. If it were literal, the false prophets would know what is going to happen and that is contrary to Jesus' own words. When the disciples were young and under the Law they did not recognize the false prophets that ruled them. As a matter of fact, they respected them! And so it is today! I want to share with those of you who have eyes and ears who the false prophet is and what his work is. ...The false prophet is a corporate body of religious leaders that to the trained eye resemble those of Jesus' day. Since Jesus' day is a type of the coming Man-child reformers in our day, we know there are going to be false prophets, plural. In all of the New Testament writings, outside of the book of Revelation, we are warned that false prophets, plural, would come. In Revelation, false prophet, singular, is used, but in an allegory or parable to hide the corporate body. Since Jesus, Peter and John said that in the end time many false prophets shall arise, then the false prophet in Revelation is a symbol of a corporate body, like the rest of the characters there like the Woman, the Harlot, the Beast, etc., are corporate bodies. It's the only way that all verses concerning false prophets can be right. Mat.7:15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. Mat 24:11&24 And many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray. (24) For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets… so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. So you see they are plural... They come to you with moralizing like the New Age but cannot live it at all because they don't know the Gospel that saves from sin, and nothing is sin to them. They are false because Jesus said, “To him that overcometh will I give authority” meaning, overcome sin. False prophets fit the type and shadow of history, according to Jesus. Luk.6:26. Woe [unto you], when all men shall speak well of you! for in the same manner did their fathers to the false prophets. Peter also said there would be false prophets among us. 2Pe.2:1 But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among you also there shall be false teachers …. John also said that many false prophets would speak for antichrist. 1Jo.4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (3) And every spirit that confesseth not Jesus is not of God: and this is the [spirit] of the antichrist … Notice that every spirit is the antichrist. The New Age is one of these false prophets that confesses not Jesus as the only begotten Son of God and leader of His Church. Part of the “strong delusion” (KJV) taught by the false prophets is that we are to be looking for the coming of a man called the false prophet, while the Biblical corporate false prophet is here and in the pulpits already. 2Co.11:14 And no marvel; for even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel of light. (15) It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works. ...Most agree that the second beast in Revelation 13 is the false prophet. He is given authority by the first beast for the second stage of the last 3½ years of the Tribulation (Rev.13:5). He is identified as a beast because he is a corporate body, as is every other prophetic beast in the Scripture. Rev.13:11 And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like unto a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. (12) And he exerciseth all the authority of the first beast in his sight. And he maketh the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose death-stroke was healed. The beast that is coming into authority now is pointed to by the New Age. It is a one-world order with a covenant. Here we see that the false prophet masquerades as the lamb: “two horns like unto a lamb” but he speaks as the world and Satan: “and he spake as a dragon” (beast). This second beast in chapter 13 is also identified after the world beast in Revelation 16:13 as the false prophet. This impostor leadership for the harlot has “a form of godliness” (2Tim.3:5) but is carnal and can only teach a worldly corruption of the Word. They are actually a mouthpiece for the world beast in the apostate church. It was said of the world beast, (Rev.13:5) and there was given to him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies…. These apostates speak against (Greek: blasphemeo) God with their hypnotizing, ear-tickling doctrines of all-fly-away, unconditional eternal security, worldly prosperity, greasy grace, and anything but the self-crucifying truth. And 1000 years of peace that will be interrupted by the Tribulation that they do not believe in. The false prophet is a corporate body within the corporate body of the harlot, which is female because they receive the seed of antichrist. In verse 15, we see the female body of the false prophet. “And it was given to her (Greek) to give spirit (Greek) to the image of the beast.” Bible Numerics show a perfect pattern for “her” and “spirit” in the original Greek and in the most accurate New Testament, the Numeric English New Testament by Ivan Panin. There is no pattern in “he” or “it.” In Greek, breath and spirit are the same. Numerics show beyond a shadow of a doubt which words are correct here. In the rest of the text this false prophet is identified as male by the same numeric pattern. A translator would have had to respect the Word enough to ignore his own reasoning to simply translate what was there. Most are not willing to go out on a limb and look foolish when they do not see the reason. A male, who is also seen as female, is clear proof that God is not speaking of an individual here but a corporate body of people. In parallel, we are the male body of Christ, made in His image (2Cor.3:18), but we are female in another type (Eph.5:22-25), being married and submitted to Him to receive only His seed, His Word. Let's see this corporate false prophet and his relationship to the harlot in another parable. We know Ahab represents the ten-horned beast who was being ridden by Jezebel (1Ki.18), exactly as the harlot rode the beast in Revelation 17:1-3. They ruled over the apostate ten tribes, who were also those who worshiped the image of the beast, the golden calf. As the corporate mother of the harlot sects of Christianity, she leads them into the Great Tribulation and death unless they repent. Rev.2:20 … Jezebel … teacheth and seduceth my servants to commit fornication (with the world beast by receiving their seed)…. (21) And I gave her time that she should repent; and she willeth not to repent of her fornication. (22) Behold, I cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of her works. (23) And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he that searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto each one of you according to your works. Like the harlot, Jezebel was guilty of the blood of the prophets and of the saints (1Ki.18:4; 2Ki.9:7; Rev.18:24). In Revelation 17:16 when the beast is through using the harlot he devours her, and so it was with Jezebel who was devoured by the dogs (1Ki.21:23), symbolizing the unbelievers (Mk.7:27) or the beast. The true ministers of God are fed at the Church's table (1Cor.9:13-14) and the false prophets are fed from the harlot's table. (1Ki.18:19)…The prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the Asherah four hundred, that eat at Jezebel's table. The two categories of false prophets represent the two horns of the false prophet in Revelation 13:11. Find out who Baal and Asherah represent in modern times and you will know who the corporate false prophet is. These two have their roots at the tower of Babel and were originally Nimrod and his wife Semiramis (Gen.10:8-10). They created the original harlot religion that spawned all the rest. They are a type of the great corporate mother of harlots of all of history. Rev.17:5 And upon her forehead a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. When Nimrod died and Semiramis (later called Asherah) became pregnant, she claimed that Nimrod had become the Sun God (later called Baal) who then by virgin birth was reborn as her son, Tammuz (Son of God). These original Babylonians worshiped the false father, son, and virgin about 2,300 years before the true virgin birth. Semiramis probably knew of the prophecy in Genesis 3:15 concerning the virgin birth seed of the woman and if she didn't, the devil did. With the confusion of languages and dispersion at Babel, this legend went throughout the world and these three were given different names in different cultures, many of which are in the Bible. The golden calf in Egypt was a symbol of the Father (Baal) in the Son. Remember Pharaoh's title meant “Great Temple of the Sun God.” Sun images all over the world and in Catholic and Eastern churches symbolize the false Son. The Israelites with their golden calf thought they were worshiping “YHWH” or “Elohim,” the true God, but it was Baal, “another Jesus.” One horn, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, represent those who teach “another Jesus.” This is the apostate Protestant ministers. The other horn, the four hundred prophets of the Asherah, represent those who worship the virgin. These are the Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, and many others that are into “Mariolatry.” We know that Mary became saved and is our sister, and we love her but she is not the mother of God as Mariolatry teaches. (Rom.1:3) Concerning his Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, (Jesus' “flesh” was the “seed of David” through Mary, which was the promised seed of the woman in Genesis 3:15. Mary is the mother of Jesus' flesh which is the “Son of Man.”) (4) who was declared [to be] the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead; [even] Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus' “spirit” man was the “Son of God.” Jesus agreed with this saying in John 3:6, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit”. Some would say that the two horns are the apostate leaders of the Christian religion and the leaders of false religions. To this I agree. The same verses usually address both greater and lesser types. The greater type is the most complete fulfillment and all the Babylonish religions will be gathered together in the end-time harlot. The False Prophets and Religious Harlots spread from the confusion at Babel throughout the world, and now the Unitarian New Age is seeking to bring Babel back together in a new Catholic, meaning “universal” religion that doesn't rebuke their own sins, much less others. Read also: Aliens Demons Bow to Jesus' Name Note: If you are a Spirit Filled Christian the Lord was speaking to you when He said, “I give you authority over all the power of the enemy.” And “What you bind on earth is bound in heaven.” The Lord said that we can delay this invasion now but we cannot ultimately stop it for God has sent this delusion. 2Th 2:9 even he, whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie: 12 that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.  “Satan, the deceiver of the whole world.”

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Focal Passages: Luke 9:51, 19:28-40, Zec 9:9, Jn 2:4, 7:8, Mt 3:1-3

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We all know the story of Adam and Eve eating the fruit, but what were the real consequences of that? How did this decision impact creation, man, and woman?In today's episode, Pastor Derek and Pastor Jackie answer a listener question around the true consequences of the fall of mankind. We dig through the narrative of Genesis 3 to see how all of the world was impacted by this sin and how it still impacts us and our relationships today. We hope this is a little deeper dive than you're used to taking through the story of The Fall of Man and that you would learn something new!The 17:17 podcast is a ministry of Roseville Baptist Church (MN) that seeks to tackle cultural issues and societal questions from a biblical worldview so that listeners discover what the Bible has to say about the key issues they face on a daily basis. The 17:17 podcast seeks to teach the truth of God's Word in a way that is glorifying to God and easy to understand with the hope of furthering God's kingdom in Spirit and in Truth. Scriptures: Gen. 3:14-24; Gen. 9:2; Rom. 8:20-22; Gen. 1:29-30; Gen. 9:3; Gen. 2:18; 1 Tim. 2:13; Eph. 5; Gen. 5:29; Eccl. 3:20; Rom. 5:12; Gen. 2:16-17; Rom. 6:23; 1 Cor. 15:22; Eph. 2:5; Isa. 59:2; John 14:6; Gen. 2:25; Gen. 3:7-8; Rom. 6:16-18; Rom. 7:14; Rev. 21:3-4; Zec. 14:9-11; Isa. 11:6-9.If you'd like access to our show notes, please visit www.rosevillebaptist.com/1717podcast to see them in Google Drive!Please listen, subscribe, rate, and review the podcast so that we can reach to larger audiences and share the truth of God's Word with them!Write in your own questions to be answered on the show at 1717pod@gmail.com.  God bless!

Return of the Man-Child (6)  (audio) David Eells – 4/6/25  We know that in the Gospels, the Lord has shown us that the things that happened in those times are going to happen again around the world. In fact, He gave us these as types and shadows of prophecies which shall come to pass in our days. Praise the Lord! God has hidden so many wonderful things in His Word. Father, we thank You for opening our eyes and bringing us into agreement with You. You say, “How can two walk together except they be agreed?” So, Lord, it is so awesome to see what You are doing so that we can cooperate with You and be used as vessels of Your glory in these coming days. We are just so happy to hear about the great revival You have planned for us that is almost upon us, Lord. We want to be partakers in that and let You use us in it. We thank You so much, Lord, in Jesus' name.  I'd like to go back and talk a little bit more about the John the Baptist ministry because there's much still to cover. (Mat.3:1) And in those days cometh John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, saying, (2) Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (3) For this is he that was spoken of through Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ye ready the way of the Lord, Make his paths straight (or “make a straight path for Him”). John's job was to prepare people for the coming of Jesus, and there is a corporate John the Baptist ministry in our day whose job it is to prepare for the coming of Jesus in the Man-child.  Remember, Jesus said He was coming again on the morning of the third day (Hosea 6:2), which is where we are now. We're at the third millennial day from Jesus, when He came the first time as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth (Hos.6:3). He came as the former rain, and now He is coming as the latter rain in a corporate body of people. We'll return to that text, but first, let's look at this. (Luk.1:12) And Zacharias was troubled when he saw [him,] and fear fell upon him. (13) But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: because thy supplication is heard, and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. (14) And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. (15) For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.   There is also a fulfillment of that in our time. Remember that Paul spoke about being separated from my mother's womb (Gal.1:15), meaning he was being born out of the Jewish religion. In John's case, it could be taken that way as well, although Luke literally meant “from his (John the Baptist's) mother's womb.” I believe this John the Baptist ministry in our day is going to be the spiritual fulfillment of that corporate body. I believe that they will be anointed from their spiritual “mother's womb”, or, in other words, they are delivered out of their religion. The woman in Revelation 12 who birthed the Man-child and other later seeds represents the Church who brings forth these seeds as they grow up and mature.  Luke goes on to describe what we know to be a great revival that is coming because this John the Baptist ministry is on the verge of coming forth, probably after the next great judgment. Luke continues, And many of the children of Israel shall he turn unto the Lord their God (Luk.1:16). Notice that it states “many of the children of Israel,” so this refers to those who were considered to be God's people. However, they were not who they thought they were. Jesus had a great problem with people like that, who believed they were right with God because of their religion. But He said that the Father had sent Him to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24). In our day, we have the same situation. There are a lot of lost sheep in Christianity, and the Man-child ministry of our day is going to be sent to them as the fulfillment of that in our day. (1Co.10:11) Now these things happened unto them by way of example; and they were written for our admonition (referring to Christians), upon whom the ends of the ages are come. It says, “Many of the children of Israel shall He turn unto the Lord their God.” That's a great revival!  (Luk.1:17) And he shall go before his face (that is, Jesus' face, or in our day, it would be the Man-child's face) in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children … What He means by that, I believe the Lord showed me, and this is also in Malachi, to “turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,” is that we need the heart that our fathers had. We need to have the diligence and discipleship that our early Church fathers had. God is going to restore what has been lost to the Church for the last 2000 years. He said in Malachi that if He did not do this, He would have to smite the earth with a curse (Mal.4:6). (Luk.1:17) And he shall go before his face in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient [to walk] in the wisdom of the just … This will be the result of the John the Baptist ministry in our day. People will be seeking righteousness, purity, holiness, and repentance. This was the main message that John had, to “make ready for the Lord” a people prepared for Him. His ministry will be to prepare hearts to recognize Jesus.  Interestingly, most Christians could not recognize Jesus if He walked in the door. That's the whole reason for this repentance. We don't have eyes to see and ears to hear unless we have repented, which is the ministry of John the Baptist, who came to turn the people back to the Lord. If you turn to the Lord, you can hear and you can see; you can recognize someone spiritual. But not if you're dull of hearing and have closed eyes like Jesus talks about when He says, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given (Mat.13:11). He was referring to His own people here who had become blind and hard of hearing, and who did not recognize Jesus. They didn't know the importance of His words and didn't lay any importance on the sanctification that was in those words. Also, it says, This is He that was spoken of through Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ye ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight (Mat.3:3). In other words, “make a straight path for your connection with the Lord and His coming into your life.”  This is a part of Isaiah. (Isa.40:1) Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. (2) Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem; and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. It sounds like that's when John came because this is a prophecy of John, which we'll see when we look at the next verses. They had just come through a time of judgment, and this probably softened them up to be ready to repent when John preached and baptized in the river. He said that they had received double for all their sins. As we read on, we are going to see this again. (Isa.40:3) The voice of one that crieth, Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of the Lord … The way to the Lord is in the wilderness. It is not in the city; it is not in apostasy; it is not in Babylon.   The way to the Lord is in the wilderness, as Moses told Pharaoh (Exodus 10) because you cannot serve God in Egypt. We have to go into the wilderness to serve God and that's exactly what is going to happen here. We're going into a wilderness where people will once again learn to walk by faith. (Hab.2:4) … But the righteous shall live by his faith. (Heb.10:38) But my righteous one shall live by faith … (Isa.40:3) The voice of one that crieth, Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of the Lord; make level in the desert a highway for our God. In other words, make a way for His entrance into your life. You have to get all the stones out of the way; you have to remove anything that is between you and God. That's what the John the Baptist ministry is going to be all about.  (Isa.40:4) Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low (God is saying about this coming time, that when a person is humbled, then they'll be exalted and when a person is exalted, then they'll be humbled.); and the uneven shall be made level, and the rough places a plain: (Isa.40:5) and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. It was prophesied of John to speak this, and in the letter, Isaiah was referring to the coming of Jesus. But Jesus said He was coming again on the morning of the third day, at the latter rain, and He's going to come in His Man-child company first. His purpose is to fill His whole body with His glory. You know that we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory (2Co.3:18). “Beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord” is the real Gospel and the people have forgotten that it's the Good News. They've forgotten that the Lord has done this; it is not us. We have faith in Him.  (Isa.40:6) The voice of one saying, Cry. And one said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. (7) The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the breath (or the “spirit”; it's the same word) of the Lord blewit upon it; surely the people is grass. (8) The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand forever. (9) O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up on a high mountain; O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold, your God! This is prophesied of John the Baptist. “Behold, your God!”   The Lord is coming, folks! This is an exciting thing about the days to come. We're going to see the Lord again. No, not in His first physical body, but it's going to be Him manifested in His people. This is the great joy that God's people are going to have, and this is why no one will make them afraid in the wilderness because God's people are those who do truly desire Him and invite Him into their hearts to truly live, not as religion says, but for the truth.  The next verse speaks of His coming. (Isa.40:10) Behold, the Lord God will come as a mighty one, and his arm will rule for him … (Isa.53:1) … To whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? That was Jesus and it is still Jesus today. Jesus in you is still the arm of the Lord that strengthens His hands to do His work, and He calls us His hands in Isaiah 53:10. (Isa.40:10) Behold, the Lord God will come as a mighty one, and his arm will rule for him: Behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. Notice that His recompense is before Him. That sounds like what we just read, that Jerusalem has paid double for her sins. It sounds as if judgment is coming before the Lord comes, and I believe that the Lord is showing us exactly that through many revelations, dreams, and visions. We'll return to that topic shortly, but it says, Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the earth (that is where we are), Say ye to the daughter of Zion (The daughter is born-again Zion, the New Jerusalem.), Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him (Isa.62:11). We can see that in two ways: First, we know that Jesus is coming in the Man-child as the white horse rider (Revelation 6:2) to bring judgment, like Moses came to bring judgment. But, and this is very interesting, it could also mean that there will be judgment before He comes, as we just read in Isaiah 40:2. (Isa.40:11) He will feed his flock like a shepherd (Ezekiel 34 refers to that – that He will shepherd His own sheep, His own flock.), he will gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom, [and] will gently lead those that have their young. That sounds great, doesn't it? Praise the Lord! Glory to God! John the Baptist isn't such a bad guy. He's going to bring the beginning of a massive world revival.  (Mat.3:4) Now John himself had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey. (5) Then went out unto him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about the Jordan. That sounds like a revival exactly as Luke 1 prophesied of John, that there would be a great move of repentance in God's people. What would cause God's people to repent like this? I believe, according to Isaiah 26, that one of the main things that moves God's people toward repentance is judgment. A very shaking judgment is coming, not only to America, but also to the world, and I believe that this may be the beginning of a John the Baptist ministry, which many will listen to. Something has to happen for God's people to listen and it is spoken about in Isaiah. (Isa.26:8) Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee. So I think God is going to catch people's attention with judgment and then He's going to bring the John the Baptist ministry, which will have a message of repentance.  (Mat.3:5) Then went out unto him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about the Jordan; (6) and they were baptized of him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Notice that “Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about the Jordan went out unto him, and they were baptized of him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.” (Mat.3:7) But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said unto them, Ye offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (8) Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of repentance: (9) and think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. We see here that there were two kinds of people who came to the John the Baptist revival. Those who were worthy and those who were not worthy. So, according to Jesus, even those who were actually sons of their father, the devil (John 8:44), were coming out there to that revival.  Now, it just so happens that we received a revelation that really fits this John the Baptist revival, the repentant burning up of the wood, hay, and stubble, and the two kinds of people there. Kendall Remmick received this on February 7, 2010. My comments are in parentheses.  I was walking down an old, familiar street with a friend whom I never did see in the dream. I knew the person standing next to me was a friend, but I did not know his identity. (It could have been the Lord. Who knows?) The street is the one I used to walk home on every day from school when I was in the first and second grades. (I think he's going to give us a revelation here of the path of immaturity, as you'll realize shortly.) My friend and I walked by one house that had some low evergreen bushes about two feet high, and there was a woman sitting in a chair in the midst of the bushes. She was pregnant and had her hands on either side of her stomach in anticipation of giving birth. In appearance, she was actually a silhouette of a woman, yet still three-dimensional. Inside the silhouette was black darkness, like deep space with no stars. Staring at her was like looking at a portal into darkness. (This is talking about the apostate, immature Church in whom is the absence of God's light. It is space, a vacuum, the absence of many things, but especially God's light. The Church is in bad shape, andi it's not the glorious Church that it's soon to become. God has a plan and He is going to tell you about that here.)  When we walked past her, either my friend or I said, “She's about to give birth to twins.” (The interpretation that came to me as I read this is that the twins represent the end-time Jacobs and Esaus born to the immature Church. Remember Jacob and Esau wrestled in the womb, And the children struggled together within her (Gen.25:22), and they were opposites, weren't they? Jacob is the father of the 12 patriarchs, just as Jesus was the “father” of the 12 patriarch apostles. In our day, the endtime Man-child will be used to raise up the patriarch apostles to the end-time Church. So there are parallels there and history always repeats, so we should expect this. Esau represents those who have sold their birthright, as Paul said in Hebrews 12:16. These two types will be separated at birth, and Esau will persecute Jacob, who is a type of the Man-child. Jacob was the father of the 12 patriarchs, and the Man-child will also raise up the patriarchs in our day. These two different types are being born to this Church, very similar to what we saw in Matthew 3. Some sold their birthright because they were sons of Abraham, and there is the true seed of promise.)  At this point, we looked away and continued to walk forward a few steps. I then stopped and noticed that I had a very small lawnmower in my right hand. The woman who was in the small hedge was behind us now, and the yard had grown very big. The grass needed to be mowed, but it wasn't green. It was golden yellow-brown, like wheat. And I realized that we were there to mow the lawn. (Now we're back to what we just read: (Isa.40:6) The voice of one saying, Cry. And one said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass … So the yard of the woman, who represents the Church, has a large, grassy lawn, which represents lots of flesh. (Isa.40:6) The voice of one saying, Cry. And one said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. (7) The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the breath (or the “spirit”; it's the same word) of the Lord bloweth upon it; surely the people is grass. (8) The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand forever. This is truly going to be a revival because of the Spirit of God breathing upon the flesh, withering it up. This is a part of the John the Baptist revelation of Isaiah 40. This is what we need in preparation for the coming of the Lord into our lives in a greater way than we have ever known, in the latter rain movement.)  I looked down at the little lawnmower in my hand. The top of it looked like a regular lawnmower, but the bottom side, where the blades were, looked like a house fan with a safety screen on it. (My interpretation is that a corporate John the Baptist ministry will breathe out the winds of the Spirit. That will cut down the flesh of the Church in repentance to prepare for the coming of the Man-child ministry.) I began to laugh and said, “I can't mow this lawn with this little thing. This lawn is huge!” (Meaning that flesh is abundant in the worldwide Church. This is a worldwide John the Baptist ministry coming to a worldwide Church and their job is cutting the grass. I recently had a lady tell me that she saw me mowing her lawn and I said, “That means I'm cutting your flesh.” This should be the work of every minister, to cut down the flesh to make room for the coming of the Lord.)  My friend said, “Well, sit down on the grass.” (I believe that this represents that these ministers are going to be tested. They haven't been anointed yet, so they'll have to be tested. I believe they're being tested right now, that John the Baptists and the future Man-childs are out there right now. The thing is, they haven't been anointed. I don't know if you've ever noticed, but evangelists like John the Baptist can say less and see more people come to an altar or any other form of receiving the Lord. Their message is very simple, but people just seem to flock to them. It's a gift, an anointing that God gives. These people could be preaching away right now, but it's Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts (Zec.4:6). Great revivals come by the Spirit of God. He is going to grant repentance, the Bible says. He can grant it to anybody. He doesn't even need your help to do it. A great revival is going to be just that; it's going to be a lot of people coming to repentance and wondering what happened. There's nothing from the outside you can observe that would tell you why this is happening, but you know that it's a move of God.)  When they set the mower down in the grass, it cut surprisingly well. But we realized that the lawnmower was way too small, so we agreed that we needed to go home and get a bigger lawnmower. (When the anointing comes on the worldwide John the Baptist ministries from Heaven, which is our real home because this world is not our home and we're going back home, the people will be prepared for the coming of the Man-child ministries. (Mat.11:10) This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send My messenger before thy face, Who shall prepare thy way before thee. Malachi 3:1 calls him “messenger.”   We once had a brother come and share, and the Lord had been telling me for weeks beforehand that this brother was a John the Baptist, and so when I told Brother Brad to put a banner up on the site to let everyone know he was coming, Brad said that the Lord had spoken to him that this was a John the Baptist. I said, “I know that; the Lord has spoken the same thing to me.” And then, the first thing that the brother said when he opened his mouth was that he was a messenger. I said, “Aha! You just confirmed something for me.” Of course, he didn't know that he was a John the Baptist. A lot of people don't know who they are, but it doesn't matter that you don't know who you are. It matters that you follow the Will of God until you find yourself in the Will of God. Praise the Lord! He can do this!)  When I was writing this, a verse came to me. (Amo.7:2) And it came to pass that, when they made an end of eating the grass … (In Daniel 4, the Beast Nebuchadnezzar, who was the head of the Babylonian Empire, had been given over to the mind of a beast and had devoured much flesh. But when he was delivered over to the mind of the beast, he devoured the flesh of the field for seven years, representing the nations that he was conquering. The nations of the Beast were conquered. Why is God raising up the Beast? He's raising up the Beast to cut the grass. He's not raising up just the John the Baptists who preach repentance, but He's also raising up the Beasts that put you on the cross in the first place. People don't want to see the Beast. They don't have any idea what the meaning and the purpose of the Beast is. They don't understand that God raises up the Beast to put His people on the cross; in other words, “to cut the grass,” so that they will humble themselves before God.)  (There's only one escape from the Beast, folks, and people are going to realize that it's going to be the Highway of Holiness. The Beast can't go on the Highway of Holiness. If you're walking holy before the Lord, Isaiah 35 says the Highway of Holiness goes to Zion, the City of God, the holy city, the mountain of God's presence, where also the Beast cannot tread. There is a place of safety from the Beast. God is going to make people understand that and that's why people are going to flock to Zion. We know that the John the Baptist ministry is baptized for the death of the flesh before the Man-child brings the latter rain.)  The lawnmower is the ministry before the latter rain. (He had that right because I had that revelation as I was reading from the top down, and I didn't know he had that there, but the ministry before the latter rain is the John the Baptist ministry. The dry grass is the saints who will die to the flesh. John the Baptist came in the anointing of Elijah, the Bible says. He will also come again in our time, to fulfill this revelation.)  According to Jesus, Elijah comes twice. (Mat.17:10) And his disciples asked Him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elijah must first come? (11) And he answered and said, Elijah indeed cometh, and shall restore all things: (12) but I say unto you, that Elijah is come already (So He said that Elijah was future and that Elijah had come already.), and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they would. Even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them. (Mat.17:13) Then understood the disciples that He spake unto them of John the Baptist. John the Baptist was Elijah (spiritually), who had come the first time, and now we have another John the Baptist Elijah that is coming. According to Jesus, he is coming twice.  Our text in Matthew 3 is an interesting revelation of a great revival and wave of repentance. We have had revivals, but a revival always starts with repentance, not just questionable signs and wonders. And for wise people, they are not even questionable. John the Baptist preached against such Babylonish hypocrisy as the Saul leadership, which we saw and understood must die before the David leadership could come.  I was talking with a brother one time about the John the Baptist ministry or evangelists in general, about how different they were, in that they generally stuck with the basics. The brother told me that the Lord had been telling him to get back to the basics, and I recognized that was what the Lord had taught me about evangelists or John the Baptist-type ministries. They're speaking to a people who do not have eyes to see or ears to hear, but through the preaching of repentance God is going to give them eyes and ears. They need to get the basics first in order to come into the Kingdom. The John the Baptists and evangelists both are speaking to people who are not yet fully manifested coming into the Kingdom, and also to apostate ministries, to bring them to repentance. You cannot bring a deep word; in fact, a deep word will just hinder their work.  John the Baptist had a real simple message of repentance, which is more than just crying at an altar. It is changing your mind, turning, going the other way. The Bible says, For godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation, [a repentance] which bringeth no regret: but the sorrow of the world worketh death (2Co.7:10). That means you might repent, but you'll regret it and go right back where you came from. The sorrow of the world is that way, but real repentance changes a person. It does not matter if you cry or not. Repentance is not necessarily crying; it's changing your mind enough to where you reject your old way of thinking, which is the main problem.  Another text in Matthew 11 speaks about John the Baptist's simple ministry, and perhaps he didn't yet understand a few things. It seems very plain here. (Mat.11:1) And it came to pass when Jesus had finished commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and preach in their cities. (2) Now when John heard in the prison the works of the Christ, he sent by his disciples (3) and said unto him, Art thou he that cometh, or look we for another? Now, why did he say that? It may be that Jesus was not living up to expectations, not that Jesus wasn't already doing great work. Maybe in John's eyes He wasn't living up to the expectations of what they thought the Messiah was going to bring. I'm referring to the religious crowd of his day; they didn't expect Him to come this way or act this way. John likely had some of that in him because he asked the question through his disciples, “Art thou he that cometh, or look we for another?”   (Mat.11:4) And Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and tell John the things which ye hear and see: (5) the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good tidings preached to them. (6) And blessed is he, whosoever shall find no occasion of stumbling in me. Well, that was a mild reproof for John, to tell John, “You shouldn't stumble; don't stumble in Me.” Jesus was the “stone of stumbling” (Romans 9:33) and people did stumble over Jesus. But He warned John not to stumble over Him because there was a big difference between their ministries. John preached repentance and Jesus was an enigmatic teacher of the deep things of God. He had deep revelations of these things. We never had any sign that John ever went beyond the basic preaching of faith and repentance, which is what is needed to prepare the way for the coming of the teaching. People are not even interested in that unless they have changed their mind and turned to God. We hear many times of people who, after repenting and turning to God, ask Him to lead them to truth, and God did that for them. He led them to truth because they had repented and truly became a disciple, but they needed some “food.”  The important thing is that when John is through with you, you're ready for Jesus. That is what's coming in our day. When an evangelist is through with you, you're ready for a teacher. So God is laying the foundation, and He always does a very good job of that. (Mat.11:7) And as these went their way, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to behold? a reed shaken with the wind? (8) But what went ye out to see? a man clothed in soft [raiment]? Behold, they that wear soft [raiment] are in king's houses. John was not a fancy person at all, was he? He certainly did not eat fancy food. (Mat.11:9) But wherefore went ye out? to see a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. This is a great prophet. (10) This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, Who shall prepare thy way before thee. As we'll see a little further down in the text, John was the greatest of the Old Testament prophets, according to Jesus, not because he spoke a lot of great things, but because of the anointing and the preparation and the job that he had to do. Once again, God is choosing a people through whom He is going to do a great work. Many of God's people are going to turn to God through this ministry, a worldwide ministry.  (Mat.11:11) Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist: yet he that is but little in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. In Jesus' day, John came at the end of the Old Covenant and was an Old Covenant prophet who was, at that time, preparing for a New Covenant; it was the old order preparing for the new order. The old and new orders are slightly different in our day but still have to follow according to the pattern. The old order in our day is the former rain ministry, and I know not many people have even come into that. This is really sad because, if you just read the Bible and pay attention to it, not getting distracted by religion, you cannot help but realize that you're supposed to be filled with God's Holy Spirit.  I believe the John the Baptist ministries that are coming in our day are going to fulfill being in the end of an old order, to prepare the way for the coming of a new order, which is the Man-child ministry. The John the Baptist in our day is going to come as the greatest prophet of the former rain and be a great ministry, bringing in multitudes of people. He will have the gifts of the former rain and be a former rain prophet, but the Man-child ministry is coming with the latter rain. That's the anointing that will fall upon the Man-child. The anointing that fell upon Jesus was the former rain, but the latter rain will fall upon the Man-child. We know that Jesus said He was coming again after two days on the morning of the third day, as the latter rain (Hosea 6:2-3).  So you see, Jesus is coming again, but this time He's coming as the new order for our day. He came as the new order for His day last time, and He's coming as the new order this time, as well, but He's coming after a John the Baptist ministry, which will be the greatest of the old order former rain. We know that the prophecy says that the rain will come, the former rain and the latter rain, in the first [month] (Joe.2:23). We see that there's a revival coming and it's going to be a revival of the former rain and the latter rain. The latter rain is going to supersede the former rain, and John the Baptist said just that. (Joh.3:30) He must increase, but I must decrease. In other words, “Don't get your eyes on me too long, boys, because there is coming One whose shoe latchets, I am not worthy to undo” (John 1:27). So John's disciples started getting the revelation of Who Jesus was, and they started following Him. John freely admitted that he was not the Messiah, but that the One Who was coming was greater.  (Mat.11:12) And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and men of violence take it by force. How much more is this going to be true in the coming revival? Why do we have to take the Kingdom by force? Because there is a whole army standing against you, one over which you have been given authority. (Luk.10:19) Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you. He gives us authority, but we have to fight a spiritual warfare to take the Kingdom of Heaven. It has been given, but you still have to take it with your “sword” (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12). When God sent the children of Israel to take the Promised Land, they had to take it with their sword. God said, “You go in there with your sword, and I will be with you.” Basically, that's where we are today. We have to take the Kingdom with our sword. Why? Because there's a second heaven before the third Heaven.  We dwell in the first heaven, but the second heaven is filled with the principalities, powers, and world-rulers of darkness (Ephesians 6:12) that do everything they can to keep us from reaching the third Heaven. We don't take the Kingdom from God; we're taking it from these spiritual [hosts] of wickedness in the heavenly [places] (Eph.6:12). By the way, Paul was a type of the Man-child who entered the third Heaven. He said that he fought the good fight and finished the race (2 Timothy 4:7). We are fighting a fight to take the Kingdom of God, but we must take it here. People think that you don't enter the Kingdom on Earth, but you do. (Luk.17:20) And being asked by the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God cometh, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: (21) neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, There! for lo, the kingdom of God is within you. So He says, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and men of violence take it by force (Mat.11:12). Remember the authority that the Lord gave you. You have a right to everything that the Lord says is yours in this Book, but that doesn't mean you're going to get it if you don't take up your sword and fight. For everything that God has given you, you may have to fight. Don't expect God to just lay it in your hand. You may have to speak faith, act faith, and repent to receive it.  (Luk.17:13) For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. (14) And if ye are willing to receive [it,] this is Elijah, that is to come. (15) He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Praise the Lord! And so it is, we are about to enter into more of the Kingdom than we have ever experienced, or anybody has experienced, except the Lord. We're going to enter into it right here. And for some people to receive the former rain, repent of their sins, and become true disciples, it's going to be because of John's ministry. Then the Man-child ministry shall come, which is the latter rain. During the first 3½ years of Jesus' ministry, He was the only One Who had the former rain. When He was baptized by John in the river, He came up and the Spirit of God came upon Him; that was the former rain. At the end of His 3½-year ministry, He breathed on His disciples and said, Receive ye the Holy Spirit (Joh.20:22).   Their former rain came out of Jesus and in our day, it's a perfect parallel because the John the Baptist ministry in our day is going to have the former rain, while the Man-child ministry in whom Jesus lives is going to have the latter rain for the first 3½ years. At the end of that time, they're going to pass on their mantle to their disciples. Why didn't the disciples need it during the first 3½ years? It's because they were being trained under Jesus' authority. He said that He would send them “another Comforter” (Greek: Paraclete; John 14:16). Jesus was also a Paraclete, meaning “One who stands beside and helps.” But the Holy Spirit was also a Paraclete, and Jesus went away in order to send the Holy Spirit, Who would manifest Him in those disciples.  So for the first 3½ years, Jesus' disciples were given authority by Him to go and do the things that they would do. They needed the other Paraclete when Jesus left in order to continue with the anointing and the power. Jesus was the only One Who had the former rain for the first 3½ years, but He imparted that mantle to them, as Elijah had done to Elisha (2 Kings 2:13), who turned and faced 42 youths who were mauled by two bears (2 Kings 2:23-24). The bears were the Beast, and the 42 youths represented the 42 months of the last 3½ years. We're seeing the parallel there of passing on this anointing, this mantle. Elijah passed his mantle to Elisha, who went out and performed more miracles than Elijah ever did. So did the disciples of Jesus; they went out and did greater works than Jesus (John 14:12) because they were multiplied. This was Jesus in all of them, going out and performing the same works that Jesus was doing, so it was multiplied into many greater works.  This is going to be repeated again and the reason this revival is going to spread all over the world is because of a geometric progression, or the “stadium effect” we've spoken of before. The stadium effect is a circle inside a circle inside a circle, and each circle that receives the words spoken in the center passes it on to a larger circle. Everyone who receives the Word passes it on to more than one person, creating a progressively larger circle. Geometric progression is going to turn the world upside-down in these coming days, just as it did for these disciples. The Man-child ministry is going to teach under the latter rain for the first 3½ years and will impart that to the disciples, who are going to go on in the second 3½ years to raise up the five-fold ministry (Ephesians 4:11), and so on and so forth.  We saw in Acts 16 that Jesus was still with them in Spirit, just as Moses went halfway through the wilderness and had to put a veil on his face because there was a glorified man underneath. Then Moses went with the Israelites the rest of the way through the wilderness, which represents the last 3½ years of the Tribulation. We know that the wilderness is, according to Revelation 12 and 17, the first and second 3½ years of the Tribulation. So, every Man-child type in Scripture adds more and more detail to the final revelation. Praise God! He's going to do an awesome miracle, an awesome revival, that will start with John the Baptist and be carried on through Jesus and the Two Witnesses because they're the ones who were trained by Jesus. He sent them out two-by-two, in every place that He was about to go. Where is He going? The whole world, For as the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west; so shall be the coming of the Son of man (Mat.24:27). That anointing will be passed from these ministries throughout the Church in this way and Jesus is going to raise up a body in His image. He will raise up the body of Christ.  We have been calling ourselves the body of Christ for a long time, but Jesus lives in the body of Christ, and He ministers from the body of Christ, so we're going to really see the body of Christ in the earth. Jesus will be famous from here on out. For the last 2000 years, His name has been small among the nations, but not so from here onward. The Lord is going to manifest His glory in this earth and people will fear the name of the Lord. They are either going to love Him or fear Him, but He is coming again, though not in the way the Pharisees and the Sadducees think. He didn't come the last time the way they thought He would, either. Once again, God has hidden these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes (Mat.11:25). Praise God!   The Lord has a great plan to once again hide these things from the Pharisees and the Sadducees of our day. They will not understand it; they will not believe it; they cannot see Him, and they do not know Him. But, as Jesus said, those who come as a child to the Kingdom of God will do awesome wonders in the power of God, like He did through those ignorant fishermen. They were like babes to the great theologians who looked down on them, but these were the true believers, the true people of God. And in our day, it's going to be God coming in simplicity through John the Baptist. You couldn't imagine John the Baptist in a suit and tie in the wilderness, could you? He was a simple man here for a very important purpose, and I will guarantee you that's exactly what is going to happen. Praise God!   Thank You, Lord, for doing a mighty work. Amen!   The things God has spoken in Matthew are prophetic of something to come in the future. The prophet Isaiah also said the same thing: (Isa.7:14) Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign (The Hebrew word there is uwth, meaning “a sign of something to come.”): behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Jesus' birth to the virgin Mary was for a sign and we've discovered that Jesus' ministry was a sign of the coming Man-child ministry. When we look in the Gospels, we can also see a prophetic word about the coming days. Our study has reached the part where Jesus was anointed of the Holy Spirit, so we'll continue there. (Mat.3:16) And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway from the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him; (17) and lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. This, too, is a prophecy of the things to come. As you know, Jesus spoke to us in John 16 and said that He was going to come again as a baby born to a woman, “a woman when she is in travail” (John 16:21). When we look all the way through the Bible, we come to Revelation 12:2 and there's the woman in travail with the Man-child.  After the sign that Jesus gave us here in Matthew, we know the Man-child is a corporate body coming forth in our day. It's interesting that everything that happened in the former rain is going to happen in the latter rain and this Spirit of God falling upon Jesus at this particular time was the outpouring of the former rain of the Holy Spirit that Joel prophesied would restore all things to the people of God (Joel 2:23). The former rain was given to Jesus first, who taught His disciples for 3½ years and then breathed on them, saying, Receive ye the Holy Spirit (Joh.20:22). Ten days later, a mighty, rushing wind came into their presence and baptized all of them in the Holy Spirit and they received the former rain.   But Jesus had it first and was the One Who breathed it on the disciples. Paul said that Jesus is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence (Col.1:18). And He is going to have the preeminence this time, as well. Many people leave Him out of their Manchild theology, but the point is that it is the Lord Who is coming to do this. The Lord came with the former rain, and He is the One coming with the latter rain, although He's coming in a different body. It is still Him coming to do it. He came in the body of the Son of David, the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15).  I know people want to make that the “seed of God,” but That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (Joh.3:6). Jesus was declared to be of the seed of David according to the flesh (Rom.1:3), but declared [to be] the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness (4). God was the Father of the spiritual man Jesus, the Son of God, Who came from Heaven, and it was Mary's seed that was the son of David. Jesus said, a body didst thou prepare for me (Heb.10:5), and that body was from man. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Once again, the Lord is going to take on a human body in these days and the body gets no credit; it is the Lord Who gets the credit.   But the Lord is coming to start the latter rain and though you've heard this before, I'll share it with you again briefly. (Hos.6:2) After two days will he revive us: on the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live before him. (3) And let us know, let us follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is sure as the morning; and he will come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth. “He will come unto us … as the latter rain that watereth the earth.” This is referring to the epiphany of Jesus, not the parousia of Jesus. The parousia is the physical coming of Jesus, but this latter rain is the epiphany of Jesus coming in His body. The first-fruits who are going to receive this blessing are called the Man-child ministry and it's on the morning of the “third day,” exactly what we see here in the text. It is Jesus who is coming to anoint His people and to, once again, sit upon the throne of David, as Luke 1:32 tells us; Jesus sat upon the throne of David.  The Bible also tells us, by the way, that the Man-child is going to be caught up unto God, and unto his throne (Rev.12:5). A lot of people do not realize that the throne the Man-child is caught up to is not some throne up in Heaven, way out yonder. It's the Kingdom of Heaven here. The “throne” that Jesus was caught up to is that He was given the throne of David to rule over Israel and He even came in the triumphal procession into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:9; John 12:13), where it was quoted, Behold, thy King cometh … (Mat.21:5; Joh.12:15). Of course, He wasn't treated like a King, was He? He was a King Who was born of the seed of David and was to sit on David's throne and rule Israel. The Bible tells us, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king (Jer.23:5), and that David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel (Jer.33:17). So, once again, the Man-child is caught up to the throne, but I want to tell you Who rules on that throne: it is not the Man-child; it is Jesus! Jesus is coming as the latter rain to rule.  Here's another verse that pertains to this: (2Ch.9:8) Blessed be the Lord thy God, who delighted in thee, to set thee on his throne, to be king for the Lord thy God. He's talking about the throne of David. We are still talking about flesh, aren't we? Who is that Spirit in David? Paul spoke about the Spirit of Christ, which was in the prophets and that Spirit of Christ was pointing toward the suffering of Christ in our day. So, who was in David who manifested that righteousness and goodness? It was Christ. He has always been on the throne; nobody else is going to sit on the throne. Oh, yes, there will be fleshly bodies that rule, just like there are in the Church today. There's the five-fold ministry that God raised up, and those are now our leaders in the Church. They rule, yet they really only have a gift that comes from the Lord, and it's the Lord manifested in them to Whom we are submitting. Paul said, Be ye imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ (1Co.11:1). In other words, “Follow me as I follow the Lord.”  The latter rain is in complete parallel to the former rain and the Lord is coming to rule in a body, to raise up the whole Church into His Image, the glory of God. (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. That's the Gospel! I believe that the Man-child is the first-fruits in our day to reach sun glory. There is “star glory,” there is “moon glory,” and there is “sun glory,” the three glories that Paul spoke about in 1 Corinthians 15:40-41. He said that we grow through each of them in stages to come to maturity in Christ, Who is sun glory  Notice that one of the key words spoken in the verses that we looked at from Hosea 6:3 is “rain.” (Hos.6:3) He will come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth. This “rain” keys in on quite a few verses, especially in the Old Testament. Those verses give us little clues as to what's going to happen in the latter rain, not only for the Church, but also in the Tribulation, because the latter rain happens in the Tribulation, which is “on the morning of the third day,” the third thousand years from when Jesus came.   Now let's look at Micah 5. The chapter starts out speaking about Jesus. (Mic.5:2) But thou, Beth-lehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel (that was Jesus); whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. (3) Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she who travaileth hath brought forth (That's the woman bringing forth the Man-child in Revelation 12. He has given them up, but they are going to come back.): then the residue of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. However, the children of Israel in the New Testament are not those who are circumcised in flesh but circumcised in heart. That's what Paul tells us in Romans 2:28-29. His brethren are going to come back to the children of Israel, the ones who are grafted into the olive tree. As the Bible tells us, they're going to be grafted again back into their own olive tree that they were broken off from because of unbelief (Romans 11:23).   This is what He's referring to right here, but the wonderful thing, the thing that excites me, is this: (Mic.5:4) And he shall stand, and shall feed [his flock] in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God: and they shall abide; for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. This is the Lord coming as the latter rain, at the time that the woman brings forth the Man-child, and it says He is going to feed His flock. That excites me! The Lord is coming, folks! I love to think about His coming. He's coming to feed us and minister to us. The Lord is angry with the shepherds and what they have done unto His flock, as He tells you all through the Old Testament.  Some key verses that refer to the latter rain begin a little further down. (Mic.5:7) And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples as dew from the Lord, as showers upon the grass (There it is again, “showers upon the grass.”), that tarry not for man, nor wait for the sons of men. Wow! They are not dependent on this world, are they? People who love the latter rain are just carried by it. Without the Spirit of God, it is such a struggle to live and do His work and to minister as He called us to minister. It's a struggle without the Word of God. He makes it easy. We're supposed to give Him our burdens (Matthew 11:28-30). It's Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts (Zec.4:6). It will get done by God's Spirit. We have now wasted almost 2000 years and made very little progress, as far as Christianity being born in the earth, as Isaiah 26 tells us. In just a very short time, the anointing of God is going to do its work. The Lord Jesus is coming with that anointing to sit once more on the throne of David and rule over His born-again people.  (Mic.5:8) And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples (We are spread throughout the world among the beasts of the field, the Beast being the nations of lost mankind.), as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep; who, if he go through, treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and there is none to deliver. (9) Let thy hand be lifted up above thine adversaries, and let all thine enemies be cut off. He is referring to the Lord here, the Lord in His people. The Lord stands and feeds His flock, and the Lord raises up “seven shepherds, and eight principal men,” or “princes among men,” as stated in Micah 5:5. The seven shepherds are like the apostle John, who was also caught up to the throne as a type of the Man-child, but he gave a revelation of the end time to seven angels, who were then to bring it to the Church. The word “angel” is the same word as “messenger,” and it's used in the New Testament for not only heavenly-type angels or messengers but also earthly ministers. John is giving his revelation to seven ministers, who go forth to the seven churches. This is what Jesus did. He raised up disciples to go forth to the 12 tribes because He was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. John raised up seven ministers to go forth and bring the message of the end time to the seven churches. Here in this text, we see the same thing. We see the seven princes among men, and the eighth is Jesus in the midst.  We also see here that they are going to be used to bring judgment in the earth, that they will be like a lion and not like lambs. Jesus came as a Lamb and He sent out His sheep to be lambs in the midst of wolves (Luke 10:3), but now He is saying they will be like lions. Not only are they going to bring the Gospel, but they are also going to bring judgment, like the Two Witnesses company brought judgment upon the earth. The Two Witnesses represent the disciples of Jesus because Jesus sent them forth two-by-two, corporately, to the places He was supposed to go, and the same thing is going to happen to the Man-child ministers: they are going to send forth witnesses, two-by-two, and they are going to speak judgments. It is like Revelation 11 on the earth and upon the wicked. No, it's not going to be like a lamb this time. It's going to be the Lamb and the Lion this time.   There is judgment coming with the latter rain movement because the end is near. All nations are going to persecute the saints, but God is not going to leave them defenseless. He is raising up a Man-child ministry, who is raising up a Two Witness ministry, which is raising up a five-fold ministry. Remember the disciples that Jesus sent out ordained a five-fold ministry to lead and guide the Church. This is what we're referring to that will happen again in our day. The Spirit that is upon Jesus, the mantle that is upon Him, He put upon His disciples, and they put it upon the five-fold ministry, and so on. This same thing is going to happen. The anointing that is upon Jesus coming as the latter rain is going to be put upon His disciples, etc. This anointing is the latter rain. It's the power of the Holy Spirit.  There's another way that God speaks about coming judgment. (Rev.6:1) And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals (the first seal), and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, Come. (2) And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon had a bow; and there was given unto him a crown (this is the crown of David): and he came forth conquering, and to conquer. Notice that he had a bow but no arrows, and this is the first judgment. I have shared before that this is not really referring to the Antichrist, nor literally Christ. It's referring to the Man-child ministry, which is coming with judgment. Moses was the Man-child ministry in his day and he loosed all of the “horses” of judgment in his day. All of them followed his ministry. All of the judgments that fell upon Egypt came right out of Moses' mouth, and this is the same thing that's about to happen, according to type and shadow. The Man-child is the first judgment and because of his ministry, all those other horse judgments and the other seals are loosed upon the earth. This white horse rider is none other than the Lord in His Man-child.  We can see the same thing here: (Zec.10:1) Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain (We need to be praying for that now because it is very near.), [even of] the Lord that maketh lightnings; and he will give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field. There are ‘the showers' on the grass again. Peter said, All flesh is as grass (1Pe.1:24), and yet, the Lord said that He was going to pour out His Spirit upon all flesh (Acts 2:17). That refers to the Church because that is “all flesh,” men and women out of all nations. He is pouring out His rain upon the “grass of the field,” which Jesus said was the world (Matthew 13:38). This gives you the timing that we are talking about in the latter rain; this is a prophecy of our time. If we go back one chapter, we read, For I have bent Judah for me, I have filled the bow with Ephraim (Zec.9:13). What does Judah represent? Well, Jerusalem the Bride came from Judah, and David was from Jerusalem, and David ruled over the Bride in Jerusalem over the rest of Israel. He says, “I have filled the bow with Ephraim,” and the name “Ephraim” means “the fullness of nations.” That refers to what we just studied in Revelation; it's a different parable, but it means the same thing. A remnant of Jacob or Israel was going to be used by God and was going to receive the anointing of the Man-child through the seven shepherds, who went to the churches, etc.  So how is this going to spread all over the world in just seven short years? It will be like a geometric progression, starting with a 144,000-member Man-child, first-fruits people with an anointing. And that anointing is nothing to belittle; look at the miracles that Jesus did. And then consider the miracles that Jesus is going to do because The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former (Hag.2:9). The miracles of the Man-child through the Two Witnesses, through the five-fold ministry, and through the Church will spread very quickly. God is doing a quick work here, for the Lord will execute [his] word upon the earth, finishing it and cutting it short (Rom.9:28) in righteousness. He will fill His bow with Ephraim. Notice also that the Man-child who rode upon the white horse had a bow, but he did not have any arrows. He had already sent forth His arrows.   The Bible says that our children are our arrows. (Psa.127:4) As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, So are the children of youth. Jesus called His disciples “children” (John 21:5) and He sent them forth. He drew the bow and sent them forth as His arrows to bring His anointed, His works, and His ministry all around the world. The exact same thing is going to happen again. (Zec.9:13) For I have bent Judah for me, I have filled the bow with Ephraim; and I will stir up thy sons, O Zion (the Bride), against thy sons, O Greece (the Beast at that particular time), and will make thee as the sword of a mighty man. Anytime one of the Beasts (Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, Rome, etc.) is mentioned in the Bible, it's a type and a shadow of the end time. Well, He says He would stir up sons, so there's a war preparing to happen here.  Let's see what He says about this white horse rider. (Zec.10:1) Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain, [even of] the Lord that maketh lightnings; and he will give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field. (2) For the teraphim have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie; and they have told false dreams, they comfort in vain. He's referring to the ministry that is there when the Man-child comes. It's the same as the ministry that was there when Jesus came. They were into a lot of falsehood – a lot of false prophets, false shepherds – and they had dealt corruptly. The Lord was judging them, but He did not judge them like He is about to judge this time because it is the Lion who is coming this time. (Zec.10:2) For the teraphim have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie; and they have told false dreams, they comfort in vain: therefore they go their way like sheep, they are afflicted, because there is no shepherd. Remember, the Lord is mourning because there is not a shepherd in Israel. They are like sheep scattered without a shepherd. Of course, they had shepherds, but God was not calling them “shepherds” and that's the problem. So the Lord sent His Own right arm, the Lord Jesus.  (Zec.10:3) Mine anger is kindled against the shepherds, and I will punish the he-goats; for the Lord of hosts hath visited his flock, the house of Judah, and will make them as his goodly horse in the battle. You know, all those horses in Revelation 6 represent the harnessing of the flesh to do work. They were all judgments, but God was using different flesh to bring each kind of judgment. The kind of flesh that the Man-child is riding here is talking about Judah. David's authority was first received by the Bride because the capital city was Zion, which represents the Bride, and David was king in Zion.   The house of Judah will be “his goodly horse in the battle.” (Zec.10:4) From him shall come forth the corner-stone (which we know has happened), from him the nail (which we also know has happened), from him the battle bow … (And we know that happened. He sent forth Judah and Ephraim as the arrows. Judah is once again going to be in leadership, including the Lord Himself, Who is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. They will raise up the whole Church and that's what Ephraim represents as the “fullness of nations.”), from him every ruler together. (Zec.10:5) And they shall be as mighty men, treading down [their enemies] in the mire of the streets in the battle … A lot of people do not know the authority God has given His people, especially in a time when grace is being taken from some. There is going to come a time during the Tribulation period when nobody else will repent. In fact, God will turn away from the Gentiles and He will turn to the remnant of the Jews that He is going to bring in, like He said He was going to do, back in Romans 11.  Once again, this white horse rider is going to bring judgment in the earth, like Moses did with the judgments he brought. (Zec.10:5) And they shall be as mighty men, treading down [their enemies] in the mire of the streets in the battle; and they shall fight, because the Lord is with them … That's another meaning of “Immanuel.” Remember the sign that the woman would conceive and bring forth a son and they would call His name “Immanuel,” meaning “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14)? Once again, “God is with us” because the Man-child is going to be born to the woman and God is going to be with us again. This is not saying that men will be God. It's saying that God is coming to do His works. If that offends anyone out there listening, the Bible says through Paul, Or know ye not as to your own selves, that Jesus Christ is in you? unless indeed ye be reprobate (2Co.13:5). To the extent that you are bearing the fruit of Jesus, 30-, 60- and 100-fold, as in the Parable of the Sower, to that extent Jesus lives in you. We're just talking about Him coming in maturity in some people first in order to lead the rest into the same maturity. It's still Jesus, and He is still the Son of God. He is still God. (Zec.10:5) And they shall be as mighty men, treading down [their enemies] in the mire of the streets in the battle; and they shall fight, because the Lord is with them; and the riders on horses shall be confounded. Now, what is this referring to? God is leading the horsemen, yes, but they don't have any effect upon God's people. If you remember, in the Exodus, the judgments that fell upon Egypt, God separated His people in Goshen from those judgments (Exodus 8:22). So the riders on horses will be confounded in one aspect and that is concerning God's people because they are under the Passover; they are not under the curse.  (Zec.10:6) And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them back (Back from where? Bring them back from Babylon, back from bondage. They were the first ones to come out of bondage and build the city of God.); for I have mercy upon them; and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am the Lord their God, and I will hear them. (7) And [they of] Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as through wine; yea, t

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Jesus Is The Way - Humility To Glory (5)  (audio)  David Eells – 3/30/25  I'm going to continue with our study on Jesus is the Way – Humility to Glory and talk with you today about who and what is blessed of God and what it truly means to be blessed.   Father, in the Name of Jesus, we ask that You open our understanding. Help us, Lord, to retain the things that You say to us. We need the Holy Spirit to bring to our remembrance everything, Lord, to protect us, to guide us, and to give us wisdom in the days to come. We hold fast to that promise because we need so much, Lord, that Your Spirit will bring these things to our remembrance again. Thank You, Lord, for blessing our minds. We know that our minds were created to be much more useful than they have been under the curse. We also know that according to Galatians 3:13, Jesus bore the curse for us and, therefore, Lord, we know that You're working to restore our minds today. We thank You for that, Lord. Father, we want to understand what Jesus did for us. We want to be able to exercise faith in Your Will. And in order to know Your Will, we need to have knowledge, Lord, so we ask You to open our knowledge and give us understanding, in Jesus' Name. Thank You, Father! Praise You, God!   Now some people may be wondering, “David, what does that word ‘blessed' actually mean? What is it to be ‘blessed?'” So let's go first to Deuteronomy 28 because the first 14 verses speak of that, and we can translate these into what they mean for us in our day.   (Deu.28:1) And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God (“Hearken” there is the Hebrew shama meaning “to hear and obey.” Not just be hearers of the Word but be doers of the Word {James 1:22}.), to observe to do all his commandments which I command thee this day (We know that the Lord has given us commandments in our Covenant, too. We need to be diligent to study them and obey them, and we know that by faith, God's Grace gives us power to do just that.), that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all the nations of the earth. This not talking about our physical nation where we live; this is talking about our spiritual nation. We are the nation of Israel. We who have been born again and believe in the sacrifice of Christ, according to Romans 11, have been grafted into the olive tree called “all Israel.” So we are Israel, not physical Israel, but spiritual Israel.     (Deu.28:2) And all these blessings shall come upon thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. (3) Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. (4) Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy beasts, the increase of thy cattle, and the young of thy flock. (5) Blessed shall be thy basket and thy kneading-trough. That was very important to them in those days, and this could translate into a few different things for us today, but basically, this was their livelihood and their food.    (Deu.28:6) Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. (So whether you're coming or whether you're going, meaning just about everywhere you are, you're going to be blessed.) (7) The Lord will cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thee… Now, we know that our enemies are both natural and spiritual, and Paul tells us this in (Eph.6:12) For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual [hosts] of wickedness in the heavenly [places]. The Lord has promised us victory if we will “hearken” diligently unto His Voice, meaning if we will keep His commandments.     (Deu.28:7) The Lord will cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thee: they shall come out against thee one way, and shall flee before thee seven ways. In the midst of the trial, “hearken” unto the Word. Accept the good report, and the devil won't know what to do with you, and neither will your physical enemies (Numbers 13:30). Our physical enemies come against us as persecutions and a matter of crucifixion, so the best thing to do is lay down your life. Stop trying to save yourself by man's methods. Put your trust in the Lord and “hearken diligently” unto His Word.    (Deu.28:8) The Lord will command the blessing upon thee in thy barns, and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto; and he will bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. (9) The Lord will establish thee for a holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee; if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways. (10) And all the peoples of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee. Wow! That certainly doesn't sound anything like Psalm 2, where we are told all the nations are going to come against God and against His people. Let's look at that.     (Psa.2:1) Why do the nations rage, And the peoples meditate a vain thing? (2) The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord, and against his anointed, [saying,] (3) Let us break their bonds asunder, And cast away their cords from us. And it's a far cry from what Jesus said in (Mat.24:9) Then shall they deliver you up unto tribulation, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name's sake. Instead, the Lord says the nations will fear you if you hearken unto His Voice.     (Deu.28:11) And the Lord will make thee plenteous for good, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee. (12) The Lord will open unto thee his good treasure the heavens, to give the rain of thy land in its season, and to bless all the work of thy hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. That's certainly contrary to what a majority of people believe about the Will of the Lord nowadays: “thou shalt not borrow.” The Lord says you'll lend, but you won't borrow, and that's part of the blessing, saints. If you hearken unto His Voice and believe what He says, He will provide your needs.     (Deu.28:13) And the Lord will make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if thou shalt hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do [them,] (14) and shalt not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them. “Other gods” there is the word elohim, and many, many people today choose to follow another “Jesus” of their own making.  Paul complained about that even back in his day, didn't he? (2Co.11:3) But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ. (4) For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we did not preach, [or] if ye receive a different spirit, which ye did not receive, or a different gospel, which ye did not accept, ye do well to bear with [him]. And if we follow after something other than the commands of God, He's not making any promises about blessing here. The blessing comes from our finding the Will of God in the Word and then walking in it through faith.    So who is it that receives the blessing of God? Let me remind you of the text we were studying last time in Matthew 5. (Mat.5:1) And seeing the multitudes, he went up into the mountain: and when he had sat down, his disciples came unto him: (2) and he opened his mouth and taught them, saying … (4) Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Evidently, the people who are obedient “to the Lord thy God,” who do His Will, and seek to be submissive to His commandments, are a people that mourn. Now how could that be? In what way is mourning righteous and just? The thought that comes to my mind is that the first thing we need to mourn about is our own life. As David said, “I will not be satisfied until I awake in thy likeness” (Psalm 17:15). The first thing we have to mourn about is not manifesting the Life of Christ.   James also speaks about this. (Jas.4:6) But he giveth more grace. Wherefore [the scripture] saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. Grace is all we need to walk with the Lord. We've learned that grace is His favor in our life; His favor makes us able. He's putting in us the desires that we need and giving us the power that we need. Grace is all we need, and God says He gives it to the humble.     (Jas.4:7) Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (8) Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded. (9) Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. (10) Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall exalt you. In whatever ways the Lord reveals to us that we're walking contrary to His commandments, that we're not hearkening unto His Voice, that we're not representing Jesus Christ to the world as true Christians, we have something to mourn about. And it should be grievous to us to not walk in His Steps because that's what it is to “abide in Christ” (1 John 2:27- 28; 2 John 1:9; etc.). It should be grievous to us to be anything contrary to the Will of God.    Of course, repentance always precedes faith. Faith alone won't overcome our own lack of repentance, and repentance is what mourning is all about. However, after we mourn what the Lord shows us about ourselves, we need to be careful not to spend too much time in condemnation. We confess our sin to the Lord, He forgives us, and then He cleanses us from it. (1 John 1:9) We need to go from there to faith. We need to reckon ourselves to be dead unto sin but alive unto God (Romans 6:11). So you repent and you mourn because of what the Lord shows you in your life, but He doesn't reveal everything all at once, or He would overwhelm us with grief. Thank God, it's “line upon line; here a little, there a little” (Isaiah 28:10). Otherwise, we probably would never come to faith because we would be overcome with condemnation. So He's very merciful. He leads us through our promised land to conquer one enemy at a time.     This reminds me of a vision my wife received in which she and her sister were standing underneath an apple tree, and worms were hanging out of the apples, just eating away at them. So my sister-in-law got a can of pesticide spray and started broadcasting it over the whole tree, but my wife said, “No, that won't work.” She took the can from her sister and told her, “This is how you do it.” She sprayed each one of those worms in the mouth, and as she did that, she realized that they were all little serpents, not worms. And, of course, that's what we have to do. We attack these things one at a time as the Lord shows them to us, and the first thing we have to change is our mouth as we're told in (Rom.10:10) for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. We have to put that wickedness to death. We have to use the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17).    And what does God promise us if we humble ourselves in His sight, if we cleanse our hands and are afflicted and mourn concerning this problem, and turn our laughter into mourning? He says that He will exalt you. Humbling ourselves is the first step. Yes, we can be grieved over other people's sins, and there's a place for that, but first, we need to get the board out of our own eye, so we can see clearly to get the mote out of our brother's eye (Matthew 7:3-5; Luke 6:41-42). Certainly, we can cry out to the Lord to give us the grace to humble ourselves, because working in us to will and to do of His good pleasure is something that comes from Him, too (Philippians 2:13). It's not a case of picking ourselves up by our bootstraps. We're not deceiving God by mourning over something that we don't feel. He knows if our repentance is sincere or not. The Lord wants to give us a conviction of sin. He wants to put that mourning in our hearts concerning sin. He wants us to hate sin as He hates sin (Psalms 1:5,5:5-6; Romans 1:29- 32; etc.)     Needless to say, there is a place of mourning because of the persecutions and the tribulations that come upon us through the wicked people around us. Jesus told us in (Luk.6:21) Blessed [are] ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed [are] ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. (22) Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you [from their company,] and reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. We don't see that as a blessing, but it's listed here as one of God's blessings because when we're hated of the world, that means we're loved of God. If we weep because of what we're giving up in the natural, because of persecutions that we're suffering and enduring for Christ's sake, persecutions that we endure because of the crucified life, this is good.  The Lord is going to bless us for this.   Going on, He says (Luk.6:23) Rejoice in that day, and leap [for joy]: for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for in the same manner did their fathers unto the prophets. (Luk.6:24) But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. (25) Woe unto you, ye that are full now! for ye shall hunger. Woe [unto you,] ye that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. It's better to weep and mourn now, while the world is rejoicing, while the world's been given the high hand, so to speak.     We're heading into a time when, other than the judgments that are falling upon them, the world is going to think they have everything going their way. They will be given authority over the saints to bring them to their crosses. You and I are going to be hated; we're going to be ostracized. They will cast out our names as evil, and God says we can certainly mourn over that, but He also says to rejoice because your names are written in the Lamb's book of life (Luke 10:20; Revelation 20:12,15; etc.) and your reward is great in the Kingdom of Heaven. Hallelujah!    (Luk.6:26) Woe [unto you,] when all men shall speak well of you! for in the same manner did their fathers to the false prophets. There is a time coming of much weeping and mourning, but He also commanded us in the midst of that to rejoice and leap for joy because, when the world hates you, that means God loves you. You're on His side, and you're on your way to His Kingdom. When we're loved of the world, and we love the world, then we're departing from God.     Let's look at another good example of what God considers to be righteous mourning. (2Pe.2:6) And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, having made them an example unto those that should live ungodly (God's judgment is coming upon the wicked, but, at the same time, He will save those who are His.); (7) and delivered righteous Lot, sore distressed by the lascivious life of the wicked… If we're not grieved by and mourning over the wicked life of the people around us, it's because we don't have the conviction of God in our hearts. The Lord Jesus wept over Jerusalem. (Luk.19:41) And when he drew nigh, he saw the city and wept over it, (42) saying, If thou hadst known in this day, even thou, the things which belong unto peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. He was grieved at the hardness of heart in the people to not receive His Words from the Father.     It's right for us to be grieved because of the people around us who won't listen, won't submit to God, and who won't be convicted of sin, just as Lot was “sore distressed by the lascivious life of the wicked.” “Lasciviousness” is their license to “unbridled sensuality and excess.” Basically, it's their license to do what they want to do, and even among Christians, this is common. Their doctrines that promote lasciviousness and permit a person to live any way they want to live while still thinking that they are a disciple of Christ and are going to heaven are common. This is a strong delusion among major portions of Christianity, and it's just not the Truth. It's a deception that comes to people who are living after their own lusts and being bribed by self-will to please their flesh. Lot was sore distressed seeing this in the people around him, and we should be grieved today over people who call themselves “Christians” yet who walk in this way with the Lord.    (2Pe.2:7) And delivered righteous Lot, sore distressed by the lascivious life of the wicked (8) (for that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed [his] righteous soul from day to day with [their] lawless deeds): (9) the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the day of judgment… That is so true! People wonder why they're living under a curse, and it's because they have turned the grace of God into lasciviousness (Jude 1:4).     They're living the way they want to live, and they're paying the penalty for their unrighteousness because the blessings come upon the people that “hearken to,” that “hear and obey,” the “voice of the Lord thy God.” The blessings come upon the people who are diligent to keep His commandments. This should be highly motivating for us to get into the Word to find out what the Will of God is and come out from under the curse. Yet, sadly, multitudes of people have insulated themselves with lascivious doctrines that permit them to live the way they want.    We know that Jesus wasn't talking about what we loosely call “Christians”; He was talking about “disciples,” which means “learners and followers.” We need to lead people into discipleship, but if they desire to live in the lusts of their flesh, they will believe and promote these flesh-pleasing doctrines. And I tell you, the “Lots” in this world will be grieved. They will mourn. They will be distressed over these kinds of things. The text says that it “vexed [his] righteous soul,” but the Greek basanizó translated as “vexed” is actually “tormented, tortured.” It tormented Lot's soul to see the “lascivious life of the wicked.”     The lasciviousness being spoken about here is not referring to the wicked because we know that's how the wicked live. It's talking about those who are promoting the lifestyle among Christians, and the rest of the text agrees with that. (2Pe.2:9) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the day of judgment; (10) but chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement, and despise dominion… The Numeric Bible states the word here for “dominion” is “lordship.” These people “that walk after the flesh” despise anybody ruling over their lives. They just want to do what they want to do, which is why they despise dominion, whether it be the dominion of those whom God has sent to be leaders or the dominion of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. They would rather make up their own mind about what the Scripture says and their own “Jesus” that smiles upon their lifestyle.    (2Pe.2:10) But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement, and despise dominion. Daring, self-willed, they tremble not to rail at dignities: (11) whereas angels, though greater in might and power, bring not a railing judgment against them before the Lord. These self-righteous people, here, are the ones that are going to persecute the saints. They're self-righteous in their religion, and they rail at people who are dignities. The Greek word dóksa, translated there as “dignities,” actually means “glories; majesties; brightness.”     And who are the glories being spoken of here? (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. As we manifest Christ to a greater and greater degree, we grow from glory to glory: from star glory to moon glory, to sun glory. Paul pointed out the three different bodies that are given to the people who manifest the different glories (1 Corinthians 15:35-49). We grow into these glories, and the closer you get to Christ and manifest His life, the more that religious people will rail at you and come against you. But remember this: the fact that some people hate you is a good sign, and the Lord says to “leap for joy.”     (2Pe.2:12) But these, as creatures without reason, born mere animals to be taken and destroyed, railing in matters whereof they are ignorant, shall in their destroying surely be destroyed, (13) suffering wrong as the hire of wrong-doing; [men] that count it pleasure to revel in the day-time, spots and blemishes, revelling in their deceivings while they feast with you… Some people are actually trying to deceive us. They're “pretend Christians.” They live in the world because they love the world, but they like to “talk the talk” when they're among Christians. They're sons of perdition hidden in the midst (John 17:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:3) whom the Lord is going to reveal for what they truly are.     And they love the hire of wrong-doing because they've been bribed by their flesh, which they love to please. (2Pe.2:13) Suffering wrong as the hire of wrong-doing; [men] that count it pleasure to revel in the day-time, spots and blemishes, revelling in their deceivings while they feast with you; (14) having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; enticing unstedfast souls; having a heart exercised in covetousness; children of cursing; (15) forsaking the right way (We can see here that he's talking about people who profess Christianity.), they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the [son] of Beor, who loved the hire of wrong-doing… Yes, just as Balaam did, these people love the pay, love the advantage gained by wrong-doing.    So, whom did Jesus cry over? It was God's people because they wouldn't come to Him (Luke 19:41). He grieved over them, saying, (Luk.13:34) O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen [gathereth] her own brood under her wings, and ye would not! Much of our grief, too, is for Christians. It's for lost loved ones that we've prayed for to come into the Kingdom. It's like the grief that Lot felt about the people being led astray around him. If we have a holy heart and we are seeking to be pleasing unto the Lord, then we will be convicted by the Word of God, and we will feel the same thing.     (2Pe.2:15) Forsaking the right way they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the [son] of Beor, who loved the hire of wrong-doing; (16) but he was rebuked for his own transgression: a dumb ass spake with man's voice and stayed the madness of the prophet. (17) These are springs without water, and mists driven by a storm; for whom the blackness of darkness hath been reserved. (18) For, uttering great swelling [words] of vanity, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by lasciviousness, those who are just escaping from them that live in error… That's very true. Many so-called “pastors” preach wonderful words, but they're enticing people with lascivious doctrines. They're full of greed for tithes and offerings, but they're just filling churches with tares, as Peter says. (2Pe.2:3) And in covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose sentence now from of old lingereth not, and their destruction slumbereth not.    We've studied and taught a lot about sanctification. We've been given warnings that there is a great falling away coming for those who are enticed away by lasciviousness (2 Thessalonians 2:3; 1 Timothy 4:1). Nothing will be able to stand above the water in the flood that's coming except for those that are righteous. They are walking with the Lord, and they have grace and faith. Nothing else is going to preserve God's people in the days to come.    (2Pe.2:18) For, uttering great swelling [words] of vanity, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by lasciviousness, those who are just escaping from them that live in error; (19) promising them liberty, while they themselves are bondservants of corruption; for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he also brought into bondage. Multitudes of Christians are in bondage in Babylon! They may think that, through their knowledge of Christ, they've come out of the world and they've escaped the corruption in the world, but in reality, they've just been brought into bondage again with something that is not Christianity.     (2Pe.2:20) For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the last state is become worse with them than the first. When people come back into bondage and they stay there, they become worse than the people in the world. They still walk in wickedness, yet they justify themselves because now they're self-righteous. They have knowledge but they're rejecting that knowledge. They're worse in God's eyes than the people in the world, and they're going to suffer greatly.     (2Pe.2:21) For it were better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it (So these people have knowledge.), to turn back from the holy commandment delivered unto them. When somebody has knowledge and yet they continue to do the things that are contrary to that knowledge, they're a deceiver. We just read, “their deceivings while they feast with you” (2 Peter 2:12). These people are deceivers, and the Bible says, (Jas.4:17) To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.    (2Pe.2:22) It has happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog turning to his own vomit again, and the sow that had washed to wallowing in the mire. This is heartbreaking! Great judgments are coming to the nations soon, and it's going to take away multitudes of people who consider themselves to be Christian. And because they don't have the mark of God, multitudes of Christians are going to take the mark of the beast.     (Rev.13:16) And he causeth all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the bond, that there be given them a mark on their right hand, or upon their forehead; (17) and that no man should be able to buy or to sell, save he that hath the mark, [even] the name of the beast or the number of his name. (18) Here is wisdom. He that hath understanding, let him count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man: and his number is Six hundred and sixty and six. However, we also see the people that have the mark of God in (Rev.14:1) And I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on the mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty and four thousand, having his name, and the name of his Father, written on their foreheads.     Ezekiel also talks about God judging who is righteous and who is not righteous, based on whether they mourned and were grieved over the ungodliness that they saw around them. Let's look at that text first. (Eze.9:4) And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry over all the abominations that are done in the midst thereof. Again, we see this is not talking about the sin in the world, but the sin in the church. And the people that are marked in the forehead because they “sigh and cry over all the abominations,” are the people that are going to escape the wrath of God, the judgment of God, that's coming.     Chapters 5, 6, 7, and 8 repeatedly mention the “abomination” and the “desolation,” all leading up to chapter 9 and the mark of God. In chapter 8, we even see the image of the beast. And notice, when we read these chapters, how we don't find the theology that we hear in Christianity nowadays. In every case, the “abomination of desolation” described is God's people walking in the flesh in the Temple. They are the flesh man, and they are the beast ruling in the Temple of God. This is what God calls an “abomination.” And what does He give them for that? Desolation. The holy people of God grieve for them; they grieve for these people who walk abominably before the Lord.    (Eze.8:1) And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth [month]… Notice that these chapters are leading up to a time that's identified with six-six, and in the next chapter, six men come with their slaughter weapons in hand. That's six-six-six. And what does this identify? It identifies the end time, the time of the beast, the time of the abomination of desolation (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14). Now remember, in the New Testament there is no temple made with hands that God is interested in or concerned about being holy (Job 4:19; Matthew 26:61; Mark 14:58; etc.) It's the Temple “made without hands” that God requires and expects to be holy (Acts 7:48; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Hebrews 9:11; etc.), and this is the only temple that can have an abomination of desolation.   Only the Temple of the Body of Christ can have an abomination that “maketh desolate,” because every other temple out there is desolate. God has departed from them. He will never again dwell in temples made with hands, and so they are desolate (Acts 17:24). But we are the New Testament temple; we can become desolate, “twice dead, plucked up by the roots” (Jude 1:12). That's the temple we need to be concerned about.     Paul told us, (Php.2:12) So then, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; (13) for it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. And Peter exhorted, (2Pe.1:10) Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble: (11) for thus shall be richly supplied unto you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It should be the Lord Jesus Christ Who lives in us and Who manifests His holy Life in us.     Returning to our text in Ezekiel, God asks him (Eze.8:6) … Son of man, seest thou what they do? (All throughout these texts, it's always “what they do” and that's the abomination.) even the great abominations that the house of Israel do commit here (So the “beast” in the Temple is the corporate body of these people that walk in the flesh and are in rebellion against God.), that I should go far off from my sanctuary? (Or, in other words, “leave it desolate.”) but thou shalt again see yet other great abominations. (7) And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold, a hole in the wall.     (8) Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold, a door. (9) And he said unto me, Go in, and see the wicked abominations that they do here. (10) So I went in and saw; and behold, every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts… This is just as Solomon said in (Ecc.3:18) … It is because of the sons of men, that God may prove them, and that they may see that they themselves are but as beasts.    Peter was given the same revelation. (Acts 10:11) And he (This is Peter.) beholdeth the heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending, as it were a great sheet, let down by four corners upon the earth: (12) wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts and creeping things of the earth and birds of the heaven. (13) And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill and eat. (14) But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common and unclean. (15) And a voice [came] unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, make not thou common. Then Peter was given the understanding that God was speaking to him of the Gentiles, because all lost people are beasts, and so he preached the Gospel to Cornelius and his family (Acts 10:34-48). So we can see clearly from these texts that the “abominable beasts” in the Temple of God are these people who walk in the flesh.    Back to (Eze.8:10) So I went in and saw; and behold, every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon the wall round about. (11) And there stood before them seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel; and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, every man with his censer in his hand… Those 70 men are the Sanhedrin. They were the corporate body of the false prophet that ruled over the people of God in Jesus' day, and God calls this the “abomination.” (12) Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in his chambers of imagery? (There's the image of the beast in the Temple.) for they say, the Lord seeth us not; the Lord hath forsaken the land. (13) He said also unto me, Thou shalt again see yet other great abominations which they do. Again, notice there is no individual man.     There is a corporate body committing these abominations that make desolate, and that body is not only the priests; it's also the people. (Eze.8:14) Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord's house which was toward the north; and behold, there sat the women weeping for Tammuz. (Tammuz was a false “Jesus” worshiped by Babylon. God is saying that in the midst of the Temple are those who worship “another Jesus” {2 Corinthians 11:4; Galatians 1:6}.) (15) Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen [this,] O son of man? thou shalt again see yet greater abominations than these. Well, this chapter goes on to speak of abomination after abomination, all committed by the people of God in rebellion against the worship of the true God. In their idolatry, they were creating gods after their own liking and in their own image.    (Eze.9:1) Then he cried in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause ye them that have charge over the city to draw near, every man with his destroying weapon in his hand. (2) And behold, six men… That's the third six. This represents the beast, and all throughout history, the Lord has given the beast charge over God's people when they were in rebellion. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome each had authority over God's people in their day. Today we have a revival of Rome and, just as the Lord gave those earlier beasts authority over His people, He is going to do that again because the beast is in the Temple and there has to come a desolation.   In 70A.D. God brought the Roman armies into Jerusalem to slaughter those who hadn't already slaughtered each other. Multitudes of the Jews were so full of the beast that they were killing each other off, and when the Romans came into Jerusalem, they just finished the job. [Editor's Note: Referenced from The Works of Josephus, translated by William Whiston, Hendrickson Publishers, 1987.] But, once again, it was the corporate body of the wicked in the Temple that was an abomination to God, and so He destroyed both them and their Temple.    (Eze.9:2) And behold, six men came from the way of the upper gate, which lieth toward the north, every man with his slaughter weapon in his hand… The Hebrew word for “slaughter weapon” is also translated “battle-ax,” and who does God call His “battle-ax”? Let's look at that. (Isa.10:5) Ho Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, the staff in whose hand is mine indignation! (6) I will send him against a profane nation (This is Israel.), and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. (7) Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off nations not a few… (Well, the Assyrian beast thought this was their great idea to plunder Israel, but God says, “No, no, I put it in their hearts,” and He called these people His “ax.”) (15) Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith?… The Assyrians thought it was by their own might, but God says, “No, I gave you the strength to do this, and I sent you against these vain, abominable people, to judge them and bring them to their cross and, hopefully, to repentance.”     Truly, we're going to see a repetition of history come upon us in our day, although people with their lascivious doctrines teach that this is something which is only going to happen to little Israel far away from them. They refuse to understand that Christians are New Testament spiritual Israel. They are blind to the corporate beast body coming upon Christianity.     (Eze.9:2) And behold, six men; and one man in the midst of them clothed in linen… I believe this is Jesus in the Man-child. Revelation 12 tells us the man-child ministry is coming in the end times, and it's coming again like Moses, like Jesus, to show God's people the correct way. What the Man-child teaches is going to separate the sheep from the goats. It's going to define who is going to be judged and who is not going to be judged.     (Eze.9:2) And behold, six men; and one man in the midst of them clothed in linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side. And they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar. (3) And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon it was, to the threshold of the house: and he called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writer's inkhorn by his side. (4) And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem (So notice that He is not bringing judgment upon the world. He's bringing judgment upon God's house, upon those who profess to be His people.), and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry over all the abominations that are done in the midst thereof. Does it grieve you that God's people have been so led astray, so deceived by their leadership, and so lured into sin by their own self-will? Now listen, nobody can be deceived by another man if they don't first have a lust to live in that way and accept these false and lascivious doctrines.    People are going to be self-deluded and self-deceived because, just like Balaam, they love the hire of wrong-doing. They love to please their old flesh. And they're being bribed by the flesh to accept a doctrine, a teaching, a lifestyle that is permitting the old man to live. Saints, we're here to live the crucified life (Matthew 10:38; Mark 8:34; Luke 14:27; Hebrews 13:13), and if we don't lose our life, we won't gain our life (Matthew 16:26; Luke 9:25).    (Eze.9:5) And to the others he said in my hearing, Go ye through the city after him, and smite… He is speaking to the beast here, the six men. Six is the number of the beast, and six is the number of man. In fact, the sixth chapter of the sixth verse of the sixth book in the New Testament talks about the old man. (Rom.6:6) Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with [him,] that the body of sin might be done away, that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin.    (Eze.9:5) And to the others he said in my hearing, Go ye through the city after him, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity; (6) slay utterly the old man, the young man and the virgin, and little children and women; but come not near any man upon whom is the mark … Now the mark being spoken of here is the mark of the Lord, and it identifies those who are members of the body of Christ, just as the mark of the Beast identifies those who are members of the body of the Beast. Jesus said there are only two men in the earth, Christ and anti-Christ (Matthew 24:40; Luke 17:36). The truth is that people love to identify themselves as “Christian”, but these marks will prove in the coming days who really are Christians and who are not.     (Eze.9:6) Slay utterly the old man, the young man and the virgin, and little children and women; but come not near any man upon whom is the mark: and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the old men that were before the house. (In other words, they've lived longer, and they know more, so they're more guilty than anyone else.) (Eze.9:7) And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. Great destruction is coming against Christianity because it doesn't reflect what was given to us through Jesus Christ. We are to (Jud.1:3) … contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints. The faith of our day won't count because religion has turned people away, through their own lustful desires, from true discipleship. (1Jn.2:6) He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked. “Discipleship” is walking in the Master's Steps, and that means a disciple studies their Master to walk as He walked.    (Eze.9:7) And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and smote in the city. (Eze.9:8) And it came to pass, while they were smiting, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord God! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy wrath upon Jerusalem? Well, we know this is coming again because it says in (Ecc.1:9) That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. The Israelites were types and shadows of the end time, and a great falling away will happen just as the Bible says (2 Thessalonians 2). And notice this is old Jerusalem receiving judgment. This is the old city and the people that belonged to it. This is not born-again Jerusalem.    Then in (Eze.10:2) And he spake unto the man clothed in linen, and said, Go in between the whirling [wheels], even under the cherub, and fill both thy hands with coals of fire from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city… In other words, he brings judgment. The Man-child ministry is coming to bring judgment upon the city of God. These judgments are going to cleanse it of the goats and cleanse it of the tares. The Lord Jesus Himself spoke words that separated the goats from the sheep, separated the wheat from the tares. His Words brought judgment in His day, and the ministry of the Manchild will do the same in these days, but the people that will escape are the people who have been, and are going to mourn. They are the ones that are blessed, according to Jesus. While the world is rejoicing, they will mourn because of the great wrath and the judgment of God upon the people that call themselves “Christians.” They will mourn because of the great falling away of the people who had no faith.     We need to see and understand that the judgment that's coming is going to prove who has faith and who does not have faith. The judgment that's coming is going to prove who is a believer and who is not a believer. The wilderness tribulation for Israel was to prove whether they had faith or not. And, of course, Joshua and Caleb, who had faith, went to the Promised Land (Numbers 32:12). They didn't have to die in the wilderness because they had faith. They believed in the Lord. They spoke His Word, and they didn't die like the men who spoke the bad report, they spoke against the Lord and died in the wilderness (Numbers 26:65). Once again, today we are coming to a “wilderness” that God is going to use to prove who is truly of Him and who is not. The Word of God is going to separate the sheep from the goats. We need to put the Word in our hearts so that we have the conviction of Jesus Christ, so that sin is sinful to us, so that the rebellion of rebellious people grieves us.     Father, in the Name of Jesus, we're asking You, Lord, that You convict those “Christians” who have created a religion and a doctrine that pleases them because they don't have to give up anything. They don't believe they have to live a sacrificial life; they don't have to deny themselves; they don't have to take up their cross. Lord, we ask that You convict them mightily and that You bring them to You, Father, in the Name of Jesus. Thank You so much, Lord. Amen.  Now, I'd like to share some other scriptures about the blessings that will come from the Lord for those who have mourned, as we've been discussing. When the Man-child ministry begins, Jesus is coming with His reward!  Zion, the Bride, has gone through their time of mourning and warfare to get rid of their sins and their enemies within. To get rid of the leaven. Jer.9:17 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for the skilful women, that they may come: 18 and let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters. 19 For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we ruined! we are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because they have cast down our dwellings. 20 Yet hear the word of Jehovah, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth; and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbor lamentation. 21 For death is come up into our windows, it is entered into our palaces; to cut off the children from without, and the young men from the streets. 22 Speak, Thus saith Jehovah, The dead bodies of men shall fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvestman; and none shall gather them.     23 Thus saith Jehovah, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; 24 but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he hath understanding, and knoweth me, that I am Jehovah who exerciseth lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith Jehovah. 25 Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will punish all them that are circumcised in their uncircumcision: 26 Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, (All of the faction) and all that have the corners of their hair cut off, that dwell in the wilderness; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart.    Zec.12:10-11 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they shall look unto me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born. 11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.  Psa.35:11-17 Unrighteous witnesses rise up; They ask me of things that I know not. 12 They reward me evil for good, To the bereaving of my soul. 13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I afflicted my soul with fasting; And my prayer returned into mine own bosom. 14 I behaved myself as though it had been my friend or my brother: I bowed down mourning, as one that bewaileth his mother. 15 But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: The abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; They did tear me, and ceased not: 16 Like the profane mockers in feasts, They gnashed upon me with their teeth. 17 Lord, how long wilt thou look on? Rescue my soul from their destructions, My darling from the lions.  The sorrow of persecution and crucifixion is now turning into joy for those of the remnant Bride. Est.4:1-3 Now when Mordecai knew all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry; 2 and he came even before the king's gate: for none might enter within the king's gate clothed with sackcloth. 3 And in every province, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.   Est.9:20 And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both nigh and far, 21 to enjoin them that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly, 22 as the days wherein the Jews had rest from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to gladness, and from mourning into a good day; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor. (Down goes the DS and religious factions.) Isa.40:1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. 2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem; and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she hath received of Jehovah's hand double for all her sins.    Psa 30:2 O Jehovah my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. 3 O Jehovah, thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol; Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. (Like Joseph, who came out of prison to the lies that were told about him by the harlot, to rule and preserve the people through the tribulation famine.)    4 Sing praise unto Jehovah, O ye saints of his, And give thanks to his holy memorial name. 5 For his anger is but for a moment; His favor is for a life-time: Weeping may tarry for the night, But joy cometh in the morning. (Here is the joyful saints again) 6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, I shall never be moved. (But through much tribulation shall we enter the Kingdom) 7 Thou, Jehovah, of thy favor hadst made my mountain to stand strong: Thou didst hide thy face (As in the crucifixion of Jesus the Man-child type.); I was troubled. 8 I cried to thee, O Jehovah; And unto Jehovah I made supplication: 9 What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth? 10 Hear, O Jehovah, and have mercy upon me: Jehovah, be thou my helper. (Been there)    11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; Thou hast loosed my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; 12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Jehovah my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever. (Joy of the David's and the Bride.)    Joh.16:20-24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye shall weep and lament (Because Jesus was crucified), but the world shall rejoice: ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. (Because He is coming again in the Man-child reformers.) 21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow (This is the Woman Church in Revelation 12 in our day.), because her hour is come: but when she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for the joy that a man is born into the world. 22 And ye therefore now have sorrow: but I will see you again (in the Man-child reformers of Rev.12), and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you. 23 And in that day ye shall ask me no question. Verily, verily, I say unto you, if ye shall ask anything of the Father, he will give it you in my name. 24 Hitherto (Meaning until this time) have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be made full.    Psa.30:1-12 A Psalm; a Song at the Dedication of the House. (Representing the true house of God, not that of Babylonish captivity) A Psalm of David. I will extol thee, O Jehovah; for thou hast raised me up, And hast not made my foes to rejoice over me. (This is the David Man-child but also Joseph the Man-child was resurrected from prison, like Jesus the Man-child was, to rule those who lied about him.)  Isa.61:1 The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of Jehovah's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3 to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah, that he may be glorified…  6 But ye shall be named the priests of Jehovah; men shall call you the ministers of our God: ye shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves. 7 Instead of your shame ye shall have double; and instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess double; everlasting joy shall be unto them. 8 For I, Jehovah, love justice, I hate robbery with iniquity; and I will give them their recompense in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 And their seed shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which Jehovah hath blessed.  10 I will greatly rejoice in Jehovah, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with a garland, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. 11 For as the earth bringeth forth its bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord Jehovah will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.     Isa.51:3 For Jehovah hath comforted Zion; he hath comforted all her waste places, and hath made her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of Jehovah; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.  Isa 51:11 And the ransomed of Jehovah shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 12 I, even I, am he that comforteth you: …    Isa.57:15-18 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite. 16 For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth; for the spirit would faint before me, and the souls that I have made. 17 For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him; I hid my face and was wroth; and he went on backsliding in the way of his heart. 18 I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners.      Isa.66:10-14 Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn over her; 11 that ye may suck and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. 12 For thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream: and ye shall suck thereof; ye shall be borne upon the side, and shall be dandled upon the knees. 13 As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. 14 And ye shall see it, and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like the tender grass: and the hand of Jehovah shall be known toward his servants; and he will have indignation against his enemies.    Isa.12:1-6 And in that day thou shalt say, I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah; for though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away and thou comfortest me. 2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for Jehovah, even Jehovah, is my strength and song; and he is become my salvation. 3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. 4 And in that day shall ye say, Give thanks unto Jehovah, call upon his name, declare his doings among the peoples, make mention that his name is exalted. 5 Sing unto Jehovah; for he hath done excellent things: let this be known in all the earth. 6 Cry aloud and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion; for great in the midst of thee is the Holy One of Israel.    Rev.21:2-4 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his peoples, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God: 4 and he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more: the first things are passed away. 

HOW DOES TOM CRUISE STACK UP TO ALAN RITCHSON??? Jack Reacher Full Reaction Watch Along!! https://www.patreon.com/thereelrejects With the Reacher Season 3 Finale out now + Tom Cruise & Christopher McQarrie teaming up once again for Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, Greg 'n John Go Back to where it all began with a Jack Reacher Reaction, Recap, Commentary, Analysis, & Spoiler Review!! Visit https://huel.com/rejects to get 15% off your order Start your online business with a $1 per-month trial when you visit https://www.shopify.com/rejects! Join Greg Alba and John Humphrey as they dissect the high-octane 2012 film adaptation of Jack Reacher, starring Tom Cruise and brought to life by writer/director Christopher McQuarrie (famed for his work on Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation and The Usual Suspects). Based on Lee Child's bestselling thriller "One Shot," this action-packed mystery follows former Army investigator Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise, celebrated for Top Gun and Mission: Impossible) as he unravels a web of deceit surrounding a seemingly random sniper attack. In addition to Cruise's magnetic portrayal of the stoic drifter, the film features standout performances by Rosamund Pike as Helen Rodin (known for Gone Girl and Die Another Day), whose sharp intellect and determination add layers to the investigation along with veteran actor Richard Jenkins (The Visitor, Step Brothers, The Way of Water), David Oyelowo (Selma, Interstella), Robert Duvall (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, To Kill a Mockingbird), + a chilling turn from Werner Herzog (Fitzcarraldo, Nosferatu The Vampire, Grizzly Man) as the Zec, & our FIRST exposure to Jai Courtney (The Suicide Squad, Terminator: Genisys, Divergent). The movie is packed with memorable moments—from the tension-filled interrogation scenes to heart-stopping chase sequences and an unexpected twist that redefines the entire case. Greg and John break down every riveting detail, offering insights into the film's masterful blend of suspense, action, and mystery. Whether you're a longtime fan of the Jack Reacher novels or experiencing this thrilling adaptation for the first time, our reaction and review is your ultimate guide to every explosive moment! Intense Suspense by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Support The Channel By Getting Some REEL REJECTS Apparel! https://www.rejectnationshop.com/ Follow Us On Socials:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/  Tik-Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@reelrejects?lang=en Twitter: https://x.com/reelrejects Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ Music Used In Ad:  Hat the Jazz by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Happy Alley by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... POWERED BY @GFUEL Visit https://gfuel.ly/3wD5Ygo and use code REJECTNATION for 20% off select tubs!! Head Editor: https://www.instagram.com/praperhq/?hl=en Co-Editor: Greg Alba Co-Editor: John Humphrey Music In Video: Airport Lounge - Disco Ultralounge by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Ask Us A QUESTION On CAMEO: https://www.cameo.com/thereelrejects Follow TheReelRejects On FACEBOOK, TWITTER, & INSTAGRAM:  FB:  https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thereelrejects Follow GREG ON INSTAGRAM & TWITTER: INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/thegregalba/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thegregalba Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

     Satan is permitted, for a time, to rule over the majority in this world. When Jesus began His public ministry, He faced a series of tests from Satan, one of which was an offer to receive the kingdoms of the world without going to the cross. Satan told Jesus, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish” (Luke 4:6). Satan took possession of “this domain and its glory” by God's permission and man's sin, presumably, when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and follow Satan (Gen 3:1-8). Satan said to Jesus, “Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours” (Luke 4:7). Satan's offer had to be true in order for the temptation to be real. At some time in the future, Satan will share his authority with the Antichrist, because he advances his agenda (Rev 13:1-2). Three times Jesus referred to Satan as “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). Other passages of Scripture call Satan “the god of this world” (2 Cor 4:4), and “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2), informing us “that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). Satan rules as a tyrant who has “weakened the nations” (Isa 14:12), and currently “deceives the whole world” (Rev 12:9). He personally attacked Adam and Eve (Gen 3:1-7), Job (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-13), David, (1 Chr 21:1), Joshua the high priest (Zec 3:1-2), Jesus (Matt 4:1-11), Judas (John 13:27), and Peter (Luke 22:31-32). He continues to attack God's people today (1 Pet 5:8), practices deception (2 Cor 11:13-15), and has well developed strategies of warfare (Eph 6:10-12). Furthermore, humanity is living in an “evil age” (Gal 1:4), under “the dominion of Satan” (Acts 26:18), whose sphere of influence is called “the domain of darkness” (Col 1:13).      As Christians, we have victory in Christ. At the moment we trusted Christ as Savior, God “rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col 1:13-14). As Christians, we have been gifted with God's own righteousness (Rom 5:17; 2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:9), and will never face condemnation (Rom 8:1). Furthermore, God “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph 1:3), and called us to serve as “ambassadors for Christ” (2 Cor 5:20), sharing the gospel message with others.      God the Father has promised to give Jesus the kingdoms of this world, saying, “I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession” (Psa 2:8; cf. Isa 2:1-5; Dan 2:44; 7:14). This will occur after the seven-year Tribulation; at which time it will be said, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever” (Rev 11:15; cf. 20:1-3). Satan was judged at the cross (John 12:31; 16:11; Col 2:14-15), and awaits future punishment. His judgment is very near when he is cast out of heaven during the Tribulation (Rev 12:7-12); at which time his wrath is greatest against Israel. After the return of Christ (Rev 19:11-16) and the establishment of His kingdom (Rev 20:1-6), Satan will be confined to the abyss for a thousand years (Rev 20:1-3). Afterwards, he is released for a brief time and will again deceive the nations and lead a rebellion against God (Rev 20:7-8), but will be quickly defeated (Rev 20:9), and cast into the Lake of Fire, where he will remain, with his demons and all unbelievers forever (Matt 25:41; Rev 20:10-15).      Those who understand their fallen spiritual state and utter helplessness to save themselves can turn to Christ as their Savior and avoid the Lake of Fire with its eternal torments. But this means the lost person must be convinced of their position in this world, and then must choose Christ. Tenney states: "To convince any unbeliever of sin, righteousness, and judgment is beyond human ability. It may be possible to fix upon him the guilt of some specific sin if there is sufficient evidence to bring him before a jury; but to make him acknowledge the deeper fact, that he is a sinner, evil at heart, and deserving of punishment because he has not believed in Christ, is quite another matter. To bring a man to some standard of ethics is not too difficult; for almost every person has ideals that coincide with the moral law at some point. To create in him the humiliating consciousness that his self-righteousness is as filthy rags in comparison with the spotless linen of the righteousness of God cannot be effected by ordinary persuasion. Many believe in a general law of retribution; but it is almost impossible to convince them that they already stand condemned. Only the power of the Holy Spirit, working from within, can bring about that profound conviction which leads to repentance. The Spirit anticipates and makes effective the ministry of the disciples in carrying the message to unbelievers."[1]      Satan has been judged and will spend eternity in the lake of fire. Though Satan has been judged, his punishment is pending execution. Furthermore, those who side with Satan in this life will be judged with him in eternity. According to Ryrie, “At the cross, Christ triumphed over Satan, serving notice on unbelievers of their judgment to come.”[2] Radmacher notes, “Satan was judged at the Cross, and the Holy Spirit would convince people of the judgment to come. Satan has been judged, so all who side with him will be judged with him. There is no room for neutrality. A person is either a child of God or a child of the devil.”[3] Those who reject Christ as Savior naturally default to an alliance with Satan, and these will spend eternity in the lake of fire with him, “the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt 25:41). The lake of fire is avoidable. If the lost simply trust in Christ as their Savior, they will have eternal life and spend eternity with God in heaven. However, if they reject Christ as Savior, then they will spend eternity in hell, for “if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev 20:15). Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] Merrill C. Tenney, John: The Gospel of Belief, The New International Commentary on the Old and New Testament, 237. [2] Charles C. Ryrie, Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, Expanded ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1995), 1712. [3] Earl D. Radmacher, Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Commentary, 1350.

Return of the Man-Child (3) (audio) David Eells – 3/19/25  Taking up where we left off, we read, And thou Bethlehem, land of Judah, Art in no wise least among the princes of Judah: For out of thee shall come forth a governor, Who shall be shepherd of my people Israel (Mat.2:6). We know that Jesus is always going to be the Shepherd; He's always going to be the King David over Israel. God is never going to change that, but there are some things that He might change, as we'll see. Previously, we learned that the Lord said, A body didst thou prepare for me (Heb.10:5). The Lord, Son of God, came in a body that was prepared for Him through Mary, a body of the Son of Man. We know that God's plan was for Jesus to leave an individual body and return in a corporate body so that He could minister all over the world. Today we are going to see the first-fruits of those who have fully entered into this by the grace of God. In other words, the first-fruits will be a body like the body of His temple that He spoke about when He said, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up (Joh.2:19). (21) But he spake of the temple of his body. And we've discovered that's referring to His corporate body.   We know that the Lord comes in every one of us. For instance, He says, Try your own selves, whether ye are in the faith; prove your own selves. Or know ye not as to your own selves, that Jesus Christ is in you? unless indeed ye be reprobate (2Co.13:5). (Col.1:27) … Christ in you, the hope of glory. Jesus Christ is in you! All through the Old Testament, Jesus was coming in vessels of honor through whom He ministered. For example, it says this: (1Pe.1:10) Concerning which salvation the prophets sought and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that [should come] unto you: (11) searching what [time] or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did point unto, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that should follow them. The Spirit of Christ was in great men of the Old Testament and that's what made them great men. He is the Shepherd; He is the Ruler; He is the King David and always will be, but He's going to repeat history because That which hath been is that which shall be (Ecc.1:9).   I'm reminded of a very famous text that speaks of Who Jesus is: (Isa.9:6) For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father (or “Father of eternity,” literally), Prince of Peace. (7) Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. God called Jesus to repeat history Himself. He was a King David in His day, Who was given, once again, the reins of government, which is in total agreement with what the Bible says about Him.   (Luk.1:31) And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. (32) He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: (33) and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. So He would receive the throne of David forever, just as the Bible speaks about when it states, David shall never want (“lack”) a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel (Jer.33:17).   For example, the Bible says this: (Jer.33:14) Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and concerning the house of Judah. (15) In those days, and at that time, will I cause a Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David (now, this was a long time after David); and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. (16) In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely; and this is [the name] whereby she shall be called … That's a very strange text, but if nobody had changed what word was actually there in the Hebrew, that's what they would have had to translate; the word is “she.” It's strange because in Chapter 23 the word is “he,” but here it is “she.” Some people think, “Well, he made a mistake and they replaced it with ‘he.'” They didn't translate what was really there.   The word, “she” is used quite often in the Bible when referring to a corporate body of people and that's what this is. This is a corporate body, which God calls the “branch,” that is raised up as the seed of David. We know that Jesus Christ is our David on His throne all the way up through eternity, but as we saw earlier, the Spirit of Christ comes into many men and we have seen many from the beginning of Scripture to the end who are types of the Man-child. The Spirit of Christ comes into them and uses them, like a body of the son of David. (Jer.33:16) In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely; and this is [the name] whereby she shall be called: the Lord our righteousness. Notice that this is a corporate body of people, “our righteousness.” (Jer.33:17) For thus saith the Lord: David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel.   Now we know that Jesus the Son of God has been given the authority of David's throne for eternity, but the question is, what is the “man” that He abides in who does this work? This is what the branch is; it's a corporate body of men in whom the Spirit of Christ rules and reigns. (Jer.33:18) Neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt-offerings, and to burn meal-offerings, and to do sacrifice continually. (19) And the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah, saying, (20) Thus saith the Lord: If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, so that there shall not be day and night in their season; (21) then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he shall not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers. In other words, this is from the time of David up until the time of Christ and until our time; so it appears that He never broke His covenant with David. There was always a David upon the throne. Isn't that amazing?   I would suspect that you could not recognize this corporate body according to the flesh. (Luk.17:20) … The kingdom of God cometh not with observation. We're talking about a spiritual Israel, a spiritual Jerusalem, and a spiritual David. Many people recognize, that Jesus was the Son of David and that He was born of the seed of David according to the flesh (Rom.1:3), but He was declared [to be] the Son of God with power, according to the spirit (4). What body could the Lord be choosing in our day to fulfill this covenant of a man in whom Jesus Christ lives to occupy the throne? Well, it's the body of the Man-child (Revelation 12:5), which we've spoken of. (Jer.33:22) As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured; so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me.   I am sure you could look at that in a certain way, meaning multiplied throughout history, but I suspect it also means (and the Lord likes to hide things like that) that in these days there will be a great number of Davids and that this, “the Lord our righteousness,” is a very large group of people. (Jer.33:25) Thus saith the Lord: If my covenant of day and night [stand] not (Is it still in effect? I would say so.), if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth; (26) then will I also cast away the seed of Jacob, and of David my servant, so that I will not take of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (The seed of David is to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.): for I will cause their captivity to return, and will have mercy on them. In these days, we know that even with the natural seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, a remnant of them is once again going to turn to the Lord God of Israel.   We read in the last study that in Revelation 12, the son of David, this Man-child is caught up to the throne of God. And here we see the Bible says, Blessed be the Lord thy God, who delighted in thee, to set thee on his throne, to be king for the Lord thy God (2Ch.9:8). Many people see the Man-child caught up to the throne of God in heaven, but the Lord God is calling David's throne on Earth His throne. This is the throne of God. In fact, it says here, At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord (Jer.3:17). Jeremiah is talking about the New Jerusalem on Earth. There is still a throne of David. Not in natural Israel, but you can find it in spiritual Israel because we know that Jesus Christ is the Son of David, the eternal Lord of His Kingdom. And He's also coming in a body, A body didst thou prepare for me (Heb.10:5).   You may say, “That was referring to the body of the individual Jesus.” That's true, but everything repeats and it always repeats on a larger scale. We have the Word of God for that, which cannot be broken (Joh.10:35). So we have to believe that it will be the same thing once again. The Lord told me many years ago, “Everything that has happened in the Gospels and in the Book of Acts will happen again, except the cast of characters will be multiplied many times over.” The Lord thy God, who delighted in thee, to set thee on his throne, to be king for the Lord thy God (2Ch.9:8) is true of Jesus. It's true of the body of Jesus and we've already spoken of the manifestation of the body of Christ, that we all claim to be by faith, and rightly so. But we've discovered that there is also a manifestation of the body of Christ, that is, those in whom Christ lives. If Christ lives in you, then you manifestly are the body of Christ. We've taught that we grow into this wonderful position 30-, 60- and 100-fold, according to Jesus Himself, so God is fulfilling it in that way.   Let me share something else with you. Remember that the Lord told me that the Gospels were a type of the first 3½ years of the Tribulation period and the Book of Acts was a type of the second 3½ years. Now we know that other types of the end-time Man-child show different similarities. For instance, Joseph brought God's people through the seven years of famine, which is a type of the seven-year Tribulation. We also know that Moses took God's people geographically halfway through the wilderness and we know that Revelation chapters 12 and 17 speak of the first and second 3½ years, respectively, and call the “wilderness” the “Tribulation.” Moses went halfway through the wilderness and then was glorified. When I say halfway, I'm not talking about time-wise, but in geographical distance. Some people, myself included, believe that the Lord brought His people across what we now call the Gulf of Suez, high up near where Succoth was, where the Gulf narrowed down quite a bit. Then He carried them across the Sinai Peninsula, where they crossed the Gulf of Aqaba, which they called the “Red Sea.”   Apostle Paul said, Mount Sinai in Arabia (Gal.4:25), not in Sinai. Arabia is east of the Gulf of Aqaba. I had heard years ago that the explorer Ron Wyatt had come across the pillar that the Israelites had erected to identify the place where the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea and it was on the eastern shore of Aqaba. They also discovered out there the mountain that Exodus 19 speaks of being burnt and charred on the top because God's presence came down on it, which was Mt. Sinai, and found it as a place called Jabal al-Lawz, which means “the Mount of the Law.” That's interesting because that's where Moses received the Law. If you look, which I have, on several maps, you can see where the Israelites left Egypt and crossed the Gulf of Suez. And if you follow that on down to Jabal al-Lawz and then follow that point and return back up to where they crossed into the Promised Land, you find that it is like an isosceles triangle (where the two legs are approximately even).   I thought the Lord was pointing out to me at that time that Moses went halfway through the wilderness (meaning 3½ years) and at that point he was glorified. Like Moses, Jesus went 3½ years through His ministry before He was glorified. I believe that Mount Sinai is Jabal al-Lawz in Arabia. Many signs seem to confirm that, even though the Saudi Arabians have fenced the mount off. They do not want Christians going in there.   By the way, at the foot of Jabal al-Lawz is the altar where the golden calf was set. Of course, the golden calf isn't there anymore, but the altar is. There are quite a few other artifacts there, including several hieroglyphics depicting the golden calf scratched into the rocks in the area of the altar. These finds make it very plain that this is the correct spot and I believe Ron Wyatt even took pictures of chariot wheels submerged in the Gulf of Aqaba, which further makes the case that it was the real Red Sea, not the Gulf of Suez. It would have taken the Israelites three months to travel from Egypt to Jabal al-Lawz. It took them a lot longer to get to the Promised Land because they were disobedient by worshipping the golden calf, but it was geographically halfway. I believe the Lord was showing me the two 3½-year periods of the wilderness Tribulation.   At any rate, we have a pretty good confirmation right here: (Exo.34:29) And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of the testimony in Moses' hand … The two tables of the Testimony are the same thing as the Tables of Witness, the Two Witnesses. The Man-child is going to give to God's people the Two Witnesses, upon whose heart the Word of God is written, not upon tables of stone. There's a fulfillment here of that. (Exo.34:29) And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of the testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses knew not that the skin of his face shone by reason of his speaking with him. In other words, Moses had come face-to-face with God. We know that we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory (2Co.3:18). This is the type and the shadow here of God's people, at least the first-fruits, coming into the Image of God. It even says, The first of the first-fruits of thy ground thou shalt bring unto the house of the Lord thy God (Exo.34:26). There is a type of the first-fruits here and it is Moses. It would have been Jesus in His time, but here it's Moses.   So after Moses came face-to-face with God, Moses manifested His glory. I believe what's being said here is that this is a glorified soul, not a glorified body. The Man-child goes through three stages of perfection. I believe that when Jesus started His ministry, He was perfected in Spirit by the Holy Spirit because He was anointed with the Holy Spirit. And when He was crucified, that's a parable about our being crucified, too, in a crucifixion of self 3½ years into the Tribulation. When a parable is first shown (and the Bible does say that Jesus was a sign (Isaiah 7:14), or in Hebrew, an uwth of something to come), it's literal, and the next time it's spiritual.   So we see that the first-fruits, who are only spiritually the Man-child and not physically, as Jesus was, are the spiritual fulfillment of this parable. In the midst of the Tribulation period, the Man-child is going to be glorified in soul because “self” has been crucified. At the end of the Tribulation period, he will be glorified in body. The progression is first spirit, then soul in the middle, and then body. These are the three stages of perfection that God is bringing Himself to in His people. In fact, When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be marvelled at in all them that believed (because our testimony unto you was believed) in that day (2Th.1:10). And also, But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, for that God chose you from the beginning unto salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth (2Th.2:13).   Let's continue in Exodus. (Exo.34:30) And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. (31) And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses spake to them. They must have run on down the road because they had to turn around and return to him. (Exo.34:32) And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him in mount Sinai. (33) And when Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. (34) But when Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he took the veil off (because he wanted to see the Lord clearly, face-to-face), until he came out; and he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. So, Moses was in communication with God face-to-face, but with the children of Israel behind a veil.   This will also be so with the ministry of the Man-child. Jesus said, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father doing: for what things soever he doeth, these the Son also doeth in like manner (Joh.5:19). Jesus was in close fellowship with the Father; He walked in the Spirit; He saw the Father and He saw the people. Yet Jesus walked also behind a veil, as the Scripture clearly shows us, and we'll see that shortly. (Exo.34:35) And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone; and Moses put the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him. We're told the same thing about the first-fruits. (Heb.10:19) Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, (20) by the way which He dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh.   So we enter into the presence of God through the veil, which is to say, through His flesh. Jesus' flesh was a veil. The people did not see the real Jesus. They didn't see the glorified man underneath that veil of flesh; they saw the veil. However, when the Lord went into the presence of God, He was in Spirit where there was no veil, speaking with the Father. This is the same thing we see here with Moses. Moses was a type of Jesus and a type of the Man-child. We're getting a description here of the kind of ministry that the Man-child is going to have and it's just like Jesus' ministry.   Seeing God face-to-face makes us capable of manifesting God before His people. (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. From behind that body of flesh, called a veil, there was a glorified soul, ready to walk through the other half of the wilderness.   Now we know that Moses went all the way through the wilderness, but that's only part of the picture. If we look at other different types of the Man-child, they'll show other parts of the whole picture. For example, we can also see Jesus in Acts where it says, And when they were come over against Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia; and the Spirit of Jesus suffered them not (Act.16:7). So Jesus was a type of the second 3½ years of the Man-child during the Tribulation. We know that because the second part of the Tribulation started at the end of Jesus' ministry when He was crucified and it ended with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, which was the destruction of the Harlot by the Beast. We see that the second 3½ years starts at the end of the first 3½ years and extends to the point of destruction of the Harlot by the Beast. The Book of Acts represents the 40 years between Jesus' ministry and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Forty is the number of tribulation.   We're seeing here a perfect parallel between Moses and Jesus. Some have thought that Jesus did not have a ministry after His 3½ years, but He did have a ministry of guiding His people for 3½ years, just like Moses went the other half of the distance through the wilderness to the Promised Land. Moses brought the people all the way and, in type, Jesus did that, too. His glorification in the second 3½ years represents what Moses was when “his face shone.” What we're really referring to in the end times is a glorified soul underneath a body, with the body being the veil that permitted men to look upon that which is glorified and have fellowship without being frightened. We would call it bearing fruit “100-fold.” When the Lord sows the seed of the Word in our hearts, it's to bring forth Himself in us, 30-, 60- and 100-fold (Matthew 13). That's not referring to the body; that's referring to the fruit of Christ in the soul, or in the heart, and that is what we are here for. What makes the first-fruits the first-fruits, is that they have come into this glorified soul and they have come into the crucifixion of self, which is the type that Jesus showed us.   If we look at the timing of Exodus 34, we find that it falls in the middle of the Tribulation period. How do we know that? Well, for instance, in Chapter 32, we see what happened there was, they made the image of the beast and worshipped it. That's a pretty clear sign of being the middle of the Tribulation period. What came along with worshiping the image of the Beast, according to Revelation 14, was the mark of the Beast. So we see them there in Chapter 32 bowing down to this image of the beast and we see God's rebuke of them, and we see the Tables of the Testimony were cast down and broken.   (Exo.32:19) And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. We know the two Tables of the Testimony represent the Two Witnesses corporate body because “witness” and “testimony” are the same word. So Moses the Man-child, as a type of Jesus Christ, brings the two witnesses with the Word of God written upon their heart to the people of God, which is what Jesus did with His disciples when He sent them out two-by-two. They were a corporate body of two witnesses to go to God's people and bring the Law, that was written upon their hearts, to them. It's an exact type and shadow of what we see here.   However, it says here, he saw the calf and the dancing (in other words, the people were worshiping the image of the beast): and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount (Exo.32:19). So not only did Jesus bring the Two Witnesses, but the people in their sins “broke” them. I believe that the Apostle John was the only one who died a natural death of old age. The rest of the apostles were all killed. The apostates “broke” their Two Witnesses. We see what God says about this situation a few verses later: (Exo.32:26) Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Whoso is on the Lord's side, [let him come] unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. These are the only people who did not worship the image of the beast from among the camp of God's people.   We're told that God has chosen us to be a kingdom of priests. (Exo.19:5) Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be mine own possession from among all peoples: for all the earth is mine: (6) and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation … In other words, all of God's people were called to be priests because we all offer sacrifices unto God and we especially offer up this body as a living sacrifice unto the Lord. On the altar of the fiery trial, the old flesh is burned up, which is what our sacrificial life is supposed to be.   The people who did sacrifice, the Levites, did not join in with the rest in worshiping the image of the beast. The true Levites, the tribe that followed God, were God's inheritance. It was the firstborn from among all of Israel who were His inheritance and then God changed that to be the Levites. Those priests were His inheritance, He said, and God was their inheritance. Those Levites were the ones who were on the Lord's side. (Exo.32:27) And he said unto them, Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Put ye every man his sword upon his thigh, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor. Well, as you know, those who worship the image of the Beast are slain because they no longer belong to the body of Christ; they belong to the Beast. The mark of the Beast is the sign of his ownership and those on whom have the mark, belong to him. They are dead; they're no longer living.   The Levites will have the authority to bring great judgment on the earth and, again, we're talking about the middle of the Tribulation period because we're referring to the mark and image of the Beast being manifested. This was the time that Moses was glorified; this was the time when the Two Witnesses were beginning to be killed. (Rev.11:8) And their dead bodies [lie] in the street of the great city (that's Babylon, not Jerusalem), which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. (9) And from among the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations do [men] look upon their dead bodies three days and a half, and suffer not their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. “Three days and a half” is half of the seven “days” of the 70th week of Daniel 9, which makes it 3½ years that the Two Witnesses will be killed. From the time of the middle of the Tribulation to the end of the Tribulation, they are being killed.   When they finish their testimony, this great group of witnesses (prophets) will be allowed by God to be killed and they're resurrected in the last trump of Revelation 11:15. But in response it is Moses, it is the Manchild, who sends the Levites forth to slay the members of the body of the Beast. (Exo.32:28) And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. (29) And Moses said, Consecrate yourselves today to the Lord, yea, every man against his son, and against his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day. (30) And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the Lord; peradventure I shall make atonement for your sin. (31) And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. (32) Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.   Moses wanted to take the place of the people, which is also what Jesus did, but how many of you know that Jesus' sacrifice will not apply to everybody in the end? (Heb.10:26) For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins, (27) but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which shall devour the adversaries. People who live a life of willful sin and indulgence in the world will die. As the Bible says, If ye live after the flesh, ye must die (Rom.8:13). Walking after the flesh is to take the mark of the Beast because the mind of the flesh and the works of the flesh is to take the mark. Those people who are walking in sin willfully and do so up until death will have no sacrifice.   (Exo.32:33) And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. In other words, God would not take the sacrifice of Moses for those people who worshipped the image of the Beast and took the mark. In fact, in Revelation 14:9-11, He says that there is no sacrifice for them. This is a way of separating those people who are Christian in name only from those who are Levites, the kingdom of priests that God said would come. “Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.” That sounds like reprobation to me.   (Exo.32:34) And now go, lead the people unto [the place] of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine angel shall go before thee; nevertheless in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them. (35) And the Lord smote the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made. This is clearly referring to the time of the middle of the Tribulation period, when Moses in type as the Man-child is glorified, at least in soul underneath that body of flesh, in order to carry them all the way to the Promised Land, which in one parable we would call the “Kingdom of Heaven.” At the end of the seven years, that's exactly where God's people go. Just like Noah, they'll be in the Ark; it lifts off and they're in the Kingdom of Heaven.   I think it would make a very good study to do an Internet search for “Jabal al-Lawz” and learn about some of the things that have been discovered about this particular mountain. Again, it's not located in the middle of the wilderness by time; it's only the middle of the wilderness by geography, by distance. But that's where the altar of the golden calf was and that's where the fire burned the top of the mountain and where Moses was given the Law to give to the people. It's very interesting. Actually, the first time Moses was on the mountain was way back in Exodus 19 and this is the second time he's on the mountain because this had to fulfill the type. So we have Joseph going, as a type of the Man-child, seven years, and we have Moses, as a type of the Man-child, going through the first and the second half of the Tribulation, which were both called “the wilderness.” Now we have Jesus also going through the two halves, in the Gospels and the Book of Acts, as well.   As we said earlier, the Spirit of Jesus was surely in those disciples. Jesus said, It is the spirit that giveth life; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life (Joh.6:63). His words went into those disciples and recreated Himself in them. The spirit in them was the Spirit of Christ. He had taken on a new body, but it was still the Spirit of Christ. When the first-fruits show up, I believe very shortly, in our day, this is what we're going to find. They are the body of the Son of David which sits upon God's throne. It's not a throne somewhere up there in the sky, but it's the throne here on the earth that spiritually is the leadership of God's people. The throne is the place of leadership.   I had quoted Jeremiah earlier, but only a part of it. It says, At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it (So you know it's not natural Jerusalem because the Gentiles are coming to it.), to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil heart (Jer.3:17). This is the end time, obviously, because this has not been true at any time in history. It has to be the “latter days” because, truly, when these people come to the throne, God has perfected them, matured them, and made them ready for the Kingdom of Heaven.   (Jer.3:18) In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north (which was captivity) to the land that I gave for an inheritance unto your fathers. Our early church fathers were given all of the land for an inheritance, but for 2000 years we have not entered into it. It was the same with Israel. In the beginning, God gave them the whole land, which represented the Land of Promise, but I don't think they ever set foot on any more than about a third of it and actually take possession of it.   Well, in these last days, we are going to take possession of all of the land that was given to our fathers; we're going to take possession of all of the Land of Promise, representing all of the promises of God that we're going to walk in. We are going to enter into the land of rest. (Heb.4:3) For we who have believed do enter into that rest … We're actually going to keep the real Sabbath, not the shadow, and it is to walk in all of the Land of Promise that the Lord gave unto us. Once again, God's people will be walking as the early disciples walked. They'll be walking in the power of God, in the anointing of God and in the knowledge of the truth, only this time it will be the latter rain.   When he began to walk with God, Moses was the one who had the former rain (or the latter rain, in type) because God took of the anointing that was upon Moses and put it upon the 70 elders. If you remember, that's the same thing that happened to Jesus. Jesus was the One Who came with the former rain and He was the only One Who had it, but the people whom He raised up as disciples were later given this anointing. When Jesus first sent His disciples out during the first 3½ years, they didn't have that anointing. What they had was authority given by the Lord. He said, “You go and do this,” and they went out and healed the sick and cast out devils and raised the dead (Matthew 10). Jesus was their authority. But then He said that God was also going to send “another Comforter” (John 14:16) and we know that was the Holy Spirit Who came in the middle of the Tribulation, on Pentecost, in the middle of the seven years and at the end of the 3½ years of Jesus' ministry. The disciples received the former rain and went out with that anointing to do the works of Jesus.   Jesus said the Spirit of God shall take of mine, and shall declare [it] unto you (Joh.16:14). One of the jobs of the Holy Spirit is to recreate in us, through the anointing (because “Christ” means “anointed”), the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. It is impossible to do that without the anointing, which breaks the yoke (Isaiah 10:27). It is Not by might, nor by power (meaning man's might and power), but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts (Zec.4:6). The Lord is about to make this possible. The anointing that was upon Moses, the Lord later took and put upon those 70 elders. Jesus also had 70 whom He sent out and the anointing came upon them.   I especially like what it says a little further down in the text. (Jer.3:19) But I said, How I will put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of the nations! and I said, Ye shall call me My Father, and shall not turn away from following me. He had already said, “Neither shall they walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil heart.” Wow! This is awesome! I dare say, that most of the people of God do not know Him as Father. They know Him as “God,” a very distant name. But know Him as Father? This is the relationship the Lord is going to establish by bringing us into the manifestation of the sons of God (Romans 8:19). Jesus was the Son of God and always called Him “Father.” Get out your concordance and look it up. He did not call Him all the names that the Jewish Christians or the Judaized Christians wanted to call Him. Jesus called Him “Father” and this is what He says we will call Him. This is what we'll know Him as – as “Father,” like Jesus knew Him. He used the term over and over, all the way through the Gospels.   These people are going to be coming back out of the land of the north (as we see from Jeremiah 3:14 on down), out of bondage, back to Zion. Zion is the place where King David ruled and Zion is the place where Jesus ruled, not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. Jesus was ruling in a new city of Jerusalem and the Apostle Paul told the disciples that they are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb.12:22) while they were on the earth. So, once again, God is restoring the Kingdom.   As Jesus came to restore the Kingdom, the Man-child is coming to restore, to rebuild spiritual, heavenly Jerusalem on this earth and to sit as the body in whom the King Jesus Christ lives. God has said, David shall never want (“lack”) a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel (Jer.33:17). Inside that “man” is going to be the King of kings and He is going to get all the credit. The King of kings is coming inside the body of the Son of David. Glory be to God! Isn't it neat the way God has put this parable together over and over, so we would understand sooner or later?   Father, in the Name of Jesus, we thank You so much, Lord, for helping us to see these wondrous things and we enjoy seeing the New Testament in our time, Lord, the Gospel time period. You are going to repeat this again. Oh, what a wondrous time we are coming to! A time of great glory, a time when the Lord Himself is coming to fellowship with us and live in our midst, as He lived in the midst of the Tabernacle in the wilderness, Lord. He came in the midst of His people. Jesus is Immanuel, “God with us,” and we thank You, Lord. We want so much for You to live in our midst. Those people who bowed to the golden calf, You were angered with and said You would no longer go in the midst of those people because they were a stiff-necked people. Lord, we know that's true of those who worship the image of the Beast, but it's not true of Your true people, who are Your true Levites, Your chosen ministers. Lord, we praise You and we thank You for the privilege of having You walking in our midst. We ask You, Lord, to finish the promise that You gave us, the promise that You gave to the fathers. Cause us to walk on all of the land that You gave to them, Lord, which our forefathers lost out on during the Dark Ages all the way up until the time we are in now. Thank You for being our Father and our Savior, in Jesus' name. Amen.  

1 John 2:28-3:9; Zec 12:10; Zec 4:6; Acts 4:31-33; Luke 22:20; John 1:17; 2 Cor 3:5-6;

     As Christians, the Bible reveals we live in a fallen world and face attacks on three fronts. These include Satan, the world, and the flesh. First, Satan is a fallen angel who rules and leads other fallen angels to rebel against God. Fallen angels are also referred to as evil spirits, unclean spirits, and demons. Second, Satan and his demonic forces have created a world-system that is wholly opposed to God and His will. Satan's world-system is a realm of spiritual darkness that envelops lost humanity—and carnal Christians—and consists of those philosophies, values, and practices that appeal to pride and the flesh. Third, the flesh refers to the fallen sinful nature that every person possesses (including Christians), which constantly entices us to act contrary to God and His Word. These three spiritual dangers threaten the Christian's spiritual life and effectiveness in the world. Though eternal salvation cannot be lost, the Christian can become a casualty of war and traitor to God's cause. Our Enemy the Devil      Many think of Satan as the counterpart of God; but this is wrong. God is the Creator, whereas Satan is merely a creature. God is infinitely and eternally good, whereas Satan was created good, but then turned away in rebellion, leading others to follow, both angels and people. Satan is not the counterpart of God; rather, he is the counterpart of those angels who maintained their allegiance to God. To understand this is to contrast Satan with good angels where, as a creature, he properly belongs.      The Bible reveals Satan was originally created a holy angel of the class of cherubim; however, because of pride (Ezek 28:11-18), he rebelled against God (Isa 14:12-14), and convinced many angels to follow him (Rev 12:4, 7). The name Satan is derived from the Hebrew שָׂטָן Satan which means “adversary, opponent, accuser, opposing party…[or] the one who hinders a purpose”[1] The Greek Σατανᾶς Satanas carries the same meaning and is used “in a very special sense of the enemy of God and all of those who belong to God.”[2] Other names for Satan include the shining one, or Lucifer (Isa 14:12), the evil one (1 John 5:19), the tempter (1 Th 3:5), the devil (Matt 4:1), the god of this world (2 Cor 4:4), the accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10), the prince of the power of the air (Eph 2:2), the serpent (Rev 12:9), and the great red dragon (Rev 12:3). Further, Satan is a murderer and liar (John 8:44), is compared to a lion that prowls about, looking for someone to devour (1 Pet 5:8), and one who disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14).      Lucifer became Satan at the time of his rebellion when he declared, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”  (Isa 14:13-14). Pentecost states, “The desire of Satan was to move in and occupy the throne of God, exercise absolute independent authority over the angelic creation, bring the earth and all the universe under his authority, cover himself with the glory that belongs to God alone, and then be responsible to no one but himself.”[3] Satan seeks to operate independently of God's plan for him, and he leads others, both saved and unsaved, to do the same. Lucifer introduced sin and death to the first humans when he convinced them to turn from God and eat the forbidden fruit (Gen 2:16-17; 3:1-7). At the time of the fall, Adam handed his kingdom over to Satan, who has been ruling this world since (Luke 4:5-6).      Satan is permitted, for a time, to rule over the majority in this world. When Jesus began His public ministry, He faced a series of tests from Satan, one of which was an offer to receive the kingdoms of the world without going to the cross. Satan told Jesus, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish” (Luke 4:6). Satan took possession of “this domain and its glory” by God's permission and man's sin, presumably, when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and follow Satan (Gen 3:1-8). Satan said to Jesus, “Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours” (Luke 4:7). Satan's offer had to be true in order for the temptation to be real. At some time in the future, Satan will share his authority with the Antichrist, because he advances his agenda (Rev 13:1-2). Three times Jesus referred to Satan as “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). Other passages of Scripture call Satan “the god of this world” (2 Cor 4:4), and “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2), informing us “that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). Satan rules as a tyrant who has “weakened the nations” (Isa 14:12), and currently “deceives the whole world” (Rev 12:9). He personally attacked Adam and Eve (Gen 3:1-7), Job (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-13), David, (1 Chr 21:1), Joshua the high priest (Zec 3:1-2), Jesus (Matt 4:1-11), Judas (John 13:27), and Peter (Luke 22:31-32). He continues to attack God's people today (1 Pet 5:8), practices deception (2 Cor 11:13-15), and has well developed strategies of warfare (Eph 6:10-12). Furthermore, humanity is living in an “evil age” (Gal 1:4), under “the dominion of Satan” (Acts 26:18), whose sphere of influence is called “the domain of darkness” (Col 1:13). Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1994–2000), 1317. [2] William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker, and Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 916. [3] J. Dwight Pentecost, Your Adversary the Devil (Grand Rapids, Mich., Zondervan Publishing, 1969), 25-26.

Gal 6:7-8; Rom 8:5; John 10:10; Mat 1:20; 3:16; 4:1; Php 2:7; John 3:5; Zec 4:6; Rom 8:14

Vincent Kompany schickt in der Bundesliga nur seine B(ochum)-Elf aufs Feld, und trotzdem bleibt es bei stabilen acht Punkten Vorsprung vor Bayer Leverkusen. Xabi Alonso, bitte an die Tafel und zehnmal schreiben: "Wer rotiert verliert." Setzen. Zec. Ach, der spielt ja bei Holstein Kiel und ist ein Leidtragender der Heavy-Rotation made in Munich. Alles Rauch von gestern (wie man in Hannover sagt)? Nee, wohl eher nicht. Wir müssen da dringend drüber reden.

Jesus Is The Way - Humility To Glory (2) (audio) David Eells – 3/9/25 Lets begin with a look at the Parable of the leaders choosing positions of honor and the guests at the marriage feast in (Luk.14:7) And he spake a parable unto those that were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief seats; saying unto them, (8) When thou art bidden of any man to a marriage feast, sit not down in the chief seat; lest haply a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him, (9) and he that bade thee and him shall come and say to thee, Give this man place; and then thou shalt begin with shame to take the lowest place. We know Jesus also spoke a parable about a king who made a marriage feast for his son, obviously pointing to the Father as the King and Himself being the Son (Matthew 22:1-14; Luke 14:15-24). And we know that the disciples were invited to the marriage feast in the early church, although many of the Jews refused, therefore God turned to the Gentiles and invited them (Matthew 22:3-6,9-10). Are we still invited today? Of course. We're invited to partake of the “bread and the wine,” representing the Body and Blood of Christ, which is the Nature and the Life of Jesus Christ. Paul said, (1Co.11:23) For I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed took bread; (24) and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, This is my body, which is for you: this do in remembrance of me. (25) In like manner also the cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood: this do, as often as ye drink [it], in remembrance of me. (26) For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord's death till he come. (27) Wherefore whosoever shall eat the bread or drink the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. (28) But let a man prove himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup. (29) For he that eateth and drinketh, eateth and drinketh judgment unto himself, if he discern not the body. (30) For this cause many among you are weak and sickly, and not a few sleep. (31) But if we discerned ourselves, we should not be judged. (32) But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world. So who is it that could desire the most honorable seats in this marriage feast, as we feast and partake of Jesus Christ? Well, it could be somebody who craves a position or a title that they have not earned, or who desires to partake of an ordination that has not necessarily been given them by God. The Lord is saying through this parable that you should take the more humble place and let God make a way for you. Growing up in God is to let Him “open the doors” to make a way for us. Many people love to partake of titles and position and places of authority, and far too many have been ordained of men and not of God. They've taken a position that hasn't been given them by the King of the marriage feast, and one day they may be told, “Step down; this is not your place. This is given to someone else more worthy.” (Luk.14:10) But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest place; that when he that hath bidden thee cometh, he may say to thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have glory in the presence of all that sit at meat with thee. (11) For everyone that exalteth himself shall be humbled; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. We really need to remember that for our own good. God will bring down anybody who is proud or arrogant, or who takes a position that's not theirs because it's been given to them by man instead of God. “For everyone that exalteth himself shall be humbled; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” While we are here, we have the opportunity to humble ourselves in order to be exalted of the Lord, and this is the way of prosperity and blessing in the Kingdom. We have every reason to be humble because we really can do nothing without Him. Of our own ability, we haven't much hope. We read in the previous study, (Joh.5:19) Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father doing… Did you know that in this text Jesus was speaking of the relationship between not only Himself and His Father, but of Himself as our Father? Isaiah calls Jesus “Everlasting Father,” howbeit the Hebrew actually says “Father of Eternity.” (Isa.9:6) For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. He is the Prince of Peace, the Father of Eternity, the One that is placed over the government of everything by God. Jesus is the last Adam and our spiritual Father, as we can see also in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:3-9,18-23; Mark 14:13-20; Luke 8:4- 5). (Mat.13:18) Hear then ye the parable of the sower. (19) When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the evil [one], and snatcheth away that which hath been sown in his heart. This is he that was sown by the way side. (20) And he that was sown upon the rocky places, this is he that heareth the word, and straightway with joy receiveth it; (21) yet hath he not root in himself, but endureth for a while; and when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, straightway he stumbleth. (22) And he that was sown among the thorns, this is he that heareth the word; and the care of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. (23) And he that was sown upon the good ground, this is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; who verily beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Jesus sowed the Seed in our heart that brings forth His fruit in us. He is our spiritual Adam, the Father of the born-again creation, of the born-again man, just as Adam was the Father of the natural creation. Now, since “The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father doing,” that means anything we do that's contrary to what we see our spiritual Father Jesus doing, is coming from ourselves. And since the apostles are our spiritual forefathers in the faith, anything we do that's contrary to what we see them doing is coming from ourselves, too (Romans 4:11-12; Hebrews 12:9). As Paul said, (1Co.4:15) For though ye have ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet [have ye] not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I begat you through the gospel. So notice it says, “what he seeth the Father doing.” Jesus obviously was in the Throne Room as well as on the earth. He saw the Father's Presence, and we know that's going to be true of the Man-child in our day. That's why we study the Scriptures to see what it is to be a Christian disciple, what it is to walk in the Steps of Jesus and be blessed. Jesus said, (Joh.5:30) I can of myself do nothing… And certainly if Jesus can of Himself do nothing, if He needed the Power of the Father to do what He did, then we also can of ourselves do nothing. We, too, need the Power of God, and that lets us know that when something is done for His glory, when something is accomplished for His Kingdom, we can take no credit for it, just as Jesus here was taking no credit. (Joh.5:30) I can of myself do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is righteous; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. Only if we, too, desire God's Will in what we're doing, only if we are not driven by our own lusts or ambitions, only then can we be trusted to work for God because we will not take any credit for it. (Joh.5:31) If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. Another part of humility is that we're not to bear witness of ourselves. Who are we? Who do we have to prove ourselves to? When those apostate Pharisees came to Jesus, they wanted Him to give them a sign that He was Who He said He was, but they had no eyes to see nor ears to hear, because He had been doing those wondrous works as signs all along. Well, Jesus answered them, (Mat.16:4) An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign… He wasn't saying signs are wrong; He was saying that they were an evil and adulterous generation for wanting a sign that He was Who He said He was, when they should have very easily judged by His works. In other words, “I'm not going to give it to you.” He wasn't interested in proving Himself to such people. (Joh.5:32) It is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true. (Notice that if you don't bear witness of yourself, someone else will bear witness of you.) (Joh.30:36) But the witness which I have is greater than [that of] John; for the works which the Father hath given me to accomplish (And remember, He said that He couldn't do the works of Himself.), the very works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. (37) And the Father that sent me, he hath borne witness of me… Jesus didn't bear witness of Himself so the Father bore witness of Him. And how did the Father bear witness of Him? It was through the works that Jesus did. We find this very important principle all through the New Testament. If we want God to bear witness through us in His signs, His wonders, His works, then we can't bear witness of ourselves. (Joh.30:41) I receive not glory from men. (42) But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in yourselves. Was He meaning that the people who received glory from men, didn't receive glory from God because their witness was of men and not of God? That's exactly what He's saying. They were interested in pleasing men, not God. They were interested in enjoying the esteem of men, not God. And there are many who receive glory in this life but will receive none in the next life (Matthew 6:1-6,16-21). (Joh.30:41) I receive not glory from men. (42) But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in yourselves. (43) I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. Jesus wasn't interested in pleasing men. He saw always before His face the Father. He was here to please the Father and we also have to desire in our heart to be pleasing only unto Him, and to give glory only unto Him, so that God Himself will be a Witness of us. (Joh.30:44) How can ye believe, who receive glory one of another, and the glory that [cometh] from the only God ye seek not? People love to be seen of men as being prosperous, wise, and even gifted. These are manpleasers, so it's important to them to be seen of men in this way. Instead, if we love God, we will humble ourselves. We know Him and we will practice His Presence because we're interested in pleasing Him. The people that Jesus was running into here couldn't believe because their desire to receive glory from man was not permitting it. (Joh.12:42) Nevertheless even of the rulers many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: (43) for they loved the glory [that is] of men more than the glory that is of God. They believed, but they were afraid to act on it and it's the same today. When you give a witness that may be contrary to the traditions of men, manpleasers are afraid to listen, they're afraid to follow, because they're not interested in pleasing God. They're afraid of acting on that truth because they would be rejected by men. They would be looked down upon by their peers, and it's more important to them to please their peers, their religion and their pastor, than it is for them to accept Truth. You know, God makes an offer to you to accept Truth, and if you reject it, if you cast it down, He takes it back and you may not get that offer again. Many of these people did not receive that offer again. Truth was offered to them and if it wasn't important to be pleasing unto God, if it was more important to them to have the glory of man, well, then that's all they got. Jesus glorified not Himself even when a great multitude came to Him. (Joh.6:1) After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the sea of Galilee, which is [the sea] of Tiberias. (2) And a great multitude followed him, because they beheld the signs which he did on them that were sick. (3) And Jesus went up into the mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. (4) Now the passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. (5) Jesus therefore lifting up his eyes, and seeing that a great multitude cometh unto him, saith unto Philip, Whence are we to buy bread, that these may eat? So He went from them and up into the mountain, but after a while, it appears that they came up there, too. Not many people can turn aside from the admiration or praise, or even curiosity, of the multitude. Following God is not more important to them than pleasing a multitude, but Jesus could do that and throughout His ministry, we see that He did do that. He wasn't seeking the glory of man and therefore, God glorified Him. Now let's read on because when Jesus didn't seek the glory of man, immediately afterward He fed the five thousand in one of the greatest miracles of His ministry. (Joh.6:5) Jesus therefore lifting up his eyes, and seeing that a great multitude cometh unto him, saith unto Philip, Whence are we to buy bread, that these may eat? (6) And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. (7) Philip answered him, Two hundred shillings worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one may take a little. (8) One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, (9) There is a lad here, who hath five barley loaves, and two fishes: but what are these among so many? (10) Jesus said, Make the people sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. (11) Jesus therefore took the loaves; and having given thanks, he distributed to them that were set down; likewise also of the fishes as much as they would. (12) And when they were filled, he saith unto his disciples, Gather up the broken pieces which remain over, that nothing be lost. (13) So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves, which remained over unto them that had eaten. (14) When therefore the people saw the sign which he did, they said, This is of a truth the prophet that cometh into the world. God was putting that in their heart because Jesus had rejected a desire to be a man pleaser, and in the very next verse, He rejected that again. (Joh.5:15) Jesus therefore perceiving that they were about to come and take him by force, to make him king, withdrew again into the mountain himself alone. So He left the multitudes again, not seeking to be a manpleaser, not wanting to be glorified of man, not wanting to take a position that God did not want Him to take, that is, as a worldly ruler with physical authority. He wanted the spiritual Kingdom that the Father offered unto Him. The devil had offered Him the authority over the physical kingdoms of the world (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13) and now the people wanted to come and make Jesus King, but He desired nothing of that. Unfortunately, I guarantee you there are many people today who would love that, not realizing that they would do it to their own destruction because, if you receive the glory of man, you don't receive the glory of God. Since Jesus turned down the glory of man here, He glorified not Himself, notice that once again He did one of the greatest miracles of His ministry. (Joh.6:16) And when evening came, his disciples went down unto the sea; (17) and they entered into a boat, and were going over the sea unto Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. (18) And the sea was rising by reason of a great wind that blew. (19) When therefore they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they behold Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the boat: and they were afraid. (20) But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid. (21) They were willing therefore to receive him into the boat: and straightway the boat was at the land whither they were going. Every time Jesus turned down the glory of man, the Father glorified Him by the works that He did. Many of God's people want to have power with God; they want to meet the needs of the brethren around them; they want to heal the sick; they want to cast out devils. They want to do the works of Jesus, and rightly so, but we're seeing here that the works of Jesus don't come through just faith, but also through humility. God sought to glorify Jesus because Jesus didn't seek to glorify Himself. He was not interested in being a manpleaser, as He said, (Joh.5:41) I receive not glory from men. And after Jesus healed the lame man at the pool of Bethesda, the Jews asked him, (Joh.5:12) … Who is the man that said unto thee, Take up [thy bed,] and walk? (13) But he that was healed knew not who it was; for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in the place. Jesus didn't seek exposure to the crowd. He didn't seek to be known even to this man whom He had healed. Jesus was seeking to glorify the Father and not Himself, just as every minister of God, even those that are sent by God, which are the minority, will be tried in this manner to see if they will accept for themselves the glory that should go to God. If they will rob the glory of God by taking credit for what God is doing, well, then God will not glorify them. Jesus conveyed Himself away because He didn't seek the credit for what God did. He didn't seek the glory for what God did even though God did this miracle through Him. (Luk.5:12) And it came to pass, while he was in one of the cities, behold, a man full of leprosy: and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. (13) And he stretched forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou made clean. And straightway the leprosy departed from him. (14) And he charged him to tell no man: but go thy way, and show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. (And since He did not seek to be known for this work that God did, what happened?) (15) But so much the more went abroad the report concerning him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed of their infirmities. (16) But he withdrew himself in the deserts, and prayed. Jesus didn't seek the multitudes; they sought Him. And because He didn't seek to be known of them nor to gain credit of them nor to take a position over them, we see once again, God glorified Him. God moved in the heart of the people and they sought Him. This is an important point for us to understand. The Lord is our Example and we are His disciples, His “learners and followers.” It's important for us to know what it is to walk pleasing unto the Father because we need the power of the Father, His grace, His mercy. Humility brings the glory of the Father. Let's look at another example in (Mar.1:23) And straightway there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, (24) saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus thou Nazarene? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. (25) And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, (Here He is being glorified even of the demons and He wouldn't permit it. They were speaking out and glorifying Him, saying Who He was, yet He wouldn't permit it.) and come out of him.  (26) And the unclean spirit, tearing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. (27) And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What is this? a new teaching! with authority he commandeth even the unclean spirits, and they obey him. (28) And the report of him went out straightway everywhere into all the region of Galilee round about. Jesus sought not to glorify Himself. He sought not to take full advantage of the situation, and because He didn't, just the opposite happened. Because He was found trustworthy that He would not rob the glory of God, God turned it around and glorified Him. Also in the same book, we read, (Mar.5:18) And as he (This is Jesus.) was entering into the boat, he that had been possessed with demons besought him that he might be with him. (19) And he suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go to thy house unto thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and [how] he had mercy on thee. (Some people think that Jesus is talking about Himself, but He was talking about the Father.) (20) And he went his way, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men marvelled. Jesus didn't seek His Own glory. Jesus sought earnestly to give all the glory to God, and because He did that, God gave it to Jesus instead. As disciples of Jesus, we have the same opportunity to always give God the glory. We don't want to rob God, even in things that we might consider to be insignificant. Jesus said to the Jews, (Joh.8:50) But I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth. He was humble, therefore the Father sought to glorify Him and as we saw, one way the Father did that was through the works that Jesus did. Many are seeking to do the works of Jesus because they see the need around them, and if they are walking in humility, then God gives them grace to have faith, because these people are the ones that God can trust with power and authority. They will not steal and rob the glory of God; they will not puff themselves up until they stumble and fall. (Joh.54) Jesus answered, If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing (Now, you can glorify yourself and, in the earth, your glory wouldn't be nothing, but Jesus is saying that if He glorified Himself, His glory in the Kingdom would be nothing.): it is my Father that glorifieth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God. Once again, we see that we have to be very, very careful not to take credit for something that we're not capable of doing. Of ourselves, we can do nothing. Instead, we give all the glory to God and seek to avoid the limelight, not taking a position that we shouldn't take. (2Co.10:17) But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. Always! Paul also tells us, (2Co.12:9) And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for [my] power is made perfect in weakness. (Therefore, we have nothing to glory about because we are weak and He is strong.) Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Notice that the power of Christ will rest upon the person who glories in their weaknesses, their inability, their lack of power. God will glorify those persons who will claim no credit, who will not glorify themselves, who will not lift themselves up to take a position that's not theirs. These are the people that God will glorify with “the power of Christ.” (2Co.10:18) For not he that commendeth himself is approved (Approved of Whom? Approved of God.), but whom the Lord commendeth. Those who commend themselves obviously don't receive the glory or the commendation of God. Instead, they get only the commendation and glory of men, and if we receive it here on this earth, that's all the reward we're going to get. (Pro.27:1) Boast not thyself of tomorrow; For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. We think that we have control over tomorrow. We often say, “we'll do this,” or, “we'll do that; “we'll go here,” or, “we'll go there,” but God said all of our plans are evil. (Jas.4:13) Come now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we will go into this city, and spend a year there, and trade, and get gain: (14) whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. What is your life? For ye are a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. (15) For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall both live, and do this or that. (16) But now ye glory in your vauntings: all such glorying is evil. We have no authority to make plans for our future. We need to say, “If the Lord wills.” We need to give glory to God because (Act.17:28) … in him we live, and move, and have our being… Our very breath comes from Him and if He doesn't give it to us tomorrow, we won't be here tomorrow (Job 12:10,33:4; Daniel 5:23). He is the One Who makes it possible for us to do anything. We can do nothing without Him, as Jesus said in (Jas.4:17) To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. It is sin to brag about what we're going to do with this life. It doesn't belong to us; it's been bought with the Blood of the Lamb. (Pro.27:2) Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth… We don't have any room for bragging. We glory in our weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon us. We glory in our inability. We glory in those situations where we can't save ourselves and only God can do it. If you want God to save you, then glory in your weakness so that the power of Christ may rest upon you. If you want God to save you, if you want His power, then brag about your inability and His power because, if anyone glories, “let him glory in the Lord.” (Pro.27:2) Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; A stranger, and not thine own lips. That's good advice since, once again, you're being humble before the Lord and you're not accepting any glory, so the Father Himself is the One that will glorify you. (Pro.25:27) It is not good to eat much honey: So for men to search out their own glory is grievous. A similar verse says, (Pro.25:16) Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, Lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it. These are talking about something that's sweet to the flesh, and something that's sweet to the flesh is receiving glory, but to search out your own glory is bitter because in the end, it leads only to suffering and sorrow. (Pro.30:32) If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, Or if thou hast thought evil, Lay thy hand upon thy mouth. If we want the Lord's grace, if we want His faith, if we want His power, if we want Him to manifest His works through us, we need to be careful what we say before Him. (Mar.10:35) And there come near unto him James and John, the sons of Zebedee, saying unto him, Teacher, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall ask of thee. (36) And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? (37) And they said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and one on thy left hand, in thy glory. (38) But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink the cup that I drink? (I would say that is the cup of suffering.) or to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? Baptism is for death, so in other words, “Are you able to go to death?” And what is “death”? Is it not to deny self, take up your cross, and follow Jesus? Is it not to deny self the ability to glory or take any credit for what God does? (Mar.10:39) And they said unto him, We are able. They were very self-confident, weren't they? Remember that Peter was the same way. He told Jesus, (Mat.26:35) … Even if I must die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. However, Peter really didn't know what was in him, did he? And James and John didn't know what was in them, either. “We are able.” Now we know God did make them able because they did go to their cross, but they were young and impetuous here and didn't understand exactly what all this entailed. (Mar.10:39) And they said unto him, We are able. And Jesus said unto them, The cup that I drink ye shall drink; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: (40) but to sit on my right hand or on [my] left hand is not mine to give; but [it is for them] for whom it hath been prepared. (41) And when the ten heard it, they began to be moved with indignation concerning James and John. James and John were trying to get ahead of the flock, trying to get some special attention, a special privilege from Jesus here that they hadn't yet earned. Now it's obvious that there are some people who will sit on the Lord's left and right, and it is given to them of the Father because they have borne their baptism, they have borne their cross, they have drunk the cup that Jesus drank. (Mar.10:42) And Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they who are accounted to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great ones exercise authority over them. (43) But it is not so among you: but whosoever would become great among you, shall be your minister (The word there is diákonos, and it just means “servant.”); (44) and whosoever would be first among you, shall be servant of all. (So the more people you serve, the better.) (45) For the Son of man also came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. A “ransom” is a price that's paid to set somebody free from bondage. Does this mean that the Lord expects us to give up our life in order to be used of Him to set many free from bondage? Yes. Just as Jesus came to be a Ransom for many, each of us, also, if we give up our life, is able to be used of Him to bring many out of bondage and into the Kingdom of God. The Bible tells us to (Php.2:5) Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (6) who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, (7) but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; (8) and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient [even] unto death, yea, the death of the cross. He came, He laid aside all of His omnipotence and made Himself poor, that we through His poverty might become rich in the ways of the Kingdom (2 Corinthians 8:9), and He expects us to walk in His Steps. Let's look at one example that particularly points out the humility of Jesus and how He commanded His disciples to walk in that humility. (Joh.13:1) Now before the feast of the passover, Jesus knowing that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto his Father, having loved his own that were in the world, he loved them unto the end. (2) And during supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's [son,] to betray him, (3) [Jesus,] knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he came forth from God, and goeth unto God, (4) riseth from supper, and layeth aside his garments; and he took a towel, and girded himself. (5) Then he poureth water into the basin, and began to wash the disciple's feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. What do you think this foot washing represents? There's nothing wrong with a physical foot washing. It's a humble thing to do, and especially so in Biblical times because the way they traveled meant their feet got very dirty. Well, there's a spiritual type and shadow there, because as we “walk” in this world, it's very likely that our “feet” get dirty with this world. “Sanctification” is “the process of being separated from the world,” and we want to be a part of that separating process for all of our brethren, for everybody that comes in contact with us. That's what Jesus was pointing out here. Again, I'm not denying the physical ceremony of the foot washing, which is good, but we need to understand the spiritual type and shadow here. The Lord put off His clothes and He girded Himself with a towel. We all are putting off our “clothing”; we're putting off the old man and the old life, and we're putting on the Lord Jesus Christ, representing His righteousness and His righteous works (Romans 13:14). (Joh.13:6) So he cometh to Simon Peter. He saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? (7) Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt understand hereafter. (8) Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Now that's not just a physical foot washing here. This is something spiritual and much more important. If the Lord doesn't wash us, of course we have nothing to do with Him and He has nothing to do with us. We have to be washed by the water of the Word, as Paul called it (Ephesians 5:26-27). And we especially need the dirt washed off our feet because our walk with God has to be a clean walk. We need to be separated from the world, and we also have a part in helping our brethren to walk in this way. (Joh.13:9) Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. (10) Jesus saith to him, He that is bathed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. In other words, if you wash your feet, you're clean all over. If you have a clean walk with the Lord, the reason for that is that your heart is right before Him so you're clean everywhere else, too. (11) For he knew him that should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. Evil people can't walk a clean walk before the Lord. Righteous people can walk a clean walk because of what's inside them. (Joh.13:12) So when he had washed their feet, and taken his garments, and sat down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? (13) Ye call me, Teacher, and, Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. (14) If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet. (As the Lord, Who is the mighty King Who has come down out of heaven and has stooped to be our Servant, we also need to be servants to each other.) (15) For I have given you an example, that ye also should do as I have done to you. We have to humble ourselves. If the Lord of glory humbled Himself, and He gave us an example, then we have to humble ourselves. We have to be useful in the sanctification of our brothers and sisters, but we're only able to be used of the Lord as we become righteous. That towel represented His righteousness; He dried their feet with His Own righteousness and we're able to be used of the Lord the same way. (Joh.13:16) Verily, verily, I say unto you, a servant is not greater than his lord; neither one that is sent greater than he that sent him. (17) If ye know these things, blessed are ye if ye do them. (18) I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled: He that eateth my bread lifted up his heel against me. (19) From henceforth I tell you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am [he]. The greatest is the servant of all, but all will not become servants of the brethren because they serve themselves. They seek their own glory, therefore God can't seek to glorify them. A person who seeks their own glory cannot be trusted with God's glory. They cannot be trusted. They would squander it on the world, on self, and glorify self. It would be very destructive to them for God to do this. Now, does God do this with some people? Yes, however, they won't ultimately have a position with God in the Kingdom. There are people who have received gifts of God, but then they continue to seek their own glory. Does God take the gift back? No, He doesn't necessarily even take the gift back. He uses them. For example, they may be used in healing but they themselves may never see the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus warned us, (Mat.7:22) Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works? (23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. God can use us down here as a vessel, yet it won't be for our good; it will be for the good of others around us. If we lift ourselves up, we won't be in God's Kingdom. We won't be acceptable unto Him. And so we see here that Jesus humbled Himself in order to wash the disciples' feet. Our Lord wants us to walk in His Steps. He is our Example, therefore we also need to be very humble servants of God for the health and sake of the brethren. We've learned too much from Babylonish Christianity that we need to be washed of, and we see far too many examples of men who have lifted themselves up. They've made themselves a kingdom here and live in very high circumstances, with luxurious homes and grossly overpaid positions. They have chosen to be kings over their Lord's heritage, and at the end, they're not going to have anything. God knows His servants. (1Sam.16:7) But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. God doesn't see as man sees. He knows who are humble towards Him. He knows who are sacrificing themselves. He knows who are trying to avoid taking any glory from Him. He knows them and He will glorify them. He will not only glorify them in this life, He will glorify them in the next life. Some of the most famous Christians down here will not be famous in the Kingdom of Heaven because they have stolen, robbed, the glory of God, and God cannot permit that. Some of the people who have never been known down here, are never known because they don't seek to be known. Some of these people are going to be greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Isa.55:8) For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. Some of the most humble people here, “humble” meaning not interested in glorifying themselves, not interested in lifting themselves up, are going to be great in the Kingdom of Heaven, and they are great in the Kingdom of Heaven, as far as God is concerned. Jesus sought a simple life. He sought not to have and do the things that men thought were great. He didn't mind speaking Truth, even if it offended the high and the mighty. He didn't mind leaving the multitudes behind in order to go seek fellowship with the Father (Matthew 14:13; Luke 4:42; Mark 1:35; etc.) We need to emulate Him. Jesus had such a desire to meet the needs of the people, that in some cases, He was working night and day (Matthew 8:24- 25,13:2; Mark 3:9; etc.) Jesus said, (Mat.8:20) … The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. He didn't have any time for Himself and I believe that God has some servants down here who are doing the same thing. They see the need, they're moved with compassion, and they go to meet the need, but not for the glory of man. Jesus wasn't doing it for the glory of man because He didn't mind leaving the multitudes and going up into the mountains to pray. He's our Example, and as the Bible tells us, (1Jn.2:5) But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily hath the love of God been perfected. Hereby we know that we are in him: (6) he that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked. Now I have a couple of revelations to share with you.     The Glorious Bride's Fruit B.A.- 01/30/2014 Notes: [David | Deb] The second dream (below) occurred the night after this one; they show the glorious Bride and God's work to raise the Church. I had a neat dream last night. I dreamed that I was translated into UBM's Friday night Bible study. (After the Bride is manifested, she will be seen in many places where the unleavened Word is shared among the disciples of the David Man-child reformers, just as John the Baptist saw the Bride among the disciples of Jesus, the Son of David.) (2Ti.2:15 Give diligence (“study”) to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth.) I dreamed that as I was translated into the back of the assembly, I walked up and sat down in the row directly behind everyone. (The last shall be first.) (The Bride who puts themselves last and others first will be first. The Bride who puts themselves last and the Lord and His Word first will be first.) Brother David was in front of the assembly (in a blue polo-like shirt with stripes and blue jeans). (The stripes represent that the Man-child/Davids will have taken the persecution [for the body's sake]. Blue represents walking in grace or heavenly places.) He saw me come in and take my seat. He looked at me with great interest, but he never stopped talking. People began to turn around and look at me, one at a time. They didn't stare at me; they just looked and turned back around. (Son.6:10 Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, Fair as the moon, Clear as the sun, Terrible as an army with banners? This is the Bride. 13 Return, return, O Shulammite; Return, return, that we may look upon thee. Why will ye look upon the Shulammite, As upon the dance of Mahanaim?) (You will notice that the Bride is not any local assembly but wherever the Davids are teaching, they will be among the disciples, as it was with Jesus, according to John, who said, “He that hath the Bride is the Bridegroom”. This shows us that the Bride will know the voice of the groom in the Man-child/Davids. There are local bodies that the Lord is choosing to purge of unfruitful people as a good foundation for more saints to come.) When the service was over, I stood up and instantly I was gone. (The Bride will take the Davids' teachings throughout the earth; much translation will happen among them.) In the dream, after I was gone, I heard Brother David say to the assembly, “Did you all see that woman who came in and sat in the back? Did you notice that she was surrounded in light?” Some people spoke up and said, “Yes, we did”. (The glorious Bride will be an example to those who come after her, having departed from transgression by the Lord's redemption. Isa.59:20 And a Redeemer will come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith Jehovah. 21 And as for me, this is my covenant with them, saith Jehovah: my Spirit that is upon thee (the Bride), and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth (the Bride will speak and obey the Word), nor out of the mouth of thy seed (the Bride's spiritual children), nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed (and their children), saith Jehovah, from henceforth and for ever. Isaiah had much to prophesy concerning Zion, the Bride, and the effect of the glorious light of God's Word manifested in her by the Spirit of God, bringing great revival. Isa.60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of Jehovah is risen upon thee. 2 For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples; but Jehovah will arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3 And nations shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. 4 Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: they all gather themselves together, they come to thee; thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be carried in the arms. The children of the Bride will come to the light in the Bride from all over the world.) 14 And the sons of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet (The apostates will be humbled under the Davids and the Bride); and they shall call thee The city of Jehovah, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. 15 Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man passed through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations... 18 Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, desolation nor destruction within thy borders (the Beast persecutors among God's people will have no authority there); but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation (to enter the Bride, Jerusalem, will be to manifest the salvation that many only have by faith), and thy gates Praise. 19 The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but Jehovah will be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. 20 Thy sun shall no more go down, neither shall thy moon withdraw itself; for Jehovah will be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. 21 Thy people also shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. 22 The little one shall become a thousand, and the small one a strong nation; I, Jehovah, will hasten it in its time. (Great fruit will come from the glorious Bride.) The Man-child's ministry to the Bride and Church is in the next chapter. Isa.61:1 The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening [of the prison] to them that are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of Jehovah's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3 to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah, that he may be glorified. 4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. Isa.62:1 For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burneth. 2 And the nations shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory, and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of Jehovah shall name. 3 Thou shalt also be a crown of beauty in the hand of Jehovah, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. 4 Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzi-bah (meaning “my delight is in her”), and thy land Beulah (meaning “married”); for Jehovah delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.     Bride Saves the Apostate Church from Enemies B.A.- 01/31/2014 Notes: [David | Deb] I dreamed that I was in Tennessee for a visit. I was hungry, so I stopped at a fast-food restaurant to get something to eat. (It's “fast food” because time is running out. The Israelites were told to eat their Passover quickly before leaving Egypt. Exo.12:11 And thus shall ye eat it: with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's passover.) As I was getting out of the car, I noticed an elderly woman walking slowly with a cane. (This is the old order, mother Church. They have been with the Lord for many years but too crippled by false teachings to walk in the Spirit.) (The Lord promises them restoration: Zec.8:4 Thus saith the Lord of hosts: There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, every man with his staff in his hand for very age.) I happened to look up ahead toward the door and I noticed that there was about a four- or five-inch curb. (Four is the Word and it brings tribulation to the carnal man, but five is grace given to us that brings us through the tribulation of our life.) The curb was in front of the door. (Joh.10:9 I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and shall find pasture. “Pasture” is food.) I knew that this elderly woman might have some difficulty trying to step up from the curb of the parking lot and onto the sidewalk by the door. (6:54 He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life: and I will raise him up at the last day. It's a “sidewalk” because it's beside the shepherds' tents. Sol.1:8 If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, And feed thy kids beside the shepherds tents.) I walked up to her and asked her if I could help her and she was happy for my offer of help. (Much trouble is coming to the old order because they have not yet understood that the promises of God are there to deliver them.) She had noticed the tall curb as well and was wondering if she would be able to make that step up from the curb. (They don't have the real Gospel which empowers them to manifest salvation in all things. Rom.1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth... The Bride will be there to help them with understanding and the Word will be confirmed with signs and wonders following.) So I helped her inside the restaurant and to a table.  (Eze.34:14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and on the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed on the mountains of Israel.) She introduced herself to me and told me her name was Mabel (Her name is of uncertain derivation, but from the Spanish or Italian, it means both “beautiful” and “soft, tender”, some say loving, lovable”.) and I told her my name. (Many in the old order Church are innocent and the true Gospel will bring life in them. They are walking in the light that they have, like God says in Rom.14:4 He shall be made to stand for the Lord hath power to make him stand.) (Humility and innocence are valuable to the Lord. 1Pe.3:4 but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in the incorruptible apparel of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.) I took her order and went up to the counter and got our food and brought it back to the table. She offered me $10 to pay for her food. (Ten is the number of the law and the old order is used to paying for everything and not receiving freely by grace.) I told her it was a blessing for me to bless her. (Jesus said, “Freely you have received, freely give”.) I told her it would be a pleasure for me to sit and have my meal with her. She was so happy to have my company. She told me she was waiting for her daughter, Jean, who was always very late. (In the natural, we are told to “let your yes be yes and your no be no”, and this is true for those who are truthful but not for liars. As far as the spiritual gifts of God, they will also be late for what the Lord has for them.) (Rom.13:11 And this, knowing the season, that already it is time for you to awake out of sleep: for now is salvation nearer to us than when we first believed. ... Mat.25:10 And while they went away to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage feast: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour. Rev.3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold refined by fire, that thou mayest become rich; and white garments, that thou mayest clothe thyself, and that the shame of thy nakedness be not made manifest; and eye salve to anoint thine eyes, that thou mayest see.) We had such a wonderful time. Mabel told me that she was a widow. (Our first husband is Satan, for we are submitted to him and we have ears for him. When he is dead to us, we are ready for the Lord.) She was meeting her daughter at the restaurant to discuss the possibility of her going into an assisted living home, as she was getting too old to live by herself. (Instead of being a minister of God's grace, the children turn to the ways of the world and rarely repay the kindness owed to their mentors.) I saw Mabel look toward the door, so I turned around and I saw a woman who appeared to be in her mid-60s (Mid-60s means lukewarm, midway between 60, the Gematria for “world”, and 70 identifies the number of disciples that were sent by Jesus and Moses.) She came through the door and walked toward us. She looked at me with disapproval on her face, then over to her mother. I stood up and introduced myself to her, but she wasn't very receptive to me. Just then, Mabel spoke up and told her daughter, Jean, how I had helped her. Jean then looked back at me and said, “I'm here now, so you can leave”. (The factious have always hated the Bride and consider themselves superior to them. They have lusted for a position over the church but don't have the fruit or gift from God to take care of her.) I reached down and picked up my purse and said goodbye to Mabel and left the restaurant. As I walked across the parking lot to my car, I prayed in the spirit for Mabel and her daughter, Jean. (The Bride is gracious and prays for the old order Christians and the factious.) As I got into my car, I had an open vision. I could see Mabel and Jean inside the restaurant. I saw Jean sit down where I had been sitting across from Mabel (seeking to usurp the position of the Bride). I watched as Jean began to scold her mother for “taking up” with strangers (in Proverbs, the stranger is the Harlot), and she began saying very unkind things about me. Jean said to her mother, “Can't you tell by the way people are dressed, Mother, that you should not associate with them?” (Slanderers of the Bride are now making themselves known to the Church.) Then it was Mabel's turn to speak. She said, “First of all, that kind woman helped me into the restaurant (helped her to find spiritual food). I'm sure she had other things to do, like you do, but she took the time to help me. Then, she went the extra mile”. (The Bride sacrifices for the Church. The factious sacrifice the Church to their own ego.) She asked me what I would like to eat and she went and got it and brought it back to me. (Job.23:12 I have not gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured up the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. Joh.6:56 He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me, and I in him.) She would not accept any money from me, unlike what you do. (They make merchandise of the people and do nothing freely.) (Act.8:20 But Peter said unto him, Thy silver perish with thee, because thou hast thought to obtain the gift of God with money.) And as for the way she was dressed, her clothing was of much more value than yours. (Rom.13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts [thereof]. Rev.19:8 And it was given unto her that she should array herself in fine linen, bright and pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.) Just then, Jean spoke up and said, “Oh, I really don't think so, Mother”, in a very prideful tone of voice. (Pro.16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.) Mabel said, “Oh, yes, she is wearing 'clothes of righteousness' and you are wearing clothes of wickedness!” (Isa.59:5 They hatch adders eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth; and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper. 6 Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. 7 Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their paths. 8 The way of peace they know not; and there is no justice in their goings: they have made them crooked paths; whosoever goeth therein doth not know peace.) “She was nothing but kind to me and she treated me as if I were her own mother. I don't understand how you can judge her like that before you know any of the facts!” (They distort and lie about every fact.) Just then, Mabel got up from the table and started heading toward the door. (1Co.5:11 But as it is, I wrote unto you not to keep company, if any man that is named a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one no, not to eat.) (Tit.3:10 A factious man after a first and second admonition refuse; 11 knowing that such a one is perverted, and sinneth, being self-condemned.) Her daughter said, “Mother, just where do you think you are going?” Mabel replied, “I'm going home and you can't stop me”. Her daughter said, “But we haven't had our discussion yet about your 'assisted' living arrangement”. Mabel replied, “I've decided that I no longer need any assistance”. (Association with the Bride will bring the old order church out from under the curse that faction and unforgiveness have put on them. Nursing homes are full of them.) As Mabel got to the door, her daughter called out, “Well, Mother, at least come back and get your cane”. Mabel turned around and looked at her daughter and said, “Nope. It appears, Jean, that I don't seem to need it anymore. (Out from under the crutches of religion and free to walk in the Spirit above the curse.) Why don't you just keep it?” (This is exactly the curse on the factious.) And Mabel got into her car and drove off. (Isa.10:20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and they that are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again lean upon him that smote them, but shall lean upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.) Then I saw Brother David and a few others sitting in a booth several feet away and they had witnessed the entire thing. (Mat.18:16 But if he hear thee not, take with thee one or two more, that at the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may be established. 2Co.13:1 This is the third time I am coming to you. At the mouth of two witnesses or three shall every word established.) (We are witnesses of this atrocity against the Bride and Church. God Himself, by these dreams, is witnessing against these atrocities against His people.)

The Sword or the Cross? (audio) David Eells 2/23/25 Please be patient with me and I will share something that just may save your physical and eternal life. If you are not willing to believe only what the scriptures say concerning your relationship to this evil world and its God-ordained plan in your life, you don't need to waste your time with this revelation. When Peter used the sword to keep Jesus from going to the cross, He said, “All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword”. Even though the true saints will not agree with much that is about to happen in this world, they will not take “the sword” of man and break their covenant with God as the apostates and their leadership will. God's plan for His people is demonstrated by Jesus. (Joh.12:23) And Jesus answereth them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. (24) Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit. (25) He that loveth his life loseth it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. (Loseing our life is mostly losing our carnal self life to partake of the life of Christ.) (26) If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will the Father honor. As Jesus was a seed sown in the dirt of this earth, so must we be. The wicked of this world are the dirt that puts to death the fleshly husk of the seed so that the inner life may come forth and bear fruit. As a lamb does not struggle with a wolf, the seed does not struggle with the dirt but permits it to fulfill its purpose. (Luk.10:3)...I send you forth as lambs in the midst of wolves. In God's plan wolves devour the flesh of the lambs. He uses the wicked to chasten His children. (2Sam.7:14) I will be his father, and he shall be my son: if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men. (2Cor.4:11) For we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. (16) Wherefore we faint not; but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day. (17) For our light affliction, which is for the moment, worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory. The glory of God will be manifested in those who will “resist not him that is evil” but will “turn the other cheek” and permit the dirt to do its job. No one else can drive the nails, friend. You are unable to do it and other Christians shouldn't do it. It is God's plan to use the harlot and the beast to crucify our old man. (Act.2:23) Him (Jesus), being delivered up by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye by the hand of lawless men did crucify and slay. (4:27) For of a truth in this city against thy holy Servant Jesus, whom thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, were gathered together, (28) to do whatsoever thy hand and thy council foreordained to come to pass. Through death to self at their hands, the world will see Jesus in us and we will be enabled to fulfill the great commission. (1Pet.4:1) Forasmuch then as Christ suffered in the flesh, arm ye yourselves also with the same mind; for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; (2) that ye no longer should live the rest of your time in flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. In the days when God's people were ruled over by the Roman beast it was written: (Rom.13:1) Let every soul be in subjection to the higher powers: for there is no power but of God; and the [powers] that be are ordained of God. (2) Therefore he that resisteth the power, withstandeth the ordinance of God: and they that withstand shall receive to themselves judgment. Though Christians are forbidden to take the mark and image of the beast, they are also forbidden to take up arms against secular nations over them. This puts the people of God in a position of weakness like Jesus when He submitted to His cross instead of fighting. (Note: Some falsely say that the U.S. is not typed in the Scriptures. In Revelation, we see that Babylon is the Queen of the world, an end-time world superpower, a very rich nation that trades with the whole world. Both Revelation and Daniel say it is the head of all the nations and was called the “great eagle” in Ezekiel 17. Jeremiah 25 shows that it will bring destruction to the Middle East and then fall in what appears to be a nuclear attack from the nations. Revelation 18 says this will be in one hour of one day. Who, with common sense, would not see that this ancient eagle lives again in our day and has been secretly ruled by a satanic, corrupt, and perverted deep state? Most recently Babylon is being conquered by our modern day Cyrus who ruled in ancient times as Media-Persia. Using Babylon and her king as a type of the U.S. and her President, God warned his people to submit to her as far as secular matters go. (Jer.27:5) I have made the earth, the men and the beasts that are upon the face of the earth, by my great power and by my outstretched arm; and I give it unto whom it seemeth right unto me. (6) And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant.... (7) And all the nations shall serve him.... (8) And it shall come to pass, that the nation and the kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the Lord, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. This has happened. (9) But as for you (Christians), hearken ye not to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreams, nor to your soothsayers, nor to your sorcerers, that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: (10) for they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land, and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.... (12) And I spake to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live. (13) Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the Lord hath spoken concerning the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? The modern day apostate leadership has served Babylon turning against the Word of the Lord. And the rebels have been chastened by their “sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence”. (14) And hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon; for they prophesy a lie unto you. (15) For I have not sent them, saith the Lord, but they prophesy falsely in my name; that I may drive you out, and that ye may perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you. And these depopulationists have murdered the apostates who trust in man's vaccines rather than the clear Word. Also we will see that true Christians are not to take up arms in the worlds wars. Our kingdom is not of this world as Jesus said. That is not to say that God doesn't have mercy on ignorance. In this way God will cleanse His body of those that refuse to obey and go to their cross. We are now close to the beginning of the first 3 ½ years of the tribulation in Revelation 12 where the dragon/serpent chases the woman Church into their wilderness refuge to be taught of the Man-child. What brings us to our cross? Jesus said, “Love your enemies”, not shoot them, and “turn the other cheek”, not make war on them. God will chasten the Christians who “take the sword”. Our Lord said, “All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword”. I am certainly not excusing the government's actions in any of this but if David Koresh, the leader of the Davidians' stronghold in Waco, Texas, in early 1993 had not broken God's covenant and stored up that arsenal with the intent to use it against the government, he and his followers would still be alive. Bear witness that God did not defend them. God will bring the U.S. against His people and their apostate leaders because they have ignored His covenant. (Hos.8:1) [Set] the trumpet to thy mouth. As an eagle [he cometh] against the house of the Lord, because they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law. (2) They shall cry unto me, My God, we Israel know thee. (3) Israel hath cast off that which is good: the enemy shall pursue him. (4) They have set up kings, but not by me; they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off. In the days of Jesus, the apostate people of God were in bondage to the Roman beast for their rebellion against the Word. These stiff-necked people of God were in constant revolution against the Romans and paying a great penalty for it. (Mar.15:6) Now at the feast he used to release unto them one prisoner, whom they asked of him. (7) And there was one called Barabbas, [lying] bound with them that had made insurrection (revolution), men who in the insurrection had committed murder. (8) And the multitude went up and began to ask him [to do] as he was wont to do unto them. (9) And Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? (10) For he perceived that for envy the chief priests had delivered him up. (11) But the chief priests stirred up the multitude, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them. (Jn.18:40) They cried out therefore again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber. Notice that Barabbas and many with him were in prison for making a revolution against the Romans. Jesus suffered in the place of this Jewish patriot. In like manner, the true body of Christ will suffer innocently because of “Christian” patriots who will revolt against the beast. In another type, Barabbas was chosen out of all the Jews that were in prison with him to be released. Barabbas means “son of the father”. Because Jesus went to the cross, a remnant of these people who truly are “sons of the Father” will be forgiven and saved. Militant patriots do not understand what the Holy Spirit showed in this text, that killing Romans or Americans is “murder” and that those who steal from them are “robbers”. Remember, God did not defend almost 1000 very religious patriots whom the Romans destroyed. In 66 A.D. when the Jews rebelled against the Romans, they captured this mountain 1000 meters above the Judean wilderness. In a well-supplied, seemingly impregnable fortress, the Jews attempted for seven years to hold out against the Roman beast. In a clear type, all but a remnant of seven committed suicide and brought an end to the worldly state of Israel. “Christian” rebels in our day will, in effect, commit suicide by fighting against the beast and bringing an end to the worldly state of the Church. The Timothy McVeigh's of this world are not patriots in God's kingdom. The real heroes are those who leave worldly governments up to God and choose their cross over rebelling against His Word. Like Jesus, Paul gives us a type of how innocent Christians in our day will be falsely accused as rebels and imprisoned or killed. In Acts 21:38, a chief captain said to him, “Art thou not then the Egyptian, who before these days stirred up to sedition and led out into the wilderness the four thousand men of the Assassins?” Notice once again that an Egyptian, representing the old carnal man, was leading Jews to kill Romans. The “Christians” who are led of the old man today will fight against the beast. God will not tolerate those who call themselves patriots in order to rebel against governments and God's Word. (Rom.13:1) Let every soul be in subjection to the higher powers: for there is no power but of God.... (2) Therefore he that resisteth the power, withstandeth the ordinance of God: and they that withstand shall receive to themselves judgment. Let our Cyrus do his job to take down Babylon while we preach the gospel to all, which is our job. Jesus gave us permission to “flee” like sheep before the wolves, but not to fight in the flesh as wolves. (Mat.10:16) Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. (23) But when they persecute you in this city, flee into the next: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone through the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. Notice that this persecution will spread the Word through the cities of God's people and He will come. Praise His Name! While the carnal people of God were having their revolution against the government, Jesus and the disciples were having a spiritual revolution against their flesh. Jesus said, “Think not that I came to send peace on the earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword (the Word). For I came to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law: and a man's foes [shall be] they of his own household” (Mat.10:34-36). Notice when you get saved they are often on the other side until they get saved. Tertullus, speaking against Paul's spiritual revolution, said, “For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of insurrections (revolutions) among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes” (Acts 24:5). They always call us a sect or cult for obeying the Word. Jesus and Paul's revolution was to use the Word to separate the chosen from the carnal church of his day. Neither of them had anything to do with wrestling with a flesh and blood beast system. That was the harlot's revolution. We are to be patriots of the Lord's kingdom, not the U.S. Like Jesus, “My kingdom is not of this world”. Because they would not obey Jesus, the Jews were led by their deceiving leadership to their own destruction and that of their city in 70 A.D. This was also the cause of its destruction in other times. (Ezr.4:19) And I decreed, and search hath been made, and it is found that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made therein. (5:12) But after that our fathers had provoked the God of heaven unto wrath, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house, and carried the people away into Babylon. Every beast kingdom was raised up by God to chasten and bring into bondage and crucifixion His rebellious people and so it is with the Babylon of our day. Our warfare is not with flesh and blood men but with the demon principalities and powers that rule them (Eph.6:12). (Mat.5:38) Ye have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: (39) but I say unto you, Resist not him that is evil: but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. (Jas.4:7)...resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Many will fight to keep from going into captivity but only God determines if one needs this for their maturing. (Rev.13:9) If any man hath an ear, let him hear. (10) If any man [is] for captivity, into captivity he goeth: if any man shall kill with the sword, with the sword must he be killed. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. Only God gives authority to the beast to bring His people into bondage or death. M. Cox relates a dream he had concerning these principles. I had a dream so real that every time I think about it, it becomes more vivid just as if I was there. I was sleeping in our small farmhouse with a few other people one night. Sometime in the dead of the night all of a sudden I heard the thunderous boom of these military helicopters and airplanes. Then this helicopter landed right beside our house. All the occupants of our house were rounded up and taken away by the helicopter, probably to prison work farms. I was just standing there amazed, thinking these people never resisted, or tried to run away. And they all acted like I wasn't there. I thought that they had forgotten me. Soon after they left, another helicopter came. They were probably told that they had forgotten one of the occupants. I was naturally scared so I hid under the bed, shaking like a leaf with my legs sticking out. The soldiers didn't have any U.N. symbol but were probably a makeshift multi-national army. A black and a white soldier had yellow torches and machine guns with them. They were looking and thrashing everywhere trying to look for me. The black soldier was looking under the bed I was under. The funny thing was I was right in front of him with my feet sticking out but it appeared he couldn't see me. Suddenly, it dawned on me that I was invisible to the soldiers. They couldn't see me. After a while, the soldiers left frustrated at not being able to find me. I must say that the fear and terror of the situation was unbelievable. A few days later this helicopter came and sprayed this chemical and the surrounding place turned all brown. They probably had been given orders to let no survivors that they couldn't find live. Anyway, even before they sprayed I noticed that the surrounding vegetation looked brownish, maybe from nuclear fallout. Miraculously, with all this happening I was still alive and the dream ended there. Notice that God's people did not resist and only those who needed captivity were taken. We should not put it beyond God's ability to supernaturally hide those who do not need more crucifixion. If He could translate me halfway around the world to preach, He can certainly make us invisible to the enemy. Bob Aicardi also had a dream like this. I found myself cautiously walking the floors of a very large government building, which was occupied by foreign troops, and I knew that as an American I was not supposed to be there. I was noticed by a worker, who set off an intruder alert. Down the corridor, the entrance doors slammed shut and locked. As I walked up to the doors they opened and I passed through to escape. Once outside, perimeter guards were alerted and were all about. I walked through them as invisible and saw another man doing the same thing. I said to him, “Isn't the blood of Jesus wonderful?” We see that not only can God protect those who are mature but He can also give rest to those who need to submit to their cross. (Joh.19:11) Jesus answered him, Thou wouldest have no power against me, except it were given thee from above. Like our Lord, we are to receive everything as from God and leave retaliation up to Him. (Rom.12:17) Render to no man evil for evil. Take thought for things honorable in the sight of all men. (18) If it be possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all men. (19) Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto the wrath [of God]: for it is written, Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense, saith the Lord. (20) But if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him to drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head. (21) Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. Our old man wants to live by defending self and retaliating, but our obedience to these commands crucifies that carnal nature in us. Satan seeks through well-meaning people to keep us from this cross. (Mat.16:21) From that time began Jesus to show unto his disciples, that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up. (22) And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall never be unto thee. (23) But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art a stumbling-block unto me: for thou mindest not the things of God, but the things of men. Notice that Peter, by the spirit of Satan was a stumbling block by trying to dissuade Jesus from going to His cross. Peter later took the sword, to try to enforce his way and again met with rebuke. (24) Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (25) For whosoever would save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it. Even when we are at our best, the hidden carnal nature must be crucified. (1Pet.2:20) For what glory is it, if, when ye sin, and are buffeted [for it], ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer [for it], ye shall take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. (21) For hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye should follow his steps: (22) who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: (23) who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, threatened not; but committed [himself] to him that judgeth righteously. What could be clearer? We are to follow in Jesus' steps by cooperating with God's process of using the harlot religious system and the beast kingdom to bring us to the cross. We are not to resist them by force. The laws of our kingdom do not permit us to fight in the flesh to escape captivity. (Joh.18:36) 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. In the days leading up to a civil war in the midst of the One World Order, many will stand up against the U.S. as the king of the South. Included among these are some of God's people who will try to impose their vision of the kingdom of God in the U.S. by violent methods, but they will be killed. (Dan.11:14) And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the children of the violent among thy people shall lift themselves up to establish the vision; but they shall fall. God will not permit fleshly methods to have any success so that His people learn to walk in the Spirit. (12:7)...It shall be for a time, times, and a half; and when they have made an end of breaking in pieces the power of (self in) the holy people, all these things shall be finished. Notice that our temptation to use our own power must be crucified. (Zec.4:6)...Not by (our) might, nor by (our) power, but by my Spirit, saith Lord of hosts. War is of the world and is motivated by lust, not God. (Jas.4:1) Whence [come] wars and whence [come] fightings among you? [come they] not hence, [even] of your pleasures that war in your members? (2) Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and covet, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war; ye have not, because ye ask not. Those who join with the world to make war on their enemies are enemies of the cross and of God. (4) Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God. Those who preach peace and safety and refuse to cooperate with God in this process of falling to the earth to die will be cut off. (Amo.9:8) Behold, the eyes of the Lord are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; save that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord. (9) For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all the nations, like as [grain] is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least kernel fall upon the earth. (10) All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, who say, The evil shall not overtake nor meet us. We are coming to the same tribulation days of sifting as it was with Peter. (Luk.22:31) Simon, Simon, behold, Satan asked to have you, that he might sift you as wheat: (32) but I made supplication for thee, that thy faith fail not. Even though Peter initially denied the Lord, he got back up and became a strong leader who gave up his old life. Satan is ordained of the Lord to sift the disciples to get the husk that is his, so that God may have the pure fruit of Christ. Here is a prophecy through Thomas S. Gibson that relates the persecution the U.S. will bring against Christianity to separate the true saints from the tares. Thus says the Lord, repent and listen to the Word of God. Note that there shall be persecutions arising in all places, throughout the U.S. and Canada, and through Europe. These nations shall rise up in persecutions against My people. It shall purge the Church. Those of Mine, that are truly Mine, who walk in power and are committed to Me, they shall stand in this persecution no matter what it brings. But listen to Me, and heed Me. For thus saith the Lord, I am God, and I am allowing this, for it shall purge My Church. For there are many that shall quickly deny Me, shall quickly deny the truth, quickly revert to a world religion, shall quickly deny the power of the Word; they deny the truth of the Word. They shall quickly deny many things, and they shall become politically correct for the day and the age that they live. For they do not want to be in persecutions and they do not want to stand against the world. They love the world, and they are part of the world, and they were never part of Me. But they have a form of Godliness in the Church, and they were in the Church, shining as Christians and looking as Christians in outward appearance, but in their heart they were not of Me. This shall purge the Church and bring to pass what I have said; I will separate the sheep from the goats; that is, My people from the world. God is sovereign in the happenings of history in order to show us what will happen in the latter days, for, “That which hath been is that which shall be”. In the time of the tribulation of Christ's day, Rome had swallowed up the people of God. Through Babylon's type we see that the U.S. would swallow up the people of God before her fall. (Jer.51:34) Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath, like a monster, swallowed me up, he hath filled his maw with my delicacies; he hath cast me out. (35) The violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon, shall the inhabitant of Zion say; and, My blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea, shall Jerusalem say. Because Babylonish U.S. tried to save herself by sacrificing God's lambs on the altar of religious unity and political correctness, God will take vengeance on her. (36) Therefore thus saith the Lord: Behold, I will plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her sea, and make her fountain dry. (37) And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling-place for jackals, an astonishment, and a hissing, without inhabitant. ... (41) How is Sheshach taken! and the praise of the whole earth seized! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations! (42) The sea (of men) is come up upon Babylon; she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof. (43) Her cities are become a desolation. by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence Please also listen to the audio series Honor the king? and How Shall We Die? and read Torment to Those Who Fight Back.   The Militant Apostates Rebel God is raising up the beast kingdom of the tribulation to crucify us as their forefathers crucified our Master. At the same time, the beast will purge Christianity of those who refuse to go to their cross of death to self. At first you may think I am wrong about this but if you will bear with me you will be overwhelmed with proof from God's Word. This is God's M.O. Because Christians do not stick to their command of spreading the Great Commission a competition has raised up which is unhealthy for us. When God is fighting against our enemies with His angels we are seen as guiltless and there is no competition between us and the world, which ruins our witness. The devil is being permitted by God to stir up competition so that paranoid, disobedient Christians will fight this government in the flesh and be destroyed. The Lord said to me once that “Spirits of paranoia will stir up Christians to fight against this country. In this way I will cleanse my Church of those that refuse to obey and go to their cross.” Conspiracy addicts are the prime spreaders of this paranoia. But we are to fear nothing but God who “works all things after the counsel of His will.” (Isa.8:11) For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying, (12) Say ye not, A conspiracy, concerning all whereof this people shall say, A conspiracy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be in dread [thereof]. (13) The Lord of hosts, him shall ye sanctify; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. You ask, “But David, what about the Deep State Illuminati conspiracy that has taken over our government to bring war and their New World Order?” Fear “him who worketh all things after the counsel of His will” (Eph.1:11). The Deep State Illuminati are nothing without God's permission. They and many others like them are sent by God to deceive those who do not love truth and to judge those who need it. Therefore, we are not to wrestle with flesh and blood but principalities and powers. Physically we are to permit them to cleanse the body.  (2Th.2:9) [even he,] whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, (10) and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. (11) And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie: (12) that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. “The lowest of men” are raised up to lead the beast to crucify rebellious Christians. We need them. (Pro.16:4) The Lord hath made everything for its own end (Hebrew: His own purpose); Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. Some say, “But I know some of these conspiracies are real”. I do, too, but the flesh is stirred up to fight when we think on the conspiracies, rather than the promises and the way of the cross. We are taught to study Truth rather than the evil in conspiracies because Truth has power unto Godliness, which delivers from evil. (Rom.16:19)....I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple unto that which is evil. Those who are taught to recognize counterfeit bills don't study counterfeits because there are too many possibilities. They study the real bills. That way they can recognize all counterfeits. The Word gives us eyes to see all errors. Some waste all their time studying evil governments and have no faith. But what we bind on earth is bound in heaven and He has given us authority over all the power of the enemy. All secular governments are evil just as the one in Jesus' day but He stuck to the business of the Father, taught the Word, and let patriots like Barabbas fight with flesh and blood to their own destruction. I also know that the beast government will persecute and crucify the saints when the time comes. I say along with Jesus, “Not my will, but thine be done”. If we are not willing to give up our carnal life in order to be obedient to the Word, then we will not be counted worthy of a heavenly life. Any who stir up God's people to take the sword will be guilty of their blood when they die by the sword, as the Word says will surely happen. Antichristian militant “Christians” will not stand for their rights being taken away and will fight against their governments. What do you think they will do when world law is imposed and the mark of the beast is inevitable? Civil war. States are seeing their Constitutional authority undermined by the socialistic moves of the past Obama and Biden administrations and the Deep State shadow government. Also, a litany of leftist, global U.N. treaties that were resisted by more conservative administrations are waiting in the wings to give sovereignty to the U.N. beast over families, women, and children, opposing free trade, opposing democracy and Christian freedom, bringing intrusive emissions laws, etc. The last three leftist presidents were just the men to open the flood gates. But God through the saints confession has and will cast down the dominion of Satan. Rev 12:7  And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels going forth to war with the dragon; and the dragon warred and his angels;  8  and they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9  And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him. 10  And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying, Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuseth them before our God day and night. 11  And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death. Militia's of conservatives, including many of God's people, have already trained and armed to fight against the U.S. government but look what God can do! Satan, who starts wars is cast down. Presidential voting fraud fiascos revealed the underlying dangerous polarization between conservatives and liberals. Ammunition sales rose significantly as did talk of civil insurrection and state secession. Much of this was by conservatives. Congressmen were openly warning of civil violence. Ammunition and gun sales began to get worse when the Obama and Biden administrations took the country in a sharp left turn. Clearly, the fear of where we are going and the conspiracies are corrupting people's minds and taking away their peace. Whether you agree with their militant thinking or not, all Christians will be blamed for these excesses. The liberal news media, although wounded now, will gladly continue to sway popular opinion against their historic enemy, the conservative Christians. Left-wing harlot “Christianity” will, of course, join in this attack proclaiming to be the true heirs of Christ, while they sleep with the beast in their politically correct tolerance of other faiths. What happened to the Jews in WWII will happen to the Christians and, ultimately, what happened to Germany will happen in the world. The world will become more antichrist and increasingly hate, persecute, kill, and bring God's carnal people into bondage. Oh, because of the recent successes you don't believe this? Read Revelation 12 and 13, which speaks of persecution and leads to the mark of the beast, without which many will be put to death and go to heaven. Ezekiel, as a type of the Man-child, prophesied that the apostate leadership of God's people would be brought into bondage by the “great eagle”, as a type of the U.S. He also saw and warned that part of that leadership would lead part of God's people to rebel against the “great eagle” to their own destruction. (Eze.17:2) Son of man...speak a parable unto the house of Israel; (3)...A great eagle with great wings...came unto Lebanon, and took the top of the cedar: (God's people were likened in Scripture to the tall cedar evergreens of Lebanon because of their properties of eternal life.) (4) he cropped off the topmost of the young twigs thereof (the immature leadership of Christianity), and carried it unto a land of traffic (Babylon); he set it in a city of merchants (Babylon). The top apostate leadership of Christianity, typed by Zedekiah, was taken into bondage in Babylon and his sons were killed and his eyes were put out, and he was put to death. (5) He took also of the seed of the land (God's people), and planted it in a fruitful soil; he placed it beside many waters.... God's people will be put “beside many waters”, which are the peoples of the world depicted by the “many waters” that the harlot sits upon in Revelation 17:1,15. Therefore the people of God, righteous or apostate, were taken into bondage and put under the authority of the religious harlot, as it was in Jesus' day. (6) And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature (the harlot cannot overcome to lift herself from the earthly), whose branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him: so it became a vine. The false prophet leadership of the harlot will rule with the ten kings as the little horn among the ten horns in the U.N. beast under the “great eagle”. The Lord confirms this interpretation in the text. (12) Say now to the rebellious house... Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and brought them to him to Babylon. The nations with the “great eagle” at the head will confirm a covenant with this false prophet leadership of God's New Testament people, uniting them with the false religions in the U.N.. (13) And he took of the seed royal, and made a covenant with him; he also brought him under an oath, and took away the mighty of the land. Notice in these verses that the king and all of the princes of Israel were called “him” meaning they are a corporate False Prophet. This covenant will be hidden from the apostates and their leaders. They will fulfill the type of the Jews in Jesus' day, who didn't realize that they had made a covenant with the beast to crucify the saints. To keep the peace, the Roman beast gave the apostates authority over the saints. History repeats. The strong delusion of the letter of the Word has already convinced the false leadership of Christianity of a fairytale covenant between a man called the antichrist and the letter Jews. Meanwhile, the real covenant will be fulfilled in the spirit under their noses. To them this could not be the covenant because they have not yet been raptured and their antichrist hasn't shown up. This covenant with the beast will make God's apostate people preach an even more impotent gospel because it is a covenant of tolerance for all false religions and all sinners in a vain effort to bring peace to the world. (14) That the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand. The apostates will be permitted to stand in the world as the base kingdom of the religious harlot. We just saw the word “covenant” mentioned in verses thirteen and fourteen. It was at this point in my revelation that the Spirit said to me, “From the first mention of the word “covenant” in verse thirteen count. How many verses does the word “covenant” cover?” Thirteen is the number in Scripture that stands for apostasy and rebellion. Including verse thirteen, the word “covenant” covers seven verses (13-19). I was impressed that this represents the seven years of the covenant of the beast in the Tribulation. Then I heard, “How many times is the word “covenant” spoken in those verses?” “Covenant” is mentioned six times in these seven verses. Six is the number of man and of the beast. As we saw, the sixth book, sixth chapter, sixth verse and sixth word of the New Testament is “man” (Rom.6:6). It was at this point the Spirit directed me to count, “How many verses before the “covenant” is broken?” In the “midst” of the fourth verse the words “covenant he brake” are spoken. That makes 3 ½ verses or years before the break and 3 ½ verses or years after the break. The covenant is broken “in the midst of the seven” years. (16) As I live, saith the Lord, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he (the apostate leadership) brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die. This also is in the “midst of the seven” verses, which is a quote from the Hebrew in Daniel 9:27. “And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one seven: and in the midst of the seven (Hebrew) he (beast) shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease”. Notice in these two verses that the apostate rebel leadership of God's people will break the covenant so the beast will cause the “sacrifice” to cease. At the time when the crowns of authority will be taken from the seven heads and given to the ten horns, the beast will make the mark compulsive. This will be a vain attempt to enforce peace by identifying those who are in covenant with the beast and those who are enemies and/or commit crimes. This will cause both true Christians and militants to be enemies of the state. The U.S. already has created the literal mark and is exporting it to the world. The U.S. will use its persuasion over the beast kingdom to make the mark compulsive in the midst of the Tribulation. Many apostate Christians will take it and become reprobated. What is left of their life of submitting their “bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God” will cease as an “abomination that maketh desolate”. In this same text we see the nature of this rebellion which breaks the covenant of peace. (15) But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? shall he break the covenant, and yet escape? This covenant is broken when the rebellious people of God, who were told by God to submit to Babylon, as we shall see, instead went to another “great eagle with great wings”, Egypt, for strength to fight with arms against her. (Eze.17:7) There was also another great eagle with great wings and...this vine did bend its roots toward him. Notice that the same terminology is given to describe a second eagle. This is because both of these great eagles represent the U.S. Foolish Christians in the U.S. will go down to Egypt to fight with her when they see their rights being taken away or, for some when they see the mark coming. What does Egypt represent? God's people came out of Egypt and were baptized in the Red Sea where the Egyptians, representing the old man, died. To go back to Egypt spiritually is to trust in the strength of the old man, the arm of the flesh. (Isa.30:1) Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and that make a league, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin, (2) that set out to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to take refuge in the shadow of Egypt! (3) Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the refuge in the shadow of Egypt your confusion. Some of God's foolish people with a conservative patriotic faction of this nation will take up arms to fight against it. This pits the “great eagle” against the “great eagle”, or civil war. God asked the question in our seven verse text: “shall he break the covenant, and yet escape” (Eze.17:15)? God's answer to this question is that these rebels will be crushed: (17) Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company help him in the war.... (18) For he hath despised the oath by breaking the covenant; and behold, he had given his hand, and yet hath done all these things; he shall not escape.... (21) And all his fugitives in all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward every wind: and ye shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it. When Peter used the sword to keep Jesus from going to the cross, He said, “All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword” (Mat.26:52). Even though the true saints will not obey the religious aspects of this peace covenant, they will not take “the sword” of man and break their covenant with God as the apostates and their leadership will. The last of the seven verses says this. (19) Therefore thus saith the Lord: As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, I will even bring it upon his own head. The righteous will keep God's covenant even if it costs them their physical life but the self-willed will rebel. Some religious people say the mark of God trumps the mark of the beast, and that because they believe in once saved always saved. After bringing apostate Israel as a type of the Christians under his dominion in the beginning of what we would call the tribulation, Nebuchadnezzar appointed the Zedekiah administration to rule over them. This is the “he” above who rebelled with a large portion of Israel. Jeremiah, who represented the Man-child, prophesied against these apostate rebels in the parable of the two baskets of figs. (Jer.24:8) And as the bad figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so bad, surely thus saith the Lord, So will I give up Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt, (9) I will even give them up to be tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth for evil; to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them. (10) And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers. On the other, hand those who submitted to the Word of the Lord through the Man-child Jeremiah were the blessed of the Lord. (24:4) And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, (5) Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so will I regard the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans, for good. (Notice that this captivity is going to be “for good” to the “good figs” who obey the Word and refuse to rebel.) (6) For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land (Notice Father will bring them to the New Jerusalem and land because Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed the former apostate Jerusalem and land.): and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up. (7) And I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God; for they shall return unto me with their whole heart. All we have to do is replace the church in the Ezekiel 17 parable of civil rebellion above with natural Israel and we see another more natural interpretation, which is being attempted now. The U.S., which is at the head of the nations, is pushing Israel hard to give up land and make a covenant with the nations around them. Israel's natural ally in the United States is the apostate Christians and Jews who militantly support her. Since this ultimately will be a political and religious covenant both of these interpretations are coming to pass at the same time. It is certainly true that the beast is forcing both Israel and the Christians to give up their land now. Beastly laws are forcing Christians out of the moral ground that they have held on to issues such as abortion, sexuality, schooling, displays of Christian heritage, etc. In the U.S., this holy ground has been held since the more Christian times of the founding fathers. Eventually Israel and the apostate Christians will rebel against this covenant and turn to the militant arm of flesh represented by the great eagle of Egypt. Then they will both find themselves a burdensome stone that have something in common; the ire of the nations. Perhaps this is God's plan to infuse more Christian influence into Israel so that the elect among them will be saved and come out. Now I would like to share a few revelations that warn of these things.   Survivalism Coming in Evil Times G.W. - 08/22/2012 (David's notes in red) I had a dream where David and I were sitting and talking in what I believe represented the world. As we talked, there was complete and utter chaos going on all around us. It appeared that the whole world was turned upside down and was shaking. Several major catastrophic events had occurred. (Eve saw seven major earthquakes go around the world. The shakings are coming now to prove what is not to be trusted in: governments, nationalism, personal strength, religion, money, people, etc. Heb.12:25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not when they refused him that warned [them] on earth, much more [shall not] we [escape] who turn away from him that [warneth] from heaven: (If we don't obey God's voice, we will be shaken and judged.) 26 whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more will I make to tremble not the earth only, but also the heaven. 27 And this [word], Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain. 28 Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with reverence and awe: 29 for our God is a consuming fire. The people who were around us started to act completely insane. They were worse than animals because animals have some sense of control. These people were consumed by fear of the shaking that they were experiencing. It was almost like everything was falling apart all around and nothing was holding together. (Shakings like natural disasters, failed economy and incomes, loss of food and basic services, no health care, crime, martial law, war, terrorism, no fixes in sight, etc., will cause men's hearts to fail them. Luk.21:25 And there shall be signs in sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the billows; 26 men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world: for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. David said, “I told you they would act like this”. As he said this, a hysterical young girl started to try and grab me (persecution from immature Christianity). It was apparent that she had no sense of sanity left. (She acted like a drowning person who would pull someone under to save herself.) (They will fall for the beast promises of a worldly fix, like a covenant with many.) It was apparent to me that the girl possessed no inward thoughts; her whole focus had become grabbing and groping (with the intent to destroy) everything around her. As the unfolding happened, I began to think about relationships I had when people would lose control when the pressure was too much, but it was nothing compared to this. Everywhere I went there was disorder. It was the basic breakdown of every fundamental element of society. I saw people on the floor shaking for excessive drunkenness and cliques forming that were full of evil and worldly behavior. (When domestic dogs lose the moral compass of a master, they revert back to the pack mentality to survive. It's us against them, guns and crime for survivalism.) One of the people looked like an old Popeye (I can't remember in the dream what he was doing). (Popeye was the worldly hero who was endowed with worldly strength to solve every problem.) I could discern before ever knowing the guy that things were not right with him. But I wanted to give people the benefit of the doubt and a chance. In the end, he proved just as corrupt as everyone else. (Those who are strong and righteous in the world's eyes will fail for not having the spiritual answer to their problems.) I thought to myself, I knew I shouldn't have been hanging out with that guy. What was I thinking? I knew he would do this. (Let us not be influenced by their ways of seeking help or solutions.) At the end of the dream, I remember tasting blood in my mouth and it was very painful. I took my hand to wipe my mouth of the blood and when I looked down on my hand, there were little white meat particles on my hand, instead of blood. (A warning to not devour one another, as the strong in the world will do to save themselves. Gal.5:15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.) These coming times are to separate the wheat from the tares. The wheat will not compromise their convictions and will endure the trial trusting in the Lord and holding to His Word. Mat.13:40 As therefore the tares are gathered up and burned with fire; so shall it be in the end of the world. 41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things (not numeric) that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity, 42 and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. 43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears, let him hear. Don't be bribed by your need to break God's Word. He has given all authority to you to receive your needs by His Word. Php.4:19 And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Inflation and the War on the Saints Jerod Thomas - 10/22/2010 (David's notes in red) There was this dollar bill that was about the size of a small computer monitor, like a 17-inch screen. (Strangely enough I have an enlarged hundred dollar bill and I just measured it at 17 inches long.) And, interestingly enough, it had what looked like a screen because I could see images forming out of it. Words were forming out of it. I saw one of the words was “punishment”. I also saw this country (the U.S.) and the face of Benjamin Franklin. (Benjamin's face is on the $100 bill. Will the punishment of the U.S. be that what a dollar would buy would soon cost $100, as the value drops and they print more and more creating inflation?) Then I saw Cain, Abel's brother. Cain's eyes were bloodshot and he looked like a character from a western movie. He had shot his gun. (Cain, who “was of the evil one” [1Jn.3:12], slew the chosen seed, as it will be in these days.) He had a very strong spirit on his face. It was the spirit of murder and then his eyeballs disappeared and I was able to see inside of his eye sockets; it was as if I was staring into the very depths of his soul. It was pure darkness, literally. It was pitch black. Mat 6:22-23 The lamp of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is the darkness! And then I saw an image of Satan as that darkness. He was in an elevator, as in that “Devil” movie (2010) that just came out in theaters. (The seven-headed, ten-horned body of the dragon in Revelation 12 represents a corporate Cain, the body of all lost mankind inhabited by Satan. These will attempt to devour the woman Church.) It was the most awful, defiling presence I had ever felt from demons. Satan was trying to scare and consume me with that spirit of murder and through my fear I would have given in, but I didn't want to wake up out of my sleep and run because I felt the LORD was with me and I wanted to fight that devil. (Through murder, Satan will attempt to intimidate the saints into obedience to him, which is the spiritual mark of the beast.) My voice was different because I was in the middle of a war and that war was resisting the devil, and I spoke with a very aggressive and raspy voice, and I said to that devil, “God is greater!” Then that devil left. Jas.4:7 ... Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Luk.10:19 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. Praise God Almighty that I was able to experience this and triumph through Him. To Him be the glory and honor, dominion and power now and forevermore, in Jesus' name, Amen. What Is Inflation? A simple commonly used definition of the word inflation is simply “an increase in the price you pay for goods”. In other words, a decline in the purchasing power of your money”. But there is more to inflation than that. There is “Price Inflation” and “Monetary Inflation”. Technically, Price Inflation is when prices get higher or it takes more money to buy the same item. Monetary Inflation is an increase in the money supply which generally results in price inflation. This acts as a “hidden tax” on the consumers in that country. Monetary inflation is commonly referred to as the government “printing money” although the actual process is a bit more complex than just cranking up the printing presses the effects are essentially the same. As the money supply increases, the currency loses its purchasing power and the price of goods and services increases. This process usually takes 18 months to two years, so the government is able to spend the newly minted dollars at the old value before consumers realize that they have been cheated into accepting something that will purchase less than they originally thought it would. Summary: When inflation skyrockets and poverty is everywhere, men become desperate and crimes against humanity become rampant. Governments who are looking for scapegoats and want to cut someone out of their meager benefits will find that the god of this world, who has taken them over, will anoint them with reasons to blame and persecute the Christians. The dragon/beast is coming to make war on the saints. Make sure you have your armor on.

My conversation with Zooko, Nate Wilcox, and Sean Bowe about the Zcash protocol.Zooko is a cypherpunk who co-founded Zcash along with his brother, Nate Wilcox, and others. Sean Bowe is a cryptographer and engineer who has played a crucial role in the development of Zcash and has made significant contributions to advancements in zero-knowledge proofs, particularly zk-SNARKs, which underpin Zcash's privacy features.Topics we discuss are well captured by the timestamps below.Watch on YouTube or X. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform. Follow me on X for updates on future episodes.Click here to support my work.Timestamps0:00 - Zooko Wilcox-O'Hearn0:04 - Writing the first blog post on Bitcoin ever6:21 - Bitcoin's fundamental privacy flaw9:40 - Unstoppable private money12:19 - Will Zcash compete with Bitcoin as a store of value?14:24 - How many people are using Zcash?16:18 - Good security is good usability20:10 - Social credit systems and ubiquitous surveillance23:43 - Why Monero's privacy tech can't work35:21 - Integrating ZKPs into other blockchains39:51 - Privacy comes from money at rest, not from money in flight47:42 - Why did the price of ZEC fall so drastically in the beginning?51:49 - Zcash stablecoins? 55:50 - Quantum threats to Zcash1:02:50 - Encrypted love notes in the blockchain'1:07:07 - Privacy enabled cultural trends1:12:43 - Nate Wilcox1:14:38 - Why do you need privacy if you have nothing to hide? 1:16:16 - A brief history of Zcash1:22:42 - Why does Zcash have opt-in privacy?1:26:55 - Does Zcash still rely on a trusted setup?1:30:49 - Upgrading the Zcash protocol to Hybrid PoW/PoS1:40:50 - A bug that almost killed Zcash1:52:40 - Zcash's funding model2:09:09 - Why can't privacy be added as an L2?2:14:35 - Scaling Zcash and making it more interoperable2:23:16 - Shielded Labs2:24:39 - Nate's vision for Zcash2:27:53 - Sean Bowe2:32:53 - Censorship resistance is a spectrum2:35:26 - Will privacy coins be banned?2:37:49 - Privacy and scalability2:41:47 - Programmable money2:43:31 - Summary of Sean's contributions to the field of cryptography2:55:17 - Zcash might get privacy against quantum adversaries for free3:00:14 - Halo3:05:34 - What Sean's working on right now3:11:54 - What has influenced Sean's thinking in cryptography the most?3:13:36 - Being a high school dropout working in crypto3:15:08 - Zcash is just getting startedFollow me on X.Follow Zooko on X.Follow Nate on X.Follow Sean on X. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.arjunkhemani.com

Jer 31:31;33-34; Rom 11:26-27; Zec 12:10; Luk 22:20; Heb 8

Offering Up Our Flesh (audio) David Eells 1/19/25 Bearing Our Cross Will Save Souls Sean Lynch - 07/01/2009 (David's notes in red) In a dream the Lord showed me about a coming crucifixion for the brethren. In the dream, I was in either a hotel or some type of big castle. During this dream, there were many events going on, but the Lord is only bringing certain things to my remembrance. In one of the events, I remember I was outside of the hotel and I heard a loudspeaker tuned to a secular radio station and I heard David's voice. He was preaching the gospel to the world. I thought this was awesome because now David's message was going to the whole world and was reaching many people. (Representing the David Man-child reformers.) The next event I remember, I was inside this hotel and I saw a group of people approaching me. Then the fire of God fell upon me with holy boldness because I started preaching the Word with boldness and no fear like the early apostles did when the Holy Spirit fell upon them. (Normally I'm very shy and not bold. The Lord has been working on me with this and I believe He has shown me that He is going to make me speak with boldness. “God's power is made perfect in our weakness”. However, these people did not receive the message of the gospel, as they started laughing and scoffing and went their own way. The next scene I remember, I was in a long walkway with doors on both sides. I believe I was with another brother in Christ. Suddenly, a mountain of a man with long hair, appeared very strong and who looked like a professional wrestler, walked in to pummel whoever got in his path. The other brother took off and both doors shut and I was left alone with this man. (The Lord was forcing me into crucifixion.) I decided I was going to preach the gospel to him which, at the time, seemed crazy because this man looked like he wanted to rip me from limb to limb; however, I felt holy boldness rise up in me and went and stood by the man and preached the Word with boldness to him. After I was done preaching, he just stood there and looked at me and then proceeded to beat me up very badly. I did not strike back but let him pummel me. I do not know if he had killed me or not but I knew the Lord was showing me to turn the other cheek. I then was taken to another scene where I saw this same man was changed because I did not fight back. He was now a fire-breathing gospel evangelist and was preaching to other people. Next I remember him preaching to a group of people and then he was beaten, as well. I do not know if he was killed. (The Lord had shown me that because of my testimony of turning the other cheek and going to my cross how this man was saved and was allowed to go to his cross.) I remember being deeply touched by this brother who had gone to his cross. I remain touched even now as I'm writing this because the Lord is truly showing me how to lay my life down for the brethren and what is meant to go to our cross. The Lord has shown me that there are many brothers and sisters in the world who will come into the kingdom as a result of our willingness to turn the other cheek and overcome evil by laying our lives down. Please read our book, How Shall We Die     Why Die Walking After the Flesh? SG - 03/01/2011 (David's notes in red) I asked the Lord for a dream and He gave me a very good one. In my dream, there was a woman whose name was Delilah (meaning “weakened, uprooted or impoverished”) who had lost her son. (She was weakened and uprooted because she lost her spiritual man or fruit of the womb of her heart, as in the parable of the sower. How can we lose our spiritual man or fruit? We are shown in Jude 12 Twice dead plucked up by the roots. Jesus said in Joh.15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away.) Some Christians gathered to pray about finding the boy. (Praying for her to find her fruit again.) They were waiting for me to finish washing my teeth. Son.6:6 Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes, Which are come up from the washing; Whereof every one hath twins, And none is bereaved among them. Each tooth has its opposite so that a person may be well fed spiritually. Gen.49:12 His eyes shall be red with wine, And his teeth white with milk. The teeth must be washed with the milk of the Word. In this way, clean teeth mean partaking of clean spiritual food of the Word.) My son began to pray a mellow prayer and I felt that prayer wouldn't do it. I started to pray with power and faith. We finished and went on the search. I think the boy's name was Elijah (Meaning “my God is YHWH”) and his father's was Onesimus, a carpenter, who was a very good father. (Onesimus was the runaway slave who met Paul and became “profitable or helpful”, as his name means, when he brought forth the fruit of the spiritual man, his son.) I found an old man who was attaching a boy to a pallet. (The “old man” had taken the spiritual man captive. It's called walking in the flesh. A pallet is for moving merchandise around. So the old man makes merchandise of the spiritual man, much like false ministers do.) I went over to him and took the boy off and grabbed him. I put the old man on my side like carrying a baby. (We must take the old man where he would not go, as Jesus said to Peter.) I asked him, “Where is the boy and who do you work for?” He wouldn't say. I said with a firm determination, “I will win”; then he said, “You already won”. (Through Jesus, we have already won against the old man, who works for the flesh and the devil. Gal. 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that [life] which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, [the faith] which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. And in 5:24 And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof.) While still carrying the old man, I noticed the empty packaging of what he had been using to attach the boy and I picked it up. I read the label, hoping to trace it to the kidnappers. The price tag read, “Humble Oct. 6-11”. (The Lord paid the price to set us free from bondage above. And the old man will pay a terrible price for taking authority over the spiritual man. What is “Humble Oct.6-11”? This is the opposite of and solution for what happened above when the old man took authority over the spiritual man. This symbolizes the 10th month or book, 6th chapter, 11th verse, which is 2Sa.6:11 And the ark of Jehovah remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months: and Jehovah blessed Obed-edom, and all his house. A Gittite is a Philistine of the city of Gath. This is the old man of the flesh that dwells in the land. When the flesh is “Humble”ed, as Obed was under David, and serves the spiritual man, who is the ark of God's presence, he is blessed. The very next verse says that the ark was taken to the city of David, which is Zion, the Bride. 12 And it was told king David, saying, Jehovah hath blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. And David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with joy. It is the most joyful thing for the ark of God's presence to rest in the Holy of Holies of our spiritual man in the Holy City. In the time of Eli, the ark was taken captive under the authority of the Philistines or fleshly man in 1 Samuel 4-6 and it brought a curse to all their cities so much that they returned it under the authority of the spiritual man, Israel. So when we walk in the flesh, we bring these curses on us but when the spiritual man is in the lead, we are blessed. The moral of the story is so perfectly written in Rom.8:12 So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh: 13 for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. This warfare against the gods that rule over the flesh man and seek to bring the spiritual man under subjection is spoken of in the New Testament text given in this dream, 10th book, 6th chapter, 11th verse: Eph.6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual [hosts] of wickedness in the heavenly [places].     Burn the Wood, Hay and Stubble B. A. - 12/22/2012 (David's notes in red) I dreamed I was in a dark chamber of some sort. It was so dark I could only make out very faint shadows of something all around me. I decided to light a match so I could see better. As soon as I lit the match, I could see piles and piles of large stacks of wood, hay and stubble (worthless, no spiritual value) all around me. I thought to myself, “Wow! Look at all the useless junk in this place. I had better put this match out or this dry, worthless stuff is going to ignite like a torch!” Just as I was about to extinguish the match, I heard a voice from Heaven say, “ Throw the lit match on the wood, hay and stubble”. Zec.13:9 And I will bring the third part into the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried. They shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people; and they shall say, Jehovah is my God. 1Pe.1:7 that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold that perisheth though it is proved by fire, may be found unto praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ: Job23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take; When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. Eph.5:26 that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word. (In the midst of the fiery trial, when we reject our own thoughts and works to save ourselves, we cooperate with Father in burning up the wood, hay and stubble that represents fleshly things. Therefore, the command to set them on fire represents this. These works will not survive the test of time and trial, if we reject them.) Suddenly, I realized where I was. I was inside my own heart and this was my wood, hay and stubble. I said, “Yes, Lord, I will set this awful stuff on fire right now!” Pro.17:3 The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold; But Jehovah trieth the hearts. Psa.139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: Try me, and know my thoughts. As soon as I threw the match onto the largest pile, it immediately shot fiery flames all the way to the top of the chamber. In what appeared like mere seconds, all these piles of useless garbage in the chamber were burning. I thought to myself, “This is the best fire ever!” I just stood, looking all around me, as these beautiful flames were burning off all this worthless junk that had attached itself to the ceiling, walls and floor of my chamber. 1Co.3:12 But if any man buildeth on the foundation gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 each man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself shall prove each man's work of what sort it is. 14 If any man's work shall abide which he built thereon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as through fire. (We are sanctified by the burning up of our fleshly man.) After the flames had subsided, a beautiful, brilliant bright light engulfed my entire chamber and I saw Jesus standing in my chamber with me. Oh, praise the Lord! Jesus had a white garment with Him. He came over to me and put the beautiful, white garment on me Himself. I was so happy because I knew this was a bridal garment and Jesus Himself was giving it to me. Thank you, Jesus!     Tribulations: Tests of Obedience Judy Gregerson - 04/02/2010 (David's notes in red) I was walking around with someone and this great wind storm whipped up. (Walking with the Lord as the tribulation arises. Winds of false doctrine and tribulation are coming to test the saints in whether or not they are obeying the Word. We see here that after knowledge comes testing to see who has built on the Rock of obedience.) Mat.7:24 Every one therefore that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, who built his house upon the rock: 25 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and if fell not: for it was founded upon the rock. 26 And every one that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand: 27 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and smote upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall thereof. ... Eph.4:14 that we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error.) I was around these huge, old trees and branches started breaking off in the wind. This old growth was not strong; in fact, it looked rotten in these old trees. (The old churches, denominations and ministries that refuse the new growth of the reformation message will die, being revealed as rotten and corrupt by the winds and storms of tribulation now whipping up in the world. Judgments in finances, politics, life, weather, earthquakes, wind, earth, fires and heaven changes, etc. Joh.15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If these old churches were of God, they would bring forth God's fruit as the nature, character and authority of Jesus. But even though they appear great in the eyes of man; inside they are rotten and dead.) And I kept walking and, finally, two or three small pieces of branches came flying at me. (Representing people from the churches who come against us, especially their leaders, just as they persecuted Jesus and His disciples.) One piece about two feet long hit me, but I felt no pain and wasn't hurt. But huge branches were falling all around on other things. (God's judgment on big church leaders and ministries as they FALL in tribulations.) I was amazed about the old growth. I was looking up in these trees and I knew that this old growth (Christians walking in old traditions and error) was all going to be blown off these trees and hurt a lot of things on the ground, but it couldn't hurt me, even when it came FLYING at me with great power. (The Christians living close to the world will suffer as their false, apostate leadership is broken off and exposed. The falling branches of Christianity will come against and persecute the elect. Act.8:1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church.) Weird, huh? (No, God gives strange dreams so we remember them. He told a brother that one time when he asked Him.)     The Foundation Is Death of the Old Man Jon Knowles - 10/20/2007 (David's notes in red) In a dream, David Eells and I were working on his house and as we did, I began to discover dead, decayed bodies embedded in the floorboards and such. They were old and dry -- skeletal. He didn't seem surprised or concerned. (The foundation of our new house is the death of the old house.) We were pulling something like old cardboard off of the bodies and he was pointing them out to me. For some reason, I actually pulled some of this cardboard off with my teeth and the dust of the dead bodies went into my mouth and I started to spit it out. We went outside into the yard and as I was working on a windowsill and removing some old weather stripping, David pointed out another dead body that was kind of stuffed into an old discarded couch -- strange. As he showed it to me, a police detective drove up in order to question him about the bodies and in the dream I was beginning to wonder if he was a serial killer! He calmly greeted him and started to answer his questions. End of the dream. The foundation of our house is that the old man has to die and be under our feet. Without this there can be no house of God. As the outer man is decaying the inner man is being renewed. We must lose our old life to gain our new life. The true Word should be bringing death to all who make up this house. So, yes, I am a serial killer. :o) All who rest in the Lord's promises (as on the couch) are putting their old life to death. We must spit the old man out and not allow him in the words that we say.     Martyrdom Dream T.M. - 10/04/2007 (David's notes in red) There was a group of us fellowshipping in a room when we were approached by a few people, telling us that we had to come with them and that we were going to be “martyred”. We happily complied and everyone was joyful. They led us out of the room to a table, where we each told our names and were given a card with a number on it. We then were led into another room where tables had been set up around the outside edges of the room. Above each table was a number, for example (2, 3, 16, 23...all the way up to 50). My wife, son, and I had the number 50, which was the largest number available. (I believe the numbers in the dream represent percentages, but I'm unsure what this means.) We all went to our tables within the room, and everyone was happily fellowshipping. End of dream. For many years I have taught what the Lord showed me about this. Jesus taught us that we have to lose our old life to gain our new life. If we lose our self-life before the end, we will not have to die for we are counted already dead. Unless Christians bear enough fruit of Christ before that time they will have to enter life by losing their physical life. This is the first time where I have heard of any percentage put upon this. It appears that unless one reaches above 50% fruit of the 30-, 60-, 100-fold Jesus spoke of, he will have to enter life through physical death. Martyrs who repent should be happy. It is an honor to enter into the presence of the Lord, something only a small percentage of planet Earth does.     Spirit Man in the Image of Christ Cornelius Bosch - 10/25/2007 (David's notes in red) I dreamt of a baby being carried by an invisible man. (The baby is the fruit of Christ in you, manifested in the spiritual man who is invisible.) With them also walked a normal man of flesh and bone who seemed to know the invisible man. They spoke to each other. (They are part of the same body and communicate constantly.) The baby was very comfortable being carried around by this invisible man. The baby had a small round mirror in his hand and when he looked into the mirror, he could see the face of the man who carried him, and they smiled at each other. The spiritual man is coming into the image of Christ as he sees by faith that we no longer live but Christ lives in us.  2Co.3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. At one point there seemed to be a struggle between the man of flesh and bone and the invisible man. (The flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh.) The invisible man had a long axe in his hand and hit the man of flesh in the middle of his chest and he died. (The sword of the spirit, the Word of God, will put to death the carnal man so that only the spiritual man becomes known in our bodies.) He then seemed to just “step over” and become the same as the invisible man and they were joined by a lot of the same invisible people. (When the old man dies there is nothing to be seen in us by this world but the spiritual man who is then in the image of Christ but walks in the body of the carnal man taking his land.) I also had the distinct feeling that all the other invisible people that I saw in the end were Jews, pointing to the “All Israel” in Romans 11. (Yes, the spiritual New Testament Jews are those who are circumcised in heart and their flesh is cut off.) Those who walk by faith are in this process of Christ coming in the spiritual man through the death of the old self-life.     Cutting Off the Flesh Missy Pollock - 04/14/2012 (David's notes in red) The day that I had this dream was the birthday of my oldest son (representing the firstborn of the flesh who needs to die) who is now 25 years old. (The first-born of Egypt were killed in the Passover, just like our baptism.) He surely was born of the flesh because I got pregnant with him before I was married. When he was in his early teens, he really drove me crazy because of his tongue. I was complaining to the Lord about it and the Lord got my attention and showed me the meaning of his names. Matthew means “gift of God”. The book of Matthew is about the Kingdom and Jesus being our King and Savior. Matthew's middle name is Ryan, which means “little king”. What the Lord showed me is that He gave Matt to me as a gift to save me! I married his father and through a bad marriage, the Lord turned my heart to Him (we are no longer married). His birthday is on the 14th, which means “SALVATION”! (The 14th day of the first month is Passover, when the Lamb was slayed for us -- Exodus 12:2,6.) Also, I believe the main thing that the Lord is showing me in this dream is how my tongue is the cause of so many of my problems. Isn't that so sovereign of God to do that?! I was listening to Power of the Tongue and David said that if you don't let your tongue speak, it corrects your thoughts. This is so true. I've been learning this. Only Jesus in us can bridle the tongue. In the dream, I was in a school, running a race on a track against a boy (boy refers to immaturity because of the flesh). The track was a small circle in a room. (Israel in the wilderness was going around and around the mountain in their flesh and immaturity.) 2Co.4:8 [we are] pressed on every side, yet not straitened; perplexed, yet not unto despair. And 2Co.7:5 ... our flesh had no relief, but [we were] afflicted on every side; without [were] fightings, within [were] fears. Toward the end of the race, the boy tried to cut me off but I cut him off (cutting off of the flesh. Gal.5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh... And Rom.8:13 ... but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 1Co.9:24 Know ye not that they that run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? Even so run; that ye may attain. I thought I'd better run some extra laps because I didn't want to be disqualified after cutting him off. Jas.1:3 knowing that the proving of your faith worketh patience. 4 And let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing. 1Co.9:27 but I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected. (God said they went around and around to make sure all the men who sinned died in the wilderness, so their fruit, their children, could go into the Promised Land.) These laps weren't in a circle, though. I ran back and forth between two points of about 10 feet (divine order). (Obeying the Law of 10 Commandments and running a straight line in the race to bear fruit.) But I couldn't see after I cut him off. As I was running those extra laps, I wondered where the boy was because I couldn't hear him either (not being able to see or hear in the flesh is walking by faith and not by sight). When I finished the laps, I could see (having received spiritual eyes) to run out of the room and into a gym (a place where you can move about freely; freedom from the flesh). (A place to exercise and build our spiritual strength.) There were other people there (exercising to win the race; those who have loved His appearing in them). I asked a man who was keeping a tally of everyone's time a question (Jesus, the righteous judge). 2Ti.4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith:8 henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give to me at that day; and not to me only, but also to all them that have loved his appearing. I asked him, “What was my time?” He said, “Five minutes”. (Five is the number of grace.) I said, “I didn't think I could run that long”. (By the grace of God we have the endurance. Mat.24:13 But he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.) Then I saw the boy I ran the race against and asked him, “What happened to you after I cut you off?” He didn't answer because he was humiliated. Jas.4:6 God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. I said to him, “I'm not trying to boast”. 1Co.15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not found vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. But he wouldn't answer. (The old man is dead; he can't speak. Praise the Lord! Our Father sees us already completely reconciled to Him, but we need to work this out by faith, seeing the end from the beginning. The old man needs to be replaced with the new man, Christ. The new man overcomes the old man until all that's left is Jesus! Amen!) I flipped open my Bible and put my finger down twice and these are the verses the Lord gave me to go with the dream. I've been doing this quite a bit and it never ceases to amaze me the verses that the Lord gives me, whether it be for a dream or to confirm something to me. How encouraging this is! If you believe, it surely does work! 2Ki.3:27 Then he took his eldest son (first-born, the flesh) that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt-offering upon the wall... (The first-born would reign in our stead, instead of the spiritual man, if not sacrificed on the altar of fiery trials. Esau was the first-born of the flesh who lost his position as head of the house to Jacob, the second-born of the spirit. Ishmael was the first-born of the flesh who lost his position as head of the house to Isaac, the second-born of the Spirit. Saul was the first-born of the flesh who lost his position as head of the house to David, the second-born of the Spirit. If we don't lose our old life, we will not have the new life, as Jesus taught.) And the second verse is: Mal.3:10 Bring ye the whole tithe into the store-house, that there may be food (Jesus as the Word) in my house (through abiding in Christ, we are God's house), and prove me now herewith, saith Jehovah of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, (latter rain anointing) that there shall not be room enough [to receive it]. (The Israelites had to bring the first fruits of their increase and offer it to the Lord, just like the first verse given. This was like the boy, her son, being offered up. This is when Jesus taught, and we begin to receive the abundant life blessings.) This verse I found as a cross-reference to the above verse: Neh.13:11 Then contended I with the rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? (Contending with the first-born rulers of the flesh.) And I gathered them together, and set them in their place. (Put them in their place under our feet.) 12 Then brought all Judah the tithe of the grain (then the spiritual man brought forth fruit to offer to God) and the new wine (life of Jesus) and the oil (the Spirit) unto the treasuries. Parables are the language of the spirit, God's code speak, that the proud fakes cannot hear or understand Jesus said in Luk.10:21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes: yea, Father; for so it was well-pleasing in thy sight.     Cut Off the Mind of the Flesh Eve Brast - 06/29/2012 (David's notes in red) I had a dream this morning that really concerns me. I don't ever have violent, bloody dreams like this! I prayed Philippians 4:7, just like I do every night over myself and for my brethren. I fell asleep to the Book of Hebrews on my iPod, too. When I woke up, I was thinking about what this dream could mean. I will try to share all the things I can remember from it. I dreamed that I was standing next to a fireplace on my right that had gone out. My dog, Curtis, was lying on the burned-out coals on his left side, next to my grandmother's Dachshund, Penny. (The dog in us must be sacrificed on the altar of the fiery trial. This is the death of self.) Suddenly, a white, plastic lettuce knife that is used to cut heads of lettuce appeared in my right hand. (In real life, a local UBM brother's wife, named Kelly, which means “war-like”, had shown me this lettuce knife the last time we had a fellowship at their house. I had never seen a knife like that before and she was showing me how nice they were to cut lettuce with.) Heads of lettuce actually grow on the ground and would represent the earthly mind of flesh. (which must be cut off to save our heavenly life) (I heard a dream recently about lettuce heads being people's heads and the key interpretation was pointed out in that dream which was “let us”, as a play on words. Self rules in many lives through the mind of flesh. It's a “we will do it, Lord” attitude that we must war against and cut off with the lettuce knife of the Spirit, the Word of God. In the Spirit, taking down the old life and raising up the new is violent warfare against the self-life, as Jesus said. It is bringing the true Kingdom of God in us and those around us. Luk.16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they that justify yourselves in the sight of men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. 16 The law and the prophets [were] until John: from that time the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached, and every man entereth violently into it.) Then, in the dream, I fell into a trance (i.e., in the spirit) and went over to Curtis and cut his neck with the lettuce knife, and saw the blood soak his fur around his neck. (We are to help ourselves and others to lose their carnal life in order to save their eternal life.) Then I moved on to my next target which was a demon-possessed man with a very large head who was addicted to playing violent video games. I hated what he was doing and took the lettuce knife and cut his neck within an inch of severing it completely and stood there watching the blood pool on the ground. His head then slid and twisted off, just hanging by the inch of skin that was left. Then the ugly, green alien-looking demon left his body. It was very angry at me for killing its fleshly host! (We have to get rid of the mind of flesh with the sword of the Word, which is also the renewed mind of Christ. Rom.8:5 For they that are after the flesh mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For the mind of the flesh is death; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace: 7 because the mind of the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be: 8 and they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. But if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.) I then moved on to my next target which was my mother. But she looked nothing like my mother. She was a small, thin woman with a mushroom-style hairdo that was dirty blonde in color. (The flesh alone looks nothing like our body but is like the dog.) I also cut her neck all the way through at an angle and her head fell completely off. I then moved on to another target but can't remember those details. Luk.14:26 If any man cometh unto me, and hateth not his own father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. [We must hate the soulish life of the mind of the flesh in ourselves and our families if we are to save them.] 27 Whosoever doth not bear his own cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doth not first sit down and count the cost, whether he have [wherewith] to complete it? [The cost to build the house is cutting off of the old head.] 29 Lest haply, when he hath laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all that behold begin to mock him, 30 saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Jesus said, everyone has a house but He has no place to lay HIS HEAD. His house must have His head.) After this, I snapped out of the trance (or came out of the spirit) and was very remorseful when I realized what I had done! I had been watching myself from the inside doing these things but everything about me was taken over and I didn't feel remorse or stop it until I came out of the trance. (When in the Spirit, we fight against the old man in us and others, although we do it guided by wisdom and grace. When in the flesh, we pity the old man and have mercy on him but we must lose our life to gain our life, as Jesus said. “The mind of the flesh is enmity against God”. Gal.5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other; that ye may not do the things that ye would.) My 'mother' came back to life as her head reattached itself to her body. I went crying to her and telling her what I had done. (If you don't cut the mind of flesh all the way off, it can grow back. Have no mercy on this enemy of God and your life. But when dealing with it in others, we must be weak to the weak. We must do it for love of their eternal soul.) She immediately started announcing to everyone around, including two army soldiers who were shady and dishonest, “I've just done something. I'm the one who did it!” (Those in the flesh will be the Judases of God's people. The flesh often takes credit for what the spiritual man does. The militant enforcers are those who agree with and encourage the flesh to take credit.) (One of them looked like a carnal person I knew but his teeth were all rotten.) She then went over to a tree and started to dig up an idol that looked like a wooden or mummified Frankenstein that was about a foot tall, and a skull, and placed them on a wooden railing. (Frankenstein's monster was the dead man who was brought back to life through man's evil ingenuity, symbolized by “let us”. This is the idol of self.) Then, as she was still announcing this and claiming responsibility for these actions that I had done, behind me she was skipping and waving a white handkerchief between her index and middle fingers in each hand. (This is “self”, glorifying self. Taking credit for her change. We must humble the flesh or it will destroy the works of God through us because He will not share His glory with the flesh.) When I turned around to look at her following behind me along with the two army soldiers, I saw that she had the lettuce knife in her hand and she was making a stabbing motion at my back, with an ugly face. (The flesh often misuses scripture to attack the spirit man or the righteous, in general.) I then came back over to the fireplace that had gone out where Curtis was still lying and I was so sad for what I had done to him while in that trance! (Sometimes the flesh in us makes us feel guilty and so we mistakenly have pity on the flesh to ease the suffering and let it live.) I got on my knees and petted him, crying and trying to see if he was still alive. One of the army men said, “Look, he is still alive”. The knife had barely cut his neck and he lifted his head to lick my tears. (Those who have pity on the flesh want desperately to see the “old you” come back.) I then got up and went over to an outdoor pavilion with picnic tables. As I was approaching it, the angry alien-looking demon that had possessed the video game addict was slouching on the railing around the pavilion and glaring at me, full of hatred! My 'mother' and the two shady army men then started to come up with a plan to cover up what I had done. The one who looked like my carnal friend was smiling a rotten-toothed smile as he was saying, “No one will ever find out!” (No one will find out that God, through the spiritual man, cut off the mind of flesh, if the carnal man brings one back under submission. Those who go back into the world are just like it.) I asked the Father for a verse for what this dream meant and when I put my finger down, I noticed that my Bible was upside down and my finger was on Luk.17:23 And they shall say to you, Lo, there! or Lo, here! go not away nor follow after them ... (In the context, we are being warned not to follow fleshly men claiming to be the anointed of God with their flesh saving doctrines.) I asked for a second verse and my finger was on 1Co.10:28 But if anyone say to you, This hath been offered in sacrifice, eat not, for his sake who showed it, and for conscience ... (We are not to partake of fleshly offerings sacrificed to idols of self.)     God's Bug Detector B. A. - 10/20/2011 (David's notes in red) In a dream, I saw an ad in a magazine I was reading called, God's Daily. The ad was for a “bug detector”. The ad read God's Bug Detector. Don't need a money-back guarantee, because the suit is free. One size fits all. No batteries or electrical outlets required. Works solely by your thoughts. Try it on and see what happens! I thought, hey, why not? What do I have to lose? So I sent off for this “Bug Detector Suit” The day came and I got the suit. This suit was totally complete. It came with an attachable helmet and face mask to cover the head; it had gloves and boots that attached to cover the feet. Once the suit was on, it conformed to the body and became invisible to the world. I couldn't wait to try the suit out to see if it really worked like the ad said it would. I was shopping in the grocery store when I looked and I saw this woman talking about me. She was pointing her finger at me and murmuring something to another woman standing beside her. I thought, Is she saying something bad about me? All of a sudden, my helmet lit up and the white lights all around the helmet started flashing and I heard, “BUG ALERT, BUG ALERT, BUG ALERT. Push the BIG BUTTON in the center of your chest”. So I pushed the button and it said, “In the name of Jesus, I bind this evil thought and cast it into the pit of hell where it belongs. Thank you, Lord. AMEN!” WOW, I thought, this really does work! On the way home, I was driving along when a truck came from nowhere and cut me off. I thought, Good grief! Is that guy trying to kill us both?! All of a sudden, my helmet lit up and the white lights all around the helmet started flashing and I heard, “BUG ALERT, BUG ALERT, BUG ALERT. Push the BIG BUTTON in the center of your chest”. So again I pushed the button and it said, “In the name of Jesus, I bind this evil thought and cast it into the pit of hell where it belongs. Thank you, Lord. AMEN!” I couldn't wait to witness to people and tell them what this suit had done for me and tell them how they too could get a suit like this. (Well, this “Bug Detector” is also for any thoughts that we would have that are contrary to the Truth and would allow the flesh to live, or listen to and receive any of those fiery darts from the devil against the knowledge of the truth.)     God's Army Is Dressed for Success B. A. - 01/03/2013 (David's notes in red) I dreamt I was in an army barracks (specialized buildings for permanent military accommodations. We, as God's spiritual warriors, represent these specialized barracks. We are specialized temples made without man's hands, as we have been molded and shaped by the Father's hand and hand-picked by the Father Himself for our position in this army.) I was resting on my bunk (resting and abiding in Jesus) with several of my comrades (fellow believers in Christ Jesus). Rom.15:6 that with one accord ye may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then, all of a sudden, the Commander's voice (Jesus, the Word) came across the intercom. (An intercom, talkback or door phone is a standalone voice communications system for use within a building. Jesus, the Word of God, is the door phone in our building. Joh.10:7 Jesus therefore said unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 9 I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and shall find pasture.) The Commander said, “We are under attack. This is an order: suit up and put on your full armor”. Eph.6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 with all prayer and supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. The Commander continues, “Before leaving the barracks, check each other's armor”. (We need to help each other to spiritually prepare for this battle, as we are one in the body of Christ. As David Eells has told us, the Lord said to him when he needed help, “David had an army”. Joh.13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; even as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. 1Jn.3:16 Hereby know we love, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.) So, I submitted to the Commander's order and jumped off my bunk and suited up quickly. (Submit in the Greek is hupeiko, which means “to yield, be weak, to surrender; submit self”. 1Sa.15:22 And Samuel said, Hath Jehovah as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.) As I was waiting for the rest of my comrades to suit up, I noticed a soldier heading for the door, and I noticed that he had a crack along the back of his armor (he could not see nor discern that his armor was flawed). I cried out for him to stop and that he had a crack in his armor, but he just grumbled under his breath and ignored me and kept heading for the door. (He was too full of pride and ego to take correction; there's no place in the armor of God for pride and ego.) He hadn't taken but just a few steps outside the door when he was taken out by sniper fire right to the head. Pro.16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. 8:13 The fear of Jehovah is to hate evil: Pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, And the perverse mouth, do I hate. 11:2 When pride cometh, then cometh shame; But with the lowly is wisdom. Ecc.4:9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. 10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, and hath not another to lift him up. 11 Again, if two lie together, then they have warmth; but how can one be warm alone? 12 And if a man prevail against him that is alone, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. WOW! I thought he didn't stand a chance with that big crack in his armor. The Commander knew what He was talking about when He ordered us to check each other's armor. So we all very earnestly started checking each other's armor for any cracks (flaws in our spiritual walk) and thanking and praising the Commander for insisting we obey this order. Obey in the Greek is hupakouo, which means “to listen attentively; by implication to heed or conform to a command or authority, hearken, be obedient, to obey”. Deu.15:5 if only thou diligently hearken unto the voice of Jehovah thy God, to observe to do all this commandment which I command thee this day. 6 For Jehovah thy God will bless thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over thee. 28:2 and all these blessings shall come upon thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of Jehovah thy God. After we had inspected each other's armor and all was well, we headed out the door to face the enemy. We could see the enemy all around the outer perimeter of our barracks. They immediately started firing upon us, but their bullets (or their fiery darts) just bounced off our armor and fell to the ground; their weapons had no effect on us. When they saw that their weapons had no effect, they retreated. Jas.4:7 Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Eph.4:27 neither give place to the devil. 1Pe.5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. 8 Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour, (9) whom withstand stedfast in your faith, knowing that the same sufferings are accomplished in your brethren who are in the world. As we were turning around to go back to the barracks, I caught a glimpse of a movement over my shoulder. I swung back around just in time to see that evil sniper aim his weapon and lock his red laser beam (evil thoughts) onto my heart. Well, that was a BIG mistake! You see, my armor had already been inspected by order or decree from the Commander, so I knew the sniper couldn't take me out! I fired my weapon right into his laser beam and it drove the red beam (his evil thoughts) from his weapon back at him and took him out! (Gal.6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.) We all began to cheer and praise the Lord for the victory, “HALLELUJAH!” As we were walking back to the barracks, we heard the Commander over the intercom say, “Well done, good and faithful servants”. Mat.25:25 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord. WOW! I can't wait to hear those words! Thank You, Father, and thank You, Jesus! A few weeks ago, I had a vision that I believe goes with this dream: I saw the Father sitting at His potter's wheel. He reached down to the ground and gathered a handful of clay and placed it on His wheel and then added some water and started to form a new vessel. As I was standing there observing the Father, I heard the Holy Spirit tell me that this new vessel was my vessel. I was so excited to receive this wonderful news. Suddenly, directly in front of the Father, I started to see the faces of all the believers I knew from UBM; they were all suspended there in front of the Father. Then I saw the Father reach out with His right hand gather all the faces and place them into my vessel. The Holy Spirit told me the reason why the Father did this. He said, “All of these saints had a part in shaping and molding you into a vessel of honor for the Father's kingdom”. WOW! I was so humbled and blessed by this vision; how very true.     Defending Yourself with the Word Bethany Mize - 07/30/2015 (David's notes in red) Last night in service, the Lord gave me a vision. In this vision, I saw myself standing in a deep valley, alone. The ground and sides of the valley were clay-like substances, murky and cracked. As a shofar blew, the Lion of the tribe of Judah walked to the edge of the cliff and kept His gaze upon me. His eyes were so full of love. I was humbled and still in His presence. As I looked into His eyes, the tears began to roll down my face. I bowed my knees to Him. In doing so, the Word of God lay before me and I began to devour it. Beneath the Word was rich, thick green grass but nowhere else but where the Word of God lay. (Peter said, “All flesh is as grass”. Obeying the Word is health and life to our body. Pro.4:20 My son, attend to my words; Incline thine ear unto my sayings. 21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; Keep them in the midst of thy heart. 22 For they are life unto those that find them, And health to all their flesh. When judgments are coming, we need a clear conscience and faith in His provision of protection.) (The name Bethany has a couple of meanings: “house of God” or “house of figs”, which have a very similar spiritual meaning: the true people of God.) As I digested the seed of the Word, small pieces of metal armor began to attach themselves to my shoulders, down my back, and around my arms, until I was completely covered in armor. I knew I was in a time of preparation; it was not to be taken lightly. (Major judgments are coming and many are not prepared to escape for lack of the armor. We must pray for them now.) I stood to my feet, keeping my eyes on the Lion, with no words spoken, but just a knowing, He told me to wave my right arm across the ground. As I did, green grass began to grow wherever the shadow of my hand stretched above it. (With the armor of God's Word on, we have the authority to protect this body.) In the natural, we began to sing in service, “Our sons and daughters shall prophecy”. As I sang this, my three-year-old daughter appeared to my left in the vision, fully armed. I was filled with joy that she rose from her knees, armed, as did I. (Children need to be taught this, too.) Then, in the last verse, we sang, “Let the rivers flow down”. In singing this, I knew it was time to stand firm. Then a large wave of moving water rushed toward us from the right. I grabbed my daughter's hand with my left hand and lifted up my right arm toward the water, like a shield. Then, as I bent my elbow back, the water went over us and crashed all around us but never touched us. My armor (the Word of God) is what kept us in that secret place of the Most High. We were not fearful but full of boldness toward the oncoming water. It was a wonderful sight! (The Lord has had me move my hand in a sweeping motion like a knife to cut off the rain as it stopped immediately.) Later in the service, Jonathan spoke, “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Lord will raise up a standard.” Just wanted to encourage the brethren with what the Lord used to encourage me. The seed of God that goes into us is what will preserve us. The Lord is coming manifested by Word and the latter rain, as He said in Hosea 6:1-3. He will be manifested in His Man-child ministry at the beginning of the tribulation. The story is in Ezekiel 34 where He will cut off the evil shepherds and will come to feed His flock with His David / Man-children. The Bible says of the Lord's coming in judgment that His recompense will be before Him at least twice. I received this one yesterday: Isa.40:10 Behold, the Lord Jehovah will come as a mighty one, and his arm will rule for him: Behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. 11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and will gently lead those that have their young. This is seen again in 62:11 Behold, Jehovah hath proclaimed unto the end of the earth, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. It appears the recompense is mentioned just below this concerning the Lord's judgment of Edom, the son of Abraham who persecuted his brother Israel as a type of the Church. 63:1 Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. 2 Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winevat? 3 I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the peoples there was no man with me: yea, I trod them in mine anger, and trampled them in my wrath; and their lifeblood is sprinkled upon my garments, and I have stained all my raiment.     Confess Your Sins One to Another Anonymous - 04/28/2011 (David's notes in red) I got a word from the Lord for the body. Please discern. The Spirit of the Lord speaks: Confess your sins to one another. You have confessed them before me but now I'm telling you to confess them to one another. If you refuse, I will come to you and rip your skirts from off of you and the shame of your nakedness will be exposed to the world. You have sought to preserve face by keeping your sins private. Job 31:33-34 If like Adam I have covered my transgressions, By hiding mine iniquity in my bosom, 34 Because I feared the great multitude, And the contempt of families terrified me, So that I kept silence, and went not out of the door-- Jas.5:16 Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working. Pro.28:13 He that covereth his transgressions shall not prosper: But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain mercy. He that covereth his transgressions shall not prosper: But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain mercy. You have confessed them before me but now, even now, I tell you confess them one to another. (This is humbling to the ego and makes us think twice about sinning again.) Psa 32:1-6 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man unto whom Jehovah imputeth not iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no guile. 3 When I kept silence, my bones wasted away Through my groaning all the day long. 4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: My moisture was changed as with the drought of summer. Selah. 5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, And mine iniquity did I not hide: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto Jehovah; And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. 6 For this let every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: Surely when the great waters overflow they shall not reach unto him. (Confessing our sins will preserve us through judgment.) The Spirit of the Lord has spoken.

Escaping Apostate Church Judgments (4) (Audio) David Eells 11/27/24 I'm going to pick up where we left off in part 3. This is important for the people of God to know because time is very short now. Let's go to Zec.11:17 Woe unto the worthless shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm…. The arm represents your strength by which you do your works with your hands. Isa.53:1 … And to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? Our strength is Jesus Christ, “the arm of the Lord”, and we do our works through His power. This next verse we will share speaks about the leadership of apostate shepherds that God said He would raise up. Zec.11:17 Woe unto the worthless shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, (I.e. he will not have the strength of the Lord to do His works.) and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened. The sword shall be upon his right eye, means his spiritual discernment, his ability to see in the spirit, his ability to discern and understand the Word of God, and so on “shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.” This very much describes the leadership in most of the Church today. This sounds very much like a verse in Micah: Mic.3:6 Therefore, it shall be night unto you, that ye shall have no vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down upon the prophets, and the day shall be black over them. We're coming to a day when people who have called themselves prophets and spiritual leaders, pastors, and so on, if they have not followed the Lord in putting to death the old man of their flesh, and submitted to the Word of God, they're going to become more and more blind. God is taking away their discernment. Even now, He's taking away their spiritual discernment and they're not even understanding that it's happening. Mic.3:1 And I said, Hear, I pray you, ye heads of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel: is it not for you to know justice? 2 ye who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones; 3 who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them…. What do you think it means to take their skin off of them? Our skin separates us from the world. It also is a protection against the attack of the enemy, isn't it? Our skin protects us against germs and things like that. It's kind of a first line of defense, isn't it? So, again, why are so many of the people of God plundered by these curses? Because they are not trained with the true Word of God! The Word of God is our defense, it's our shield, it's our high tower and there's no protection unless we are trained in it. So Mic.3:3 … they flay their skin from off them, and break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the cauldron. Your bones are where your life comes from. Also we see that the apostate shepherds will devour and get fat off of the flesh of the sheep. People who are not fleshly can't stand these apostate ministers, but the people of God who are fleshly cannot discern them. Even the world can look at the apostate ministers and see that they are plundering the flock, but these poor people have fallen under their spell. They're going to sleep listening to their teachings and so they cannot rightly discern. Mic.3:4 Then shall they cry unto the Lord, but he will not answer them; yea, he will hide his face from them at that time, according as they have wrought evil in their doings. Well, it was the same in Jesus' day. Jesus spoke to them in parables so that they would not perceive and would not understand and repent, and God would heal them according to Matthew 13:15. We know that the same thing is happening in our day. God is not going to grant most of them repentance. They have done evil in plundering God's people and very few of them are going to escape. Mic.3:5 Thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that make my people to err; that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and whoso putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him. In other words, anybody who doesn't flatter their ego, well, they're going to make war against them, right? Anybody who doesn't feed their pocketbook or their ego, they're going to make war against them. Mic.3:6 Therefore it shall be night unto you, that ye shall have no vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down upon the prophets and the day shall be black over them. 7 And the seers shall be put to shame, and the diviners confounded; yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God. Remember how when Saul was in a war with the enemy and he was losing the war, he tried to get an answer from God and God would not answer him? And so what did Saul end up doing? Going to the demons. Do you think it's any different today? I don't think so. Mic.3:8 But as for me, I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord…. “Micah” means “Who is like God.” Micah, who is like God, says, But as for me, I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin. Again we've found another Man-child here who is being accosted by the Eli, Saul and Pharisee ministries, right? Mic.3:9 Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel, that abhor justice, and pervert all equity (which basically means “uprightness,” “pervert all uprightness”). 10 They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity. 11 The heads thereof judge for reward (They are hirelings like the Eli ministry.), and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord in the midst of us? no evil shall come upon us. 12 Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest. So judgment came on Jerusalem, the apostate leadership, because, God's people have followed a Saul ministry, a Pharisee ministry, and so judgment came. And we see once again why this Tribulation is coming upon the world. It's for the same reason. God's people have not represented Him to this world and it has to be done. We're coming to the end. God is merciful in bringing these judgments. It has to be done. So returning to our text in 1 Samuel, we see that even though Samuel had showed up as a child and was not yet matured, and he had not yet come into his position of authority, God was training him. However, during this whole time, Eli was becoming darker and darker in his understanding and dimmer and dimmer in his sight, but the lamp of God was not yet gone out, and Samuel was laid down [to sleep,] in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was (1Sa.3:3); (Samuel slept in the presence of God, didn't he? He rested in the presence of God.); that the Lord called Samuel…. Now, to make a long story short, the Lord called Samuel while he was in Eli's house. 1Sa.3:11 And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of everyone that heareth it shall tingle. 12 In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from the beginning even unto the end. Wow! That sounds like it comes all the way down to us, doesn't it? If God is prophesying that He's going to judge Eli's house all the way to the end, He must be talking about the end-time here. We know that there are people in Eli's house today because, if you walk in the steps of someone, you're a part of their house; you're a part of their heritage. In the New Testament, we've learned that you pass on your heritage by words and by nature, not by flesh. We are Christians because we have taken on His Name, meaning in Greek, His nature, character and authority – all those attributes. And, of course, you'd be in Eli's house for the same reasons – that you had been taking on his nature, character and authority. That's how you would be in his house in the end times. Well, God says that the days are coming when everything that He's spoken about Eli is going to be fulfilled and I tell you, that's happening in our days, folks. 1Sa.3:13 For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons did bring a curse upon themselves, and he restrained them not. 14 And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be expiated (“purged”) with sacrifice nor offering forever. Have we ever read in the Scriptures where God would not forgive and cleanse and purge a man's sins, a man who is a child of God? Yes, we have. The Bible tells us this very plainly in Heb.10:26 For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins. What brings responsibility is the knowledge someone has. Jesus came on the scene so that those who said they saw would become blind and those who didn't see would see. When Jesus came, He brought the knowledge that made people responsible. And He said, If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no excuse for their sin (Joh.15:22). His knowledge of the Word of God that He gave them made them responsible. In this situation, Eli is being prophesied to through Samuel. God spoke to Samuel to give this revelation to Eli, which Samuel did. God essentially said that Eli's house would not be purged by sacrifice; meaning God wasn't going to forgive him for this. Some of you think God will forgive you for anything if you repent, but I'll tell you what, they weren't going to repent. And did you know, God grants repentance? The Bible says God has to grant repentance. He doesn't do that for everybody. He didn't grant the Pharisees repentance; He didn't grant Saul repentance; He didn't grant Eli and his house repentance; and it was because they all continued to walk in willful disobedience. Heb.10:26 For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which shall devour the adversaries. You see, there is a place where God will not grant, where the sacrifice of Jesus will not grant a person repentance because they continued to walk in willful disobedience. Back to 1Sa.3:19 And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. Oh, praise God! Have you ever heard the old saying that the heavens were brass? People prayed and they didn't feel like their prayers were getting into the heavens, but instead, they were bouncing and coming back. Well, none of Samuel's prayers bounced, folks. His name means “heard of God.” In other words, God heard him and when Samuel made a pronouncement it came to pass, and when he prophesied it was the truth. So be happy that we have a ministry like that coming down the road. 1Sa.3:20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord (Note that this is even though he was a child at this time). 21 And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh (which was the house of God); for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord. He revealed himself to Samuel in the house of God by the word of the Lord. 1Sa.4:1 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. There it is, “to all Israel.” Samuel was sending this word forth to all of Israel while the Eli ministry was still in official authority here and so the rest of this chapter is about what happens to those who follow the Eli ministry. As the Word of the Lord was coming to them and making them responsible, it was making them more and more blind and more and more apostate. God was taking grace away. Every time they would reject the true Word of God, they'd lose more grace. Today we see them stumbling around, very foolishly, with false doctrines and bad spirits. Why? They're becoming more and more blind and their grace is being taken away. 1Sa.4:1 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and encamped beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines encamped in Aphek. So once again, those who are under the Eli ministry are going up against the Philistines. As you remember, this happened with Saul. His battle against the Philistines was lost and God said the reason for that was that Saul didn't put to death the old man when God sent them out to do that. So now the Philistines were coming back to conquer them and Israel, under the leadership of the Eli ministry, was going forth to battle with the Philistines. 1Sa.4:2 And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines…. We see the same thing that happened to Saul. The apostate ministry brought destruction at the hands of the old man and the people who followed that apostate ministry died at the hands of the old man, the Philistine. 1Sa.4:2 … And they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men. Notice that responsibility brings judgment. Responsibility came because Samuel sent forth the Word to all Israel and, here, all of a sudden, judgment comes upon the apostate ministry and the people who follow them. 1Sa.4:3 And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to-day before the Philistines? They didn't understand why they were losing the battle with the Philistines. These are the elders. These are the elders of the church in our day. Why did God smite us? What can we do about this? They did not understand. Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that it may come among us, and save us out of the hand of our enemies. 4 So the people sent to Shiloh; and they brought from thence the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who sitteth [above] the cherubim: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. This is false leadership. They had taken possession of the ark of God. Now, let me ask you a question here. You are a child of God because you have the Presence of the Lord in your Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the Covenant was a part of the Temple. It was the presence of God in the Holy of Holies. So we together, the corporate body of Christ, we are that temple and our spirits are the Ark of the Covenant because God dwells in our spirits. So, because you have the Spirit of God, does that save you? I mean, here they sent to the House of God, they took out the Ark of the Covenant, they brought it with them and they put it in their midst because they thought this would save them. They thought the Ark would save them, but is that really true? Remember what we read in Mic.3:4 Then shall they cry unto the Lord, but he will not answer them; yea, he will hide his face from them at that time, according as they have wrought evil in their doings. So they've plundered the people of God, as the first text tells us, and now God won't listen to them anymore. This is the same thing that happened with Saul. God would answer him neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets (1Sa.28:6), so Saul turned to familiar spirits and God turned him over to demon spirits. Mic.3:11 The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money (of course, the sons of Eli were doing all these things): yet they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord in the midst of us? no evil shall come upon us. 12 Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field…. You see, the presence of the Lord didn't save them. How is it that they could have the presence of the Lord in their midst and still not be saved from the Philistines? How is this possible? Well, the Bible tells us in Rom.8:12 So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh: 13 for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die…. How is it, if we live after the flesh, we must die? Because if you submit to the flesh, if you let the flesh rule, then it's going to put to death your spiritual man; you're going to spiritually die. You may still be living, but you'll be dead on your feet. You'll be walking in death and you'll have no victory over the Philistine whatsoever. Rom.8:13 … but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body (in other words, if you are putting to death the old Philistine, the old man, he says), ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Now, I ask you, could the people who are following the Saul ministry, the Eli ministry, and the Pharisee ministry, could they be righteous? Could they be sons of God? And could they be following the Spirit of God? No, they couldn't because they couldn't see and perceive that these men were evil. They weren't following the Spirit of God; they were following these men who were not following the Spirit of God themselves. So we see that you can have the presence of God and not be spared. Listen, some people think you're going to be saved because you have the Holy Spirit. That's not so. You're not going to be saved unless you follow the Holy Spirit. Having the Holy Spirit will just condemn you because you are capable, and you're able to partake of the inheritance in the saints. Somebody who has the Holy Spirit can do this, but if you're not doing it, then your gift is just condemning you that much more. The presence of the Lord was in their midst, but it wasn't saving them and they lost the next battle. 1Sa.4:5 And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. 6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the Lord was come into the camp. 7 And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. Think about this. The old man fears God. The old man will not submit to Him, but he does fear God. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore. 8 Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods? Actually, that word gods is the word Elohim. It's the same word we just read: “God is come into the camp.” It's talking about our God and they translated it “gods” because they knew it was coming out of the mouth of Philistines, but 2700 times in the Bible this was translated elohim because elohim is plural. God is plural. “Y-H-W-H is Elohim”, the Scripture tells us. The name of the true God is plural. God is One God, but He's One in unity, not in essence. So it should be read here just the way it's translated everywhere else, as 1Sa.4:8 who shall deliver us out of the hands of this mighty God? this is the God that smote the Egyptians with all manner of plagues in the wilderness. 1Sa.4:9 Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Notice “that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews.” God's plan is that the old man is a servant to the spiritual man. They were afraid they were going to lose their position of authority over the spiritual man, so they said, “Let's fight extra hard here; we don't want to serve the spirit man. We don't want to serve the Hebrews.” And you know the flesh hates the spirit; the flesh dies when the spirit man's in control. 1Sa.4:9 … That ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight. 10 And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten…. Even though the presence of the Lord was in their midst, the Israelites were conquered by the old man who lives in the land. They were conquered. It was because they wouldn't follow the Spirit of God. They were following the Eli ministry and so they were conquered by the old man. We saw the same thing with the Saul ministry. Those who followed Saul died at the hands of the Philistines. Here they followed the Eli ministry and what happened? They were dying at the hands of the Philistines. It made no difference that they were what we loosely call “children of God”; it made no difference that they had God in their midst; they still died. It's what Jude calls twice dead, plucked up by the roots (Jud.12). And there's another reason. Psa.78:56 Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God, And kept not his testimonies; 57 But turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers: They were turned aside like a deceitful bow. 58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places…. They had the high places of the altar of Baal and the Ashtaroth in the time of Eli, but Samuel put all that away. 58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places, And moved him to jealousy with their graven images. This is what Ezekiel called the abomination in chapters seven and nine. The abomination. Here's an abomination. You know what abominations do? The abominations make one desolate. Well, what happens when you're desolate? God leaves your temple. Psa.78:59 When God heard [this,] he was wroth, And greatly abhorred Israel; 60 So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh (Aha! That's “an abomination that maketh desolate”.), The tent which he placed among men; 61 And delivered his strength (that was the Ark that came out of the Temple) into captivity, and his glory into the adversary's hand. And we know that when the Israelites were conquered, then the Philistines took possession of the Ark of God. The Israelites had brought it there with their own hands. They brought the Ark out of the Temple of God, out of the House of God, with their own hands. They thought it would save them but, instead, the Philistines captured the Ark. 1Sa.4:10 And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man to his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. 11 And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain. When the Ark of God is taken possession of by the Philistines, it means that you, as the temple of God's Presence, are being ruled by the old man. It means that the old man is taking the presence of God where he wants to go. He has taken possession now, you see, and that brings death every time. Rom.8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye must die…. It's death every time. You see, God's presence comes into you so that you, by His Spirit, would be led by your spiritual man. But in this case, they lost their battle with the old man and the old man had taken possession of the Spirit of the Temple of God. Psa.78:61 And delivered his strength into captivity, And his glory into the adversary's hand. 62 He gave his people over also unto the sword (in other words, the death of the Saul, the Eli, the Pharisee ministry), And was wroth with his inheritance. 63 Fire devoured their young men; And their virgins had no marriage song. 64 Their priests fell by the sword (Hophni and Phinehas fell by the sword); And their widows made no lamentation. Now, I'm going to share a revelation with you.     Not My Father's House Care Sebourn - 06/27/2008 (David's notes in red) The dream starts with Mick and I going through a door of a rental house. (The house that is merchandised, Babylonish religion.) I am carrying a baby boy, he is bald and has huge blue eyes. (The fruit of Christ with heavenly insight and bald in this case, means no submission to Babylon.) As we enter I stop in the first room and look around. I noticed the place is filthy and torn up. (The apostate house of God's people has been trashed.) I can see the kitchen from the room we are standing in and there are stacks and stacks of dirty, gross dishes with food stuck on them. (Their table is unclean.) Mick and I are disgusted and wonder why we would rent such a place. I notice my three children (the ones that still live at home) working like dogs, trying to clean the place up. I tell them to stop and that it is useless to try because it will never clean up. My kids are relieved and almost grateful that I saw it was useless. (It is time to give up trying to clean up Babylon and call the people out. Jer.51:9 We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country.) Then they drag out a huge box that is covered in dirt. They want Mick and I to see what's inside, so they open it for us. Inside is a guitar covered in dirt, rocks, etc. (Unveiling the hidden corruption in their music and word.) In an instant the room becomes bigger and is filled with furniture and people. Across the room Mick and I spot this man that is sitting at a dining room table. Right away I realize that he is the owner of the house. Mick takes the baby from me and we make our way towards him. As I am walking toward him I run into a thrashed overstuffed chair and couch. I look down and notice the terrible condition of the carpet. Then I move the chair and notice huge rips and tears in the carpet. I then commented to Mick that they tried to cover the holes with furniture. (“There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed”.) How deceiving. Mick agreed with me. He is still holding the baby. I look up and notice the owner is still seated across the room. As we resume our journey towards him I realize that he and many of his “friends” are having a Christmas party. (Babylon's roots are from Babel of the false Jesus and Mary.) We hear someone call the owner “Sal”. (Short for Salvatore, meaning Savior; teachers of false salvation.) These friends of his are smoking (which is partaking of unclean breath or spirits), drinking (out of touch with reality) and partying it up (overindulging in the world). They were eating from huge tables of elegant and rich food as they laughed and socialized. As we continue our way to “Sal”, many of these people stop us and try to engage us in conversation. They offer us food and we turn it down. (Refusing Babylon's spiritual food as did the three Hebrews.) I feel as though they are trying to stop us from getting to Sal. Mick and I join hands (we still have the baby) and we begin to try and maneuver around the people. One by one some of them step in front of us and begin talking to us. All of them are so sweet and friendly. One woman was right in our face smoking a cigarette; she was terribly overly made-up with hideous make-up. (The harlot hinders “the way” of the righteous and protects their leadership.) The room was crowded and smelled nasty. The strange thing was that none of these people noticed the filth or the smell. (They are spiritually assimilated into the harlot and do not recognize holiness.) As we reached the other side of the room, Sal was in the corner. He looked up and saw us walking toward him and got really nervous. (These sons of perdition feel cornered and threatened by the righteous.) He gave us a fake smile and said, “Hello”. I noticed he had a New York (Little Babylon) accent and had the characteristics of a used car salesman. (They are slick con men.) I looked him straight in the eye and told him that he lied to us; this house was torn up and filthy and I wanted all of my money back. (Stop pouring God's money down a rat hole, Church!) Sal dropped his eyes to the ground and ignored me. I repeated my request for the money back. He continued to ignore me. I was aware that people were still partying and going about their business and I could still hear Christmas music (Babylon's false Jesus worship). I stepped away and took the baby out of Mickey's arms and stepped into the other corner where I felt he would be safe. I observed Mick and Sal in an intense discussion and after a long period of time, Sal took out his checkbook, wrote a check and handed it to Mick. Then Mick made his way back to me in the corner, still having to dodge Sal's friends. When he reached the baby and me, I noticed he was disappointed. The check was for $78 and I became angry because I knew that I had given Sal over $2000. (The apostates have stolen 2000 years from the Church and all they want to offer is 78, which means ignorance and idolatry, which I'll explain below.) I handed the baby back to Mick and took the check from his hand. I marched across the room towards Sal, and this time his friends didn't try to detour me or block my way. As I walked, they created a path for me to get to Sal and there was fear in their eyes. When I reached him, I could tell that Sal was not happy that I was back and he began to slowly retreat into the corner as I yelled at him, “This is unacceptable and I will not accept this $78. (Don't accept 78.) I gave you over $2000 and all I got was this filthy house. (The Church has nothing to show for 2000 years of self-effort.) Take back your house and give me back my money”. Sal retreated further back into the corner and the room became dead quiet. Again I repeated my request and told him I did not want the house; I wanted him to refund the money. He ignored me and so I repeated it again. He dropped his eyes to the ground and became despondent, as though he were wishing me away, but I persisted, and again I demanded that he return my money as I held my hand out in front of his face. Reluctantly, he again pulled out the same checkbook, looked me dead in the eyes, and said nothing. I then noticed that Mick and the baby were standing directly behind me. Then I repeated to Sal that I wanted all of my money back. He slithered down into a chair and began to write a check. As he was writing the check, I noticed that he became angrier and angrier. He violently removed the check from the checkbook and slapped it into my hand. When he put it in my hand, I looked down at the check and noticed it was for over $2000. (God is going to restore through the latter rain all that the thieves have taken from His people for the last 2000 years as in Joel 2:25.) I snatched up the check and Mick and I began to exit the house hand in hand. Once we were outside, I noticed it was nighttime. I gave Mick the check and I told him that Sal could not be trusted; we must go now and immediately deposit the check. Then I woke up. This dream represents the ministry of bringing the fruit of Christ to the apostate church in correction. It is full of sin and worldliness. This church is likened unto a rental house because it is merchandised. Jesus told the Pharisees, “Make not my Father's house a house of merchandise”. Their table (food) is unclean. Their leader and owner is Sal, which is short for Salvatore, meaning Savior. Many have trusted in these Pharisees and their word instead of the real Savior and His Word. Sal's friends are a hindrance in the way of the real Church. They have destroyed and corrupted (trashed) the Father's house. As Jesus said, their house is being left unto them desolate. All attempts to revive the system are over and the real Church is moving on. Everything their leaders have stolen for 2000 years will be demanded of them. As in Luke 16, they will have to give account of their stewardship before they are thrown out of office. All they offer the Church in return is 78. I asked the Lord what the ‘78' that the false leaders were offering represented. He gave me the 7th book and 8th chapter of the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 8, which speaks of false knowledge, sacrificing to idols, (which are demons in 10:20), preachers and religious systems, idols and idols temples, defiling the conscience, leading God's people astray, etc. This is what the apostate leaders offer in exchange for their leadership for the last 2000 years. But a great revival and restoration of all things is coming now. PTL!

Escaping Apostate Church Judgments (3) (audio) David Eells – 11/24/24 I'm going begin today by reading Hannah's prayer in 1Sa 2:1 And Hannah prayed, and said: My heart exulteth in Jehovah; My horn is exalted in Jehovah; My mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; Because I rejoice in thy salvation. 2 There is none holy as Jehovah; For there is none besides thee, Neither is there any rock like our God. 3 Talk no more so exceeding proudly; Let not arrogancy come out of your mouth; For Jehovah is a God of knowledge, And by him actions are weighed. 4 The bows of the mighty men are broken; And they that stumbled are girded with strength. 5 They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; And they that were hungry have ceased to hunger: Yea, the barren hath borne seven; And she that hath many children languisheth. So what did she mean, she had born seven? We know that Hannah had been barren. Well, we're talking about a Man-child here, but the Man-child is not an individual, is he? And why seven? When we read Mic 5:5 …When the Assyrian shall come into our land, and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. So we see that Micah prophesied that when the Lord returned to his people that He would raise up seven princes, “seven shepherds, and eight principal men,” or eight princes among men, to defend God's people from the Beast. It's seven because there are seven churches and God is raising up the leadership to go to the seven churches. The eighth is mentioned separately because He is the prince of Peace Jesus who is in the midst of the seven. 6 Jehovah killeth, and maketh alive: He bringeth down to Sheol, and bringeth up. 7 Jehovah maketh poor, and maketh rich: He bringeth low, he also lifteth up. 8 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, He lifteth up the needy from the dunghill, To make them sit with princes, And inherit the throne of glory: (This is her Man-child, that she brought forth to inherit the throne of glory.) For the pillars of the earth are Jehovah's, And he hath set the world upon them. 9 He will keep the feet of his holy ones; But the wicked shall be put to silence in darkness; For by strength shall no man prevail. 10 They that strive with Jehovah shall be broken to pieces; Against them will he thunder in heaven: Jehovah will judge the ends of the earth; And he will give strength unto his king, And exalt the horn of his anointed. I believe this is talking about the Eli, Pharisee and Saul ministries, and a lot of ministers in our day who are going to resist and fight against the truth, as they have throughout history. In Jesus' day, the leadership over God's people fought with Jesus; they accused Jesus; they crucified Jesus. They did the same with His disciples, also. They strove with the Lord and He destroyed them. 1Sa 2:10 … And he will give strength unto his king, And exalt the horn of his anointed. Oh, praise God! Who is this king and His anointed? Well, in this case it was Samuel, but it was also Joseph, Moses, David and Jesus, all those good types. He will exalt the horn, the strength of His anointed. 11 And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto the Lord before Eli the priest. 12 Now the sons of Eli were base men; they knew not the Lord. How could they have been the priests of Israel and not know the Lord? Well, honestly, it doesn't take very long to read the Word of God to find out that a lot of ministers nowadays don't know the Lord. They don't know the Lord but do they have some kind of association with religion? Yes. When you come into the Kingdom and you get a born-again spirit, you have a consciousness of God, but, quite frankly, if you don't obey that born-again spirit, it soon dies and you become what the Bible calls twice dead, plucked up by the roots (Jud.12). Who was Jude speaking about when he said that? The apostate ministers and many they train. And so you can be in the pulpit and be dead as a doornail. Saul died at the hands of the Philistines and I believe that it's talking about being dead in the spirit while he lived. We know that many of you have come out of churches after you realized they were dead. They were really not walking in the spirit; they were really not sharing the living Word of God. They were dead and you came out because of that. Praise God! 1Sa 2:13 And the custom of the priests with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was boiling, with a flesh-hook of three teeth in his hand; 14 and he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or cauldron, or pot; all that the flesh-hook brought up the priest took therewith. So they did in Shiloh unto all Israel that came thither. Shiloh, of course, was the house of God in those days, so this is basically the ministers gathering up their tithe, but these people were abusing it. And it's a very good type of exactly what's happening today. They were abusing their position as priests of the Lord, as ministers of God's house, by plundering God's people. Now he's going to point out two main things here about the sons of Eli that are exactly the problems with the leadership of the church in our day and how they are plundering God's people. 1Sa 2:15 Yea, before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have boiled flesh of thee, but raw. Of course, that wasn't according to their custom. 16 And if the man said unto him, They will surely burn the fat first, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would say, Nay, but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force. So here you have some ministers taking what they feel belonged to them, by force. The only thing was, this was a sacrifice. This was a sacrifice made by the person who was freely giving it, but they were taking it by force. That's an abuse of a sacrifice. Do you know that in the New Testament God has a sacrifice? It's a freewill offering. There is nothing in the New Testament about taking something by Law. Who is it who takes by Law? Well, you're looking at it right here. It's the apostate Eli ministry which is robbing and plundering God's people and taking from them by Law, taking from them because of their position. We don't have any such custom in the New Testament of demanding a tithe. Jesus said, So therefore whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple (Luk 14:33). He didn't say 10%; He said everything you have. And Jesus said in Mat 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye tithe mint and anise and cummin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, Jesus said tithing was of the Law, not of grace. There's no commandment in the New Testament whatsoever for you to do this. Not one. And the rest of the verse says, justice, and mercy, and faith: but these ye ought to have done, and not to have left the other undone. Notice that Jesus spoke to the Jews of their Law as being in the past, Meaning the Old Covenant. He never commanded it in the New Covenant because it was “a shadow of the good things to come.” But here is what's commanded: 2Co 9:6 But this [I say,] He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. So it's just according to how much you give and that's really not according to the Law. The Law was 10% -- bring into the storehouse 10%. But now He's saying very plainly, “No, the more you give, the more you'll receive.” 2Co 9:7 [Let] each man [do] according as he hath purposed in his heart…. Well, that's certainly not the Law at all. That's not demanding it; that's a freewill offering. Do as you feel in your heart. This is a man's personal sacrifice to God and to the ministry, and, of course, the ministry today is abusing that because they are dragging people back under the Law, which is forbidden. The Law separates from Christ; it separates from grace and, if you seek to be justified by the Law, you have to keep the whole Law. Gal 5:3 … He is a debtor to do the whole law. 4 Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace. So it's not good for ministers to say you have to keep the tithe because you can't be saved that way. If you're seeking to be justified by the Law, then you have to keep the whole Law in order to be justified, but we're justified by grace and God says this is what God wants from His New Testament, born-again people. These are not people who are lost people, who are just following rules and regulations. These are people who have the grace of God in their heart. God expects more as He says in Luk 12:48 And to whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required…. Now, in the New Testament, when you're born again and you receive the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in your newborn temple; therefore He expects more because you have God in you and you are the temple. You don't go to the temple, you are the temple of God. God's in us. Col 1:27 … Christ in you, the hope of glory. God is the One Who is living the Christian life in us, you see. That's the whole point. So you would expect more from someone like that. You don't have to force somebody like that to do something and, if you had to, they obviously don't have God in their heart. So what does the Lord say? 2Co 9:7 Let each man [do] according as he hath purposed in his heart: not grudgingly, or of necessity … It's not even necessary as a law would be. Well, it's not going to be edifying to a person to not give because giving is the heart of God and giving is how, of course, God multiplies it back to us. 2Co 9:6 But this [I say,] He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. In other words, God wants to bless us and He's telling us that if it's in our heart to give, then good, do it. But He's not putting you under Law. It's not of necessity. Anybody who does put you under the Law is departing from the New Testament and they're doing exactly like Eli's sons, who were using the Law to force the giving. So he says, 2Co 9:7 … For God loveth a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound unto you; that ye, having always all sufficiency in everything, may abound unto every good work…. That's a powerful promise that covers everything, doesn't it? And it's just because a person gives out of the heart, not because they're under the Law. You know, sure, if you give under the Law, God will give back. When I first learned that the Lord wanted me to give, I did, and for a short time I went under the Law. But when I realized that it wasn't Scriptural, I started to give according to the Spirit because now I had the Holy Spirit to speak in my heart and tell me what to do. In the New Testament, that's why the Holy Spirit is given. You don't need a law because now we have …the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:2). You don't have need to have anybody to tell you, “You must do this.” Instead, you want to do it because God is working in you to will and to do of His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). That's what New Testament salvation is all about. God is putting it in your heart. That's the kind of person God wants. He doesn't want a person who has to be forced or they won't do it. What kind of a son is that? That's a servant, but it's not a son and God is creating sons. So if we look back in 1 Samuel 2, we see a problem with the overwhelming majority of apostate ministries nowadays. They want to force the people to give something that should be a sacrifice on the part of the giver. They should just want to give it out of their own heart. In other words, give them the freedom to make the sacrifice the way they see that they want to do it. But, in the apostate ministries, the giving is being forced and that's exactly what we're seeing here in 1 Samuel. But the priest's servant said, 1Sa 2:16 Nay, but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force. 17 And the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord; for the men despised the offering of the Lord. See, the offering of the Lord is holy because it comes out of holy hearts, people who want to give. They see a need and they are meeting that need. And it may be the need of their brother. Jesus said, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, [even] these least, ye did it unto me (Mat.25:40). It may be a need of the brethren. It may not be bringing it into the storehouse, which is a church building or an organization, because the storehouse was not in the church. In the Old Testament, it was in the Temple and we are the Temple. God is going to judge His people by the way they treat His Temple, by what you do to the “least of these my brethren.” Did you feed them? Did you clothe them? Did you visit them in prison? See, that's how He judged the nations when He returned because that's His Temple. So it's very important that the sacrifice be a willing sacrifice in our covenant and not be demanded by Law. The people in ministry who force the giving are despising the offering of the Lord. Going on in 1Sa 2:27 And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Did I reveal myself unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt [in bondage] to Pharaoh's house? 28 and did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up unto mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all of the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire? 29 Wherefore kick ye at mine sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in [my] habitation, and honorest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people? An Eli ministry gets fat from the offerings of God's people because they have departed from the Word of God; they are plundering God's people. It's not permitted and they will be judged for it, exactly like Eli's sons were being judged for it. You know, we are warned over and over in the Scriptures: Isa 56:9 All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, [yea,] all ye beasts in the forest. 10 His watchmen are blind … Did you know, by the way, that Eli was blind? He became blind. 10 His watchmen are blind, they are all without knowledge; they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark (In other words, they do not know when the enemy's coming. They don't know how to warn God's people. They don't know that they are the enemy.); dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber. 11 Yea, the dogs are greedy, they can never have enough; and these are shepherds that cannot understand: they have all turned to their own way, each one to his gain, from every quarter. How many of God's people are supporting this debauchery in God's church? See, it's totally contrary to the Word of God. What you are supporting when you're doing that, is an Eli ministry. It's going down the drain fast at this particular moment. They're all dyeing. I'm not talking physically, I'm talking spiritually. If they're not dead already, they're going to die. They'd have to repent and come out of plundering God's people. There's nothing in the New Testament about being under the Law for giving. We are, of course, stewards of what belongs to God in the New Testament. Luk 14:33 So therefore whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. We are stewards; we're not owners. So, therefore, a person who tithes is a thief because he thinks the 90% belongs to him and the 10% belongs to God. Well, you just stole 90% because Jesus said the rest of that belongs to Him, too. So, if we're not a thief, then we listen to the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit tells you what to do with your house, what to do with your car, and what to do with your money. He tells you not only what to give and how much, but where to give it and to whom to give it. He is the One. He is the Lord since you have the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, they did not have the Holy Spirit commonly, so they needed a rule and regulation to tell them what to do. It's not so now. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made you free from the law of sin and death, so you're free from that law and now you're under the law of the Spirit. And the Spirit is the One Who knows your brethren, He knows the needs; He knows exactly what He wants to do and how much He wants to do, so we have to follow the Holy Spirit with everything. The Sabbath is no longer one day; it's every day. We cease from our works and enter into His rest every day. Now, what about the tithe? It's the same thing. See, when Jesus came, He multiplied the Law. Did you notice that in Matthew 5? Everything about the Law He multiplied, He made it bigger, because now God works in us from the inside out to do His Will. He works a desire in us to do what before we were fighting against with our carnal nature. It's a wonderful thing. But the Eli ministries are greedy dogs; they can never have enough. It is astounding how they can see so many people in need, even in their own assemblies, and yet don't lift a finger to help them. Meanwhile, they're flying their personal jet planes and doing all these things. Going on again in 1Sa 2:29 … Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in [my] habitation, and honorest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people? 30 Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me forever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me…. Wow! Did you know God could do that? Have you ever heard that doctrine of unconditional eternal security? Look at that big “but now” in the middle of that verse. Because God's promises are conditional and we have to have faith in Him. Our part is faith; His part is to supply the power. God can drop us like a rock any time. He can empower you to walk in His steps or He can give you up to this world and I'll tell you what: there is no promise for those who don't bear fruit. God is looking for the fruit of Jesus Christ. 1Sa 2:30 … But now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. Obviously, He's talking about these preachers who were plundering His people and abusing them, and taking an offering from them. You don't “take” an “offering.” That's an oxymoron. 1Sa 2:31 Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thy house. 32 And thou shalt behold the affliction of [my] habitation, in all the wealth which [God] shall give Israel; and there shall not be an old man in thy house for ever. 33 And the man of thine, [whom] I shall not cut off from mine altar, [shall be] to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thy heart; and all the increase of thy house shall die in the flower of their age. 34 And this shall be the sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas…. Do you know what “Hophni” and “Phinehas” mean? “Hophni” means “stiff-necked, self-willed,” and “Phinehas,” I understand, means “a trustworthy face, but the mouth of a serpent.” Isn't that interesting? You know, a lot of people see what they see standing in their pulpit, but that's all they see. They see what they're supposed to see and they see what they are permitted to see, but they don't know what's really going on there. You may remember how I shared with you about one of the first churches I was invited to preach in Pensacola, while I was there I did a lot of teaching. The pastor of that particular church was an Eli pastor and, no doubt about it, he was doing everything that these guys were doing and more. There was a man who came in and he got saved; he came in totally drunk and he got sobered up. Shortly after that, God gave him a vision of the pastor as a serpent standing up behind the pulpit, speaking through a microphone. He did not understand it and he brought it to me and I told him, “Well, it means just what it says, you know.” And that pastor's last name meant “dragon.” He was the dragon, the old serpent. Well, “Phinehas” means “a trustworthy face, but the mouth of a serpent.” 1Sa 2:34 And this shall be the sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall die both of them. I'm going to back up a little bit here. 1Sa 2:22 Now, Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons did unto Israel, and how that they lay with the women that did service at the door of the tent of meeting. Do we ever hear of that happening nowadays? Yes, quite often, don't we? Evidently, sex and money seem to get hold of an awful lot of people who put themselves in a position of ultimate power over God's people. It seems like men who are not full of God cannot stand too much power, too much authority, too much money, too much esteem of the people, before they begin to take advantage of it. What it's saying is that a person shouldn't seek a position in God's Kingdom unless God puts them there. You know how God puts them there? He prepares them first. They are overcomers. Rev 2:26 And he that overcometh, and he that keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give authority over the nations. Nowadays, “You can just go to Bible school and you pay for that certificate and now you're a preacher.” You can do this, but you're in trouble because there is not the nature of Jesus Christ there. After all, you have not overcome by going through trials yourself. And so what happens when you get out there and you get all this temptation? Because the Nicolaitan error is a great temptation. Putting a man in a position that is not Biblical is a great temptation that most people cannot stand. And the proof is showing up. I mean, they are lying with the women who do the service of the door of the Tent of Meeting. They're doing it now. The money, the women, the power, the abuse of their power, it's still the problem. We know God never designed a Nicolaitan ministry, anyway. He called for a five-fold ministry. That's what He called for. He distributed the authority among the five-fold ministry. That's His way of doing things. God's going to raise up the five-fold ministry. Remember, Jesus the Man-child raised up the apostles who raised up the five-fold ministry. The apostles ordained the five-fold ministers. They are the ones who started that. Once again, history is going to repeat in these days because the Man-child is going to raise up apostles who are going to raise up the five-fold ministry. He is going to restore the real five-fold ministry this time. I'm talking about people who have overcome, who are given a position by God, who were ordained to that position by God. In the Bible, it was apostles who ordained the five-fold ministry, but nowadays Bible schools can do it, so we have gone astray. We've fallen into what the Bible calls the “Nicolaitan error” (Revelation 2:6). We've gone far, far astray, and the ministers who put themselves in that position, and the people who put the ministers in that position, are not doing them a favor because they really can't hold up to that. God has to do this. God is the One Who ordains ministers, not men, not organizations and not religions. And so we've ended up with quite a lot of the Eli ministry out there. In Jesus' day, how many of the Pharisees, who were Eli ministers, how many of them recognized Him and obeyed Him when God sent His Son? Well, God is doing it again and they're going to do the same thing. The Lord told me that this is where we are right now, in the midst of a Pharisee, Saul and Eli ministry. But coming right down the road is this Man-child reformer ministry led by the Holy Spirit. Looking at the news concerning the church and the pastors and teachers and prophets and so on, we can see the great falling away going on around us. We know that it's happening again and we can tell where we are. God has pronounced judgment upon the Eli ministry and what's going to happen to it. 1Sa 2:31 Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm (this is speaking of Eli and his household), and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thy house. 32 And thou shalt behold the affliction of [my] habitation, in all the wealth which [God] shall give Israel; and there shall not be an old man in thy house for ever. 33 And the man of thine, [whom] I shall not cut off from mine altar, [shall be] to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thy heart; and all the increase of thy house shall die in the flower of their age. 34 And this shall be the sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall die both of them. 35 And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in my heart and in my mind…. Oh, praise the Lord! This is what we have coming, folks: faithful priests “that shall do according to that which is in my heart and in my mind.” That's not a small statement there. God will give grace. He will send new leadership. Of course, we know that this priest represents a corporate body in our day, spread throughout the earth, that God is sending to restore His people. 1Sa 2:35 … And I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed forever. Oh, praise the Lord! What do you think that means? Well, most people think it means he'll walk before the Lord. I think that's true, no doubt that this new, faithful ministry will walk before the Lord, but I believe that there's something deeper than that here. Let's turn to the New Testament. 2Co 1:21 Now he that establisheth us with you in Christ, and anointed us, is God. Stop and think about that. God establishes us in Christ and anoints us. You know, the word “Christ” means “the anointed.” And Christ was the anointed, but Jesus left an individual body to come back in a corporate body in order to be able to do all over the world what He did in that first body, so the body of Christ is to be anointed. 2Co 1:22 Who also sealed us, and gave [us] the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. The “anointing” is “to be filled with the Holy Spirit.” I dare say most of the church is not filled with the Spirit but, then, most of the church is not anointed. The Lord told me years ago that if we get what the apostles got, we'll do what they did. Read the book of Acts and find out what they had. When Jesus was ministering to the disciples, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit (Joh 20:22) and there came from heaven a sound as of the rushing of a mighty wind Act 2:2 and… they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues 4, etc. Now, if you get that, you'll do what they did. Most of the church today is very dead because they feel that they have been anointed but they haven't. It's just words, you know. So, if you don't want what they have, you won't do what they did. So “he … establisheth us with you in Christ, and anointed us.” Why does God anoint us? It's so that we can walk in the steps of Christ, so that Christ can live through us to the world. We need to be anointed. We have to have this anointing, you see. What it said about Samuel was that, “He shall walk before mine anointed forever.” In other words, in this case we're talking about him being the leadership of God's anointed body that God is sending in the earth. He's walking before them as the leader of His anointed body to do His works. The Man-child, in whom Jesus lives, will be a leader of the anointed body of Christ in our day, just as Jesus was in His day. 1Sa 2:36 And it shall come to pass, that everyone that is left in thy house…. What does “left in” mean? Well, we haven't gotten that far yet, but his house was wiped out and the people who followed his house were wiped out, at the hand of the Philistines. We know the Philistine represents the old man who lives in the land. There's a war going on between our spiritual man, who is an Israelite and the old man, who is a Philistine, and the war is for the land, which Hebrews 6 tells us is this physical life; this life is that land. Now when he says here, “everyone that is left in thy house,” it means, in other words, there are some people who are going to repent of the Saul ministry and not only of the ministry, but of following the Saul ministry. They're no longer going to be a part of that house and they're going to survive because their old man is not going to conquer them. 1Sa 2:36 And it shall come to pass, that everyone that is left in thy house shall come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a morsel of bread. We are the priests of God. As we sacrifice unto the Lord, as we make this burnt offering of flesh to the Lord, each one of us presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice, we are the priests of God. You're not sacrificing your life unto the Saul ministry. That's the whole problem; the Saul ministry refused to sacrifice the old man and, therefore, died at the hands of the old man. Now we're seeing the same thing about Eli. And so if we want to be priests, we have to be following the Samuels. There are people who are going to come out from under the Eli and Saul ministries and follow the David and Samuel ministry, and they will be priests of the Lord. Notice how this sounds very much like Joseph. Remember how, after selling Joseph into bondage, his own brothers came into the kingdom and it was he who kept them alive during the seven years of famine? He fed them. They came to him. All Israel, as a matter of fact, came to Joseph because the sons of Jacob, or Israel, all came to him in Egypt and Joseph served them; he met their needs. And we saw, also, that as soon as Saul died on Gilboa, along with the part of Israel that followed him, all the rest of Israel followed David. 1Ch 11:1 Then all Israel gathered themselves to David unto Hebron, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. Wow, they're actually saying they're the body of David! And so we see that this is about to repeat, folks. These people are dying; not physically, but spiritually they are dying. They're dying at the hands of the old man because they've refused to make war against the old man. 1Sa 3:1 And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious (or “rare”) in those days; there was no frequent vision. It's the same today. There is “no frequent vision” from the Lord. Yes, many people have visions and the frequency of the vision of the Lord is something that the prophetic office is supposed to be sending forth, but it's all been polluted. 2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place (now his eyes had begun to wax dim, so that he could not see). Notice that when Samuel arrives, the Word begins to speak about Eli's eyesight being poor and it seems to get worse and worse the longer that Samuel is on the scene. There's a reason for that and we'll look at it. But what does it mean for his eyes to begin “to wax dim, so that he could not see”? Well, I think this is talking about a lack of perception, a lack of discernment. As Jesus said, Therefore speak I to them in parables; because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand (Mat.13:13). They lost their eyesight in the days of the coming of Jesus and now it's speaking about the Eli ministry losing their spiritual eyesight. 1Sa 3:3 And the lamp of God was not yet gone out, and Samuel was laid down [to sleep,] in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. So here's Samuel in the presence of the Lord and here's Eli losing his spiritual eyesight, meaning his prophetic gift. Now if we go back to one of the verses we read earlier, it says, and the man of thine, [whom] I shall not cut off from mine altar (1Sa 2:33). We see that there are some people who are “under” the Saul ministry who are not going to be “of” the Saul ministry because they're going to repent. There's a multitude of God's people who are going to come out of these apostate churches and follow the David ministry, follow the Samuel ministry, and we praise God for that. This is going to be a reformation that's coming. Those who stay will die. There's no doubt about it. If they continue to follow that which is not the leading of the Holy Spirit, not ordained of God, not the Word of God, they will die. 1Sa 2:33 And the man of thine, [whom] I shall not cut off from mine altar, [shall be] to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thy heart; and all the increase of thy house shall die in the flower of their age. Remember, David was raised up under the Saul ministry, but he was David; he continued to grow. And here Samuel is raised up under the Eli ministry. This seems to be a parallel all the way through the Scriptures. So he's saying that there are people who are of that house, who will not be cut off from God's altar, but they will be “to consume thine eyes.” Why is this? How could it be that somebody who is righteous and who is going to outgrow that ministry, and who is going to repent, how could it be that these people will consume the eyes of the Eli ministry? Well, believe it or not, Jesus made a statement like that. Of course, we know Jesus was the Samuel, was the man-child of His day. Joh 9:39 And Jesus said, For judgment came I into this world, that they that see not may see; and they that see may become blind. So here's the Samuel ministry coming upon the scene and suddenly somebody's becoming blind. Joh 9:40 Those of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and said unto him, Are we also blind? 41 And Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye would have no sin: but now ye say, We see: your sin remaineth. In our day, those people who say they see are becoming blind, but the people who don't claim to have the understanding, the perception, or the discernment, they're the ones like the kind of people whom Jesus gathered around Him. It was those fishermen, those tax collectors, those harlots, those sinners, it was they who became His staunch disciples and they didn't say that they could see. They didn't claim to be theologians, they didn't claim to know everything about God, but the people who did were becoming blind. In John 9 there's a really neat story about a blind man who's blind from birth and whom Jesus healed of his blindness. Jesus made mud, He smeared it on his eyes, sent him into the pool of Siloam and the blind man came back seeing. When the Pharisees heard of this, they basically called the healed man on the carpet and wanted to know who it was who had done this. So he said it was the one called Jesus. Then they wanted to know how it was that he was healed, so he related the whole story. Of course, they were just trying to pick holes in the story because these were the jealous Eli ministry that really didn't want anybody coming in and taking away their position, their kingdom. Jesus spoke of their ministry in Matthew 21 through the parable of God sending His Son and then those people who wanted the vineyard for themselves killing the Son. Well, it's pretty neat how this man rebuked those Pharisees. After they asked him a couple of times in a row, “How did he do this?” he said, “I told you already. You weren't listening. Why didn't you hear?” And they said, “We know this man's a sinner, that he couldn't possibly be from God.” To which the healed man replied, Joh 9:30 Why, herein is the marvel, that ye know not whence he is, and [yet] he opened mine eyes. 31 We know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and do his will, him he heareth. 32 Since the world began it was never heard that any one opened the eyes of a man born blind. And how is it that these people didn't know that this man was from God? The healed man told them, “We know that God doesn't hear sinners, but he opened my eyes.” So this man, who didn't say he was a theologian, didn't say he knew everything about God, had a lot more wisdom than these people who were going against the Word of God in trying to justify themselves. This man who was under their ministry, under this Saul-Pharisee-Eli ministry, was now being delivered and it was making them angry. Actually, they excommunicated him; they threw him out of the church, basically because he told the truth, but they didn't want to hear the truth. There are some of you today who are coming out from among them. Like the Shulamite in the Song of Solomon, you have tried to bring this Jesus Whom you've found back to your “mother” and some of them really don't want to hear about it (Song of Solomon 3:4). You know what I'm talking about, right? Well, every time that you come out from under those ministries and you bring back the truth to them and they reject that truth, they become a little bit more blind, a little bit more blind. Jesus the Man-child came so that these people would become blind. When Samuel came on the scene, the anointed of God, the Man-child of that day, born of Hannah, then we begin reading over and over that the Eli ministry's becoming blind. You see, in this day, folks, notice that God says, 1Sa 2:33 and the man of thine, [whom] I shall not cut off from mine altar, [shall be] to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thy heart. You know how grieving it is to those ministries when you go back and try to share truth with them, simple truth from the Word of God, and they don't want to hear it? And when they deny the Word that you bring to them they become more blind every time. It's interesting, you know, when the man who was healed mildly rebuked the Pharisees, they answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out (Joh.9:34). Who's not born in sin, right? But they're obviously pointing out that if he was blind from birth, his blindness was because of sin. Blindness from birth was quite common in those days. But they wouldn't let anybody teach them, they didn't want to hear from somebody who was not educated, not puffed up because of their religious system, or not somebody who went through their theological training. They don't want to hear anything from those people. You can bring them simple, simple truth; every time they deny it, they get more and more blind. They lose perception and discernment, just as this verse says: 1Sa 3:2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place (now his eyes had begun to wax dim, so that he could not see), 3 and the lamp of God was not yet gone out. Now the “lamp of God” here, in a sense, means his prophetic ministry to the people of God, or it could also be talking about the lamp of the eye, as Jesus spoke about it (Matthew 6:22). But, either way, we know, for instance, in Zechariah, that God is going to raise up a foolish shepherd in the land Zec 11:15, 16. God has done it in every generation and in every cycle. Zec 11:15 And the Lord said unto me, Take unto thee yet again the instruments of a foolish shepherd. 16 For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, who will not visit those that are cut off, neither will seek those that are scattered, nor heal that which is broken, nor feed that which is sound…. Of course, we need to be fed the unleavened bread because that's the Seed of God that brings forth Christ in us, which is the only kind of fruit that God is interested in. 16 … Nor feed that which is sound; but he will eat the flesh of the fat [sheep]…. Once again, we see the plundering of the sheep, living off the sheep, getting fat off the sheep. 16 … And will tear their hoofs in pieces. The Lord pointed out to me one time so eloquently that hooves are what separate sheep from the world. This represents sanctification, which means separation from the world, and separation unto God. God wants us separate from the world, but connected to Him. When Moses went up on the mountain to meet God, He told him, “Hey, take your shoes off, Moses. You're standing on holy ground” (Exodus 3:2). In other words, God didn't want Moses separated from that holy ground. “Holy” and “sanctified” is the same word, right? God did not want Moses separate from holy ground, but out there in the world, God wanted Moses to keep his shoes on because we want to be separate from the world, we want to be sanctified. Well, when you take the foolish shepherd who is breaking the hooves off of the sheep, that means they're doing anything but sanctifying them from this world. Instead, they're making them worldly. Now, I'd like to share a few revelations with you.     The Church Emerging from Religion Servant - 12/30/2010 I see a huge iron structure --mountain-like. It is smooth and brown with bronze tones; smooth, glossy, shiny. It is warm and strong in appearance. Underneath and in the ground a little shoot cries, “Oh, Father, we desire Your presence!” Over and over the little shoot cries, “Oh, Father, we desire Your presence!” SUDDENLY their cry is heard of the Father. He sits forward on the throne. His eyebrows are shaped in a “V” as He looks at the mountain of religion preventing the little shoot. All the balconies of Heaven stand at attention. The earth begins to move to and fro. The mountain begins to sway as the shoot emerges from under the mountain by the power of God. GOD STANDS UP! Shaking, reeling such as never seen before! Then, with a mighty noise, the mountain reels, rips in half and falls in two pieces. The earth shakes: Destruction! Shaking! Such loud noise! Darkness; then all is still. The shoot, the true Church, emerges from the ground. God's glory -- bright, white, brilliant -- covers the shoot and the true refreshing begins. Joy! Strength! Power! The shoot rapidly grows in strength and power. Arms form, much like a mustard tree. This is the true refreshing; this is the power, glory, joy of the Lord. The earth will see and the earth will marvel at the strength, power and glory of the end-time Church. All this must be fulfilled. The Church is arrayed and ready for Jesus. Amen.   Destruction Comes for Apostate Leadership B.A. - 06/23/2015 (David's notes in red) I dreamed that I found myself in Jerusalem, back in Jesus' day, and I was looking up at the temple (a temple made by man's hands which God does not inhabit). Act 17:24 The God that made the world and all things therein, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25 neither is he served by men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 26 and he made of one every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed seasons, and the bounds of their habitation; 27 that they should seek God, if haply they might feel after him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us: 28 for in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain even of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. 29 Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and device of man. 30 The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he commanded men that they should all everywhere repent: 31 inasmuch as he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. There were stone steps leading down from the temple and the steps were being occupied by Pharisees and Sadducees. I was standing with a crowd of people in an open area a little ways from the temple and the stone steps, and just as I was looking around me in this crowd of people, I saw a man come forward out of the crowd who began to sternly address the men who were standing up (or exalting themselves) on the stone steps of the temple. I knew that the man speaking was Jesus. Pro 25:6 Put not thyself forward in the presence of the king, And stand not in the place of great men: 7 For better is it that it be said unto thee, Come up hither, Than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince, Whom thine eyes have seen. And Mat 23:12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled; and whosoever shall humble himself shall be exalted. As Jesus began to speak, I began to recognize the “Word” He was speaking to these men, since I had heard these same words before. Here is what I heard: Mat 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he is become so, ye make him twofold more a son of hell than yourselves. When Jesus spoke the first “Woe”, I heard a loud pop-like sound and what sounded like a crackling sound. I looked down upon the stone steps of the temple that these Pharisees and Sadducees were standing on and I noticed a large, deep crack had gone right up through the middle of those stone steps, and they were beginning to crack and crumble. I noticed that the deep crack was between the feet of a rather large and extremely overweight man. (This is the apostate leadership overcome by their flesh.) 16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, that say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor. Then, when Jesus spoke the second “Woe”, I heard another much louder pop-like sound and more of the crackling sound. I looked around to see where this sound was coming from and I saw that a large, deep crack had gone all around the temple foundation and it was cracking up and crumbling as well. 17 Ye fools and blind: for which is greater, the gold, or the temple that hath sanctified the gold? 18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it, he is a debtor. 19 Ye blind: for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? 20 He therefore that sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 21 And he that sweareth by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. 22 And he that sweareth by the heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. 23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye tithe mint and anise and cummin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy, and faith: but these ye ought to have done, and not to have left the other undone. 24 Ye blind guides, that strain out the gnat, and swallow the camel! 25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full from extortion and excess. 26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, that the outside thereof may become clean also. 27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but inwardly ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye build the sepulchers of the prophets, and garnish the tombs of the righteous, 30 and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we should not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31 Wherefore ye witness to yourselves, that ye are sons of them that slew the prophets. 32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 33 Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape the judgment of hell? 34 Therefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: some of them shall ye kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city: 35 that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of Abel the righteous unto the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom ye slew between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. 37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Just as Jesus had finished His Words to these men, the stone steps gave way and all of those men standing on the crumbling stone steps fell down into a deep pit that had opened up under the stone steps. And just after that happened, the entire temple came crashing down on top of them and covered them up. I noticed that from Matthew 23:15 through verse 39, there are “six” woes – “six” being the number of man. Also, I found it interesting that there is a “Woe” in Mathew 23:23 and the date of this dream is the 23rd and 23 means “death.” (This is clearly a reprobation of the apostate leadership and their fake temples, as Jesus pronounced in His day, and now we see a repeat of history in our day.)     Apostate Leaders Fleecing the Sheep B.A.- 04/01/2012 (David's notes in red) I dreamed I was in some type of city. It was strange because there were no people on the sidewalks or cars on the streets. There were these strange-looking brick buildings (buildings made by the flesh) everywhere I looked. (Sounds like the people of God slaving to make bricks for Pharaoh's buildings.) I decided to go inside one of these buildings. Once inside, I saw a familiar female TV preacher who was hosting an event. I also recognized several other female preachers as well, and others whose faces I recognized but could not remember their names. (Father said, 1Ti 2:12 But I permit not a woman to teach, nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in quietness. Read Word, Women and Authority.) There were elaborate tables set up with all kinds of party food and they were all playing games. Each time the hostess presented a new game, she would have on a different outfit. I watched this for a while, then I decided to leave and go see what was going on inside one of the other buildings. Once back out on the street, I saw a long, rectangular, brick building so I decided to go check it out. It was very dimly lit; I could barely see where I was going. This building was huge inside and it appeared to be some kind of art gallery. There were statues on the floor and statues mounted on the walls. Further on up ahead, I saw some people standing around a picture on the wall, so I went to see what they were looking at. As I got closer, all of these people were dressed up like pilots and they were looking and admiring a picture of various airplanes. Some were elaborate jets and some were small Cessna-type planes. I recognized some of these people to be leaders in the apostate church. (Big time prosperity preachers can't fly with us common folks. They have to have at least one private jet. Poor Jesus, He walked or rode a donkey.) Further on up ahead, I saw another group of people standing around a picture on the wall. As I got closer to these people, they were all dressed up like gladiators and they were looking at a picture of a large coliseum (I believe this to be representative of megachurches) and bragging about their own personal coliseum. (The competitive spirit is always trying to best those who are also a part of the body to see who is the greatest, as Jesus rebuked the disciples for.) Then, all the way to the back of the art gallery, I saw several rows of people seated and listening to a man standing at a podium. Behind this man was a large mural of TV and radio stations (the apostate leadership use the media to steal from God's people). He was teaching these people how to successfully get more money from their viewers and God's people in general. (Representing, using mass media to make mass money and live in luxury while not doing the works of the kingdom. Jesus said, Mat 10:8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons: freely ye received, freely give.) As I stood there listening to this, I cried out to the Lord, “Do you see what they are doing? They are scheming and preparing a plan on how they are going to fleece your sheep during tough economic times!” Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Don't be concerned; their days are numbered.” Then I woke up. (Their greed, debt and sins against God's people will take them out.)     Last House Cleaning Shelly Lynch - 06/23/2013 (David's notes in red) I had a short dream this morning. I saw myself taking a speck out of the corner of my eye. Mat 7:5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. Then I saw myself cleaning the corners of a building (Representing cleaning up the last hidden places of leaven), removing the last scraps of spoiled dog food (leaven of false teaching) from the building with a white paper towel (representing the pure Word). Php 3:2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the concision: (This could be the Bride's last cleansing before the anointing! And the Bride's ministry of removing the speck out of their brother's eye (which can only happen when she has the speck out of her own). Hallelujah!) (However, for Israel, which is a type of the Church and is not cleaned up at the beginning of the tribulation but through the tribulation, this text was given as a warning of coming tribulation.) Eze 7:1-10 Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me saying, And you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD to the land of Israel, 'An end! The end is coming on the four corners of the land. 'Now the end is upon you, and I will send My anger against you; I will judge you according to your ways and bring all your abominations upon you. For My eye will have no pity on you, nor will I spare you, but I will bring your ways upon you, and your abominations will be among you; then you will know that I am the LORD!' Thus says the Lord GOD, 'A disaster, unique disaster, behold it is coming! 'An end is coming; the end has come! It has awakened against you; behold, it has come! Your doom has come to you, O inhabitant of the land. The time has come, the day is near-tumult rather than joyful shouting on the mountains. Now I will shortly pour out My wrath on you and spend My anger against you; judge you according to your ways and bring on you all your abominations. 'My eye will show no pity nor will I spare. I will repay you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst; then you will know that I, the LORD, do the smiting. Behold, the day! Behold, it is coming! Your doom has gone forth; the rod has budded, arrogance has blossomed. (Chastening will bring the elect to righteousness. Isa 26:10-11  Let favor be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness will he deal wrongfully, and will not behold the majesty of Jehovah.  11  Jehovah, thy hand is lifted up, yet they see not: but they shall see thy zeal for the people, and be put to shame; yea, fire shall devour thine adversaries. Including their flesh. (The persecution from the apostate Church toward the faithful in the Lord can be seen here.) Act 5:28-29 Saying Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, 'We ought to obey God rather than men'. And verses 40-42 And to him (Gamaliel) they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. (Considering these two paths, it would be good for the disciples of Jesus to heed our instructions to be spotless and blemishless in the Bride company.) 2Pe 3:14 Wherefore, beloved seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. 1Th 3:13 To the end He may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. Eph 5:27 that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing (speck); but that it should be holy and without blemish. And 2Co 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Sandy Shaw shared at this same time while in prayer she heard, “This is the last cleaning”, and we all believed this would be the cleaning of the Bride of the Lord before the tribulation. She then asked for a word and got by random: 2Ch 29:15 And they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and went in, according to the commandment of the king by the words of Jehovah, to cleanse the house of Jehovah. 16 And the priests went in unto the inner part of the house of Jehovah, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of Jehovah into the court of the house of Jehovah. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad to the brook Kidron. 17 Now they began on the first [day] of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month came they to the porch of Jehovah; and they sanctified the house of Jehovah in eight days: and on the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end. 18 Then they went in to Hezekiah the king within [the palace], and said, We have cleansed all the house of Jehovah, and the altar of burnt-offering, with all the vessels thereof, and the table of showbread, with all the vessels thereof. 19 Moreover all the vessels, which king Ahaz in his reign did cast away when he trespassed, have we prepared and sanctified; and, behold, they are before the altar of Jehovah. 20 Then Hezekiah the king arose early, and gathered the princes of the city, and went up to the house of Jehovah. Hezekiah, as a type of the Man-child, “went up to the house of the Lord on the third day” and this was after the failed Senacherib Beast attack on the Bride when they were smitten. She then got by random, “into the ark” in Gen 7:13 In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; and we read back in verse 9 there went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, male and female, as God commanded Noah. 10 And it came to pass after the seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.

John 18:10-11; Zec 4:6; 1 Tim 4:7; Eph 6:10

O produtor e Agrônomo José Eduardo de Macedo Soares, o Zecão, é uma referência, quando se fala em Agricultura Regenerativa e plantas de cobertura de solo, que ele usa com maestria. Após a entrada de um incêndio involuntário na Fazenda Capuaba, que queimou mais de 200 hectares de uma palhada preciosa, o Zecão nos conta como pretende recuperar o seu solo, com estratégias de uso das plantas de cobertura. Uma aula, para quem teve esse mesmo problema, de perder a palhada em incêndios involuntários.

God's Plan And Purpose For Evil (1) (Audio)  David Eells – 10/13/24  Many of God's people are having a problem forgiving their enemies in these days when we have seen so much evil. It is God's place to judge and recompense evil. Have you not read? Rom 9:21 Or hath not the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor? We've all been sinners from the same lump of clay But we got unmerited favor and they did not. The old saying is true: “There but for the grace of God go I.” So we got grace but they got justice. We must forgive to be forgiven. God is sovereign over all things; even those He draws unto Himself. Some think this not so, but let's see. Let's begin with a little foundation of God's sovereignty. We are shown in Rom.8:28 And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, [even] to them that are called according to [his] purpose.  Do we really believe that “all things” work together to bring to pass the good purpose of God for His called? Our reactions to life's circumstances are a good gauge of this. Knowing God's purpose in all things gives great peace. What purpose is Paul speaking of in the above verse? In the next verse we can see that he is talking about the purpose of bringing many sons into the image of Jesus Christ. (Rom.8:29) For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. God foreordained or pre-determined to bring His true children into the image of Jesus. This has been God's purpose since the creation of the world, even before man was created and fell.   All things serve God in order to manifest His sons. That is why God created this world. Some people who do not understand may see failure in God's plan. But when we study the sovereignty of God, we see there is no failure in God's system. Sovereignty means to exercise supreme and independent authority. Even sin, evil, and the fall will serve God's purpose. He is going to have sons to fellowship with throughout eternity. Toward this purpose, He is going to make all things work together for good. All things are not good, but all things work together for good. As I have said many times, “What does ‘all' leave out?” Applying this truth to our life takes thought.  God must be omnipotent (all-powerful) over all things to make this statement. He must also be omniscient (all-knowing) in order to make such all-encompassing statements in His Word. The Scriptures proclaim that God has sovereign control over all things that have anything to do with your life. He never falls off the throne and He never shares the throne with the devil. The authority that the devil has is according to God's design and laws. Everything serves God in the ongoing creation of sons and daughters. (Psa.119:91) They abide this day according to thine ordinances; For all things are thy servants. All things serve Him in this process, good and bad, to bring to pass His plan.   God never created anything that could thwart His plan, because God never makes mistakes. God even makes the evil to bring to pass His plan. Some will argue with that. Hopefully, you will change your mind as we examine the Scriptures. Evil is a tool of God's sovereignty to bring us to purity and maturity. Without the evil, there is no one to put us on the cross, to persecute us, and to cause temptations to rise up so that we might reject them and be cleansed. God has made everything, even the wicked for the day when His people will need chastening. (Pro.16:4) The Lord hath made everything for its own end (Some manuscripts say: for His own purpose.); Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.   The apostle Paul learned contentment. He understood that none could thwart God's good plan for him. Anxiety, fear, or impatience only comes because of our own nearsighted, immature understanding of God's master plan for us. You can imagine how valuable a great apostle and evangelist such as Paul was to the saints in his day. But, in this case, Paul was put in prison. (Php.1:12) Now I would have you know, brethren, that the things [which happened] unto me have fallen out rather unto the progress of the Gospel; (13) so that my bonds became manifest in Christ throughout the whole praetorian guard, and to all the rest; (14) and that most of the brethren in the Lord, being confident through my bonds, are more abundantly bold to speak the Word of God without fear.   Paul had an understanding that the devil was not the author of his imprisonment because of its value to God's kingdom. Everything is going to work together for the good, individually and corporately. Individually it was for Paul's good, and corporately it was for the brethren's good. The Gospel went out because Paul was in prison. It was from prison that Paul wrote much of the New Testament. The Word of God went more places and was spread much faster because Paul was in prison. People became bold to go out and preach the Gospel because he was in prison.   Sometimes we look at circumstances instead of the Word and think that the devil has been able to stop God's plan. God would have never made the devil if he had been someone who could stop His plan. Some may think that God did not make the devil, but rather a good angel that fell. Since God is all-knowing as the Scriptures say He is, He knew His angel would become the devil. He is also all-powerful to stop what He knew would happen, therefore, at least by omission, He is the creator of the devil. God says in (Isa.45:7) I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil. I am the Lord, that doeth all these things. (Isa.54:16)… I have created the waster to destroy. (17) No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper…   Since God created the evil waster, then obviously, He has authority to say that he cannot prosper against us. Evil cannot prosper for its own purpose, only God's good purpose. Do you suppose the three Hebrews wondered why the God to whom they had been so faithful had ordained the wicked to cast them into a fiery furnace? Those Hebrews found out this trial was to impress a heathen king with the power and saving grace of the God of Israel. He was impressed when God appeared to be walking with them through the fire and there was no harm to their bodies or clothes, only their ropes or bondage was burned off (Dan.3:25-27). God's purpose was to impress the heathen and to deliver them from bondage. This is a type or shadow of His purpose in our lives, too.  Everything that God is doing, He is doing according to the counsel of His own Will. There is not another completely free will in all of creation. If there were, this would be a dangerous place. A free will is a will that is able to do what it wants. Thank God that it is only His good free will, which “worketh all things after the counsel of his will,” that is in control.  I want to encourage you and show you how God is using the wicked and their evil works and His purposes for it. As we saw, He said in (Isa.45:7) I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil. I am the Lord, that doeth all these things. What good reason could God possibly have in creating darkness and evil? Be patient, believe the Scriptures and receive a wonderful understanding of this. Let's examine how God exercises His Will over evil and to what extent.   In (Isa.10:5) Ho Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, the staff in whose hand is mine indignation! In this verse, God calls the enemy of Israel His rod and staff to correct them. In Psalm 23, the Good Shepherd uses His rod and staff to comfort David. The rod and staff were tools of the shepherd. The Lord, our Shepherd, uses our enemies as tools to correct us and keep us in line. (Isa.10:6) I will send him against a profane nation (Israel or the Church), and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. (7) Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off nations not a few.   Notice that the Assyrians did not know they were sent by God to fulfill His plan. It was in their heart to take a spoil and a prey. Whenever God uses vessels of dishonor, they are just fulfilling their lusts. God worked in the Assyrians to will and to do of His good pleasure. We will see that God does this with all of His vessels of dishonor. He has purpose for the wicked in the earth, otherwise, He would have removed them long ago. After God fulfills that purpose, He will do away with them.   (Isa.10:12) Wherefore it shall come to pass, that, when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks. (13) For he hath said, By the strength of my hand I have done it… Notice that the king of Assyria thought that he had done this by his own strength. As history and this verse prove, when God is finished using the wicked for His people, He will destroy them. From the beginning, God did not intend to immediately do away with the wicked but to use them to perfect His people.  He commanded the angels to let the tares grow together with the wheat until the end (Mat.13:30), and only then will He separate and destroy the wicked (Mat.13:41-42). He explained that if you gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them (Mat.13:29). If God took away the tares, the wheat would die for lack of chastening and object lessons.   (Isa.10:13) For he hath said, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom…The Assyrians believed that this victory was by their wisdom and strength, but God claimed to be using them as a tool. (15) Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? shall the saw magnify itself against him that wieldeth it? as if a rod should wield them that lift it up, [or] as if a staff should lift up [him that is] not wood. That is the way God sees this army, like a dumb tool. God wielded the axe, saw, rod, and staff and lifted it up to work on His creation. How ludicrous for men to take any credit. God is sovereign, and everything else is a tool to be used by Him in the chastening and perfecting of His saints.   We should know that God sends these tools to us to carve us into a vessel for His use and that we need to submit for our own sake. These tools are necessary until the saints are God's finished creation and then He will put them away. Meanwhile, we need not fear that the purpose of evil is prospering. (Isa.54:16)… I have created the waster to destroy. (17) No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper… How comforting it is to know that only God's purpose is prospering!   Even Satan is not put in his place until the end when the tempting and crucifying of the saints is over. (Rev.20:1) And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. (2) And he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, (3) and cast him into the abyss, and shut [it], and sealed [it] over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years should be finished: after this he must be loosed for a little time.  One angel had no trouble chaining Satan and casting him into the pit. That was so easy that God could have done it a long time ago if He wanted to. According to the theology of most, God would have had to send an army of angels to get that “heavyweight.” After all, has he not been resisting God for over 6,000 years? Wrong! Notice that after 1,000 years God looses him again! Does that give you any idea about who loosed him the first time in the Garden of Eden? Does God loose Satan to do His Will, or to thwart His Will?   (Rev.20:7) And when the thousand years are finished, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, (8) and shall come forth to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. (9) And they went up over the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down out of heaven, and devoured them. (10) And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire…   (11) And I saw a great white throne… God loosed the devil to deceive all the evil nations, to make war on the saints. He did this so that He could rain down fire on the nations to destroy them, just in time for the great white throne judgment of the wicked. God did not even need the angels to destroy the devil and all of his children. He could have done this in the garden and saved us the trial, but it was not His plan!   Who cast the devil and his angels down to the earth to deceive the nations and to make war on the saints during the Tribulation period? (Rev.12:7) And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels [going forth] to war with the dragon; and the dragon warred and his angels; (8) And they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven. (9) And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him. Then the devil in the beast made war with the saints.   (Rev.13:7) And it was given unto him (the beast) to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and there was given to him authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. If God was going to cast the devil and his angels down, why not cast them into the lake of fire? Instead, God restrained them to the earth where we are! God needed the hoards of evil to separate the tares from the wheat and to mature the saints. Notice, there “was given unto him” (the beast), both authority over the nations and authority to make war on the saints. God gave authority to the devil, who dwelt in the beast and gave authority to the beast, to try the saints and to crucify their flesh.   Back to (Isa.10:20) And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and they that are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again lean upon him that smote them, but shall lean upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. People lean on the flesh and the world. We trust in America to defend and make us socially secure. The world has our love, respect, honor, and fear, all of which belongs only to God. God has a remedy for that. God brought the illicit lovers of Israel against her so that she would learn who the true enemies of her soul were. In this case, the Lord is showing us the same thing.   One of His remedies for us loving the things, people, and thinking of the world is that He is going to bring all that against us. (Mat.24:9) Ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name's sake. It is necessary that we be hated of all nations so that God's name is manifest in us. It is necessary that the world hate us to turn our heart away from the love of the world. God's people were too comfortable in Egypt so He turned the Egyptians' heart to hate His people (Psa.105:25). Then He saved them from the hand of him that hated them (Psa.106:10). First, God turned their heart against Israel, then, God delivered Israel out of their hand, and they were so grateful.   In (2Sa.7:14) I will be his father, and he shall be my son: if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men. God's purpose in creating sons is going to be fulfilled by using vessels of dishonor to chasten His sons for their sins. The rod is physical men, armies, and nations. God uses spiritual principalities and powers to motivate these vessels of dishonor. If I were to pick up a stick and hit my neighbor with it, you would accuse me of evil. On the other hand, if I take the same stick and go chasten my child because of willful disobedience, you should think that good (Pro.23:13-14). What is the difference? The same stick was used, but the purpose was opposite. To attribute evil to God for using evil shows a lack of understanding of His purpose or motive.   God is going to use evil to do good. God is good and all things that God does are good. We cannot limit God with self-righteous thinking. God is going to do a good work with evil. In fact, without evil, God cannot do this work. (1Ti.1:20) of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I delivered unto Satan, that they might be taught not to blaspheme. The word “blaspheme” here means “to speak evil against.” These men were speaking evil against either someone or the truth, and Paul, for God, turned them over to Satan so that they might be taught not to blaspheme. Satan teaches us much. In most cases, it is Satan and his demons that execute the curse on those that sin.   The curse was spoken and ordained by God in Deuteronomy 28 to motivate sinners to repent. Satan tempts us with lusts, but when we give in, he legally may administer the curse until we repent. When we get out from under the blood, Satan is waiting. It is not in Satan's mind to teach us anything or chasten us. That is God's purpose. Satan is full of lust, and hates mankind and wants to do evil against mankind. Satan does not wish to teach us, mature us, or bring us to an understanding of God but he still brings that to pass.   Jesus said, If a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand (Mar.3:24). Satan's kingdom is divided against itself because what he does to the people of God causes them to repent and mature. It is not just Satan, but everything around us that God is going to use to bring us to maturity. Satan, the leader over the vessels of dishonor, is very important to this process. Satan is in command over the wicked spirits and thus, wicked people. God is in command over Satan. The Scripture says, “All things work together for good.” According to this, what Satan does to us is for our good. Does Satan understand what he is doing? No, he does not understand.   According to the law of sowing and reaping, he has sown deceit, therefore he is deceived. He is out to take man's position of authority by tempting him to sin. Satan is also a created being. God did not create any being that was going to be able to thwart His Will. He created everything for the purpose of bringing His chosen into the image of Jesus Christ. There are several methods that God uses to move the wicked, Satan, and the demons. One is by the power of suggestion. He works in them to will and to do of His good pleasure. He also commands or gives permission to them.   We read in (1Co.5:5) to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. This man had his father's wife, probably what we would call a stepmother. Paul spoke to the elders in Corinth and determined to agree with them to turn this man over to Satan. Do you think that Satan is thinking about destroying people's fleshly nature to save their spirit? The flesh is Satan's ally and a manifestation of his very nature.  Paul is taking authority over the power of the enemy and using that power to chasten rebellious children of God. (Luk.10:19) Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy… (20) Nevertheless in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you… Jesus delegated authority over the power of enemy spirits to His disciples.   Disciples have a right by the Spirit of God to use their power or to forbid their power. (Mat.18:18) Verily I say unto you, what things soever ye shall bind (forbid) on earth shall be bound (forbidden) in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose (permit) on earth shall be loosed (permitted) in heaven. Disciples have authority to forbid or permit. With the guidance of God's Spirit, mature disciples can permit the devil's power for a good purpose, “that the spirit may be saved.” In this way, God exercises His sovereignty through His disciples.   When Jesus sent out His disciples to make disciples, He commanded them to pass on the same authority and commands that He had given them. (Mat.28:20) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. If we are disciples (Greek: methetes, “learners and followers”) of Christ, we have the same commands. Jesus said that He would be with them to do this “even unto the end of the world.” Obviously, the original disciples did not live that long, therefore He is speaking to all disciples.   Today, ministries go from one extreme to the other. Either God's ministers are totally powerless in the face of rebellion or they exercise carnal dominion like the Pharisees. Just as a father and mother have authority in a family to chasten their children physically, the leadership in the Church has authority, because of the love of Jesus, over His children. This authority is not for the purpose of personal animosity, anger, or vengeance. It is because we do not want to see God's people come to the end of their lives having never repented of their sins and fall off into the pit. God's purpose has to be continually working in a person's life to bring them to maturity, to get them ready to face Him. In the above reference, Paul turned this man over to Satan in obedience to the Spirit, out of love. Some worry about the possibility of abuse here, but the curse that is causeless alighteth not (Pro.26:2).  We read in (Rom.8:7) Because the mind of the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be. It is God's plan for Satan to administer chastening. It is Satan's lust to do what he is permitted, to destroy man. Satan has been given power over the flesh. Do you remember the serpent in the garden? He was cursed to crawl on his belly and to eat the dust of the earth. What is the dust of the earth? It is what our flesh was made from. Satan has been given authority to come against flesh. I am speaking not only of this body but also of the carnal desires and appetites that gratify self. Satan's job is to devour the old man, and he is very good at it. The benefit is the saving of the spiritual man.   God commonly turns us over to Satan for chastening when we walk in willful disobedience. In Matthew 18, we have a case of unforgiveness. (Mat.18:34) And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors (demons), till he should pay all that was due. (35) So shall also my heavenly Father do unto you, if ye forgive not every one his brother from your hearts. This is a common thing. When we see ourselves delivered over to the curse, we should examine our conscience to see if there is cause to repent. I say “if,” because sometimes Satan is permitted to come against us to build our faith and to prove our authority over him. God uses a very bad devil to do a very good work in more ways than one.   It says in (2Pe.2:9) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the day of judgment; (10) but chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement, and despise dominion… God takes credit for keeping the rebellious under judgment. Some live under judgment all their life because they “walk after the flesh.” If we do not understand the sovereignty of God, many times we are going to go through a lot more judgment. We need to recognize God's purpose in everything. He uses Satan, his demons, or the wicked people around us to chasten and bring us to repentance or to build our faith through trials.   Many only see the vessel; they do not see God behind the vessel whose purpose is being fulfilled. Satan would have us believe that the reason he comes against us is because we are good children of God. However, God would have us believe that when Satan comes against us it is because He loves us and chastens our corrupt nature and acts, or to give our faith a spiritual workout. If you only see Satan coming against you and not God, then you do not have any motivation to change. But, if you see God sending Satan against you, then you are motivated to change. (Joh.3:27) … A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven.   (Heb.2:2)… Every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward. All you have to do is look at the recompense, and you can tell when something is a transgression. When we look at the recompense we can see if it is wrong. Is it wrong to recreationally indulge in hard liquor? Look at the recompense, deterioration of the body and spirit. Is it wrong to smoke? Look at the recompense, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cancer, and other physical complications. People who are bitter, angry, and unforgiving are delivered over to cancer, arthritis, and other immune deficiencies.   Many with cancer or arthritis have kept up anger and bitterness in their lives. Anxiety and worry gives way to ulcers. You do not have to ask if it is sin; look at what it does to people. Even if you do not know a verse that tells you it is a sin, look at the fruit of it. Look at what comes against you because of it. God has ordained the entire curse system to come against those who transgress. Whether God is using the devil, his demons, wicked people around you, sickness, or any other part of the curse, He is doing it to bring us to repentance and fruit.   God will use evil spirits to humble us and bring about good fruit in us. Paul is a good example. He was caught up to the third heaven and received wonderful revelations that tempted him to be proud. (2Co.12:7) And by reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger (Greek: angelos, “angel”) of Satan to buffet me, that I should not be exalted overmuch. Paul says the thorn was an angel of Satan to buffet him. The word “buffet” means “to hit over and over.” You can see that this evil spirit was given to Paul to fulfill God's purpose of humbling him.   (2Co.12:8) Concerning this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. (9) And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for [my] power is made perfect in weakness… This angel of Satan was bringing about a humbling in Paul's life that God called grace. When Paul was in a position of personal weakness or inability to save himself, he got to see God's power to save. It should be the same with us. Earlier in the text, Paul lists what he calls weaknesses. He lists things such as shipwrecks, prisons, persecutions from enemies, and stripes. Not once does Paul mention sickness in the list. The point is that God uses evil angels to come against our lusts, to humble us, to chasten us, and to cause us to repent.   (2Co.12:8) Concerning this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it (the angel of Satan or demon) might depart from me. (9) And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee… God was saying that He would deliver Paul from the individual buffetings, but not from the angel of Satan. Paul said as much to Timothy. (2Ti.3:11) Persecutions, sufferings. What things befell me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. (2Tim.4:18) The Lord will deliver me from every evil work… In this, we see the sovereignty of God in both bringing the chastening and supplying the deliverance.   We read in (2Th.1:4) So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which ye endure. God never does anything just for one purpose. (2Th.1:5) [Which is] a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God; to the end that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer.   Sometimes God's method is to use an angel of Satan to bring us into persecution and affliction, which Paul said was a token of the judgment of God to get us ready for His kingdom. Most often, the demons are administering the curse to do that. All things, curses and blessings, are working together for our good. We have a covenant right to deliverance from the curse. (Gal. 3:13) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us…   Now let's go to (Psa.78:43) How he set his signs in Egypt, And his wonders in the field of Zoan, (44) And turned their rivers into blood, And their streams, so that they could not drink. (45) He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them; And frogs, which destroyed them. (46) He gave also their increase unto the caterpillar, And their labor unto the locust. (47) He destroyed their vines with hail, And their sycomore-trees with frost. (48) He gave over their cattle also to the hail, And their flocks to hot thunderbolts. (49) He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, Wrath, and indignation, and trouble, A band of angels of evil.   (50) He made a path for his anger; He spared not their soul from death, But gave their life over to the pestilence (51) And smote all the first-born in Egypt. Here we have God sending judgments, which He called “a band of angels of evil,” to chasten His people and destroy their enemies. When God sent all these judgments through “angels of evil,” they came against both the Egyptians and the Israelites in the beginning until His people were willing to come out of Egypt. Then God made a separation between Goshen and Egypt. The judgments then fell only on the Egyptians so that God's people would be set free. When we repent of living in Egypt, we do not have to live under the judgments. And (Exo.12:23) For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side-posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. Notice that the Lord passed over the Israelites' door with the destroyer and smote the Egyptians. The king angel of the abyss in Revelation 9:11 was Apollyon (in the Greek) or Abaddon (in the Hebrew), and both of these names mean “destroyer.”   These are just two of the many names for the devil. He was the king demon over death, but God had authority over him. The destroyer came through at midnight, exactly when God said he would. God's purpose was for him to destroy God's enemies and anyone who did not partake of the lamb. God told them to eat the lamb, and the destroyer would not smite them. That is how we come out from under the curse of sin and death. We must eat the lamb, Jesus Christ, the Word. By consuming and digesting the Word of God, we are delivered from the curse and manifest our sonship.   Sennacherib, king of the Assyrian Empire, had sent his vast army against Judah, but God promised them victory through Isaiah. (Isa.37:7) Behold, I will put a spirit in him, and he shall hear tidings, and shall return unto his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land. God put a demon spirit in Sennacherib, who, hearing voices, was then afraid of being away from home. Many demon-possessed people hear voices. The demons want to destroy God's people. Sometimes they have no choice in what they do. God used this demon to take the king home where he fell by the sword of two of his sons (Isa.37:38).   Some ministers, who have not lived righteous lives and yet retain authority over God's people, have been demon-possessed. King Saul was just such a man. God called him and anointed him, but he rebelled. (1Sa.16:14) Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him. If most people did not know this was in the Word, they would accuse me of heresy. We read here an evil spirit from the Lord troubling Saul because he would not obey. (15) And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee. (16) Let our lord now command thy servants, that are before thee, to seek out a man who is a skilful player on the harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well. Of course, they found David with his harp to comfort the king. Isn't that something? God sent an evil spirit to trouble Saul and then sent David with his harp to give him some relief from the torment. He works on us from both sides.   I ministered in an assembly once where I discerned that the pastor had demons. He was having problems with women, money, and honesty. He told me three times that God had spoken to him that he was Saul and I was David. I shared with him truths that would help him to overcome, but he was self-willed. I asked the Lord what to do about him because he was causing believers to stumble. God said, “Let the Philistines take him out.” The Philistines were the enemies of God's people who took Saul out. The enemies of God's people did take this man out, too. I ended up taking over the ministering there for a short time. It was Saul and David all over again. God worked on this man from both sides. In Deuteronomy 28, God says over and over that He would send the curse to the rebellious, and now we know that He sent Jesus to deliver from that curse.   We are constantly faced with a choice. God has put us here for our soul to make a decision between our flesh and our spirit. We are the highest creation of God and the lowest creation of God. We are between heaven and hell, between demons and the angels, between God and the devil. Every way we turn, there is a decision to be made. God planned it that way. He is saying to rebellious people, “The curse is in front of you; do not go. But if you do, it is your own fault, and you will pay a penalty.” At the same time He offers grace to make the right decision.   God raised up Gideon to conquer Israel's enemies. After this, Gideon would not accept a position of authority over Israel. In fact, he would not let his sons take a position of authority over Israel while he was alive (Jdg.8:23). Gideon had seventy-one sons, one of these by a concubine in Shechem. This son lusted after authority and wanted to be the next king over Israel. So he conspired with the men of Shechem to kill Gideon's seventy sons. All but Jotham were murdered. Jotham prophesied the following to the men of Shechem after they had executed the dastardly deed: (Jdg.9:20)… Let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.   God was pronouncing through Jotham a curse of division upon the guilty parties. (Jdg.9:22) And Abimelech was prince over Israel three years. (23) And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: (24) that the violence done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and that their blood might be laid upon Abimelech their brother, who slew them, and upon the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to slay his brethren. God wanted to judge and destroy this evil alliance so He sent an evil spirit between them to divide and conquer. Both Abimelech and the men of Shechem were destroyed because of this one evil spirit. God used evil to judge the guilty and to deliver His people from their hand.   Once I was ministering in an assembly along with two other ministers. These two ministers were grieving me because they were continually patting each other on the back, even while they were agreeing to disagree with God's Word. When I went home one evening after witnessing them confirm one another's errors in front of the congregation, I felt that the Lord put in my heart to pray that He would send an evil spirit between these two ministers to break up this evil alliance. I was shocked. The next day, I found out that on the very evening of my prayer, those two had fallen out with one another to the degree that they had separated. God used that to separate this evil alliance between these two people.   God uses this method all through the Scriptures. Let me share another example. (Rev.16:14) For they are spirits of demons, working signs; which go forth unto the kings of the whole world, to gather them together unto the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. Here demons gather the whole world to fight the battle of Armageddon. The same account in Zechariah says that God gathered the whole world to that battle. (Zec.14:2) For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle… (3) Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. So now we see that God will use the demons to gather the enemy army against His people just so that He can destroy them and save His people. Friend, can you see that if God [is] for us, who [is] against us? (Rom.8:31) On the other hand, if God is against us then who can be for us?   After gathering the nations to the battle, the Lord said that He would “fight against those nations, as when He fought in the day of battle.” In 2 Chronicles 20:17, the Lord told Jehoshaphat, “Ye shall not need to fight in this [battle]: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord.” He was going to fight this battle. His method of warfare is described in the following verses: (2Ch.20:22) And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set liers-in-wait against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, that were come against Judah; and they were smitten. (23) For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.  I used to think that they waited in ambush for one another. But as I looked at the Scripture more carefully, I discovered that God set liers-in-wait for the whole army so that they fell out with one another. The demon spirits who brought them there were waiting to assemble them so that they could ambush them with suspicion, greed, anger, fear, etc., and cause them to destroy one another. He divided three armies that came as one into three, and they killed off one another. Since God is paralleling this to the battle of Armageddon, He will cause a civil war in the midst of the end time beast kingdom, and they will divide into kings of the north, kings of the south (Dan.11:40), and kings of the East (Rev.16:12) to destroy one another and save God's people. God is in control of demons, therefore, He is also in control of their obedient servants, men. All this is for the purpose of bringing us to repentance and glorifying Himself in our eyes and the world's. This should be a word of encouragement to anyone.   Though God uses evil spirits to divide, He also uses us to forbid them when appropriate. God wants us to resist the devil, to not permit his lies or his accusing of the brethren. God expects us to be vigilant and to test the spirits at all times. The ability to test with discernment comes from the practice of seeking to be a vessel of honor and having our spiritual senses exercised by the Word to discern good and evil (Heb.5:13-14). It is a pity more of God's people do not hear from the Lord today.   Many falsely believe that the division of an assembly of Christians could not possibly be the Will of God. The assembly at Jerusalem was scattered by persecution in order to spread the Gospel. Israel rebelled from under the house of David leaving only Judah and Benjamin. King Rehoboam gathered his army to bring the rebels back into the fold, but the Lord through the prophet spoke to them. (1Ki.12:24) Thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is of me… Other reasons for division could be because the assembly is too large to meet the needs of the individual or because the assembly is apostate and ruled by men, in which case, the people would not grow up in Christ.   God divided Babel because their unity was for the purpose of evil. Notice it was the tongue that divided them just as the denominations are divided now. God's purpose in division is always good but man's purpose is generally evil. Denominationalism is the tendency to divide into sects and is a work of the flesh according to the Word (Gal.5:20; 1Co.1:10-13; 1Co.3:1-8; 1Co.11:17-19; and so on.). Jesus prayed that His disciples would be one even as He and the Father are one (Joh.17:21-22). This can only happen when in the Tribulation the righteous give up their sects to be one flock with one Shepherd (Joh.10:16).   Now let's go to (Rom.9:17) For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, For this very purpose did I raise thee up, that I might show in thee my power, and that my name might be published abroad in all the earth. (18) So then he hath mercy on whom he will, and whom he will he hardeneth. Here it is hard to escape the fact that God made Pharaoh stubborn in order to make Himself famous and powerful in the eyes of men. God knows that we need to perceive a great God and Savior. Those who ignorantly think they are defending God's reputation usually say that Pharaoh hardened his own heart first. (Exo.4:21) And the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest back into Egypt, see that thou do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in thy hand: but I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go. (Exo.7:3) And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.   Five times in Exodus, God says that He hardened Pharaoh's heart before we are told that Pharaoh… hardened his heart (Exo.8:15). God sent Moses to tell Pharaoh to set His people free. He then hardened Pharaoh's heart to refuse to set them free. To Israel this made their freedom naturally impossible. God gave to them what they perceived as hopeless in order to glorify Himself in their eyes. They needed to know that He could save them from anything in their coming wilderness trial. God and you are a majority in any situation.   If that was not enough, God hardened Pharaoh's heart again to cause him to follow the Israelites into the Red Sea to the Egyptians' destruction. (Exo.14:4) And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he shall follow after them; and I will get me honor upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host… Unlike the movies, this is the only Pharaoh that they have found that died of drowning. All this was just to impress Israel with God's power to set free. They were going to need this in the trials to come.   Have you ever had some hardened heart in a position of power over you? Go to God, not Pharaoh. All Moses ever got from him was insolence. Have you considered your flesh? Does it seem more powerful than your ability to obey God? That was God's plan. He wants to show us His power to save from sin. (2Co.4:7) But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves. God wants no competition from our own ability. He wants to prove the power of His grace through our faith in Him.  It says in (Pro.26:2) As the sparrow in her wandering, as the swallow in her flying, So the curse that is causeless alighteth not. No curse can alight upon us unless there is a cause. Sin and corruption are the most likely cause. Only God's purpose is fulfilled in a curse. It says in (Num.23:8) How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? And how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied? We are really wise if we are looking for the cause, and not looking at the curse, or looking at the devil. If we deal with the cause, we do not have to live with the curse.   The problem is people will not deal with the cause. They just live with the curse and try by man's methods to be delivered from it. If man, by his own methods, could deliver us from the curse that God sent to cause us to repent, man would be detrimental. What if we examine our conscience and do not see the cause? Then it is very possible that the cause is so that we renew our mind with the Word and fight the good fight of faith. Sometimes the Lord sends Satan against us so that we can whip him. Yes, God does that to prove to us that His Word is true and that we have authority over all the power of the enemy. God's ultimate purpose is to manifest His sovereignty through us.   God wants us to learn to fight a spiritual warfare. God gives us practice sometimes. When Satan comes against us through demons, wicked people, or circumstances, we should examine our conscience. If we do not find guilt because of willful disobedience, then we should exercise the authority that Jesus gave us against Satan, because we are going to win. In coming against Satan, we are also crucifying our old man because our old man is created in the image of Satan. When we fight with Satan, we fight with “self”. When we win against Satan, we win against “self”. That is another part of God's plan that is so perfect and so beautiful. Amen.   Let's go to (Lam.3:37) Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? Can evil command something and it come to pass if the Lord has not commanded it? No! God is sovereign. Jesus said His words were not His but the Father's. We know this was true because they came to pass. By the grace of God, I have commanded healings, miracles, provisions and deliverances that have come to pass. Religious people have told me that my faith was presumptuous because we cannot know the Will of God. I have thought, “How ludicrous! Do I have power to do these things? God did them. I merely agreed with His Word.” The proof that I was in agreement with God is that they came to pass. If the devil commands something and it comes to pass, is it because he is more powerful than God? Not according to this verse. It is because God commanded it whether the devil knew it or not. (Lam.3:38) Out of the mouth of the Most High cometh there not evil and good?   Where does evil and good come from? God says that it comes out of the mouth of the Most High. Does that mean God is evil? No, it means we deserve or need the ministry of evil. (Lam.3:39) Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? We have been brainwashed to believe that man is basically good and deserving of good, so we are shocked when bad things happen to “good” people. (Mar.10:18) And Jesus said unto him… None is good save one, [even] God.  From God's mouth comes blessing and curse, good and evil. The evil here represents the hard things that happen to “good” people in order to turn them toward good and to stop them from continuing in sin. Any evil that comes against the life of those who “are called according to His purpose” is for good. We should always examine our conscience and the Word to find out if God is sending Satan against us because of the sin in us or the actions of sin that we do.   Arminianism is the erroneous belief that everyone has a free will. God is the only one who has a free will. We have a limited free will, limited by our ability, thinking, nature, body, and circumstances. If you have a free will, let's see if you can stop sinning. We cannot do just anything we would like to do. The only one the Bible credits with the ability to do everything He wishes is God (Eph.1:11) In whom also we were made a heritage, having been foreordained (predestined) according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will.  Like this verse, Calvinism teaches the sovereignty of God over election, predestination, evil, and everything. The only way that we can do what we want to do is to get God's Will in us. (Php.2:13) For it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. Then we can do what we want to do because we want what He wants, and what He wants He gets.   That is how the Son sets us free, by giving us a will to do His Will. While we have our own will, we will be at war with ourselves. (Gal.5:17) For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other; that ye may not do the things that ye would. We have God's Will in us, and we have our will in us. They are tugging away at each other. That is not freedom or a free will. This means that “ye may not do the things that ye would.”   We did not even have the freedom of will to come to God. (Joh.6:44) No man can come to me, except the Father that sent me draw him: and I will raise him up in the last day. That is not a free will. We choose not to come to God, unless He draws us. You may choose to sin, most do, but God will choose the time, place, and extent. (Pro.16:9) A man's heart deviseth his way; But the Lord directeth his steps. God directs the steps of His vessels of honor or dishonor. The only reason we make the choice in God's direction is because of grace. (Joh.15:16) Ye did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that ye should go and bear fruit… Jesus first chose us and gave us the will to choose Him because of His unmerited favor. We bear fruit because of a gift of His Will in us.  The Lord brings spirits against us to chasten us and to cause us to repent, then after we overcome, He has total ability to make our enemies to be at peace with us. (Pro.16:7) When a man's ways please the Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. We see here that God has total control over our enemies and He can put peace in their heart toward us when we overcome. We should remember this when we are tempted to take care of our enemies ourselves. So we see, God uses our enemies when our ways do not please the Lord.   God created our enemies just for that purpose. (Pro.16:4) The Lord hath made everything for its own end (Some manuscripts say: for His own purpose.): Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. Need I say that we should not argue with God? We see God's hand as sovereign in all of this. God can send the wicked to us, for a day of evil, because our ways do not please the Lord. When we overcome, God can give us total peace in the midst of our enemies. Whether they are wicked men or demon spirits, it does not make any difference.   Should we reason with our puny understanding that God would be wrong to make the wicked? He has an answer in (Rom.9:21) Or hath not the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor? (22) What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering vessels of wrath fitted (Greek: “to complete thoroughly”) unto destruction. Notice that they are vessels of dishonor and wrath, made to be destroyed. (2Pe.2:12) But these, as creatures without reason, born mere animals to be taken and destroyed…   In instances like this, we must repent and conform our reasoning to God's if we want truth. In God's opinion, and His is the only one that counts, the wicked are animals, made to be destroyed when they have served their purpose. (Pro.21:18) The wicked is a ransom for the righteous; And the treacherous [cometh] in the stead of the upright. A ransom is a price that must be paid for someone's freedom. The wicked are a price that God pays to create sons who are free from the bondage of corruption, so let us not waste their sacrifice.   When Joseph was revealed unto his brethren who came out of Canaan's land into Egypt, they were repenting to him because of the way that they had treated him. Joseph understood the cause for all the tribulation he had been through. (Gen.50:20) And as for you, ye meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Joseph credited God for using evil to bring him into Egypt “to save much people alive.” The Israelites who came out of Canaan's land were starving to death. When they came to Egypt, Joseph, who was sent on ahead because of his ‘Judas' brothers, fed them. God used them to crucify Joseph and prepare him as a vessel of honor.   I remember once when I bought a used car from a heathen. We had agreed on a price and were to close the deal the next day. I had asked God for a better price. The next day, when I went to close the deal, he said he would sell it for the better price that I had only spoken about to the Lord. Only God could put in the heart of a lost used car salesman to suggest selling for a cheaper price after we had already agreed. I realized that God had put this in his heart even though it did not come naturally to him. God works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure, so also them.   The Lord said to Peter in (Luk.22:31) Simon, Simon, behold, Satan asked to have you, that he might sift you as wheat: (32) but I made supplication for thee, that thy faith fail not; and do thou, when once thou hast turned again, establish thy brethren. Satan asked to sift Peter, but why would God give any heed to what he asks unless it is for our good? If Peter had been like most people, he would ask, “Lord, why did you give Satan permission to have me? Just say, ‘No, Satan, you cannot have him.'” But Jesus knew that was not God's Will.   God's purpose is for Satan to get what belongs to him in our lives. The purpose of sifting is to separate and remove what you want. He keeps what is his. The Lord said, “The evil one cometh but he hath nothing in me.” Jesus was pure; there was nothing in Him that belonged to Satan. Satan is sifting to get what belongs to him. God only wants what is left. God could have destroyed him back at the beginning of the world but God ordained Satan for His good purpose. When God is through doing His whole work upon the people of God, guess what He is going to do with Satan, the demons, the wicked, the false prophet and the beast, too? That is right, the lake of fire.   Jesus set the sheep on His right hand and the goats on His left (Mat.25:33). That is exactly how God uses the righteous and the wicked, as His right hand and His left. His right hand is the vessels of honor, and His left hand is the vessels of dishonor. Satan is, in effect, one of God's hands to create His sons. Let me share a dream from a close spiritual brother. He saw a line of the saints coming before Jesus in heaven. At Jesus' left hand was Satan with an old-style cannon in front of him pointed at the first person in line. Satan with a lighter in his hand eagerly wanted to light the fuse on the cannon and blow them away. Jesus' left hand was in front of Satan stopping him. From that dream, you can see that when the Lord moves His left hand, Satan moves.   Here is a clear case of that. (Job.1:8) And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil. God brought Job to Satan's attention and bragged about him. That is just like waving a red flag in a bull's face. Satan did not want to hear that. In fact, Satan is trying to prove just the opposite to God. He is the accuser of the brethren. God inflicted Satan on Job by the power of suggestion. (9) Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? (10) Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath, on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.   Satan is admitting he did not have the power to get at Job because of God's hedge. The same is true of us. (11) But put forth thy hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will renounce thee to thy face. (12) And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thy hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord. Satan suggests to God that He drop the hedge and put forth “His hand” against Job to try him. So why drop the hedge? It was not keeping God's hand out unless you see that the left hand of the Lord was Satan! God confirms this by using the terms “in thy power” and “thy hand.”   Satan was the one who brought the Sabeans, the fire of God, the Chaldeans and the great wind from the wilderness against Job and his family to try him. Look at what Job said about it in verse (21) And he said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. (22) In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. God says plainly here that Job was not sinning by attributing all this to Him. The Lord gave on the right hand, and the Lord took away on the left.   Some people would say that the Sabeans, Chaldeans, and the fire took everything away from Job. Some would look behind those and say that Satan did it. Then some would look a little further back and say that God did it. That is what Job did. That is what we have to do if we are to have the purpose of God fulfilled in our lives. We have to look all the way back and see God's purpose in our lives. Job did not stumble because he understood that. Anyone who sees only the vessel will stumble. If we see only an evil vessel, we will end up fighting and wrestling with flesh and blood. Even though Job was hurting, in his spirit he had rest because he saw God's purpose.   He goes on in (Job.2:3) And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil: and he still holdeth fast his integrity (God was rubbing Satan's nose in it.), although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. God appears to be using reverse psychology on Satan, letting him believe that he was moving God when it was the other way around. God was moved against Job, but Satan was the instrument.   It was God who pointed Job out to Satan in the first place in order to fulfill His own purpose. (4) And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. (5) But put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce thee to thy face. (6) And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thy hand; only spare his life. God always laid down the conditions of Satan's involvement even as he does today. (9) Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still hold fast thine integrity? renounce God, and die. (10) But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.  God wanted to make it plain to us, using two witnesses, that what Job was saying was correct. Shall we receive good at the hand of God and not evil? Job never gave credit to Satan. He never even gave credit to the Sabeans, Chaldeans, or the wind from the wilderness. Job only looked at the primary purpose of God.  Jesus, in teaching us to cooperate with God's purpose of crucifixion in our lives, said, “Resist not him that is evil,” speaking of men. However, we are commanded to, “Resist the devil,” speaking of evil spirits. We should never get caught up and wrestle with flesh and blood. Jesus would not. (Isa.53:7) He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he opened not his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. We are to wrestle with principalities and powers.   God wants us to see evil people as victims of Satan and the curse, vessels to be pitied. (Luk.23:34) And Jesus said, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do… God wants us to see through those vessels of evil and see Him. Jesus had peace because He knew all power comes from our sovereign God. (Joh.19:10) Pilate therefore saith unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? Knowest thou not that I have power to release thee, and have power to crucify thee? (11) Jesus answered him, Thou wouldest have no power against me, except it were given thee from above…  Eli rebuked his sons for their apostasy in (1Sa.2:24) Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the Lord's people to transgress. (25)… Notwithstanding, they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the Lord was minded to slay them. The purpose of the Lord is ultimate. Many will not repent because it is in the mind of the Lord to slay them for their evil. We could justly receive the same treatment, but God gave us grace. (Eph.2:8) For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God. Only God gives the gift of faith to believe and repent. We have to go to God; He grants faith and repentance. True understanding of salvation by unmerited grace causes us to fear God.   Some do not value the gift of God only to have it taken away and given to ones who do value it. The Jews lost out to the Gentiles. Let no one take thy crown (Rev.3:11). The self-righteous flirt with catastrophe. (1Co.4:7) For who maketh thee to differ? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? but if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it? If we have anything more than our neighbor, it is a gift of God, not cause for pride. 

Revelation, Session Four Christ the Savior, Anderson SC Fr. Anthony Perkins Sources: The translation of the Apocalypse is from the Orthodox Study Bible. Lawrence R. Farley, The Apocalypse of St. John: A Revelation of Love and Power, The Orthodox Bible Study Companion (Chesterton, IN: Ancient Faith Publishing, 2011), Bishop Averky, The Epistles and the Apocalypse (Commentary on the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament, Volume III. (Holy Trinity Seminary Press, 2018). Andrew of Caesarea, Commentary on the Apocalypse, ed. David G. Hunter, trans. Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou, vol. 123, The Fathers of the Church (Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 2011). Jack Norman Sparks, The Orthodox Study Bible: Notes (Thomas Nelson, 2008), 1712. Venerable Bede, The Explanation of the Apocalypse, trans. Edward Marshall (Oxford: James Parker and Co., 1878). William C. Weinrich, ed., Revelation, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2005). Review Introduction and Blessing 1:1. The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants – things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John. 2. Who bore witness to the Word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. [speaking of the Gospel of St. John]  3.  Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.   Greeting to the Seven Churches 4.  John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne,  5.  and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.  To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,  6.  and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever.  Amen. (OSB) 7.  Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him.  And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him.  Even so, Amen. New Material 8. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, says the Lord (God), who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Andrew of Caesarea.  Christ is shown here both as God and as the Ruler of all things, both beginningless and at the same time endless, existing now and existing before and having no end, since he is coeternal with the Father, and on account of this he will render to each one the wages of deeds done. Ps 62(61):12; Prv 24:12; Wis 16:14; Rom 2:6; 1 Cor 5:10 St. Bede.  Who is. He had said this same thing of the Father, for God the Father came, as He also is to come, in the Son. St. Augustine.  The Lord himself said plainly in the Apocalypse, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first”—before whom is nobody—“the last”—after whom is nobody; he precedes all things and sets a term to all things. Do you want to gaze upon him as the first? “All things were made through him.”49 Do you seek him as the last? “For Christ is the end of the law, that every one who has faith may be justified.” In order for you to live at some time or other, you had him as your creator. In order for you to live always, you have him as your redeemer. 9.  I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. OSB.  Patmos: A small rocky island 40 miles off the western coast of modern Turkey, fifty miles south of Ephesus, to which the Romans exiled criminals.  John's preaching must have been considered a seditious threat to the public interest if he was indeed a prisoner there. Logos.  According to a tradition preserved by Irenaeus, Eusebius, Jerome and others, John, the author of Revelation, was exiled there in the 14th year of the reign of Domitian and subsequently released to Ephesus under Nerva (96 ad). St. Andrew of Caesarea.  “Inasmuch as your brother,” he says, “being also a co-participant in the tribulations on account of Christ, I naturally have acquired trustworthiness among you. Being condemned to live on the island of Patmos on account of the witness of Jesus, I will announce to you the mysteries seen by me on it.” 10.  I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet,  OSB.  In the Spirit may mean John received the revelation in a visionary ecstasy (see Ezk 3:12 - Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his place.), but more probably that he was in the worship (“in Spirit and in truth”) of the Lord. The Lord's Day is the earliest reference to the Christian name for Sunday. The Didache and St. Ignatius of Antioch show this name was used very early for the day when Christians gathered to celebrate the Resurrection in the Holy Eucharist. As a fulfillment of the first day of the week of the old creation, Sunday becomes the “eighth day,” the “first day of the new creation.” The term “eighth day” is seen in 2En 33:1 (“On the eighth day I likewise appointed, so that the 8th day might be the 1st, the first-created of my week, and that it should revolve in the revolution of 7000; ⟨|so that the 8000|⟩ might be in the beginning of a time not reckoned and unending, neither years, nor months, nor weeks, nor days, nor hours ⟨like the first day of the week, so also that the eighth day of the week might return continually”⟩. and inaugurates the first day of the timeless age to come. The loud voice, as of a trumpet is a traditional, eschatological, apocalyptic introduction describing an appearance of the Lord (see Ex 19:16, 19; Mt 24:31; 1Co 15:52; 1Th 4:16). Andrew of Caesarea.  Having been possessed by the Holy Spirit and having a spiritual ear on the Lord's day, also would have been honored by him on account of the resurrection, he heard a voice that seemed like a trumpet because of the loud sound—“the sound of their voice went out to all the earth”—declaring the beginninglessness and endlessness of God signified by the Alpha and Omega. By it he was commanded to send out his visions to the seven churches, because of the aforementioned number seven applying to the Sabbath period of the future age. For this reason also the great Irenaeus had written that the seven heavens and seven angels leading the rest of them had been created by God first. 11.  saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last.” And, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea. OSB.  The glorified Christ introduces himself as the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, thus identifying Himself with God the Father (v. 8; 22:13). His position amidst the seven lampstands signifies His presence in the Church (see Mt 5:14) St. Bede.  Seven Churches.  The Church of Christ was not at the time in these places alone, but all fulness is comprised in the number seven. Asia, which is interpreted elevation, denotes the proud exaltation of the world in which the Church is sojourning, and, as is the method of the divine mystery, the genus is contained in the species. For the Apostle Paul also writes to seven churches, but not to the same as St. John. And although these seven churches are a sevenfold figure of the whole Church, still the things which he blames, or praises, came to pass in them one by one. Apringius of Beja (Latin Father of the 6th Century). Ephesus means “my will” or “my plan.” He wills that we know that the whole reality of our faith and the dignity of the catholic church is not to be ascribed to human merit, but they are the will of God and the disposition of the divine purpose. Smyrna means “their song.” And what else is the song of the perfect if not the celestial doctrine and the preaching of the gospel and the advance of the Christian religion, or the melodious confession of the catholic church? Pergamum means “to him who divides their horns.” This refers either to the insolence of the powers of the air, or to the arrogance of the heretics. And he teaches that the pride of the powers is always to be separated and divided from the congregation of the church, for the horns are either power or arrogance. He writes to Thyatira, that is “enlightened.” This signifies that, after the expulsion of heretical pride and after the defeat of temptations from the powers of the air, the holy church is deserving of the light of righteousness. Sardis means the “beginning of beauty.” The church is seized by the sun of righteousness and is illumined by the light of truth, so that she might have the beginning of beauty, the Lord Jesus Christ, and might always shine in perpetual light. Philadelphia means “preserving devotion to the Lord.” After possessing the sun of righteousness, after the illumination of holiness, after the comeliness of holy beauty, the church rightly is devoted to the Lord and preserves herself by an inviolable observation of devotion. Laodicea means either “a tribe beloved of the Lord,” or, as some would have it, “a birth is expected.” Both are meaningful, for she who has merited the beauty of faith and the sun of righteousness and knows that through faith the Lord cleaves to her, might also be a tribe whom the Lord loves, who is both loved by the Lord and preserved by the Lord. Furthermore, the church might well await her own birth, either the regeneration of baptism or the glory of the resurrection, whenever she preserves herself by humility and patience.  Pulpit Commentary (BibleHub).  [This] is just the order in which St. John would visit the Churches in making an apostolic circuit as metropolitan. With the exception of what is told us in these chapters, the history of the Churches of Pergamum, Thyatira, and Sardis in the apostolic or sub-apostolic age is quite unknown. 12-13.  Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me.  And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment  down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. St. Bede.  Here the figure of the Church is beautifully represented, as holding forth the light of divine love in the brightness of a chaste breast, according to that which the Lord saith, “Let your loins be girt, and your lamps burning.” And he denotes its perfection within and without by the two parts of the number seven; and the individual members of it, consisting of the four qualities of the body, “love the Lord their God with all their heart, with all their soul, and with all their strength.” 13. Son of Man. He means that he is like the Son of man when He had overcome death, and had ascended into heaven. For “Although we knew Christ after the flesh, yet henceforth know we Him no more.” And it is well said, “in the midst,” for “All,” he saysl, “who are round about Him shall offer gifts.” garment. “Poderis,” which is called in Latin, “tunica talaris,” and is a sacerdotal vestment, shews the priesthood of Christ, by which He offered Himself for us, as a victim to the Father, upon the altar of the cross. girdle. By the “paps” he here means the two Testaments, with which He feeds the body of the saints in communion with Himself. For the golden girdle is the choir of saints, which cleaves to the Lord in harmonious love, and embraces the Testaments, “keeping,” as the Apostle says, “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Andrew of Caesarea.  That the voice was not sensory he signifies saying, I turned, not to hear it, but to see the voice, for spiritual hearing and seeing are the same. I turned, he says, and I saw seven lampstands—which he understood as representing the churches—and in their midst Christ, resembling a man—because he is also God and not a mere man—clothed in a long garment as a high priest of the things above, “according to the order of Melchizedek.” A golden belt was wrapped around him, not on the hip as other men in the era of hedonisms—the divine flesh is inaccessible to these —but on the chest by the breasts also how the boundless and righteous divine anger is restrained by love for humankind. The truth is shown in the girding of the Master's breasts, that is, the two Testaments, through which the faithful are nourished. The belt is gold on account of honor, purity, and genuineness. St. Jerome.  In the law, John had a leather girdle because the Jews thought that to sin in act was the only sin.… In the Apocalypse of John, our Lord Jesus, who is seen in the middle of the seven lampstands, also wore a girdle, a golden girdle, not about his loins but about the breasts. The law is girdled about the loins, but Christ, that is, the gospel and the fortitude of the monks, binds not only wanton passion but also mind and heart. In the gospel, one is not even supposed to think anything evil; in the law, the fornicator is accused for judgment.… “It is written,” he says, “in the law, ‘You shall not commit adultery.' ” This is the leather girdle clinging about the loins. “I say to you, anyone who even looks with lust at a woman has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” This is the golden girdle that is wrapped around the mind and heart. OSB. One like the Son of Man recalls Daniel's messianic figure (Dan 7:13—repeated by Stephen at his martyrdom, Acts 7:56). Christ called Himself Son of Man (see especially Mt 24:30ff.), for He is the fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy. Additional parallels may be seen in both the Old and New Testaments (Dan 10:6; Mt 17:2; Eph 6:17; Heb 4:12). We also see Him vested in high-priestly garments (see Ex 28:4; 29:5; Lv 16:4; WSol 18:24; Zec 3:4, 5). The gold with which He is girded is both royal (1Mc 10:89) and priestly. 14-16.  His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. [17a.  And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.] OSB.  Further, Christ is here described as God, His hair (v. 14) being that of Daniel's vision of God as the “Ancient of Days” (7:9; see also 1En 46:1). His eyes signify knowledge; His feet (v. 15), permanence and stability; His voice, authority or teaching; His right hand (v. 16), power; His two-edged sword, complete discernment. This imagery continues throughout Revelation to affirm the preexistence and eternal divinity of the Son of Man (see also Jn 1:1–18). Thus, in Christ man (v. 14) and God (vv. 15, 16) are united. 1:15 Dan 2:31–44 indicates this mysterious metal foundation not only provides stability but has the ability to forcibly crush all opposition as well. These images are contrasted with the feet of clay found in Dan 2:33, 43: the kingdoms of this world are not permanent, nor ultimately triumphant. 1:16 The Lord holds the stars that represent the seven churches (1:20), and hence, the Church. For Christ is Lord of the Church. In His just judgment, the sword He wields is the Word of God, which cuts effortlessly to the very marrow and heart of humanity (see 2:16; 18:15; Is 11:4; 49:2; WSol 18:15; Eph 6:17; 2Th 2:9; Heb 4:12). The brilliance of His face recalls the Uncreated Light John saw radiating from the Savior at the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor. St. Bede.  14. white. The antiquity and eternity of majesty are represented by whiteness on the head, to which all the chief ones adhere, as hairs, who, because of the sheep which are to be on the right hand are white, like wool, and because of the innumerable multitude of the white-robed and the elect, who come forth from heaven, are glistering like snow. eyes. The eyes of the Lord are preachers, who, with spiritual fire, bring light to the faithful, and to the unbelieving a consuming flame. 15. feet. By the “fiery feet” he means the Church of the last time, which is to be searched and proved by severe afflictions. For orichalcum is brass, which, by much fire and various ingredients, is brought to the colour of gold. Another translation, which renders it, “like orichalcum of Lebanon,” signifies that in Judæa, of which Lebanon is a mountain, the Church will be persecuted, and especially at the last. The temple also frequently received the name of Lebanon, as there is said to ito, “Open, O Lebanon, thy gates, and let the fire devour thy cedars.” voice. The voice of confession, and preaching, and praise does not resound in Judæa alone, but among many peoples. 16. right hand. In the right hand of Christ is the spiritual Church. “On Thy right hand,” he says, “stood the queen in a vesture of gold.” And as it stands on His right hand, He saithq, “Come, ye blessed of My Father, receive the kingdom.” mouth. He, the Judge of all things visible and invisible, “after He has killed, has power to cast into hell fire.” countenance. Such as the Lord appeared on the Mount, will He appear after the judgment to all the saints, for at the judgment the ungodly will behold Him Whom they pierced. But all this appearance of the Son of Man belongs also to the Church, for He Himself was made the Christ in the same nature with it, and He gives to it a sacerdotal dignity and a judicial power, and to “shine as the sun in the kingdom of His Father.”   Andrew of Caesarea. 1:14. His head and his hair were white as white wool, as snow, and his eyes as a flame of fire. For even though he is recent amidst us, nonetheless he is ancient; rather, he is before time. His white hair is a symbol of this. And his eyes are as a flame of fire, on the one hand, illuminating those who are holy and, on the other hand, burning the sacrilegious.   1:15a. And his feet were like glowing brass, red-hot as in a furnace. [21] The divine Gregory also understood that the feet meant the divine condescension through the flesh. For his feet by treading on the divinity achieved our salvation. The feet are also the foundations of the Church, like glowing brass, which physicians say is a sweet-smelling incense, which they call masculine incense. Or otherwise: On the one hand, meaning the human nature by the glowing brass, and on the other hand the divine nature by the incense, through both of which is also shown the sweetness of the faith and the unconfused union . Or the fine brass signifies the beautiful melody of the gospel proclamation, and the incense is the return of the nations by which the bride is summoned.33 And the feet of Christ are also the apostles, who have been tested by fire in the furnace of trials in imitation of their Teacher.35 1:15b. And his voice like the sound of many waters. Naturally. His voice is in common with that of the Spirit, from which “rivers of living water flowed from the belly” of the faithful, and it made a penetrating sound over all the earth. 1:16. And he had in his right hand seven stars, and coming out from his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword, and his appearance as the sun shines in its power. [22] Further down he says that the seven stars are the seven angels of the churches. The sharp, double-edged sword means his decision against the wicked, “sharper than any two-edged sword,” or the sword of the Spirit circumcising our inner man.38 Like the sun his face shines, not in a splendor to the senses, but to the intellect. For he is the “sun of righteousness,” shining with his own power and authority, not like the sensory sun, which as a created object by God-given power and divine command.

Revelation, Session Three Christ the Savior, Anderson SC Fr. Anthony Perkins We also went over: https://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/orthodoxy/articles/tremors_of_doub Sources: The translation of the Apocalypse is from the Orthodox Study Bible. Lawrence R. Farley, The Apocalypse of St. John: A Revelation of Love and Power, The Orthodox Bible Study Companion (Chesterton, IN: Ancient Faith Publishing, 2011), Bishop Averky, The Epistles and the Apocalypse (Commentary on the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament, Volume III. (Holy Trinity Seminary Press, 2018). Andrew of Caesarea, Commentary on the Apocalypse, ed. David G. Hunter, trans. Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou, vol. 123, The Fathers of the Church (Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 2011). Jack Norman Sparks, The Orthodox Study Bible: Notes (Thomas Nelson, 2008), 1712. Venerable Bede, The Explanation of the Apocalypse, trans. Edward Marshall (Oxford: James Parker and Co., 1878). William C. Weinrich, ed., Revelation, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2005). Correction from Last Week Revelation was removed from active use because it was being used to support the Marcionists, not the Gnostics [or Montanism as I said in the class!].  Lord have mercy, my brain is too small! Review of Last Week 1:1-3. The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants – things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John.  Who bore witness to the Word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw.  Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.   New Stuff 1:4 - 6.  (4) John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, (5) and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.  To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, (6) and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever.  Amen. (OSB) Orthodox Study Bible Notes 1:4 Church tradition maintains St. John dwelt and was bishop in Ephesus, in an area where the seven churches were located along a major roadway. The number seven signifies fullness, suggesting the entire Church is also in view. The doxology is Trinitarian, involving the Father (vv. 4, 6), the Spirit (v. 4), and the Son (vv. 5, 6). This initial greeting (lit., “the Existing, the Was, and the Coming”) may express the Father, the one who is (Ex 3:14); the Son, who was (Jn 1:1); and the Holy Spirit, who is to come (Acts 2) at Pentecost and shall always be present. Or it may denote the character of the Holy One, who is eternally present and exercises lordship throughout history (see Heb 13:8 – Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow). God reveals the meaning of the present in light of the past and the age to come. This title may be a paraphrase of the Tetragrammaton, YHWH (“I Am”), of Ex 3:14. Seven is the number of fullness or completion. The seven Spirits of God most likely refers to the Holy Spirit and His several gifts, as this phrase is included in the blessing with the Father and the Son. Alternately the term could refer to the seven archangels who, according to Jewish tradition, stand before the throne of God (Tb 12:15; see also 1En 20:1–8; 90:21, 22; TLev 8:2; “I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels, which present the prayers of the saints, and which go in and out before the glory of the Holy One.”). 1:5 Jesus Christ is presented as the Risen Savior, Lord of all (see Zec 12:10), giving hope to the early Christians that the Church will not always be dominated by a cruel state. Instead of washed, many Greek texts read “freed.” The term witness (Gr. martys), used only here and in 3:14 in the entire NT, refers to Christ, the authentic witness of all divine revelation; all that God has revealed is summed up in His life, witness, Passion, Resurrection, and exaltation. He has inaugurated the new age, for He is firstborn from the dead in His humanity and has achieved a universal sovereignty by His death, Resurrection, and revelation of His Kingdom for the world's salvation. 1:6 Those joined to the body of Christ in baptism comprise the messianic royal priesthood promised of old (see Ex 19:5, 6; Is 61:6; 1Pt 2:9; and the Anaphora of the Liturgy of St. Basil). This priestly ministry is to offer the world back to God in a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving—eucharistically—as in the Orthodox Church's Divine Liturgy. The universe itself thus becomes hallowed, transfigured, and sacramental. Amen is Semitic. It signifies ratification: an acknowledgment of something trustworthy. From Fr. Lawrence Farley John sends this message to the seven churches in Asia who were under his pastoral care. By choosing but seven of these churches, John widens the intended audience, for seven is also the number symbolic of perfection. Thus the Revelation is intended not only to the seven churches of Asia, but also for the perfect totality of all God's churches. In calling God Him who is and was and who is coming, John describes God the Father as the One who is sovereign over time and history and therefore over all the historical events that touch us. God sits enthroned as Lord of the present, the past, and the future, and therefore there is nothing in the past, present, or future that can ever hurt us. God is the Lord of time and of all our days. The message not only comes from the hand of God, it also comes from the entire heavenly court. All in heaven offer the Church on earth this word of encouragement and triumph. The seven spirits before His throne are the seven archangels (see 5:6, “the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth,” and 8:2, the “seven angels who stand before God”). (In chapter 20 of the Book of Enoch, these angels are listed as Uriel, Raphael, Raguel, Michael, Saraqael, Gabriel, and Remiel.) Once again, the number seven is symbolic, an image for all the archangels who stand closest to God's throne and hear His counsel. In saying that this message comes from the seven spirits before His throne, John means that this message comes directly from the Throne itself, with secrets not given to the world at large. Later liturgical usage, in which reference to the Father and the Son was always followed by reference to the Holy Spirit, has misled some interpreters into seeing this reference to the seven spirits as a reference to the Holy Spirit. But when the Holy Spirit is mentioned in the Book of Revelation, He is referred to simply as “the Spirit” (e.g. 2:7; 14:13; 22:17), always in the singular and never as “seven spirits” or as a “sevenfold” Spirit. These seven spirits stand before God's throne; that is, they are portrayed as waiting upon God as a part of His heavenly court. It is inconceivable that the Divine Spirit, co-eternal and consubstantial with the Father and the Son, could be portrayed as such a servant. Indeed, the other references to the Spirit in the Apocalypse carry the suggestion of His sovereignty and authority. The message also comes from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness (Gr. martus; compare our English “martyr”). Christ bore faithful witness before Pilate to the Truth, even at the cost of His Life (1 Tim. 6:13); John stresses this so that we may imitate His faithfulness. The Lord does not call us to walk in any place where He has not gone before. Jesus is further described as the firstborn of the dead. In using this Jewish concept of the firstborn (in which the firstborn son is the main heir), John shows that Jesus Christ is the heir of the whole age to come; the entire coming Kingdom belongs to Him. His faithfulness unto death resulted in His victory and His inheriting all the world. Our faithfulness unto death will result in our sharing that victory. Death has no terrors for Jesus Christ, and so it need have none for us. Thus Christ is also the ruler of the kings of the earth. Caesar may think he has no superior or master, but Jesus, the humble carpenter crucified under the governor Pontius Pilate, is the true Master of the Roman Empire and indeed of the whole cosmos. The Christians of St. John's day, haunted by a sense of their own powerlessness and humility, were thus made to see their true dignity and power. The Church is described as those whom the Lord loves and therefore continues to protect and care for (the present tense is used to denote Christ's ongoing care), and as those who were loosed from their sins by His Blood. This is an important theme in the Apocalypse. The Cross of Christ was seen by secular Rome as His defeat and proof of how pathetic and deluded the Christians were—that they would worship a crucified man. But for John, the Cross is proof of the power of God that defeats all other powers. The Lord Himself said of the Cross, “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). For St. John, our faith in Christ and His Cross also “overcomes the world” (1 John 5:5). Thus the Apocalypse speaks not only of us “making our robes white” in His Blood (7:14) but also of us overcoming Satan “by the Blood of the Lamb” (12:11). The Christians are not to be ashamed of Christ's Cross, for through His Blood they overcome death, Satan, and the whole world. In describing the Christians as a kingdom, priests to His God and Father, John asserts the privileges of the Christians in the face of the pride of Rome. The Roman powers may think the Christians are but poor, uneducated, and powerless, to be utterly disdained. John knows them to be God's own Kingdom, one destined to outlast all the kingdoms of the earth, and to be priests to God Himself, with access to His awe-inspiring Presence. Priests had status and honor in the Roman secular world, and St. John says this is the true status of the Christians before God. Bishop Averky 1:4.  The number seven is usually taken as an expression of fullness.  St John addresses here only the seven churches with which he, as one who lived in Ephesus, was in especially close and frequent contact.  But in these seven he addresses, at the same time, the Christian Church as a whole. Grace to you and peace from the Tri-Hypostatical Divinity.  The phrase ‘which is' signifies the Father, Who said to Moses: I am He that Is (Exod 3:14).  The expression ‘which was' signifies the Word, Who was in the beginning with God (John 1:2).  The phrase ‘which is to come' indicates the Comforter, Who always descends upon the Church's children in holy baptism and in all fullness is to descend in the future age (Acts 2). (St. Andrew of Caeserea, Commentary on the Apocalypse, chapter 1). By these “seven Spirits,” it is most natural to understand the seven chief angels who are spoken of in Tobit 12:15.  St Andrew of Caesarea, however, understands them to be the angels who govern the seven churches.  Other commentaries, on the other hand, understand by by this expression the Holy Spirit Himself, Who manifests Himself in seven chief gifts: the spirit of the fear of God, the spirit of knowledge, the spirit of might, the spirit of light, the spirit of understanding, the spirit of wisdom, the spirit of the Lord or the spirit of piety, and inspiration in the highest degree (compare Isa 11: 1-3; “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. 2 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 the fear of the Lord. 3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear;.”) 1:5. The Lord Jesus Christ is called here “the faithful witness” in the sense that He has witnessed His Divinity and the truth of His teaching before men by His death on the Cross. “As Life and Resurrection, He is the first-born from the dead (Col 1:18, I Cor 15:20), and those over whom He rules will not see death, as did those who died and rose before, but will live eternally.  He is ‘prince of kings,' and Lord of lords (1 Tim 6:15), equal in might to the Father and one in Essence with Him” (St Andrew, chapter 1). 1:5-6.  “Kings and priest” are to be understood here not in the strict meaning, of course, but in the sense in which God has promised this to His chosen people through the prophets (Exod 19:6); that is, He has made us, true believers, to be the best, the holiest people, which is the same thing that a priest and king are with relation to the rest of mankind. Venerable Bede. 4. seven. By these seven churches he writes to every church, for universality is wont to be denoted by the number seven, in that all the time of this age is evolved from seven days. Grace. Grace he desires for us, and peace from God, the eternal Father, and from the sevenfold Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, Who gave testimony to the Father in His Incarnation. He names the Son in the third place, as he was to speak further of Him. He names Him also the last in order, as He is the first and the last; for He had already named Him in the Father by saying, “Who was to come.” 5. the first-begotten. This is the same that the Apostle says, “We have seen Jesus Christ for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour.” And in another place, in setting forth the reproach of the cross, he added, “Wherefore also God highly exalted Him, and gave Him the Name which is above every name.” 6. priests. Because the King of kings and heavenly Priest united us unto His own body by offering Himself for us, there is not one of the saints who has not spiritually the office of priesthood, in that he is a member of the eternal Priest 7. cometh. He Who was concealed, when at the first He came to be judged, will be manifested at the time when He shall come to judge. He mentions this, that the Church which is now oppressed by enemies, but is then to reign with Christ, may be strengthened for the endurance of sufferings. pierced. When they see Him as a Judge with power, in the same form in which they pierced Him as the least of all, they will mourn for themselves with a repentance that is too late. Amen. By interposing an Amen, he confirms that without doubt that will happen, which, by the revelation of God, he knows most surely is to come to pass. Gregory of Caesarea. 1:4. John, to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from the One who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits which are before his throne. Due to the existence of many churches in many places, he sent to only seven, mystically meaning by this number the churches everywhere, also corresponding to the present-day life, in which the seventh period of days is taking place. For this reason also he mentions seven angels and seven churches, to whom he says, Grace to you and peace from the Tri-hypostatic Divinity. For by the who is the Father is signified, who said to Moses, “I am He who is,” and by the who was the Logos, “who was in the beginning with God,” and by the who is to come the Paraclete, who always enlightens the children of the Church through holy Baptism, more completely and more strongly in the future. It is possible to understand the seven spirits as the seven angels who were appointed to govern the churches, not counting them equal to the most divine and royal Trinity, but mentioned along with it as servants, just as the divine Apostle said, “I call upon you in the presence of God and the chosen angels.” By the same token, this may be understood differently: the One who is, and who was, and who is to come, meaning the Father, who contains in himself the beginning, middle, and end of all that exists, and the seven spirits the activities of the Life-giving Spirit, following Christ God, who became man for our sake. For in many places each divine Person is indifferently placed and arranged by the Apostle. For this he says here: 1:5a. And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. He is the one who witnessed to Pontius Pilate, faithful to his words in all things, the firstborn of the dead as life and resurrection, for those whom he governs will no more see death, like those who were dead before and rose, but will live eternally. Ruler of the kings, as “King of kings and Lord of lords,” equal in power with the Father and consubstantial. Elsewhere, ruler of the kings of the earth is also said earthly desires. If, according to the Blessed [15] Gregory, this usage of he who is, who was, and who is to come, the ruler of all refers to Christ, then it is not unreasonable that words similar to those which will be said shortly after refer to him, to which also the ruler of all is attached and without the repetition or introduction of another person. For here the addition of and from Jesus Christ appears to confirm the understanding we have presented. For it would be unnecessary if he were talking about the only Logos of God and the person of the Son to add immediately and from Jesus Christ in order to show him as distinct from the other one, the expressions that befit God equally honor and are appropriate to each of the divine Persons, and are common to the three, except for their distinctive properties, that is to say, the relationships , as said by Gregory the Theologian, and except for the Incarnation of the Logos. also clear from the things from which we learn, that in the Gospel the thrice-holy hymn of the Seraphim16 is said about the Son, in the speech of Paul in the Acts about the Holy Spirit, and then about the Father, in the offering of the awesome mysteries, to whom we are accustomed to say this prayer,19 as the blessed Epiphanios says in his homily On the Holy Spirit. these things to show that our own understanding does not contradict the patristic voices, and also, with God's help, we continue. 1:5b–6. To the One who loved us and freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and made us kings and priests to God and his Father. Glory and dominion to him to the ages of ages. Amen. The glory belongs to him, it says, who freed us through love from the bondage of death, and washed the stains of sin through the outpouring of his life-giving blood and water. And he has made us “a royal priesthood” so that we may offer, instead of irrational sacrifices, “rational worship”22 as a living sacrifice to the Father.    

This is a recording provided by Adirondack Christian Fellowship of Dave's guest teaching on Psalm 102. Given at ACF on Sunday September 15th, 2024. Theme: Bring your Burdens This is one of the Penitential Psalms, which is a psalm in which the author shows a penitent heart, they confess their brokenness, their sin, and their need for God's forgiveness. Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143 are all categorized as penitent psalms. Psalm 51 as you may recall is King David's lament after being caught in his sin with Bathsheba & Uriah the hitite. This is also a Messianic psalm, and I will show you why. There are three segments to this psalm: Vv 1-11 - Personal Lament Vv 12-22 - Future hope Vv 23-28 - Eternal God Psalm 102.1-11 What do you think this writer is going through? What is his distress? Terminal cancer - June of 2023 - Steve Beck. Glioblastoma Depression. Psalm 42.3 says, “My tears have been my food day and night” The Sorrow of Unrepentant, un delt-with Sin. Psalm 102.12-22 Future hope What a turn in the text. We go from a lament in total pain and anguish to a Parise., “You Lord sit enthroned forever, your renown endures through all generations.” CONTEXT Whenever we study the Bible we must always ask about the context; WHO wrote this, WHO did they write it to? WHEN was it written? WHERE was it written from and where was it written to? Once we know these things we will be better informed to ask the Holy Spirt WHAT we are supposed to do with this information and HOW we can apply it to our lives. What is ZION? 2 Sam 5.7; Psalm 2:6; 48:2, 11-12 & 132:13; Jer 31.6; Isa 40.9; Jer 31.12; Zec 9.13 Psalm 102:13,16,21 In the midst of this poets personal lament of anguish to the Lord he calls out and says, “I am going through this pain, but you rule soverough over all, our beloved Jerusalem has fallen, and its people in Exile, but you are in charge and you will see it rebuilt, both its walls and its people.” V18, “Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord.” The nation of Israel is proof of God's existence No other people group in the world's history has been whipped out, destroyed, and come back. A language gone extinct and then come back. The Israelites are God's people and a study of the prophecies in the Bible in conjunction with world history is the closest actual proof we can have of God's existence. Moving on… Psalm 102.23-28 - Eternal God V23-24 - a return to a personal lament - “he broke my strength, he cut short my days.” and a plee - “do not take me away, my God, in the midst of my days.” A personal cry out followed by an acknowledgment of who God is, he is the eternal creator that will go on forever. This world is going to end, but you are not. We see here a prophetic message of what the future holds for our earth. Isa 34:4 Mat 24:35 2Pe 3:7-10 How is this a Messianic Psalm? Heb1.10-12 Heb 1.1-2; Heb 13.8 Concluding Psalm 102 Psalm 55.22 - “Cast your burden on the Lord and he shall sustain you.” --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ironsheep/support

Seek God's Grace and Mercy   (audio)   David Eells 9/4/24   Exo 34:6 And Jehovah passed by before him [Moses], and proclaimed, Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth; 7 keeping lovingkindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation.   Lovingkindness means “kindness, favor, grace, mercy, pity…”   Multitudes of people have received warnings from the Lord in dreams, visions and prophetic Words of great judgments of devastations and disasters that were to come on America and the whole world. But God's people have prayed for His mercy crying out to the Lord and He has heard their prayers. Many times God's people prayed for His namesake asking for His mercy and grace.   We know God can change or delay what He speaks to us as a warning through prophets, dreams, visions, or His Spirit. Judgments in the Word are unchangeable except by repentance and faith.   God gave us an example of this in the book of Jonah. Jonah cried and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown (Jon 3:4). God told Jonah to preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee (Jon 3:2), so he did. He was not a false prophet. God spared Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, because they repented. This angered Jonah because Assyria was the mortal enemy of Israel and the prophets had already been prophesying that Assyria would conquer rebellious Israel. He wanted them to be destroyed for what he perceived was Israel's sake. Jonah knew that if he preached to Nineveh and they repented, God would not destroy them, so he fled.   Jon 4:1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. 2 And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I hasted to flee unto Tarshish; for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and repentest thee of the evil. God spared Nineveh around 752 B.C. so that Assyria could conquer the northern ten tribes of Israel around 720 B.C. and then Judah around 701 B.C. Nineveh ultimately did fall around 612 B.C. God knew before He threatened Nineveh that He was going to spare them for the purpose of using them to chasten Israel.   Daniel prayed and interceded for God's people when he understood the timing of the end of the desolations and captivity of Jerusalem.  Dan 9:3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4 And I prayed unto Jehovah my God, and made confession, and said, Oh, Lord, the great and dreadful God, who keepeth covenant and lovingkindness with them that love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned, and have dealt perversely, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even turning aside from thy precepts and from thine ordinances; 6 neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, that spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.   7 O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of face, as at this day; … because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness; for we have rebelled against him; 10 neither have we obeyed the voice of Jehovah our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.   11 Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even turning aside, that they should not obey thy voice: therefore hath the curse been poured out upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God; for we have sinned against him. 13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet have we not entreated the favor of Jehovah our God, that we should turn from our iniquities, and have discernment in thy truth. 14 Therefore hath Jehovah watched over the evil, and brought it upon us; for Jehovah our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth, ...   15 And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly. 16 O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, let thine anger and thy wrath, I pray thee, be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain; … 17 Now therefore, O our God, hearken unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake. 18 O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies' sake. 19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God, because thy city and thy people are called by thy name.  “You have not because you ask not.” Let's go to Jer 18:1 The word which came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying, 2 Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. 3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he was making a work on the wheels. 4 And when the vessel that he made of the clay was marred in the hand of the potter, he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.   5 Then the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, 6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith Jehovah. Behold, as the clay in the potter's hand, so are ye in my hand, O house of Israel. 7 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up and to break down and to destroy it; 8 if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.   9 And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; 10 if they do that which is evil in my sight, that they obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them. 11 Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith Jehovah: Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: return ye now everyone from his evil way, and amend your ways and your doings.   Psa 89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy throne: Lovingkindness and truth go before thy face.   Joe 2:12 Yet even now, saith Jehovah, turn ye unto me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 13 and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto Jehovah your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and repenteth him of the evil. 14 Who knoweth whether he will not turn and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, even a meal-offering and a drink-offering unto Jehovah your God?   Isa 55:6 Seek ye Jehovah while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near: 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto Jehovah, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.  Eze 33:11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?   Jer 9:23 Thus saith Jehovah, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; 24 but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he hath understanding, and knoweth me, that I am Jehovah who exerciseth lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith Jehovah.   Psa 84:11 For Jehovah God is a sun and a shield: Jehovah will give grace and glory; No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.  Mic 7:18-20 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth over the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger forever, because he delighteth in lovingkindness. 19 He will again have compassion upon us; he will tread our iniquities under foot; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. 20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the lovingkindness to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.   Zec 8:21-22 and the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to entreat the favor of Jehovah, and to seek Jehovah of hosts: I will go also. 22 Yea, many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek Jehovah of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favor of Jehovah.  Favor is grace.  Mal 1:9 And now, I pray you, entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious unto us:   Psa 98:1-3 Oh sing unto Jehovah a new song; For he hath done marvelous things: His right hand, and his holy arm, hath wrought salvation for him. 2 Jehovah hath made known his salvation: His righteousness hath he openly showed in the sight of the nations. 3 He hath remembered his lovingkindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel: All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. (The Lord has certainly brought salvation to the earth by lessoning the judgments, the plagues, taking down the DS, and minimizing the damage of the coming earthquakes across this land.)   Psa 69:13 But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O Jehovah, in an acceptable time: O God, in the abundance of thy lovingkindness, Answer me in the truth of thy salvation. Psa 33:5 He loveth righteousness and justice: The earth is full of the lovingkindness of Jehovah.  Psa 107:8 Oh that men would praise Jehovah for his lovingkindness, And for his wonderful works to the children of men!  Joh 1:17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.   Heb 4:16 Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help us in time of need. 2Jn 1:3 Grace, mercy, peace shall be with us, from God the Father, and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.       God's Grace and Mercy is Here: “JUST ONE ROAR of the LION”   by S. Jha (David's notes in red)   I saw this vision on the 22nd of August 2006. (Remember this is an older vision before these things that are happening now which are turning many things around. Destructive sinful Babylon DS is feeling the wrath of the roar.)   I saw a Lion. I walked with Him to a very high Rock. The Lion then climbed the Rock, and stood on the very top of this high Rock. I stood below, looking up at Him. He let out a LOUD ROAR. And EVERYTHING in the atmosphere / universe changed.   In a flash, I had a 360-degree vision, and what I am about to relate happened in a flash, but I spent the whole of the 22nd of August, just waiting on God to see in ‘slow motion', what I had seen in a speedy flash, and understand what I had seen.   I was told that my mind could not grasp the vastness of the changes I saw in the Vision. So I stayed at home, and did not take up any duties but spent the whole day, off and on, every few hours just re-visiting this vision and seeing it unfurl in more detail, now at a speed that I could cope with. I don´t think I have ever seen such a lengthy vision, condensed into a 360-degree vision flash before.   Frame by frame this is what I saw: I saw Empires fall, and wars begin. (The DS / Khazarian Mafia which has invaded most countries is falling fast. They are also making covert war to stop this. But God is using their weapons on them.)   I saw that where previously, formulas and general understanding were proven, it did not work anymore, where there were people and places overflowing with money one moment, the next morning the moneyed had nothing. (An economic system designed to favor the rich and criminal is crumbling and a new economic system is now being put in place that cuts out the criminals. A redistribution of the wealth is happening. As I have shared in the past, a reversal of fortunes is upon us.)   I saw many ‘proven' thoughts, and ways now nullified. I saw that the balance was tipped in favor of the East. I saw Angels who had been working in the North and Northwest, recalled and sent East.   I saw children snatched out of the hands of some of the parents. (As these demonic entities have been doing for years... stealing the children, but now it is known and children are being freed from these satanists.)   Fresh food stopped in the western area and was diverted to the East. The fertile became barren and the barren became fertile. All this, from Just One Roar of the Lion. (The DS has been destroying our ability to make food through GMO, weather warfare and poisoning from the air, water, and food. Destroying granaries and silos, etc. but this is coming to an end.)   I saw 3 long lines of writing in the sky. It read: Lost, Lost, Lost. But below it I saw the word: Gain, gain, gain...... where this line ended I could not see, as it just continued on, endlessly.  (Their loss is our gain.) I saw that the East gained money, food, etc. (With the GCR the value of the Eastern poorer nations currency has come up to US standards. And the food of the Gospel is going East. Easterners are receiving Christ and the gospel extremely fast.) The losses were loss of power, prestige, money, position.   I saw: Where a soldier stood to load his gun, to shoot, even the last single bullet he had was taken away. (Trump has stopped many endless wars of the DS.) Where a soldier stood ready for packing his gun, where truce had been declared, divine bullets loaded his gun, and led him to shoot.  (Divine bullets are not physical but spiritual to the casting down of Satan and his angels.) In the Universe, expected cosmic events were diverted and unexpected ones were brought forth. Deserts bloomed, greenery was made barren. Light that had focused on the West, now moved East. (People who are saturated with the gospel light and done nothing with it are losing it. The greatest revivals are happening in the East. Whole nations are being taken over. And westerners have been receiving the spirits from the East.)   This was so sudden that it was like saying... “One morning I woke up, and all was changed”. (Amos 3:8) The lion hath roared, who will not fear? The Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy? The Lion has Roared. (We have been prophesying these things and they are happening.)   Dark clouds disintegrated from one place and gathered in another. Whilst there was a West to East exchange on a large level, on individual levels there were changes too. Everything, everything, everything, was changing. All this from, Just One Roar of the Lion. (A reversal of fortunes.)   Just that One Roar, and things from here, were flying there and vice versa. People/Nations, who had got used to a way of life/of thinking, were in for either a shock or a surprise.   CHANGE, CHANGE, CHANGE, CHANGE, CHANGE, CHANGE, CHANGE.   The hungry were fed, and the fed went hungry. (The GCR is redistributing the wealth but not as the Communist overlords have wished.) All opposites were happening. Many homeless were housed, and many of those with homes became homeless. (Those who are receiving the wealth, including many Christians, are humanitarians.) Light became dark and dark became light. Whatever the present situation, the opposite was happening. Many rich became poor and many of the poor became rich.   All this, from Just One Roar of the Lion. Clouds that were meaning to rain, suddenly disintegrated and it rained elsewhere, where least expected.   People were in puzzlement. They said to themselves, “but I thought....” No, nothing would be as ‘I thought.' Many were saying, “But it always worked this way”. Now no more. For those who said, “It´s never worked for me,” they were surprised to know that it will now. (Grace for many things will be taken from the reprobates and given to those hungry for God.)   Heralds blew trumpets, proclaiming, “End of empire! End of empire!” Anyone who had been a specialist, a monopolist, the kingpin in any area of his life/business, now that would begin to end. Nations that had empires or aspirations building towards it, would now see the beginning of the end of those empires. (The DS empires are crumbling; their economy which favored the rich, the Satanists, and criminals are falling.)   Nothing was the same. Everything, everything had changed. Just One Roar Of The Lion. And He Has Roared.   Empty pockets were filled, the filled emptied. (The new economic system will favor the needy who will see this as a move of God.) Strategic changes were taking place. Whatever had worked like clockwork would not work now. People of peace were making war, and warring nations calmed down. (Trump has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for stopping wars and making peace. But its God!)   For the warring nations it was like the wind was taken out of their sails. Just as Egypt, Persia, Babylon (DS), Rome, Britain etc. were all once superpowers, and empires, but their reign and era ended, so now any ‘super power' or aspirations thereof, was being diffused. Nations that were looked up to were now beginning to be looked down upon and vice versa.   Balance of power and favor had shifted East. Angels in the West held Gold Books. One book was titled “Most Wanted”, the other, “Most Favored”. ‘The Most Wanted' Book had living photographs of the most evil people, the traitors etc. Each one was dealt with and disposed. (As is happening now; they are being hunted down as they once did to the poor and helpless; even the children. The stars are all falling because of their reprobation. Hollywood is dying.)   The Most Favored, in the other gold Book with living photographs, were some of those, who had lived through most desolate conditions, such were lifted up. (All that is related here, remember, was happening all at once. (And so it is)) In the midst of all this, I heard the Angels sing, “Glory, Glory, Glory.”  (And they by the hand of God are making this happen.)1 Time was sped up in some places, in others, it was slowed down. Wild beasts (A parable of wicked men in Ecclesiastes.) were all crouching in fear, afraid. I saw the milk inside of cows curdle. Just One Roar Of the Lion.   I saw Eagles, fitted with miniature bells. The bells were so minute, it was hard to believe that if they rang any could hear. Eagles did not speak, they just carried the bells that were fitted to their beaks. People were to ‘read' the sounds. (Sound is a discernment that is not seen; it must be translated by the hearer.) (I thought how “eagles” represent the “overcomers/man-childs”)   Wheresoever the Eagles flew, to some the ringing of the bells was as a very high, deafening pitch. I was not allowed to hear this high pitch sound, but it was revealed to me, that it was an unbearable/deafening high pitch sound. (To the flesh it will mean death.)   But there were others who heard the same bells, which the Eagles had attached to their beaks, and to these the sound transmitted was different. It was sheer music. (The spirit man will love the sound for it is life to him.) I heard this. These people had their hands lifted high and they were happily sighing and exclaiming, “Finally!” (The spirit man will discern life and deliverance.)   I saw Angels collect gold crowns from those in the North, and they dipped the crowns in a smoky place (the kind of smoke one sees with dry ice), and when the crowns emerged from the smoke, they looked exactly the same, but now they were silver. (The beast almost always came from the north against the people. The rich have ruled over the world with a heavy hand. Their wealth shall be distributed.)   No matter in which direction I looked all had changed. It seemed that the very nature of nature changed.   Volcanoes that were dormant, the ashes were removed, and a new fire was lit in them. It seemed that certain species suddenly became extinct.    Reams of paper fell from the sky; paper and pens were sent down, for Chroniclers and Historians, for it was going to be a busy time for them. (This could be rewriting of false history as it really happened. The declass will reveal what really happened making null and void all the past administrations' works. Also many will pass on the Word and testimonies.) Nothing of all creation was left untouched, at Just One Roar of The Lion.   Outside, the earth looked still, but within were rapid-fire changes. Quick, sudden, some were devastating, others surprisingly favorable, but this favor was mostly for the East. (Poor countries will share in the stolen wealth.)  I saw what looked like a flight-path that normally airlines describe on their brochures, as routes of flights/destinations. For prophets, their flight-paths were moved from here to there, as if randomly, but it was not random, it was the Plan of God for prophets. Prophets will be suddenly moved, and see things from a new vantage point. (This has happened. We once saw the DS plan to devastate Christianity and now everything is changing through prayer.)     I saw some people become tar (Frozen blackness), whilst others became fountains of water. Just One Roar Of The Lion. (As Isaiah said the Curl shall be known for what he is. Isa 32:2-8 And a man shall be as a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest, as streams of water in a dry place, as the shade of a great rock in a weary land. 3 And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken. 4 And the heart of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly.   5 The fool shall be no more called noble, nor the churl said to be bountiful. (The faction in the Church and government are turning this way) 6 For the fool will speak folly, and his heart will work iniquity, to practice profaneness, and to utter error against Jehovah, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and to cause the drink of the thirsty to fail. 7 And the instruments of the churl are evil: he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the meek with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right. 8 But the noble deviseth noble things; and in noble things shall he continue.   Many changes took place in the Universe. On earth, snows of old melted, and water in unlikely places froze. It is no ordinary thing, when the Lion Roars.  Those dressed warm in the winter, had their clothes taken away, they were left naked. But the naked street-dweller was clothed. There was a divine transfer of wealth, knowledge, and understanding. (It is happening)   People who'd talked and talked for years, had their mouths taped. (Fake MSM)  But, as in Ezekiel 24:2, those that had been mute for a season now spoke. (God will anoint the humble with grace.)   As the vision progressed, I heard the Lord say, “My People have no roof over their head. I Am their Roof.” I was flown speedily over building after building, and as we flew, I heard the Lord say “Not Mine, not Mine, not Mine, not Mine, not Mine, not Mine, not Mine.” Now I was despairing. What then was God's? (The buildings of the apostates will be proven not to be part of his Kingdom.)   Then I was shown people in the fields, with instruments. They had no roof over their heads. These were God's own. (Discipleship will not be found in the dead Churches but in highways and byways.)   The buildings we flew over were demolished by an elephant's trunk and many T.V. Studios had a fire underneath them. (MSM replaced as is happening now.) Apparently these buildings had been re-built on the same grounds where prior buildings had been condemned and burnt. These new buildings had been built on the foundations of charred remains and ashes. (Buildings of apostates will have no protection. Their judgments will be for a foundation of understanding and fearing God.)   I saw oil poured out from the sky, in two separate ways. One fell over people who gladly received it over them and laughed in the ‘oil- rain'. On the other hand, for others, the oil-rain caused to be set aflame all that was below. (God's anointing will rain down as the latter rain but will bring anointed judgment with it.)   All that was up to the present became obsolete, and new technology, the secrets of which were hidden in nature, appeared. (These new technologies hidden by the elite who thrived on oil wars will be released as President Trump has said. The oil economy is on its way out.)   Science made simple but profound discoveries. I saw Scientists have a ‘Eureka' moment. For many who were researching, studying, looking for, the ‘thing', it was right there before their very noses. Once they saw it they slapped their foreheads, lamenting, “Silly me!” Follies of science were exposed. The simplicity of the discoveries to come were mind-boggling.   Just One Roar Of The Lion. The very nature of nature seemed to be changing. It was as unbelievable as Isa 11:6-8, the wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;...   In some places, I saw an overabundance of wheat, which flowed into the sea, as it was so plentiful. But in other places I saw land, which was once green, and was now parched land where nothing grew. I saw beautiful blooms on cactus/desert plants.   He who understands these changes will prepare. The Earth was in a global eclipse. One half had light; the other half was in darkness. (This is a spiritual picture of the sheep and the goats.) It seemed that plates were shifted/removed from the earth. (Foundations of many will change.) There were people who raged against God. “We´ll do what we have to, let Him do what He Wants to”, they were saying.   Trees trembled. They knew that their time to be cut had come. To many, prophets and counselors were restored, but from others, the prophets and counselors departed. Sadly, those from whom they departed noticed it not. (Prophets and counsellors that had no eternal effect for good are not missed.)   Focus/emphasis of the Church, and the world, due to the presence of new circumstances, changed.   All this, by Just One Roar Of The Lion. (When He roars again in mid tribulation, Revelation 13, the Church will be tested.)     God's Grace and Mercy is Here: David's Of The Hour & A Changing Of The Guard  Hi Cee / 444Prophecynews.com  https://youtu.be/7kxldb3PBe0?si=ChkrSWFFg4vu541J  David's Of The Hour  Thus says the Lord, “I am raising up my Davids in this hour. I have been preparing them, steadying them, rooting them in Me.  They are like steel. No, they are like titanium. They will not only use the slingshot effectively, but these that I am raising up, will also cut off the heads of Goliath in the Land. Sharply and decisively. They are indestructible, unaware of the fray around them.  They do what they are supposed to do. Nothing can stop them. Many consider them violent. They care not what people think of them. They only do what their Father asks them to do.  They are fearless. They are lightning rods in the Hand of the Lord. They are a prized possession. They cannot be stopped. They devour all that is in their path. Woe to those that try and oppose them. Those that oppose them are annihilated without mercy.  They are hated with the most perfect hatred. They are hated for their single-minded devotion to the Lord. But they are steadfast. They are not moved.  Who can withstand their assault? They trample upon their enemies. They are successful in all they have been called to do. They are given the Spirit without limits. Who can stand before them? Who can oppose them? They are victorious and mighty.  They have been prepared for the hour at hand. They are deadly in their accuracy. Tremble in the presence of the Holy ones. Tremble in the presence of the Lord.  Does not His word come to pass as it is written? All that has been written will come to pass. Look and see the Holy ones who stand on the mountain of the Lord. They are coming. The Davids of the hour.”      A Changing Of The Guard  “I am doing a changing of the guard,” says the Lord. “I have thrown down the gauntlet. No more will those who stand in My pulpits offer up strange fire unto Me. No longer will they speak with polluted lips, representing Me, speaking My Holy Words any longer, as I am removing them.   I am cutting them down and replacing them with a new generation. These are My people I am putting into positions of authority. MY AUTHORITY.  My servants have been prepared in the dark and lonely places. The have been through the refining and purging fire of My dealings. They serve Me with their whole heart.   These are My Davids and their only desire is to serve Me alone. These are the ones I am placing in My positions of authority. I have spoken,” says the Lord.   “These are the ones who stand and say, ‘Who will defy the armies of the LIVING GOD?” These are My representatives. Their lives are not their own.   The others are play-actors who pretend to be My servants, but they are not. These I will remove. Many will not make it through My purging fire. They will be cut down and their disciples also who follow after them.  Consider carefully the Word of the Lord. No longer will a man stand in MY HOUSE and speak MY HOLY WORDS and say, ‘thus and thus', and it will not be from My lips. I will cut them down.   You will see with your eyes, that I AM is among you in your midst. Then My church WILL KNOW that I mean business. That I AM Who I say I AM.   I have held My patience, but now is the time for My sword to be wielded throughout the land.  I have put the two-edged sword in My servants' hands, and they will wield it with great accuracy, as I AM in them, and they shall do exploits. Because they KNOW ME. They that KNOW their God, they shall do exploits.   And so they shall. For him who has ears to hear, hear the Word of the Lord. My servants hear, and they obey.”  

Zec. 4:6-7 Frank Julian(husband, father, grandfather )has been a pastor for nearly 40 years and a RN for the same. He's a full length feature film producer, board member/chaplain of World Medical Relief ,an author and is an AIDS activist /president and founder of FAWN:fighting aids with nutrition. Follow us Website: Frankjulianministies.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/frank_julian/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frank.s.julian Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/love-prayers-and-healing/id1477990258

Blessings Follow Sanctification (6)  (audio)  David Eells (7/7/24)  We've been studying sanctification and its resulting blessing, and we've seen that the Church and the Bride are coming to such great maturity in their sanctification that they are as (Isa.62:1) … as a lamp that burneth. All of the true Church is going to grow 30-, 60- and 100-fold in the fruit of Jesus Christ, and the Bride gloriously comes into His image, as we studied in Isaiah 62. But Isaiah 63 is a different story because it tells you about those who are not sanctified.   I'd like to back up a little bit first and review what I shared about last time. (Isa.63:1) Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. (2) Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winevat? (3) I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the peoples there was no man with me: yea, I trod them in mine anger, and trampled them in my wrath; and their lifeblood is sprinkled upon my garments, and I have stained all my raiment. We noticed in Revelation 19 that the Lord does come back with a garment that is sprinkled with blood and it is the blood of His enemies.   The enemy that He is speaking about in this chapter is Edom. He is coming from Bozrah of Edom and bozrah means “sheepfold.” We saw in our previous study that the Lord Jesus came to the sheepfold in a time when the Old Testament Church was very apostate and He called His sheep by name and led them out of the sheepfold. Shortly after that, those people who refused to come out of their apostate sheepfold were hardened and rejected, and then the Beast came and devoured the Harlot. We know that same history is going to repeat in our day and this is who Isaiah 63 is talking about; it's talking about the Harlot. We also learned that Edom, or the seed of Esau, represents the opposite of Jacob. (Gen.25:29) And Jacob boiled pottage: and Esau came in from the field, and he was faint:   (30) and Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red [pottage]; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. (31) And Jacob said, Sell me first thy birthright. (32) And Esau said, Behold, I am about to die: and what profit shall the birthright do to me? (33) And Jacob said, Swear to me first; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. (34) And Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: so Esau despised his birthright. At the time when Esau decided to sell his birthright, he was called “Edom,” which means “red,” and “red” is the color of sin. As it says in (Isa.1:18) Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.   Remember what it says in Hebrews. (Heb.12:14) Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord (When Jacob was sanctified, or separated, from Esau, he bore so much fruit that it shocked his brother.): (Heb.12:15) looking carefully lest [there be] any man that falleth short of the grace of God (Many people fall short of the grace of God for the same reason that Esau fell short of the grace of God.); lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble [you,] and thereby the many be defiled.... A root of bitterness will defile many people because a person who has it will export it and Esau certainly did. If nothing else, he exported it to all of his seed because the sins of the parents are passed on to the children to the third and fourth generation (Deuteronomy 5:9).   When a person sins by allowing a demonic spirit of bitterness, or criticism, or unforgiveness toward their brother, which was Esau's problem, then that sin is passed on to their seed. The sin of Esau is the sin of the Edomites, whom the Lord says He will destroy, He will trample (Isaiah 63:3). “The many be defiled” is what happened from Esau's sin and even today there are Esaus, so Paul warns us that we need to make sure that no one falls after that same example of disobedience. Esau was the brother of Jacob and he was a son of Abraham, and he represented a son of God, but still he sold his birthright because of this root of bitterness. (Heb.12:16) Lest [there be] any fornicator, or profane person (We discovered that “profane” here means “permitted to be trodden.” In other words, this is someone who was “trampled underfoot,” someone who was conquered by his spiritual enemies.), as Esau, who for one mess of meat (I liken that to “flesh” because I don't think it was an accident that they used the word “meat” there.) sold his own birthright.   Because he walked after the flesh, because he submitted to these spirits of criticism, anger and bitterness against his brother, Esau sold his own birthright. (Heb.12:17) For ye know that even when he afterward desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place for a change of mind [in his father] (Literally, it doesn't say “in his father,” but “found no place for a change of mind.” The phrase “change of mind” is the Greek word metanoia and it means “repentance.” Esau could not repent and we saw in 2 Peter 2 that unrepentant people can't cease from sin.), though he sought it diligently with tears.   He found no forgiveness in himself, he found no repentance in his life and he could not cease from sinning because he was bitter. He was turned over to the tormentors and the tormentors made him what he was. Jesus told us in, (Mat.18:32) Then his lord called him unto him, and saith to him, Thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou besoughtest me: (33) shouldest not thou also have had mercy on thy fellow-servant, even as I had mercy on thee? (34) And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due. (35) So shall also my heavenly Father do unto you, if ye forgive not every one his brother from your hearts.   When we see that the people whom the Lord is judging here is Edom, we are not seeing the whole story. Edom specifically represents those who are brothers of Jacob and sons of Abraham, whether physical or spiritual, but who sell their birthright through walking after the flesh and go on to persecute their brother. In the case of Edom, they sell their birthright because of bitterness. The whole story is found in Revelation 19, where He is judging all of the nations at the time of the wrath of God. (Rev.19:11) And I saw the heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon called Faithful and True; and in righteous he doth judge and make war. (12) And his eyes [are] a flame of fire, and upon his head [are] many diadems; and he hath a name written which no one knoweth but he himself. (13) And he is arrayed in a garment sprinkled with blood: and his name is called The Word of God.   (14) And the armies which are in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white [and] pure. (15) And out of his mouth proceedeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty. (16) And he hath on his garment and on his thigh a name written, KINGS OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. Also, notice how He uses the same language in Isaiah. (Isa.63:3) I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the peoples there was no man with me: yea, I trod them in mine anger, and trampled them in my wrath; and their lifeblood is sprinkled upon my garments, and I have stained all my raiment. (4) For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.   What is this “day of vengeance”? What is this “day of wrath”? And what is the “year of my redeemed”? Well, the “day of vengeance” and the “day of wrath” are the same day. They are a day that we're told is a year; they are the “year of my redeemed,” when God is judging all those who have persecuted His people. (Isa.34:8) For the Lord hath a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion. (9) And the streams of [Edom] shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. In the days of Noah, God brought His wrath upon the earth and this “day of wrath” was the year in which the flood waters were upon the earth to destroy lost mankind (Genesis 6-8).   God told Noah, (Gen.7:4) For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living thing that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the ground. So after seven days the flood waters came. In type, the flood represents the “great and terrible day of the Lord” (Joel 2:31 KJV) that comes after seven years of the Tribulation. And we can see this again in Daniel's 70th week where each day is a year. (Dan.9:27) And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and upon the wing of abominations [shall come] one that maketh desolate; and even unto the full end, and that determined, shall [wrath] be poured out upon the desolate.   There was a continual wrath from the Edomites against Israel and here we see in Isaiah 63 that God is judging this. The spiritual Edomites today cannot stand holiness, they cannot stand purity, they cannot stand truth and they are just like Esau, who continually persecuted his brother. A great persecution is coming from the religious Harlot against the true Church and the Lord is going to deal with that in the “day of vengeance” or “day of wrath.” It will be the “great and terrible day of the Lord” (Jeremiah 46:10; Joel 2:11,31; Acts 2:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10).   Another thing that's going to happen before this “day of vengeance” is that there's going to be a great “falling way” (John 16:1; 2 Thessalonians 2:3; Hebrews 3:12) and, as a matter of fact, in Revelation 6 it is very plain. (Rev.6:12) And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood. We know that the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the “great and terrible day of the Lord,” which is a year, as we've seen in Isaiah 34:8.   The Bible also says that the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood after the Tribulation period. (Mat.24:29) But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. (Act.2:20) The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the day of the Lord come, That great and notable [day]. In other words, after the seven days, which is exactly what God told Noah, there would be another year. Between the seventh and eighth year, the sun is turned into darkness and the moon into blood, but at the beginning of the eighth year is when the ark lifted off and the floods came down and judged the world.   So when the sun and the moon are darkened, which is the beginning of the great and terrible Day of the Lord, what happens? (Rev.6:13) And the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind. That's when the “stars” of heaven fall to the earth and we're told Abraham's seed are as the stars of heaven. (Gen.15:5) And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and number the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And Scripture also likens God's people to a fig tree (Jeremiah 29:17; Matthew 24:1-10; Isaiah 28:4; Nahum 3:12; etc.)   Also in (Hos.9:10) I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the first ripe in the fig-tree at its first season: but they came to Baal-peor, and consecrated themselves unto the shameful thing, and became abominable like that which they loved. So then, who is this who's falling away? As a type and shadow, these are the Edomites. Even though they are as the stars in heaven, they still will fall away. (Rev.6:13) And the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind. You see, we have only a certain amount of time to become mature, to bear fruit, to be ripe figs.   What is it that's going to cause this great falling away? We read in (Rev.6:13) And the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind. God said that He would “shake” the heavens and the earth. (Heb.12:26) Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more will I make to tremble not the earth only, but also the heaven. This shaking is the one that is coming and it both causes the falling away and brings in the Kingdom. (Rev.6:14) And the heaven was removed as a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.   (15) And the kings of the earth, and the princes, and the chief captains, and the rich, and the strong, and every bondman and freeman, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains; (16) and they say to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: (17) for the great day of their wrath is come; and who is able to stand? So, again, when the sun and moon are darkened, we know that this is before the great and terrible Day of the Lord. (Mat.24:29) But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.   Then the Lord sends forth His angels and gathers together His elect as it says in, (Mat.13:24) Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man that sowed good seed in his field: (25) but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away. (26) But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. (27) And the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it tares? (28) And he said unto them, An enemy hath done this. And the servants say unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? (29) But he saith, Nay; lest haply while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them.   (30) Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn. (36) Then he left the multitudes, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Explain unto us the parable of the tares of the field. (37) And he answered and said, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; (38) and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil [one]; (39) and the enemy that sowed them is the devil: and the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are angels.   (40) As therefore the tares are gathered up and burned with fire; so shall it be in the end of the world. (41) The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity, (42) and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. (43) Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears, let him hear. The Lord sends forth His angels and gathers together His elect, just like with Noah. Noah lifted off at the beginning of the “great and terrible day of the Lord,” which was the year when the water came down and put to death the wicked.   Obadiah has something to say about this Day of the Lord concerning the Edomites, but first I want to point out that he is talking about the time of the Day of the Lord. (Oba.15) For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee; thy dealing shall return upon thine own head. The Lord Jesus said when He came back, He was going to render to every man according to his works. (Mat.16:27) For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then shall he render unto every man according to his deeds. He said, “every man”! Some people think, “Well, that's not necessarily speaking about God's children,” but the Edomites sold their birthright as sons of God. I'm talking more specifically about the spiritual Edomites, those who are speaking against their brothers, those who are persecuting them as the Harlot persecutes the true Church.   And when the Lord comes back, He is going to render to those Edomites according to their works. (Oba.8) Shall I not in that day, saith the Lord, destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau? The mount of Esau is Mount Seir, just as Mount Zion is the Mount of Israel, and it represents a kingdom, the kingdom of Esau. (Oba.9) And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one may be cut off from the mount of Esau by slaughter. Everyone! How is it possible that every Edomite could be cut off? It's possible when we understand that these Edomites are a type and shadow. (1Co.10:11) Now these things happened unto them by way of example (The Greek word for “example” here is “type” or “figure.”); and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come.   “To the end that every one may be cut off from the mount of Esau by slaughter” is a type or figure; it's a parable. It was in the “letter” according to natural Israel, but is to be understood in the Spirit according to spiritual New Testament Israel. We also have our brothers who are persecuting, critical, unforgiving, bitter, railing against the truth and fighting against those who walk in holiness and sanctification. God is going to deal with them when He is through using them to bring His people to their cross and this is what He is talking about when He says He's going to cut off every one of them. If you're saying, “That will be a real slaughter against an awful lot of humans,” that's true, naturally speaking. Of course, that slaughter is coming in the great and terrible Day of the Lord, too. It's coming in the “flood” of judgment that is going to destroy multitudes of people. And that flood is also going to destroy these spiritual Edomites, those who have persecuted their brothers.   Going on in (Oba.10) For the violence done to thy brother Jacob, shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off forever. (11) In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that strangers carried away his substance, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them. In other words, the Edomites sided with the Beast kingdoms that came against Israel; this is a historic fact. They did this constantly. Herod was an Edomite who was put there by the Romans to rule over Israel and they called it “Palestine” to insult the Israelites because there wasn't really a Palestine; the land belonged to Israel. “Palestine” is the Latin version of the name “Philistine.”   Once again, in our day, brethren from our midst will side with the Beast kingdom against us, just as Judas did from the midst of the disciples. He sided with the Beast and betrayed the body of Christ. (Oba.12) But look not thou on the day of thy brother in the day of his disaster, and rejoice not over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither speak proudly in the day of distress. (13) Enter not into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, look not thou on their affliction in the day of their calamity, neither lay ye hands on their substance in the day of their calamity. (14) And stand thou not in the crossway, to cut off those of his that escape; and deliver not up those of his that remain in the day of distress. That's exactly what Judas did; he delivered up Christ to the Beast.   In the previous teaching, I shared a dream concerning soldiers dressed in red uniforms, who parachuted down from heaven and were trying to block God's people from escaping into the wilderness. It was very interesting and that is actually what Obadiah is saying here. Those soldiers dressed in red are Edomites because, as we saw, “Edom” means “red.” And they were parachuting down because they were like those figs being cast down when a fig tree is shaken of a great wind and like the stars of heaven falling to the earth. This is a great falling away about which the Bible speaks and it will come through deception and delusion. And who can fall away, except a people who have known the Lord? Here was Esau, a son of Abraham, a son of God, who was in the position of the firstborn and yet he fell away.   We see this again in Ezekiel concerning the Edomites being betrayers of their brethren and it also appears very much like the destruction of the Harlot. Let's read that in (Eze.35:1) Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, (2) Son of man, set thy face against mount Seir (Again, that represents Esau's kingdom.), and prophesy against it, (3) and say unto it, Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I am against thee, O mount Seir, and I will stretch out my hand against thee, and I will make thee a desolation and an astonishment. (4) I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. (5) Because thou hast had a perpetual enmity, and hast given over the children of Israel (who was Jacob, his brother) to the power of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time of the iniquity of the end....    We know that at the end of the Roman Beast kingdom, the Edomites sided with the Romans against their brother Jacob and they are going to do it in these days, too. America, the “great eagle” at the very top of the image of the Beast (Daniel 3), is ultimately going to side with the Edomites against Israel. We know that from Jeremiah, where he speaks about Babylon, the great eagle, conquering all of the nations. First, all the nations drank of the cup of wrath that came from Babylon and then, ultimately, at the end, Babylon itself drank of the cup of wrath (Jeremiah 25:1-33). So the Lord said, “Those of you who side with the world against your brothers in the day of their calamity, you are going to be judged in the time of the iniquity of the end.”  Going on in (Eze.35:6) Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee: since thou hast not hated blood, therefore blood shall pursue thee. (7) Thus will I make mount Seir an astonishment and a desolation; and I will cut off from it him that passeth through and him that returneth. (8) And I will fill its mountains with its slain: in thy hills and in thy valleys and in all thy watercourses shall they fall that are slain with the sword. (9) I will make thee a perpetual desolation, and thy cities shall not be inhabited; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. This is the iniquity of the end! (Eze.35:10) Because thou hast said, These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess it (Even today, the natural Edomites are claiming those two nations and yet the land doesn't belong to them.); whereas the Lord was there:   (Eze.35:11) therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I will do according to thine anger, and according to thine envy which thou hast showed out of thy hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them, when I shall judge thee. (12) And thou shalt know that I, the Lord, have heard all thy revilings which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to devour. This is what's going to happen to natural Israel and, of course, the Church. The Church, being spiritual Jacob or spiritual Israel, is going to become desolate. War is going to be made against the saints and the Church, as we have known it, a prosperous, somewhat respected entity in the world, is going to go by the wayside.   The whole world is going to be against the Church and the Harlot, the Edomites, are going to side with the world. The Edomites will do this for the sake of advantage and because of their hatred of their brother. (Eze.35:13) And ye have magnified yourselves against me with your mouth, and have multiplied your words against me: I have heard it. (14) Thus saith the Lord God: When the whole earth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate.   When the whole world comes against natural and spiritual Israel, and think that they have finally done away with their voice when the Two Witnesses are killed, the Bible says they will be rejoicing. As it says in (Rev.11:7) And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that cometh up out of the abyss shall make war with them, and overcome them, and kill them. (8) And their dead bodies lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. (9) And from among the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations do men look upon their dead bodies three days and a half, and suffer not their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. (10) And they that dwell on the earth rejoice over them, and make merry; and they shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwell on the earth.   And yet God says at that time, “I will make thee desolate,” because that is what the great and terrible Day of the Lord is; it is the time for Him to render the “day of vengeance.” (Eze.35:15) As thou didst rejoice over the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir, and all Edom, even all of it; and they shall know that I am the Lord. All of it! All of Mount Seir! How is that possible, except that God is almighty and He will do according to His Own will? (Dan.4:35) And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?   Nothing can restrain His hand and one thing He has determined is to destroy the Edomites, both the spiritual and the physical Edomites. Back in (Oba.15) For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee (He will render to every man according to his works.); thy dealing shall return upon thine own head. (Oba.16) For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the nations drink continually; yea, they shall drink, and swallow down, and shall be as though they had not been. This is speaking about the Jeremiah 25 scenario, where God offered this cup of wrath to all the nations and made them drink it.   The last one to drink it was Babylon, the “great eagle,” which was God's vessel to bring this judgment to those nations, and yet it is all going to be turned around in the end. (Oba.17) But in mount Zion there shall be those that escape.... Again, we're seeing that there are going to be certain people who are going to escape. And in the dream that I shared last time, the brother saw that I and the others with me had all escaped. (Oba.17) But in mount Zion there shall be those that escape, and it shall be holy.... Notice this. The reason that people are going to escape is because they are holy; they don't need any more sanctification and they don't need any more crucifixion. Crucifixion is for the purpose of putting to death the old man to bring forth a people who will walk holy before the Lord.   In other words, crucifixion is so they will sanctify themselves from the world and repent of their sins, and turn to God. This is the place of safety and the people who will do this are the people who will escape. (Oba.17) But in mount Zion there shall be those that escape, and it shall be holy; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. Yes! God's New Testament spiritual Jacob, or Israel, the true born-again Church, and especially the Bride who has been sanctified and is holy, will “possess their possessions.” We have been without our possessions for a long time now and the Lord has promised through Joel to restore everything that has been taken from us. He says, Joe 2:25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the canker-worm, and the caterpillar, and the palmer-worm, my great army which I sent among you. Praise be to God for that!   (Oba.18) And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble.... God's people are going to have something to do with the destruction of Esau, or the Edomites, in the great and terrible Day of the Lord. Remember that for the first 40 days the ark set on the earth in that Day of the Lord, which was a year. Then, after 40 days, it lifted off. That represents the Lord coming for His people and He isn't coming back alone. At that time, when He returns to gather the saints and to bring judgment upon the earth, He has the armies of Heaven behind Him. (Rev.19:15) And the armies which are in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and pure.   This is when He tramples the “winepress of the wrath of God.” In (Rev.14:18) And another angel came out from the altar, he that hath power over fire; and he called with a great voice to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Send forth thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. (19) And the angel cast his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vintage of the earth, and cast it into the winepress, the great [winepress], of the wrath of God. (20) And the winepress was trodden without the city, and there came out blood from the winepress, even unto the bridles of the horses, as far as a thousand and six hundred furlongs. The Lord and the armies of Heaven with Him are bringing judgment to destroy the flesh of men.   (Rev.19:17) And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in mid heaven, Come and be gathered together unto the great supper of God; (18) that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of them that sit thereon, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, and small and great. One group in that list of the unregenerate nations is the Edomites, who had the birthright but sold it and they should not have been there in the first place.   Do you remember what the Lord said about the lukewarm? (Rev.3:16) So because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth. When does that happen? Here in (Rev.12:3) And there was seen another sign in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his heads seven diadems. (4) And his tail draweth the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon standeth before the woman that is about to be delivered, that when she is delivered he may devour her child. The lukewarm are spewed out when the stars fall from heaven.   Some people think that the “stars” are angels, but, (Isa.9:15) The elder and the honorable man, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. (16) For they that lead this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed. “The prophet that teacheth lies ... is the tail.” And the Bible also says that the “stars” of heaven are Abraham's seed (Genesis 15:5). So one-third of the “stars” of heaven are going to fall away. The dragon Beast is going to deceive and conquer them, and the spewing-out from the body of Christ of the lukewarm is that falling away.  Back to (Oba.18) And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall burn among them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining to the house of Esau; for the Lord hath spoken it. Some people have the idea that this is all natural. They don't understand that it's a parable because they don't see anything in the spirit, but those who go up in the great and terrible Day of the Lord are not a physical people anymore. God is giving them the power to destroy the Harlot, the Edomites, but they are no longer in the flesh.   I am not saying that natural Israel won't be upon this earth fighting against the nations that are brought against her. I believe that is absolutely true and Zechariah 12-14 speak of that. (Zec.12:6) In that day will I make the chieftains of Judah like a pan of fire among wood, and like a flaming torch among sheaves; and they shall devour all the peoples round about, on the right hand and on the left; and they of Jerusalem shall yet again dwell in their own place, even in Jerusalem. This has both a spiritual and natural meaning. When the Lord returns with all of His saints at the end of the great and terrible Day of the Lord, it will be to defend and preserve a remnant of natural Israel, and destroy the nations that come against it, including Edomites.   (Zec.14:5) And ye shall flee by the valley of my mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azel; yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah; and the Lord my God shall come, and all the holy ones with thee. Notice it says “all the holy (or ‘sanctified') ones with thee.” Obviously, the unsanctified are on the earth and going through the great and terrible Day of the Lord. (Zec.14:12) And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the peoples that have warred against Jerusalem: their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their sockets, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. I know that in the natural this could be speaking about nuclear weapons, but also it's like the “pan of fire” (Zechariah 12:6).   It's like the fire that is coming out of the mouth of the Lord and out of the mouth of the saints to destroy the wicked. (Zec.14:13) And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbor, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbor. (14) And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the nations round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. The Lord is going to bring an end to the Edomites joining with the Beast entity to fight against their brothers, who are God's true people.   Let's go back to Obadiah and read a little bit more of this. (Oba.18) And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall burn among them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining to the house of Esau; for the Lord hath spoken it. (19) And they of the South shall possess the mount of Esau, and they of the lowland the Philistines; and they shall possess the field of Ephraim, and the field of Samaria; and Benjamin [shall possess] Gilead. (20) And the captives of this host of the children of Israel, that are [among] the Canaanites, [shall possess] even unto Zarephath; and the captives of Jerusalem, that are in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the South. (21) And saviors shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord's. This is the time when the kingdom of this world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.   God's people are going to be on Mount Zion; they are going to be in Heavenly Jerusalem and they are going to bring judgment against the wicked. Revelation tells us when the Kingdom is the Lord's: (Rev.11:15) And the seventh angel sounded (or, the “last trump”); and there followed great voices in heaven (speaking that the ark has lifted off), and they said, The kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ: and he shall reign for ever and ever. So we do not have to guess about the timing that he is talking about here when he says, (Oba.21) And saviors shall come up on mount Zion.... God's people will totally overcome!   They will come to their Heavenly city, just as Paul spoke about them coming to their city back in his day. (Heb.12:22) But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels, (23) to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, (24) and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better than [that of] Abel.   And so we read, (Oba.21) Saviors shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau and the kingdom shall be the Lord's. Praise be to God! Are these “saviors” doing this judging in their new bodies? Yes, that is exactly right! As we saw earlier, they are no longer a physical people and they, with the Lord, are bringing this judgment. By the way, in the Book of Daniel, God gives credit to the saints for destroying this kingdom of the Beast. (Dan.7:23) Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all the kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. (24) And as for the ten horns, out of this kingdom shall ten kings arise: and another shall arise after them; and he shall be diverse from the former, and he shall put down three kings.   (25) And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High; and he shall think to change the times and the law; and they (the saints) shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time. (26) But the judgment shall be set, and they (the saints) shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. (27) And the kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High: his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. So the “saints,” meaning the “sanctified ones,” have returned with the Lord to bring this judgment upon the earth. God has given it unto them to do this and the Lord on His white horse is guiding His people. Praise be to God!   Back in (Oba.19) And they of the South shall possess the mount of Esau, and they of the lowland the Philistines; and they shall possess the field of Ephraim (This is speaking of the northern 10 tribes; that was the name that was used for them at one time.), and the field of Samaria.... In the time of Jesus, the Samaritans were not considered by the Jews to be true believers because they were not of the seed of the Jews. After the Assyrian Empire had conquered Samaria, they carried away the 10 tribes and replaced them with other conquered tribes from various pagan nations, who eventually ended up with the religion of the Jews, along with their own religions.   This is a kind of parallel with the Edomite situation and Ezra has something to say about it. In (Ezr.4:1) Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity (These were the people who were returning from captivity in order to rebuild the Temple, which is what is happening today.) were building a temple unto the Lord, the God of Israel; (2) then they drew near to Zerubbabel (His name means “born from Babylon” and he represents the Man-child here.), and to the heads of fathers' houses, and said unto them, Let us build with you; for we seek your God, as ye do; and we sacrifice unto him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assyria, who brought us up hither. They're talking about having been relocated from other nations to Samaria after Samaria was conquered by the Assyrians.   (Ezr.4:3) But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us in building a house unto our God (The Edomites, just like these Samaritans who represent false Christians, have nothing to do with building this house of God. Only the true holy people are the ones who are building the house of God and I'm going to explain that a little bit better further on.); but we ourselves together will build unto the Lord, the God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us. (Ezr.4:4) Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building. So these people wanted to join with the true holy people of God, but Jacob only bore fruit when he separated from Esau. And today, the Edomites want to join the true people of God, as though they are Christians, but they're not because they are defiled with that root of bitterness.   (Ezr.4:5) And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. The Edomites sided with the Beast every time, as did these Samaritans. (Ezr.4:6) And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. Throughout history, the Harlot has always accused God's people and the Edomites are always accusing God's people.   (Ezr.4:7) And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian character, and set forth in the Syrian tongue. (12) Be it known unto the king, that the Jews that came up from thee are come to us unto Jerusalem; they are building the rebellious and the bad city, and have finished the walls, and repaired the foundations. (13) Be it known now unto the king, that, if this city be builded, and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and in the end it will be hurtful unto the kings. This is what the Samaritans threatened, which caused the king to order a stop to the building of the Temple.   Let me go back to who these people actually were and look at who the Samaritans are in our day. In (2Ki.17:24) And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Avva, and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof. (25) And so it was, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the Lord: therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them.   (26) Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast carried away, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the law of the god of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the law of the god of the land. Well, they were living in Samaria, but they were not Israelites, were they? They called themselves Samaritans, but these were pagans who were brought in to take the place of the true Samaritans and it was the Beast that did this. The Beast entity, which is the world, which is the flesh, which is all those who don't walk according to the Spirit of God, has infiltrated the Church. These are people who talk like Christians but they don't fear God. If they feared God, they would be convicted with the Word of God to change their ways, but they just want to play “country club” religion.   Continuing in (2Ki.17:27) Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the law of the god of the land. You can teach a pagan all about Christianity and you can send them to Sunday School, but they will still be a pagan. That's the problem. (2Ki.17:28) So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Beth-el (“Beth-el” means “the house of God.” Who are they teaching in this house of God? They're teaching people who are not Israelites; they're not Christians but they like going to church.), and taught them how they should fear the Lord. (2Ki.17:29) Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt. So they studied the God of the land, they studied the Lord, but they worshipped their own gods and, of course, it's that way in much of Christianity today.   People have a “Jesus” of their own making who's not the Jesus of the Bible. (2Ki.17:30) And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, (31) and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. These were the actual “gods” these people worshipped. (1Co.10:20) But [I say], that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have communion with demons. According to Apostle Paul, these are demons impersonating God. Is it the same today? Yes! It's the same today; there are demons who impersonate the true God. There are people who claim to be God's people, but they are merely studying God and not really fearing Him. They're not really submitting to Him. These people are not Christians and will never be converted.   Continuing in (2Ki.17:32) So they feared the Lord, and made unto them from among themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places. Notice that these are not ordained priests; they are not Levites. These priests came from among their pagan people. (2Ki.17:33) They feared the Lord, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away. They called Him “Lord,” but it was really their own god that they were serving. (2Ki.17:34) Unto this day they do after the former manner: they fear not the Lord, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law or after the commandment which the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel. This is the problem: dispersed among the people of God are people who don't walk as Christians.   The Lord said He would judge every man according to his own works, yet people think that God is going to judge them as to whether or not they have had the Christian experience of a new spirit. But that is not what the Word tells us. Paul writes in (Rom.2:5) But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up for thyself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; (6) who will render to every man according to his works: (7) to them that by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and incorruption, eternal life: (8) but unto them that are factious, and obey not the truth, but obey unrighteousness, [shall be] wrath and indignation, (9) tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that worketh evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Greek;   (10) but glory and honor and peace to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek: (11) for there is no respect of persons with God. The Lord says it will be according to your works. Your nature is what proves who you really are. If you walk after the regenerate spirit that God gave you, you will become regenerate. Your soul, which is your mind, will and emotions, will be renewed, but if you walk after the flesh, you must die. (Rom.8:12) So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh: (13) for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. It all has to do with your works. God will judge these Judases who are among His people and who mistreat their brethren.  Back to (2Ki.17:35) With whom the Lord had made a covenant (this is speaking of Israel), and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them: (41) So these nations feared the Lord, and served their graven images; their children likewise, and their children's children, as did their fathers, so do they unto this day. And I might say, “So do they unto this day.” This is still going on because this is all a type and shadow of God separating the wheat from the tares. The tares are sown among the wheat but they do not bear fruit. These are people who claim to be Christians. They have invaded the Church just to do their own will.   They submit to their false gods, who are actually demons, and their works are going to prove who they are. They are not sanctified, therefore they don't take part in the Bride's blessing, but instead they take part in the great and terrible Day of the Lord. Everyone who is not sanctified will go through the great and terrible Day of the Lord, the day of God's wrath upon the wicked, the day of God's judgment upon the Harlot. God will use the Beast to devour the Harlot with fire. And it will be God's people who are exercising the authority of God's judgment. It will be God's people who are the fire in the midst of the Judases.   God bless you to follow the God of the Bible.

Blessings Follow Sanctification (4)  (audio) David Eells (9/16/24)  The Lord bless you brethren! We've been discovering all of the awesome promises that God will be giving to His people who will follow Him in sanctification and in bearing the fruit of Christ 30-, 60- and 100-fold! We left off in Isaiah 62, but I'm going to back up a little bit just to give you the flavor of the text here. (Isa.62:1) For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burneth. Praise be to God! This text is about the Bride, who is typed as Zion or Jerusalem, coming to the full brilliance of the righteousness that the Lord has provided for her.  Since He is making His Bride, wouldn't you make her the very best? In Esther she was given everything she needed to go from the house of the women to the Kings house. (Isa.62:2) And the nations shall see thy righteousness (We have something to look forward to in the days ahead! The world is going to see the Lord's righteousness manifested in His people. Praise be to God!), and all kings thy glory, and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. (And a new name is her new nature, character, and authority.) (Isa.62:3) Thou shalt also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem (or "crown") in the hand of thy God. The Lord is going to finally receive what He planned from the foundation of the world and it's going to be seen by all the nations. Glory be to God!   After all these years of the Church giving such a bad testimony of Christianity, aren't you glad that a great witness and a testimony is going to be brought forth before the world? It will be worth whatever we have to go through to do this. It's sad that the Church has brought such disrepute to the Kingdom of God and to the name of the Lord because the Church has a name that lives, but they're dead! We see this in (Rev.3:1) And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars: I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and thou art dead. Well, the Lord is going to do something about that because He loves us. He wants to restore all things and He wants the Church to be a witness of Him.   Some people think it's going to continue like this and that the saints are going to be only persecuted and killed in the Tribulation, but God's going to prove the power of His salvation and He's going to do it in front of the whole world! He very much wants us to confess Him before men, so He can confess us before the Father. We need to be bold to represent Him to the world and, of course, the Lord is going to restore that boldness.   He's going to pour out His Holy Spirit on His disciples, just as He did in the Book of Acts. (Act.4:29) And now, Lord, look upon their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness, (30) while thou stretchest forth thy hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of thy holy Servant Jesus. (31) And when they had prayed, the place was shaken wherein they were gathered together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spake the word of God with boldness. Praise God! I can't wait!   (Isa.62:4) Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken (This is a wonderful promise!); neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah (That is, "My delight is in her."), and thy land Beulah (That is, "married."); for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. Oh, thank You, Father! What does "Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken" mean? I believe there are two ways to understand this "Forsaken." One way is that the Lord appears to have mostly abandoned the Church to their own devices and the other is that the Church has been either driven from, or abandoned, their land.   We know that the Lord hasn't been seen in His power or in the defense of the Church for 2000 years. We've gone through a very dark time, a Dark Ages of the Church, if you will, and most of the Church is still there. The Church hasn't really come back to what was given to us in our Promised Land. We see in (Hos.5:15) I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me earnestly. "Forsaken" is something that the Church has been experiencing for a long time. No, He hasn't totally forsaken us, but He has permitted the Church to go its own way and do its own thing, which brings nothing but fruitlessness. It doesn't bring the true witness; it doesn't bring the power that was seen by the apostles and the early disciples.   Let's look in (Hos.6:2) After two days will he revive us: on the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live before him. (3) And let us know, let us follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is sure as the morning; and he will come unto us (In other words, we're not forsaken any longer!) as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth. So here we are after two days, after 2000 years from the advent of Christ. Now in Peter he says, (2Pe.3:8) But forget not this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The morning of the third day is exactly where we are now and the Lord said He would return to His place until "they acknowledge their offence, and ... in their affliction they will seek me earnestly." We should all be looking forward to this.   Continuing in (Isa.62:4) Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate.... The "abomination that maketh desolate" (Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11) was an abomination that caused the Lord to depart from the Israelites and there was an abomination of apostasy that happened shortly after the time of the apostles. Both Jesus and the apostles spoke of it as a "falling away." (2Th.2:1) Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him; (2) to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand; (3) let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.   A famous prophecy that speaks about the return of Jesus after the Church having been forsaken is found in Micah. (Mic.5:2) But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. (3) Therefore will he give them up (In other words, this is a type of "forsaking."), until the time that she who travaileth hath brought forth: then the residue of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.   When the Man-child is brought forth, then we're going to see Jesus again, just exactly as He said: (Joh.16:21) A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but when she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for the joy that a man is born into the world. (22) And ye therefore now have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you. Jesus said He would return as a Man-child born to a woman and the "woman," as He said, is the Church, His people, His followers. And then all sorrow will disappear in the midst of the joy. (Mic.5:4) And he shall stand, and shall feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God: and they shall abide; for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.  Notice this is not the Lord but the Man-child in whom the Lord lives. He is coming in the strength and name of the Lord. Ezekiel also tells us that Jesus Himself is going to come in a new body of believers to shepherd His flock. (Eze.34:7) Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: (8) As I live, saith the Lord God, surely forasmuch as my sheep became a prey, and my sheep became food to all the beasts of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my sheep; (9) therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: (10) Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my sheep at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the sheep; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves anymore; and I will deliver my sheep from their mouth, that they may not be food for them.   (11) For thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. (12) As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered abroad, so will I seek out my sheep (He is coming in the Man-child world body to do this.); and I will deliver them out of all places whither they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. (He will bring His people out of their darkness.) (13) And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them upon the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited places of the country.  Many people have died over the years and the Lord lays this at the feet of the apostate Harlot, who hid the truth that sets free! (Rev.17:4) And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stone and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations, even the unclean things of her fornication, (5) and upon her forehead a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. (6) And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I wondered with a great wonder. And in (Rev.18:24) And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that have been slain upon the earth.   We see in Ezekiel that if you don't tell the people the truth, you will be guilty of their blood! (Eze.33:1) And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, (2) Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and set him for their watchman; (This would equate to the ministers of today.) (3) if, when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; (4) then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning, if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. (5) He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him; whereas if he had taken warning, he would have delivered his soul.   (6) But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned, and the sword come, and take any person from among them; he is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. (7) So thou, son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.  (8) When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die, and thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way; that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thy hand. (9) Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it, and he turn not from his way; he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul. (The Church and its ministers have not told the truth, nor has it received the truth about sin and its true consequences, for a long time. This blood is on the harlots of false Christianity. God is going to face them with the clear Word of God, through the reformers, on this issue and as it was in history they mostly will deny the Word and be guilty of the blood of the people.)   He says, "Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken." We're about to come to a time when the Lord is going to return in power through His first-fruits reformers unto His Church. Just think about that. Once again, we are going to see days like those in the Book of Acts and, in fact, we're going to have our own Book of Acts! The Lord told me years ago that everything that happened in the Gospels and in the Book of Acts is going to happen again in these end times, except the cast of characters will be multiplied all around the world. So we're looking forward to a time when God's people are not forsaken of the Lord; we're looking forward to a time when there is no longer desolation because He has returned as the latter rain as Hos 6:1-3 says.   Remember that when Jesus died, the veil of the Temple was rent from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38). What does that symbolize? One thing it symbolizes is that God left the box of their religion, which was proven during the following years because those unbelieving Jews were delivered over to the Beast as a Harlot to be destroyed and burned with fire. That's a type and shadow of what's going to happen in our own day. As I mentioned earlier, this "desolation" or "forsakenness" goes beyond their being forsaken of the Lord because he's talking about Zion here. Every time God's people apostatized, they were driven out of their land and driven out of Zion, but we're coming to a place where God is going to deal with that situation. Once more, He's going to bring His people back to their Zion. Once more, there's going to be a Bride in the earth, as there was in Jesus' day. Remember, (Joh.3:29) He that hath the bride is the bridegroom.   In (Isa.59:20) And a Redeemer will come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. (21) And as for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord: my Spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and forever. The Spirit that He put upon Jesus, the Man-child, will be upon them in Zion, the Bride! In other words, "a redeemer will come to Zion." This is the return of the Lord after a time of the Church, relatively speaking, has been forsaken.   Again, when I say that, I don't mean the Church has been completely forsaken, but I do mean that we haven't had the anointing, the power, or the works, that they had in the Book of Acts. The Church has departed from the true doctrine, from their promises, that made those early disciples who they were in Christ. Now, in (Isa.54:6) For the Lord hath called thee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when she is cast off, saith thy God. You know, the youth of the Church was back in the time of Jesus, as "a wife of youth," and when men departed from true Christianity and became daughters of the Harlot, the Lord "cast off" His "wife of youth," but He's made a promise to return: (Isa.54:7) For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.  So now that we have some foundation, let's go back to the beginning of this chapter. (Isa.54:1) Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate (The deserted) than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord. Paul used this verse to represent two different attributes of the Church in his day, when he talked about the Galatians being sons of the handmaid. (Gal.4:21) Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? (22) For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, one by the handmaid, and one by the freewoman. (23) Howbeit the [son] by the handmaid is born after the flesh; but the [son] by the freewoman [is born] through promise.    (24) Which things contain an allegory: for these [women] are two covenants; one from mount Sinai, bearing children unto bondage, which is Hagar. (25) Now this Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia and answereth to the Jerusalem that now is: for she is in bondage with her children. (They are in bondage to the law as many Christians are. Some to the apostate law of the Church and some to the law of the old covenant.)(26) But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is our mother.  (27) For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; Break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: For more are the children of the desolate than of her that hath the husband. (The desolate larger Church have no fruit of Christ being born in them.) (28) Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. (We hear is the smaller body who are justified by the promises and not laws of religion.) (29) But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him [that was born] after the Spirit, so also it is now. (They mostly speak against the true full gospel.) (30) Howbeit what saith the scripture? Cast out the handmaid and her son: for the son of the handmaid shall not inherit with the son of the freewoman. (31) Wherefore, brethren, we are not children of a handmaid, but of the freewoman.   The Galatians had gone back under the Law, just as much of the Church today has done. The Church has gone back under the Law, if not the Law of the Old Testament, then under the law of men, but when you do that it says, (Gal.5:4) Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace. Notice also that if you go back under the Law, you lose your inheritance because the son of the handmaid will not inherit with the son of the free woman. Paul was exhorting the early Church to repent of going under man's laws and to return to walking by faith in Christ. He was exhorting them to be the sons of the free woman, the one who has the husband.   Paul likened Sarah and her children to the Jerusalem that comes down from above (see also Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 21:2), which is the Lord's true Bride, and he said the Jerusalem that is fallen was like Hagar and her children, who are in bondage. We see that today, don't we? The same two groups make up what we call the "Church." Many have been deceived into falling under man's laws, instead of submitting to the righteousness of Christ, which is salvation by faith. But what's going to happen? "More are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife." He's promising a great revival here! He's promising that these people, who have been separated from Christ and trapped in the bondage of legalistic religions, are going to come out from them and bear much fruit as in Jesus' day.  Ecc 1:9  That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Continuing on in (Isa.54:2) Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; spare not: lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes. (3) For thou shalt spread aboard on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall possess the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. Once again, God is restoring spiritual Israel. Those cities that became uninhabited, that became desolate, that became forsaken, are going to be restored, and the most important city, of course, is Jerusalem. Jerusalem, Zion, is the city of the King! (Jer.31:6) For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the hills of Ephraim (Called the fullness of nations.) shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God. "Let us go up to Zion," the Bible says (Micah 4:2; Isaiah 2:3; 40:9). (Isa.54:4) Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth....  Yes! There was a great falling away. We, as a people, departed from the Lord and He went to His place until there would come a time of repentance. Well, that's the time we're coming to today, and the thing that's going to bring this repentance is much "shaking." Paul says in (Heb.12:27) And this [word], Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain. (28) Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with reverence and awe: (29) for our God is a consuming fire. Burning up the wood, hay and stubble. People will recognize those things that cannot be shaken. They'll recognize the preservation of those things that are of God and they'll recognize the judgment upon those things that are not of God.   Again in (Isa.54:4) Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth; and the reproach of thy widowhood shalt thou remember no more. You know, with some people it was like widowhood because when Jesus the Husband died and His power passed away with the apostles, they departed from Christianity and married "another Jesus". How many times was it that way in the Old Testament? When a strong father figure, a religious leader, or a ruler, died or departed, then the people fell away, too. Righteously-speaking, we are supposed to be walking by faith in Jesus Christ. Walking after somebody you can see is not necessarily the height of Christianity. We have to follow the Lord, Whom we can't see. As we walk by faith in Him, we are becoming sons of God by growing into the image of the Son of God, Who walked after His Father.   (Isa.54:5) For thy Maker is thy husband; the Lord of hosts is his name: and the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer; the God of the whole earth shall he be called. (6) For the Lord hath called thee as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when she is cast off, saith thy God. The Hebrew word there for "called" is qara and it can mean "bidden," "summoned" or "invited." So God is inviting His people to come back to Him and, of course, He's going to empower them to return by the coming of the Lord Himself in His people. (Isa.54:7) For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. As we read on, we'll see that this is talking about gathering God's people into the ark, the place of safety, because a flood is coming.   (Isa.54:8) In overflowing wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment.... The Bible teaches that the ark sat upon the earth for 40 days after the flood started. (Gen.7:17) And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. (18) And the waters prevailed, and increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. (19) And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high mountains that were under the whole heaven were covered. And the flood, of course, was a year of the judgment of God upon the whole world.   (Isa.54:8) In overflowing wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting lovingkindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. (9) For this is as the waters of Noah unto me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah shall no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I will not be wroth with thee (In other words, "My wrath will not be upon those in the ark." The flood destroyed the wicked, but not those who were in the ark.), nor rebuke thee. (Isa.54:10) For the mountains may depart, (Of course, they're covered by the flood.) and the hills be removed....   In our day, we're not talking about a flood of water, but a flood of judgment that will ultimately remove even the mountains and the hills. It says they won't even stand before the shaking of the Lord, the great earthquake. (Eze.38:20) So that the fishes of the sea, and the birds of the heavens, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.   (Rev.6:12) And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood; (13) and the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind. (14) And the heaven was removed as a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Every mountain shall fall down, every wall shall fall down; these are judgments that are coming upon the world, but God is going to preserve a people. (Isa.54:10) For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but my lovingkindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall my covenant of peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. All of this is the fruit of their sanctification.   (Isa.54:11) O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will set thy stones in fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. This is a great promise of the Lord! He's going to restore the foundation of His people. So many are afraid of the things coming upon the world, but we need to understand that the judgments which came upon Egypt were not for the purpose of destroying God's people. Those plagues were for the purpose of judging the Egyptians. And, as we've learned, the Egyptian is a type of the old man, and the Egyptian is a type of the Beast. God's purpose is to restore His people and to separate them from bondage to the Egyptian; in other words, to bring them into sanctification. The blessings were given to Israel after they had been separated from the Egyptians (Exodus 8:22-23), but then they were further separated when they were baptized in the Red Sea and went into the wilderness (Exodus 14).   And it wasn't until they were in the wilderness that they received provision out of Heaven (Exodus 16). In these days, those who understand what the Scripture has to say can see that we're headed toward the wilderness, where God's provision is going to come out of Heaven, but first there's going to have to be a separation from the old Egyptian. There's going to have to be sanctification. Remember I mentioned about how being separate from a dead man represents being separate from the old man and baptism represents that the old man is dead in Christ, as Paul said: (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. When we were baptized, we were separated from the old man, the old Egyptian, and, because of that, the blessings could come, the provision could come.   Back to (Isa.54:12) And I will make thy pinnacles of rubies, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy border of precious stones. This is the righteousness and purity, the value of the nature of Jesus Christ manifested in His saints. (Isa.54:13) And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. (14) In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression.... The Bible says that "righteousness delivereth from death." persecution and even the curse. We see this in (Pro.10:2) Treasures of wickedness profit nothing; But righteousness delivereth from death. (3) The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish; But he thrusteth away the desire of the wicked.   (6) Blessings are upon the head of the righteous; But violence covereth the mouth of the wicked. (24) The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him; And the desire of the righteous shall be granted. (28) The hope of the righteous [shall be] gladness; But the expectation of the wicked shall perish. (Pro.11:4) Riches profit not in the day of wrath; But righteousness delivereth from death. (5) The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way; But the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness. (6) The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them; But the treacherous shall be taken in their own iniquity. (8) The righteous is delivered out of trouble, And the wicked cometh in his stead.   (Pro.11:19) He that is stedfast in righteousness [shall attain] unto life; And he that pursueth evil [doeth it] to his own death. (28) He that trusteth in his riches shall fall; But the righteous shall flourish as the green leaf. (31) Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: How much more the wicked and the sinner! We know that the Lord became a curse for us. (2Co.5:21) Him who knew no sin he made [to be] sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him. He is our righteousness; His righteousness was given unto us, but we also know that the closer we come to manifesting His righteousness, the more we are able to partake of the benefits.   We know we have these things by faith, but we also know we're headed toward the place where in bearing the fruit of them 30-, 60- and 100- fold, we will be able to partake of the benefits that much more! (Isa.54:14) In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression, for thou shalt not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near thee. Because of their fear of the things that are coming, some people think that God doesn't have any protection for His people and that's just simply not so. Psalm 91 is true and it's going to be proven of the Lord to be true, but it's only true for those who believe. That's why I exhort everyone to desire earnestly to seek out the truth for yourself. Do not believe in what your Church teaches but believe what the Word of the Lord teaches for we will be judged by that. Amen.  (Isa.54:15) Behold, they may gather together.... And we do know that all the nations will gather together against the Lord and against His anointed. (Psa.2:1) Why do the nations rage, And the peoples meditate a vain thing? (2) The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord, and against his anointed, [saying,] (3) Let us break their bonds asunder, And cast away their cords from us. (Zec.14:2) For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle.... But the entire verse reads in (Isa.54:15) Behold, they may gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall because of thee. The Lord brought their enemies against His people many times for the express purpose of destroying the enemy, not His people.   (16) Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the fire of coals, and bringeth forth a weapon for his work.... Why is He saying this? He's saying this because the fire of the Tribulation is in the hand of the Lord and it's going to bring forth nothing but His purpose. Even the enemies out there are going to bring forth nothing but His purpose. For instance, it was obviously Nebuchadnezzar's purpose to throw the three Hebrews into the fiery furnace, but it was God's purpose for them to go there, too, so that they would have their bonds burned off (Daniel 3). We are going into tribulation for the purpose of the burning up of the old self-life, for the purpose of being delivered from that bondage.   Evil doesn't prosper for evil's sake. In other words, (Rom.8:28) ... we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose. You see, God works all things together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose. And in (Pro.16:4) The Lord hath made everything for its own end; Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. Even the wicked serve God's purpose; they live to be a part of this fiery furnace that's going to burn up the wood, hay and stubble, and leave the gold, silver and precious stones. Does that prosper evil? Not at all. As a matter of fact, as He says here, evil is going to prosper God's Kingdom.   (Isa.54:16) Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the fire of coals, and bringeth forth a weapon for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. So what does the "waster" destroy? The waster is going to destroy the Harlot. We like to look at the Harlot as someone who is totally separate from us, but, in fact, we're being delivered from the Harlot. God's people came out of Babylon, representing the Harlot, and went to Zion. Every one of us is being delivered from the nature of the Harlot. We're being delivered of that which is Babylonish in our life, that which is worldly, that which causes us to be in agreement with the world.   We are coming out of the Harlot, even though many people will point at those in apostasy and say, "It's them! It's them! They're the Harlot!" Well, that's true, but to the extent you've departed from apostasy and come into holiness, to the extent you've come into the land of promise and are standing upon the promises, to that extent you're delivered of being the Harlot. (Isa.54:17) No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.... We can see the nations are being gathered together against the saints now, but how many of us understand that it's not their purpose that's being fulfilled? It's God's purpose that's being fulfilled. So we can give thanks always for all things. Throughout the Scriptures, God gathered the nations against His people when they were in apostasy and it was for the purpose of bringing a crucifixion, of bringing a death to the old man, and of putting the fear of the Lord back in them.   God is in absolute control; there's nothing left to chance down here concerning His children. He works all things according to His will. (Eph.1:11) In whom also we were made a heritage, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will. What does "all things" leave out? Nothing! As John said, (Joh.3:27) ... A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven. What evil can prosper itself? None! It's not possible. We need to remember that because it will take the fear out of what the enemy would like to put in our hearts. "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper," not even this weapon, which He has formed.   God is the One Who works all things after the counsel of His will and He works all things together for our good. This is why He says what He says here. Nothing that is evil will prosper itself; it can only prosper you and me. What we need to do is cooperate with God in this process. We need to humble and deny ourselves, take up our cross willingly and let the Beast nail us there spiritually. We know that our cross is for the death of self, not necessarily for the death of this body, but the two can be very well connected if we don't cooperate in the death-of-self. (Isa.54:17) No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness which is of me, saith the Lord.   So that's true of the righteous. But He also said of the apostates that they are "as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth when she is cast off," but He went on to say, "For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee." I know that some people look at the Church today and, because they are not real familiar with the Scriptures, they think, "Well, this is the way it's supposed to be." No. There's great apostasy out there and it's a great tragedy that the Church is not living up to, nor receiving the benefits of, those who are sanctified. It's a great tragedy that they don't cooperate with the process of sanctification. Sanctification is basically the death of the old man, in order that the new man may be born and live in you. Sanctification is (Col.1:27) ... Christ in you, the hope of glory. Wolves are ruling over God's flock and many tares. We can see the Church is in a state of great falling away.   Yet God says in (Isa.62:4) Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: (In these days a first fruits is returning to the Lord to rebuild Jerusalem the Bride.) but thou shalt be called Hephzibah ("My delight is in her."), and thy land Beulah ("Married"); for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. We are no more going to be termed "forsaken," no more going to be termed "desolate," but "Married!" And, of course, in this case He's talking about Zion. He's not talking about the other cities of the land of Judah or the land of the northern 10 tribes; He's talking about the Bride. The Bride is sanctified, separated from the world, the most beautiful of all the virgins of the Kingdom. He said, "My delight is in her," and thy land shall be married."   Now here's a verse that I dare say has confused an awful lot of people, including myself, but I feel the Lord has given me the explanation. The verse is very confusing and it's meant to be that way. For those people who say dogmatically that everything in the Scriptures has to be literally true in the letter and that God doesn't hide things in parables that need to be interpreted, it's really hard to read this: (Isa.62:5) For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee.... First of all, in the natural, that would be incest! God would never be in favor of that. So there has to be a spiritual interpretation here because God seems to be making a promise here.   (Isa.62:5) For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee.... He's talking about the Bride! Let me say something about the sons. The only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, came so that many, many sons could be born in His image. He is God's charagma; He is God's "stamp" that recreates Himself as an image in others who receive the seed of His Word. He is God's "mark." In these days, many sons of God are going to be manifested. Paul said that all of creation is awaiting this, so that the creation will be delivered from the "bondage of corruption." (Rom.8:19) For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God. (20) For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but by reason of him who subjected it, in hope (21) that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. (22) For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.   This is God's plan. Though the sons of God are born of the Church they can then sow the seed of God back into the Church and bear fruit. In the letter, in the natural, that would be incest, and so the only way this parable can be taken is in the Spirit. Jesus Himself was born of a virgin in Israel, the Church and turned and sowed the seed of the Word in Israel and in His mother who also was saved and received the Holy Spirit. The Man-child sons of our day is born of a virgin, who has not received the seed of man, and is a member of the Woman Church. The sons are, in turn, going to bring that Woman into the wilderness to sow the seed of God in Her so that She bears the fruit of Christ.   Notice also that He says "so shall thy sons marry thee," instead of "son." That's because this is talking about what's going to be fulfilled in our day. The ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah chapters 61 and 62 wasn't in Jesus' day; it will be in our day. Many prophecies are fulfilled multiple times and the last fulfillment is usually the greatest. Jesus and little Israel were signs of something much bigger that God was going to do worldwide. Today, the Church, His New Testament spiritual Israel, is all over the world, and the Man-child who is coming today is a corporate body of the first-fruits. Although they will be born of the virgin in the Church, they, in turn, will sow the seed of God back into the virgin and larger Church. They will raise up the Bride and the larger Church to bear the fruit of the Word.   Paul said, (1Co.4:15) For though ye have ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I begat you through the gospel. In other words, he was a father. But Paul didn't sow his own seed; he was sowing the seed of God, which is the Word of God. The only way we can be a father to the Church is to sow the seed of God; otherwise, we're just another dead, apostate religion.   Again in (Isa.62:5) For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee; and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. The bride here, as we can see in the text, is speaking about Zion, which is going to be restored. We are coming out of Babylon and we're going back to Zion. I believe the first-fruits are headed there even now and that they are just about to enter the city. In type, they will restore Zion and rebuild the Temple. All those parables from the Lord that were fulfilled in the letter by natural Israel are now going to be fulfilled in the Spirit by New Testament Israel and the Jerusalem that's coming down from above. They are going to be fulfilled by the regenerate New Jerusalem that's born out of Heaven, not the Jerusalem that is corrupt and fallen in the earth. They are going to be fulfilled by the regenerate Bride.   (Isa.62:6) I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem (Again, that's the "bride" of verse 5.); they shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that are the Lord's remembrancers, take ye no rest, (7) and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. Yes, there are watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem. There are true leaders whom God is raising up and God wants them to speak the Word of faith. He wants them to claim what He has promised concerning Jerusalem. God is going to use the faith of His people to restore everything that's been taken away from them.   We saw previously that the Lord spoke about those who were disciples of Jesus Christ coming to that Heavenly Jerusalem. (Heb.12:22) But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels, (23) to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, (24) and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better than that of Abel.   But they left the position of being under the authority of their King David and went out into the world where they were taken captive by Babylon. Now there is a restoration being done by God Himself. He's restoring His Jerusalem, but this time it's in the spirit and not in the letter because this is a spiritual Kingdom. "King David" is still at the head and that's our Lord Jesus; He is the ruler in Jerusalem, the Bride, and Jerusalem is going to be the ruler over the rest of His Kingdom. God is going to cause Jerusalem to be a praise in the earth and He says, "Don't give Me any rest. Keep reminding Me of what I said to you, of what I promised to you." God is going to use that faith to restore everything. Praise be to God!   Continuing in (Isa.62:8) The Lord hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy grain to be food for thine enemies (Who is He speaking about? He's speaking about the Bride, the one who is sanctified. What makes us members of the Bride is sanctification.); and foreigners shall not drink thy new wine, for which thou hast labored: (Isa.62:9) but they that have garnered it shall eat it, and praise the Lord; and they that have gathered it shall drink it in the courts of my sanctuary. Here's another benefit of the Kingdom! The Bride will not be plundered anymore.   He told them in (Mal.3:11) And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. He would no more destroy the fruits of their labors. We know, (Gal.3:13) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.... God put all of our curse upon Jesus, but we have to walk by faith and we have to walk in sanctification to receive that. (1Jn.3:21) If our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward God and whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. This is the promise being fulfilled here. These are the days when God is going to fulfill His promise that our enemies, the old man, the Beast, the Harlot, the nations, will no longer be able to plunder God's people. Praise God!  (Isa.62:10) Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up an ensign for the peoples. What is this "highway" that He's preparing? It's the "highway of holiness." You know, there are only two places that the Bible speaks about where the Beast cannot go and those places are the highway that leads to Zion and Zion itself. If a person is walking in what they know, then they are on the highway because they are not in willful sin. What is sin? (Jas.4:17) To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. So a person who is walking in what he knows is headed to Zion. They are seeking out God, they are desiring after the truth; and what does God say? (Isa.35:9) No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up thereon; they shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there.   If you are walking by faith in Him and you are on the highway of holiness, there is provision, there is protection. (Isa.11:16) And there shall be a highway for the remnant of his people, that shall remain, from Assyria; like as there was for Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt. He's talking about coming out of Egypt, coming out of the Assyrian captivity, coming out of Babylon. Notice he said there was a highway leaving there, a highway of holiness that separates us from the Beast, that separates us from the world, that separates us from our old life, which is a part of the Beast and a member of the world.   (Isa.35:8) And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but is shall be for [the redeemed:] the wayfaring men (That's the man on the well-traveled road, the wide road, the broad road.), yea fools, shall not err therein. So no fools will travel this road. (Isa.35:9) No lion shall be there (The Beast won't be there!), nor shall any ravenous beast go up thereon; they shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk [there]: (10) and the ransomed of the Lord (A "ransom," of course, is when a price has been paid to deliver somebody from bondage.) shall return, and come with singing unto Zion. So we see that this highway leads away from Babylon, from Egypt, from Assyria; or, in other words, out from the bondage of captivity to the old man and the corporate beast it goes to Zion.   As long as you are on the highway, the Beast is not a threat, but when you get off the highway, he's there like a mad dog ready to devour you. The word there for "holiness" in verse 8 is qodesh and it's translated as "sacred," "hallowed," "consecrated," or "sanctified." You see, all the benefits come from our sanctification. Hallelujah! This is good news, folks. We know there is a place of safety, a place of deliverance, a place of provision in God and it comes from walking in sanctification. So many people have discounted the benefits of sanctification; they've covered it up with some kind of "greasy grace." They say, "Oh, we're not saved by works, we're saved by grace." That's true, but grace is what sanctifies, grace is what provides, grace is what delivers, grace is what sanctifies us from this world.   Grace is not just God's forgiveness, but they seem to think that's what grace is and that it doesn't provide anything concrete. You just receive forgiveness, so you can continue to be a sinner who keeps on asking for forgiveness. That's not grace at all! And that won't deliver you, either! It won't deliver you from the Beast. Back to (Isa.62:10) Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up an ensign for the peoples. Don't let anything get in the way; don't put anything between yourself and Zion. I remember when my good friend Bolivar said years ago that the Lord spoke to him, "I am Zion!" That is so true. Zion represents that place of holiness; it represents abiding in Christ. Paul called Zion, (Heb.12:23) ... the spirits of just men made perfect.   (Isa.62:11) Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the earth, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him.... What is the ultimate fulfillment of our salvation? We have been saved in spirit, we are being saved in soul and we are going to be saved in body. When the Lord comes, His reward is with Him. There are going to be some people who are never going to die because they have walked in holiness and the Lord is going to give them that new body, that new life.   (Isa.62:11) Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the earth, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, His reward is with Him, and his recompense before him. (12) And they shall call them The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord: and thou shalt be called Sought out, A city not forsaken. "Not forsaken." Wow! Praise God! Zion hasn't been sought for, it hasn't been sought after. People have been content with their apostate religions, but there is a place of holiness, there is a place of walking in the steps of the Lord Jesus Christ, a place where His provision will meet every need. This place in Zion will be sought out by those who understand God's plan. Others are quite satisfied to play in religion, to play with one of the daughters of the Harlot. God has a great plan. He's going to restore His people. He's going to deliver His people. He's going to separate His people. And He's going to bring to pass all these promises! He said, "Don't cease to remind Me of this." Glory be to God!     Printer-friendly version     © 2017 UBM | Unleavened Bread Ministries. All rights reserved.    [ Fair Use Notice ]

A Wedding of Words Ruth's One-Way Flight Each year, it is traditional to read the scroll of Ruth at Shavuot. We might say the three scrolls of Ruth, Esther, and Song of Songs are the Bridal Scrolls of return from exile. There are many wonderful ideas about why Ruth commemmorates the giving of the Torah in addition to the story's setting, the time between the first fruits of the barley harvest at Pesach and the wheat harvest at Shavuot. Sometimes the simplest answer is the most memorable. What happened to Israel in leaving Egypt at Pesach is what happened to Ruth in leaving Moab and arriving at the House of Bread (Beit Lechem) at Pesach. The Israelites left Egypt as strangers there before she became a Bride, and Ruth left Moab to become a stranger in Judah before she became part of the Bride. The clue is in the wings that carried the Israelites and Ruth to their destinations, the wildernes and the Promised Land. In Hebrew, "wing" is kanaf  (??????). And why were they carried their places? To engage in a covenant of the Ten Words: “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings (??????), and brought you to Myself.” (Ex 19:4) “May the LORD reward your work, and your wages be full from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings (??????) you have come to seek refuge.” (Ruth 2:12) He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth your maid. So spread your covering (??????) over your maid, for you are a close relative.” (Ruth 3:9) Were Israel and Ruth flown to a place of refuge, or were they moved to holier places in their journeys? Yes. “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘In those days ten men from all the nations will grasp the garment (??????) of a Jew, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”'” (Zec 8:23) The setting of Ruth's story is Beit Lechem, the House of Bread, where Judah was recovering from the famine. The wilderness also was a place of miraculous, Heavenly Bread and Living Water. A place of covering, anointing, preparation, and clean clothes for a nation of priests. The wilderness was where the Bride was purified with the Torah as she walked as she walked after her Bridegroom, picking up what He dropped for her each morning. Let's see if there are wilderness template parallels in the story of Ruth: The Ten Words to the Bride at Shavuot, Mount Sinai, Via Moshe, Friend of the Bridegroom become Ten Witnesses to the Bride's purity and offspring. Think of the Ten Words (Commandments) as Ten Witnesses, the observable grace of the Bride in preparing for her Bridegroom according to their everlasting agreement. Ruth's character exhibited this grace in the Word, witnessed by ten elders of Beit Lechem: ...for all my people in the city know that you are a woman of excellence. (3:11) He took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. (Ru 4:2) Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today...(v. 9) All the people who were in the court, and the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel; and may you achieve wealth in Ephrathah and become famous in Bethlehem. Moreover, may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the offspring which the LORD will give you by this young woman.” (v. 11-12) Numerous times in Deuteronomy Moses called heaven and earth as well as the Israelites to be witnesses "today" of the importance of obeying the Words of the covenant. Ruth's obedience to the Ten Words had risen to such heights that she broke the "Moabite barrier," a passage in the Torah forbidding marriage to a Moabite, for they were stingy and inhospitable to their kin, Israel, as they passed in the wilderness. Ruth, however,