Before we go any farther in our study I need to say this about the Apostle Paul, Paul had discovered the entry into the promise of “eternal life in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:23, Acts 9), being spiritually regenerated unto eternal life (John 3:3-16), and made “alive to God in Christ Jesus” (John 17; Romans 6:10-11, Galatians 2:20, Colossians 3:3-6). Such life in Christ was not just a spiritual deposit for futuristic benefits in heaven, but is the vital dynamic whereby “the life of Christ Jesus might be manifested in our mortal bodies” (II Corinthians 4:10-11), and we might live to the glory of God by allowing His all-glorious character as the word Father means (to infuse His nature into) to be expressed in our behavior. Paul now lived in the jurisdiction of God’s Grace with the divine dynamics to fulfill all of God’s demands, which are nothing more than consistent expression of His character. This is His restoring within His own His vary nature the image and likeness of Christ which man had in the beginning (Genesis 1:27, 2:6-7).
Hebrews 9:27
"And as it is appointed unto men once to die (physically. They’re going to go through death and after death, now what happens?) but after this the judgment:"
And a lot of good church people don’t understand this. Come back with me to John’s Gospel chapter 5, beginning with verse 28. If you have a red-letter edition, it’s in red. From the lips of the Lord Himself in His earthly ministry. I’m finding out very few church people realize this is in their Bible. But here the Lord says:
John 5:28
"Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, (He doesn’t give any hint when,) in the which all that are in the graves (everybody since Adam and Eve until the end of time. Everybody that has lived a physical life and died) shall hear his voice." But this needs to be said if you have not the Holy Spirit, ask of Him and He'll give you the Spirit of Truth to receive of Him through what follows:
Before we continue we must look at this also:
John 6:44-45
"No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me."
This tells us that we're to learn of the Father of spirit's in order to Live in the Kingdom of Eternal Life which is only received by our receiving His Grace activity and our receptivity of His Gospel of Grace. Other wise as we saw earlier we're an obstacle and a hindrance to His working in us and the world (for this is the meaning of Revelation chapters 17 and 18 and the spirit of self, or the world order called Babylon the great harlot).
Looking back to John 5: 28, Whose voice? God’s voice. When God speaks, they’ll come forth from their place – as lost people and the saved. Now it must be said that this may mean two different things. Because God can and does speak to both worlds, what I mean to the earthy and the spiritual. Allow me to digress for a moment and lets look at Israel in Leviticus chapter 11 and verse 45.
Leviticus 11:44-45
"For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy."
This is placed within the framework of their dietary laws and the eating of the unclean things such as spiders, scorpions, rats, fish without scales and birds such as the owl, hawk, or any other carrion thing. But the key is for us to hear what they, Israel did not. They heard sanctify yourselves from, and it became a ministration of self efforts. It's the Lord who brings us out from among them, in this case Egypt. And most of us by now know and understand this to mean the world and all that opposes God. Now turn to the New Covenant area of 2 Corinthians chapter 6 and we'll pick it up in verse 14:
2Corinthians 6:14-7:1
"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
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."
Now we'll go to Revelation chapters 17 and 18, to learn of Belial, and in both we should look at the fullness of each chapter and that I'll allow you to do, but we'll look at just a few verses for now:
Revelation 17:3-6
"So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 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 great admiration." and then to chapter 18 and we'll pick up the flow at verse 1:
Revelation 18:1-7
"And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow."
This is but a glimpse of how the harlot of self, self-will, self-love, ego and pride which are but the bestial nature of fallen man has woven its way into the fabric of the end times church. As the ancient Hebrew (Strong's Greek G955 and Hebrew H1100) for Belial means ungodly, worthless and wickedness of men. These are the very ones who are obstacles and hindrances to God's message of Grace as seen in Christ Jesus and His active ministry to the world to-day. But for those who have heard and are hearing the voice of God and have chosen to come out from among them (the churches of Egypt or the spirit of Babylon) are become God's children again through the cross and the marriage feast of the Lamb, the secret of the Last Supper, Passover meal.
Now picking back up where we left off in John 5 and verse 29:
John 5:29
"And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."
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