We are about to explore the mystery of Godliness as spoken of in 1Timothy 3:16 of 14-16 "I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of GOD, which is the Church (also known as the Body of Christ and House of GODS endwelling and Family as one unit of His Faith) of the living GOD, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory."
Paul here speaks as if in a third person looking at what is not known nor seen or as King David did when speaking as if in the person of Christ speaking to the Father. Jesus Himself eluded to this revelation in the following passages as a fuller revelation;
Fuller Revelation,
John 13:7 of 1-11 "Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from GOD and was going back to GOD, rose from supper. He laid aside His outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around His waist. Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around Him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to Him, "Lord, do you wash my feet?" Jesus answered him, 'What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.' Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, 'If I do not wash you, you have no share with Me.' Simon Peter said to Him, "LORD, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" Jesus said to him, 'The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.' For He knew who was to betray Him; that was why He said, 'Not all of you are clean.'"
John 16:12-13 of 12-15 (Jesus is speaking) "'I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of Truth comes, HE will guide you into all the truth, for HE will not speak on His own authority, but whatever HE hears he will speak, and HE will declare to you the things that are to come. HE will glorify Me, for HE will take what is Mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is Mine; therefore I said that HE will take what is Mine and declare it to you.'"
1Corinthians 13:12 of 8-14:5 "Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy (teach divine revelation). For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to GOD; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up."
Thursday, May 31, 2018
The Secret and Mysteries of GOD revisited, part 20.03a
In our last blog post we looked into what true fellowship with GOD and Christ is, this we all know as Faith. Faith not as the religious world of mans construction regards faith. For this faith has thousands of flavors and doctrines depending on what "their religious preferences are." It is these doctrines that are the bases of what they practice as faith, for many it is a version of the old now defunct Laws of Moses, excluding the code of behavior given for mans standard, the ten commandments, or some kind of spin of them such as Islam. There is one group that calls themselves the "Christ in you" church, they by far are the closes that I know of. Over the years of this blog I have endeavored to raise the bar of faith to the level of GOD's meaning and understanding. Paul called it "Christ in you" I call it the anointing of GOD in us. What is harder to receive, Christ in you or GOD in us, as these are but one, as we have learned of Him over the years since HE asked me to Learn of Him, this taken from Matthew 11:29 and the hidden meaning of Deuteronomy 18:15-22 with the secret of Deuteronomy 29:29, the bases and foundation of this blog. It has taken me nine years to get here but here we are with GOD's essence of light, love, life and law operative as His grace within us, again as in the beginning Genesis 2. Time and time again we heard that it was the GOD-head, the anointing, in the Son of man, Jesus, why would it be any different with us who received Him? For we are to walk by faith and not by our sight. And we are not to trust in our own understanding but rather His. In the last blog we looked at those who walked with GOD as we are to walk with GOD, was my purpose for this. Now I will turn my attention to 1Timothy 3:14-16 as the last mystery spoken of before we get to Revelation the book of the revealing of the anointings works with receptive mankind and the battle of faith verses unbelief and false doctrines of man. It is within this passage that we encounter the mystery of GOD-liness.
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
The Secret and Mysteries of GOD revisited, part 20.03
Today's blog will look at walking in agreement as a follower of Christ and with GOD. Our scripture is based on this, 1Timothy 3:13 " For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus."
Walking in Fellowship of Agreement with Christ:
Found in Spiritual Assemblies,
Matthew 18:20of 18, 19-20 (Jesus is speaking) "'Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven For where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I among them.'"
In the Communion of Saints,
Luke 24:15 of 13-27 "That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. And HE said to them, 'What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?' And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered Him, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?" And HE said to them, 'What things?' And they said to Him, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before GOD and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered Him up to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we had hoped that He was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find His corps, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that He was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but His corps they did not see." And HE said to them, 'O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?' Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, HE interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself."
Warms the Heart,
Luke 24:32 of 28-35 "As they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if HE were going farther, but they urged Him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent." So HE went in to stay with them. When HE was at table with them, HE took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. And HE vanished from their sight. They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while HE talked to us on the road, while HE opened to us the Scriptures?" And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" Then they told what had happened on the road, and how HE was known to them in the breaking of the bread."
Leaves its Impress upon our Life,
Acts 4:13 of 13-22 "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, saying, "What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name." So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, "Whether it is right in the sight of GOD to listen to you rather than to GOD, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard." And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising GOD for what had happened. For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old."
Believers Called to,
1Corinthians 1:9 of 4-9 "I give thanks to my GOD always for you because of the grace of GOD that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched by Him in all speech and all knowledge—even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you—so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. GOD is faithful, by Whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our LORD."
Testimony an Aid to,
1John 1:3 of 1-4 "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life----the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete."
Spiritual Receptivity the Condition,
Revelation 3:20 of 15-22 (The LORD Christ is speaking) "'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot (your liberal, of the left). Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him, and he with Me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with ME on My throne, as I also conquered and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"
Walking with GOD,
Genesis 5:22-24 of 21-24 "When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. Enoch walked with GOD after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with GOD, and he was not, for GOD took him."
Genesis 6:9 of 9-10 with 2Kings 23:3 of 1-3, Micah 4:5 of 1-5 "These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with GOD. And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth."
2Kings 23:3 of 1-3, Micah 4:5 of 1-5 "Then the king sent, and all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem were gathered to him. And the king went up to the house of the LORD, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD. And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant."
Micah 4:5 of 1-5 "It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it, and many nations shall come, and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the GOD of Jacob, that HE may teach us His (H1870, path of life) ways and that we may walk in His (law of life) paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law (this not the Mosaic Law as shown by the Strong's Dictionary with H8451 as it contradicts H1870), and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. HE shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore; but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken. For all the peoples walk each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our GOD forever and ever."
Malachi 2:6 of 1-9 "'And now, O priests, this command is for you. If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to My name, says the LORD of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it. So shall you know that I have sent this command to you, that My covenant with Levi may stand, says the LORD of hosts. My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him. It was a covenant of fear, and he feared Me. He stood in awe of My name. True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. But you have turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the LORD of hosts, and so I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you do not keep My ways but show partiality in your instruction.'"
Revelation 3:4 of 1-6 "And to the angel [messenger] of the church in Sardis write: 'The words of Him Who has the seven spirits of GOD and the seven stars. I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of My GOD. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"
Walking in Fellowship of Agreement with Christ:
Found in Spiritual Assemblies,
Matthew 18:20of 18, 19-20 (Jesus is speaking) "'Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven For where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I among them.'"
In the Communion of Saints,
Luke 24:15 of 13-27 "That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. And HE said to them, 'What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?' And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered Him, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?" And HE said to them, 'What things?' And they said to Him, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before GOD and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered Him up to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we had hoped that He was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find His corps, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that He was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but His corps they did not see." And HE said to them, 'O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?' Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, HE interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself."
Warms the Heart,
Luke 24:32 of 28-35 "As they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if HE were going farther, but they urged Him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent." So HE went in to stay with them. When HE was at table with them, HE took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. And HE vanished from their sight. They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while HE talked to us on the road, while HE opened to us the Scriptures?" And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" Then they told what had happened on the road, and how HE was known to them in the breaking of the bread."
Leaves its Impress upon our Life,
Acts 4:13 of 13-22 "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, saying, "What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name." So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, "Whether it is right in the sight of GOD to listen to you rather than to GOD, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard." And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising GOD for what had happened. For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old."
Believers Called to,
1Corinthians 1:9 of 4-9 "I give thanks to my GOD always for you because of the grace of GOD that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched by Him in all speech and all knowledge—even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you—so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. GOD is faithful, by Whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our LORD."
Testimony an Aid to,
1John 1:3 of 1-4 "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life----the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete."
Spiritual Receptivity the Condition,
Revelation 3:20 of 15-22 (The LORD Christ is speaking) "'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot (your liberal, of the left). Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him, and he with Me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with ME on My throne, as I also conquered and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"
Walking with GOD,
Genesis 5:22-24 of 21-24 "When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. Enoch walked with GOD after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with GOD, and he was not, for GOD took him."
Genesis 6:9 of 9-10 with 2Kings 23:3 of 1-3, Micah 4:5 of 1-5 "These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with GOD. And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth."
2Kings 23:3 of 1-3, Micah 4:5 of 1-5 "Then the king sent, and all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem were gathered to him. And the king went up to the house of the LORD, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD. And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant."
Micah 4:5 of 1-5 "It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it, and many nations shall come, and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the GOD of Jacob, that HE may teach us His (H1870, path of life) ways and that we may walk in His (law of life) paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law (this not the Mosaic Law as shown by the Strong's Dictionary with H8451 as it contradicts H1870), and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. HE shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore; but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken. For all the peoples walk each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our GOD forever and ever."
Malachi 2:6 of 1-9 "'And now, O priests, this command is for you. If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to My name, says the LORD of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it. So shall you know that I have sent this command to you, that My covenant with Levi may stand, says the LORD of hosts. My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him. It was a covenant of fear, and he feared Me. He stood in awe of My name. True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. But you have turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the LORD of hosts, and so I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you do not keep My ways but show partiality in your instruction.'"
Revelation 3:4 of 1-6 "And to the angel [messenger] of the church in Sardis write: 'The words of Him Who has the seven spirits of GOD and the seven stars. I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of My GOD. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"
Monday, May 28, 2018
The Secret and Mysteries of GOD revisited, part 20.02
We are established by His Faith at work within us and with it comes our own fidelity which is our next topic of interest. By way of reminder there is a principal within the context of scripture and a law if you will, that deals with the first rule of use and that is why many things use the old and the new to verify all things as the month that speaks the Word to us.
Our Fidelity,
Some examples of, To GOD,
Numbers 12:7 of 1-8 "Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. And they said, "Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has HE not spoken through us also?" And the LORD heard it. Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth. And suddenly the LORD said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, 'Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.' And the three of them came out. And the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward. And HE said, '"Hear My words: If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses. For He is faithful in all My house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?'"
Numbers 14:24 of 20-25 "Then the LORD said, 'I have pardoned, according to your word. But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory (grace) of the LORD, none of the men who have seen My glory and My signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed My voice, shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despise Me shall see it. But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it. Now, since the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valleys, turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.'"
1Kings 19:18 of 15-18 "The LORD said to him, 'Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.'"
Nehemiah 7:2 of 1-4 "Now when the wall had been built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many. And I said to them, "Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot. And while they are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their guard posts and some in front of their own homes." The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few, and no houses had been rebuilt."
1Corinthians 4:17 of 14-5:5 "I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me. That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the LORD, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every congregation. Some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. But I will come to you soon, if the LORD wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. For the kingdom of GOD does not consist in talk but in power. What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness? For it is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, I have decided to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the LORD."
Colossians 1:7 of 3-8 "We always thank GOD, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of GOD in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit."
Colossians 4:9 of 2-4, 5-9 "Continue steadfastly in all prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that GOD may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in [of] the LORD. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here."
Revelation 17:14 of 7, 8-14 "The angel said to me, "Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her.
The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for HE is LORD of lords and King of kings, and those with Him are called and chosen and faithful."
Divine Nearness to GOD, some general references to,
Psalm 16:8 of 5-6, 7-11 "The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
I bless the LORD Who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me; because HE is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let Your holy one see corruption. You make known to me (as a law) the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
Psalm 34:18 of 15-18; 119:151 of 145-152 "The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and His ears toward their cry. The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."
Qoph.
Psalm 119:151 of 145-152 "With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O LORD! I will keep Your statutes. I call to You; save me, that I may observe Your testimonies. I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in Your Words. My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on Your promises. Hear my voice according to Your steadfast love; O LORD, according to Your justice give me of Your life. They draw near who persecute me with [wickedness of] evil purpose; they are far from Your law (the true path of life). But You are near, O LORD, and all Your commandments are true. Long have I known from Your testimonies that You have founded them forever."
Psalm 145:18 of 17-21 and Isaiah 50:8 of 4-11 "The LORD is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His works. The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him; HE also hears their cry and saves them. The LORD preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked HE will destroy. My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and let all flesh bless His [secret and hidden] Holy name forever and ever."
Isaiah 50:8 of 4-11 "The LORD God (YHWH usually rendered LORD) has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning HE awakens; HE awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. The LORD God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward. I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. But the LORD God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. For HE who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me. Behold, the LORD God helps me; who will declare me guilty? Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them up. Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of His servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his GOD. Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches! Walk by the light of your fire, and by the torches that you have kindled! This you have from My hand: you shall lie down in torment."
Jeremiah 23:23 of 16-22, 23-24 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. They say continually to those who despise the Word of the LORD, "It shall be well with you;" and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, "No disaster shall come upon you." For who among them has stood in the council of the LORD to see and to hear His word, or who has paid attention to His word and listened? Behold, the storm of the LORD! Wrath has gone forth, a whirling tempest; it will burst upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the LORD will not be turned back until HE has executed and accomplished the intents of His heart. In the latter days you will understand this clearly. 'I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in My council, then they would have proclaimed My words to My people, and they would have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their deeds.'
'Am I a GOD at hand,' declares the LORD, 'and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.'"
Acts 17:27 of 22-31 "So Paul, standing in the midst (council) of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, 'To the unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The GOD Who made the world and everything in it, being LORD of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is HE served by human hands, as though HE needed anything, since HE Himself gives to all mankind (the law of life and true path way for) life and breath and everything. And HE made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek GOD, and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him. Yet HE is actually not far from each one of us, for (in Job 12:10 and Daniel 5:23) "'In Him we live and move and have our existence of being;' as even some of your own poets have said, "'For we are indeed His offspring.' Being then GOD's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. The times of mans ignorance GOD overlooked, but now HE commands all people everywhere to repent, because HE has fixed a day on which HE will judge the world in righteousness by a man Whom HE has appointed; and of this HE has given assurance to all by raising Him from the dead."
Our Fidelity,
Some examples of, To GOD,
Numbers 12:7 of 1-8 "Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. And they said, "Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has HE not spoken through us also?" And the LORD heard it. Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth. And suddenly the LORD said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, 'Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.' And the three of them came out. And the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward. And HE said, '"Hear My words: If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses. For He is faithful in all My house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?'"
Numbers 14:24 of 20-25 "Then the LORD said, 'I have pardoned, according to your word. But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory (grace) of the LORD, none of the men who have seen My glory and My signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed My voice, shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despise Me shall see it. But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it. Now, since the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valleys, turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.'"
1Kings 19:18 of 15-18 "The LORD said to him, 'Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.'"
Nehemiah 7:2 of 1-4 "Now when the wall had been built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many. And I said to them, "Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot. And while they are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their guard posts and some in front of their own homes." The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few, and no houses had been rebuilt."
1Corinthians 4:17 of 14-5:5 "I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me. That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the LORD, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every congregation. Some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. But I will come to you soon, if the LORD wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. For the kingdom of GOD does not consist in talk but in power. What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness? For it is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, I have decided to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the LORD."
Colossians 1:7 of 3-8 "We always thank GOD, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of GOD in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit."
Colossians 4:9 of 2-4, 5-9 "Continue steadfastly in all prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that GOD may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in [of] the LORD. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here."
Revelation 17:14 of 7, 8-14 "The angel said to me, "Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her.
The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for HE is LORD of lords and King of kings, and those with Him are called and chosen and faithful."
Divine Nearness to GOD, some general references to,
Psalm 16:8 of 5-6, 7-11 "The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
I bless the LORD Who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me; because HE is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let Your holy one see corruption. You make known to me (as a law) the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
Psalm 34:18 of 15-18; 119:151 of 145-152 "The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and His ears toward their cry. The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."
Qoph.
Psalm 119:151 of 145-152 "With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O LORD! I will keep Your statutes. I call to You; save me, that I may observe Your testimonies. I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in Your Words. My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on Your promises. Hear my voice according to Your steadfast love; O LORD, according to Your justice give me of Your life. They draw near who persecute me with [wickedness of] evil purpose; they are far from Your law (the true path of life). But You are near, O LORD, and all Your commandments are true. Long have I known from Your testimonies that You have founded them forever."
Psalm 145:18 of 17-21 and Isaiah 50:8 of 4-11 "The LORD is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His works. The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him; HE also hears their cry and saves them. The LORD preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked HE will destroy. My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and let all flesh bless His [secret and hidden] Holy name forever and ever."
Isaiah 50:8 of 4-11 "The LORD God (YHWH usually rendered LORD) has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning HE awakens; HE awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. The LORD God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward. I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. But the LORD God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. For HE who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me. Behold, the LORD God helps me; who will declare me guilty? Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them up. Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of His servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his GOD. Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches! Walk by the light of your fire, and by the torches that you have kindled! This you have from My hand: you shall lie down in torment."
Jeremiah 23:23 of 16-22, 23-24 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. They say continually to those who despise the Word of the LORD, "It shall be well with you;" and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, "No disaster shall come upon you." For who among them has stood in the council of the LORD to see and to hear His word, or who has paid attention to His word and listened? Behold, the storm of the LORD! Wrath has gone forth, a whirling tempest; it will burst upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the LORD will not be turned back until HE has executed and accomplished the intents of His heart. In the latter days you will understand this clearly. 'I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in My council, then they would have proclaimed My words to My people, and they would have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their deeds.'
'Am I a GOD at hand,' declares the LORD, 'and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.'"
Acts 17:27 of 22-31 "So Paul, standing in the midst (council) of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, 'To the unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The GOD Who made the world and everything in it, being LORD of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is HE served by human hands, as though HE needed anything, since HE Himself gives to all mankind (the law of life and true path way for) life and breath and everything. And HE made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek GOD, and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him. Yet HE is actually not far from each one of us, for (in Job 12:10 and Daniel 5:23) "'In Him we live and move and have our existence of being;' as even some of your own poets have said, "'For we are indeed His offspring.' Being then GOD's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. The times of mans ignorance GOD overlooked, but now HE commands all people everywhere to repent, because HE has fixed a day on which HE will judge the world in righteousness by a man Whom HE has appointed; and of this HE has given assurance to all by raising Him from the dead."
Sunday, May 27, 2018
The Secret and Mysteries of GOD revisited, part 20.01
We are looking at the requirements of deacons or elders in GODS Church and Family also known by the term of Body of Christ because within each member of this assembly dwells the Spirit of GOD known as Christ, just HE did the Son of Man Jesus. For understanding of this we must know what was said to man and woman in the garden after their rebellion had taken place, as found in Genesis verse 3:15. When we do we can move forward to 2Corinthians 4:7-12, 13-15, 16-5:5, 6-10 where we find this:
"For we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to GOD and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Christ may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life in Jesus, that is to say Christ, also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.
Since we have the same spirit of faith (Christ) according to what has been written (in Psalm 116:10), "I believed, and so I spoke," we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that HE Who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into His presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory (knowledge) of GOD (now in man according to the LORDS High Priestly Prayer of John 17).
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of (GODLY Knowledge of His) glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from GOD, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by His Life (the true law of Life's path*). For HE Who has prepared us for this very thing is GOD, Who has given us His Spirit as our guarantee.
So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are not away from the LORD, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home within the LORD. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what HE has done in the body, whether good or evil."
This said we will now turn our attention to "the mystery of faith" that is to be held and tested in the deacons or elders of His Faith. Again I have shown a link in scriptures with the use of ( * ).
Blameless,
Philippians 2:15 of 12-13, 14-18 "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is GOD Who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
Therefore Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of GOD without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the Word of Life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me."
Philippians 3:6 of 2-6, 7-11 "Look out for the dogs (the nations, that is to say the Gentiles), look out for the evildoers (the religious communities), look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of GOD and glory (knowledge held) in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the (Mosaic) Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law*, blameless.
For whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my LORD. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the (Mosaic) Law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from GOD that depends on faith—that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead."
Colossians 1:22 of 9-14, 15-20, 21-23, 24-2:5, 6-7 "For this reason, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will (plan and purpose in you) in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the LORD, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of GOD. May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father of spirits, Who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. HE having delivered 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.
He is the image of the invisible GOD, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. And HE is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And HE is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything HE might be preeminent. For in Him all the fullness of GOD (as Christ) was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.
Now you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, HE has reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you hear, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of His body, that is, the Church (congregation), of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from GOD that was given to me for you, to make the Word of GOD fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints (in whom His Light, Life, Love as the true law dwells). To them GOD chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. For Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone (perfect) mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all His energy that HE powerfully works within me. For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of GOD's mystery, which is Christ, in Whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude (pass to you their delusion) with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus (they being inseparable from us as they were while here on earth, being One being which we also become One with Them) the LORD, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in [by] Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving."
1Thessalonians 3:13 of 11-4:8 "Now may our GOD and Father Himself, and our LORD, Christ Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the LORD make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that HE may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our GOD and Father of spirits, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints. Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please GOD, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the (plan and purpose) Will of GOD, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know GOD; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the LORD is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For GOD has not called us for impurity, but to His Holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but GOD, Who gives His Holy Spirit to you."
1Thessalonians 5:23 of 23-24 "Now may the GOD of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming (perfecting) of our Lord Jesus Christ (in you). For HE Who calls you is faithful; HE will surely do it (this)."
1Timothy 3:2 of 1-7 "The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for GOD's Church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation (delusions) of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare (delusions of hypocrisies) of the devil."
Titus 1:6 of 5-9, 10-16 "This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, is GOD's steward, as such is to be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the (Mosaic Law being themselves the) circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons." This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth. To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. They profess to know GOD, but they deny Him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work."
2Peter 3:14, 17 of 14-18 "Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our LORD as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. The eternal Amen."
"For we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to GOD and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Christ may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life in Jesus, that is to say Christ, also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.
Since we have the same spirit of faith (Christ) according to what has been written (in Psalm 116:10), "I believed, and so I spoke," we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that HE Who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into His presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory (knowledge) of GOD (now in man according to the LORDS High Priestly Prayer of John 17).
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of (GODLY Knowledge of His) glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from GOD, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by His Life (the true law of Life's path*). For HE Who has prepared us for this very thing is GOD, Who has given us His Spirit as our guarantee.
So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are not away from the LORD, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home within the LORD. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what HE has done in the body, whether good or evil."
This said we will now turn our attention to "the mystery of faith" that is to be held and tested in the deacons or elders of His Faith. Again I have shown a link in scriptures with the use of ( * ).
Blameless,
Philippians 2:15 of 12-13, 14-18 "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is GOD Who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
Therefore Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of GOD without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the Word of Life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me."
Philippians 3:6 of 2-6, 7-11 "Look out for the dogs (the nations, that is to say the Gentiles), look out for the evildoers (the religious communities), look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of GOD and glory (knowledge held) in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the (Mosaic) Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law*, blameless.
For whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my LORD. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the (Mosaic) Law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from GOD that depends on faith—that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead."
Colossians 1:22 of 9-14, 15-20, 21-23, 24-2:5, 6-7 "For this reason, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will (plan and purpose in you) in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the LORD, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of GOD. May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father of spirits, Who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. HE having delivered 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.
He is the image of the invisible GOD, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. And HE is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And HE is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything HE might be preeminent. For in Him all the fullness of GOD (as Christ) was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.
Now you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, HE has reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you hear, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of His body, that is, the Church (congregation), of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from GOD that was given to me for you, to make the Word of GOD fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints (in whom His Light, Life, Love as the true law dwells). To them GOD chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. For Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone (perfect) mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all His energy that HE powerfully works within me. For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of GOD's mystery, which is Christ, in Whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude (pass to you their delusion) with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus (they being inseparable from us as they were while here on earth, being One being which we also become One with Them) the LORD, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in [by] Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving."
1Thessalonians 3:13 of 11-4:8 "Now may our GOD and Father Himself, and our LORD, Christ Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the LORD make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that HE may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our GOD and Father of spirits, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints. Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please GOD, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the (plan and purpose) Will of GOD, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know GOD; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the LORD is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For GOD has not called us for impurity, but to His Holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but GOD, Who gives His Holy Spirit to you."
1Thessalonians 5:23 of 23-24 "Now may the GOD of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming (perfecting) of our Lord Jesus Christ (in you). For HE Who calls you is faithful; HE will surely do it (this)."
1Timothy 3:2 of 1-7 "The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for GOD's Church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation (delusions) of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare (delusions of hypocrisies) of the devil."
Titus 1:6 of 5-9, 10-16 "This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, is GOD's steward, as such is to be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the (Mosaic Law being themselves the) circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons." This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth. To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. They profess to know GOD, but they deny Him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work."
2Peter 3:14, 17 of 14-18 "Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our LORD as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. The eternal Amen."
Friday, May 25, 2018
The Secret and Mysteries of GOD revisited, part 20
1Timothy 3 has two parts called mysteries the first is from verse 8 through 13 and the second is from verse 14 through 4 verse 5. So here is what the first one states;
1Timothy 3:9 of 8-13 "Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus."
Within the context of our subject we find the qualifications required of deacons. Among them are to know and understand the mysteries of Christ, having a good conscience, experience, and being blameless and having holy boldness. It is these that I will take sometime to examine. It would do well to know that Paul was a Jewish Lawyer and most of his arguments are argued from that stand point and it is for this reason that many do not understand him or the arguments.
The mystery of Christ deals with our redemption and we have looked into this one before, so I will not do so again. Then we come to Romans, in the first few chapters of Romans we find GODS view of man in sin, immoral man, religious man, redeemed and justified man and then righteous man.
So here is having a good conscience, first some general references to and then the point that is made.
General References, to a Good Conscience,
Acts 23:1 of 1-5 "And looking intently at the council, Paul said, "Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day." And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, "GOD is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the (Mosaic) Law, and yet contrary to the Law you order me to be struck?" Those who stood by said, "Would you revile God's high priest?" And Paul said, "I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, 'You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.'"
Romans 2:15 of 12-16 "For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the (Mosaic) Law. For it is not the hearers of the Law who are righteous before GOD, but the doers of the law (the true course that leads to life) who will be justified. For when Gentiles, who do not have the (Mosaic) Law, by nature do what the law (of life, have a clear conscience as) required, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the (Mosaic) Law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, GOD judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus."
Romans 13:5 of 1-7 "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from GOD, and those that exist have been instituted by GOD. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what GOD has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one Who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive His approval, for he is GOD's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for He does not bear the sword in vain. For He is the servant of GOD, an avenger Who carries out GOD's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid GOD's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed."
1Corinthians 8:7 of 6, 7-13; 10:25 of 23-30; 2Corinthians 5:11 of 11-15 "Yet for us there is one GOD, the Father, from Whom are all things and for Whom we exist, and one LORD, Jesus Christ, through Whom are all things and through Whom we exist.
However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. Food will not commend us to GOD. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's (today's religious houses of worship) temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for Whom Christ also died. Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble."
1Corithinas 10:25 of 23-30; 2Corinthians 5:11 of 11-15 "All things are lawful," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful," but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. For "the earth is the LORD's, and the fullness thereof." (Psalm 24:1, 50:12) If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience—I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?"
2Corinthians 5:11 of 11-15 "Therefore, knowing the fear of the LORD, we persuade others. But what we are is known to GOD, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for GOD; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and HE died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him Who for their sake died and was raised (within them, John 12:24)."
Hebrews 9:14 of 11-14; 10:22 of 19-25 "But when Christ appeared as a High Priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) HE entered once for all into the Holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of His own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to GOD, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living GOD."
Hebrews 10:22 of 19-25 "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that HE opened for us through the curtain, that is, through His flesh, and since we have a great Priest over the house of GOD, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for HE Who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."
A Good Conscience,
Acts 24:16 of 10-21 "And when the governor had nodded to him to speak, Paul replied: "Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my defense. You can verify that it is not more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem, and they did not find me disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or in the city. Neither can they prove to you what they now bring up against me. But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the GOD of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the (Mosaic) Law and written in the Prophets, having a hope in GOD, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust. So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both GOD and man. Now after several years I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings. While I was doing this, they found me purified in the temple, without any crowd or tumult. But some Jews from Asia—they ought to be here before you and to make an accusation, should they have anything against me. Or else let these men themselves say what wrongdoing they found when I stood before the council, other than this one thing that I cried out while standing among them: 'It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day.'"
Romans 9:1 of 1-5 "I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit—that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the (Mosaic) Law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, Who is GOD over all, blessed forever. The Amen."
2Corinthians 1:12 of 12-14 "For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the Grace of GOD, and supremely so toward you. For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and understand and I hope you will fully understand—just as you did partially understand us—that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you."
1Timothy 1:5 of 3-7 "As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from GOD that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the (Mosaic) Law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions."
1Timothy 1:19 of 18-20; 3:9 of 8-13; Hebrews 13:15 of 7-16; 1Peter 2:19 of 18-3:7 "This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme."
1Timothy 3:9 of 8-13; Hebrews 13:15 of 7-16; 1Peter 2:19 of 18-3:7 "Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus."
Hebrews 13:15 of 7-16; 1Peter 2:19 of 18-3:7 "Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the Word of GOD. Consider the outcome of their (law in the) way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. We have an altar from which those who serve the tent (tabernacle) have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through His own blood. Therefore let us go to Him outside the camp and bear the reproach He endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to GOD, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to GOD."
1Peter 2:19 of 18-3:7 "Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of GOD, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of GOD. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth. When HE was reviled, HE did not revile in return; when HE suffered, HE did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him Who judges justly. HE Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed (restored). For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the Word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in GOD's sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in GOD used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening."
1Peter 3:16 of 13-22 "Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the LORD as Holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be GOD's will, than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that HE might bring us to GOD, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the (our) spirit, in which HE went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison (Matthew 27:51-54), because they formerly did not obey, when GOD's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to GOD for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of GOD, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to Him."
1Timothy 3:9 of 8-13 "Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus."
Within the context of our subject we find the qualifications required of deacons. Among them are to know and understand the mysteries of Christ, having a good conscience, experience, and being blameless and having holy boldness. It is these that I will take sometime to examine. It would do well to know that Paul was a Jewish Lawyer and most of his arguments are argued from that stand point and it is for this reason that many do not understand him or the arguments.
The mystery of Christ deals with our redemption and we have looked into this one before, so I will not do so again. Then we come to Romans, in the first few chapters of Romans we find GODS view of man in sin, immoral man, religious man, redeemed and justified man and then righteous man.
So here is having a good conscience, first some general references to and then the point that is made.
General References, to a Good Conscience,
Acts 23:1 of 1-5 "And looking intently at the council, Paul said, "Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day." And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, "GOD is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the (Mosaic) Law, and yet contrary to the Law you order me to be struck?" Those who stood by said, "Would you revile God's high priest?" And Paul said, "I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, 'You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.'"
Romans 2:15 of 12-16 "For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the (Mosaic) Law. For it is not the hearers of the Law who are righteous before GOD, but the doers of the law (the true course that leads to life) who will be justified. For when Gentiles, who do not have the (Mosaic) Law, by nature do what the law (of life, have a clear conscience as) required, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the (Mosaic) Law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, GOD judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus."
Romans 13:5 of 1-7 "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from GOD, and those that exist have been instituted by GOD. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what GOD has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one Who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive His approval, for he is GOD's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for He does not bear the sword in vain. For He is the servant of GOD, an avenger Who carries out GOD's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid GOD's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed."
1Corinthians 8:7 of 6, 7-13; 10:25 of 23-30; 2Corinthians 5:11 of 11-15 "Yet for us there is one GOD, the Father, from Whom are all things and for Whom we exist, and one LORD, Jesus Christ, through Whom are all things and through Whom we exist.
However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. Food will not commend us to GOD. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's (today's religious houses of worship) temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for Whom Christ also died. Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble."
1Corithinas 10:25 of 23-30; 2Corinthians 5:11 of 11-15 "All things are lawful," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful," but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. For "the earth is the LORD's, and the fullness thereof." (Psalm 24:1, 50:12) If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience—I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?"
2Corinthians 5:11 of 11-15 "Therefore, knowing the fear of the LORD, we persuade others. But what we are is known to GOD, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for GOD; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and HE died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him Who for their sake died and was raised (within them, John 12:24)."
Hebrews 9:14 of 11-14; 10:22 of 19-25 "But when Christ appeared as a High Priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) HE entered once for all into the Holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of His own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to GOD, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living GOD."
Hebrews 10:22 of 19-25 "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that HE opened for us through the curtain, that is, through His flesh, and since we have a great Priest over the house of GOD, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for HE Who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."
A Good Conscience,
Acts 24:16 of 10-21 "And when the governor had nodded to him to speak, Paul replied: "Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my defense. You can verify that it is not more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem, and they did not find me disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or in the city. Neither can they prove to you what they now bring up against me. But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the GOD of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the (Mosaic) Law and written in the Prophets, having a hope in GOD, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust. So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both GOD and man. Now after several years I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings. While I was doing this, they found me purified in the temple, without any crowd or tumult. But some Jews from Asia—they ought to be here before you and to make an accusation, should they have anything against me. Or else let these men themselves say what wrongdoing they found when I stood before the council, other than this one thing that I cried out while standing among them: 'It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day.'"
Romans 9:1 of 1-5 "I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit—that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the (Mosaic) Law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, Who is GOD over all, blessed forever. The Amen."
2Corinthians 1:12 of 12-14 "For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the Grace of GOD, and supremely so toward you. For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and understand and I hope you will fully understand—just as you did partially understand us—that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you."
1Timothy 1:5 of 3-7 "As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from GOD that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the (Mosaic) Law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions."
1Timothy 1:19 of 18-20; 3:9 of 8-13; Hebrews 13:15 of 7-16; 1Peter 2:19 of 18-3:7 "This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme."
1Timothy 3:9 of 8-13; Hebrews 13:15 of 7-16; 1Peter 2:19 of 18-3:7 "Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus."
Hebrews 13:15 of 7-16; 1Peter 2:19 of 18-3:7 "Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the Word of GOD. Consider the outcome of their (law in the) way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. We have an altar from which those who serve the tent (tabernacle) have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through His own blood. Therefore let us go to Him outside the camp and bear the reproach He endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to GOD, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to GOD."
1Peter 2:19 of 18-3:7 "Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of GOD, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of GOD. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth. When HE was reviled, HE did not revile in return; when HE suffered, HE did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him Who judges justly. HE Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed (restored). For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the Word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in GOD's sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in GOD used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening."
1Peter 3:16 of 13-22 "Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the LORD as Holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be GOD's will, than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that HE might bring us to GOD, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the (our) spirit, in which HE went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison (Matthew 27:51-54), because they formerly did not obey, when GOD's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to GOD for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of GOD, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to Him."
The Secret and Mysteries of GOD revisited, part 19.06a Lawlessnesses mystery, Delusions of the Arch Deceiver
We are still looking into what sin actually is. And because in this section of 2Thessalonians 2:1-12 under the heading of delusions it is broad I will stop for now in looking into it. As it covers such things as unbelief, wickedness, having a probate mind, being a deplorable and a host of other subtopics. So I will turn my attentions now to 1Timothy 3.
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
The Secret and Mysteries of GOD revisited, part 19.06 Lawlessnesses mystery, Delusions of the Arch Deceiver
What actually is sin? In other words what is the true and actual definition of sin? For the answer I will turn my attention to the Bible's account and record, and not my own or another mans definition.
The Definition of Sin,
Vain Talk,
Proverbs 10:19 of 17-22 "Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life (and acquires the law as his own), but he who rejects reproof leads others astray. The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool. When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is of little worth. The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense. The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and HE adds no sorrow with it."
Contempt for Others,
Proverbs 14:21 of 17-23 "A man of quick temper acts foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated. The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge. The evil bow down before the good, the wicked at the gates of the righteous. The poor is disliked even by his neighbor, but the rich has many friends. Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor. Do they not go astray who devise evil? Those who devise good meet steadfast love and faithfulness. In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty."
Foolish Thoughts,
Proverbs 24:9 of 8-9 "Whoever plans to do evil will be called a schemer. The devising of folly is sin, and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind."
Unbelief,
Romans 14:23 of 13-23 "Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of GOD is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ (in his brother) is acceptable to GOD and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of GOD. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. The faith that you have, keep between yourself and GOD. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. For whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin."
Neglect of Opportunity,
James 4:17 of 13-17 "Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the LORD wills, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin."
Transgression of the Law, (this is not the Mosaic Law as many wrongfully assume [G3551], but is the law that is the narrow course that produces life, mans correct path [H8451; G4160*),
1John 5:17 of 16-17 "If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and GOD will give him life*—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death."
Sin loved by Man,
Job 15:16 of 7-16 with 20:12 "Are you the first man who was born? Or were you brought forth before the hills? Have you listened in the council of GOD? And do you limit wisdom to yourself? What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is not clear to us? Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us, older than your father. Are the comforts of GOD too small for you, or the Word that deals gently within you? Why does your heart carry you away, and why do your eyes flash, that you turn your spirit against GOD and bring such words out of your mouth? What is man, that he can be pure? Or he who is born of a woman, that he can be righteous? Behold, GOD puts no trust in His holy ones, and the heavens are not pure in His sight; how much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks injustice like water!"
Job 20:12-14 of 12-19 "Though evil is sweet in his mouth, though he hides it under his tongue, though he is loath to let it go and holds it in his mouth, yet his food is turned in his stomach; it is the venom of cobras within him. He swallows down riches and vomits them up again; GOD casts them out of his belly. He will suck the poison of cobras; the tongue of a viper will kill him. He will not look upon the rivers, the streams flowing with honey and curds. He will give back the fruit of his toil and will not swallow it down; from the profit of his trading he will get no enjoyment. For he has crushed and abandoned the poor; he has seized a house that he did not build."
Psalm 52:3-4 of 1-4 "Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The steadfast love of GOD endures all the day. Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit. You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking what is right. Selah. You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue."
Proverbs 2:13-16 of 6-20 with Isaiah 5:18 "For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; HE stores up sound wisdom for the upright; HE is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of His saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech, who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil, men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways. So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman (of religion), from the adulteress with her smooth words, who forsakes the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her god; for her house sinks down to death, and her paths to the departed; none who go to her come back, nor do they regain the (law) path of life. So you will walk in the way of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous."
Isaiah 5:18, 20-21 of 18-23 "Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood, who draw sin as with cart ropes, who say: "Let Him be quick, let Him speed His work that we may see it; let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near, and let it come, that we may know it!" Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight! Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink, who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right!"
Jeremiah 14:10 of 10-12 with Micah 3:2 "Thus says the LORD concerning this people: 'They have loved to wander thus; they have not restrained their feet; therefore the LORD does not accept them; now HE will remember their iniquity and punish their sins.' The LORD said to me: 'Do not pray for the welfare of this people. Though they fast, I will not hear their cry, and though they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.'"
Micah 3:2 of 1-4 "I said: Hear, you heads of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel! Is it not for you to know justice?—you who hate the good and love the evil, who tear the skin from off My people and their flesh from off their bones, who eat the flesh of My people, and flay their skin from off them, and break their bones in pieces and chop them up like meat in a pot, like flesh in a cauldron. Then they will cry to the LORD, but HE will not answer them; HE will hide His face from them at that time, because they have made their deeds evil."
2Thessalonians 2:11-12 of 1-12 "Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the LORD has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he (the mystic body of Christ) who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore GOD sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness."
The Definition of Sin,
Vain Talk,
Proverbs 10:19 of 17-22 "Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life (and acquires the law as his own), but he who rejects reproof leads others astray. The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool. When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is of little worth. The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense. The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and HE adds no sorrow with it."
Contempt for Others,
Proverbs 14:21 of 17-23 "A man of quick temper acts foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated. The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge. The evil bow down before the good, the wicked at the gates of the righteous. The poor is disliked even by his neighbor, but the rich has many friends. Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor. Do they not go astray who devise evil? Those who devise good meet steadfast love and faithfulness. In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty."
Foolish Thoughts,
Proverbs 24:9 of 8-9 "Whoever plans to do evil will be called a schemer. The devising of folly is sin, and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind."
Unbelief,
Romans 14:23 of 13-23 "Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of GOD is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ (in his brother) is acceptable to GOD and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of GOD. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. The faith that you have, keep between yourself and GOD. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. For whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin."
Neglect of Opportunity,
James 4:17 of 13-17 "Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the LORD wills, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin."
Transgression of the Law, (this is not the Mosaic Law as many wrongfully assume [G3551], but is the law that is the narrow course that produces life, mans correct path [H8451; G4160*),
1John 5:17 of 16-17 "If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and GOD will give him life*—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death."
Sin loved by Man,
Job 15:16 of 7-16 with 20:12 "Are you the first man who was born? Or were you brought forth before the hills? Have you listened in the council of GOD? And do you limit wisdom to yourself? What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is not clear to us? Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us, older than your father. Are the comforts of GOD too small for you, or the Word that deals gently within you? Why does your heart carry you away, and why do your eyes flash, that you turn your spirit against GOD and bring such words out of your mouth? What is man, that he can be pure? Or he who is born of a woman, that he can be righteous? Behold, GOD puts no trust in His holy ones, and the heavens are not pure in His sight; how much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks injustice like water!"
Job 20:12-14 of 12-19 "Though evil is sweet in his mouth, though he hides it under his tongue, though he is loath to let it go and holds it in his mouth, yet his food is turned in his stomach; it is the venom of cobras within him. He swallows down riches and vomits them up again; GOD casts them out of his belly. He will suck the poison of cobras; the tongue of a viper will kill him. He will not look upon the rivers, the streams flowing with honey and curds. He will give back the fruit of his toil and will not swallow it down; from the profit of his trading he will get no enjoyment. For he has crushed and abandoned the poor; he has seized a house that he did not build."
Psalm 52:3-4 of 1-4 "Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The steadfast love of GOD endures all the day. Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit. You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking what is right. Selah. You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue."
Proverbs 2:13-16 of 6-20 with Isaiah 5:18 "For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; HE stores up sound wisdom for the upright; HE is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of His saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech, who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil, men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways. So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman (of religion), from the adulteress with her smooth words, who forsakes the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her god; for her house sinks down to death, and her paths to the departed; none who go to her come back, nor do they regain the (law) path of life. So you will walk in the way of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous."
Isaiah 5:18, 20-21 of 18-23 "Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood, who draw sin as with cart ropes, who say: "Let Him be quick, let Him speed His work that we may see it; let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near, and let it come, that we may know it!" Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight! Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink, who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right!"
Jeremiah 14:10 of 10-12 with Micah 3:2 "Thus says the LORD concerning this people: 'They have loved to wander thus; they have not restrained their feet; therefore the LORD does not accept them; now HE will remember their iniquity and punish their sins.' The LORD said to me: 'Do not pray for the welfare of this people. Though they fast, I will not hear their cry, and though they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.'"
Micah 3:2 of 1-4 "I said: Hear, you heads of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel! Is it not for you to know justice?—you who hate the good and love the evil, who tear the skin from off My people and their flesh from off their bones, who eat the flesh of My people, and flay their skin from off them, and break their bones in pieces and chop them up like meat in a pot, like flesh in a cauldron. Then they will cry to the LORD, but HE will not answer them; HE will hide His face from them at that time, because they have made their deeds evil."
2Thessalonians 2:11-12 of 1-12 "Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the LORD has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he (the mystic body of Christ) who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore GOD sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness."
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
The Secret and Mysteries of GOD revisited, part 19.05u.4 Lawlessnesses mystery, Delusions of the Arch Deceiver
All this time I have kept away from the Apostate church that Israel had become with good reason and purpose. For now I will draw from just one portion of its message as it applies to today's apostate church which is on a grander scale that of old Israel's assembly. The word is reprobation, this I will look at before I turn to sins deception, which like most phrases has a double meaning.
The Apostate Church, not to be confused with Israel,
Leviticus 26:17 of 14-20 "But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments, if you spurn My statutes, and if your soul abhors My rules, so that you will not do all My commandments, but break My covenant, then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heart ache. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. I will set my face against you, and you shall be struck down before your enemies. Those who hate you shall rule over you, and you shall flee when none pursues you. And if in spite of this you will not listen to Me, then I will discipline you again sevenfold for your sins, and I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze. And your strength shall be spent in vain, for your land shall not yield its increase, and the trees of the land shall not yield their fruit."
Deuteronomy 28:15 "For if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all His commandments and His statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you."
Deuteronomy 31:16-17 of 14-18 "The LORD said to Moses, 'Behold, the days approach when you must die. Call Joshua and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, that I may commission him.' And Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tent of meeting. And the LORD appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud. And the pillar of cloud stood over the entrance of the tent. And the LORD said to Moses, 'Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. Then this people will rise and whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant that I have made with them. Then My anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide My face from them, and they will be devoured. And many evils and troubles will come upon them, so that they will say in that day, 'Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?' And I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil that they have done, because they have turned to other gods (for they have gone the way of Israel of old).'"
1Kings 9:6-7 of 6-9 "But if you turn aside from following Me, you or your children, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes (My New Covenant of Grace) that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off (as I deed old) Israel from the land that I have given them, and the house that I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight, and Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples. And this house will become a heap of ruins. Everyone passing by it will be astonished and will hiss, and they will say, 'Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?' Then they will say, 'Because they abandoned the LORD their God who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore the LORD has brought all this disaster on them.'"
Jeremiah 7:12, 13, 15 of 12-15 "'Go now to My place that was in Shiloh, where I made My name dwell at first, and see what I did to it because of the evil of My people Israel. And now, because you have done all these things, declares the LORD, and when I spoke to you persistently you did not listen, and when I called you, you did not answer, therefore I will do to this house that is called by My name, and in which you trust, and to the place that I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh. And I will cast you out of My sight, as I cast out all your kinsmen (of old Israel and), all the offspring of Ephraim."
Jeremiah 15:1 of 1-4 "Then the LORD said to me, 'Though Moses and Samuel stood before Me, yet My heart would not turn toward this people (Matthew 6:5, 17:3-4). Send them out of My sight, and let them go! And when they ask you, "Where shall we go?" you shall say to them, 'Thus says the LORD: 'Those who are for pestilence, to pestilence, and those who are for the sword, to the sword; those who are for famine, to famine, and those who are for captivity, to captivity.' I will appoint over them four kinds of destroyers, declares the LORD: the sword to kill, the dogs to tear, and the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy. And I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what Manasseh the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem."
Hosea 9:17 of 15-17 "'Every evil of theirs is in Gilgal; there I began to hate them. Because of the wickedness of their deeds I will drive them out of My house. I will love them no more; all their princes are rebels. Ephraim is stricken; their root is dried up; they shall bear no fruit. Even though they give birth, I will put their beloved children to death. My GOD will reject them because they have not listened to Him; they shall be wanderers among the nations."
2Thessalonians 2:12 of 1-12 "Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the LORD has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day (special dispensation) will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of GOD, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore GOD sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness."
Sins Deception,
Romans 7:11 of 4-12 with Ephesians 4:22 "Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the Mosaic Law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to Him Who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for GOD. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the Mosaic Law (of condemnation and death), were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from that Law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. What then shall we say? That the Law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the Law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the Law had not said, "You shall not covet." But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from that Law, sin lies dead. I was at once made alive apart from that Law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me (Genesis 3:13) and through it killed me. So the law (of the way of life) is Holy, and it's commandment is Holy and righteous and good."
Ephesians 4:18b, 22 of 17-24 "Now this I say and testify in the LORD, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the law of life in GOD because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. For that is not the way you learned (Matthew 11:29) Christ!—assuming that you have heard Him and are taught by Him, as the Truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of GOD in true righteousness and holiness."
1Timothy 2:14 of 8-15 "I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control."
1Timothy 3:13 of 8-13 "Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus."
Hebrews 3:12-13 of 7-19 with Revelation 19:20 "Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, 'Today, if you hear His voice (Psalm 95:7), do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion (Psalm 95:8), on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put Me to the test and saw My works for forty years. (Psalm 95:9-11) Therefore I was provoked with that generation (Psalm 95:10), and said, 'They always go astray in their heart; they have not known My way (of life).' (Psalm 95:10) As I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest. (Psalm 95:11)'" Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living GOD. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said (in Psalm 95:7-8), "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was HE provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did HE swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief."
Revelation 19:20 of 19-21 "And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of Him Who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh."
The Apostate Church, not to be confused with Israel,
Leviticus 26:17 of 14-20 "But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments, if you spurn My statutes, and if your soul abhors My rules, so that you will not do all My commandments, but break My covenant, then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heart ache. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. I will set my face against you, and you shall be struck down before your enemies. Those who hate you shall rule over you, and you shall flee when none pursues you. And if in spite of this you will not listen to Me, then I will discipline you again sevenfold for your sins, and I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze. And your strength shall be spent in vain, for your land shall not yield its increase, and the trees of the land shall not yield their fruit."
Deuteronomy 28:15 "For if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all His commandments and His statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you."
Deuteronomy 31:16-17 of 14-18 "The LORD said to Moses, 'Behold, the days approach when you must die. Call Joshua and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, that I may commission him.' And Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tent of meeting. And the LORD appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud. And the pillar of cloud stood over the entrance of the tent. And the LORD said to Moses, 'Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. Then this people will rise and whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant that I have made with them. Then My anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide My face from them, and they will be devoured. And many evils and troubles will come upon them, so that they will say in that day, 'Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?' And I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil that they have done, because they have turned to other gods (for they have gone the way of Israel of old).'"
1Kings 9:6-7 of 6-9 "But if you turn aside from following Me, you or your children, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes (My New Covenant of Grace) that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off (as I deed old) Israel from the land that I have given them, and the house that I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight, and Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples. And this house will become a heap of ruins. Everyone passing by it will be astonished and will hiss, and they will say, 'Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?' Then they will say, 'Because they abandoned the LORD their God who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore the LORD has brought all this disaster on them.'"
Jeremiah 7:12, 13, 15 of 12-15 "'Go now to My place that was in Shiloh, where I made My name dwell at first, and see what I did to it because of the evil of My people Israel. And now, because you have done all these things, declares the LORD, and when I spoke to you persistently you did not listen, and when I called you, you did not answer, therefore I will do to this house that is called by My name, and in which you trust, and to the place that I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh. And I will cast you out of My sight, as I cast out all your kinsmen (of old Israel and), all the offspring of Ephraim."
Jeremiah 15:1 of 1-4 "Then the LORD said to me, 'Though Moses and Samuel stood before Me, yet My heart would not turn toward this people (Matthew 6:5, 17:3-4). Send them out of My sight, and let them go! And when they ask you, "Where shall we go?" you shall say to them, 'Thus says the LORD: 'Those who are for pestilence, to pestilence, and those who are for the sword, to the sword; those who are for famine, to famine, and those who are for captivity, to captivity.' I will appoint over them four kinds of destroyers, declares the LORD: the sword to kill, the dogs to tear, and the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy. And I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what Manasseh the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem."
Hosea 9:17 of 15-17 "'Every evil of theirs is in Gilgal; there I began to hate them. Because of the wickedness of their deeds I will drive them out of My house. I will love them no more; all their princes are rebels. Ephraim is stricken; their root is dried up; they shall bear no fruit. Even though they give birth, I will put their beloved children to death. My GOD will reject them because they have not listened to Him; they shall be wanderers among the nations."
2Thessalonians 2:12 of 1-12 "Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the LORD has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day (special dispensation) will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of GOD, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore GOD sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness."
Sins Deception,
Romans 7:11 of 4-12 with Ephesians 4:22 "Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the Mosaic Law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to Him Who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for GOD. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the Mosaic Law (of condemnation and death), were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from that Law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. What then shall we say? That the Law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the Law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the Law had not said, "You shall not covet." But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from that Law, sin lies dead. I was at once made alive apart from that Law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me (Genesis 3:13) and through it killed me. So the law (of the way of life) is Holy, and it's commandment is Holy and righteous and good."
Ephesians 4:18b, 22 of 17-24 "Now this I say and testify in the LORD, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the law of life in GOD because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. For that is not the way you learned (Matthew 11:29) Christ!—assuming that you have heard Him and are taught by Him, as the Truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of GOD in true righteousness and holiness."
1Timothy 2:14 of 8-15 "I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control."
1Timothy 3:13 of 8-13 "Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus."
Hebrews 3:12-13 of 7-19 with Revelation 19:20 "Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, 'Today, if you hear His voice (Psalm 95:7), do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion (Psalm 95:8), on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put Me to the test and saw My works for forty years. (Psalm 95:9-11) Therefore I was provoked with that generation (Psalm 95:10), and said, 'They always go astray in their heart; they have not known My way (of life).' (Psalm 95:10) As I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest. (Psalm 95:11)'" Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living GOD. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said (in Psalm 95:7-8), "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was HE provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did HE swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief."
Revelation 19:20 of 19-21 "And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of Him Who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh."
Monday, May 21, 2018
The Secret and Mysteries of GOD revisited, part 19.05u.3 Lawlessnesses mystery, Delusions of the Arch Deceiver
Today we are to look at the "take Heed" warnings, which are not taken to heart but rather are ignored by the many who remain under the deception of sin as it casts a large net of delusion. This past weekend I heard the old denial of GODS Truth by well meaning people who believed that they were all doing the Lords work. For they all to the last man confessed with the demons in hell that they believed in the Lord, "I believe in Him," "I believe in Jesus," "I believe in God." Was their cary but when asked where is His Kingdom, at that moment all they knew was that it had not yet come, that it was off in the never never land of some day, not knowing today is the day, is the day of the LORD for them. Or when asked about the law, which they brought up first, they had no idea of its true meaning and use. For they did not hear His voice as the living Word within them. Today we find out that because of the delusion given the children of delusion that many many of them are asleep not knowing the day of the LORD is always at hand. This day has many forms and uses as does the word law. For those who were born to man after the ascension and day of Pentecost are all now living and abiding in the day of the LORD. Known by the term of the Covenant of Grace which abides in the law of GOD, as the perfect way of life travels for all man. But those of the delusion it is not so, for they all to the last man, child, though under GODS plan are in the delusion of the arch enemy of man are in this delusion in his deception.
Take Heed, to conduct,
Matthew 6:1 (Jesus is speaking) "Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven."
Matthew 18:10 of 10-11 "'See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels (spirit) always see the face of My Father Who is in heaven. For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.'"
Matthew 24:4 of 4-8 "And Jesus answered them, 'See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.'"
Mark 4:24 of 21-25 "And Jesus said to them, 'Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.' Then He said to them, 'Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.'"
Mark 13:9 of 9-13 (Jesus is speaking) "'But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.'"
Mark 13:33 of 33-37 (Jesus is speaking) "'Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the Master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning---lest He come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.'"
Luke 8:18 of 16-18 (Jesus is speaking) "'No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.'"
Luke 11:35 of 33-36 (Jesus is speaking) "'No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part darkness, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.'"
Luke 12:15 of 13-21 "Someone in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." But Jesus said to him, 'Man, who made Me a judge or arbitrator over you?' And He said to them, 'Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.' Then He told them a parable, saying, 'The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry."' But GOD said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward GOD.'"
Luke 21:8 of 5-6, 7-9 "And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, Jesus said, 'As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.'
And they asked Him, "Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?" And He said, 'See that you are not led astray. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He!' and, 'The time is at hand!' Do not go after them. And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.'"
1Corinthians 3:10 of 10-15 "According to the grace of GOD given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon (Christ) it. Let each one take care how he builds upon (Christ) it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—each one's work will become manifest, for the Day (the LORD) will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire."
1Corinthians 10:12 of 6-13 "Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written (in Exodus 32:6, 19), "The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play." We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. GOD is faithful, and HE will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation HE will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."
1Thessalonians 4:16 of 13-18 "For we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, GOD will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the LORD, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the LORD, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the LORD Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of GOD. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the LORD in the air, and so we will always be with the LORD. Therefore encourage one another with these words."
2Peter 1:19 of 19-21 "And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a (in Psalm 119:105) lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from GOD as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."
Take Heed, to conduct,
Matthew 6:1 (Jesus is speaking) "Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven."
Matthew 18:10 of 10-11 "'See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels (spirit) always see the face of My Father Who is in heaven. For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.'"
Matthew 24:4 of 4-8 "And Jesus answered them, 'See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.'"
Mark 4:24 of 21-25 "And Jesus said to them, 'Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.' Then He said to them, 'Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.'"
Mark 13:9 of 9-13 (Jesus is speaking) "'But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.'"
Mark 13:33 of 33-37 (Jesus is speaking) "'Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the Master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning---lest He come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.'"
Luke 8:18 of 16-18 (Jesus is speaking) "'No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.'"
Luke 11:35 of 33-36 (Jesus is speaking) "'No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part darkness, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.'"
Luke 12:15 of 13-21 "Someone in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." But Jesus said to him, 'Man, who made Me a judge or arbitrator over you?' And He said to them, 'Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.' Then He told them a parable, saying, 'The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry."' But GOD said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward GOD.'"
Luke 21:8 of 5-6, 7-9 "And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, Jesus said, 'As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.'
And they asked Him, "Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?" And He said, 'See that you are not led astray. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He!' and, 'The time is at hand!' Do not go after them. And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.'"
1Corinthians 3:10 of 10-15 "According to the grace of GOD given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon (Christ) it. Let each one take care how he builds upon (Christ) it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—each one's work will become manifest, for the Day (the LORD) will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire."
1Corinthians 10:12 of 6-13 "Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written (in Exodus 32:6, 19), "The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play." We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. GOD is faithful, and HE will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation HE will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."
1Thessalonians 4:16 of 13-18 "For we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, GOD will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the LORD, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the LORD, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the LORD Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of GOD. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the LORD in the air, and so we will always be with the LORD. Therefore encourage one another with these words."
2Peter 1:19 of 19-21 "And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a (in Psalm 119:105) lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from GOD as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."
Sunday, May 20, 2018
The Secret and Mysteries of GOD revisited, part 19.05u.2 Lawlessnesses mystery, Delusions of the Arch Deceiver
The trouble with those caught in the trap of religion is that because of the delusion, they believe they are above the snares warned of about the lost and unbelieving, well I am here to tell us all NOT SO! For that reason if non other I am again looking at beware of evil and shun evil and maybe take heed, as our subjects. In the first passage we fine, "for the LORD God is in your midst," some Bibles say "among" and I often have wondered if people actual know what is said here by that phrase? It means nearer than your own brother much closer than that, actually means within you from the divine perspective.
Beware of evil,
Deuteronomy 6:12 of 10-15 "When the LORD your God brings you into the land that HE swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the LORD, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. It is the LORD your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by His name you shall swear. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you—for the LORD your God in your midst is a jealous GOD—lest the anger of the LORD your God be kindled against you, and HE destroy you from off the face of the earth."
Luke 12:1 of 1-3 "In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, Jesus began to say to His disciples first, 'Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.'"
Luke 12:15 of 13-21 "Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." But He said to him, 'Man, who made Me a judge or arbitrator over you?' Then He said to them, 'Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.'And He told them a parable, saying, 'The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry."' But GOD said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward GOD.'"
Acts 13:40 of 26-41 (Paul is speaking as a Christ one) "Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear GOD, to us has been sent the message (knowing that all were then redeemed and living their redemption reality) of this salvation. For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize Him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning Him. And though they found in Him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have Him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a (new) tomb. But GOD raised Him from the dead, and for many days HE appeared to those who had come up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now His witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what GOD promised to the fathers, this HE has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm (2:7), "'You are My Son, today I have begotten You.' And as for the fact that HE raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, HE has spoken in this way (by Isaiah in 55:3), 'I will give You the holy and sure blessings of David.' Therefore HE says also in another Psalm (16:10), 'You will not let Your Holy One see corruption.' For David, after he had served the purpose (complete will) of GOD in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, but He Whom GOD raised up did not see corruption. Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness (the act of redemption) of sins is proclaimed to you, and by Him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the Law of Moses. Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: (by Habakkuk in 1:5) 'Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.'"
Philippians 3:2 of 2-6 "Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of GOD and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh---though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the Mosaic Law, blameless."
Colossians 2:8 of 6-7, 8-15 "Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord (by your salvation), so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled as with Him, Who is the head of all rule and authority. In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision (the foreskin of your heart) made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the powerful working of GOD, Who raised Him from the dead (the deadness of your former heart condition). And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, GOD made alive (by salvation after redemptions workings) together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This HE set aside, nailing it to the cross. HE disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him."
2Peter 3:17 of 14-18 "Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our LORD is our salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity, the Amen."
Shun evil,
Job 28:28 of 23-28 "GOD understands the way to it, and HE knows its place. For HE looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. When HE gave to the wind its weight and apportioned the waters by measure, when HE made a decree for the rain and a way for the lightning of the thunder, then HE saw it and declared it; HE established it, and searched it out. And HE said to man, 'Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.'"
Psalm 34:14 of 8-14 "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints, for those who fear Him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. Come, O children, listen to Me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it."
Psalm 97:10 of 10-12 "O you who love the LORD, hate evil! HE preserves the lives of His saints; HE delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, and give thanks to His Holy name (which is active within you and is your covering)!"
Proverbs 4:24, 27 of 20-27 "My son, be attentive to My words; incline your ear to My sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of (My) life. Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil."
Proverbs 14:12, 16 of 7-19 "Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge. The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools is deceiving. Fools mock at the guilt offering, but the upright enjoy acceptance. The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy. The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief. The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways. The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps. One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless. A man of quick temper acts foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated. The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge. The evil bow down before the good, the wicked at the gates of the righteous."
Zechariah 7:10 of 8-14 "The word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying, "'Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.'" But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law (H8451, the true course of life) and the words that the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of hosts. "'As I called, and (in Proverbs 1:24-28 and by Isaiah in 1:15) they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear,'" says the LORD of hosts (in Deuteronomy 4:27, 28:64), "and I scattered them with a whirlwind ( by Jeremiah in 23:19) among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate (by Jeremiah in 44:6), so that no one went to and fro (by Isaiah in 60:15), and the pleasant land was made desolate (by Jeremiah in 12:10)."
Romans 12:9 of 9-13 "Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serving the LORD (in all). Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality."
1Corinthians 10:6 of 6-13 "Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written (in Exodus 32:4), "The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play." We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages (the day of the LORD) has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. GOD is faithful, and HE will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation HE will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."
1Thessalonians 5:22 of 12-22 "We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the LORD and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of GOD in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench His Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil."
2Peter 3:11 of 11-13 "Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of GOD, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells."
Beware of evil,
Deuteronomy 6:12 of 10-15 "When the LORD your God brings you into the land that HE swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the LORD, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. It is the LORD your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by His name you shall swear. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you—for the LORD your God in your midst is a jealous GOD—lest the anger of the LORD your God be kindled against you, and HE destroy you from off the face of the earth."
Luke 12:1 of 1-3 "In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, Jesus began to say to His disciples first, 'Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.'"
Luke 12:15 of 13-21 "Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." But He said to him, 'Man, who made Me a judge or arbitrator over you?' Then He said to them, 'Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.'And He told them a parable, saying, 'The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry."' But GOD said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward GOD.'"
Acts 13:40 of 26-41 (Paul is speaking as a Christ one) "Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear GOD, to us has been sent the message (knowing that all were then redeemed and living their redemption reality) of this salvation. For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize Him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning Him. And though they found in Him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have Him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a (new) tomb. But GOD raised Him from the dead, and for many days HE appeared to those who had come up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now His witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what GOD promised to the fathers, this HE has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm (2:7), "'You are My Son, today I have begotten You.' And as for the fact that HE raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, HE has spoken in this way (by Isaiah in 55:3), 'I will give You the holy and sure blessings of David.' Therefore HE says also in another Psalm (16:10), 'You will not let Your Holy One see corruption.' For David, after he had served the purpose (complete will) of GOD in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, but He Whom GOD raised up did not see corruption. Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness (the act of redemption) of sins is proclaimed to you, and by Him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the Law of Moses. Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: (by Habakkuk in 1:5) 'Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.'"
Philippians 3:2 of 2-6 "Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of GOD and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh---though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the Mosaic Law, blameless."
Colossians 2:8 of 6-7, 8-15 "Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord (by your salvation), so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled as with Him, Who is the head of all rule and authority. In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision (the foreskin of your heart) made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the powerful working of GOD, Who raised Him from the dead (the deadness of your former heart condition). And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, GOD made alive (by salvation after redemptions workings) together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This HE set aside, nailing it to the cross. HE disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him."
2Peter 3:17 of 14-18 "Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our LORD is our salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity, the Amen."
Shun evil,
Job 28:28 of 23-28 "GOD understands the way to it, and HE knows its place. For HE looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. When HE gave to the wind its weight and apportioned the waters by measure, when HE made a decree for the rain and a way for the lightning of the thunder, then HE saw it and declared it; HE established it, and searched it out. And HE said to man, 'Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.'"
Psalm 34:14 of 8-14 "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints, for those who fear Him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. Come, O children, listen to Me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it."
Psalm 97:10 of 10-12 "O you who love the LORD, hate evil! HE preserves the lives of His saints; HE delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, and give thanks to His Holy name (which is active within you and is your covering)!"
Proverbs 4:24, 27 of 20-27 "My son, be attentive to My words; incline your ear to My sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of (My) life. Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil."
Proverbs 14:12, 16 of 7-19 "Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge. The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools is deceiving. Fools mock at the guilt offering, but the upright enjoy acceptance. The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy. The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief. The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways. The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps. One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless. A man of quick temper acts foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated. The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge. The evil bow down before the good, the wicked at the gates of the righteous."
Zechariah 7:10 of 8-14 "The word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying, "'Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.'" But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law (H8451, the true course of life) and the words that the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of hosts. "'As I called, and (in Proverbs 1:24-28 and by Isaiah in 1:15) they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear,'" says the LORD of hosts (in Deuteronomy 4:27, 28:64), "and I scattered them with a whirlwind ( by Jeremiah in 23:19) among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate (by Jeremiah in 44:6), so that no one went to and fro (by Isaiah in 60:15), and the pleasant land was made desolate (by Jeremiah in 12:10)."
Romans 12:9 of 9-13 "Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serving the LORD (in all). Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality."
1Corinthians 10:6 of 6-13 "Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written (in Exodus 32:4), "The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play." We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages (the day of the LORD) has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. GOD is faithful, and HE will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation HE will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."
1Thessalonians 5:22 of 12-22 "We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the LORD and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of GOD in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench His Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil."
2Peter 3:11 of 11-13 "Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of GOD, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells."
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