To All The People of Christianity Everywhere
The word Christian has today a very broad definition and a very liberal usage as it
is applied to various ones and groups. Thus, we ask, “What is a Christian?” The
answer must come from the Word of God, the Scriptures, for it is there that the
word originates. “Christ” is the English word translated from the Greek word
“Christos” (G5547). Strong’s Concordance defines that word as follows:
“anointed, that is, the Messiah, an epithet of Jesus.” Those who live in Texas,
are Texans; those who work, are workers; those who drive a vehicle, are drivers.
In the three foregoing examples the italicized word denotes individuals that are
relative to the base word from which the italicized word is formed. Thus,
Christian is a word to denote an individual who is relative to the base word, which
is Christ. Since Christ means anointed, the answer to our question of “What is a
Christian?” is in its barest sense: one who is anointed.
Since the word Christ means anointed, we must ask, “Anointed to what or for
what purpose?” Since Strong’s Concordance identified the word Christ as
applicable to Jesus, we go to the New Testament, and in Luke 4:16 we read:
“And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom
was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
And there was delivered unto him the book (scroll) of the prophet Isaiah. And
when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The
Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel
to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance
to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that
are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book,
and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that
were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them,
‘This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears.’” Verses 16-21.
Prior to this day, our Lord Jesus was baptized of John at the river Jordan. After
Jesus came up out of the water, the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, the “vital
principle” (Strong’s G4151) of God descended in the shape of a dove, “lighting
upon him,” Mat 3:16,17; Luke 3:21,22. Luke‘s account is translated as “and the
Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him.” “Ghost” is an
inappropriate translation, for God’s Spirit is not an apparition, but a power, an
influence. This is manifest from Judges 13:25 wherein we read, “And the Spirit of
the LORD began to move him (Samson) at times in the camp of Dan…,” and again
in 14:6, “And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him (Samson), and he
rent him (the young lion of the preceding verse) as he would have rent a kid, and
he had nothing in his hand….”
Thus, when Jesus went this time to the synagogue to read, the anointing of the
Spirit of God, as manifested by the prior descent of the dove and its lighting upon
him, had already occurred. “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me.”
The place in Isaiah where Jesus read is the 61st chapter. Below is a side by side
comparison of Isaiah 61:1,2 and Luke 4:18,19:
Isaiah 61 Luke 4
“The Spirit of the LORD God is upon
me;
because the LORD hath anointed me to
preach good tidings unto the meek;
he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to them
that are bound;
to proclaim the acceptable year of the
LORD,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all that mourn;
to appoint unto them that mourn in
Zion.
to give unto them beauty for ashes,
the oil of joy for mourning,
the garment of praise for the spirit of
heaviness;
that they might be called Trees of
righteousness,
The planting of the LORD,
that He might be glorified.”
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he hath anointed me to preach
the gospel to the poor;
he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted,
to preach deliverance to the captives,
and recovering of sight to the blind, to
set at liberty them that are bruised,
to preach the acceptable year of the
LORD.”
From the table above, it becomes readily discernible that fully one half of what
Isaiah wrote was not read by our Lord, nor was it applicable for fulfillment at the
first advent of Jesus, which was why he did not read it. The latter half would be
fulfilled later, but by whom?
We note that Jesus prayed to God in the presence of his disciples shortly before
his arrest. Among his words of prayer were these: “Neither pray I for these alone
(the eleven, for Judas had already left), but for them also which shall believe on
me through their word,” John 17:20. Jesus was petitioning God for those who
would believe at a later time because of the words of his eleven Apostles (and
subsequently the twelfth in Paul).
We also note that prior to the Day of Pentecost, Jesus said to his apostles, “But
ye shall receive power (G1412- specifically miraculous power), after that the Holy
Spirit is come upon you…. Acts 1:8. Then, on the Day of Pentecost, the believers
“were all with one accord in one place,” when the house where they were was
filled with “a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind. And there
appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire… and they were all filled with
the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:1-3. Peter declared that this was a fulfillment of Joel,
“And it shall come to pass...I will pour out my Spirit...on my servants and on my
hand maidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall
prophesy…,” Acts 2:14-18.
From Ephesians 4 we read, “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are
called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and
Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all (by means of the
indwelling of His Spirit).” Verses 4,5.
Therefore, to bring all this together, the Holy Spirit that descended upon Jesus at
the river Jordan is the same Spirit that filled the disciples on the day of Pentecost,
and it is the same Spirit that Paul wrote to the Ephesian brethren about. Today,
nearly two thousand years later, and for all the intervening time from then till
now, that same Spirit has come upon each of God’s children. Therefore, the
Christian is anointed with the Holy Spirit of God, as was our Lord Jesus.
But what is that Spirit anointing for? Jesus answered in Luke 4, but his answer
only related to his portion of the work that was to be done at the time of his first
advent. Jesus preached the Gospel message to the poor, even to great
multitudes of folks. One of the broken-hearted that he healed was the widow of
Nain, when he raised her son from death, Luke 7:11-15. Two others were Jairus
and his wife when Jesus raised their daughter out of the sleep of death, Mark
5:22-43. He preached deliverance to the captives, and Mary Magdalene was one
of them, Mar 16:9. Blind Bartimeus was one of many whose sight was restored,
Mar 10:46-52. The whole nation of Israel could have been set at liberty from
their bruising by the Law, but only a few accepted it, John 1:11,12. And lastly,
Jesus preached that the kingdom of heaven was at hand, thus it was the
acceptable time to enter into the way of the kingdom of heaven. The remainder
of Isa 61:1-3 was to be fulfilled later, at the end of the Gospel Age, by means of
the same indwelling of the same Spirit that came upon Jesus.
In Gen 22:17,18 the angel of God communicated to Abraham, “that in blessing I
will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the
heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess
the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be
blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.” This promise had origins in
chapter twelve when Abram came into the land of Canaan. This promise that God
gave is the thrust of all the work that God has done since and is still doing, such
that God’s promise to Abraham will be fulfilled in its due time. Jesus said, “My
Father works hitherto, and I work,” John 5:17. This seed is identified by Paul in
Gal 3:16, “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not,
And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ
(Jesus).” Paul adds more in verse 29, “And if ye be Christ’s (by means of the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit) then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to
the promise.”
Therefore, our Lord Jesus is the promised seed of Abraham. Those who are
Christ’s (Mat 16:24,25; 2 Cor 5:17) are also the promised seed by means of
association with the Lord Jesus. This association is identified in Scripture as
“joint-heirs” in Rom 8:16,17; “church” in Eph 5:23; “body” in 1 Cor 12:27, “wife”
in Rev 19:7; “little flock” in Luke 12:32; and “bride” in Joel 2:16.
Because God’s promise to Abraham was that all the families of the earth would be
blessed through his seed, and because Paul identified Jesus as the primary seed
of Abraham, and because Paul also identified the spirit filled followers of Jesus as
a part of that promised seed, we must reckon with this promise. Why would God
make such a promise to Abraham that all the families of the earth would be
blessed through Abraham’s seed? Did God really care about His creation after sin
entered into the Garden? The answer just might surprise you. No, God did not
just care for the creation after sin entered: God so loved His creation, that before
sin ever entered, there was a redeemer already lined up to rectify the problem,
because God provided one, John 3:16. That redeemer is our Lord Jesus Christ.
However, in God’s wisdom, for He is all wise, He also foreknew that a companion
body for the Lord Jesus would be the best choice over there not being one at all.
Therefore, the Body of Christ also shares in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of
God for the purpose of being intimately identified with our Lord Jesus as he brings
God’s promise to Abraham to fruition: all the families of the earth would be
blessed!
Oh! Is that why the Gospel Age work of selecting the Body members is in
progress? Yes! However, that Body is limited to a specific number, again, as a
result of God’s omnipotent wisdom. The reason why the Gospel Age work has
taken so long is this: each of the overcoming Body members, 144,000 in totality,
will be given a new spirit body after they are raised from the dead. However,
that spirit body is special. It can never corrupt, it can never be extinguished by
death, it will be a Divine image of God’s own nature, which is immortal, 1 Cor
15:42-45. Immortality is life within oneself, needing no outside sources to
sustain it, nor can any outside source take that life away from those who possess
it. Because not even God can remove them from life after He gives them this
Divine Nature, God has very carefully tested each member to be sure, positively
sure, that these individuals would never, ever, deflect from righteousness and
become an enemy to God at a later time.
In John 6:53 Jesus said, “Verily, verily I say unto you, Except you eat
(appropriate to yourself by faith) the flesh of the Son of man (the life right value
of his flesh as a substitute for Adam, a ransom price), and drink his blood
(participate in his baptism which was unto death, blood), ye have no life in you.”
Note that the phrase “life in you” is descriptive of the Divine Nature, life within
oneself. James and John wanted to sit one on his right hand and the other on his
left in the Kingdom. However, Jesus asked them, “Are ye able to drink of the cup
that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized
with?” (Mat 20:22) He asked them, can you similarly go through the suffering
and shame that I will go through, and can you enter into an irrevocable covenant
of sacrifice of yourselves for the rest of your life, as I have done?
Thus, only those who entered into the same sacrificial offering of themselves as
Jesus offered himself can be part of that special Body class, but only if they are
faithful in carrying out their promise of being dead to self, dead to the world and
dead to future life rights here on earth.
We must also note that God’s promise to Abraham contained two special
features: Abraham’s seed would multiply as the stars of heaven, and as the sand
upon the seashore, Gen 22:17. What God meant was this, your seed will be
divided into two classes, a heavenly seed, and an earthly seed, and both will be
very numerous indeed! Thus, we see the Gospel Age call to be joint-heirs with
Jesus as the fulfillment of the heavenly seed. The work of this Body class will be
to bring restitution to mankind, Act 3:19-21. Restitution means to restore. What
was lost? Did Adam lose a heavenly home? Did he lose a spirit life? No, NO!
Other than fellowship with God, everything else that Adam lost was all earthly.
He lost a life that was composed of flesh and blood, that was sustained by eating,
drinking, sleeping, etc. as long as he was obedient to his Creator. He lost
dominion of the earth. He lost a paradise as his home. After he sinned, he came
under God’s punishment, death within one day, a thousand year day. Adam lived
930 years and he died, Gen 5:5. To restore Adam and his offspring is to bring
them again into a condition of perfection of being so that they can live perpetually
here upon earth in a restored paradise, and exercise dominion over the earth.
We must point out here that perpetual life is not the same as immortality.
Mortality means death is possible, that death can occur. If, however, one
maintains perfection of being, perfection of thought, word, action, which
perfection is embodied in, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul (being), and with all thy mind,” and “Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself,” Mat 22:37,38, then death does not have to occur. If that
one is obedient, then they can live as a mortal being (death is always a
possibility) perpetually, forever. On the other hand, immortality is a state of life
that can not die, thus, by simple definition, those who possess that state of life
live perpetually also, without the possibility of ever dying.
“But,” you say, “the earth will be burned up!” Yes, symbolically it will be burned
up, but not literally. Ecclesiastes 1:4 tells us the earth abides forever. Psa
115:16 tells us that God gave the earth to the children of men. That gift is for
eternity, not just short term. “Earth” in 2 Pet 3:10 refers to society, not the
planet, while “heaven’ refers to the religious order, not the expanse wherein the
stars exist. Peter tells us that society as it exists at that time, and the religious
arrangement then existing will be destroyed. Both must pass away, for neither of
them are in accord with the principles of righteousness that will be instituted
during the times of restitution, the Millennial reign of Christ.
Paul declared, that without exception, the lesser is blessed by the better, Heb
7:7. The heavenly class will bless the earthly class. The future work of Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob and all the elders of Hebrews 11 is here upon earth, unto those who
comprise the earthly seed. They are also a part of the earthly seed, though
administers of heavenly grace to fellow earthly beings. In Mat 8:11 Jesus said,
“And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit
down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.” Some
may believe that what Jesus said was that many would sit down with these three
men in heaven itself. No, not at all. These three men were all promised earthly
real estate, and not heavenly clouds. Gen 15:18-21.
Firstly, the phrase kingdom of heaven has significance both for the heavenly and
for the earthly. Here, in context with all the rest of Biblical testimony regarding
these men, the kingdom of heaven is the earthly part of the kingdom which is
administered from heaven. Again, the lesser is blessed by the greater.
Secondly, Jesus said of John the Baptist, “Among them that are born of women
there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist (Jesus excluded);
notwithstanding, he that is least in the kingdom of heaven (spirit existence) is
greater than he.” Mat 11:11. The least of the spirit world participants, spirit
beings, are greater than John who is flesh and bone, earthly.
Thirdly, Paul said in Heb 11:39,40, “And these all, having obtained a good report
through faith, received not the promise (“for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot
at the end of the days,” Dan 12:13): God having provided some better thing for
us (better because spirit world existence for the Body of Christ is better than
earthly existence for these men and women of faith in Heb 11), that they without
us should not be made perfect.” The earthly resurrection of these faithful of Heb
11 can not occur until after the Body of Christ has received their heavenly
reward. This same concept is given to us in Psa 45:16, “Instead of thy fathers
(Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc.) shall be thy children, whom thou (the Body of
Christ) mayest make princes in all the earth.” The faithful men and women of
Heb 11 will be counted as children of The Christ, Head and Body, because the
heavenly class will give life to the earthly class. This is in accord with Paul’s
words in 1 Cor 15:45, “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living
soul; the last Adam (referring to Jesus, because he bought mankind with his
blood and it is he, along with his Body, who will give life unto the first man Adam,
and his children) a quickening spirit.” The first man Adam, along with Eve,
passed a death sentence on to their children. The second Adam, Jesus, along
with his wife, the Bride, (Body of Christ) will give life to mankind that does not
have a sentence of death hanging over their head. Jesus will resurrect men to
live, whereas Adam procreated offspring to die, because of sin.
Fourthly, Heb 11:13-16, when rightly understood, confirms the above. “These all
died in faith (even though Enoch was translated so as to not see death, Paul here
clearly says he died, and so did Elijah, Gen 5:24; 2 Kgs 2:11,12) not having
received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and embraced them, and
confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say
such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been
mindful of that from whence they came out (they did not come out of heaven),
they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better,
that is a heavenly (a country from heaven): wherefore God is not ashamed to be
called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city (government).” Note that
in all of the Genesis record, never once did God offer to Abraham the possibility of
a heaven bound reward. What God offered to Abraham, and reiterated to Isaac
and then to Jacob, was land, land, land. Land is here on earth, not in heaven.
These men desired a country that was from heaven, not in heaven, meaning the
earthly portion which they would get originated from Divine promise in heaven.
The city, descriptive language for a government, is what they would get here on
earth, because they would be the principle men and women who would order
affairs here under the administration of The Christ, Head and Body. Psa 45:16.
Thus far we have learned that a Christian is one who is anointed with the Holy
Spirit of God for the purpose of being a part of the heavenly seed which would
bless all the families of the earth. That blessing occurs during the Millennial
Kingdom reign of our Lord Jesus, as he, along with his Body members, brings
restitution (restoration) to all the willing of mankind, Acts 3:19-21. Their blessing
is realized in full when they have become perfect in mind and in body, which then
places them on equal footing with what Adam originally possessed; perfection of
being.
This blessing of mankind later is what Jesus spoke about in John 10:16, “And
other sheep I have, which are not of this fold (those of mankind who are not of
the Gospel Age call to be joint heirs with Jesus): them also I must bring (into a
relationship with Jehovah by restoring them to perfection of being), and they
shall hear my voice (heeding the instruction that will come to them from Jesus,
but through the administration of the faithful members of Heb 11); and there
shall be one fold (one united family of perfected beings: a heavenly portion for
some, while the remainder, the bulk of humanity, comprising the earthly portion),
and one shepherd (the Lord Jesus).”
Some may argue, that Paul wrote, “For he saith, I have heard thee in a time
accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored (assisted) thee: Behold,
now is the accepted time: behold, now is the day of salvation.” Indeed, Paul did
write those words in 2 Cor 6:2. But do you really know what he meant? From
the above exposition, it should be clear that the Gospel Age work of calling,
testing and finally selecting the Body of Christ precedes the work of bringing the
rest of humanity into accord with the principles of righteousness. Paul’s letter
was addressed “unto the church of God which is at Corinth,” 1:1. It was to this
class that Paul wrote the words, “Behold, now is the day of salvation.” It is your
day of salvation. From John 10:16 the obvious conclusion is that mankind will
have their day of salvation AFTER the Church has theirs.
Consider: if now is the day of salvation for all of humanity, as is commonly taught
and believed throughout “Christendom,” then there will be only one part of God’s
promise to Abraham that will come to fruition. That would be the heavenly class
referred to as “the stars of the heaven.” Gen 22:17. We ask, “Where and how
will you tweak and twist your current theological understanding to get an earthly
class that will be blessed as the sand upon the seashore?” To say that the
unbelievers that are in hell are blessed is absurd! To say that the Church, the
Body of Christ will come to earth to live here after the Millennial reign is over,
manifests that you fail to understand a very basic principle: that which is flesh, is
flesh, and that which is spirit, is spirit. Flesh inhabits a terrestrial environment,
while a spirit inhabits a celestial one. The Divine Spirit body that each Body
member will receive would be greatly obstructed if it had to operate within the
confines of the human flesh. And if they had to operate in fleshly bodies, then
why would God even give them superior bodies? That would be like giving you a
ten million dollar mansion, but you could not live in it, because you had to live in
a grass hut! Further, why should these be here at all, since they do not need
water, nor any food from earth to sustain themselves? Let us be logical, here.
Earth and all of its wares were designed by God to support an earthly based
human life, and not a Divine Spirit one, for a Divine Spirit Being needs no outside
support to exist and maintain life everlastingly.
Additionally, the prevailing view among Christians of the nominal (in name only)
church is that they will enjoy earth bound activities in heaven. This view we have
heard with our own ears! One said that they looked forward to playing ball catch
with their mentally deficient son in heaven, while another said, “If there are not
horses in heaven, I do not not want to be there.” These expressions clearly
manifest two things. First, these individuals, who represent the whole, do not
understand what the heavenly call is about nor for. Secondly, these manifest
that they still have earthly mind sets, and therefore could not possibly be at
home in a spirit body which existence is in a world outside of the terrestrial
activities here. All who profess such desires clearly manifest their desire to live
on earth, to enjoy earth’s activities, and to not be clothed upon with spirit bodies
which are out of harmony with the activities that occur here on earth. The good
news for these, is that most of them will be here on earth to enjoy those
activities! The others have not such good news, because they will enter into
Second Death because of unfaithfulness or because they were vessels of wrath in
the first place, fitted or prepared for destruction after their usefulness was
completed, Rom 9.
Let us go even further: the current doctrine of “Christendom” is, believe in Jesus
now, and go to heaven; do not believe in Jesus now, and go to a burning hell.
There are many who have been born with mental deficiencies, and there are
many who die as infants or even as young children. In fact, many infants are
murdered in the womb by abortion! Where are you going to place these
individuals? Because they can not intelligently accept, nor deny Jesus, are you
going to place them in heaven as an act of mercy by God? After all, according to
your current doctrinal view, if one does not accept Jesus now, they must go to
hell. Are you gong to assign these mentally incapable persons to hell, along with
the infants? Well, are you? What choice do you have?
“Oh,” you say, “God will have mercy on them and give them a spot in heaven.”
Really?
Our response is two fold. First, if God will have mercy upon the mentally deficient
so as to give them a place in heaven, why has He not made such provision for all
of mankind? The facts are, we are all in sin, and we are all mentally deficient,
some more, some less. If the mentally deficient are guaranteed a spot in heaven
because of God’s mercy, then why have we not made all our offspring deficient so
as to guarantee their spot? Hey, this is sound reasoning for the obtuse, but not
for those who are informed of what God is really doing!
Secondly, have you not read what Paul wrote, “for the perfecting of the saints, for
the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in
the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect
man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: that we be no more
children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine…,” Eph
4:11-14? Paul makes the point here that only mature persons are acceptable as
a part of the spiritual class of the Body of Christ. How could anyone who was not
perfected unto the measure of the fulness of the stature of Christ be an
acceptable Body member to Jesus? Anything less would be like giving him a
distorted and incomplete body out of which to operate. Would you give Jesus
that as a reward for his costly personal sacrifice for Adam and Adam’s family?
Further, that Body is also portrayed as the Bride to Jesus. How in the world could
an infant, who has within its mind the seeds of sin that came from Adam, and
who has never fought against such tendencies to overcome them, be an
acceptable wife, a helpmate, to Jesus? If that were the case, then Jesus would
best be single throughout eternity, rather than to be encumbered with a Bride
that is totally incompatible.
“Oh,” but you say, “They could make the transition in heaven to become
acceptable to Jesus as a Bride.” Really?
Have you not read and understood the lesson of 1 Kgs 6:7? It reads, “And the
house (the temple that Solomon built for God), when it was in building, was built
of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither
hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.”
The heavenly temple will come together, meaning, the individual “stones”
(persons, 1 Pet 2:4,5) will assemble in heaven without any further preparation to
their characters because all the work of preparation was accomplished in the field
of earthly life. There will be no mentally deficient persons in heaven as part of
the Body of Christ, nor anywhere else in heaven, not even as a “doorman.”
Neither will there be any infants in heaven because they have not become
matured individuals in the walk of discipleship with Jesus. There will be no
overhaul nor tweaking of character in heaven among its participants.
Come, now, let us reason together! Isa 1:18.
Therefore, the current doctrine of accept Jesus and go to heaven, reject (or
simply, do not accept) Jesus and go to hell is seriously flawed, and out of
harmony with the tenor of Scripture.
The only way that God’s promise to Abraham will come into fruition is by the
aforementioned method: i.e. God will prepare first, a class to be joint heirs with
Jesus, who, with Jesus, will constitute the heavenly seed. After that work is
accomplished, the glorified Christ, Head and Body, will be engaged in the work of
bringing mankind out of death by means of an awakening, and then will restore
the willing back to the condition of perfection that Adam once enjoyed, before he
sinned against God. This earthly class constitutes the sand upon the seashore.
The first class is developed during the Gospel Age, and the last class is restored
during the Millennial Age.
All other theological “twists” and “ideologies” are bogus. No exceptions!
So, let us go back to the question, “Who is a Christian?”
The sacrifices of the Old Testament, those which were offered by the priests of
Israel, foreshadowed things that would occur later. The peace offering of Lev 7
represents the offering of the Gospel Age, that of the individuals who ran for the
prize of being a joint heir with Christ Jesus, Rom 8:16,17; Phil 3:13,14. The
animal parts of the peace offering were burned “on the altar upon the burnt
sacrifice,” Lev 3:1-5. The burnt offering, in its fullest sense, represents the
offering of a perfect man unto God, which was shown by a bullock, Lev 1:1-9; Psa
51:19. Thus, the burnt offering represents the sacrificial offering of Jesus as a
man. In Lev 23 the firstfruit sheaf portrayed the offering of Jesus, being cut off,
harvested out of the field, brought to the priest and then waved, portraying his
resurrection out of death. The fiftieth day, Pentecost/Shavuot is the Feast of
Weeks. That Feast relates to the beginning of the Church of God, the call and
development of the class who would eventuate into the position of being Body
members of Jesus in heaven itself. The sacrifices offered on that day were, in
part, a bullock, which represented Jesus’ sacrifice, and two lambs for the peace
offering. One lamb represents the thanksgiving offering, Lev 7:12, and the other
lamb the vow offering, Lev 7:16. Both aspects of the offerings are relative to the
offering of the Church. The first manifests the individual has only one day, his
lifetime, to make an acceptable offering; while the other offering manifests that
the Church as a whole has two days, two thousand years, in which to make an
acceptable group offering. Those two lambs, as peace offerings, were laid upon
the burnt offering, which means, the sacrifice of the Church is dependent upon
the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus for its acceptableness.
Num 15:1-12 pointedly declares that for every burnt offering, every “sacrifice in
performing a vow (a peace offering can be for a vow, Lev 7:16), or in a freewill
(voluntary) offering (which a peace offering can also be, Lev 7:16),” “according to
the number that ye shall prepare, so shall ye do to every one according to their
number,” vs 3. Do what? “Then shall he that offers his offering unto the LORD
bring a meat (meal) offering of a tenth deal of flour, mingled with the fourth part
of a hin of oil. And the fourth part of a hin of wine for a drink offering shalt thou
prepare with the burnt offering or sacrifice, for one lamb,” verses 4,5. When
rams or bullocks were offered, more quantity of meal and wine were offered.
Thus, for every animal offered on the altar, it was accompanied by both meal and
drink offerings. Without those two additional offerings, the animal offering upon
the altar was incomplete, thus unacceptable to Jehovah.
What does this mean? The drink offering manifests comprehension of what is
going on, or what God is doing in His arrangements. The meal offering denotes
appreciation of what is occurring, or what God is in process of doing or will yet
do. Thus, both comprehension and appreciation of what God’s arrangements are
for the accomplishment of God’s promise to Abraham must accompany all
personal offerings of a burnt or peace offering. Because the peace offering in Lev
23 points to the offering of the Church, for that offering to be acceptable, the
appropriate meal and drink offerings must also be offered. If one does not know
that the Church is to bless the rest of mankind here on the face of the earth, and
then, since that one does not know this, how could they appreciate God’s breadth
of love for mankind as well as for His love for the Church? Without these two
elements, no person can offer an acceptable offering of themselves unto God.
Therefore, when Jesus said unto the “Lord, Lord” class in Mat 7:21-23, he
addressed those who thought, who believed, that they had made acceptable
consecrations, offerings, of themselves, but who actually had not, because they
lacked understanding of what that consecration was for, and who would benefit
from it. Therefore, Jesus said, “I never knew you,” never recognized you as a
part of my body. He went even further, and said, “Depart from me, ye that work
iniquity.” These are harsh words, but they are the truth, for these men and
women have indeed worked lawlessness by telling others, “believe in Jesus, and
you go to heaven!”
In Acts 11:26 we read, “And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled
themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were
called Christians first in Antioch.” Here is where the word Christian is used to
describe those who were truly disciples of Jesus, because the church at Antioch
was under the tutelage of both Paul and Barnabas, verse 25. Obviously, Paul did
not preach a variant message from what Jesus taught.
Therefore, a person who understands what God is going to do in fulfillment of His
promise to Abraham, and who appreciates not only the future blessing of
mankind here upon earth, but also that God has issued a call for ones to be a part
of the heavenly seed to make this a reality, as joint participators with Jesus;
then, and only then, can that one offer themselves in consecration, devotion, to
God and have that offering accepted by Jehovah. They have then offered their
peace offering based upon the burnt offering of Jesus, because only by the merit
(life rights) of Jesus can these individuals make an acceptable offering. By their
comprehension and appreciation, they have then offered their drink and meal
offerings as well. These, and these alone are Christians. No one else qualifies.
So, now you think, well, if I am not a Christian, then I am going to hell! Hold on!
Your conclusion is not based upon knowledge and understanding. The false
doctrines of those who thought they were Christians, but who in fact were not,
leads one to believe that without accepting Christ now that one is doomed to hell.
No. Those who have not made an acceptable sacrifice of themselves now, during
the Gospel Age, will have their opportunity for their salvation during the Millennial
Age as a part of the “other sheep which are not of this fold,” the Gospel Age call
to be joint heirs with Jesus. John 10:16.
Well then, you think, if I am not a Christian and if I am not going to hell, where
AM I going when I die? You asked a very important question. Strictly speaking,
when a person dies, all thought processes perish, all conscience perishes, as well
as all consciousness. The person ceases to exist; they are no more. This is the
testimony of Scripture: “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead
know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of
them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now
perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done
under the sun,” Eccl 9:5,6.
In Eccl 3:19-21 we read, “For that which befalls the sons of men befalls beasts;
even one thing befalls them: as the one dies, so dies the other; yea, they have
all one breath; so that a man has no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knows
the spirit of man that goes upward (God has kept a record of humanity so that 1)
they may be judged according to their works, and 2) that they may be revitalized,
awakened out of death because of the sacrifice that Jesus gave of himself for
Adam and Adam’s posterity), and the spirit of the beast that goes downward to
the earth?” The beasts of the field have no promise of an awakening out of
death. Therefore, no record is kept of them for such an event.
In the Old Testament, the word sheol is used 65 times. Thirty one times it is
translated “hell,” thirty one times it is translated “grave,” and three times it is
translated “pit.” Interestingly enough, the KJV translators have created a bias of
thought by inconsistently translating that Hebrew word. Take the time to verify
for yourself, and you will find that the KJV translators placed the unrighteous in
“hell,” the righteous in the “grave,” and when they were not sure, they placed
them in the “pit.” Yet, all three distinctions came from the same word!
Therefore, both righteous and unrighteous go to the same place: a condition of
lifelessness, just the same as do the animals of the earth. All go to one place!
Some may protest: “Well, I believe in Jesus, therefore I am a CHRISTIAN!”
Really?
The demons believe in Jesus also, and would you call them CHRISTIAN? Paul
said, “I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.” 1 Cor 10:20. If
your belief in Jesus alone makes you a Christian, then the belief that the demons
have that Jesus will destroy them (they used the phrase, “torment us before the
time,” Mat 8:29) also makes them a Christian; and since you and they are both
Christians, you both have fellowship together. Are you willing to directly call the
demons Christians out of you own mouth? If not, why then are you calling them
Christians behind your back? Since when does God want His people to
“fellowship” with demons?
Those who have a belief in Jesus as savior of themselves and as savior of the
world are far better off than those who reject such truths. Your faith in Jesus,
though your knowledge greatly lacks, is of benefit to you. We point you to the
account of Noah and the ark. That ark was the means of transportation of Noah
and his family into the new world. The old society was overwhelmed by flood
waters, thus destroyed. That ark represents Jesus, Noah represents the last of
the truly spirit begotten ones of the Gospel Age call, and Noah’s family represents
those who also have faith in Jesus as the means of deliverance through the
destruction at hand, which will destroy this present evil order. Your faith in Jesus
will be very valuable, if you abide in him as your vehicle of deliverance, not into
heaven, but into the next social order here upon earth. If Noah’s family had left
the ark too soon, they would have perished. If you leave the ark of Jesus, by
quitting your faith in him, you too, will perish in the destruction soon to hit this
world.
Jesus said in Luke 19:27, “But those mine enemies, which would not that I should
reign over them, bring hither, and slay before me.” Clearly, those who do not
believe in Jesus as the way, the truth and the light, have no interest in having
him rule over them. These will perish in the upcoming trouble. And why should
they not? Why should Jesus want them to live through the trouble, still with all
their wicked imaginations, to be on hand when Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the
other faithful of Heb 11, are beginning the work here on earth of bringing affairs
under the righteous control of Jesus and his Church? Why should these
naysayers, be on hand to interrupt these righteous men and women? Why not
get them out of the way and then later, at the appropriate time, bring them forth
from the grave for their rehabilitation under favorable conditions? Why not? Just
so it will be.
Your faith in Jesus, may enable you to pass through these difficult days, but if
not, an awakening for you will come, IF you have not set yourself against the
Lord and his anointed ones.
Now you think, this is too simple. And you think, how could so many people not
know this information? And you think, how could so many people be wrong?
Truth is often simple on the surface, with more intricacy as the layers of truth
beneath are revealed. As those layers are made manifest, the wisdom and glory
of God shines even brighter! The reason why so many people do not know these
simple truths is two fold: 1) the natural mind of man in sin is hostile against God.
Paul wrote: “Because the carnal (fleshly) mind is enmity against God: for it is not
subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be,” Rom 8:7. This hostility
resulted from the deterioration of the likeness of God that man originally
possessed, which deterioration sin caused. Most people would rather do
“something else” than to pick up a Bible and read in it. Those that do pick up the
Bible, are frequently subject to: 2) the active smear campaign that Satan
perpetrates against God and God’s truth. For Satan to “be like the Most High,”
Isa 14:12-14, he has to have his own kingdom with subjects. Since he did not
create the human race, for them to be his subjects he has to steal them from
God. How is this done? One way is to make right appear as wrong, and wrong to
appear as right, 2 Cor 11:14. Thus, God’s truth about life and death is twisted by
Satan.
Additionally, Satan has an active campaign going that coincides with the Gospel
Age calling of individuals to become a part of the Body of Christ. Satan’s
campaign is brought to our attention in Mat 13:24. We read, “Another parable
put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man
which sowed good seed in his field: but while men slept, his enemy came and
sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.” Thus, Satan sowed
counterfeit wheat (tares, darnel) alongside the true wheat seed that Jesus
planted. Because the parable continues to tell us that Jesus would allow both to
grow together, “Lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with
them,” the counterfeit seed of the kingdom of heaven has grown side by side with
the true wheat seed. As time progressed, the tare class actually outnumbered
the true wheat class, and so it is today. Mainstream Christianity, along with all its
offshoots, vastly outnumbers the very few left of God’s truly, spirit-begotten
children. During the Gospel Age, Satan has made the counterfeit look so real,
that only the real know that they are not the counterfeit. All others, both the
world and the counterfeit, believe that the counterfeit is the real, when in fact
they are not.
Many have gone to church week after week and have listened to those who were
in the pulpit, came home, and continued with their earthly pursuits until the next
Sunday, when they repeated the cycle. Most of these individuals have never
taken the time to investigate what they were told, thus, they could not verify the
accuracy, or inaccuracy of what the preacher declared. Since the preacher was
installed by a synod, and not by the reaching forth of the hand of the local
congregation, the synod placed who they wanted in the pulpit, where they wanted
them, and for reasons that they, the synod, wanted. The church history is rife
with proof that power mongers either came in or rose up, even as Paul declared
they would: “For I know this, that after my departing (“while men slept”) shall
grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own
selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after
them,” Acts 20:28-30. Is it any wonder that the simple truths of God’s Word are
not known?
Psa 119:105 tells us, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my
path.” The Word of God is the standard for all of living, yet, because Satan has
his active smear and counterfeit programs running, the Word of God is not a lamp
nor a light to most because Satan has blinded their eyes. We read in 2 Cor 4:1-
4, “We...have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty (from Satan? Yes!), not
walking in craftiness (from Satan? Yes!), nor handling the word of God deceitfully
(from Satan? Yes!); but, by manifestation of the truth, (from Jesus? Yes!)
commending ourselves to every man’s conscience (from Jesus? Yes!) in the sight
of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost (not only in sin,
but more importantly in this context, lost in error): in whom the god of this world
(Satan) hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the
glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
The error here is complex. In Paul’s day, the error he faced in Corinth included
the worship of false gods, just as it was in Athens: both are cities in Greece. See
Acts 17:22-32. Satan blinded their minds to the truth of who the real God was,
and because of that, there was an obstacle in front of them when Paul preached
to them the gospel of Jesus, who is the image of God. Since that time, the
blindness has shifted some. Now the blindness is not only false gods of the
heathen religions, but also a blindness within the so called Christian church.
A shadow of a tree upon the ground is an image of the tree. That image is an
outline of the real tree, though it is not the tree itself. Jesus is the image of God,
2 Cor 4:4, and as such, he is the epitome of God, but not God himself. The
current blindness that Satan has foisted upon the so called church is that of
polytheism, instead of monotheism. Polytheism is the worship of multiple gods.
When any declare Jesus as God, and God as Jesus, they have created a
polytheistic doctrine and practice of worship. God himself, the One and Only
GOD, declared in Isa 45:5,6: “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no
God besides me...I am the LORD, and there is none else.” In Isa 44:8 God
declared, “Is there a God besides me? Yea, there is no God; I know not any.”
Thus, the truth of the matter is hidden from most all of Christianity by Satan so
that he can have his own following, his own subjects. After all, his servant ye are
whom ye serve!, even if you are unaware of it.
Yes, this is tough to swallow by many. Yet, the Scriptural facts remain: God
(Jehovah) is one (Deu 6:4) and not two, nor three in one. Jesus is the created
son of God (Rev 3:14) and he died on the cross. Note that we earlier pointed out
that immortal beings can not die. If Jesus were God, then when Jesus died on
the cross, that death could only have been a sham, a farce, for immortal beings
can not die! Did not Paul say, “we... have renounced the hidden things of
dishonesty, not walking in craftiness?” Is Paul more righteous than God, such
that Paul spoke the truth and God lied to us? Well? If Jesus was God when he
died on the cross, then God died, which is an impossibility. And further, that
would be a perpetration of a heinous lie! Satan is the father of lies, not GOD!
The solution? Readjust YOUR thinking on the matter!
The single most conclusive text that we know to debunk the doctrine of the trinity
is in Amos 2:7. We read in part, “And a man and his father will go in unto the
same maid, to profane my holy name.” If God and Jesus are one and the same,
yet portrayed as two separate individuals, then when Jesus consummates his
marriage with the Bride (though it will not be by the physical act of sex), then
God himself is also consummating a marriage with the same “maid.” Does God
tell us to not do such and such, and then do it Himself? Well? God is not two
faced: telling us to not do, and doing that Himself of which He told us to not do!
Either God is true, or your current perception and understanding of God is true.
On which leg do you think you can stand? “Let God be true,” though it make
every man a liar, Rom 3:4. Amen!
Now you think, (hopefully) who is responsible for all these errors of doctrine,
other than Satan? A great question that is! Again, we resort to the parables of
Jesus. In Mat 13:33 Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven,
which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was
leavened.” This parable is not a compliment of what would happen, but a
statement of the facts. The kingdom of heaven here is the call to and
development of the heavenly class, the Body of Christ, during the Gospel Age. In
the Scriptures, leaven is used to represent sin. The church is identified as a
woman, who started out chaste, but because of the infiltration by Satan,
corruption came in. Even further, because there were good seeds and tare seeds
in the field, two classes existed side by side, and both were identified as the
woman. This becomes very obvious when Rev 12 is properly understood. The
false woman, the false church, took leaven, which in reality were doctrinal beliefs
that were corrupted, and hid them, placed them in three measures of meal. Why
three and not some other figure? The three measures harken back to Gen 18
where three men came to Abraham in the heat of the day. Abraham bade them
to stop, rest and he would feed them. Upon their agreement of that proposition,
Abraham hasted into the tent where Sarah was and said, “Make ready quickly
three measures of fine meal, knead and make cakes upon the hearth.” Thus,
here the three measures became the equivalent of the appetite of three men, one
for each man. See Gen 18:1-6.
“Measure,” in Scripture, is frequently used for weight, distance, volume, size and
at least once for time, Psa 39:4. Meal represents food, and in particular bread,
the “bread of life.” Meal then, should represent truth, or pure doctrine, the true
bread of God’s Word, which gives life. However, this meal was leavened,
intentionally, that those who would eat of it might be persuaded to the doctrinal
belief of those who leavened it, thus, “speaking perverse things, to draw away
disciples after them,” Acts 20:30.
Therefore, it was a woman, the church, and in this instance, the false part of the
church, that put corruption (leaven) into the doctrine of the bread of life that they
might have followers after themselves, instead of after Jesus.
Now, we must reckon with the three measures. As before asked, “Why three?”
Because measure relates to a variety of usages, i.e. weight, distance, volume,
size and time, one or more of these usages must apply, but which one (or more)?
The feeding of the Gospel Age church was not dependent upon the dimensional
size of the loaf, nor the volumetric measure of it, nor the distance that the bread
stretched (?), nor even the weight of it. What really mattered was, how long
were these untruths fed? That was the question that Daniel recorded in Dan
8:13; “Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain
saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily, and the
transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary (the true Church) and the
host (the false church) to be trodden under foot?” The three measures, then,
relate to the time factor of how long the leavened bread of corruption would be
fed.
The three measures are three days, just as was similarly stated in Gen 40:7-22,
where Joseph interpreted the three branches and the three baskets to mean three
days. However, those three days were literally three twenty four hour periods.
That is not the case here. These three days are actually parts of three days,
beginning in 539 A.D. with the setting up of the abomination which makes
desolate (the Catholic Mass), Dan 11:31, and ends soon before us. The three
days encompass the latter part of the fifth one thousand year day since Adam’s
creation, all of the sixth one thousand year day, and into the early part of the
seventh one thousand year day, which seventh is the beginning of the 1000 years
reign of Christ. (If you caught the subtle point above, then you realize that the
error of untruth continues into the Millennial Kingdom, the 1000 year reign of
Christ. Which then means, that reign has already begun for the purpose of
tearing down this order, to make room for the new order of righteousness under
the administration of Jesus and his Church.)
Thus far, as regards the parable of leavened meal, the false part of the Gospel
Age church has placed leaven into the bread of life to get followers. After all, was
not that which Satan wanted? “I will be like the Most High?”
We mentioned prior that Satan made a counterfeit of the real, and indeed he had.
When you look at church history it becomes very obvious that a counterfeit reign
of Christ had taken place, even with all the trimmings of glorious robes, titles of
honor, power over the nations, a rod of iron to break and subject dissidents who
would not follow, and even a counterfeit in time of 1000 years of reign (rule).
“So,” you ask, “just who is that counterfeit?” Who has positioned himself as the
vicar of Christ? Who has ruled over the nations in the past with an arm of great
strength? Who sits with a crown on his head, and wears glorious robes, and
accepts homage as if it were his due? Who regards their bulls and edicts as the
inerrant Word of God, either as a written document or extemporaneously spoken?
Who, we might add, is the Man of Sin, who claims to be the one and only true
universal Church of the living God? Do you know? You should.
Well, in case you do not know, or are perhaps afraid to say it, we will say it for
you. Satan’s counterfeit of the true Christ, Head and Body, is embodied in the
Holy Roman Catholic Church, which has as its head, the Pope. The Pope is not
the “Man of Sin” himself, but the whole organization of Catholicism is, just as The
Christ is not Jesus alone, but with him the true Church, the Body of Christ, the
Bride.
No counterfeit goes around saying, “Hey, look, I am a counterfeit! They all
quietly interact with society, looking like the real, accepted as the real, yet they
are not the real, the true. As above mentioned, the counterfeit does not even
know that they are not the real; that is until now. Ask any counterfeit bill if it is
not real and listen to what it has to say!
Truth seldom sits well with those who are outside of it. “Does this offend you?”
Because the Roman Church has adopted the practice of calling their priests
“father,” and their highest priest, the Pope, as “Holy Father,” we point out two
things. First, Jesus said to his disciples, “And call no man your father, upon the
earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven,” Mat 23:9. The fact that the
Catholic Church pointedly disregards this text, tells us she is not listening very
well to her supposed head, Christ Jesus. Secondly, the following texts have a
message to tell. From 2 Sam 22:29 we read, “For thou art my lamp, O LORD:
and the LORD will lighten my darkness.” From Psalms 119:105 we read, “Thy
word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” From Pro 6:23 we read,
“For the commandment (of thy father, vs 20) is a lamp; and the law (of thy
mother, vs 20) is light.” From Pro 13:9 we read, “The light of the righteous
rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.” “Lamp” in the four texts
above is H5216, meaning “to glisten; a lamp, or light.”
From those four texts we see this: GOD is our lamp, through His Word. As a
father instructs his child in righteousness, to that extent the father’s
commandment is a lamp. Lastly, the wicked, who portray themselves as a lamp,
“burning as it were a lamp,” (Rev 8:10) but are not truthfully (truly) a lamp, will
be snuffed out.
Thus, because the Pope does not accurately shine as a light of truth from God’s
Holy Word, and because he has placed himself, with the aid of his adherents, as a
father, who yet fails to command his “sons” in the way of righteousness, he, the
Pope, along with his organization, will be snuffed out, will perish. It is not
possible to command “sons,” children, in the way of truth when the father,
parent, does not have truth, nor lives by it.
Above we mentioned the Mass in association with Dan 11:31, “And arms shall
stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take
away the daily, and they shall place the abomination that makes desolate.” The
“daily” referred to is the ever efficacious (effective) sacrifice of our Lord Jesus as
the ransom sacrifice for Adam that takes away sin, and the companion sacrifice of
the Sin Offering of Lev 16. Both of these sacrifices were made by Jesus, and both
concluded at the cross with his one time death. Other than the Ransom and the
Sin Offering sacrifices, there will never be another sacrifice of Jesus necessary for
Adam’s sin to be dealt with under God’s program. The Catholic Mass, a twisted
version of the memorial supper that Jesus instituted before his death, does
indeed sacrifice Christ afresh for sin. Every time the Mass is performed, it is for
the cancellation of sins that were not accounted for upon the cross. The cracker,
broken, represents Christ’s flesh broken anew, again, for the sin at hand to be
rectified. So, how many times has the Catholic Church sacrificed Jesus for sin?
Millions of times! Is that not an abomination in God’s eyes, for “this one (Jesus),
after he had offered one sacrifice (in its two parts, Ransom, Mat 20:28; and Sin
Offering, Lev 16: 1-14, the bullock) for sins forever, sat down on the right hand
of God,” Heb 10:12? Is God going to let this slide in His Day of Wrath? Hardly!
Early in our presentation we provided a side by side comparison of Isa 61:1-3 and
Luke 4:18,19. We provide that table again below:
Isaiah 61 Luke 4
“The Spirit of the LORD God is upon
me;
because the LORD hath anointed me to
preach good tidings unto the meek;
he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to them
that are bound;
to proclaim the acceptable year of the
LORD,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all that mourn;
to appoint unto them that mourn in
Zion.
to give unto them beauty for ashes,
the oil of joy for mourning,
the garment of praise for the spirit of
heaviness;
that they might be called Trees of
righteousness,
The planting of the LORD,
that He might be glorified.”
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he hath anointed me to preach
the gospel to the poor;
he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted,
to preach deliverance to the captives,
and recovering of sight to the blind, to
set at liberty them that are bruised,
to preach the acceptable year of the
LORD.”
As we had written above, “From the table above, it becomes readily discernible
that fully one half of what Isaiah wrote was not read by our Lord, nor was it
applicable for fulfillment at the first advent of Jesus, which was why he did not
read it. The latter half would be fulfilled later, but by whom?” so now we address
the later part.
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to…
proclaim… the day of vengeance of our God.” Now, at this time, as of May 30,
2020, at 9:00 A.M., the time when the burnt and peace offering sacrifices were
made, the Day of God’s Wrath has begun, and is ongoing. Now is the acceptable
time to proclaim God’s Day of Wrath, and so it has been proclaimed.
“To comfort all that mourn,” can not refer to the wicked, and can hardly refer to
others who carry on as if nothing new was at hand. Those who mourn are
properly those within the call of the Gospel Age, who have a bona fide
relationship with God, have indeed been anointed with His Spirit, and who have
run the race for a share in the membership of the Body of Christ. However, these
mourn, or will mourn, because the announcement of the Day of God’s Wrath is
also an announcement of the fact that the sealing upon the foreheads of
membership into that Body has already been accomplished. No more come in to
that Body, and those in will not leave out. Thus, these mourn because they come
to understand that they failed to achieve the chief prize of membership in that
Body. It is during this period of God’s Wrath that a comforting message will be
extended to them, briefly stated later in words of “All is not lost, if….”
“To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion,” refers to the aforementioned class
who failed to achieve the chief prize. These will be appointed to a task that the
Scriptures declare they must perform successfully to have a part in the secondary
class referred to in Rev 7 as a Great Multitude. Those of that class will stand
before the throne as servants, and not sit upon the throne with Jesus as joint
heirs with him.
“To give unto them beauty for ashes,” again refers to the same class as above.
These will be given a beautiful reward, though second place it is, to replace the
ashes that they experience as their hopes go up in smoke when they are told
they failed first prize.
“To give unto them...the oil of joy for mourning,” again refers to the same class.
These will experience a witness of the Holy Spirit (oil) that they have overcome,
they have succeeded in performing the required work necessary for them to have
a place before the throne. This oil, this witness, will be one of great joy for the
mourning that they initially experienced and subsequently endured as they
carried out their required task under great tribulation.
“To give unto them...the garment of praise for (instead of) the spirit of
heaviness,” again refers to the same class. These will be given a garment of
spirit life, not one to wear, but one that represents their new spirit bodies, as
they stand before the throne. This spirit body will indeed replace the spirit of
heaviness that they labored under during their final testing, while here on the
earth, in bodies of flesh and blood. In this spirit body they will abundantly praise
God, saying, “Salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the
Lamb,” Rev 7:10.
“That they might be called Trees of righteousness,” again refers to the same
class. They will eventually be called trees, because they stood up for truth, for
righteousness, against great opposition; opposition so great that all others will
bend, bow down, under its weight. No, they do not have the chief prize, but spirit
life is certainly far better than to spend eternity as a forgotten person who, as an
enemy of God, resides in the perpetual state of non-existence.
“The planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified.” The wisdom and power of
God to not only provide a place of mercy for those who had failed to properly
perform their covenant of sacrifice, yet who loved the Lord their God, and who
manifested that loyalty under great tribulation; to now be planted in a heavenly
reward glorifies the God of all the Universe.
Thus, the first part of Isa 61:1-3 relates to the work that Jesus performed at his
first advent, coming to earth; and the last part of Isaiah’s prophecy will be
accomplished at the end of the Gospel Age by the same Spirit of God, and
proclaimed by one having that same Spirit.
Now that you know so much more than you knew before, the following questions
are ones we ask. What are you going to do with this new knowledge that you
herein acquired? Are you going to go to the Scriptures to honestly search that
you might verify its accuracy or inaccuracy? Or are you going to bow your neck,
arch your back and walk away thinking, what does he know? Everyone who
names the name of Jesus personally, has an obligation to investigate what is
taught them to verify whether or not such is true. Further, each who calls
themselves a Christian owes it to God and to Jesus (much less to themselves) to
make sure that their claim is correct, lest they be found to be false witnesses.
Those of you who have realized the truth of the matter, that indeed you never
were a Christian because you never possessed the necessary qualifications of
understanding and appreciation to make an acceptable sacrifice, have done well
to admit the truth of the matter, rather than to continue on in a delusion and find
out later what you found out now. Honesty of heart is a big thing with Jehovah.
May God bless you for your honesty.
One last point. There is nothing wrong with not being a Christian during the
Gospel Age. In fact, honesty of heart is far better than dishonesty of show, for
the former condition is a heart that can be worked with for transformation of
character into righteousness. The latter are often hypocrites, who, like the
Pharisees of the first advent, justly deserve the condemnation of Jesus. Be
truthful about who you are before God, for you will never deceive Him, though
you may well have deceived yourself and others. May God bless those of you
who truthfully serve Him with correct understanding. God’s wrath will fall upon
the remainder.
Copyright © G. Kuehmichel June 20, 2020. Minor revision – Aug 5, 11, 2020. All rights
reserved.
