Category: Restoration


What The Hell–Part 3 Embracing The Fire of God

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December 6, 2021

Because they have forsaken Me and have made this (city of Jerusalem) an alien place and have burned sacrifices in it to other gods, that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known, and because they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent  and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I never commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever enter My mind; therefore, behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this place will no longer be called Topheth or the valley of Ben-hinnom, but rather the valley of Slaughter.  Jeremiah 19:4-6 NASB1995 (emphasis added)

 

We begin our post with what should not by any means be a controversial assertion:  Father is NOT a hypocrite; that is to say, He does not have one set of laws for us, and another set of laws governing His own activities.  (We apologize to our insider friends who believe that Father regularly disregards the laws that he gave through Moses, not to mention through the Lord Jesus, and believe that He is not Himself bound by the same laws.  Have you considered that would effectively make Father a hypocrite?) No, Father follows his own laws because they reflect His own nature, and He cannot deny His own nature.

 

In our opening passage, Jeremiah is stating Father’s judgment against the city of Jerusalem for burning their sons alive with fire.  It is repeated in Jeremiah 32:35, where the city residents had added Molech to their list of false gods to “worship” with the same practice.  Jeremiah is quoting Father’s judgment against them because burning one’s children is a detestable and disgraceful act, setting aside the fact that it is also murder!  So, we may see at the outset that for God to condemn the city of Jerusalem and its inhabitants for burning their children, and then to eventually burn His children would be the epitome of hypocrisy. We hasten to say that He would also be a liar, since He has Himself stated it was “a thing which I never commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever enter My mind“. 

 

The tormenting and torturing fire is attributed to Father by the proponents of the Hideous Doctrine allegedly because of His holiness!  According to some proponents of the Hideous Doctrine, Father is required by His holiness to punish certain outsiders by burning them, as their just desserts.  Needless to say, we disagree with the idea that such a thing could remotely be inspired by any concept of holiness, and certainly not by Father’s holiness!  We re-iterate that such an accusation against Father is terrible, slanderous, and has its origins in the morbid imaginations of those who do not know Him as He really is.

 

At last we come to the discussion of the purpose and restorative effects of Father’s fire.  Miles Monroe has somewhat famously taught “If you do not know the purpose of a thing, abuse of that thing is inevitable.”  We agree completely with this teaching and begin with a consideration of whether the fire of God is literal, or figurative.  Then, we will turn to its purpose.

 

As the children of Israel were completing the required 40-year journey in the wilderness, Moses gave a blessing to them just before he died.  As a part of the blessing, Moses recounted the fiery law that was in God’s right hand for His saints, or literally, “holy ones“.  See it below:

2 And he (Moses) said, The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law (Hebrew:  esh-dawth) for them.  Deuteronomy 33:2-3 KJV

This law-fire is not literal, but figurative, and the implication is that it is intended to be a beneficial (not destructive) contribution to his holy ones.  Notice, it is “for” them.  We may further conclude it is beneficial because it is from Father’s right hand, which is always the hand of mercy and forgiveness.  This is indeed why Yeshua/Jesus sat down at the right hand of Father and from there makes intercession for us.

 

We recall with fondness one of the favorite stories of our friend, Dr. Harold Lovelace.  Dr. Lovelace related that once, during a commercial airlines flight, he was reading from his Bible in James 3:6.  A lady seated next to him looked over at the text and commented about it.  Here is what he was reading:

6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

His question to the lady was simple:  did she believe the writer was saying the tongue was literally on fire?  Or that it set the course of nature literally on fire?  To which the lady responded, no, obviously it is intended to be figurative, not literal.  Dr. Lovelace then replied in the inimitable fashion that made him such an excellent ambassador of universal reconciliation:  “then we may safely assume that the last phrase ‘set on fire of hell’ is figurative and not literal also!”

 

We maintain that in the first instance, Father’s heavenly fire is not literal but is the reality of which actual, earthly fire is an imperfect prophetic picture.  We note, again, that the Greek word for fire, pyr, (pronounced “poor”) is the etymological origin for many of our English words such as pure, purify, and purebred.  The part of the type that points toward purification and purity is the correct application.  Even the destructive part of fire, understood correctly, points to the removal of spiritually damaging thoughts and actions.  Look at the following passage which states that Father will refine as a refiner of precious metals.

2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: 3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.  Malachi 3:2-3 KJV

In this passage the Lord is compared to the refiner and to the fire.  It plainly states that he will “purify” the sons of Levi and purge them from dross, with a goal of righteousness.  Righteousness is the goal of Father’s fire, for when the inhabitants of the world experience Father’s correction, they learn righteousness.  The only things that are “destroyed” by Father’s fire are un-righteous thoughts and actions.  Here is our final scripture to prove Father’s fire is spiritual:

43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell (Greek, “Gehenna”), into the unquenchable fire, 44 WHERE THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.  Mark 9:43-44 NASB1995 (capitalization in original)

This is a rather well known passage where Yeshua/Jesus is making the point that it would be better for a person to cripple themselves than to be thrown as a corpse on the local garbage dump, called Gehenna in that day (and Ben-Hinnom, before that).  The obvious point is that if one were willing to go to the extreme of amputating one’s hand, how much easier would it be to simply live righteously?  But our concern is with the capitalized language by which the NASB denotes that Jesus was quoting from the Old Testament Scripture, in this case, Isaiah 66, in which the prophet foretold the destruction of the rebellious inhabitants of Jerusalem.

 

Jesus was reiterating the same point made by the prophet:  if this judgment comes to pass, the fire will not be “quenched” until it has consumed all of the corpses thrown there by Jerusalem’s enemies.  The substitution of the word “hell” for “Gehenna” is nothing short of bias in favor of the Hideous Doctrine; use of the proper word would have been less confusing.  The fact is, earthly Gehenna’s fire has in fact been quenched, as any reasonable investigation will reveal.  However, Father’s fire is not quenched as Jesus plainly stated.  From this fact, we may conclude that Father’s fire is spiritual, and not literal, and until its purpose is fulfilled, it will not be quenched.  And that, dear Reader, is very good news, indeed!

 

Simply stated, the purpose of Father’s fire is to correct, instruct, redeem and restore.  It is administered with unfailing love and never in anger.  Its goal is always the righteousness and agreement of the child that is in need of it, no matter how old that “child” may be.  Frankly, we can’t even admit that it’s punishment, so great is the love-motive behind it and so great is the freedom it produces; however, we will not quibble over the use of the word if others insist upon it.

 

However, it is our experience, dear Reader, that missing the mark for whatever reason is worse than any punishment.  Father’s fire requires incrementally increasing surrender of your right to have your own sweet way in favor of trusting (usually without clearly seeing the end) that Father’s way is always best.  After a few times of experiencing your own way, and all the troubles that brings, believe us when we say that you can be thankful for the correction.  Eventually, you will come to embrace the fire, knowing the ultimate good that will come from it.  This is the mark of a mature son and daughter of heavenly Father!

 

Blessed are you, righteous and holy Father, whose unfailing love is manifested by the fiery law in your right hand, whose purpose is restorative and saving.  Thank you for the fire of your love and may all experience its wonderful effects! 

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What the Hell–Part 2 Revisiting The Hideous Doctrine

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November 16, 2021

      In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; I go to prepare a place for you. John 14:2 NASB (emphasis added) (Jesus discussing the future home of all present and future believers.)

 

In Part 1 of What the Hell–The Hideous Doctrine, we pointed out that none of the 3 different Greek words (and one Hebrew word) which are translated “hell” in most modern versions of the Bible mean anything remotely similar to “a place for burning eternally in fiery, tortuous punishment”.  In this post, we revisit the Hideous Doctrine to find out more about the justification by religious insiders of this false accusation and slander against our heavenly Father.

 

We noted in our first post that the organized Church has used the Hideous Doctrine to perpetuate a non-biblical definition of hell so as to create a fear-based need among religious outsiders to “get saved” (and avoid being burned forever). Whether the insiders are “well-meaning” or not in so doing is hardly the point; they have knowingly and deliberately created a Hobson’s Choice–turn or burn–using a methodology that Father has never commanded, has never spoken of, nor has it even entered his mind, as we shall see.  (We are sorry for all of our insider friends who think that this practice is acceptable or pleasing to Father; we urge you to cease this practice and commence preaching that Jesus Christ has destroyed the works of the devil [which would include the “hell” of which you speak], has bound the strong man, and has set all of the oppressed free. You will never run out of good things to say about Father and our Lord Jesus!)

 

We gladly proclaim the good news to all religious outsiders, and to you, dear reader, that the widely accepted Hideous Doctrine is wrong.  It’s not slightly wrong, it’s totally wrong.  Nothing could be further from the truth! So if you have found yourself wondering how a supposedly merciful and loving God could create and utilize “hell” as is popularly claimed, congratulations!–you were correct, He didn’t.

 

Here is a hint, dear reader.  Our Father is omni-present, all-knowing, and all powerful–why would He need to create such a place in the first instance?

 

So, who originally came up with the accusation that our heavenly Father would send the vast majority of mankind from all ages to such a place the likes of which are not described anywhere in the Bible?  If you guessed the ancient pagans or others who didn’t know Father, you guessed correctly!

 

Our usual practice is to point to Him who is The Truth, and to encourage you to ask Him of the truth of any matter.  In fact, we especially urge it in this case.  However, because the concept of “the good go to heaven, the bad go to hell” (from which the turn-or-burn fear paradigm originated) is of ancient pagan origin and is so widely adopted by the organized Church, we will depart briefly from our practice of not debunking what is false.

 

To recap the translations from the original languages to “hell”, there is Gehenna, Jerusalem’s ancient city dump. Then there is Sheol/hades, the place of the unseen or some similar place under the earth. (Wikipedia notes that Hades was god of the underworld [complete with pitchfork/bident] in ancient Greek mythology and religion, and the place became synonymous with his name.  The New Testament writers were undoubtedly generally referring to the place by comparison to Sheol.) Finally, there is Tartarus, a multi-level subterranean place of Greek mythology.

 

I. Let’s look first at the claim that Father punishes or torments eternally, forever, or however else one may state it.  It should be noted in fairness, that there is no simple statement by Jesus or any of the New Testament writers that Father punishes forever.  However, as we noted in the opening scripture, Jesus himself said if there were only a few dwelling places in Father’s house, (because the majority of mankind was going somewhere else), he would have told us.  So where do the insiders get this idea?

 

A. First, they point to the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.  Here is the passage from Luke 16:

19 “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, enjoying himself in splendor every day. 20 And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, 21 and longing to be fed from the scraps which fell from the rich man’s table; not only that, the dogs also were coming and licking his sores. 22 Now it happened that the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s arms; and the rich man also died and was buried. 23 And in Hades he raised his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his arms. 24 And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set, so that those who want to go over from here to you will not be able, nor will any people cross over from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I request of you, father, that you send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not come to this place of torment as well.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’” NASB (emphasis added)

 

Limiting our initial focus solely to the text (without reference to the setting, what precedes the passage, or what follows it), we see that the Lord plainly made a reference to Hades, that the “rich man” was in “torment”, and was in “agony in this flame.”  But it is equally plain that there is no direct or implied reference to punishment, unless the rich man is being tormented just for being “rich” or receiving “good things” in his life and Lazarus is being rewarded for being poor; there is no direct or implied reference to eternal duration; and the conversation does not involve Father or Jesus, but is instead between Abraham and the rich man.

 

The Doctrine’s proponents point to this fact:  the rich man does not “turn”, that is, repent–therefore, he deserves this agonizing treatment (notice, however, neither the Lord nor Abraham even hint that the failure to repent is a bad thing).  Does it seem plausible to you, dear reader,  that the story is adequate proof of the doctrine when the “turn” half of formula is missing? Nevertheless, the parable cannot fairly be said to be a statement that unless you do x, y or z, you will end up like the rich man, in Hades, in torment, and in agonizing flames.  If that were the point of the story, would it not have been easy, even predictable, for the Lord to say so?

 

Looking beyond the text to the setting, we can see that the parable is a prophetic story directed to the Jewish priests and Pharisees (the rich man) to whom Jesus is speaking in the immediately preceding verses.  The other tribes of Israel (Lazarus, the poor man) had been deported (outside the “gate”) and were unable to access the temple, the priests or the word of God (longing for the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table).  Dr. Stephen Jones’ excellent teaching on this subject is well worth the time to read it.  A full explanation is beyond the scope of this post; the point is, the passage does not substantiate the Hideous Doctrine.

 

B. Also, they rely upon the parable of the sheep and the goats.  Here is the passage from Matthew 25:

31 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and He will put the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’

41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you accursed people, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44 Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or as a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for Me, either.’ 46 These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”  NASB (emphasis added)

 

At least now we see some of the elements of the Hideous Doctrine: eternal fire and eternal punishment; but did you notice the offenses for which this “punishment” results?  Not feeding the hungry with food or water, not inviting strangers in, not clothing the naked, and not visiting the sick or those in prison.  These offenses do not seem worthy of being burned alive in torment forever! If you are wondering: where is the turning/repenting? where is joining the church? where is getting “saved” by faith?  You are again correct–those elements of the Hideous Doctrine are not in the parable.

 

So you may also be beginning to wonder if this parable (being the last of a string of parables) is like our last example–taken out of the context originally intended to make a specific or prophetic point, and twisted beyond its plain words to mean something else.  If so, we congratulate you for thinking critically.

 

The real point of the parable is beyond the scope of this post, but we feel it is fair to look at the words and phrases “eternal fire” and “eternal punishment”.  Are they really accurate translations, or more to the point, were they translated in that manner to support the Hideous Doctrine?

 

“Eternal” in both cases is aionios, or aionian, meaning pertaining to a eon, or pertaining to an indefinite but long period of time with a finite ending.  It cannot have the alternate meaning: having no beginning and no end, because clearly it has a beginning at some point in the future.  In other words the Greek definition for perpetual duration won’t work because of the existence of a beginning point. Thus, we can confidently conclude the correct meaning in this case is an indefinite period with beginning and ending points; i.e., not eternal.  We will return to this important point later.

 

“Fire” is pyr, or pur, from which we get our English words pure, purify and purification.  This word for fire, as we shall see in an upcoming post, can be literal fire or figurative fire.  For reasons we shall set forth from the Bible, the fire is figurative and not literal, redemptive/restoring and not destructive.

 

“Punishment” is kolasis, the first definition of which is “correction”.  Don’t the “offenses” sound to you like an unspecified period of “correction” is needed rather than burning forever?  We maintain that Father does not punish to destruction, but he corrects to accomplish proper behavior, in the precisely the same way as any loving earthly father does.  We will have more to say about this in an upcoming post, but the point is:  the parable of the sheep and the goats likewise fails to substantiate the Hideous Doctrine.

 

C. Lastly, they rely upon the day of the great judgment, called the “Great White Throne” judgment.  Here is the passage from Revelation 20:

12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. NASB (emphasis added)

 

It is to be fairly noted that there is indeed a day of judgment.  But notice the missing elements:  no mention of punishment, no mention of destruction, no mention of torture and no mention of eternity.  Also notice that, here, Hades is not translated “hell”.  Otherwise, we would have “hell” being thrown into “hell”–and that simply won’t support the doctrine.  Accordingly, the proponents of the Hideous Doctrine simply omit verse 14 as though it were not there.  But there is a relatively simple explanation which requires some knowledge of Israel’s history.

 

Israel’s third king, Solomon (David’s son), built a magnificent temple for Father. In front of the priestly entrance into the holy place, Solomon built (in accordance with the pattern set down by Moses) a very large, bronze, cast metal laver that held an enormous amount of water and that was used by the priests for purification to “wash their hands and feet that they may not die.”  As the water was stirred by partial immersion of the priests under the sun, the bronze laver had the appearance of fire and thus came to be called “the lake of fire”.

 

The bronze laver was built as a prophetic pattern after something in heaven before Father’s throne that represents purification not destruction.  This same item is called “the sea of glass” earlier in the book of Revelation.  The difference is that those whose names are “written in the book of life” stand upon the sea of glass (without disturbing the water which is perfectly still, like glass); i.e., they need no purification.  Thus, the purpose of the “lake of fire” in Revelation is for purification for those whose names are not written in the book of life.  None of the language of the text mentions destruction.  Failure to understand the connection between Revelation’s “lake of fire” and Exodus’ “bronze laver” has led to this incorrect support for the Hideous Doctrine.

 

Dear reader, if your life is a train wreck, may we recommend Father’s correction and purification?  We emphatically state, it is not to be feared!  Simply stated, He repairs anything that is broken, and it all begins with a heart-felt call to the Savior.  (Check the preceding link for His number.) Why wait? You have nothing to lose except the wreckage.

 

(For a wonderful analysis of the early Church’s adoption of the Hideous Doctrine see the excellent work of Dr. Stephen Jones here.)

Blessed are You, O Lord, for you have clearly shown us the Truth in the person of Yeshua/Jesus, our wonderful savior and lord, who is the exact representation of Your nature and who only said what he heard You saying and only did what he saw You doing.

 

 

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Babylonian Captivity and Slave Mentality-Part 2

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February 8, 2016

So if (Jesus) the Son (of God) makes you free, you will be free indeed.  John 8:36 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

It might be hard to imagine that there is actually a bigger problem than the majority of humanity being enslaved for two and one half millennia.  But the truth is out:  all of creation is enslaved and has been since Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden.  The Babylonian captivity is just a “small” part of the entire problem, since all of creation includes the entire universe.  Perhaps that will put our problems in proper perspective!

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God…For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.  Romans 8:20,24-25 NASB

The apostle Paul, writing to believers in Rome, explained that the record of Genesis reveals that Adam’s sin caused the entire creation to be subjected to “slavery to corruption”, meaning essentially that everything is proceeding from order to chaos, from fitness to ruin, from organization to dis-organization.  You can easily see this everywhere–just imagine what your yard would look like after a few years of no effort.

But when Father subjected the creation, He also gave it hope for a glory change.  And that glory change is on its way!  It is a change that will be revealed, in a way that can be seen.

The word “glory” is the Greek word doxa (pronounced “dock-sa”).  It has a wide variety of meanings, as can be seen here.  But we believe it hearkens back to the shekinah glory that radiated outward from Father’s presence in heaven or wherever He chooses to dwell.

When Solomon dedicated the Temple which he had constructed in Jerusalem about 3,000 years or so ago, the priests brought up the coffer of testimony, usually called the “ark of the covenant” from the part of Jerusalem known as the “City of David” where it was kept in the Tent of Meeting constructed during the much-earlier time of Moses.  After the priests deposited the coffer in the most holy place (the very inner sanctuary) and withdrew, the shekinah glory (a luminous cloud) filled the entire temple to such a degree that no one could even stand, and the priests could not minister–everyone was face down.  Here is how it was recorded:

It happened that when the priests came from the holy place, the cloud filled the house of the Lord,  so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord. 1 Kings 8:10-11

Our poor description in no way does justice to something which is beyond comparison, but the point is:  it will soon be seen, because it is going to be revealed.  The creation will be moved away from slavery and into freedom.  In short, the curse will be removed.  We realize that many religious insiders believe that very soon, the “great tribulation” will begin which will be anything but “glorious”.  We apologize if we are contradicting their doctrine, but we do not believe hell-fire, brimstone, widespread death and destruction are what the Lord and Paul had in mind when he penned Romans 8.  Most importantly, the doctrine of “Great Tribulation” does not lend itself to the hope Paul wrote about (or any other kind of hope, for that matter).  We do not believe anyone is “eagerly” waiting for the Great Tribulation.

The pieces go together like this:  Radiating light from God–Sons of God–freedom–curse removed–creation released–slavery of every kind is banished.

We would like to point out that Jesus, the firstborn and predominant son, revealed this glory when He walked the earth.  Read it for yourself:

And He (Jesus) is the radiance of His (God’s) glory and the exact representation of His (God’s) nature…Hebrews 1:3 NASB

The “sons of God” will, in just the same way Jesus did, become the radiance of God’s glory change.  Paul says this glory will unveil something not seen at least since the subjection of creation by Adam’s sin, if ever.  Jesus Christ, although He is the pre-eminent son, chose NOT to reveal this glory himself, but instead waited to allow his brothers (and sisters) to reveal it.  These brothers and sisters are the ones who have found freedom in the Messiah, the one who came to set us all free.

By trust, and by faith, they have received the gift of salvation, and have become partakers of the divine nature  of which we wrote earlier, and are believing Jesus to change them from the inside out and make them holy.  The glory change will be revealed into these believers and will somehow break out into a transforming freedom that will literally remove the curse from the earth.  We don’t know about you, dear reader, but we can’t wait to meet these people!

They gave up the slave mentality long ago.  What about you; why wait?  Are you, dear reader, one of the ones the entire creation is waiting upon?  If so, we urge you to be reconciled to God.  Call upon the Messiah and tell him you are ready to do your part, whatever that may be.  May the Lord cause His face to shine upon you and favor you!  May the Lord lift his face toward you and give you his shalom!

Blessed are you, O Lord our wonderful God.  Elohim baruch ha shem.  All creation shouts your praise:  beautiful is our God!  The universe will sing:  Hallelujah to you, our King!

 

 

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Babylonian Captivity And Slave Mentality

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February 3, 2016

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.  For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. Romans 8:18-22 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

There has been a lot of political talk in recent years about “hope” and “change”.  Dear reader, do you have any hope that anything significant in the world system will really change, meaning, for the better?  Have you found yourself wondering why things are the way they are?  Are you looking for change, and what do you think “change” would look like?  Do the words “Babylonian captivity” mean anything to you?  Check out this conversation from The Matrix (1999)(courtesy of imdb.com):

Morpheus: I know *exactly* what you mean. Let me tell you why you’re here. You’re here because you know something. What you know you can’t explain, but you feel it. You’ve felt it your entire life, that there’s something wrong with the world. You don’t know what it is, but it’s there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad. It is this feeling that has brought you to me. Do you know what I’m talking about?

Neo: The Matrix.

Morpheus: Do you want to know what it is?

Neo: Yes.

Morpheus: The Matrix is everywhere. It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work… when you go to church… when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.

Neo: What truth?

Morpheus: That you are a slave, Neo. Like everyone else you were born into bondage. Into a prison that you cannot taste or see or touch. A prison for your mind.

We propose to you that what Morpheus referred to as the “Matrix” is actually the world-wide Babylonian captivity that has enslaved the world for many centuries.  It is a monetary, religious, political and military system coordinated and controlled by many very wealthy elites whose rule has now been judicially declared terminated in Father’s divine court.  We are happy to announce that “change” is coming!  It is a change that was prophesied about two millennia ago, when the apostle Paul wrote the above words to the believers who then lived in Rome, Italy, during the Roman empire.

Our post today is to discuss what this “change” will look like.  As stated in an article by Kevin Jackson, entitled The Slave Mentality, slave mentality is acquired slowly, bit by bit, over an extended period of time, and constitutes “the worst kind of prison:  the prison of the mind.”  He says, “Escape is as simple as walking away, yet few people leave.”  If all you have known for your entire life is a slave mentality, and one that you cannot see, taste or touch because the world has been pulled over your eyes, how will you free your mind from it?

First, know that the author of this change, and its revealer, is none other than Jesus the Messiah.  It is He who will free your mind–all you have to do is ask Him to do so.  Here is what He said about himself:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives,
And recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed,
To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.  Luke 4:18-19 NASB

A coming “glory” is going to be revealed “in us”.  Setting aside briefly the question of “who”, a more important question is “what”.  Paul begins by telling us in verse 18:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to (Greek: eis–into) us.

Paul describes this glory change by first saying that present sufferings (for him, it included the Roman Empire) are not worthwhile enough to form the basis of a comparison.  So unique is this glory that it is incomparable–there is simply nothing to which to compare it.  That sounds like a change worth hoping for!

Paul secondly says it is something “that is to be revealed into us”, or in other words, a revelation or an “unveiling”.  The Greek word “eis” means motion from the exterior to a stopping point on the interior.  Think of drawing a straight line from the outside of a circle into the middle of the circle and stopping–that’s the idea of “eis”.  In other words, this is not something someone is going to think up in their own mind.  Instead, it is something revealed, seen, and understood.

In short the glory change seems to be unveiled as it is moving into us.  The next verse makes it clear that all creation (not just mankind, or even some of mankind) is anxiously watching, and even longing for this unveiling.  Please note that Paul has directly connected the glory change to the revealing of someone he calls “the sons of God.”

For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 

It seems clear that Paul has equated “the glory that is to be revealed into us” and “the revealing of the sons of God.”  Since God first determined to make mankind in His image, He has planned to reveal His own glory through mature sons of whom Jesus was the first-born.  These sons will not be divine as Jesus was, but will be redeemed sons of fallen Adam.  The glory will be that which inhabited Eden before the fall.

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into (Greek:  eis) the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.

The entire creation is anxiously watching and longing because of the stakes, which for us Paul says are an insufficient basis for comparison.  However, creation has taken the brunt of Adam’s sin, since God put the sin debt upon the earth, causing it to groan and travail.  So whatever else may be said about our “present sufferings”, here are 2 points:  one, they do not merit comparison to the glory change, and two, they are not connected to the involuntary subjection that was placed upon the creation by God and which has lasted since Adam was ejected from the Garden of Eden.

When Father subjected creation, he also gave it hope!  Talk about merciful!  A hope not speculative, but instead certain and inevitable, of a coming freedom that will be found only in this “glory”.  We are talking about a glory change that will not only free all of mankind, but also all of the creation!

Say goodbye to slave mentality, and hello to freedom mentality! In part 2 we’ll examine the source of this glory and how the awesome light that radiates from Father’s presence sets creation free.

Baruch ata Adonai.  I will love you, Lord my strength.  I belong to you and I will bless you while I live, and I will lift my hands up in your name.

 

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The Medes and Persians Win Again

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January 25, 2016

Then Darius the king wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language who were living in all the land:  “May your peace abound!  I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel; for He is the living God and enduring forever, and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, and His dominion will be forever. He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, Who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.”  Daniel 6:26-27 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

If you are unfamiliar with the story, here is what happened in brief:  The second world kingdom (from a Judahite point of view) was set up after Babylon’s fall–the Medo-Persian empire, headed by King Darius.  In order to trap Daniel, a righteous Jew, who served the king, jealous colleagues prevailed upon King Darius to pass a law that no man could petition any man or god except King Darius under penalty of being thrown into the lions’ den.

The colleagues did this because they knew Daniel prayed to God every day, and the Medes and Persians had a law:  once the King issued a decree, it could never be changed.  Daniel 6: 12 says “…according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked.”

Sure enough, Daniel prayed to God in disregard of the law, and his colleagues got what they wanted–Daniel was thrown into a pit, a “den”, with hungry lions, shortly after King Darius realized his mistake.  Daniel made it through the night, reporting that Father sent an angel to shut the lions’ mouths.  King Darius gave orders that Daniel be removed and that the colleagues, their wives and children be immediately thrown to the lions, whose mouths by now had been released, and all of them were killed.

King Darius issued the decree that opens this post.  As Dr. Stephen Jones has pointed out on numerous occasions, that decree has never been revoked and by the law of the Medes and Persians, it may not ever be revoked.

So who were the Medes and Persians, anyway?  According to Wikipedia, the Medes and Persians were the ancestors to modern Iran, with the Medes being the northern relatives and the Persians being the southern relatives.

The Medes and Persians overthrew the Babylonian empire established by Nebuchadnezzar, and were themselves later overthrown by Alexander the Great.  Each empire was ultimately set up by God for an appointed time to accomplish His purposes, all as prophesied by the angel to Daniel.  However, as is often the case, such prophecies have more than one fulfillment.

The “Babylonian” banking-political-religious worldwide system, which is more symbolic than geographic, has far outgrown its original boundaries in what is now modern Iraq.  So look for modern Persia, i.e., Iran, to play a significant role in again defeating the Babylonian system.  The Babylonian system has run out of time and Father has decreed that the world systems have had their chances and run their courses, and the time has come to establish the Stone kingdom that “became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.”

Look at how Daniel himself described what he saw in a prophetic vision:

13 “I kept looking in the night visions,
And behold, with the clouds of heaven
One like a Son of Man was coming,
And He came up to the Ancient of Days
And was presented before Him.
14 “And to Him was given dominion,
Glory and a kingdom,
That all the peoples, nations and men of every language
Might serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
Which will not pass away;
And His kingdom is one
Which will not be destroyed.  Daniel 7:13-14 NASB

Do you notice, dear Reader, that Daniel used the same language that Darius had used when addressing his subjects:  all the peoples, nations and men of every language.  Here’s an important thing to learn:  when Father says “All”, He means all!  All the Sunnis, all the Shi’ites, all the Jews, all the Moslems, all the peoples, all the nations, and all the men of every language–in short, the whole earth.

We respectfully believe that Iran will play a major part in bringing this news to the whole earth.  Yes, some time will pass, because they must first learn that political influence/power and the world’s riches, both of which they have been deprived for so long, will not satisfy or fill the aching abyss in their collective hearts.  (If you don’t believe us, ask the Republicans and the Democrats!)  Only Jesus the Messiah can fill that emptiness.

If Iran has not already been demonized by the Western press to the point of no return in your mind, consider the following quote, and see if you can guess who said these words:

  1. The World:

God Almighty purposefully created the world….No phenomenon, creature, or indeed anything has been created in vain. Together they all pave the ground for the flourishing of mankind in a complex and purposeful system, and they are, each, one of the signs of God Almighty. All are His creations and He is the sole creator and ruler of the world. All existence including power, knowledge and wealth come from Him.

2.  Humankind:

God created the world for humans and humans for Himself. He created humans from mud and in the soil, but He did not want them to remain in the soil and with animal instincts. He kindled the light of guidance in their souls and asked them to rise from the soil to the heavens and to Him with the help of wisdom, prophets and perfect men. The world will ultimately disappear, but God has created man for eternity and has made them a manifestation of Himself.

Creativity, mercifulness, kindness, knowledge, wisdom, zeal, concealment of sins, splendor, justice, bounteousness, generosity, greatness, love, glory, dignity, forgiveness, insight, kingship and all other goodness and beauty are attributes of God.

The foregoing are excerpts from a speech delivered by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran, to the United Nations on September 24, 2008.  We apologize for the lengthy quote, but say in all sincerity:  Not bad, Mr. President, not bad!  One might even say that President Ahmadinejad’s words are a second witness to the words of King Darius–and by the mouths of two or more witnesses every fact is established.

You have heard it said that God loves his friends but hates his enemies, but we say Father loves his enemies, does good to them, causes the sun to rise on them, and sends rain to them.  For God so loves the world (including Iran) that he gave his only son Jesus, that whosoever believed into him would not perish, but have everlasting life!  Because of Christ Jesus’ sacrifice, Father has conciliated the world to Himself, no longer counting their trespasses against them!  If you don’t believe us, click on the preceding link and see for yourself!  It is the kindness of God that leads men to repentance.

We respectfully suggest a new approach to foreign policy.  Instead of bombing them to smithereens, perhaps believers in America could pray for Iran’s blessing instead.  Perhaps it is time to petition Father to carry out the law of the double witness, fulfill the words of these two leaders quoted above, and grant repentance to Iran and, moreover, send them forth into the rest of the world proclaiming the name of Jesus.  Allah would be very pleased.

Rachem, Adonai, rachem!  Grant repentance to all who live in Iran, that they may seek for you, find you, and reconcile themselves to you through the blood of Jesus.  We say Amen to the words of King Darius, that your glory may go forth from Iran and other places and fill the whole earth.

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Pssst. Want To Know A Secret?

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August 14, 2011

As you read over what I have written to you, you’ll be able to see for yourselves into the mystery  (secret)  of Christ.   None of our ancestors understood this. Only in our time has it been made clear by God’s Spirit through his holy apostles and prophets of this new order. The mystery  (secret) is that people who have never heard of God and those who have heard of him all their lives (what I’ve been calling outsiders and insiders) stand on the same ground before God. They get the same offer, same help, same promises in Christ Jesus. The Message is accessible and welcoming to everyone, across the board.

 This is my life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message…When it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God’s way, I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. 

And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ. My task is to bring out in the open and make plain what God, who created all this in the first place, has been doing in secret and behind the scenes all along. Through followers of Jesus like yourselves gathered in churches, this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked about even among the angels!

All this is proceeding along lines planned all along by God and then executed in Christ Jesus.   Selected portions of Ephesians 3:4-13 The Message  (Author:  Paul the apostle)

         Go tell everyone you know, dear reader:  the same promises in Christ Jesus and the same help is there for the taking by everyone, and it is God’s plan that ultimately everyone WILL take it!  The irresistable love of Jesus (which was given to Him by Father as a part of Father’s own nature) will conquer everyone, everywhere–this is now and has always been Father’s secret plan since before the creation of the world.  His secret weapon to accomplish this:  your wonderful Lord Jesus, being revealed in spirit and truth in the overcomers.

          What once was a secret that has been concealed from humanity by Father for “eons” or ages, is now out in the open:  in spirit, the nations (meaning, all people everywhere–and we mean ALL PEOPLE–are going to be joint enjoyers and joint partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.  What “spirit”?  The spirit of the law of life (zoe) in Christ Jesus, of which we wrote earlier.  What “promise”?  That Jesus will, by the power of an indestructible, unending, holy, righteous, and perfect life (zoe) MAKE you, dear reader, just like Him!

          It doesn’t matter one iota whether you are a religious “insider”–meaning your particular religion or sect is (you think) “chosen” to be God’s holy ones or people–or whether you believe the church building will fall down the day you enter it as a religious “outsider”–meaning you think others might be saved, but because of x, y and/or z, (you can fill in the blanks here with the worst sins you have committed) there is just NO WAY you can be right with Father.  If you are in the latter group, do you want to know a “secret”?

***WE INTERRUPT THIS POST WITH AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT FROM OUR SPONSOR:  THIS ENTIRE WEBSITE IS DEDICATED TO THOSE OF YOU WHO FEEL YOU ARE RELIGIOUS “OUTSIDERS”.  THANK YOU.***

           The hints have been there, laying out in the open, for literally thousands of years.  But because it was a secret, awaiting the time of Father’s revealing through the appointed messengers sent out by Jesus, no one “got” it, simply stated.  Let’s take a look at some of them (all from the New American Standard Bible):

(YHWH speaking)…but indeed, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the LORD (YHWH).  Numbers 14:21

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, And all the families of the nations will worship before You.  Psalm 22:27

 All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And they shall glorify Your name.  Psalm 86:9

 (A)nd He Himself  (Jesus) is the propitiation (or satisfaction) for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.  1 John 2:2

Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For all the nations will come and worship before you, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.  Revelation 15:4

           Even now, today, some prefer to try to maintain the secret.  Usually, but not always, they are religious “insiders.”  The reasons for this are no longer important.  What is important, dear reader, is that you have found out that it is no longer secret.  See for yourselves, just as the beginning passage says–“turn” to the Lord, cease your running FROM Him and try running TO Him. 

          We did.  And you can, too.  Jesus is welcoming EVERYONE!  Why wait?  Join the “new order” today.

Blessed are You, O Lord our wonderful God.  You are the King of Forever!  You are so wise, Father–who can be placed beside You, to be compared to You?  You are AWESOME in praise, O Lord, doing wonders everywhere.  Your laughter and joy over everyone who turns to You will one day be completed when all have seen Your righteous acts.  Baruch ata!

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The Manufacture of Evildoers

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April 24, 2011

The eyes of the LORD  [YHWH] are toward the righteous and His ears are open to their cry.  The face of the LORD is against evildoers, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.  Psalm 34:15-16 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.  1 Peter 3:12 NASB

          King David is the author of the 34th Psalm; Peter quoted King David in his first letter to the dispersed Israelites and Jews to whom Peter ministered.  In neither case did the respective authors use the phrase “the face of the Lord is against evildoers”–instead, these verses remain as examples of blatant translator bias, at the very least.  Worst of all, such a translation is a terrible libel against the nature and character, not to mention the wonderful plan, of God and against Christ Jesus as a co-conspirator. 

          Specifically, the verb translated “is against” is used often (literally, thousands of times) in the Old Testament, and never anywhere else as “is against”.  The translators of the King James version of the Bible rendered it so in the Psalm, then repeated it when they came to Peter’s reiteration.  Regrettably, nearly every translation and paraphrase have parroted this mis-translation in a stunning display of slavish unity.  See for yourself at www.biblegateway.com. 

          The Hebrew verb in question is ‘asah (Strong’s Concordance H6213).  It means to do, produce, accomplish and make.  It can also mean to deal with and to put in order.  In Exodus 31:4, the word was used to mean to work in gold and silver, to fashion it.  And to produce by labor, an altar in Genesis 13:4, and idols in Deuteronomy 4:16.  And to create, as in heaven and earth in Genesis 1:7.  And finally, to produce something from oneself,  as in Job 15:17.  A visit to Thayer’s Lexicon on this topic would be most helpful:    http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H6213&t=KJV

          Does this mean that God has created evildoers?  Yes, and He created the evil that goes with them.  We know this instinctively, because God has created everything, and created it out of Himself; at the end, all things will be summed up in Him.  (Dear reader, we realize that this can boggle the mind, but understand that no one goes from the first floor to the second floor except step by step.)  And we know this by scripture:

I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD  [YHWH] do all these things.  Isaiah 45:7 King James Version (KJV)

Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD  [YHWH] hath not done it? Amos 3:6 KJV

          A bit more comparison, then we’ll be ready to see what meaning was actually intended by the authors.  Peter’s version was in Greek, so the word there used is epi, which simply means upon, as in “the eyes of the Lord are UPON”–same word.  The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, uses epi in place of ‘asah in the Psalm.  This means that Peter was trying to accurately quote the Psalm in Greek, and it helps us understand what the real meaning is.  So now we can, to use Peter’s words, say:  For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous,…but the face of the Lord is upon the evildoers.  So far, we have 1) God created them, and 2) His face is “on” them, whatever that means.

          Not far from our home is the Hewlitt Packard campus that used to be the world headquarters of Compaq Computers.  Some of the brothers used to work there and reported that a select group of engineers had the authority to go to the shipping department, where products were kept for immediate shipping to customers, and select at random finished products that were ready for shipping.  The selected products were taken to a laboratory where the engineers “injected fault” into the computers and try to make the computers fail.  The purpose for the injection of fault was not to “damn them to hell forever” merely for the sake of watching the product fail, but to produce a more durable and satisfactory computer, not only in the one tested but all others of its kind!  Don’t you think your Father in heaven is at least as wise as the engineers at Compaq Computers?

          The face of YHWH/Jesus is His full attention.  Evildoers are a work in progress, created out of Himself, who are being slowly and inexorably dealt with and put in order, fashioned into a precious metal although at first used in a disreputable way.  This use is viewed as unfair, if you are of the mindset that if one doesn’t “trust Jesus” he is doomed to hell forever; but if your view is of restoration, then you can see that God will restore all evildoers as the final product of the process which His face indicates.

          King David and Peter have announced the conciliation of God to man through the cross of YHWH/Jesus:  God is no longer angry with men, but intends a new covenant.  God has sworn by Himself, since there is no one higher:  Indeed, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the LORD [YHWH].  Numbers 14:21 NASB  Because of the harlotry of the Israelite people, God stated that He would indeed “hide His face”.  It was a dreadful prediction of the results of abandoning the true and living God in exchange for the false gods of the nations they were invading.

Now this people will proceed to go whoring after the gods of the foreigner of the land that they are entering in his midst, they will abandon me and violate my covenant that I have cut with them.  And my anger will flare up against them on that day.  I will abandon them and will conceal my face from them; (they) will be (ripe) for devouring, and there will befall them many and troubling ills.  And they will say on that day:  Was it not because God was not in my midst (that) there have befallen me these ills?  But I, I will conceal, yes, conceal my face on that day, because of all the ill that they have done, for they faced-about to other gods!  Deuteronomy 31:16-18 Schocken Bible

          Just as the concealment of God’s face was bad, so the focus of His face is benevolent and beneficial.  For God intends that the blessing which was commanded to be spoken over the children of Israel apply to all mankind:

The LORD bless you, and keep you; the LORD make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.  Numbers 6:24-26 NASB

          In Messiah Jesus this has now been fulfilled.  See with new eyes:  God’s goal is change the evildoers and erase even the memory of all evil from the earth.  It has always been the plan of God and the purpose of Messiah.  God has the power to pull it off.  He has “injected fault” into mankind, not to destroy it, but to redeem it and to cut off the memory of evil from creation forever.

Blessed are You, O Lord, our wonderfuld God, for You will go forth like a warrior, You will arouse your zeal like a man of war.  Give voice to Your shout, yes, raise a war cry against evil, and prevail against Your enemies–transform them by Your holy love.  Baruch ata.

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More On Enemies

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April 18, 2011

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy (echthros–Strong’s G2190), but I (Jesus) say unto you, Love your enemies (echthros), bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;…  Matthew 5:43-44 King James’ Version (KJV)

For if, when we were enemies (echthros), we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.  Romans 5:10 KJV

(For many walk, of whom I [Paul] have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies (echthros) of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)  Philippians 3:18-19 KJV

          The word translated “enemy” and “enemies” in the New Testament in most Bibles is echthros (Strong’s Concordance G2190).  It is a very common word in the New Testament and the above verses are only a small selection of its uses.  The word derives from the root verb echtho–to hate.  Literally, echthros  means those who hate, or who are hostile.

          Jesus said we are to love those who are hostile to us and do good to them.  God has set the example by conciliating us to Himself through the death of Jesus while we were haters of Him and hostile to Him.  And if those hostile to God are conciliated to Him through the death of Jesus, why is the “end” of some of them “destruction” and why is Paul weeping?

          The word “destruction” is apoleia (Strong’s Concordance G684), and in the active sense, means precisely that:  destruction.  However, in the passive sense, the word merely means waste, ruin, destructive thing or opinion.  In other words, NOT literal destruction.  Indeed, much of the Church does not think “destruction” in this case is literal.  Note this definition from Thayer’s Lexicon: http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G684&t=KJV

b. in particular, the destruction which consists in the loss of eternal life, eternal misery, perdition, the lot of those excluded from the kingdom of God.

           Dear reader, do you see the irreconcilable conflict in the second and third verses we have quoted?  Either you are an enemy/hater of God and you are reconciled to God by the death of Christ upon the cross, or you are an enemy/hater of God and your eternal destination is destruction (if the Church is correct, eternal damnation).  But it cannot be both!  Set aside, if you can, the obvious hypocrisy of God for commanding us through Jesus to LOVE our enemies, while He DESTROYS His enemies. 

          Some apologists have come to God’s rescue and stated the opinion that the “destruction” must be literal; so according to this point of view, if you die a hater of God, you are simply annihilated, without the eternal damnation part.  Somehow, we are not very comforted by this “rescue.”

          Part of the problem is the very word “end”.  In the Greek language, there are seven or eight Greek words for “end”.  The first word is telos (Strong’s Concordance G5056), which simply means a termination point, always referring to the end of an act or state but not of the end of a period of time.  See for yourself in Thayer’s Lexicon:  http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G5056&t=KJV.  Another word for end is synteleia (Strong’s Concordance G4930).  Synteleia means completion or consummation.  In other words, when the “end” in question is the “end” of life, the word to be used would be synteleia, because the sense of a completion or consummation is intended; when the “end” is of an act or state, the word to be used would properly be telos, meaning not the final end or complete end.   Here is the point:  In the phrase “whose end is destruction”, the Greek word for “end” is telos, NOT synteleia!

          What does that all mean, you ask?  It means that the Church got it wrong both times–the “end” referred to is not the consummation or completion of one’s life, and that one isn’t “destroyed” when the termination point of his or her hostility to the cross or to God finally arrives.  Sadly, most translations and paraphrases of the Bible don’t convey the true meaning of Paul’s words, except for The Message, which clearly shows the sense of ruin when life is wasted upon “earthly things.”  See if you agree:

There are many out there taking other paths, choosing other goals, and trying to get you to go along with them. I’ve warned you of them many times; sadly, I’m having to do it again. All they want is easy street. They hate Christ’s Cross. But easy street is a dead-end street. Those who live there make their bellies their gods; belches are their praise; all they can think of is their appetites.  Philippians 3:18-20, The Message Bible

          Here is the waste:  The death of Jesus upon the cross conciliated God to all men, including those who hate Him, who oppose Him, and who are hostile to Him.  But as far as God is concerned, the hostilities are over–He is no longer angry with men and now intends to love them and do good to them, even as He has instructed us.  That some men hate the very means by which this was accomplished is sad, wasteful, unnecessary and ruinous beyond words.  This is why Paul wept. 

Blessed are You, O Lord.  Our wonderful God, there is no one like you, whose lovingkindness and mercy endureth forever.  Let all who hate you and who hate the cross be overwhelmed by Your love and be ashamed.

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When God Scatters His Enemies

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April 4, 2011

Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered, and let those who hate Him flee before Him.  As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melts before the fire,  so let the wicked perish before God.  But let the righteous be glad; let them exult before God; yes, let them rejoice with gladness.  Psalm 68:1-3 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

          POP QUIZ.  Question:  To know God is to love Him–true or false?  Answer:  True.  Question:  Then, where does God get His enemies?  Answer:  He makes them Himself (He creates men who do NOT know Him), and thereby assumes all legal responsibility for them. 

          God must create all His enemies; otherwise, He would have none.  To make it fair, He didn’t tie His hands behind His back; instead, He nailed them apart on a cross!  And for good measure, He nailed down His feet also.  All this after being mercilessly beaten and nearly flayed alive.  Yes, dear reader, that made it more than fair!  So if God creates His own enemies (by not letting them know Him), how does He become legally responsible for them?  The answer is in the Law of the Blind Servant and the Law of the Open Pit.

If a man strikes the eye of his male or female slave, and destroys it, he shall let him go free on account of his eye.  And if he knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, he shall let him go free on account of his tooth.  Exodus 21:26 NASB

If a man opens a pit, or digs a pit and does not cover it over, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, the owner of the pit shall make restitution (or, “restoration”); he shall give money to its owner, and the dead animal shall become his.  Exodus 21:33-34 NASB

          If God afflicts a person with spiritual blindness, or creates a situation in the world where a person falls into temptation (a pit), and thus become an enemy, God will set such a person free AND make restitution.  Notice how in the Law of the Open Pit “the dead animal shall become His.”  This action is taken by God, first, because He is just, and second, because His great love, mercy, and compassion is the central ingredient of His law.  These several words, collectively, are a weak attempt to describe one Hebrew word that is the essence of God and the essence of Christlikeness:  chesed (Strong’s Conconrdance H2617)  This is the word that is used 26 times in a row in Psalm 136:  His mercy (chesed) endureth forever.

          But the Psalm opening this post doesn’t sound too loving, merciful, or compassionate.  It sounds like His enemies get scattered, driven away like smoke, melted like wax, and perish–all this to the sounds of the glad rejoicing and exultation of the “righteous”, right?   Most of today’s Church, thinking themselves to be the “righteous” referred to, believes that God’s justice requires Him to give them (the enemies) what they’ve got coming.  And to give the Church its due, it has done a pretty good job of convincing the others, the “enemies”, that what is coming for them is not good.  The truth is that the Church, like the religious leaders of old, is mistaken and does not understand the Scriptures and does not understand the power of God.  Matthew 22:29  NASB   It does not understand the Laws we have discussed above, and does not understand what God, in fact, has planned for His enemies.

          Dear reader, go and learn what this means:  I desire compassion (chesed).  Matthew 9:16, Hosea 6:6  Here’s a hint:  God gets what He desires!  Then, take a closer look at Psalm 68.

          The word “scattered” in verse 1 of Psalm 68 means to be dispersed, in reference to a flock or in reference to a people, as for example in the following verse:

They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”  Genesis 11:4 NASB

          The word also can mean to overflow as in a literal reference to a fountain, and metaphorically, to abound or overflow with prosperity.  Note its use in the following verse:

Again, proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD (YHWH) of hosts, “My cities will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.”  Zechariah 1:17 NASB

          In short, the word “scattered”, in the Hebrew tense in which it was used in Psalm 68:1 means to “disperse” and to “overflow with prosperity”.  So far, so good.  Let’s skip down to “perish”–what does this word actually mean?  In Hebrew, it is ‘abad (Strong’s Concordance H6).  According to Genesius’ Lexicon, the first meaning of ‘abad is “to be lost, to lose oneself, and to wander, especially used of lost and wandering sheep”!  (See our post: For One Missing Sheep).  The word can be used to mean “perish”, but usually when it is used in this sense it means a metaphorical loss, as in Jeremiah 25:35:  Flight will perish from the shepherds–in other words, the shepherds will not be able to run.  Notice, it does NOT mean death or destruction.  Without question, there is metaphorical loss of well-being before God for the “wicked”, but in no sense can one imply temporal death or destruction, not to mention eternal death or destruction.  Nevertheless, the point of view chosen by this particular translation of the Bible (NASB) is grim and dark because of pre-existing ideas about God that are mistaken.  Most translations, if not all, adopt this same view.

          We respectfully submit an entirely different point of view, one that does not view Father God as angry, vengeful, vindictive or destructive.  When King David, God’s anointed, said in Psalm 23 that He (God) prepared a table before him (David) “in the presence of my (David’s) enemies”, David meant that the enemies–now reconciled to God, and thus also to David–were invited to the feast also!  YHWH is the preparer of this table!

          As an alternate rendering, we offer the following:

Let God have the ascendency and disperse His enemies and overflow them with prosperity–under His personal supervision, let them who hate Him go quickly!  As smoke is driven by the wind, send them into all the world.  As wax complies with the fire, so let the wicked lose their independence before God, accomplishing His purposes for them.  And let the righteous be glad about this, and let them exult before the merciful God.  Yes, let them rejoice with gladness at His never-failing love!

          This is how God treats His enemies–exactly as He taught us to:  with love, mercy and never-failing compassion.  And so we come to the prophetic fulfillment of this psalm of King David.  There is coming a day, when all who are angry at Father will be put to shame by His righteousness and strength.  They will see the wisdom of His plan, and all–from the least to the greatest–will bow and praise Him.

Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.  I have sworn by Myself, the word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness and will not turn back, that to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.  They will say of Me, ‘Only in the LORD are righteousness and strength’.  Men will come to Him, and all who were angry at Him will be put to shame.  Isaiah 45:22-24 

          When this occurs, His “enemies” will disperse throughout the world with a message.  They will say:  I was an enemy of God, and angry at Him; but I was wrong and I see now that He is true and His ways are right–all men should know without a doubt, that the discipline of God is beneficial and for our benefit, and should turn to Him! 

           Those who have understood this plan of God, and have agreed with Him and trusted Him are already rejoicing, and it hasn’t even yet occurred.  This is my God and I will ever praise Him!

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, for you are the savior of all men, especially of believers.  There is none like you.

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Consider the Lilies

Filed Under: Restoration by admin — Comments Off on Consider the Lilies
February 13, 2011

          Tuesday was Ralph’s birthday; he would have been 57.  While reflecting on our time with him, the Lord Spirit said, “Consider the lilies.”

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.   But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you (today and “tomorrow”)?  You men of little faith!  Luke 12:26-28 New American Standard Bible (parenthetic remark added)

          Regrettably, the modern church associates being “thrown into the furnace” with judgment and hell-fire, but this interpretation completely misses the Lord’s point.  The worry of men is for little things that they cannot control, such as what they shall eat and what they shall wear “today”.  The Lord’s point is:  if you cannot control even these little things for “today”, why worry about them?  And “tomorrow”, meaning the hereafter, after this life is over–as it is for Ralph–our worry is equally pointless.  Nevertheless, on what does the modern church focus its “turn or burn” message?  The modern church says, “Heed our warnings, and do what we tell you, or you risk being thrown into the furnace!”   Once again, the modern church confuses Father God with Nebuchadnezzar, the ancient Babylonian emperor, who dictated that all bow down to his golden statue or be thrown into the fiery furnace.  Read the story for yourself in Daniel 3, and note who it is that actually dies.

          Recall the evangelistic encounters/confrontations/arguments which, while seeking to convert some lost soul, begin with the question:  Do you KNOW where you will spend eternity?  The well-meaning believers who use this approach would be much more successful in converting lost souls if they listened to Jesus, and taught as He taught.  If instead of sowing worry about “tomorrow”, they asked, “How much more will He clothe you, you men of little faith?” they would find men drawn to the irresistible love of God and His never-failing mercy!  The Lord’s question deals with the hereafter, “tomorrow”, after this life is over, and is the subject of this post.

          How much more will God clothe Ralph, and you, dear reader, when “tomorrow” comes to  you or vice versa?  And what exactly do lilies have to do with it?  First, how a lily grows is not by effort or hard work.  A lily does not create its beauty by itself, or to say it another way, God is responsible for how it grows and how it “looks”.  King Solomon, the richest king ever to walk the face of the earth, and presumably the best-dressed king ever, had to exert some effort to luxuriously clothe himself.  Not so with the lily–someone else (God) exerted the effort, and the lily is the recipient.

          The lily is a picture, a prophecy–in theology-talk, a type–of something to come.  Lilies were put on the earth for this sole purpose:  to reflect in a pleasing and beautiful way what God has in store for men.  It is God that makes men “white” by the blood of Jesus, not men themselves by their own efforts.  Lilies bloom around Easter, the time of the resurrection of Christ Jesus.  In our area, they grow out of the water, reflecting the newness of life after one’s missing the mark (hamartano) is washed away.  Coming to faith in Jesus is cleansing of a lifetime of wrongdoing, literally a new creation, clean and spotless.  And the aroma?  A single lily is quite aromatic, but try to imagine the smell and the sight of a whole field of lilies!

          Now, what about this furnace?  First, do you imagine that blooming lilies or green grass burn very well?  No.  So initially it should be noted that we are not talking about “today”, but instead afterwards when the lily and the grass have lost the clothing initially given to them by God.  At that point, the initial “clothing” is no longer needed and is disposed of–the same as a dead body.  How much more will God clothe men of little faith, men of great faith, men of some faith, men of no faith, men of right faith, and men of wrong faith?  Dear reader, DO NOT WORRY! God will, according to the word of Jesus, clothe them quite a bit more!

          We believe there will be at least two resurrections, meaning two occasions when previously deceased  persons are roused from whatever condition they are in after death to stand alive before God and before Jesus, our Lord.  (See Revelation 20:4-6)  On the second of these occasions, there will be discipline and correction (punishment, if you prefer, but punishment to correct and not to destroy) in accordance with perfect justice and superceding love.  What happens when the discipline is completed?   Here is where the clothing comes in!

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and  before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”  And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever.  Amen.”  Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?”  I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”  Revelation 7:9-14, New American Standard Bible

           Some will say, “Aha!  They washed their robes, so it’s not all God’s doing!”  We will not argue the point.  Instead, we note that the Greek word for “washed” in the passage above is used only this once in the New Testament.  It is “plyno”  (Strong’s Concordance G4150).  In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, plyno was consistently used in place of the Hebrew word “kavas” (Strong’s Concordance H3526).  Kavas is used frequently, so by looking at the Hebrew uses, we may better understand the single Greek use in Revelation 7:14.  Kavas (and plyno) always refer to washing an inanimate object–never oneself, like washing one’s hands, face, feet, or entire body. Kavas literally means to tread upon or trample upon with one’s feet as the means of washing.  The great multitude in the verses above are not washing themselves to become holy or acceptable to God; instead, they are treading upon their robes to symbolize their submission to the Lamb–Jesus Christ–who is seated at God’s right hand until all things are in subjection under His feet.  1 Corinthians 15:25, 27 and Ephesians 1:22.

          The main point is, the robes are given to the great multitude by God, to men who are in submission to the blood sacrifice of Jesus the Messiah upon the cross.  The robes cover a new body, one that does die or even age, an immortal and incorruptible body made from the dust of the earth–the Promised Land (in Hebrew, eretz–Strong’s Concordance H776).  When a person’s life is cleansed by trusting Jesus to do what He said (and says) He will do, that person will joyfully submit to Jesus.  That is precisely God’s goal in the restoration of all things:  the joyful cleansing and submission of all men to our wonderful Lord and Savior, Jesus, and clothing them with immortality.  Let it be so, Lord Jesus! 

Blessed are you, O Lord, our wonderful God, and blessed is the Lily of the Valley, Yeshua HaMashiach, the first to be clothed by you with eternity.  Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to you for all ages.  Amen.

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