Word of Righteousness

To find a prior email in the list below, you can search for its date or for word(s) in the text. On a phone, tap the button that looks like icon with 3 horizontal lines

, and in the resulting flyout box, tap “Find in page”, and type the search terms using the keyboard that will appear. On a computer, press Ctrl-F, and type the search terms in the search box which will appear at the top or bottom of the screen.

The Basic Story of Life, #13

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. (Hebrews 8:10-12)

There are three aspects of the new covenant: God placing the Divine law in our mind and writing it in our heart; our coming to know the Lord; and God forgetting our sins.

Mercy and the forgetting of our sins have been emphasized in evangelical teaching to the virtual exclusion of the first two aspects of the new covenant.

The thousand-year period and the new heaven and earth reign of Christ are the "times of restitution [restoration] of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." As we understand the Scriptures, during the thousand-year Kingdom Age there will take place a work of reconciling people to God — both God's own people and also the saved nations of the earth.

For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. (Isaiah 54:7,8)

And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:3)

In the closing days of the present age two images will come to fullness of stature in the earth. The fullness of the image of Christ will come forth in the victorious saints. The fullness of the image of Satan will come forth in those who resist the lordship of Christ whether or not those people confess faith in Christ. Remember, it was the leaders of Israel, of God's chosen nation, who were moved by satanic envy to murder the Lord Jesus.

These two images, Christ and Antichrist, will come into a final, climactic confrontation. Then the power of the almighty God in Christ shall flame forth from Christ and from His saints and overcome Antichrist. This is the Battle of Armageddon. The victory of Armageddon will usher in the thousand-year Kingdom Age, the Day of Atonement (Day of Reconciliation), the Year of Jubilee for earth's peoples. The Millennium, the thousand-year period, is an important time with major opportunities for the restoration of all things.

The Scriptures teach us that the wheat and the tares will grow side by side and come to maturity side by side. Then will come the time of harvest, the hour of judgment, the separating of the precious from the vile. The tares, the image of Satan, will be taken out of the Kingdom of God, gathered in bundles, and burned. But the wheat will shine forth in the righteousness of their Father's Kingdom.

The Basic Story of Life, #12

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. (Revelation 21:3)

We shall know the Day of Atonement has been completed and the feast of Tabernacles is here in kingdom-wide fulfillment when the loud voice proclaims from the new heaven: "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God."

We shall know the Day of Atonement (Day of Reconciliation) and the feast of Tabernacles (abiding) have been completed in us personally when the Father and the Son have come to us and have made Their eternal abode with us (John 14:23), and we are at perfect rest in them.

In the kingdom-wide fulfillment of the seven feasts of the Lord, the Day of Atonement is the thousand-year Kingdom Age (Millennium). The purpose of the Kingdom Age is first, to bring to perfection the Wife of the Lamb; second, to bring deliverance and justice to the nations of the earth.

The payment for our redemption was made two thousand years ago on the cross of Calvary. But there remains the original problem of disobedience. Mankind cannot return to the garden of Eden, cannot partake of the tree of life and live forever in the body, until the problem of disobedience has been solved. Christ, the obedient One, has been raised from the dead — the First of the Kingdom of God.

And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. (Revelation 14:1)

Finally the saved nations of the earth will be enabled to walk in obedience before the Lord God, making them eligible to partake of the tree of life that is in the midst of the Paradise of God.

Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. (Revelation 22:14)

One misunderstanding in Christian thinking is that man can be restored to Paradise on the basis of forgiveness alone. It is believed that God's mercy and grace through the Lord Jesus are a "ticket" by which man is allowed back into Paradise and is permitted to eat of the tree of life and live forever in the body.

However, such is not the case. God's mercy and grace have provided forgiveness for us through the atoning blood of Jesus. But forgiveness does not give us the authority to enter Paradise and eat of the tree of life. Rather, forgiveness enables us to come to God in prayer so through the Virtue that is in Jesus we may experience moral reconstruction. It is the reconstruction of our moral nature plus forgiveness that finally open the door to immortality in the body and to Paradise.

The Basic Story of Life, #11

Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD. (Leviticus 23:27)

Placed in between Trumpets (the coming to us of our King in judgment) and Tabernacles (our rest in Christ in God) is the solemn Day of Atonement (of Reconciliation).

The Day of Atonement, which is described in Leviticus, Chapter 16, speaks to us of reconciliation to God, of perfect marriage to Christ. Being the sixth in a series of seven observances (Leviticus, Chapter 23), the spiritual fulfillment of the Day of Atonement results in people in Christ's image and in union with Christ. The result of image and union is eternal fruitfulness and dominion. Image, union, fruitfulness, and dominion, these four aspects of man's inheritance, were proclaimed on the sixth day of creation (Genesis 1:26-28).

The Day of Atonement was the only time of the year during which the veil protecting the Most Holy Place was drawn aside. The High Priest of Israel entered the Most Holy Place and sprinkled blood on the Mercy Seat and in front of the Mercy Seat.

Jesus informed us, as recorded in the fourteenth chapter of John, that He was leaving in order to prepare a place for us in the Father's house. Christ made a place for us in the Father's house by sprinkling His own blood on and before the Mercy Seat in Heaven. This was the first step in reconciling man to God.

As we press forward in the Holy Spirit we are to be confessing our sins to God, obtaining forgiveness and cleansing, the washing of the blood, so the work of reconciliation may enter ever more deeply into our personality. Through the Spirit, the blood of the Lamb, and the Word of God, we drive out of ourselves the lusts of our flesh, worldly thinking, self-seeking, and all the other effects of the bondages Satan has placed on mankind.

Through the authority and power of the grace of God in Christ we are overcoming the damage that the enemy has done to our personalities. In addition, Christ is being formed in us as the ministries and gifts of the Spirit bring to us the Substance, Life, and abilities of the resurrected and ascended Christ.

As the enemy and his works are driven out of our life, and Christ is formed in us, the image of Christ can be seen in us with increasing clarity. The absence of sin and rebellion and the Presence of the moral Nature of Christ enable us to come into an ever more complete union with Christ in God. We are being reconciled to God as Christ provides the Way, teaches us the Truth concerning Himself, and fills us with His own Life.

The work of reconciliation to God, of perfect, total union with God, is the part of the program of restoration accomplished by the spiritual fulfillment of the Day of Atonement. All of God's redemptive efforts are moving us toward the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles, which is the dwelling of the Father and the Son through the Spirit in the spirit, soul, and body of the saint.

The Basic Story of Life, #10

And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. (Luke 13:32)

After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. (Hosea 6:2)

Throughout the Scriptures we find references to the "third day." The types teach that the work of restoration will be brought to completion during the "third day."

The "third day" corresponds to the third great annual gathering of the Israelites. The third gathering is the feast of Tabernacles, which includes the feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the feast of Tabernacles itself.

Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty: (Deuteronomy 16:16)

After we have been saved and have received the Holy Spirit we are to press onward toward the fullness of redemption. We are moving toward the spiritual fulfillment of the blowing of Trumpets, of the Day of Atonement, and finally of the feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus, Chapter 23). The spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles is the "rest" of God spoken of in the fourth chapter of the Book of Hebrews.

The spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles will complete the work of restoration in the Body of Christ. Finally the entire creation will be restored as God in Christ in the Body of Christ brings the Presence and will of Christ into every area of the heavens and the earth.

The feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:24) speaks to us of the coming of King Jesus to us to drive out His enemies in preparation for the entering of the Father and the Son into us in fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles. Each saint must experience spiritual deliverance at the hand of the Lord.

Spiritual warfare can be conducted only by people who themselves have been delivered. The land of promise is spiritual control of the material creation. Only spiritually cleansed saints are able to live in the Spirit and fight in the Spirit. They will wrest control of the creation from Satan as God enables them to do so. Believers who are walking in the flesh cannot wage spiritual warfare.

The feast of Tabernacles, as we have stated, portrays the "rest" of God. The rest of God is our inheritance, our goal in Christ. The fourteenth and seventeenth chapters of the Gospel of John tell us of that glorious Day when the Father and the Son take up their eternal dwelling in the overcomer — in the believer who actually keeps the Word of Christ.

When God and Christ through the Spirit are in perfect rest in us, and we in them, in spirit, soul, and body, the work of restoration has been completed in us as an individual.

The Basic Story of Life, #9

I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. (John 17:23)

We understand that the Lord Jesus will not appear in glory until He builds the Church to His own standard of image and union, bringing it into perfect rest in Himself and the Father.

We understand also that as soon as the Church has been built into oneness in Christ, and Christ comes and dwells in the Church, the world will know God the Father has sent Christ and that God loves the Church even as He loves Christ.

The more willing we are to do our part in the work of restoration the sooner we will bring back the King. The heavens must hold Christ until the times of restoration of all things.

Christ is coming to His saints today to cleanse them and to build them up in preparation for His coming with them and in them. The Kingdom of God that soon is to come to the earth is the Father in the Son in the saints ruling and bringing the Presence of God to the saved nations of the earth.

It is this coming revelation of God in Christ in and with the saints that will release the whole world from the bondage of sin and death. Then shall the peoples of the earth worship God and perform His will in the earth, in answer to the Lord's prayer.

And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen. (Psalms 72:19)

Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice Before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth. (Psalms 96:12,13)

This is the Good News of the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth. This is the original Gospel of Christ and His Apostles: "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!"

The Kingdom of God is the rule of Christ through the saints extended to all the creation.

The Lord Jesus must rule in our life today. Just because we have accepted Christ as our personal Savior does not mean we also have received Him as our personal Lord. It appears there is a multitude of people who have believed in Christ but who are not ready to serve Him and perform His will with a perfect heart.

The member of the Kingdom of God is that person in whom Christ is ruling. The Kingdom of God is the rule of Christ.

The Basic Story of Life, #8

Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Ephesians 4:8)

All true ministry is an expression in the earth of the resurrected and ascended Lord Jesus Christ. Each of us contributes to the Body the piece of the ascended Christ that has been given us by the Holy Spirit.

The goal of all of us who are working in the restoration is that the Body of Christ attain the fullness of spiritual maturity, and perfect union with our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus is God's Standard of perfection and completion. Each member of the Body of Christ has a place of perfection according to his own calling, his own destiny, his own place in the Body.

A perfect physical body must have perfect fingers, perfect toes, perfect lungs. If one member of our body is not perfect and complete our entire body is imperfect and incomplete. The body is as complete and perfect as the least complete and perfect member for the physical body is one whole.

So it is true that in order for Christ to be perfect and complete, each member of the Body of Christ must be perfect and complete. Christ is perfect and complete in Himself. But as soon as He adds us to Himself He adds imperfection, immaturity, to Himself. His motive in doing this is His Divine love. He wants to add us to Himself.

Therefore each of us is being brought to perfection and completeness according to our own calling in Christ. As Christ is being brought to completeness in us we are being joined eternally to Him so there is completeness and perfection in Christ — Head and Body. The Head is perfect. The Body is being made perfect by receiving grace from the Head.

All mountains of difficulty will become a plain when the restoration workers are trusting in the Spirit of God rather than in the wisdom and power of the flesh. As soon as the Temple of God (Christ — Head and Body) has been completed the Head will descend from Heaven on the mature Body.

Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. (Zechariah 4:7)

The work of restoration will not be accomplished by the abilities of the flesh but by the wisdom and power of the Spirit of God.

Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6)

The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you. (Zechariah 4:9)

When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory. (Psalms 102:16)

It is the good pleasure of the Father that the entire creation, the heavens and the earth, be filled with the Presence and will of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is through the Church, the Body of Christ, that the full stature of Christ will be attained. It is the members of the Body of Christ, the Wife of the Lamb, who will bear in themselves the Presence and will of Christ throughout the entire creation of God.

The Basic Story of Life, #7

And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. (Ephesians 3:19)

If God has promised something to you, never, never stop believing. Every one of the wonderful promises of God, no matter how fantastic, will come to pass in your life if you only will keep on believing. Remember Abraham!

The Body of Christ must be brought to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Then God will fill the Body with the fullness of the Spirit of God.

We desire the fullness of the Spirit. But God desires the maturity and unity of the Body. God is not anxious to bless our programs. God intends to bless what He has instituted.

Our task is neither to put the Body together nor to breathe the life of the flesh into that which God creates. Our task is to "speak to the Rock."

If we will prophesy of the restored Body of Christ as God has commanded, declaring what God tells us to declare, then God Himself will bring the bones together as they should be brought together. God Himself will breathe the breath of Life into the formed Body of Christ as He also breathed into Adam and into Christ's Apostles (John 20:22).

The elders of the Jews heeded the prophets Haggai and Zechariah and they built and prospered, and finished the Temple of God.

God wants you and me today to build the Body of Christ as He directs us through His Holy Spirit. God desires that we "build the temple," that we prosper in the things of the Kingdom, and that through His grace we complete the work according to God's standards. God's Word promises success to those who obey Him.

If we remain faithful there will come a time when our work, our part of the great task, is finished. Then we can go to Jesus with the glorious satisfaction of a job well done.

God has a special work for you to perform. If you will follow Christ diligently your work will be performed successfully. Then you can go to be with Jesus. Everyone who works in the restoration of the Body of Christ has the wonderful knowledge within him that he is privileged to perform a certain task in the Kingdom. When that task has been completed, and when he has been perfected to the Lord's satisfaction, he then can go to be with the Lord.

We cannot build the Body of Christ by the wisdom, strength, and talents of human beings.

The ascended Christ ministers His holy body and blood and His eternal resurrection Life to His Body through the ministries and gifts of the Spirit of God.

Christ is the only true Apostle, Prophet, Teacher, Pastor, Evangelist, Gift of healing, Knowledge, Discernment, and everything else. The Holy Spirit takes of the Substance, Life, and abilities of the ascended Christ and gives a piece of that Substance, Life, and ability to each member, without exception, of the Body of Christ.

When we serve the Body of Christ, building it with the ability the Holy Spirit gives us, then it is the Personality and Life of Christ, His body and blood, that is building His own Body. All wisdom and power flow down from the ascended Head. The Body is built from the ascended Head and grows to maturity in the Head.

The Basic Story of Life, #6

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)

The call today is for total discipleship. It is for cross-carrying obedience to Christ. If we are halfhearted, attempting to keep one foot in the world and one foot in the Kingdom of God, we are miserable.

The Divine work of restoration proceeds only from the cross. Christ brought to us access to eternal life by bearing His cross and by being crucified on the cross. Every saint who would minister the things of Christ must become crucified with Christ. The Life of Christ, the power of His resurrection, proceeds only from the fellowship of His sufferings.

If Christ would live we must die. Although it is painful we cheerfully, without complaining, are to accept our cross. We are to persevere in our cross, in our weakness, in our prison, in our death. The world is crucified to us and we to the world. The cross of Christ is our only glory, our only boasting.

In the work of restoration there is a time for kings to issue decrees; there is a time for prophets to prophesy; there is a time for administrators to build and govern. We are not obligated to perform all the work at once. Let us allow the Lord God of Heaven to build in His own way, using those persons whom He chooses.

One of the important lessons the Body of Christ will learn in the last days is to allow people to be what they are. The prophet is not to despise the administrator. The administrator is not to despise the prophet. We are not to despise people because they are not like us. We are not to attempt to create people in our own image. When our brother put his stone in the wall we are not to attempt to remove it.

We are not to resist even the governments of the world unless what they command us to do is contrary to God's will. Then we are to be ready to die without hesitation for the faith. But many times God will use the secular governments to accomplish His own ends, and we can profit from what God does if we will cease fretting about what we see happening.

Let us accept what God is doing throughout the earth and perform what we personally are called to do, without attempting to make everyone like us; without resisting what God is doing. Let us flow with God without, however, becoming passive and careless. We always are to pray without ceasing so the true burden of the Lord may be performed in the earth.

The work of restoration is of God and it includes bringing to maturity the Body of Christ. All the peoples of the earth will benefit when God perfects His Church except those persons who refuse the lordship of Christ. They will be denied the Kingdom.

Let us keep on prophesying concerning what God will do. We never, never are to cease having faith that God will restore all that is of value, all that truly is desirable. All that God has promised, God shall do. The glory shall come to pass in God's time and in God's way. This applies to the entire creation and also to each believer personally.

The Basic Story of Life, #5

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (Matthew 24:14)

Second, the Gospel of the Kingdom must be preached to every nation on earth for a witness. If the Lord Jesus were to return now He would have to destroy much of the population of the world, including a substantial part of the people who are called by His name. Neither the world nor the Church is ready for the return of Christ to the earth.

From the beginning the holy prophets have told us God is going to restore everything that mankind lost in the garden of Eden, with unbelievably great glory added to it.

All worth saving will be restored completely. The creation will be perfectly restored and brought into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. Everything of value that has been given to us by the Lord, including the image of God, union with God and with one another, universal fruitfulness, dominion over the works of God's hands — all will be restored.

Mankind and the remainder of the creation were redeemed legally on the cross of Calvary. The price of redemption has been paid. The remaining problem is that of disobedience on the part of God's creatures. The Kingdom of God is the solution to the problem of disobedience. That which was lost can be restored only as God's children learn obedience to Himself.

The Presence of God is in the process of being restored to the earth. The curse will be lifted and nature will be filled with life. All rebellion and sin will be destroyed completely out of both the heavens and the earth, resulting in the regaining of Paradise.

The destroyer and adversary, Satan, shall be crushed under the feet of the saints. All of God's creation that he has destroyed will be restored through the Lord Jesus. God shall make all things new in Christ.

We now are moving along in the time and opportunities of restoration. The work is of God. We are not working for God, we are working with God as God works in us.

God knows precisely what He is doing at every moment and in all places. Every creature to the smallest sparrow remains under His constant supervision. God is in control. His authority and power compel all nations to obey Him. Of course, God is not commanding or directing the abominations being practiced by demon-driven people. Nevertheless, God never yields control of the heavens or the earth.

Christ is Lord of Heaven and earth. Christ possesses all authority, all power, in Heaven and on the earth.

Only the Holy Spirit can reveal to us the particular times and opportunities of the present hour. Now the emphasis appears to be on building the Body of Christ and also on bringing the power and Word of the Kingdom of God to every human being on the earth.

The Basic Story of Life, #4

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you — even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. (Acts 3:19-21 — NIV)

The appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ on the earth was one such period of time. The return of the Lord Jesus from Heaven will be another opportunity for restoration and reviving. In between the two appearings of Christ there have been, and yet will be, particular aspects of restoration and opportunities for "whoever will" to avail himself or herself of desired attainments in the Lord.

Some people take advantage of the available opportunities while others do not. Some choose the good part, as did Mary, and listen to the Lord while He is available. Others, as Martha, are unable to understand and grasp the incredible opportunities that the God of Heaven unexpectedly presents to us.

No doubt there were many good housewives in Jerusalem and Capernaum who complained because of the dust stirred up as this Jesus of Nazareth and His followers kept going back and forth in front of their houses.

How must they have felt years later when they came to understand the Teacher from Nazareth was the Glory of Israel who dwelled between the golden wings of the cherubim in the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle!

What would you have done? Would you have complained about the dust? Or would you have cried out, My Lord and my God?

You would have done what you are doing today. For either you are complaining about the dust on your furniture, so to speak, or else your life is centered on the Lord Jesus regardless of the inconveniences that arise as you serve Him.

There always is a "present truth" (II Peter 1:12). There always is a glorious revelation of Christ available to the persistent seeker.

A wonderful part of the work of restoration is taking place today because we are close to the return of the Lord Jesus. Those who are forsaking all else in order to press into Christ are discovering the hour in which we are living is one of unprecedented glory. The Kingdom is ready for the possessing, and it will be given to whoever will choose to cooperate with the Lord.

All true revival comes down from the Presence of the Lord God of Heaven. Christ is coming to us as the "latter rain" as a prelude to His majestic flaming forth in the clouds of heaven.

The heavens will hold the Lord Jesus until the time comes for filling the entire earth with the Glory of God. We see from the Scriptures that portray the end of the present age, that the return of the Lord Jesus Christ will be the climax of several powerful Divine acts of reviving and restoring.

Much restoration remains to be accomplished before the Lord Jesus returns. First, and most important of all, the Body of Christ must be built up to fullness of stature in preparation for the coming down of the Head from Heaven.

The Basic Story of Life, #3

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Genesis 1:26,27)

In the beginning, man was given His Divine inheritance: the image of God; the capacity for union; fruitfulness; and dominion over the works of God's hands.

Man lost his inheritance through inexperience and rebellion, having been deceived by the devil.

God sent Christ that through Him man might be enabled to throw off the bondage of sin and death and regain his Divine inheritance.

Through the Lord Jesus Christ man regains his inheritance, now multiplied to a vast extent.

Thus the Scriptures are an account of restoration, of redemption (restoring to the original and rightful owners what had been removed from them by trickery, forfeiture, or force). This fact is emphasized in the following passage:

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution [restoration] of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3:19-21)

The Greek word used in "times of refreshing" signifies a definite, suitable season of opportunity.

The Greek word employed in "times of restitution of all things" is a different term, signifying time as we generally think of time — not opportunity but time itself.

The first word can be found in Hebrews 11:15: "they might have had opportunity to have returned."

Definite times in earth's history have been designated by the Lord for various aspects of the program of restoration. Also, God gives to us opportunities for refreshing.

The practical application of this distinction is as follows: there will come periods of time during which certain aspects of restoring mankind are to take place. During these periods of time there will be opportunities that were not as readily available in past eras and will not again be available once the season of opportunity has passed.

The feasts of the Lord are proclaimed "in their seasons" (Leviticus 23:4). We must step into the waters when they are troubled. We march when there is "the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees."

At any given time in history there is a part of the work of restoration that must be performed. Throughout this period there are opportunities for refreshing, for reviving, for claiming the lost inheritance. God's apostles and prophets of each age teach their own generation the present truth proceeding from the throne of the Father in Heaven.

The Basic Story of Life, #2

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive. (Jeremiah 29:13,14)

The examples of Scripture teach us that whatever is to be possessed eternally must be received twice: the first time as an unearned, unappreciated gift; the second time as a highly appreciated possession that has cost our whole life to be able to receive properly.

This is true of the Presence of God. The parents of the human race lost the most valuable treasure of all — the Presence of God. Now we, the children of Adam and Eve, must devote our lives to seeking the Lord's Presence, to obtaining what Adam and Eve had received so freely.

We thirst for God's Presence all the day long. God hides Himself from us, but when we seek Him with all our heart He is found of us. If we would possess God's abiding Presence we must devote our whole life to seeking Him.

Once we lose through neglect something of true value it may be exceedingly difficult (sometimes impossible) to recover it again. Every backslider who is attempting to regain the joy of salvation understands this fact.

Eternal life is the gift of God through Christ. But we are required to lay hold on eternal life and to sow to it, or else we may wake up one day to discover our spiritual life has been choked out by the weeds of the world. The process of recovering lost ground may be difficult indeed.

Satan, his angels, and Christ-rejecters will not finally be restored. Throughout eternity those who rebel against their Creator will remain bound in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. We understand this lake to be located somewhere in the interior of the earth. It is a sobering thought to realize these stubborn, rebellious spirits will still be present in the creation while the saints are beholding the Face of the Father.

One of the dominant features of the new Jerusalem is the tremendous wall that surrounds the city. This wall tells us that throughout eternity it will remain possible for spirits to sin. Therefore, God will allow the Lake of Fire and its inhabitants to remain as a frightful demonstration to angels and people of the consequences of acting and thinking independently of God.

There will be a defense surrounding the Glory of God. The wall that will protect the holy city against all sin and sinners is being constructed now in the personalities of the Lord's saints, in those who are overcoming sin and self-will through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Rebuilding the wall is an important part of the work of restoration (Nehemiah, Chapter Three).

The Basic Story of Life

And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. (Joel 2:25)

To have, to lose, and to regain is the fundamental design of life. It is the basic story of human beings on the earth. It is the story of redemption.

The concept of restoration is one of the most important ideas of the Scriptures. The restoration of the Temple of Solomon and the rebuilding of the wall of the city of Jerusalem are illustrations of what is to take place in the Body of Christ, which is the new Jerusalem, the Wife of the Lamb.

The program of the restoration of the Glory of God in the earth has continued to this day.

We are living in an hour when the spiritual pace is accelerating. No longer is there time for people to plan their own life in such a manner that some small portion of it is assigned to Christ. Such lukewarmness will be brought to judgment very soon. Christ will have our whole life or we will not be able to enter our inheritance in the Lord.

From now on it is necessary to move forward in faith one day at a time, and may God grant us the wisdom to redeem the fleeting hours. Great rewards are offered to those who will lay aside every other consideration and begin to seek Christ in earnest. God proposes to do a final work that will result in everlasting righteousness. Let us rise to the occasion and make every day profitable for Christ.

The Books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi have to do with the work of the rebuilding of the wall and the restoration of Jerusalem after the years of captivity in Babylon.

The pattern of the Book of Joel, the prophet mentioned by Peter at the birth of the Christian Church, is a pattern of restoration.

Ezekiel, a priest and prophet of the captivity, speaks of a restored Temple and restored blessings. Daniel, also of the captivity, describes his visions of final restoration, of the saints possessing the Kingdom of God. Many passages from the Prophets speak of restoration after judgment.

As we meditate on this central topic of the Scriptures we begin to realize the pattern of restoration is the pattern of the history of the world, and of every person of the world. It is the story of the prodigal son.

Misusing and despising the value of the inheritance, and the laws of the God who gave it, because of our inexperience and rebellion.

Repentance; the work of restoration, with God's help; a renewed appreciation of what has been lost, and finally an appreciation of the Lord Himself.

Receiving and eternally possessing our inheritance, now multiplied many times in glory.

This is the story of the prodigal son, of Samson (in part), of every saved human being.

This is the history of mankind on the earth, of the people of Israel, of the Christian Church.

The Gift of an Opportunity, #7

Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. (Revelation 22:14)

Residency in the new Jerusalem is not imputed to us, we must keep God's commandments. Nothing unclean can ever enter the holy city. We cannot enter by "grace," by ascribed righteousness. We must be holy in order to enter the holy city. Holiness cannot be imputed. Holiness is created in our personality by the Holy Spirit as He cleanses us by the body and blood of Christ and by the Word of God. We must become holy because our Lord is holy.

To serve God as a king and priest is the awesome eternal destiny to which each of the elect has been called. But in order to attain our predetermined destiny we are required to overcome the hurdles placed before us.

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people [people for God's own possession]; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; (I Peter 2:9,11)

To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. (Revelation 3:21)

It can be seen that we are not kings or priests of God by imputation. We are not "paper saints." Rather, we are to actually display the Glory of God's righteous and holy Person as the Holy Spirit works in us the Character and Spirit of Christ.

Coheirship with Christ is not just ascribed to us. We must share the suffering of Christ in order to be qualified.

And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. (Romans 8:17)

The idea that we are not required to make any effort, that Christ does it all, governs the thinking and actions of many Christians. But this viewpoint hardly is scriptural. It has robbed the Gospel of its authority and power. Instead of saints we have sinners who "legally" are acceptable to God. Instead of a new creation we have a "ticket" to Heaven. Instead of a glorious holy city we have a city occupied by sinning, self-willed people whom God regards as righteous.

It is being implied that Christ saves us in our sins, not from our sins. This means if we are fornicating God sees us practicing holiness. If we are cheating someone God sees us as upright and honorable. If we are drunken God sees us as self-controlled. If we are lying God hears only the truth from our mouth.

It is being assumed today that the Lord Jesus can only forgive us; that He does not possess enough power to deliver us or change us.

This concept is not at all true. God does not impute righteousness or sonship to us. In order to become a son of God we must conquer through Christ all of the powers and obstacles that God allows to challenge our ability to receive the inheritance assigned to man from the beginning.

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (Revelation 21:7)

God has given to us the opportunity to attain to resurrection life, to gain a change of character, to receive, power, glory, as well as eternal residence in the new Jerusalem, and an eternity of service and rulership in a new world. Best of all, we have the opportunity to become God's son.

What we do with this opportunity, this "piano," will determine our role in the Kingdom of God — the eternal Divine rule soon to come to the earth. (from The Gift of an Opportunity)

The Gift of an Opportunity, #6

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. (I Corinthians 12:7)

Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. (II Timothy 1:6)

And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 25:30)

Neither are the gifts of the Spirit imputed to us. They are given to us on an individual basis, and then we are responsible for the wise and diligent use of them.

The rewards of the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation, which are elements of the first resurrection from the dead, are not legally ascribed to us. Rather, they are given to us on the basis of overcoming the love of the world, the love of sin, and the love of self.

And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you [Christians] according to your works. (Revelation 2:23)

The second and third chapters of Revelation are unusually important because they announce the rewards to be given to those who seek and receive the grace of Christ to the extent they are able to conquer the world, sin, and self-will. It may be noticed that none of these rewards is based on belief or imputation. They are given because of our diligent application to the things of Christ.

Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. (Revelation 3:4)

If someone gives us a piano we are not required to work for him or her in order to earn the piano. The piano is a gift. But if we are to gain the benefit from the piano, pleasing the person who gave it to us, we must spend many years of disciplined effort and hundreds or even thousands of dollars for instruction. The gift of salvation cannot be earned. But in order to profit from it, to really "receive" it, we must give our whole life to gaining it.

The teaching today is that Christ not only gives us the piano but also imparts the ability to us to play it excellently without any practice or effort on our part. This is not scriptural.

Eternal residence in the new Jerusalem as a servant of Christ and of God is not ascribed to us. We qualify for citizenship on the basis of the kind of character we have. We must "do" what Christ commanded.

And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. (Revelation 21:27)

The Gift of an Opportunity, #5

True faith always recognizes that the Christian redemption is an opportunity for glory. Salvation never is handed to us apart from true faith, the faith that works through obedience to the written Word and to the personally revealed Word of God.

Salvation always is an opportunity, an access, an authority, an invitation to drink of Christ's Virtue. We must ask and continue asking. We must seek and continue seeking. We must knock and continue knocking.

In the Kingdom of God there are seasons of refreshing and restoration (Acts 3:19-21). It is up to us to act in faith while the waters are troubled, so to speak. If we do we will gain the glory of the Kingdom of God. If we do not the glory will pass us by. Our destiny is determined by how we respond to the Lord's invitation.

When we receive the Lord Jesus Christ, placing our faith and trust in Him for salvation, righteousness is ascribed to us by the Lord. Also, the door to eternal life and glory is opened to us. How much eternal life and glory we gain depends on the faith and diligence we apply to seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. (I Timothy 6:12)

For he [the believer] that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:8)

But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. (Romans 6:22)

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection [Greek, out-resurrection] of the dead. (Philippians 3:10,11)

And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (II Peter 1:5-8)

We must cooperate with the Holy Spirit until these virtues abound in us. Otherwise, we run the risk of being "barren and unfruitful" in the knowledge of Christ.

Eternal life, the resurrection from the dead, the fruit of the Spirit, which is the moral image of Christ (that to which we have been predestined — Romans 8:29), are all opportunities. Our inheritance in the Lord Jesus cannot be received without a consistent seeking of it.

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ. (Philippians 3:12)

The Gift of an Opportunity, #4

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

Paul is making one simple statement in the sixth chapter of the Book of Romans. He is saying that now that we have received Christ we have the authority and ability to choose to live righteously. If we choose to obey righteousness we will attain eternal life. But if we, having received Christ and been baptized in water, choose to obey unrighteousness, we will reap spiritual death.

Romans 6:23 often is used to support the "hundred dollar bill" concept of salvation. Actually, Romans 6:23 is the conclusion of an argument that completely refutes this concept. Romans 6:23 is testifying that if we Christians choose to yield our bodies as instruments of unrighteousness to sin we will reap the wages of sin. The believer who, after having received Christ, continues to serve unrighteousness, will die spiritually.

Romans 6:23 is not addressed to the non-Christian, although sin results in spiritual death whether or not the individual is a Christian. Rather, the purpose of Romans 6:23 is to balance the extreme emphasis that Paul in the earlier chapters of Romans had placed on receiving righteousness by belief in the Lord Jesus. The key to the understanding of Romans 6:23 is Romans 6:1,2.

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (Romans 6:1,2)

The Scriptures themselves acknowledge that Paul's doctrine is easy to misunderstand and that unlearned and unstable believers can distort Paul's writings to their own destruction. This is what has taken place in the churches of today.

Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things [the events which shall take place at the end of the thousand-year Kingdom Age], be diligent [the cooperation of man with God] that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation [God's patience with mankind, leading all of us to repentance]; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest [distort], as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. (II Peter 3:14-16)

Both Paul and Peter warned that the doctrine of imputation can be interpreted incorrectly. Paul's doctrine of ascribed righteousness can be distorted to mean that the Christian salvation is an undemanding gift and requires no action on our part in order to gain the values contained in it. The Apostle James found it necessary to warn the Lord's flock that true faith in Christ is expressed in action.

Notice James' response to the distorting of the doctrine of imputed righteousness: "But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" (James 2:20)

What would move James to raise such a question? It is obvious that some of the Christian teachers were overemphasizing Paul's doctrine of ascribed righteousness. The Holy Spirit in James pointed out the danger of depending on the type of faith that is not true scriptural faith at all but a mental grasp of the facts of theology.

The Gift of an Opportunity, #3

For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. (Romans 4:3-5)

The idea that salvation consists primarily of a righteousness legally ascribed to us is based on very few passages of Scripture. The above is a good example.

Paul's argument is founded on Genesis 15:6 where the Lord ascribed righteousness to Abraham because Abraham believed a stupendous promise concerning the number of his descendants. The concept of grace is supported also by the fact that the Lord called out Abraham from Ur of the Chaldees according to the counsel and foreknowledge of God, independently of righteous works on the part of Abraham.

Paul's reason for stressing ascribed righteousness, in the early chapters of the Book of Romans, is essential to a correct understanding of these passages. Paul was resisting the teachings of the Judaizers (Romans 7:1) who were insisting that the Christian converts keep the Law and ordinances of Moses.

Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. (Romans 4:4)

We Gentiles have interpreted "worketh" to mean lives righteously. But Paul was not contrasting faith and righteous behavior. Paul never would do that because righteous works are the life of faith. Faith apart from righteous behavior is dead.

Abraham was not under the Law of Moses. "Worketh" as applied to Abraham would mean some sort of religious effort that Abraham employed in order to earn God's favor. God did require righteous behavior of Abraham, and later in his life a supreme act of obedience in the offering of Isaac.

And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. (Genesis 17:1)

Paul in his writings distinguished between faith in Christ and adherence to the Law of Moses — an adherence operated by human will power rather than by union with Christ's Nature. The misconception that Paul was contrasting belief in Christ with godly behavior is responsible for the "hundred dollar bill" illustration of salvation.

If the New Testament writings consisted only of Romans, Chapters Two through Five, and if we were to interpret Paul's use of the term "worketh" to mean lives in righteousness, holiness, and obedience to God (instead of keeps the Law of Moses, attempting to gain righteousness by one's efforts ), a good case could be made for the belief that our salvation consists only of forgiveness and an imputed righteousness.

But Paul, understanding the subtlety of his own doctrine and the possibility that some would suggest "let us do evil that good may come" (Romans 3:8), immediately raises this issue: "What shall we say then? shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?" (Romans 6:1).

The sixth chapter of Romans reveals that the gift of salvation is the gift of an opportunity to gain everlasting life. It is not an undemanding gift.

The Gift of an Opportunity, #2

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: (John 11:25)

Christ is eternal Life. Eternal life is not eternal existence. All spirits have eternal existence. Rather, eternal life is the Life of Christ. In order to enjoy the Life of Christ we must seek the Lord every day with diligence and consistency. The gift Christ gives us is the gift of Himself. As we gain Him we gain eternal Life.

All the Glory of God Almighty is in Christ. As we are willing to press into Christ, to abide in Him each day through the Holy Spirit, we pass from fleshly, corrupt life to eternal, incorruptible life.

The salvation, the eternal life, the glory, the joy, the peace, the redemption in Christ are always an opportunity. God gives to us, through Christ, the authority, wisdom, and power to attain salvation, the Life of Christ, glory, joy, peace, sonship, the fullness of redemption. It is what we do with this opportunity that determines whether or not we actually gain glory, joy, and eternal life.

The Christian salvation is not an undemanding gift, it is a discipleship. Jesus does not say, "Here is life, take it." Rather, Jesus says, "I am life, follow me." Jesus is the "way" to eternal life. He is the "door." We enter through Him and then walk in the pressured, narrow way that leads to life.

The Apostles, as recorded in the Book of Acts, stressed repentance. In order to participate in the Christian salvation we are required to repent, to turn away from the world and become Jesus' disciple. It is the disciples who are called "Christians" (Acts 11:26).

There is a time to "believe only." Then there is a time to lay down our life for the Gospel's sake. Neither action is sufficient without the other.

Paul taught us the doctrine of "imputation" (ascribed righteousness) meaning God forgives us and regards us as being righteous, apart from the Law of Moses, when we place our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

God receives the sinner and washes away his sins when the individual places his faith in Christ and is baptized in water. Righteousness is ascribed to the sinner apart from his earning righteousness through the works of the Law of Moses.

What we have not understood, however, is that forgiveness and righteousness are all that is assigned so freely. By inferring from Paul's doctrine that every aspect of redemption is imputed we have destroyed the program of the Christian salvation.

By far, most of the benefits of our redemption are not just ascribed to us. Rather, they are developed in us when we act in cooperation with the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit as He imparts to us the things of Christ.

Righteousness is ascribed to us as long as we are walking in obedience to the Spirit of God. But eternal life is not ascribed to us. The fruit of the Spirit is not ascribed to us. The gifts of the Spirit are not ascribed to us. The rewards of the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation are not ascribed to us. Eternal residence in the holy city is not ascribed to us. To serve God as a king and a priest is not ascribed to us. To be a coheir with Christ is not ascribed to us.

The Gift of an Opportunity

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

The Christian salvation is the gift of an opportunity. Eternal life is the gift of an opportunity. There are gifts that require no action on our part. Then there are gifts such as a piano that, if we are to obtain the value contained in them, require a great deal of effort on our part. The salvation, the eternal life, the glory, the joy, the peace, the redemption in Christ are always an opportunity. It is what we do with this opportunity that determines whether or not we actually gain glory, joy, and eternal life.

God has given us the opportunity to attain resurrection life, to gain a change of character, power, glory, eternal residence in the new Jerusalem, and an eternity of service and rulership in a new world of righteousness. Best of all we have the opportunity to become God's son. How we respond to this opportunity, this "piano," will determine our role in the Kingdom of God — the eternal Divine rule soon to come to the earth.

It is important to understand this in order to enter the salvation that is in Christ.

The Apostle Paul taught that salvation is the "gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8 and other passages).

One can observe in Christian literature such advice as the following: If someone were to hand you a hundred dollar bill and say, "take it, it is a gift," you would do it. Why won't you accept the gift of eternal life?

The assumption is that the Divine gift of eternal life is like the gift of a hundred dollar bill. Some, in spite of New Testament writings to the contrary, go so far as to claim that once you receive this undemanding gift it can never be taken from you. It is your hundred dollar bill forever. You cannot lose it.

Not only is this unscriptural, it is not true even in numerous material circumstances.

A few verses of the New Testament, particularly from Paul's Epistles, would seem to support the concept of the gift of salvation as being an undemanding gift. The remainder of the New Testament writings establish beyond doubt that this is not so. One's Christian life is hindered when the assumption is made that salvation is an undemanding gift.

The gift of salvation, of eternal life, would be better compared with the gift of a piano than with the gift of a hundred dollar bill. Someone may give us a piano but he cannot give us the ability to play the piano. The piano will remain a silent piece of furniture until we are willing to spend the years of disciplined effort required to bring music from the mute wood and steel.

If we are given a piano we are given the gift of the opportunity to become a pianist. The gift of salvation, of eternal life, is the gift of an opportunity. God gives to us the opportunity through the Lord Jesus Christ to attain eternal life.

Ye Shall Receive Power, #32

And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. (Revelation 11:11)

The resurrection of the saints, of the prophets of all ages, will be the supreme witness to the world of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Mankind will behold the fullness of the Glory of God in Christ who then will be being revealed in His Body. This witness will cause some people to repent and be saved; others to curse God and to prepare to resist the coming of Christ from Heaven with His army.

In unhurried majesty and splendor the army of saints will leave the surface of the earth and ascend to meet the Commander in Chief in the air.

Michael issues orders to his army of warrior angels — enormous creatures of unsurpassed power and swiftness.

A great earthquake warns the peoples of the earth that the Day of Wrath is at hand. Some give glory to God; others are slain.

The seventh angel sounds announcing the advent of the long-awaited Kingdom of God. Soon the Lord's army will invade and occupy the whole earth and the thousand-year Kingdom Age will commence.

Let each of us be faithful in this, our hour of preparation and ministry. Let us present our bodies to God a living sacrifice, and pray for the rains of witnessing power in the time of the latter (harvest) rain. The time is now and the opportunities for service will be opened to us if we are seeking the Lord.

The Body of Christ is being prepared for the earth-wide testimony. The second Lampstand is being hammered into shape. As soon as the Lampstand, the Body of Christ, has met the Lord's standard (the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ), the double portion of unlimited and continual witnessing power and glory will be poured on the members of the Body of Christ.

The Temple of God will be completed, not by the wisdom and energy of the flesh but by the Spirit of the Lord.

When the worldwide testimony has been accomplished to God's satisfaction we shall be forced into hiding for a season. Some of the saints will be slain and go to be with Jesus. The hindrance to Antichrist will be removed from his path.

Then the Lord Jesus will return from Heaven, and all of God's conquering saints, His prophets, His witnesses, will be filled with the Spirit of life from God. These are God's kings and priests of the ages to come, the judges of men and angels.

It is God's witnesses, His prophets among men, who will participate in the first resurrection from the dead. They are "David's Tabernacle," the "mighty men" of Christ who have gone outside the camp with Him, bearing His reproach.

The remainder of the dead will not be resurrected until the thousand-year period has been concluded.

"Whoever will" may choose to be a witness of the Lord and participate in the first resurrection from among the dead. But in order to do so he must turn aside from every other interest and seek Christ with all his strength.

Participation in the first resurrection results from drawing on the grace of Christ until we overcome the world, Satan, the lusts of our flesh, and our self-will and self-love.

If you will keep on giving yourself to the Lord Jesus He will make you one of His eternal witnesses.

You can run and you can win through the grace of Christ. (from Ye Shall Receive Power)

Ye Shall Receive Power, #31

And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. (Micah 5:8)

The peoples of the earth are horrified, paralyzed with fear at the sight. The white raiment of the elect is so bright the onlookers are forced to shield their faces from the Glory of God. The saints have come forth from their graves from all over the world, just as they have testified all over the world.

Antichrist is frantic but there is nothing he can do. Soon he will gather together an army and attempt to prevent the Lord and His army from establishing the Kingdom of God on the earth.

The resurrection of the saints will be witnessed by everyone on the earth because the resurrection from the dead is a major part of the testimony of God.

There have been many distinguished religious leaders who have taught on the earth. Some of them have left a multitude of devoted followers who are adhering to the spiritual principles they presented.

Only one religious leader has been raised from the dead. This is God's method of showing who His true Witness is, who "Aaron's rod" is. Christ was declared to be the Son of God by the power of the Holy Spirit of God who raised Him from the dead.

It is the resurrection from the dead of the Lord Jesus Christ that is the testimony given by the power of the Spirit of God.

And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: (Romans 1:4)

Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection. (Acts 1:22)

And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. (Acts 3:15)

But God raised him from the dead: And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people. (Acts 13:30,31)

Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Acts 17:31)

The Holy Spirit empowers us today to bear witness of Christ's resurrection, the resurrection being the sign that God will judge the world in righteousness by the Man He has chosen.

One day soon the same Holy Spirit will raise each of God's elect from the dead. Then the world will know the Father has sent Christ and that the Father loves the saints as He loves His firstborn Son, Christ.

Ye Shall Receive Power, #30

When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:4)

We are not raised from the dead or transformed in order that we may escape tribulation. We are raised from the dead and transformed because we have attained the first resurrection and are ready to be revealed with Christ to the earth. Through Christ we have overcome the last enemy — physical death.

We shall ascend to meet Jesus at His return to earth. The purpose of our ascension is that we may be joined to the Head of the Body — the Lord Jesus Christ. The ascension of the saints will be witnessed by all the peoples of the earth, especially by Antichrist and his followers (Revelation 11:12). The resurrection and ascension of the saints will be the greatest witness ever presented to the peoples of the earth by the God of the earth.

In that day it will not be the saints who are afraid of Antichrist, it will be Antichrist and the wicked of the earth who will tremble exceedingly at what they are witnessing.

God's two witnesses had tormented those who chose to live in moral filth on God's earth. God's witnesses always torment those who live in moral filth and disobedience to God. God's witnesses always are eternal. Noah, Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, are witnessing today to the churches and to the world, through the Scriptures, of God's Person and will, as effectively (or more effectively!) as they did when they were alive on the earth.

In this sense, the witnesses, the anointed elect of God, His prophets, have tormented those who have lived on the earth, from the time of the righteous Abel.

As soon as Antichrist is permitted by the Lord to overcome the Christian testimony, driving the godly remnant out of the cities of the earth and snaring the newly saved believers with the love of material ease, the peoples of the earth will make merry and send gifts to one another (Revelation 11:10).

But when they behold the risen saints, glorious in their indestructible, incorruptible resurrection life, they will be terrified.

And after three days and an half [the end of Daniel's "seventieth week"] the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. (Revelation 11:11)

The whole army of God is now on its feet, a great multitude of righteous people from all ages — perhaps outnumbering the inhabitants of the earth at that time. They all have been God's prophets, God's witnesses. We see them portrayed in advance on the Mount of Transfiguration, the elect from both covenants, with the radiant Jesus in the center where He always belongs.

And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? (Joel 2:11)

When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble: when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops [speaking of the return of Christ with His army after they have been gathered to Him in the air]. (Habakkuk 3:16)

Ye Shall Receive Power, #29

To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: (Acts 1:3)

It was forty days after His resurrection that Christ ascended into the cloud in the sight of many witnesses, but certainly not for the purpose of escaping tribulation.

The standing of the elect on their feet on the earth is the first resurrection from the dead, the resurrection of God's kings, priests, and judges. They are His witnesses and have suffered at the hands of the religious leaders of the world. Now they are in authority and are the God- ordained judges of the people who persecuted them. Such is the perfect justice of almighty God.

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. (Ezekiel 37:10)

Notice that Elijah is a type of the two witnesses in that he was caught up to Heaven. But Elisha also is a type of the two witnesses in that he died of a sickness (typical of the overcoming of the saints by Antichrist) and then was responsible for the resurrection of a dead man. Elisha is a strong type of those who will bear the double portion of the anointing.

And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet. (II Kings 13:21)

Because the elect are resurrected and are indestructibly alive before they ascend into the air to meet the Lord, it can be seen that the contemporary doctrine of the "rapture to escape tribulation" is as illogical as it is unscriptural.

Why would the resurrected saints be required to be caught up to Heaven in order to escape tribulation when they already are indestructible? Most of them have just returned from Heaven, having been there for hundreds or thousands of years.

As soon as we are raised from the dead we are invincible, along with Abraham, Moses, James, and all the other saints. Do we truly believe people of this position in God, already having been in Heaven for thousands of years, must be "raptured" because of their fear of suffering under Antichrist?

Did Jesus ascend into the cloud in order to escape suffering at the hands of wicked people? The resurrected Christ could appear and disappear at will. After His resurrection He no longer was subject to the attacks of wicked, Satan-filled people.

In like manner, after our own resurrection we no longer will be subject to the attacks of wicked, Satan-filled people. There will be no need for us, after we have been raised from the dead, to be caught up into the air in order to escape tribulation.

Ye Shall Receive Power, #28

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (I Corinthians 15:52)

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (I Thessalonians 4:16,17)

At the same moment, in the twinkling of an eye, the bodies of the living saints will be made immortal, being clothed with the white robes of salvation. The transformation of the dead and living saints will take place before we are caught up to meet the Lord in the air.

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken [make alive] your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. (Romans 8:11)

For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. (II Corinthians 5:4)

This resurrection of the dead will take place before the ascension into the clouds.

Antichrist and the wicked of the earth now are faced with indestructible saints robed in the garments of redemption. Standing before these evil, unclean worldlings is Joel's army, Habakkuk's army, the elect of the Lord. Moses, Elijah, Abraham, David, Peter, Paul, John, are standing on the earth in resurrection bodies.

That which is perfect has arrived. Now there are no more partial ministries. The Lampstand of God is complete and burning with a flame so bright as to eclipse the sun.

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. (Isaiah 60:1)

The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. (Joel 3:16)

The elect, the army of the Lord, are on their feet on the earth. They are invincible, just as Christ was invincible as soon as He was raised from the dead, abiding on the earth in indestructible power and glory for forty days. After Christ had been resurrected, it was not necessary to God to catch Him up into the clouds in order for Him to escape being harmed by Caesar.

Ye Shall Receive Power, #27

And to the woman [the Church of Christ] were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time [three and one-half years], from the face of the serpent. (Revelation 12:14)

But in the wilderness areas of the world the elect will be enjoying the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles as the Lord reveals Himself to His saints, His brothers, and to the devout remnant of Israel. However, the peoples of the earth will be suffering from a famine of the Word of God.

Therefore will he [Christ] give them [the nation of Israel] up, until the time she which travaileth [the Church, the Woman] hath brought forth [Christ in the saints, in His brothers]: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. (Micah 5:3)

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery [the mystery of Christ giving up the nation of Israel for a season, and the mystery of Christ being brought forth through the travail of the Church], lest ye should be wise in your own conceits [which is precisely what has happened, the Gentiles now believing the Gospel of Christ is a device for bringing them into paradise in their sins]; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: (Romans 11:25,26)

In the unscriptural doctrine of the pre-tribulation rapture, the saved Gentiles, as soon as their number has been completed, are carried off to Heaven while the Jews are left to suffer from Satan and the Antichrist.

The truth is, when the full number of the Gentiles has been brought into the Kingdom, Christ working through those Gentiles will turn away ungodliness from Israel; first from a remnant, and then from the whole nation — fulfilling the type of Joseph, Asenath, and Jacob and his family. We believe the scriptural reality will far surpass in glory the traditions that men have invented.

Numerous devout Jews will leave Jerusalem, as we understand it, having been forced to flee from Antichrist's wrath. They will be joined with the Christian saints of Christ (who are both Jewish and Gentile by race) who have been driven from civilization into the wilderness areas.

This is a moment toward which Christ is looking with an anticipation far beyond our ability to imagine. It will be our great joy and privilege, as members of the Body of Christ, to share in the reconciliation of the Jews to Christ; to be able to say to Zion, "You are God's people."

Suddenly the Lord Jesus Christ will appear in the sky. He will be accompanied by the spirits of the righteous dead — God's elect. These are His witnesses of all time, of every age. At Christ's Word the Spirit of life from God will fill the dead bodies of the saints enabling their spirits, which have returned with Christ from Heaven, to reenter their bodies.

Ye Shall Receive Power, #26

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. (Job 1:6)

Fervent Christian people who adhere to the Scriptures must constantly keep in mind that Satan is in the midst when the sons of God gather together. The place of greatest spiritual opportunity often is the place of greatest spiritual danger. Antichrist is the imitation of Christ, not the obvious enemy of Christ.

Satan is bitterly envious of Christ and of Christ's coheirs. He covets the Divine inheritance. Therefore while he spends some time and effort drowning people in their demon-driven appetites, and killing the spiritual life of others by glutting them with material possessions, his chief interest is in the area of spiritual ambition.

Saul of Tarsus was serving God (he thought) with all his strength, but he was in competition with Christ.

Satan is active in every Christian personality until that Christian has been "slain" by the Spirit of the Lord. The most vicious persecution of God's anointed witnesses comes from "Jerusalem," from those who are seeking to advance themselves in the Kingdom of God.

In the days just before the Lord returns, the Christian churches will cooperate with Antichrist in silencing the anointed Divine testimony in the cities of the world. The blood of the true saints will continue to be on the hands of organized Christianity (Revelation 17:6). This will be revealed in the Day of Christ.

The memory of the latter-rain revival will fade quickly as humanistic thinking fills the minds of people. The rights of people, not the rights of God, will be the emphasis. An unprecedented period of prosperity promoted by Satan working in Antichrist will come into being under the guidance of the world leader.

Soon this talented individual will be emboldened to declare that he is God. The pleasure-loving "Christians" will not possess the spiritual, moral, or physical strength to resist Antichrist's claims, just as they cannot resist the evil governments that rule over their nations today. Some of the believers will "vex their righteous souls" as did Lot; but they will not choose to leave Sodom, Egypt, and Jerusalem.

Meanwhile the elect, those who bore the double portion of the Spirit during the great revival, will be hidden away in a prepared place. These are the ones who have not been destroyed by deception or by persecution. They will be covered and protected by the Glory of God. There they will await the coming of Christ. Those who flee from the rule of Antichrist will be protected and delivered by the saints who are strong in the Lord.

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. (Psalms 91:1)

Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. (Isaiah 26:20)

And a man [God's King and His princes] shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. (Isaiah 32:2)

Ye Shall Receive Power, #25

Unto whom [the Hebrew Prophets] it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. (I Peter 1:12)

Some of the pre-tribulation theorists, in their efforts to be consistent, regard the Christian Church as a special "mystery," a parenthesis as it were, in God's dealing with His own people, Israel.

Surely those who believe and teach this concept must realize the enormous consequences of their position. Surely it must be apparent to them that the writers of the Gospels and of the Epistles did not regard the Christian Gentiles as being separate from the Israel of God. Several New Testament passages reveal that the writers of the New Testament believed and taught that the Gentiles were being grafted on the family of Israel (Ephesians 2:11-22, for example).

Revelation, Chapter 11 shows that the powerful end-time witness will be silenced in the cities of the earth.

And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. (Revelation 11:8)

Notice that only one "street" is mentioned, the street of sin and disobedience to God. So it is true that only one "street" of the new Jerusalem is mentioned. That street is the way of faith (Revelation 21:21).

Three "cities" are indicated: Sodom, Egypt, and Jerusalem. These are the three spirits that war against the testimony of God and kill God's anointed.

Sodom represents the lust of the flesh. This is the animal nature of man. Fleshly lusts war against the soul and attempt to slay the spiritual life. Jezebel, the fornicator, always seeks to kill Elijah. Those who live after the flesh will die spiritually.

Egypt represents the lust of the eyes, the vain, proud attempts of the world to achieve security, pleasure, and achievement through the efforts of human talent. The fleshly "Egyptian" mind is the mind of the world. The fleshly mind always is the enemy of God and of God's prophets. Whoever will be the friend of the world is the enemy of God. The world hates Christ, the Anointed of God, because He testifies concerning the world that its works are evil.

The Sodomite drowns his personality in the lusts of the flesh. The "Egyptian" is covetous and pursues material splendor. The "Egyptian" tends to ignore the teachings of Christ, turning instead to the pursuit of money.

But it is Jerusalem that is the chief murderer of God's anointed testimony. Jerusalem represents religious pride and self-will. This is the nature of Satan, the source of envy, stubbornness, and other motives that will be cast into the Lake of Fire.

The harshest words spoken by Jesus during His ministry were directed toward the leaders of Israel. Christ accused the Jews of being the children of Satan, because of the wickedness they practiced. Christ emphasized their spiritual pride and the evil fruits being born of their religious pride and self-seeking.

In every century it has been the religious people, those who are zealous concerning the things of God, who have attacked the work of the Holy Spirit.

Ye Shall Receive Power, #24

And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. (Revelation 11:8)

Antichrist will become increasingly prominent. He will allow the Christian institutions to remain as "dead bodies in the street." But these churches and schools will consist of lukewarm, Laodicean "believers." They will have a form of godliness but will deny the Presence and power of the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit will be totally absent from their midst even though they name the name of Christ.

Antichrist will viciously persecute the true saints and will also attack the nation of Israel.

And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. (Daniel 11:33)

Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. (Daniel 12:10)

Our understanding of the Scriptures is that the devout of the Jewish people will experience persecution in the days ahead. We believe the Lord Jesus will work through and with the members of His Body in order to help the devout Jewish remnant and provide for their needs and their safety.

The reconciliation of the remnant of Jews with their Christ is portrayed in the fleeing of Israel to Egypt during the famine, at which time Joseph, the prepared deliverer, fed them and provided for them.

It may be recalled that by this time Joseph had married Asenath, an Egyptian, the daughter of Potipherah, a priest of Egypt.

Asenath is an important type of the Gentiles who have been grafted on Israel by being wedded to Christ. Asenath no longer was an Egyptian. She was an inseparable part of Joseph and shared with him his exceedingly great joy as he was recognized as the savior of his family.

Asenath was not an "Egyptian Jew" just as a Gentile who receives Christ is not a "Gentile Christian." Asenath was the mother of Ephraim and Manasseh, two tribes in Israel. Ephraim and Manasseh were not considered to be part Egyptian, part Jewish even though their grandfather was an Egyptian priest. Ephraim and Manasseh were as much Israel as Simeon and Levi and played a major role in the history of Israel.

Whenever a Gentile becomes part of Christ, he or she is not to be regarded as part Gentile, part Israel. Every member of God's elect is thoroughly and totally Israel and shares the Abrahamic inheritance with Christ. There is no such thing as a "Gentile Church."

Asenath was absorbed completely into Israel as an integral part of Israel. Joseph did not assign her a special destiny apart from the rest of the family of Israel.

The division of the elect into Gentiles and Jews, a division forced by attempts to provide a scriptural basis for the unscriptural "pre-tribulation rapture," destroys the integrity and consistency of the Messianic redemption, of the Kingdom of God. This unscriptural division causes the saved Gentiles to lose their inheritance in the Kingdom of God. It removes the Gentiles who receive Christ from the promises of the Hebrew Prophets.

Ye Shall Receive Power, #23

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (II Timothy 3:1-5)

In the days to come, human beings will be given the desire of their hearts. It will be possible to live in lust-filled revelry on this planet. People will "eat quail" until they are retching with satiation. Every desire of demons and humans will be realized.

This is the reign of Antichrist. It is an abomination, and the destruction of all that is worthwhile will result.

Antichrist will make war against the believers who have borne the testimony and will overcome them. How will he do this? He will overcome the believers as he does today by tempting and deceiving them. In some instances he will torture and kill them, driving them out of the civilized areas by violence. In so doing he will create for them a better resurrection.

Christ cannot be overcome and nothing that is born of Him can be overcome. All that is born of Christ overcomes the world, overcomes Antichrist. In order for Antichrist to overcome a believer in Christ he must deceive him, leading him away from the Lord by some means, leading him away from the Presence and power of Christ.

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. (I John 5:4)

We know whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. (I John 5:18)

Satan cannot harm us unless he can deceive us. If we abide in Christ we are safe.

During the second half of the "week" the Divine testimony will be driven out of the cities of the earth. The witness of the Kingdom of God in the centers of civilization will be "killed." Many of the saints will be overcome, some by deception, some by violence. There will be Christians who will serve as a source of deliverance and help for God's people until the Lord returns. These will never see death but will be changed from mortality to immortality, at the coming of the Lord, while they are still alive in the body.

And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. (Daniel 8:23,24)

. . . it shall be for a time, times, and an half [three and one-half years, the second half of the "week"]; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter [shatter, crush] the power of the holy people [the saints], all these things shall be finished. (Daniel 12:7)

Many times in the New Testament writings the Christians are referred to as saints (holy ones).

Ye Shall Receive Power, #22

No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. (II Timothy 2:4)

The Spirit is speaking today that the wealthy nations of the earth soon are to be judged because they have perverted God's way. Therefore the true saints are preparing themselves diligently for the trouble that is coming. We are separating ourselves from the world spirit, making sure (when possible) that our children are well versed in the Word of God, keeping ourselves from entanglement in the affairs of this life, and earnestly seeking the Lord.

There is something for us to do today. We are not waiting passively for the Lord to remove us from trouble because we know from the Scriptures and from church history that God's people always are accounted as "sheep for the slaughter" (Romans 8:36). We know also we can stand victoriously in the day of trouble provided we are dwelling "in the secret place of the Most High."

The Spirit is not speaking today of a "rapture." (Let the prophets judge!) He is speaking of judgment, of worldwide revival, and of the need for believers to confess their sins, to die to their self-will, and to set their house in order. What is the Spirit saying to you? As many as are led by the Spirit, they are the sons of God.

Other harmful "waters" being drunk by the Lord's sheep are the concept that the Christians of today will not be allowed to suffer; that Christian people should not fear God; that material gain is a sign of godliness; that "grace" is the Divine magic by means of which the crown of life will be placed on the head of the lukewarm, sinning "Christian."

These concepts are not harmless errors in belief. They have had a direct, destructive effect on the quality of Christian discipleship in our time. We have a generation of believers who are deluded concerning the ways of God in Christ. Yet it is this very generation that God desires to transform into faithful witnesses.

We think the anointed remnant, the "two witnesses," will possess authority and power sufficient to reveal that such doctrines are not waters of eternal life but are in fact "blood," that is, corrupt mortal life. They are the doctrines of men, not the counsel of the Lord.

The humble of the earth will behold the Glory of the Lord and hear His glorious end-time testimony with gladness of heart. There will be worship and rejoicing in the Lord. Many will come to Mount Zion, to the Christian saints, and be delivered (Joel 2:32).

The latter-rain revival will be glorious and unstoppable. The revival power and glory of all time will be combined to give one last earth-wide testimony of the Kingdom of God, just before Jesus returns.

However, God has declared that sin, as well as righteousness, will come to maturity in the earth before the end of the age. Therefore He will lift the glory for a short season (the second half of the "week") in order to perfect the harvest of the earth. Lawlessness will abound on every hand. All restraints on behavior will be cast aside by demon-filled humans. The love of the majority of people will grow cold. The saints will be driven into hiding.

Ye Shall Receive Power, #21

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. (Psalms 29:18)

Apathy is reigning because apathy is the psychological consequence of teaching the believers that the next step in their salvation is an external event over which they have no control. They are not pressing toward Paul's mark because they do not believe there is any mark, any clear goal of the Divine redemption. Knowing little of the Kingdom of God the believers are waiting to die so they can go to a "mansion in Heaven."

One of the main arguments that has been advanced in support of the "any-moment rapture" is that the Christians will keep themselves prepared for Christ's coming since He may come at any moment.

An idea must be tested by examining its results. The "any-moment" doctrine does not produce spiritually prepared saints. People are not able to hold themselves in readiness for a long period of time, unless they are mature saints who need no threat of this kind to frighten them into waiting for the Lord. Many churches that place heavy emphasis on the pre-tribulation rapture consist of worldly believers who are not praying or serving the Lord as they should.

God understands us very well. God knows we cannot effectively resist the pull of the world merely by waiting for an external event, particularly when we have been waiting patiently for this event for forty years and probably will die without seeing it come to pass.

The Kingdom of God does include waiting patiently for the Lord and keeping ourselves intensely prepared so we always are ready to do the Lord's will. But the Kingdom includes also many times and seasons of refreshing, and "present truth" into which the elect always are pressing. It is this pressing forward each day toward the mark that enables us to keep ourselves perfectly prepared for the Day of the Lord.

It may be helpful to realize the Kingdom of God is primarily an inner kingdom. The great works of redemption portrayed by the major types of the Scripture, such as the seven feasts of the Lord, all have to do primarily (but not exclusively) with what is happening within the believer. Ezekiel's Temple is a symbolic portrayal of the development of the Kingdom of God in the believer while the first chapter of Ezekiel describes Christ and the mature saint in Christ's image (The attainment of the fullness of Christ's image is for another age or ages but at some future point, no matter how far down the path of eternity, the sons of God will be in His image. The Scriptures cannot be broken!)

Satan makes every effort to keep Christians occupied with externals, such as the concept of being carried up to Heaven, living in Heaven for eternity, gaining things by faith, politics, and so forth. Satan knows that in our adamic, external nature we pose no threat to his kingdom. It is the forming of Christ in us that will bring Satan's kingdom to an end.

Ye Shall Receive Power, #20

If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26)

The remnant, the elect, are being judged today. Their personal cross is purging the self-love, self-centeredness, self-seeking from each of them.

There are many doctrines, many "waters" that in our day are being drunk by God's innocent sheep and lambs. Some of the waters are poisonous and produce spiritual death. Yet it is not readily apparent that this is what is happening.

One of these doctrines is the "escape by rapture from the tribulation." Because escape by a rapture is an unscriptural concept, an elaborate scheme of interpretation has been developed in order to create an apparent harmony with the multitude of passages that do not support this idea.

It is our point of view that one of the more harmful elements in the scheme that has been developed to give credence to the so-called "rapture" is the division of the Kingdom of God into a spiritual "Gentile church" and a natural "Jewish kingdom."

If an individual were to sit down and attempt to develop a way of making a reasonable interpretation of the Scriptures impossible, he could not find a better means than suggesting that the Body of Christ is a spiritual Gentile church while the physical nation of Israel is destined to inherit the Messianic Kingdom on the earth.

The most elementary knowledge of the nature of the Messianic Kingdom and redemption, beginning with Abraham, does away immediately with any division of the elect into a Jewish elect and a Gentile elect.

Warping the interpretation of certain Scripture passages in order to support the "pre-tribulation rapture of a Gentile elect" has removed the destiny of the so-called "Gentile elect" from the writings of the Hebrew prophets — a removal in direct conflict with Peter's statement:

Unto whom [the Hebrew prophets] it was revealed, that not unto themselves [physical Israel], but unto us [Christians whether Jewish or Gentile by natural birth] they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. (I Peter 1:12)

The result of the removal of the destiny of the saved Gentiles from the writings of the Prophets has been the erection of a wall between the Old Testament prophecies and the true Israel of God, the Christian Church, the Body of Christ, comprising people who are both Jewish and Gentile by physical birth. This wall effectively prevents the Christian people from understanding the nine objectives of the unifying and maturing of the Body of Christ because the wall causes them to apply the Old Testament prophecies only to physical Israel.

The lack of understanding of the Kingdom has harmed God's people. Today, in many instances, the Christians are not moving forward into the latter-rain revival but are sitting back helplessly, waiting for a "rapture." They may give verbal assent to the need to bear witness of the Kingdom to the world, but in actual fact, apathy is reigning over them.

Ye Shall Receive Power, #19

These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. (Revelation 11:6)

Because of the rebellion against the Lord God of the earth, the worldly rulers and peoples will be tormented. God's anointed witnesses will interfere with their pleasures and their self-seeking. But the wicked will not be able to stop the witness, neither will Antichrist be able to stop the witness, until God is satisfied that the testimony has been given to perfection.

The saints will bring plagues on the earth, praying in the Spirit until nature cooperates with the Gospel witness.

We are reminded of Moses, of Elijah, and particularly of Elisha and the two bears (two witnesses) that killed forty-two young men (forty-two months, the period of time set aside for the invincible latter-rain testimony — II Kings 2:24).

Since the Book of Revelation is mostly symbolic representations of spiritual realities, perhaps the plagues that accompany the prophecy of the two witnesses are symbolic of spiritual events and circumstances.

It may be true that shutting heaven "that it rain not in the days of their prophecy" has, in addition to the natural application, a spiritual significance. It may indicate that the anointed saints will possess the authority and power to bind and loose in the spirit realm such that the Glory of God will be manifest and will operate only as they direct. There will be no flowing of revival except in accordance with the will of Christ expressed through the saints.

There will be no more groups of believers called by the name of Christ but "eating their own bread and wearing their own apparel," as is true today (Isaiah 4:1). There will be no more "synagogues of Satan" made up of people who claim to be "Jews" (God's people — Revelation 3:9). In that day it will be manifest that there is but one Church, one Body, one Word of testimony concerning the Person and will of Almighty God.

What would happen to the Christian witness if God clothed the true saints with glory and also gave them the power to stop the flow of spiritual life to those who call themselves Christians but who are not? Can you think of any other act of God that would enhance the testimony of Christ more than this?

Anyone can call himself a Christian now. Perhaps this will not be the case in the days to come. The power to give the Holy Spirit may be restored to God's apostles. How would this assignment of authority and power to the true saints affect the Christian witness?

The greatest single hindrance to the Christian testimony today may be the multitude of sects that call themselves Christian but that practice and speak things that are not of Christ.

If God granted great authority and power to the leaders of the churches of today the result would be a huge denomination in which self-seeking men and women strove for position. But the members of the remnant will have been cleansed beforehand of the self-seeking that has divided the Church, the one Body of Christ, into a thousand denominations, destroying the witness of Christ.

Ye Shall Receive Power, #18

And thou shalt make a candlestick [lampstand] of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same. (Exodus 25:31)

Until we gain a vision of the great Divine Lampstand of God, who is Christ — Head and Body, we tend to place too much emphasis on the local churches. Placing too much emphasis on the local churches destroys the unity and maturity of the one Body of Christ, the second Lampstand that will bear the end-time witness of the soon coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth.

If we are not careful our local church becomes a kingdom separate from the Kingdom of God.

The Wife of the Lamb is not the local churches. The Wife of the Lamb is the Substance of the Divine Christ created in us by the manifestations of the Holy Spirit that are distributed among us. She is of Christ's Divine Nature (II Peter 1:3,4; Hebrews 2:11; John 1:13).

If a person were to see Christ ministering and hear Him speak he would believe one Person was ministering and speaking. But we know from what Jesus told us that in reality two People were ministering and speaking as One. The Father and the Son work as One; and yet it is "the testimony of two men" and therefore lawful.

It equally is true that whenever the Body of Christ serves in its corporate ministry as the Light of the world, the Temple of God, the Servant of the Lord, and in all the other aspects of its external, corporate ministry, it never is the Body alone that is functioning nor is it Christ alone who is working. It is Christ in and with His Body.

Therefore the Light of the world, the Temple of God, and the Servant of the Lord, compose "two men" just as the Father and the Son are "two men" (John 8:17).

The elect, the members of the Body of Christ, the remnant, the saints of God, will pass throughout the entire earth in the days preceding the coming of the Lord. We shall heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out devils, and bear witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and of the soon coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth.

If any person will attempt to stop or harm us the judgment of God will fall on him. He will be consumed by the Word of the Divine testimony, as happened to Ananias and Sapphira who lied to the Spirit of God.

The God of the whole earth has determined every tribe and village on the earth will see and hear His glorious testimony. God will not allow that determination to be frustrated by men or by Satan.

We can understand, from the world conditions of today that it will require the kind of fiery judgment portrayed in Revelation, Chapter 11 if we are to gain access to every person. Many governments of our time are determined the Word of God will not have free course among their citizens.

Ye Shall Receive Power, #17

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. (Matthew 5:14)

Previously we mentioned nine aspects of the external, corporate ministry of the Body of Christ. The first of these corporate ministries is that of being the light of the world, including the bearing of the latter-rain witness of the last days.

Christ Himself is the perfect fulfillment of each of the nine aspects except, of course, the aspect termed "the Bride of the Lamb." Christ is not His own bride. The Body of Christ is the Bride of the Lamb. Yet it is the Divine Substance of Christ that forms the Body in us. Eve was formed from Adam's substance. Adam was joined to that which originally had been part of himself.

The Body of Christ, when it has been brought to the fullness of the stature of Christ, will be the perfect fulfillment of each of the nine aspects. Then there will be two Lampstands, two Lights of the world — Christ and His Bride.

Seven lampstands are set forth in the first chapter of the Book of Revelation. These seven are the assemblings that bear the name of Christ. But they are only the one Church in different conditions and perhaps in different ages. There is but one second Lampstand — the one Church, the Body of Christ.

Christ and His Body are two witnesses, and yet they are one witness because the Witness is Christ in His Body. The Lord works with His Body but also dwells in His Body.

The Father and Christ are two witnesses, and yet They are one witness because the Witness is the Father in the Son. The Father works with the Son but also abides in the Son.

And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me. (John 8:16-18)

We know God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself. Christ never was alone, except for the moment when the wrath of God fell on the sin that Christ had become for us. The Father and the Son, the two Men, are the Light who entered our sin-darkened world and accomplished a perfect redemption for us.

Whenever the Church serves as the Lampstand of God, the Light of the world, it is Christ in the Church who is the Light of the world.

It is nothing the Church does that is the light of the world. It is Christ, and God in Him, who is the Light of the world.

There is no wood, no humanity in the Lampstand. The Lampstand was hammered from solid gold, from that which typifies Divinity. The Lampstand, the Body of Christ, is Divine even though it is created in the personalities of imperfect people.

Ye Shall Receive Power, #16

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

Will Elijah and Elisha be reincarnated or descend from Heaven and then preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God before the Lord returns? Of course not. To bear witness of the coming of the Kingdom of God is the responsibility of the saints of Christ, of no one else.

The double portion of the anointing of the Spirit will be given to God's second Lampstand, the Body of Christ, as soon as the Body of Christ has been built up in the Head. The Head is the first Lampstand, the Lampstand of Zechariah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: (Malachi 4:5)

In a spiritual sense, John was Elijah. Yet, John was John, not Elijah. Elijah was not reincarnated in John nor did Elijah come down from Heaven to prepare the way before Christ.

But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. (Matthew 17:12)

We look at people and circumstances from the earthly point of view. God looks at people and circumstances from the spiritual point of view. The Book of Revelation is God's point of view. How we view people and circumstances often is quite different from that set forth in the Book of Revelation. The human mind cannot interpret the Book of Revelation.

The end-time witnesses will not be Elijah and Elisha even though they probably are the strongest scriptural types of the two witnesses. Rather, it is true that the same Power that rested on Elijah and Elisha will abide on the Lord's remnant.

In order to announce the return to earth of His chosen King, who is the Lord Jesus Christ, the God of the earth will pour out the fullness of His Spirit on His elect, so signs and wonders of unparalleled glory and power will be revealed in support of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. The God of the whole earth never shall give His earth to Antichrist or to Antichrist's worshipers.

The Lord Jesus will anoint us and work with us, confirming the Word of the Divine testimony with signs following (Mark 16:20).

The two end-time witnesses are the two olive trees. They are the double portion of the Spirit of God, the latter rain, the source of continual anointing so the testimony of Christ may cover the earth in a short period of time.

What of the two lampstands? As we understand the symbolism, the two lampstands of Revelation, Chapter 11 are Christ, the one Lampstand; and the Body of Christ, the second Lampstand. These two are one; yet they are two.

Ye Shall Receive Power, #15

These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. (Revelation 14:4)

The two wave loaves are "the firstfruits to the Lord." So it is true that it will be Christ's "firstfruits," His remnant, who will bear the double portion of Pentecost and who will testify in the days preceding Christ's return from Heaven.

The "double Pentecost" that will fall on the earth just before the Lord returns can be seen in the symbolism of the Tabernacle of the Congregation. The two sections of the linen curtains were joined together by fifty gold "taches" (clasps) (Exodus 26:6). The two sections of the goats' hair curtain were joined together by fifty bronze clasps (Exodus 26:11). These two sets of fifty clasps were located directly over the Veil that separated the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place.

The Holy Place represents the present age. The Most Holy Place represents the coming of the Lord and the thousand-year Kingdom age.

We see, therefore, that at the point where the Church age passes into the Kingdom age, where the Holy Place became the Most Holy Place, there were placed fifty gold clasps and fifty bronze clasps. The two sets of fifty speak of a double Pentecost, of the "Elisha" anointing. The fifty gold reveals that the end-time Pentecostal witness will be the Glory of God Himself, as is shown also by the golden lampstands. The fifty bronze signifies the end-time Pentecostal witness will be a work of judgment, as we can observe in the destructive works performed by the two witnesses.

The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit who abides in His Fullness in and with Christ, expressed Himself in several pairs of Old Testament witnesses: Moses and Aaron, Joshua and Caleb, Joshua and Zerubbabel, and so forth.

The Spirit of Christ spoke in all the prophets of the Old Testament (I Peter 1:11).

There were two prophets who specially are typical of the end-time, latter-rain witness. They are Elijah and Elisha. Much that was true of them and their circumstances and victories will be true of the circumstances and victories of the saints of the last days.

The lives and ministries of Elijah and Elisha are strong types of the double portion of the anointing that will come upon the saints so they may complete the work of the testimony, not by human ability but by the Spirit of the Lord.

The two olive trees and the two lampstands stand "before the God of the earth" (Revelation 11:4); "by the Lord of the whole earth" (Zechariah 4:14).

Both Elijah and Elisha spoke of standing before the Lord. No other prophet of the Bible described his position in just this manner.

And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. (I Kings 17:1)

And Elisha said, As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee. (II Kings 3:14)

Ye Shall Receive Power, #14

And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof: (Zechariah 4:2)

These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. (Revelation 11:4)

Zechariah speaks of one lampstand and two olive trees. But Revelation 11:4 mentions two lampstands and two olive trees. Why?

The explanation may be this: at the time of Zechariah, the Body of Christ, which is the second lampstand, had not been formed. There was only the one Lampstand — the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ means "the One anointed with oil."

Now we have the exalted Head, Christ, but also the Body of Christ, the Body of the One anointed with oil. There now are two lampstands, although the two are one, as we shall discuss later.

Who or what are the two olive trees? The two olive trees are the source of continual oil for the Lampstand (unlike the Lampstand of the Tabernacle of the Congregation which had to be refilled every twenty-four hours).

Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth. (Zechariah 4:14)

Elijah and Elisha appear to be the strongest representatives of the "two anointed ones." Each of them employed the expression "as the Lord liveth before whom I stand." No other person in the Bible used that expression.

We could not see Elijah when John the Baptist appeared, yet the spirit of Elijah rested on John. We will not see Elisha, the prophet of the double portion, when Christ and His Body minister. But the double portion will rest on them. More about these two later.

The number two represents a lawful witness. Under Old Testament law, two or more witnesses are required if the testimony is to be established in court.

Also, "two" symbolizes power. The Spirit's anointing of the prophets of all ages provides the power for their testimony of the Person and Word of God.

Two large loaves made from wheat flour were waved during the celebration of the feast of Pentecost. These two loaves mark the completion of the wheat harvest, indicating that the greatest Pentecost of all will come at the end of the age.

Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves [the two witnesses] of two tenth deals; they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the Lord. (Leviticus 23:17)

The two olive trees are the double portion of Pentecost, the power to bear witness of the God of the earth. They are the "greater works," the powerful Pentecostal revival of the last days, the latter (harvest) rain.

The same Pentecostal power that rested on Joel abode on Peter. Therefore Peter cried, "This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel."

This same Pentecostal power, now in unlimited fullness, will rest on the end-time remnant enabling them to bear witness to the whole earth of the soon coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the meaning of the two olive trees. One olive tree for the former rain. Two olive trees for the latter rain (Joel 2:23).

Ye Shall Receive Power, #13

And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep. And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, And behold a candlestick [lampstand] all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof: And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof. So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord? Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 4:1-6)

The two olive trees, and one of the lampstands of Revelation 11:4, are described in the fourth chapter of the Book of Zechariah.

Revelation 11:4, in conjunction with the preceding passage from Zechariah, signifies that just before Jesus returns, the true saints will be forced to abandon human efforts to save the world. We shall allow the Holy Spirit to use us as He will. He indeed shall use us. The Spirit is waiting for us to discover only He can perform the work of the Kingdom of God.

The significance of the olive trees and the lampstands is that only the Spirit of God is able to build the Temple of God.

Notice (in Zechariah, Chapter Four) that there are two olive trees but only one lampstand.

The prophecies of Zechariah had directly to do with the return of the Jews from Babylon to Jerusalem to rebuild that which had been torn down by Nebuchadnezzar, particularly the Temple of Solomon. The efforts to restore Jerusalem are described in the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah.

In addition to its application to the restoration of physical Jerusalem in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, the Book of Zechariah is strongly symbolic concerning Christ and His Kingdom.

We believe verses six through nine of Chapter Four of Zechariah have to do with the coming of the Lord and the completion of the Temple of God; with the accomplishment of the mystery of God, which is Christ in us:

Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone [Christ] thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation [Christ — the Foundation of the Temple of God] of this house; his hands shall also finish it [complete the mystery of God, which is Christ in us, the hope of glory]; and thou shalt know the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you. (Zechariah 4:6-9)

But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. (Revelation 10:7)

Ye Shall Receive Power, #12

Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: (Ephesians 2:2)

Satan has convinced the churches that he is the God of the earth; but he is not. He is the God of the spirit of this age, of the world system. He is the spirit that directs the children of disobedience.

Our God is the God of the whole earth, praise His holy Name. He has given all the earth and its peoples to Christ and to whomever Christ desires to share them with.

God is preparing a Deliverer who will destroy the evil angels. The Deliverer is Christ — Head and Body.

Before the God of the earth utilizes Christ to deliver the earth from corruption, He will use His Christ (the Head working with and in the Body) as a final witness who will testify with powerful signs and wonders to all the peoples of the earth of the coming rule of God over the nations.

The two olive trees represent the double portion of the anointing of the Spirit of God, the Spirit of the prophets of all time, of every age. Of particular significance here is the Spirit who abode on Elijah and Elisha. The lives and ministries of Elijah and Elisha are symbolic of the two witnesses of Revelation, Chapter 11. Christ gave the former rain "moderately" under the old covenant (Joel 2:23). The rain increased in power at the time of the Book of Acts. But just before Jesus returns, the full flowing of "oil" will cause the Lampstands to burn with great brightness giving an earth-wide witness of the resurrection of Christ. There will be a continual, unlimited anointing on Christ's witnesses in the last days.

The two lampstands represent Christ and His Body, as we understand the symbolism. Only Christ and His Body are the Lampstands of God. They are the only "lights" of the world. No prophet ever was referred to as "the light of the world."

Indeed, the prophets were lights shining in dark places as the Spirit of Christ spoke through them. But no saint of the Old Testament ever was termed "the light of the world." However, the Scriptures refer to Jesus as "the light of the world" and to the saints as "the light of the world." Only the Lord Jesus Christ is the Lampstand of God, the Light of the world; and His Body is being built up in Him and fashioned in His image.

John was not "that light," but was sent to bear witness of "that light." "That light" is in us, in the members of the Body of Christ.

Ye Shall Receive Power, #11

And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven [not toward the spirit Paradise but toward the sky] as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven [that is, into the sky]. (Acts 1:9-11)

But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on. (Revelation 11:11,12)

As we understand it, the resurrection and ascension of the "two witnesses" (Revelation 11:11,12) is the first resurrection from the dead, and the ascension of the saints (witnesses) of all ages to meet Jesus at His return in the clouds of the heaven. We shall rise to meet the Lord "in the air," not in the spirit Paradise. This is an event in the physical realm for which our spiritual training is preparing us.

The world is in darkness today. But God has promised an end-time revival that will be greater in authority, power, and glory than any revival of the past. Truly, Christ has kept the good wine until now.

In the present hour we are ministering to one another, building the "Lampstand," the Body of Christ. One day soon the double portion of oil will be added to the Lampstand. We shall go forth during a period of great confusion and disturbance in the world to preach the soon coming of the Lord Jesus.

These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks [lampstands] standing before the God of the earth. (Revelation 11:4)

It is because the purpose of this revival is to announce to the peoples of the earth that the Kingdom of God is coming to the earth.

The earth is the Lord's. For hundreds of years the Christian churches have announced that the purpose of redemption is to bring the saved to live in Heaven for eternity. This is neither scriptural nor reasonable.

Heaven is for the angels. The earth is for mankind. God created both Heaven and the earth and He knows the end from the beginning.

Some of the angels left Heaven, their original place of responsibility, and invaded the earth. God has ordained they will be judged by people — the people whom they have caused anguish and terror. Such is the justice of God Almighty.

Today mankind is being seduced by the cunning, lusts, violence, and rebellion of fallen angels. Even the Lord's people find it very difficult to control themselves in such a demonic environment. They trust that the Lord will remove them from the earth so they can find peace in the spirit realm, in Paradise.

Ye Shall Receive Power, #10

And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. (Revelation 11:1)

Those who are worshiping God at the Altar of Incense are the saints who have pressed past the Lampstand, which typifies Pentecost, and have arrived at the Altar of Incense. The Altar of Incense is the place in Christ where we praise God fervently in every situation; where our life, into which Christ has been pounded as in a mortar, is being poured out in holy worship and service to God.

The Altar of Incense stood in front of the Ark of the Covenant. The holy Veil separated the two pieces of furniture. The Ark of the Covenant represents "that which is perfect," that is, the coming of Christ to us in His fullness. In that hour we will know as we are known because Christ and the Father will be making Their abode with us (John 14:23). There will be no more need for the partial, fragmented manifestations of the Holy Spirit.

We think the saints have been undergoing the judgment of God, the Divine measurement of their lives, over the past thirty years, and that the judgment is continuing as the "Lampstand" (the Body of Christ) is being perfected (Revelation 11:4; Luke 13:32).

We must not lose the vision or become discouraged. God has promised to us the "greater works" — the going forth of the Gospel in the fullness of power to every human being on the earth. An "open door" has been set before us. Let us press in to the full realization of all God has promised.

As soon as God has cleansed us of what is unacceptable to Himself, and has totally reconciled us to Himself, He will pour out on us the double portion of power and glory so we can bear witness of the atoning death, triumphant resurrection, keeping power, and soon coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. (Revelation 11:3)

Here is the worldwide corporate ministry of the Body of Christ during the first half of Daniel's seventieth week, as we understand it. The "sackcloth" typifies the repentance that must be proclaimed during the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, and also the humility, the lack of religious finery and pomp, that will characterize the saints who bear the latter-rain testimony.

Just before Jesus returns the saints will go forth, two by two in some instances, as in the days when Jesus was on earth. The Lord's witnesses will go to every nation, every city, every village under the heaven. They will heal the sick, cast out devils, raise the dead, and preach the Gospel message: "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!"

The witnesses will preach with great power throughout the first half of the "week." Then God will allow the testimony to be silenced. But at the end of the week the saints, God's witnesses of all ages, will be raised from the dead and will "ascend up to heaven in a cloud." It is our point of view that this does not mean they will ascend into Paradise, as in the erroneous teaching of the "rapture," but rather that they will be caught up into the clouds, into the heaven immediately above us.

Ye Shall Receive Power, #9

For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults: and lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed. (II Corinthians 12:20,21)

The Lord cannot entrust to an unjudged people the authority and power that are to be given to the "two witnesses." As we look about us in the church world of today, we realize the giving of such authority and power would only increase the self-glorifying, lying, stealing, and foolishness that are prevalent among believers. The Divine power would be used as the means of exalting the sinful flesh of ambitious men and woman.

The true saints will be brought to repentance and cleansing by the Spirit of God in preparation for the latter-rain revival — the bringing of the Good News of the soon coming of the Kingdom of God.

In the days to come, all the ends of the earth will hear of the Kingdom. God will pour out His Spirit on all flesh. After this will come the great tribulation, the sifting of the believers until only the pure of heart remain, and the perfecting of the Bride of the Lamb. Then the Lord will call up His eternal witnesses, the living and the dead, to Himself, and the wrath of God will fall on the world.

And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. (Revelation 11:1)

The sanctuary of God is to be judged, the Altar of Incense and those who are worshiping there.

The court outside the sanctuary, representing the nations, the inheritance of Christ and the saints, does not experience Divine assessment at this time but will when the Lord comes.

The eternal Temple of God, the Church, the Body of Christ, is measured against the standard. The standard is Christ, not the standard of men. It is the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

We are examined concerning the fleshly lusts, the worldliness, the covetousness, the religious pride and self-will, the disobedience to the Father, that are in us. A determination is made of the extent to which we are in union with Christ and are obedient to the Father's will.

All three areas of the Church are being judged. Those who have been born again, symbolized by the Table of Showbread, are being tested. Those who have been born again and also baptized with the Holy Spirit (the golden Lampstand of the sanctuary) are being tested.

But the emphasis of judgment is on those who have been born again, baptized with the Holy Spirit, and are pouring out their lives in selfless praise and consecration, as portrayed by the Altar of Incense. They are singled out for careful, precise judgment because they are the firstfruits to God from the peoples of the earth.

Ye Shall Receive Power, #8

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (Romans 8:18)

The climax of the coming of Christ will occur as He appears in glory with and in His saints — we appearing with Him as an integral part of His glory. Then the world will see and understand the Father loves the Church, the Body of Christ, as He loves Christ Himself. The world will understand also God has sent Christ and that He has given the Glory of God to the Church, which is the Body, the fullness of Christ.

In the sense we have just described, there is but one coming of Christ: first, the exalted Head; then, the forming of Christ in people and the filling of them with the Spirit of the resurrection; finally, the full manifestation of the Head and the Body in glory at the last trumpet.

Christ alone is Lord, the only begotten Son of God. Jesus is not merely one element of a many-membered Christ. Christ remains the Lord, the Bridegroom. The Church is the Bride — the branches growing out from the one true Vine who is the Lord Jesus Christ. In all things Christ remains central (Ephesians 1:10).

A study of the Prophets of Israel may indicate they do not make a point of two separate comings of Christ, except for the passage in Micah we have just examined.

Perhaps we should make clear at this point that we firmly believe in the two generally accepted comings of Christ, once to make an atonement for our sins and at the end of the Church Age to bring the Kingdom of God to the earth. This should be kept in mind lest someone should be confused as we emphasize the reality of Christ being formed in His Body during the present age.

We Christians are an inseparable part of the glorious Presence of Christ. Our role is to participate in the ministry of Christ to all people whom God claims as His own, especially the nation of Israel. The Gospel of the Kingdom is for the Jews first. It is the children's bread.

It is our understanding that the seventieth week of Daniel is divided in half. The first half is the time of the latter-rain revival, the "two witnesses," the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom to every person on the earth.

The second half of the seventieth week is the period of apostasy, of lawlessness, during which the testimony of the saints will be overcome, making way for the full revelation of Antichrist. At this time God's saints will be persecuted fiercely by Antichrist, by the world, and by "Christians" who believe themselves to be God's people but who actually are the synagogue of Satan.

As soon as the Body of Christ is commissioned to prophesy to the nations in the fullness of the latter-rain power, as portrayed by the angel's word to John (Revelation 10:11), the members of the Body will be visited with Divine judgment. As soon as Moses was commissioned to prophesy to Pharaoh of God's will, the Lord met him and sought to slay him because his son had not been circumcised (Exodus 4:24,25).

Ye Shall Receive Power, #7

Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. (Acts 1:11)

We understand beyond all doubt that Christ was born of a virgin, ministered on the earth, was crucified for our sins, rose in triumph over death, and ascended into a cloud in full view of many witnesses.

We understand also, beyond all doubt, that Christ will come again in precisely the same manner in which He departed, and in full view of many witnesses. We do not believe in any secret coming of the Lord to "catch away His Bride to Heaven."

There are two comings of Christ described in Micah 5:1-4: one to the manger in Bethlehem, the other to the world as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Or, we may take the point of view that there is only one coming of the Lord. Jesus came two thousand years ago. His coming continues as people are born again and He enters their personalities. Finally He will be revealed from Heaven with His saints and holy angels for all the world to behold.

The exalted Head of Christ, He whose "goings forth have been from of old," came in the flesh two thousand years ago. Then He ascended into Heaven, there to make intercession for us in the Presence of the Father. We know Christ is at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. We know also He is with us to the end of the age and that He has been born in us and is abiding in us.

In the meantime, Christ has sent another Member of the Godhead to us — the Holy Spirit. The body and blood of the crucified and risen Christ are being fed to us through the Holy Spirit. Christ is being formed in us.

Each member of the Body of Christ reveals in himself or herself the death and resurrection of the Lord. We do more than merely tell other people that Christ died and rose again, we demonstrate that eternal truth in our personality (II Corinthians 4:10,11).

Therefore every Christian in whom Christ is abiding is a continuation of Christ's coming. Prophetic "time" is waiting to resume, as far as the nation of Israel is concerned. In fact, all Israel will be delivered from ungodliness when "the fullness of the Gentiles be come in" (Romans 11:25).

The resurrection Life of Christ is in us. We are His Body. We are His fullness (Ephesians 1:23).

As Christ is coming to fullness in us, and we are keeping His Word and revealing in our personalities the power of His coming, He will be able to enter us in an even greater measure, bringing the Father with Him. The fullness of this experience will take place, as we understand it, during the seventieth week — coming to a climax at the end of the week as the Lord Jesus descends from Heaven in full view of the whole world (Revelation 1:7).

During the first half of the seventieth week Christ will come to us as the latter rain (Hosea 6:3). All the miracles set forth in the entire Scriptures, plus many never before witnessed on the earth, will be unleashed through the saints as the end-time preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom is carried forth.

Ye Shall Receive Power, #6

Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. (Micah 5:3)

Why would the approximately two thousand years of the era of the Christian Church be viewed as an interval of time not recorded by the prophetic clock? It is because the major purpose of the Christian Era has been the creation of the Body of Christ, the fullness of Christ. As soon as the Body of Christ has been created, the ministry of Christ spoken of by the Prophets of Israel will proceed according to the oracles.

It is as though the death and resurrection of Christ is being spread out over the two thousand year period as each member of the Body of Christ reveals in himself or herself the death and resurrection of Christ (Philippians 3:10).

As soon as the entire Body of Christ has been brought "to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ," the Father and Christ will make Their eternal abode in the members of the Body (John 14:23). Then the Head and the Body, acting in the fullness of the Holy Spirit of God, will fulfill the words of the Hebrew prophets concerning the ministry of Christ.

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. (Micah 5:2)

"Until the time she which travaileth" [the Christian Church — Galatians 4:19; Revelation, Chapter 12].

"Then the remnant of his brothers shall return unto the children of Israel" [the Christian saints will assist in the reconciliation of the Jewish remnant to Christ during the seventieth week].

As we understand it, the above "week" during which the covenant is confirmed to God's elect will take place just prior to the Lord's return to earth.

Notice that after the remnant of Christ's brothers return to the children of Israel, the Kingdom of God is brought forth:

And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he [Christ] be great unto the ends of the earth. (Micah 5:4)

Paul reveals that deliverance will come to Israel as Christ works through the members of His Body:

And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: (Romans 11:26)

The "mystery" of the Christian Era is Christ being formed in us (Colossians 1:27). As soon as the Body of Christ has been formed to God's standard, the mystery of God "should be finished" (Revelation 10:7), and there will be delay no longer. The ministry of Christ, of the Servant of the Lord, will continue as prophesied (Isaiah 42:1).

Ye Shall Receive Power, #5

I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the nations; To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. (Isaiah 42:6,7)

Therefore they that were scattered abroad [the church at Jerusalem] went every where preaching the word. (Acts 8:4)

We know John was an apostle of Christ. As such he would serve to perfect and unify the Body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11,12). John has accomplished this through his Gospel and his Epistles.

But now John is being given another ministry, a ministry to the peoples of the earth (compare Genesis 22:18). He is being charged to "prophesy"; not to the members of the Body of Christ but "before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings" (Revelation 10:11).

The charge to bear this prophetic witness to the world is now at hand for the Body of Christ. The great earth-wide preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God "for a witness to all nations" is commencing now (Matthew 24:14).

The witness to all nations is the necessary forerunner of the coming of Christ. It is the "Elijah and Elisha" anointing, the portion and the double portion, the former and latter rain. Here is the spiritual fulfillment of the two wave loaves of the feast of Pentecost (Leviticus 23:17), the two lampstands, the two olive trees.

In 1948 the Spirit of prophecy came upon the churches of our acquaintance. The "latter rain" was prophesied. It was declared that God would perform wonderful works, that powerful miracles would be wrought while at the same time the fires of judgment would burn on the earth.

These events that were prophesied mark the preparation for the sounding of the last trumpet, the period that will conclude with Christ's return to earth (Revelation 10:7-11:15). It is the seventieth week of Daniel, the week that has been delayed while the Body of Christ is being formed.

Then Gabriel proceeded to divide the seventy weeks into sixty-nine weeks plus a separate one-week period:

Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto Christ the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. (Daniel 9:25)

And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:27)

It appears when Christ was crucified ("Christ be cut off" — Daniel 9:26), the prophetic clock stopped ticking so to speak. But it will commence ticking again during the "week" that transpires just prior to the coming of Christ from Heaven at the end of the age.

Ye Shall Receive Power, #4

Jesus' own ministry is total. It is not a special gift or partial ministry. The ministry of the Body of Christ also is total, not fragmented. Every member of the Body is an integral part of the Light of the world, the Bride of the Lamb, the Temple of God.

We are not implying that the need for gifts and ministries is past. Rather, it is our point of view that during the current and future latter-rain witness, the gifts and ministries will be poured on the waiting saints in unprecedented abundance.

Our emphasis is, however, that the Body of Christ is being brought to maturity in order to accomplish the several parts of God's eternal purpose in Christ, and that one of the first parts will be the great end-time testimony of the coming of the Kingdom of God as symbolized by the "two witnesses" of Revelation, Chapter 11. The end-time, latter-rain testimony of the saints is a total ministry to the peoples and nations and tongues and kings of the whole earth.

Each member of the Body of Christ is to be filled with the Holy Spirit of God in order that he or she may be a Divinely empowered witness to all persons everywhere.

Speaking of the Servant of the Lord, who is Christ — Head and Body, the Spirit announces:

Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. (Isaiah 43:10)

Notice, in the above passage, that God's witnesses, His corporate Servant, "know and believe" God. It is the people who know their God who will "be strong and do exploits" in the last days (Daniel 11:32).

Notice also the singular, and then the plural. The Servant (singular) whom God has chosen is made up of many witnesses (plural). The Servant, who Is Christ — Head and Body, consists of many witnesses.

We can see that the witness always is of the Lord Himself, especially of His atoning death and triumphant resurrection ("the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow" — I Peter 1:11). "Witnesses unto me"! This is why the saints must come to know God Himself; why the Lord spends so many years teaching us while we are anxious to go out and "do something."

The prophet of God, God's witness, always must stand in the Presence of God and proclaim God — His Person, His glory, His will, His ways, His purposes in the earth.

The ministry of the anointed witness is part of the external, corporate ministry of the Body of Christ in which every member of God's elect shares.

Unlike the purpose of the several gifts and ministries of the Holy Spirit, which is to build up the Body of Christ itself, the purpose of the corporate, external witness of the Body is to awaken the peoples of the earth to the Presence and will of God.

Ye Shall Receive Power, #3

For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: (Ephesians 4:12)

First we must understand the difference between the internal ministry of the Body of Christ and the external ministry of the Body of Christ.

The purpose of the internal gifts and ministries of the Body of Christ is to build up the Body itself. The Holy Spirit has given to the members of the Body a diversity of gifts to enable the Body to build itself up in love, finally arriving at the fullness of the stature of Christ.

The gifts and ministries are partial, fragmented manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Therefore the members of the Body are dependent on one another for their mutual growth in the Lord.

In addition to the fragmented, partial, internal working of the Spirit of God in the members of the Body of Christ there is also a total, corporate ministry of the Body.

Many of us may be familiar with the internal gifts and ministries of the Church. They are set forth in Romans, Chapter 12; First Corinthians, Chapters 12 and 14; and Ephesians, Chapter Four.

Let us think for a moment about the external, corporate ministry of the Body of Christ.

God is bringing the Body of Christ to unity and maturity in order to accomplish several major objectives. These objectives may be thought of as the external ministry or functioning or purpose of the Body.

An eternal temple for God Himself, built according to His precise specifications in Christ (Ephesians 2:22).

Righteous rulers who will govern wisely and well the nations of the earth (Rev 5:10).

A vehicle through which God can destroy the devil and all his works (Rom 16:20).

The means by which the Father will become All in all in Christ throughout His universe (Ephesians 1:23).

The means by which the Father will sum up and center the heavens and the earth in the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:10).

The Body of God's eternal Servant who will plant the heavens, lay the foundations of the earth, and say to Zion, You are My people (Isaiah 51:16).

We believe the first, external, corporate ministry of the Body of Christ will be the earth-wide witness to all God's people, and to the entire world, of the soon return of Christ to the earth; of the establishing of the Kingdom of God on the earth; and of the approaching terror of the Day of Divine wrath.

Every member of God's elect, of the Body of Christ, of the warlike remnant being drawn out from the churches in the present hour, is an integral part of the end-time witness.

Up to now we have been accustomed to being given a "piece" of ministry, as it were, for the perfecting of the Body itself. There are those who, in this fragmented distribution, serve as prophets in the internal working of the Body. They build up the body with their gifts.

But when we come to the external, corporate ministry of the Body of Christ, we are not given a fragment of the witness. It is not given to one saint to be the light of the world; to another to be the Bride of the Lamb; to another to be the Temple of God.

Ye Shall Receive Power, #2

Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. (Isaiah 66:8)

God will do a quick work in the last days. A nation, the Body of Christ, the "holy nation," will be born "at once." This climactic work of God will suddenly bring to harvest, to maturity, that which has been in preparation from the time of Abraham — particularly over the past two thousand years.

The mystery of God is Christ in us, as we have stated. The creating of God in people is a mystery. It is contained in a scroll that is sealed.

The sealed book is the heart of mankind, the history of mankind, and the Scriptures. All these are one. All portray the mystery of God, the eternal plan of God. The eternal plan of God is to create a Kingdom, a Kingdom which is Christ formed and expressed in human beings. When the seventh angel is about to sound, the mystery of God will be finished, or accomplished.

And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings. (Revelation 10:11)

The prophets of Israel, in several instances, spoke of a "latter-rain" outpouring of God's Spirit that will herald the closing of the present age and the dawning of the Day of the Lord.

Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. (Hosea 6:3)

Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain; so the Lord shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field. (Zechariah 10:1)

Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. (Joel 2:23)

The "former rain" of God's Holy Spirit is described in the Book of Acts. In the days just prior to the return of Christ there will fall the "latter rain" of the Spirit of God (James 5:7).

The former rain empowered the spreading of the Gospel witness, the testimony concerning the soon coming of the Kingdom of God, to the ends of the earth. The latter rain also will result in the testimony of the Kingdom of God going forth to the ends of the earth.

It is our point of view that when the Spirit spoke to John, "Thou must prophesy again," the Spirit was referring to the latter rain that was announced by the prophets of Israel. The latter rain is the "again" prophecy.

The end-time, latter-rain witness of the Kingdom of God will be prophetic in nature. The members of God's elect will become a part of the great Light of the world, the Body of Christ, the Lampstand of God.

Ye Shall Receive Power

The sounding of the seventh trumpet, the last trumpet, is described in the tenth and eleventh chapters of the Book of Revelation.

The seventh trumpet announces the closing of the present age and the completion of the mystery of God. The mystery of God is Christ in us, the forming of the Body of Christ, the eternal Temple of God.

The first resurrection from the dead, the resurrection of God's eternal witnesses, His kings and priests, the judges and rulers of the ages to come, will take place at the time of the seventh, or last, trumpet.

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (I Corinthians 15:52)

The preparatory events that accompany the sounding of the seventh trumpet commence in Revelation 10:1 while the climactic sounding is found in 11:15. The beginning of the sounding:

But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. (Revelation 10:7)

And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 11:15)

And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. (Revelation 10:8)

These are the days when we are commanded to eat the Word of God, particularly the Word being given in the present hour.

It is necessary we continue to study and meditate in the Holy Scriptures. The study of the Scriptures is a most important aspect of the Christian discipleship.

But in order to bear witness of God we must cooperate with the Holy Spirit until the Word of God is written in our bones, our flesh, our will, our imaginations. The Holy Spirit is creating us the living Word.

It is a little scroll because the work that God will do in the last days will not be "big" or pretentious in the sight of man. Today great men and great buildings are exalted. The exaltation of people and buildings is past for the true saints of God. We are to learn that Christ is found in the manger. We are not to despise the day of "small things."

For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth. (Zechariah 4:10)

The Marriage of the Lamb, #48

Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. (Isaiah 12:2,3)

Notice that the abundance of union and life is ours after the reconciliation stage has been accomplished:

And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. (Isaiah 12:1)

The material creation, including the inhabitants thereof, is dead because of the curse of God that has been placed on it. It awaits, in its corruption and futility, the living touch of the Wife of the Lamb.

For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. (Romans 8:19)

The members of the Wife of the Lamb will pass throughout the earth bringing spiritual life and freedom to all who were not destroyed in the Divine fury of Armageddon. They are the trees of life. Those who eat of their fruit will live, and their "leaves" are for the healing of the nations.

The forty-seventh chapter of the Book of Ezekiel portrays the judgment and reconciliation of the saints, their entrance into life in ever-increasing fullness, and then their ministry of life to the dead creation.

The reconciling judgment is portrayed by "the man that had the line in his hand" (verse 3).

The entrance of the members of the Wife into ever-increasing depths of eternal life is typified by the waters "to the ankles," "to the knees," "to the loins," and finally by the waters "to swim in" (verses 3-5).

As soon as the process of judgment and life has been completed, the waters of eternal life will flow from the saints into the "dead sea" of humanity, bringing the creation into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.

Now will the earth be filled with the knowledge of the Glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Now will the Lord's trees of life bring deliverance to mankind. Now will the redemption performed on the cross of Calvary be revealed as to the full effects of its authority. Now will the Lord Jesus see the travail of His soul and be satisfied.

Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh. (Ezekiel 47:7-9)

Because the Wife of the Lamb has been called to the highest throne of the universe, her training is full of prolonged, tiring, and sometimes painful hardships. Only those Christians who are willing to give their first attention and energies to their discipleship have any hope of arriving at the first resurrection from the dead, that is, at the level of spiritual readiness that will enable them to be raised from the dead and glorified without further judgment and reconciliation.

Any individual may choose to be one of Jesus' conquerors, one of His victorious saints. Remember, the gate is small and the road is narrow and full of obstacles. Through His grace you can overcome every obstacle. Only believe.

Indescribable glory is waiting for those who endure to the end. (from The Marriage of the Lamb)

The Marriage of the Lamb, #47

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness [righteous acts] of saints. (Revelation 19:7,8)

Thus far we have discussed four Divine works that are associated with the manifestation stage of the marriage of the Lamb:

Our being given the authority and power of God for the purpose of cleansing all wickedness from the earth.

When we consider the awesome implications of these four aspects of redemption we can appreciate the necessity for the formation, reconciliation, and union stages of the marriage of the Lamb. Consider the present spiritual condition of the members of the Christian churches, and then imagine the chaos that would ensue if they suddenly were made immortal, joined with Jesus, made visible to the peoples of the earth, and given authority and power over the nations of the earth.

God is not foolish, neither does He place people in situations for which they are unprepared. Men do this sometimes, but God is careful to direct those who trust Him into areas of growth and service suitable to their maturity and ability. The wise placement of Christians on the earth is evident, and the Christian mystics, such as Sundar Singh, teach us that appropriate placement of people occurs in the spiritual world where we go when we die physically.

The final aspect of the manifestation stage we will mention, is the role of the members of the Bride in bringing eternal life to the dead creation.

We bring life and restoration to the material creation. The waters of eternal life flow from the personalities of the members of the Wife of the Lamb.

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. (Revelation 22:17)

Blessed is every person who is called to the marriage supper of the Lamb because the waters of life will flow in abundance from the Wife of the Lamb.

The spiritual fulfillment of the Old Testament feast of Pentecost is characterized by the outpouring of the Spirit of God on us.

The spiritual fulfillment of the Old Testament feast of Tabernacles is characterized by the springing up of a well of water from the depths of our personality. When the Lord Jesus is crowned King on the throne of our personality, the waters of eternal life begin to flow from the throne. As this takes place we become a tree of life.

It is the "trees of life" who will sustain the seekers after God, especially the believing Jews, during the hour of trouble that soon is to fall on the earth. These same trees of life will nourish the material creation throughout eternity to come.

Eternal life springs from those who have entered the union stage of the marriage of the Lamb.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #46

Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners. (Song of Solomon 6:4)

The Wife of the Lamb is beautiful in holiness and ready to drive the enemy from the Lord's (and her) earth.

This is why the invasion of the earth by the armies of linen-clothed saints takes place immediately after the marriage of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7,8).

And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. (Revelation 19:14)

The decisive battle cannot be fought until the saints conquer the accuser by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their testimony, and by loving not their lives to the death (Revelation 12:11). Those who ride with Christ in that Day are called, chosen, and faithful (Revelation 17:14). They are "a great people and a strong." They are the Lord's "troops" (Habakkuk 3:16), the army of Christ (Joel 2:11).

As we stated before, the Divine redemption is a correcting of mankind, commencing with the saints — with those who are closest to the Lord. When we present the Christian salvation as primarily the forgiving of people we miss the point. The Christian salvation indeed does include the forgiving of people but with a view to their correction, their change from the ways of Satan to the ways of God.

Imputed (assigned) righteousness is a temporary provision. God is seeking actual righteousness on the part of His saints, and also on the part of everyone on the earth. The Kingdom of God brings about actual righteousness — the doing of God's will in the earth as it is in Heaven.

The saints themselves must be purified from all sin and rebellion. When they are purified they will work with Christ in purifying the remainder of the saved creation. Unfortunately, not all men will accept Christ, or God's correction. The rebels will be cast into the lake that burns with fire and sulfur.

There is no sin that is acceptable in God's sight. All sin must be driven from the earth.

It is not possible that someone can ride with Christ in the Day of the Lord on the basis of imputed (ascribed) righteousness. Those who ride with Him are called, chosen, and faithful. They are called of the Lord. They are chosen because they have decided to turn away from all else and follow Jesus. They are faithful because they have kept their vow throughout the pressures and pains with which they have been tested.

The saints will execute vengeance on the nations and will chastise those peoples whom God is redeeming.

To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; (Psalms 149:7)

The wicked will attempt to resist the invasion of the earth by Christ and His saints, but to no avail.

For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. (Malachi 4:1)

And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 4:3)

The Marriage of the Lamb, #45

And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts. (Malachi 4:3)

We (the Lord and we) crush the forces of wickedness in the earth. War and destruction do not delight the heart of the true saint for he or she is a person of peace. War and destruction do not delight the heart of God, for He also is a Person of peace. God's preferred expression of His Son is the "Lamb," for the lamb is the meekest of animals. God much prefers meekness and gentleness.

There has been a rebellion against God and it must be crushed. There is a time for war, and when that time arrives the war must be pursued with the same vigor we apply to the pursuit of peace.

We do not enjoy the prospect of crushing the wicked, much preferring that they would repent and serve the Lord. But as we look about us in the world of today and see what the demons are doing through people, we are ready to ride with Christ in the attack of Armageddon.

The corrupting and destroying of all God has created, all that is decent, wholesome, edifying, lovely, must be stopped. It must be stopped totally. It must be crushed. The memory of Satan and all who follow Satan must be removed from the creation for eternity.

The lukewarm Christian is apathetic about removing all evil from the earth. The true saint, the member of the Wife of the Lamb, is not apathetic about removing evil from the earth. He loves righteousness and hates wickedness. He is grieved exceedingly (although not fretted) by what is taking place today.

He longs for the giving of crowns of authority and power to the saints so they may be able to govern with a rod of iron, overpowering and eliminating all resistance to the rule of God in Christ. Satan himself will be crushed beneath their feet (Romans 16:20).

But the Lord thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed. And he shall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have destroyed them. (Deuteronomy 7:23,24)

We have the promise of God, the directive of God. Christ is waiting until His enemies have been made his footstool. We of the Body of Christ are being prepared for the hour when God decrees that His enemies (and ours) are to be driven from the earth.

The tribes of Israel did not exercise the diligence and courage necessary to drive the enemy from their land. They were slothful and weak in this respect. We are to learn from their example and be diligent and courageous in casting out Satan and his forces from the earth, as our heavenly Joshua leads us.

Not one sin is to remain. Not one act of rebellion or lawlessness. The believers who are not determined to destroy sin from the presence and memory of mankind are not ready to be members of the Wife of the Lamb. They still are part of the problem, part of the rebellion against God.

They are not persuaded God is right and Satan is wrong. If they are to be saved they must be taught by the sons of God. The nations themselves will be smashed and governed by a rod of iron. This is because lawlessness and rebellion are so deeply ingrained in mankind.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #44

This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. (Zechariah 14:19)

The nations of the saved will be invited to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Presence of the Lord in His saints, to keep the feast of Tabernacles in this spiritual sense. Those who do not come to honor the Presence of God in His saints will be punished.

When God brings His Kingdom into the world, His royal priesthood, He expects the nations to pay homage to Himself in the nation He has chosen, which is true Israel. The nations of the earth that scorn the Presence of God in His elect will perish.

For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. (Isaiah 60:12)

It is true even today that people who assist and show mercy toward God's chosen are rewarded by the Lord. Those who, knowing an individual is a servant of Christ, do not assist but rather injure that person, will be dealt with harshly by the Lord. He who rejects the true saint rejects Christ Himself, and he who rejects Christ rejects God and will be treated accordingly.

This Kingdom principle does not apply to the self-seeking, self-aggrandizing churches. They are not God's chosen, the brothers of Christ. God will use the unsaved to cast down the self-seeking churches, for such churches are not the servants of the Lord. Babylon (man-directed Christianity) will be burned with fire by the ten kings who serve Antichrist, and the Lord's apostles and prophets will rejoice because Babylon has always murdered the true saints.

The most important work of the two thousand years that have elapsed since the birth of Jesus has been the forming of the Wife of the Lamb, the Body of Christ. Soon it will be time for the revealing of the Wife, although first must come the latter-rain revival, and then the great tribulation.

Much work remains to be done and it will be accomplished quickly. The Spirit of God will bring the Gospel of the Kingdom to the ends of the earth, the hour of tribulation will purify the Bride of the Lamb, and then it will be time for the Kingdom of God to enter the material realm.

The peoples of the nations are to repent and embrace the good news. We, the saints, as the Lord directs, are to go to every city and village under the heaven, casting out devils, healing the sick, and announcing the good news of the soon coming of the Kingdom to the earth.

The peoples who receive us will be saved in the Day of the Lord, as was true of Rahab of Jericho. The city or village that does not receive the true saints of God will be destroyed in the Day of Christ.

The Day of God Almighty is at hand and His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, will be joined together with His Wife. "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready" (Revelation 19:7).

The Wife is true Israel and her city is Jerusalem. We who were born Gentiles have been made a part of true Israel in that we have become a part of Christ. We will not permit the current Christian teaching to rob us of our inheritance in Israel, in the Wife of the Lamb.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #43

Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. (Revelation 1:7)

The appearing of the Lamb and His Wife will cause a division in mankind. Those who hate God will fight against Christ and His saints and will be destroyed. The man of lawlessness and the False Prophet will both be cast alive (in their bodies) into the Lake of Fire. Those who love God will receive Christ and His saints and will be blessed by the Presence of God in His saints.

There only are two kinds of people in the world, in this context: those who love God and those who hate God; the righteous and the wicked; the wheat and the tares. The Lord Jesus Christ is the point of division.

Those who are of God receive Christ and His true saints. Those who are not of God will receive neither Christ nor His true saints. They are the tares, the wicked mentioned so many times in the Scriptures. The appearing of Jesus always results in a separating of the righteous from the wicked of the earth.

The appearing of Christ with His saints will cause multitudes of the meek of the earth to come to the Glory of the Lord being revealed in His people.

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. (Isaiah 60:1,2)

Notice that the manifestation stage of the marriage of the Lamb will take place in the hour of earth's greatest darkness. The same concept appears in the nineteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation, where we see those who are blessed being called to the marriage supper (Revelation 19:9), but at the same time the going forth of the Lord with His linen-clothed armies to destroy the wicked of the earth (Revelation 19:11).

And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. (Isaiah 60:3)

This is the appearing of the Kingdom of God in the earth, and the meek and righteous of the earth will come running to the light of God now appearing in His eternal Temple.

Notice that the people of the earth do not see the Lord or run to the Lord. Rather, they see the Glory of Christ in His saints and run to the saints. We are the Lord's inheritance. The nations are our inheritance.

When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. (II Thessalonians 1:10)

This is the hour when the saints "take the kingdom." It is the greatest of all revivals.

Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. (Isaiah 60:5)

The heart of the Lamb is in His Body, His Wife. It is His pleasure to fill her with His glory and to call those whom He has chosen to save to the festivities that will be celebrated in honor of the marriage.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #42

When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:4)

. . . that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. (John 17:23)

John the Baptist, the Lord Jesus, and the Apostles preached the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth. The Wife of the Lamb, the Body of Christ, the new Jerusalem, is the Kingdom of God.

There is an internal kingdom and then there is an external kingdom. The formation, reconciliation, and union stages result in the developing and perfecting of the inner kingdom in the members of the Wife of the Lamb.

As soon as the internal kingdom has been perfected it is time for the external kingdom to be brought forth. The external kingdom is the revealing of what has been performed in the invisible spirit realm. The material creation, including the nations of those who are saved, is awaiting the revealing, the manifestation of the sons of God.

The Kingdom of God is God in Christ in the saints. Today the Kingdom of God is invisible to the eyes of the nations. The marriage of the Lamb will result in the coming of the Kingdom of God, the doing of God's will in the earth. The glory of the Lamb and His Wife will be revealed in the sky for all people to behold.

Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. (Revelation 1:7)

Those who resist the appearing of the Lord and His Wife will be destroyed in the Battle of Armageddon. The remainder will be saved. They will be governed by the saints with love coupled with the exercise of irresistible force. All rebellion shall be crushed.

The appearing of the Kingdom of God will be good news for the meek of the earth but bad news for those who desire to do as they wish apart from the will of Christ. The meek will inherit the earth. The wicked will be destroyed out of it.

The Kingdom will appear in glory. Nothing that corrupts or rebels against God will be permitted to remain in the earth; for the whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Glory of the Lord.

In the following two verses from Isaiah we can observe how the marriage of the Lamb results in the bringing of righteousness and praise to the nations of the earth. First there is the joy of the Lamb and His Wife over the manifestation of their marriage. After that, the coming of glory to the nations is proclaimed.

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. (Isaiah 61:10,11)

The Marriage of the Lamb, #41

Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. (II Corinthians 5:16)

In the beginning Jesus is external to us. When we are unsaved we come to the external Jesus. After we believe, repent, are baptized in water, and then are filled with the Holy Spirit, the Lord begins the works of formation, reconciliation, and union. These are Divine operations that bring to perfection and union our inner, spiritual personality. The Lord is in us and we in Him.

Our body, the external part of our personality, remains dead because of the sin that abides in our flesh.

After the Lord completes His work in our spiritual personality He is ready to enter our external personality — our body. This He will do at the time of His appearing. He and we will appear at the same time. When Christ appears we also shall appear with Him in glory.

The redemption of our body and our appearing in glory with Him is the outward manifestation of the marriage of the Lamb. Now the Lord Jesus will take the greatest pleasure in presenting His Wife, His completion, His counterpart, to the host of Heaven and to the nations of the earth. It is clear that she bears His name and has received of the fullness of His Glory. Now Jesus has found pleasure and purpose in the creation and is ready to bring all Heaven and earth into line with His Person and His will.

There is no temple, no church in the new Jerusalem, in the Bride of the Lamb. All the ecclesiastical trappings we associate with "church" are gone. They have been scaffolding that has served its purpose. The organs, pews, stained glass windows, steeples, altars, so dear to the heart of the devout, are needed no longer. Now we have Him. The churches have performed their role by making possible our marriage to Him.

Christ will not permit any kind of barrier, any type of institution or priesthood, to come between Him and His Bride.

The Wife of the Lamb is the new Jerusalem. The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of the new Jerusalem. The saints will see God's Face and serve Him as sons. We are God's eternal Tabernacle, the Body of Christ. His name, and the name of His city, have been written on us for eternity.

We have no concept of the intensity with which the Lord Jesus longs for the manifestation to take place. He yearns for the moment when we are with Him. He is upholding the creation with the operations the Father always performs through Him but His heart is thinking of something else. He thirsts. He thirsts for the hour when she is with Him. Everything lacks luster, significance, joy except as it pertains to her.

His wife is being prepared, and He is waiting at the right hand of the Father until every enemy has been made His footstool.

Let each of us do everything in his or her power to bring about the perfecting of the Bride of the Lamb so Jesus' heart may be made glad.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #40

There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number. My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her. (Song of Solomon 6:8,9)

The above two verses signify that there are all sorts of people in the Lord's family; but the Bride, the Wife of the Lamb, is of special quality in the sight of the Lord.

We can observe the same distinction in the eighth chapter. We have those who are related to the Bride but are immature (Song of Solomon 8:8). The Bride herself is strong and mature and has found favor in the sight of the Lord.

Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned. (Song of Solomon 8:6,7)

This means the Wife of the Lamb is more precious in His eyes than the remainder of the creation.

Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions' dens, from the mountains of the leopards. (Song of Solomon 4:8)

Whatever else may be true of the Scriptures, they are a love story. As soon as our relationship with Christ ceases to be a love story we become part of the "daughters of Jerusalem." We grow skilled in the ways of the churches but lose that keen edge of closeness with the Person of the Lord. There are a multitude of duties to be performed in the churches, and many believers accomplish them with competence and diligence. Then there are a few people who dream of "lions' dens" and "mountains of the leopards."

There are Marthas and there are Marys. The Mary who waited for the resurrection of Jesus represents all the "Marys" who see past the things of the churches and desire to be with the Lord.

The Lord is bringing us to the place where we not only are in Him, and He in us, but we also are with Him.

Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, . . . . (John 17:24)

The Wife of the Lamb is a firstfruits to the Lord of the harvest of the earth. She shall be with Him forever.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #39

Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept. (Song of Solomon 1:6)

The members of the Bride are "black," that is, they have been burned by the purifying fires of judgment (Song of Solomon 1:6). They are not "pretty" in the eyes of the church world but they are marvelously beautiful in the eyes of the Lord.

The true Wife is not in love with the house of God, as are the daughters of Jerusalem. Rather, she is in love with the Lord of the house of God. The Song of Solomon contrasts the daughters of Jerusalem, and those who do not fit well in the scheme of things because they long after the invisible Christ.

Jesus accepts the daughters of Jerusalem just as Eliezer accepted Laban and Rebecca's family. But He is seeking "Rebecca"!

The Holy Spirit has come to the Christian churches of our day with all kinds of gifts and blessings. Many of the churches receive these gifts and blessings gladly and profit from them.

All this preliminary activity is necessary. However, Christ is seeking a select group — two or three here; one there. He is looking for those who are not content to be married to the church but are striving to find Him.

When all has been completed, "Solomon," the ecclesiastical systems, will be paid off in "shekels." The shekels are for Solomon and his helpers. But the Lamb and His Wife are for each other.

My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred. (Solomon 8:12)

Christ is upholding the universe because hidden in it is a rare treasure whose price is far beyond rubies. The whole earth and its nations of people belong to the Lord Jesus, but there is one who gives it all purpose.

O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely. (Song of Solomon 2:14)

Each member of the Wife of the Lamb must climb "the secret places of the stairs." The daughters of Jerusalem may be enjoying themselves hugely in the activities of the churches, but the Wife patiently climbs one difficult step after another, her love for Jesus bringing her through the long night of prolonged tribulations and trials.

She is being created as the completion of the Lord Jesus. No aspect of her personality can remain in its original state. All must be re-created in the Lamb. All must be made new. All must be of Christ, of God.

Only her God-given love for Him, and for Him alone, keeps her plodding along day by day — many times along paths she does not understand.

Why does He deal so rigorously? Why does He bring every motive into examination? It is because He is the Lamb, the Son of God, the Creator of all that is. We are the dust of the ground. He is lifting us to the throne that governs angels and men. It is not surprising that He is seeking a Bride without spot or wrinkle, without any kind of defect.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #38

And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. (Revelation 19:6)

Why all these powerful voices? What is the occasion for the ascribing of glory to the Lord God of Heaven?

The marriage of the Lamb has come. His Wife has prepared herself. His Wife is clothed in immortal righteousness.

As far as the Lord Jesus Christ is concerned, this is the greatest of all moments. To Him, this is a greater event than His resurrection from the dead because it gives meaning to His life. Apart from His Wife the creation is meaningless.

There are multitudes of people who will be saved and live in the new world that is coming. There is only one Wife — she who has been redeemed from among the peoples of the earth as a firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. The love of Christ for her is very intense.

The Lamb has given His flesh and blood for her forgiveness and transformation and has worked patiently, according to the wisdom and power of the Father, to create her after the desire of His heart. He lives in her and she lives in and by Him.

One day He will have her by His side where He can see her and speak to her. Jesus has given His glory to her and wants the creation to know that she is of His Life, Substance, and Nature. She reveals His Personality, being one with Him in every element of her being.

The Lamb has surrendered His individuality in favor of being one with her, and she has surrendered her individuality in favor of being one with Him.

The Lamb has never before been married and no doubt never again will be in the future. The marriage of the Lamb is a unique event in eternity and is one of the major purposes for the creation of the universe.

Human marriage is a shadow of this stupendous event. God has brought forth on the body and blood of Christ a completion, a counterpart of Christ. God loves her as He loves Christ. She shines as He shines, being covered with His glory. She is His body, His fullness.

The marriage of the Lamb is the beginning of history; for all that has gone before is perishing and soon will be discarded.

The Song of Solomon speaks of two different kings and two different sets of "Israelites."

The one king is Solomon. The daughters of Jerusalem adore and follow him. Solomon represents the pomp and finery of the Judaic-Christian religion, while the daughters of Jerusalem portray the worshipers who participate in the life and culture of the temples, synagogues, and churches.

The other king is not named but is referred to as the "beloved." The shepherdess adores and follows him. The shepherdess portrays the often-despised remnant, the members of the true Bride who attempt to pursue their beloved amid the clamor and confusion of church life and programs. Their King, their Beloved, is the Lord Jesus. They are not satisfied with "Solomon," with the elevation of men to power in the ecclesiastical systems.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #37

But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. (Acts 26:20)

The bulk of mankind suffers in the world, and no doubt most of us will continue to be instructed in the next. There are the few lashes and the many lashes, the outer darkness, Hell, and finally the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. It is the last named that is the second death and the wicked will be cast into it.

What we Christians must come to understand is that the Lord God is interested in righteousness and obedience. We do not accept Christ in order to avoid punishment for our behavior but in order to gain the opportunity to repent and begin to do the things that are pleasing to God. The salvation that is in Christ enables us to be accepted of God by turning away from our former manner of living, by embarking on the program of transformation into righteous behavior.

Sinners always are in death. The righteous always are eligible for eternal life. This is the nature of cause and effect in the spirit realm. The Lord Jesus did not come to change the immutable laws of the spirit realm but to convert sinners to righteousness so they may gain eternal life.

The Christian redemption includes the forgiveness of our sins but is characterized primarily by raising us from the death of sin into the life of righteous, holy, and obedient conduct. When we conceive of salvation as a "ticket" to Heaven, we are missing God's purpose in bringing us to Christ.

God sends tribulation, pain, suffering, on all of us. Those who receive Christ and who, through the grace of the Lord Jesus, wash their robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb, enter the Kingdom of God. Those who reject Christ, or who continue in sin, cannot enter the Kingdom of God. This is true in the present world and also in the world to come (Revelation 22:14,15).

We are saved, and we enter the Kingdom of God, through much tribulation (I Peter 4:18,19; 5:10).

The manifestation stage is the fourth part of the marriage of the Lamb. The redeeming of the bodies of the members of the Bride is the first aspect of the manifestation stage. It is the raising of our bones and flesh from the grave and the clothing of them with the white robe of incorruptible, righteous, eternal life.

The raising and glorifying of the saints is announced in the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew, the fourth chapter of I Thessalonians, the fifteenth chapter of I Corinthians, and the nineteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation (see also Isaiah 60:1-3; 61:10,11).

Until our body has been redeemed we cannot be joined together totally with the Lord Jesus; we cannot become visible in glory to the peoples of the earth; we cannot crush the forces of wickedness in the earth; and we cannot bring life and restoration to the material creation.

The raising and glorifying of our mortal body is a major goal of the Christian life. It is an important part of our "Canaan," our land of promise. It is the hope offered by John 3:16. It is victory over the last enemy. It is the Good News of the Kingdom of God. It is the end of Satan's dominion over us. It is the beginning of life as God meant life to be lived and enjoyed. It is the recovering of what was lost in Paradise because of the original sin.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #36

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? (I Peter 4:17,18)

The atonement for past sins has been made. The task now is the chastening of the creation, beginning with the saints. Each person who refuses Christ, or who accepts Christ but refuses to be corrected, will incur the Divine anger. He may suffer greatly as God attempts to bring him to redemption.

If he continues to stubbornly refuse to obey the Lord Jesus he will be excluded from the forgiveness produced by the atonement made on the cross. He will be cast into the everlasting torment.

Finally, the nations of the saved will be chastened and corrected by the rod of iron in the hands of the saints.

All who believe in Christ and accept correction will be saved to eternal life in the new heaven and earth reign of Christ. All who refuse Christ, or who refuse to be corrected by Christ, will be cast into torment.

The chastening of the individual commences in this life and very well may extend into the next (Luke 12:47). The exception to this is the believer who passes through the Judgment Seat of Christ while alive in the world. Such deliverance from bondage is possible but it requires strict cooperation with the Spirit of God, stern obedience to the Father. Christ alone determines when we have passed successfully through His Judgment Seat and have been purged of rebellion and lawlessness.

It is clear in II Corinthians 5:10, Luke 12:47,48, and similar passages that our correction will continue in the spirit realm. People will receive the evil they have practiced. Some will be assigned to the Lake of Fire without hope of reprieve.

The Song of Solomon 8:8,9 suggests a growth in the "relatives" of the Bride that will take place at some undesignated time. Also, the thousand-year Kingdom Age will be one of correction and teaching, as we understand it.

The destiny of the weak Christian is not set forth in the New Testament writings. All we know from the Scriptures is that we will receive the things done in our body, whether they have been good or evil. The glorious rewards go to those who overcome through Christ, but sinners never will enter through the gates of the new Jerusalem.

The Book of Hebrews is a warning to believers to not neglect their salvation. This one book alone is sufficient to reveal the error of the current overemphasis on "grace" as meaning a device whereby we evade the Kingdom law of sowing and reaping.

There does come a time when our warfare has been accomplished, our iniquity has been pardoned (Isaiah 40:1,2).

Some human beings will share the fate of Satan and his angels, that is, they will be tormented forever without hope of being redeemed. This is a fate so terrible we are unable to grasp it. This is the maximum, sentence.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #35

And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (I John 2:2)

Current teaching implies that the majority of earth's people will be cast into the Lake of Fire, there to be tormented forever. It is a little doily patched together from tiny pieces torn from the galactic tapestry — a tapestry woven in the mind of God before He spoke the world into existence. Yet, many saints of God have performed righteousness and served Christ even with this limited understanding.

"Knowledge will be increased," Daniel wrote, and so it may be true in our day that the Lord will help us gain a broader understanding of the Divine redemption.

An atonement has been made for the guilt of all the sins of mankind. It is an eternal atonement. There never again will be another sacrifice. The one sacrifice made by Christ on the cross of Calvary has satisfied God's sense of justice and righteousness. God has been appeased with regard to the sins of men.

Because of this total, eternal atonement, guilt, as such, is not the principal issue of redemption. Guilt indeed does remain an issue until the Divine conditions are met, but the principal issue is that of correction. God gave the Lord Jesus Christ to us so we may be saved from sin, that is, that we may be spared from the penalty of sin until He has had a chance to make us righteous, holy, and obedient to God.

Our redemption is infinitely more than forgiveness for what we are. It includes this, but its main purpose is to change what we are until we are pleasing to our Creator.

Jesus forgave the guilt of mankind so mankind may be changed from the life and works of Satan to the life and works of God.

After Christ rose from the dead He began the work of judging the creation, beginning with His elect (I Peter 4:15,17). Christ is seated on His judgment seat. Sooner or later all creatures must pass before Him.

The term Judgment Seat of Christ does not refer to a special judgment of believers that will take place during a short period of time after the believers are raised from the dead. The Judgment Seat of Christ has to do with the judgment of every creature regardless of when the judgment takes place. It includes the so-called "white throne judgment" (Revelation 20:11).

The Judgment Seat of Christ began when Christ sat down at the right hand of the Father and will conclude with the judgment that takes place at the end of the thousand-year reign of Christ and His saints over the nations of the earth.

The judgment of God's people, His elect, is taking place now (Matthew 3:12; I Corinthians 11:32; I Peter 4:17). This judgment results in a chastening of us so we will stop sinning and find peace in God's will. All our guilt was forgiven by the atonement, provided we cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the work of putting sin and rebellion out of our life.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #34

And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness [righteous acts] of saints. (Revelation 19:8)

What can we say then concerning I Thessalonians 4:13-18 — that which will take place when the Lord appears in the clouds of heaven?

Of one fact we can be certain: no Christian who walks in unrighteousness will be arrayed in fine linen, in the robe of incorruptible life, because that robe is the righteous acts of saints.

Doesn't this passage from I Thessalonians give the impression all believers in Christ will be raised from the dead, ascend to be with the Lord, and after that always be with the Lord where He is?

Yes, it does give us that impression. This is because our current practice is to see the writings of Paul in terms of our own standards of Christian behavior. We interpret "the dead in Christ" and "we which are alive and remain" to mean all who make a profession of faith in Christ.

When we read the epistles of Paul and notice his standard concerning the Christian saint, the normal believer, we find that contemporary Christian behavior is far below Paul's expectations. For example, how many believers are presenting their body a living sacrifice to God as their reasonable service of worship?

A careful study of the whole New Testament shows that those who are to be raised when the Lord comes, who then are to ascend to meet Him and be revealed in glory, are the victorious saints. They have overcome the world, sin, and their self-love. They are not the typical believer of today.

What of the multitude of nominal Christians? We do not know. We do know, however, that each individual will receive the things done in his body. Those who have sown to eternal life will reap eternal life. Those who have sown to their flesh and self-love will reap their flesh and their self-love: that is, they will reap what is perishing, that which cannot enter the life, substance, and nature of the Kingdom of God.

It is not possible, in the Kingdom of God, to sow what is worthless and reap what is priceless, to sow disobedience and sin and reap glory and fellowship with God. It is taught today that the new covenant is a means of evading this basic Kingdom law. Such is not the case.

What about those who have died before they have had an opportunity to practice righteousness? This question frequently arises when one speaks of the life of victory, of the consequences of how we live the Christian life.

Sometimes the question merely is an attempt to evade the issue: "They didn't have an opportunity to overcome and so I don't have to."

The question may be an expression of genuine concern for those who, because of conversion late in life or because they never had been taught beyond the first principles of redemption, lived what appears to us to be a nominal Christian life.

In the second place, our whole concept of redemption is far too simplistic. Our neat little doctrinal formula has God all figured out. This will happen then. The other will take place later. There is no pain, correction, or growth after we die. The few who hear the Gospel and approve of it go to live in luxurious mansions forever, doing nothing of importance.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #33

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:7,8)

The concept that we can sin in the flesh and reap immortality in the Day of Christ is without scriptural foundation. It has left multitudes of believers unprepared for the return of the Lord.

Here is the righteousness of God: we reap what we sow. If we sow to righteousness we will be clothed with the consequences of that righteousness, which is eternal life. If we sow to the flesh we will be clothed with the consequences of that corruption, which is the loss of all our life has produced. If we are saved at all it will be into a Lot-type barrenness. God is not mocked.

The resurrection of our body into incorruptible eternal life will take place at the last trumpet. The resurrection is an important aspect of our redemption, being the unveiling of us as sons of God and members of the Wife of the Lamb.

And not only they [the material creation], but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8:23)

The resurrection to victory described in the fifteenth chapter of the Book of I Corinthians is not an expected end of the passive believer, an outcome to be taken for granted. The resurrection into glory is a state that must be attained (Philippians 3:11).

The redeeming of the physical body is the result of eating of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. It marks the restoration of what was lost originally. The resurrection into incorruptibility, into immortality, is victory over the last enemy. Victory is possible because through the Lord Jesus Christ we have overcome sin and have exercised righteous behavior. Eternal life always is the fruit of righteousness, never of unrighteousness no matter how clothed in "grace."

No individual who continues in sin will acquire a redeemed body on the basis of mercy and forgiveness. Mercy and forgiveness operate to enable the sinner to repent and turn to the way of righteousness and holiness. It is righteous and holy behavior that results in eternal life (Romans 6:22).

Death is the result of sinful behavior. The person that sins will die spiritually even though he believes in Christ.

The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. (I Corinthians 15:56)

God gives us victory over death by giving us victory over sin. When we are able to overcome sin through Christ we then are given access to the tree of life.

We reap what we sow. This may be the most neglected, most misunderstood Kingdom law in all modern Christian thinking and teaching.

The Lord Jesus Christ has come to give us victory over rebellion and lawlessness. He does this by breathing His eternal Life into us, by forming His Substance and Nature in us, by reconciling us to himself by judgment and tribulation, and by entering us through the Spirit, bringing the Father with Him.

There is enough grace here to enable us to conquer the world, Satan, and self-love. If we do so, when Christ comes He will clothe us with the righteous behavior He Himself has produced in us. This righteousness will be to us a house fashioned from the substance of eternal life.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #32

For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. (I Corinthians 11:31,32)

As far as we can determine, there is no scriptural basis for the occurrence of a special trial of Christians at the descent of the Lord from Heaven or when the saints are caught up to meet Him in the air.

At the Judgment Seat of Christ we shall be made manifest and we shall receive what we have practiced in the body.

The faithful saint walks in trembling, watchfulness, and readiness to repent. The Lord brings him through fire and water and he always is repenting and confessing his sins (as the Spirit of God leads him). Yet he has victory, peace, and joy. Many aspects of his life are judged — in fact, he judges himself. He asks the Lord to search him, try him, cleanse him of secret sins. The Lord answers his prayers.

Thus the Lord Jesus is able to bring forth a new creation of righteousness in his personality. The righteous deeds that are brought forth are woven into a robe of incorruptible life, a house from Heaven, with which he will be clothed when Christ appears. In this sense, the manifestation stage of the Judgment Seat of Christ is future but the necessary preparations are being made today. We are being judged and transformed now so we may be saved in the future — "saved" in the sense of entering life and glory at the appearing of the Lord.

The lukewarm believer, of which there are numerous examples today, does not walk in trembling, wariness, or readiness to repent. He is not always repenting and confessing his sins. He does not judge himself and he does not believe the Lord judges him.

Because of false teaching he believes all has been accomplished for him through "grace." He believes that when the Lord comes he will be raised into incorruptibility, will ascend to meet Christ in the air, and will go through a meaningless "judgment." At this time his good deeds will be rewarded marvelously while his wickedness and carelessness will be ignored because of "grace."

After that he will rest at his ease in a beautiful mansion of gold while the Jews, without the Holy Spirit, attempt to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom in the face of Satan and Antichrist. Such is our Christian "vision."

The fact is, the lukewarm believer is not diligent with his talents (which is enough to put him into the outer darkness). He carries on many flirtations with demons although he does not understand this is what he is doing, that his behavior is sin and is bringing death to him. He participates in the spirit of the world. His life is self-centered, not Christ-centered.

Obviously, such a careless Christian life is not creating a weight of glory at the right hand of the Father. He has sown to his flesh and will reap corruption in the Day of the Lord. He will be spit out of the Lord's mouth.

At the last trumpet he may or may not have obtained enough righteousness in Christ to clothe himself with incorruptibility. He may be found naked in that day. Whether or not he is brought forward into the Kingdom of God will be determined solely by the evaluation made by the Lord Jesus Christ; for the Father has authorized the Lord Jesus to be Judge and Lord of all men.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #31

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. (I Corinthians 15:54)

When "this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality," it will in fact be the "incorruption," the "immortality" that has been gained from following the Lord. Righteous works that are performed in, through, and by the saint, as Christ enables him to overcome the death against which he struggles continually in the world, result in eternal resurrection life.

In the fourth chapter of II Corinthians, Paul describes how the tribulations that fell on him produced a response of resurrection life from within him:

Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. (II Corinthians 4:10)

The process of victory coming forth from affliction created for Paul a "far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (II Corinthians 4:17).

In the following chapter (II Corinthians, Chapter Five) the "weight of glory" is shown to be a "house" from Heaven, that is, a body that will clothe our present body:

For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (II Corinthians 5:1)

The "building of God," the "house not made with hands," is the "fine linen" of Revelation 19:8, and the "garments of salvation" of Isaiah 61:10.

Paul then goes on to speak of the Judgment Seat of Christ, saying we will receive the things done in our body (II Corinthians 5:10).

If we, through the Lord Jesus Christ, bring forth deeds of righteousness and holiness, these deeds become our incorruptible body of eternal life that will redeem our mortal body at the last trumpet.

If we do not bring forth deeds of righteousness and holiness, do not enter the formation, reconciliation, and union stages of redemption, no body of life has been formed. Therefore it is impossible for us to be changed from corruption into incorruption at the last trumpet.

In the preceding pages we have discussed the timing of the Judgment Seat of Christ, giving our point of view that we are going through judgment now.

There are some verses that give the impression Paul regarded the Judgment Seat of Christ as taking place in the future:

But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. (Romans 14:10)

There are other passages that suggest the Judgment Seat of Christ is taking place now:

Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick [living] and the dead. (I Peter 4:5)

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? (I Peter 4:17)

We would suggest that the Judgment Seat of Christ is not a special trial of Christians that takes place during a (supposed) time period between the first resurrection and the appearing of Christ. The term refers, rather, to the evaluation of every person of the world and takes place at any time Christ chooses. Even the living may be judged (I Peter 4:5).

The Marriage of the Lamb, #30

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. (Isaiah 40:3)

If the believer is lacking in formation, or reconciliation, or union, he is unsuitable as a member of the unblemished Bride of the Lamb. He must ask the Lord to form him, reconcile him, and bring him into union with Himself. Christ is both able and willing to do this.

Christ will perfect us. We must desire perfection with our whole heart. The day of the divided heart is over. From this point forward the way of the Lord must be made straight. Let the holy be holy and the filthy be filthy. Let us make up our mind we are being formed for the sole purpose of being the fullness of Christ. There is no place here for the believer who still is flirting with the demons and attempting to preserve his own life and ways.

The marriage of the Lamb is near and the Bride must make herself ready. Let everyone who is thirsty come and drink; for out of the Bride will flow rivers of living water without price. Blessed is every person who is called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

The bodies of the members of the Bride are redeemed. We find in Revelation 19:8 that the Bride is arrayed in "fine linen." A similar expression occurs in the passage from Isaiah: "He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation."

The fine linen, the garments of salvation, refers to the raising (or changing) of our physical body into a state of incorruptibility.

It is important to note that the "fine linen" is the "righteousness (actually, righteousnesses, or righteous acts) of saints." The fine linen is not that of imputed (ascribed) righteousness but of righteous works — works that have taken place because of the Life of Christ that has been formed in us and is dwelling in us. Every righteous act proceeding from the Life of Christ in our personality directly affects the body we shall receive in the day of resurrection. Every wicked act proceeding from Satan and our adamic nature also affects the body we shall receive in the day of resurrection unless through the Spirit of God we confess our sin and turn away from it.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #29

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11)

The coming days will be so filled with spiritual darkness, delusion, and terrors of every description that only the believers who are filled with God will be able to stand. As the darkness becomes increasingly intense the light of God's Presence in the true saints will become increasingly bright. God will reveal His Glory in us and we shall see Him and live by Him.

The darkness and the glory will grow in power until finally, at the time of greatest darkness, the fullness of the Lord's Glory will be revealed in His people. The saints will be as lights on the earth. Then the Lord will be revealed from Heaven and the lesser lights on the earth will be gathered up to be joined with the greater Light in the air.

The formation, reconciliation, and union stages are the internal development of the Kingdom of God. The manifestation stage is the external revelation of the Kingdom of God.

The formation, reconciliation, and union stages take place in the Spirit of God. They do not operate in the physical world but in the realm of the Spirit. This is why the woman "clothed with the sun," the Bride of the Lamb, is a great sign, not on the earth but in the heaven.

The manifestation stage is the "with" stage — not only in, but also with. The "with" stage is the emergence of the Kingdom of God from the spirit realm into the material realm. Christ Himself will be seen by every eye and the sons of God will be revealed. This is the coming of the Kingdom of God spoken of by John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus.

Today we cannot see Jesus as He is. The reason we cannot see Jesus as He is, is that we are not like Him. When we are like Him in internal spiritual life, are one with Him and the Father, and have been glorified in external appearance, we shall be able to behold Him as He is. This joy is yet ahead of us.

The inner life and nature of the Kingdom of God must be perfected before we can enter the external life and nature of the Kingdom, before we can be associated with the Lord Jesus in His glory.

The Lord Jesus yearns for His Bride, that she may be with Him. For Him to take her now would be useless. She is not like Him in internal substance, nature, or life. She is filled with soulish, fleshly death, with her old ways of sin, rebellion, and lawlessness.

Christ must come to her and hurl shafts of eternal life into her, driving out the old, dead personality and ways and causing His Divine Substance to penetrate and transform every atom of her being. The Lamb is gloriously alive and He desires that His Life fill His Bride.

What pleasure can she be to Him, what can He do with her, while she is filled with the corruption and death of the soul and flesh? She is not suitable as a completion or helper while she abides in her uncleanness, spiritual sluggishness, and immaturity.

She must be brought into such total, complete, restful union with Himself that the two lives become one. She must become Him — bone of His bones, and flesh of His flesh. When He sees her He must be beholding Himself.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #28

Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? (John 14:22)

There is a personal coming of Christ to the faithful believer. The personal coming takes place before Christ's coming in the clouds of heaven. It cannot be witnessed by the world. It is the coming of the Lord to us in the spiritual fulfillment of the old-covenant feast of Tabernacles. This experience is as real as being born again, as real as the baptism with the Holy Spirit. It is the third work of grace and it prepares us for the worldwide coming of the Lord.

As we stated before, the personal coming of the Lord is beginning now and will increase in revelation and power throughout the great tribulation. The personal coming will attain its climax in the revealing of the Lord from Heaven with His saints. The personal coming is for the purpose of building the inner kingdom of God. The inner kingdom of God will come to the Lord's firstfruits before the external Kingdom is revealed to the world.

Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John 14:23)

The first major work of redemption is repentance, being washed in the blood of the Lord Jesus, and being born again of the Divine Nature of Christ.

The third major work of redemption is the entering of the Father and the Son into us through the Spirit. It is this third work that is being emphasized in the present hour by the Spirit. Those of us who have been saved and filled with God's Spirit are to press forward until we are filled with all the Fullness of God.

The experience of Pentecost is that of the rain of the Spirit coming upon us. God pours out His Spirit on "all flesh."

The spiritual fulfillment of the Old Testament feast of Tabernacles is an individual work. It is the developing of a well of water, so to speak, in the believer who "follows on to know the Lord."

Notice what Jesus declared while the Jews were celebrating the feast of Tabernacles:

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (John 7:38)

Notice also what the priest chanted during the observance of the feast of Tabernacles:

Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. (Isaiah 12:3)

It is God's will that each of His saints become a well of the waters of eternal life so that throughout the darkness to come, whoever chooses to do so may drink and receive the Life of God. During the age of oppression that even now is beginning there will be deliverance in Mount Zion, that is, in the true Church of Christ.

Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God. (Psalms 84:6,7)

The Marriage of the Lamb, #27

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. (John 14:21)

All the workings of God in us are to bring us to the place where it is no longer we who are living but Christ who is living in us.

The error of the "rapture" teaching is that it seeks to gain entrance into the external kingdom before the internal kingdom has been perfected.

It is disastrous to bring people into the Presence of Christ until the Presence of Christ has been brought into them. The fleshly believers will never understand this and will fall deeper and deeper into deception. In the last days the worldly believers will persecute the true saints viciously.

It is taught commonly among Christians that if we believe in Christ we are not required to keep the commandments He gave us, as recorded in the four Gospel accounts, or that the Apostles set forth in their writings. We ought to try to observe them, but since we are saved by grace through faith there is no penalty for failing to keep Christ's commandments diligently.

And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. (I John 2:3)

And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 12:17)

Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. (Revelation 14:12)

Concerning the last two verses, the argument is made that these are Jewish believers in that they keep the commandments of God.

But when Paul wrote concerning the fact that we are not saved by works but by faith in Christ he was addressing Jewish believers. Therefore, claiming that it is Jewish believers who must keep the commandments of God is not logical. It was Jewish believers to whom the grace of God first came!

The truth is, those of us who have the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ are supposed to be keeping the commandments set forth in the writings of the New Testament. The division between Jewish believers in Christ and Gentile believers in Christ that is taught today is unscriptural. It has proceeded from fleshly thinking. Such a division is specifically contrary to the teachings of the Apostle Paul concerning the one Israel, the one family of God.

The evidence we love Christ is that we keep His commandments. There is no true faith in Christ that does not keep the commandments of Christ. Such a barren "faith" is not faith at all but a mental acceptance of theological truth. There is no redemption, no Kingdom of God in it.

When we, through His grace, diligently do what Jesus instructed us to do, and what Paul commanded us to do as well as the other Apostles of the Lord, then we truly love Jesus. He who loves Jesus will be loved by the Father. Jesus will love that individual and will reveal Himself to Him. This is the beginning of the union stage of the marriage of the Lamb.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #26

A thorough work of transformation and reconciliation must be performed in us before we are able to see Him as He is, to be with Him where He is.

There may be spirits in the heavenly realm who see the Lord Jesus from afar off, in a diminished glory. But the Wife of the Lamb is being called into that holy Fire who is Christ — the Lord of Israel. We are being created "bone of His bones and flesh of His flesh." Everything we are and do is undergoing change from mortal soul and flesh into the eternal fire of the life-giving spirits.

We shall behold the Glory of God just as He is and not be consumed. We are being created the eternal completion of Christ who Himself is the Fullness of the Glory.

This is why we are not to complain or become impatient because of our fiery trials. If Christ was required to learn obedience through the things He suffered, what will be true in our case?

Christ comes to us through the Spirit and personally supervises our transformation and purification.

This is a real coming of the Lord to the believer, not merely a figure of speech. Jesus comes to us and enters us in the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles. This experience will increase in substance throughout the great tribulation period causing us finally to be filled with Christ, and the Father in Him.

The indwelling fullness will be made manifest at the "marriage of the Lamb." Then the nations of the earth for the first time will realize it was the Father who sent Christ, and that He has glorified His saints and loves them just as He loves Christ.

Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. (John 14:19)

We see the Lord faintly now, but as the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles increases in power we will be able to see Christ with ever-greater clarity. Also, the external tribulations and pressures will become so intense we shall have to depend on His Life to enable us to survive. We shall learn to lean on the Lord Jesus and to look to Him for every aspect of our personality and actions.

Trouble is soon to come. With it will come revelation and glory if we truly are serving the Lord and are not caught up in the "Laodicean" errors of the churches.

At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. (John 14:20)

The expression "at that day" refers to the Day of the Lord. Whenever the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles begins to come to maturity in us, the characteristics of the Day of the Lord are revealed in our personality.

"The Lord alone shall be exalted in that day." In the Day of the Lord, Christ is All and in all and God in Him. We rest in Him. He is our Salvation. He is our Joy. He Himself is our Strength, our Peace, our Wisdom, our Sanctification, our Song.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #25

In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (John 14:2)

The union of the Lamb and His Wife, which is the spiritual fulfillment of the Old Testament feast of Tabernacles, is proclaimed by the Lord Jesus in the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of John.

"In my Father's house there are many abodes." The house, the dwelling place of God, is a major topic of the Scriptures. The eternal house, the temple, the tabernacle of the Father is Christ — Head and Body. There is no other house of the Father.

God dwells in the Lord Jesus Christ and in the hearts of the saints. He never again will dwell in temples made with hands. Christ is the chief Cornerstone, and we are the living stones, of the eternal Temple of God.

In Christ there are many abodes. Because there is a double abiding (we abide in Christ and Christ abides in us), both Christ and we must be prepared. A place must be prepared in Christ for us and a place must be prepared in us for Christ.

While the Lord Jesus Christ walked as a man on the earth it was impossible for us to dwell in Him or Him to dwell in us. He was not prepared and we were not prepared.

Christ went to the cross. His side was pierced, symbolizing the opening to us of the way into the House of God. He ascended into Heaven, there to sprinkle His atoning blood before the Presence of the Father. The sprinkling of the atoning blood made it possible for sinful man to enter the Most Holy Place in prayer.

By means of Christ's atoning death and triumphant resurrection, a place in Christ, in the Father's Temple, has been prepared for the believer. No such place was available prior to Christ's death and resurrection.

Now the Lord Jesus is coming to us, in the spiritual fulfillment of the Levitical Day of Atonement, in order to prepare us for His dwelling in us. Christ is our dwelling place and Christ is the Father's dwelling place.

We enter the Father's House when we enter Christ. Christ, and only Christ, is the Dwelling Place of Almighty God. By becoming a living stone in the eternal Temple that is Christ, we become an abode in the House of God.

The new Jerusalem is the eternal Tabernacle of God. There is no temple in the new Jerusalem because the glorified city itself is the House of God, the Church, the Wife of the Lamb, the fullness of Christ.

. . . I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:3)

The coming of the Lord begins the moment we first are drawn to the Lord Jesus by the Father, and will be fully revealed when the Lord appears in and with us at His appearing to the world. Receiving us to Himself to the extent we are able to dwell with Him where He is, in the bosom of the Father, requires the works of formation and reconciliation we have mentioned already.

The immature believers of today are hoping they suddenly will be caught up into God's Presence. It is the Father's love that prevents this from happening. Christ is a consuming Fire. Were we suddenly to be drawn into His Presence, our human personality would be burned up in a moment.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #24

He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. (Matthew 26:42)

If Jesus were praying to Himself in Gethsemane, we have a Godhead that is impossible to comprehend. If Jesus was praying to the One whom He always obeyed, to His Father in Heaven, we have a Godhead we can comprehend. We can comprehend a Father, a Son, and a Spirit who are One in Being, Substance, and Nature but who are three Persons.

The reason we can comprehend this is that we are being created an eternal part of the same Oneness. This is what the marriage of the Lamb is. It is nothing less than the bringing of us into union with Christ as He dwells in eternal union with the Father.

We become one with Him in Being, Substance, and Nature. Yet, He remains distinct from us and greater than us. He loses His individuality in favor of becoming one with us, and we lose our individuality in favor of becoming one with Him. Christ is Christ, and we remain ourselves.

Paul said, "I am not living, nevertheless I am living. Yet it is not I who am living but Christ who is living in me." The Lord Jesus spoke the same thing concerning Himself and the Father: "The words I am speaking, the deeds I am performing, are not proceeding from Me but from the Father who is dwelling in Me."

It is relatively easy to understand the Godhead, and our being made One with Christ in the Godhead, if we believe and hold to what the Scriptures teach. If we delve into theological statements we will become hopelessly confused.

Theology often is the attempt of the mind and soul of man to comprehend Divinity. Only confusion and failure can result. Divinity is experienced by our re-created spiritual nature. The Life of Jesus is the Light that illumines the Godhead to our new spiritual nature. The mind of the soul is at enmity with God and cannot comprehend the things of God.

In addition, the Scriptures came as holy men of God were moved by the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures cannot be interpreted correctly by people, no matter how scholarly, if they are not holy and moved by the Holy Spirit of God. The modern translations have a few misleading passages because the translators do not have the Spirit of revelation in the things of God.

That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. (John 17:21-23)

These three verses mean what they state. We are being made one in the Son and the Father just as the Son and the Father are One. We are being created as an integral, eternal part of God. This is marriage to Christ, the Son of God. This is what the Scriptures declare. This is what is true. It is wonderful beyond belief but understandable. Let us accept the statement as it stands.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #23

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:3)

In the reconciliation stage the King, the Lord Jesus, comes to us and begins to receive us to Himself. He being what He is, and we being what we are, a reconciliation process is necessary. We are reconciled to Him, and He to us, by a change in what we are. Christ does not change. He is perfect, having been made so through suffering (Hebrews 2:10). Now we must be made perfect through suffering.

As the transformation from dead soul to life-giving spirit takes place in us, the Lord Jesus Himself comes to us through the Spirit in the union stage. This is not a change in what we ourselves are, as is true of the formation stage, but a coming to us of the Person of Christ. He comes to be with us, to dwell in us, to prepare a dwelling place for God. We are being created as the eternal Temple of God.

It is true that the Lord Jesus is in Heaven at the right hand of God and is making intercession for us. It is true also that Jesus comes to the saint, through the Spirit, and personally supervises the completing and perfecting of the Temple of God, the Wife of the Lamb, the new Jerusalem.

When the Scripture teaches that the Lord comes to us through the Spirit it does not mean the Spirit comes as a substitute for the Lord; it means that Jesus Himself comes through the Presence of the Spirit, rather than in Person as a separate Being as will be true at His coming to the earth.

None of Them is an individual for the Three are One. We ourselves are learning to forsake our individuality in favor of being made an eternal, integral part of that Oneness. However, neither we nor They ever lose our identity. The Father is the Father. The Son is the Son. The Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit. There are three Persons who are One in Divine Being, Substance, and Nature.

Yet they are distinct as to identity. The Father did not cry out to the Son, "Not My will but Yours be done." The Holy Spirit was not slain for our sins. The Father did not learn obedience to the Son. The Father is greater than the Son. When the creation has been made subject to the Son, the Son will be subject to the Father so God may be All in all (I Corinthians 15:28).

The reason we are emphasizing the distinctness of the Persons of the Godhead is that it is impossible for us to understand the marriage of the Lamb, particularly the union stage, unless we perceive that the Godhead consists of three distinct Persons who are One in Being, Substance, and Nature but who are distinct as to identity.

If we view the Godhead as one Person in three manifestations such that distinctness of personality is impossible, the marriage of the Lamb cannot be comprehended fully. If it is true that the Father and the Son are the same Person, much of the New Testament is incoherent. If Jesus is the Father and not the Son of the Father, the Scriptures may be a theologian's delight but they are a jumble of confusion to the average believer.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #22

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; (Romans 5:3)

Compare your life before your suffering and after your suffering. You may notice an increase in godliness, in faith, in peace, in compassion. Tribulation produces patience. Patience is one of the principal characteristics of the Kingdom of God. Or, if you have blamed people or circumstances for your suffering you may have become bitter.

The cross we carry teaches us to wait patiently for the Lord. Those who are impatient seek to avoid the cross. They want to have their desires fulfilled now. The "faith" teachers promise instant gratification by faith. The way of impatience and grasping is the way of Satan. The way of cross-carrying obedience and patience is the way of God — the way of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Wait patiently on the Lord. Pray fervently. Ask God to deliver you according to His holy will. As much as you are able, refrain from complaining and blaming people for your discomfort. Do not become angry or impatient with God. Jesus will pray for you that your faith does not fail.

Remember this: the day will come when your warfare has been accomplished, your iniquity pardoned. The day will arrive when God says, "Enough." The day will come when your cross will be lifted from your shoulder and you will enter green pastures. Peace and righteousness in the Presence of the Lord will be your portion.

The brush of the most gifted artist, the pen of the most talented writer, could never portray the glory that will be given to the believer who keeps plodding ahead faithfully through the flames and floods that are sent to purify the Wife of the Lamb. These troubles help her wash her robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb. The overcomer inherits all things, and God is his God, and he is God's son.

When the three Hebrew children came forth from the furnace, only their bonds were destroyed. The same is true of the members of the Wife of the Lamb.

So far we have discussed the formation stage and the reconciliation stage of the marriage of the Lamb. In the formation stage the Substance of Christ is given us through the Spirit and we pass through repeated deaths and resurrections until our first personality passes away and in its place stands a new creation, a life-giving spirit (I Corinthians 15:45). This is "Christ in us" in the sense of being a transformation of what we ourselves are. It is a recreation of our personality from a dead soul into a life-giving spirit. Christ is a life-giving Spirit and He must be wed to what is like Himself in Substance and Nature.

Eve was created as the completion of Adam. She was created as his flesh and bone. No other destiny was available to her. We are being created as the completion of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are being created from His body and blood. We can never experience that for which we have been created until we have been joined eternally to the Lord Jesus.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #21

My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; (Song of Solomon 2:10-12)

If it were true that to overcome merely is to confess Christ; that our only work is to believe; that to behave righteously is desirable but not of critical importance because when God looks at us He sees only the righteousness of the Lamb; that we will receive neither the good nor the evil we have done because God no longer sees us or our behavior but only the righteousness of His Son in us; then most of the exhortations of the New Testament from the beginning of Matthew to the last chapter of Revelation do not apply to us.

The concept of the blood-covering is scriptural in its context but it has been carried to an extent neither Christ nor Paul ever suggested. When faith is not balanced by righteous behavior we have a destructive error.

We hope by the foregoing words to have supported our emphasis on the reconciliation stage of the marriage of the Lamb. It is time for the Bride of the Lamb to awaken and wash her robes in the blood. It is time for the Bride to come out (in a spiritual sense) from the babylonish (manmade, man-centered, man-directed) confusion of the churches and to seek her Lord.

The winter is over and past. The time of the singing of birds has come. Can you hear His voice? He is calling to you. He wants you to be without spot or wrinkle. If you will go with Him He will make you His spotless bride.

"It is time. It is time. It is time. Arise, Bride of the Lamb, go with your Husband. He has come for you."

The marriage of the Lamb contains a formation stage and also a reconciliation stage. The reconciliation stage is the coming of the King to us in fulfillment of the old covenant Blowing of Trumpets and Day of Atonement to cleanse us from all rebellion and lawlessness.

We have pointed out that such judging and cleansing cannot take place when the Lord appears, for we will appear with Him in glory (Colossians 3:4). How could we appear with Christ in glory before we have passed before the Judgment Seat of Christ, before we have been reconciled to Him completely and perfectly?

Perhaps the reader is going through just such a season of fiery trials. You are seeking the Lord to the best of your ability but are undergoing prolonged difficulties. No explanation has been given as to the reason for them and it is not possible to determine how long they will last. Problem is heaped upon problem until it seems impossible to bear them any longer.

Keep in mind what the Apostle Peter said: "the righteous scarcely be saved" (I Peter 4:18). Judgment begins with the household of God, and even those who are close to the Lord are saved with difficulty. Your fiery trials are "saving" you. You are being redeemed by judgment. You are being reconciled to the Lamb by the tribulations you are suffering.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #20

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. (II Peter 2:20,21)

They did not maintain their good work of following the Lord Jesus Christ. They turned back into the pollutions of the world. They drew back from the way of righteousness. They turned away from the holy commandment.

Did they stop believing in Christ? Maybe they did or maybe they did not. Perhaps they continued to live in the terror of Divine judgment as they wallowed in the cesspool of the flesh. We have known some of whom this was true. The point is, they stopped serving the Lord. Our behavior is the evidence of the state of our faith. Faith apart from works is dead.

It is our behavior, our works, that Christ judges, not our faith. Or rather we should say, Christ judges our faith by our works. The eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews, which is the "faith chapter" of the Scriptures, is a record of the works of righteous men and women. It describes what they did, not their doctrinal position.

The teaching that the Christian salvation primarily is a covering of us with Christ's righteousness, and therefore how we behave is not critical, is expanded to mean that "to overcome" is to believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? (I John 5:5)

The second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation have the most to say about the victorious saints. The one statement Christ made to each of the churches is "I know thy works." These two chapters refer to the behavior of the Christians, not to their doctrinal position.

First John 5:5 means if we believe that Jesus is the Son of God we will be able to overcome the world, not that it is the belief itself that is the overcoming (except in the sense that to maintain true faith enables us to overcome the lusts and malice of the world). True belief in the Lord Jesus is the basis for, and results in, overcoming the world. Belief is not an alternative to actually overcoming the lusts of the world. If such were the case, the verse would contradict the context of I John.

This does not mean being born of God is the overcoming of the world, it means that whatever is born of God will fight against the world until the world has been overcome.

Faith is the victory that overcomes the world because through faith we are able to follow Christ rather than the ways of the world. True faith always enables the believer to achieve victory over the world, over sin, and over self-will. Apart from faith we cannot overcome the world.

According to the same writer, John, we overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of our testimony, and by loving not our life to the point of death (Revelation 12:11).

The Marriage of the Lamb, #19

And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. (Revelation 22:12)

The idea of this verse is that each individual will be rewarded specifically in terms of his work.

Because Jesus declared (John 6:29) that the work of God is that we believe in the One whom God sent, are we to maintain, therefore, that all that is required of us is that we believe that Jesus is Christ? — that the Christian work is only to believe in the Divinity and claims of Jesus? Such a conclusion could be reached from scattered verses but it is in opposition to the greater part of the writings of the Apostles. It is to remove John 6:29 from its context and ignore the bulk of the admonitions of the New Testament. It is the practice of cultists, not of saints, to seize on a few verses and from them develop a body of faith and practice.

The abominable, the sorcerers, the immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and the liars are not allowed into the new Jerusalem (Revelation 22:15). Can a liar enter the new Jerusalem by believing in Christ? Can he gain the right to the tree of life apart from performing the commandments of God (Revelation 22:14)?

Contemporary Christian teaching answers, "Emphatically, yes!" The Scriptures thunder, "Never!"

"But what about the thief on the cross," those who want an excuse to sin may ask.

We know nothing about the thief on the cross except that Christ promised him he would be with the Lord in Paradise (not in the Kingdom of God) that day. We do not know what events had brought him to that point; what covenants he had made in his heart with God; what crying out and repenting he had done.

(The disobedient Saul and his sons went to be with the Prophet Samuel in the regions of the dead — I Samuel 28:19.)

We do know that numerous "believers," desiring to worship Satan throughout their lifetime and then "receive Christ" in a deathbed conversion, have comforted themselves and others with the story of the thief on the cross, not understanding what Jesus meant by His statement that the thief would be with Him in Paradise. All such will receive their due reward.

The Holy Spirit does not intend that Christ's goodness to the thief on the cross be used to cancel the warnings of the New Testament.

The doctrine that the Christian redemption primarily is a covering with Christ's righteousness is expanded to include the idea that once we are "saved" we cannot be lost because God no longer sees what we are or what we do. We are saved by "grace" and our works have nothing to do with it.

Sometimes it is taught that such individuals never were truly "saved." This argument is weak.

The Scripture states they have escaped the pollution of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Christ. They have known the way of righteousness. Obviously this is referring to true Christians.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #18

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)

Paul is saying to believers in Christ of the churches of Galatia, as he wrote also to the believers in the other churches, that if they continue in sin they will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

"But," our fellow Christians may protest, "those who live a sinful life never were saved in the first place."

This is their argument. What they are saying when they respond in this manner is a true Christian is identified by a righteous, holy, and obedient life and that apart from godliness there is no salvation.

No matter how we turn and twist, the Divine truth is facing us: those who practice sin will reap death, whether or not they believe in Christ. They shall not inherit the Kingdom of God!

The current Christian teaching that the Gospel of Christ is the covering of men's sins so they can enter the glories of the Kingdom of God apart from any transformation of their personalities, any ceasing from sin, any conversion into the image of Christ, is false. It is destructive of the Kingdom of God in men.

Grace is not a waiving of the Divine requirement of righteous behavior. There is a grace period to be sure, but after that the necessary obligations must be assumed. This is true of any business transaction.

Faith from which no righteous works proceed is a dead faith. Righteous works are the life of true faith. Where Christ is there is righteous behavior. If Christ indeed is in us a new creation is coming into view. The true Christian keeps Christ's commandments (I John 2:4).

And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. (Revelation 2:23)

To maintain the above verse is not referring to "Gentiles who are saved by grace" is to fumble about ineptly in doctrinal chaos. The truth is, this verse does away with the current teaching that Christianity primarily is imputed (assigned) righteousness.

There is another consideration. The Spirit warned us not to tamper with the Book of Revelation (Revelation 22:18,19). The contemporary doctrine makes the words of Christ of no effect. Why should any "saved Gentile" take heed to Revelation 2:23 if he is covered eternally with Christ's righteousness and God cannot see his deeds? It makes the clear warnings of the Book of Revelation of no effect.

The doctrine that salvation is only a covering is expanded to include the idea that all Christians will receive the same reward, our behavior being of no consequence. This is in opposition to the words of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #17

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, (Ephesians 4:1)

That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; (Colossians 1:10)

That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. (I Thessalonians 2:12)

The prevalent and unscriptural thinking that underlies much of the current Christian preaching and teaching is that Christ alone is worthy and we are clothed with that worthiness, that we need not be overly concerned with our behavior or with the Judgment Seat of Christ because we are "saved by grace through faith."

"Saved by grace through faith" is interpreted to mean that God, in His love and mercy, having decided that man is hopelessly corrupt, has extended to him an eternal amnesty. God forgives man because of Christ's substitutionary death on the cross, with the intention of bringing man to Heaven where he never again will have to choose between good and evil.

This is the basis of Christian theology and it is largely erroneous and destructive of the Kingdom of God. It is not, by any means, the original Gospel of the Kingdom of God. The current thinking is that there are no rewards for our works because God does not regard our works. Once we are "saved" we cannot be lost because God does not see what we are or what we do. This in spite of clear scriptural teaching to the contrary.

Let us consider for a moment the concept that our behavior is not critical to our salvation because we are covered with the righteousness and worthiness of Christ.

In his writings the Apostle Paul warned the saints that those who persist in sinning will not inherit the Kingdom of God. These warnings are inconsistent with the teaching that God does not regard the behavior of Christians.

After enumerating the sinful practices of the flesh, Paul says to "the churches of Galatia":

. . . they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:21)

Why will they not inherit the Kingdom of God? Because they have practiced adultery and the other works of the flesh.

If they continue in the works of the flesh they cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, whether or not they are professing Christians. Thus the purpose of redemption is not only, or even primarily, to cover people with the righteousness of Christ, it is to change them so they have both the desire and the ability to do good works.

One of two things is true: either current doctrine is incorrect, or Paul is not speaking to people who have been saved, who have believed in Christ.

It is obvious that the fifth chapter of the Book of Galatians is speaking to Christians. By no means is Paul teaching that if the unsaved commit adultery they will not inherit the Kingdom of God. The converse of this would be that if the unsaved ceased from the works of the flesh they would inherit the Kingdom of God.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #16

Perhaps many of the rewards set forth in the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation are given us now in the reality of the spirit realm although the outward manifestation of them is not present as yet.

How true it is that God is not mocked! We receive the consequences of what we practice. This is the fundamental Kingdom law of sowing and reaping.

The attempt to evade the Kingdom law of sowing and reaping is based on a misinterpretation of the arguments of the Apostle Paul against the Judaizers.

It is true that the principle of compensating righteousness we have mentioned permits us to escape the full consequences of what we have sown. But the Kingdom law of sowing and reaping never was set aside. Christ on the cross reaped what mankind has sown.

The Lord never intended that the Divine pardon should be used permanently as the means by which rebellious, lawless people can sow sin and reap eternal life. Rather, the Divine pardon operates to enable us to approach God as a sinner, receive eternal life, and then go forth in the Spirit to become a new creation.

In the meantime, much tribulation comes on our rebellious, lawless personality in order to transform us from corrupt souls into life-giving spirits. We suffer so we will cease from sin.

. . . for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; (I Peter 4:1)

There is a difference between the concept that the blood of Christ is a covering of righteousness placed on us so God can give us the glory of the Kingdom no matter how rebellious and lawless we are, and the concept that the blood of Christ is a covering of righteousness on us while God transforms us until we are worthy of the Kingdom, until we are suitable to be members of the Wife of the Lamb.

The first concept is the prevailing doctrine and it appears to date back to the Protestant Reformers. It is erroneous and has produced moral chaos. The second concept is scriptural. If we follow its guiding principle we will be transformed from rebellious, lawless individuals into people who live righteous, holy, and obedient lives in the Presence of the Lord. The blood will have accomplished its purpose of redeeming us from the hand of the enemy.

What about the statement the righteous shall live by faith? Doesn't that mean we are saved by our profession of belief in Christ apart from any conversion into righteous behavior on our part?

No, it does not. "The just shall live by faith" means we are to live by faith in God, not by our own wisdom and strength. The faith is in the trustworthiness of the character of God. It matters little whether the individual has a completely correct understanding of doctrinal issues. The believer who is living in true faith in Christ is diligently seeking to walk by the Spirit of God. He is being changed into the image of the Glory of the Lord (II Corinthians 3:18).

Much of what is practiced in the Christian churches of our day is not of the Lord. It has more of the characteristics of Babylon, Laodicea, and the False Prophet than it does of Christ.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #15

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27)

We are stating here that the Judgment Seat of Christ is part of the reconciliation stage of the marriage of the Lamb. It is not possible for us to be raised from the dead, to be changed into an immortal being, to ascend to meet the Lord and be ever with Him, to enter marriage with Him, shining in glory before all the world, and after that receive the bad we have practiced in our body (II Corinthians 5:10).

The members of the Wife of the Lamb must be made manifest before the Judgment Seat of Christ prior to the first resurrection from the dead. We must be revealed now — in the present hour — before the Judgment Seat of Christ.

Is it scriptural that the household of God is to be judged in advance of the world?

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? (I Peter 4:17)

Yes, but consider that the death into which the true saint is brought, in being made conformable to Christ's death, is a true death. Although it is not a physical death, it is a genuine death of our first personality. The Spirit is bringing us to the point where we can say, "It is not I who am living but Christ who is living in me."

As we are brought down to death by the Spirit of God the work of judgment commences.

Yes, we do. From the bad we are practicing comes the tribulation we experience. This tribulation results from the judgment passed on our personality by the Lord. We suffer pain in this world (and no doubt in the next) because of the rebellion and lawlessness in us. This is the meaning of the fourth chapter of I Peter.

So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: (II Thessalonians 1:4,5)

What are our persecutions and tribulations? They are "a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God." They are God's judgment upon us.

God sends fiery judgments on us for the purpose of burning sin out of us so we may be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God. We are suffering so we may enter the Kingdom of God. We suffer so we will cease from sin (I Peter 4:1). The righteous are saved with difficulty as they work out their salvation with fear and trembling.

How about the good we have done. Do we receive the good also? Yes, we do. We do not always witness the outward manifestation of our rewards during our lifetime on the earth. We receive our rewards spiritually, and they enable us to pass from glory to glory in spiritual authority and life while we yet are in the world.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #14

. . . that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (II Corinthians 5:10)

At the Judgment Seat the believer receives the consequences of the good things he has done and the bad things he has done. The issue is not that of good and less good, as is taught commonly, but of good and bad. The Judgment Seat of Christ has to do with the evaluation of the good we have done and the evil we have done.

Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; . . . . (II Corinthians 5:11)

To hold that the Judgment Seat of Christ is an awards ceremony is not consistent with the New Testament usage of the term beema, the express statement of the verse, or the context. Paul's exhortation continues, in II Corinthians, until he says:

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. (II Corinthians 6:17)

Also, in Romans, Chapter 14, in a discussion of holy living, Paul exhorts the stronger believers to cease judging their weaker brothers, for the weak will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ and be judged concerning their holiness or lack of it (Romans 14:10).

Every knee will bow to Christ and every one of us will give an account of himself to God (Romans 14:11,12), concerning not only our Christian service but also all we have done in the body. According to Paul, the day will come when all the deeds of the believer will be brought forth into the light, just as the five kings of the Amorites were brought forth from the cave of Makkedah.

It is evident, then, that being clothed with the righteousness of Christ holds true under a specific condition. It is not an eternal amnesty we obtain by confessing that Jesus is Lord and believing in our heart that God has raised Him from the dead. We fall into error when we receive only a part of the counsel of God.

The specific condition is that we are obeying God. As long as we are walking in obedience, walking in the light of God's will for us, the blood of the Lord Jesus serves as a compensating righteousness that makes up the difference between what we are and practice and the standards of Divine righteousness.

As we follow the Spirit of God, putting to death the deeds of our body, the Divine Nature that is entering us is creating in us the standard of Divine righteousness. Meanwhile the blood-covering makes up the difference.

If we persevere in following the Lord our behavior finally will attain the quality of righteousness and holiness necessary for immortality in the body when the Lord appears. This is what Paul means by "attain unto the resurrection of the dead" (Philippians 3:11).

The concept of the blood-covering serving as a compensating righteousness while we are being transformed into the image of Christ is the central concept of the new covenant. It is radically different from the currently-expressed doctrine that the blood-covering is an eternal screen that prevents God from witnessing the actual personalities and behaviors of His children.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #13

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (II Corinthians 5:10)

Obviously, if God does not see the behavior of the believers but only the righteousness of His Son, and if this condition holds true at the Judgment Seat of Christ, then it is not possible for the Christian to receive the bad he has practiced in his body.

In defense of their position, some Christians claim that the Judgment Seat (beema ) of Christ is the place where the believers receive only their rewards for their works of Christian service. This is not accurate, for two reasons: one, the verse includes receiving the bad we have practiced; and two, the term beema is used consistently in the New Testament to mean a court before which persons accused of crimes are brought. It never is used as a place where contestants receive laurel wreaths. Jesus was brought before the beema of Pilate.

We know from the Scriptures that when any person receives Christ as his Savior, His past sins are washed away. We know also that God covers him with the blood of Christ so he is as righteous as though he never had sinned. We know this is true. It is the foundation stone of the Divine redemption. This part of current teaching is scriptural.

The extension of this concept to mean that all the aspects of our inheritance, including marriage to the Lamb, are imputed (legally assigned) to us for eternity while we remain unchanged, is not scriptural.

The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy — all in the Holy Spirit. If the only righteousness of the Kingdom is that which is legally assigned to us, then the peace and joy of the Kingdom would also be legally assigned to us rather than experienced, and we certainly would not desire this! If the peace and joy are actual, then the righteousness is actual and not merely imputed.

Christian teachers sometimes state that "the things done in his body" (II Corinthians 5:10) refers to works of service and not to moral behavior, not to sin.

If such were the case, how could the believer receive the bad practiced in his body, unless we consider the absence of works of service as the "bad" that Paul mentions. In that instance, are we saying that the absence of Christian service is not a moral transgression? Jesus commanded that the man who had wasted his talent be cast into the outer darkness. He received the bad he had practiced while in his body. Lack of service, or improper service, leaves the offender spiritually naked in the Day of Christ — and sometimes subject to severe chastisement!

Let us consider the verse once again. Is it referring to rewards for Christian service, or is it referring to righteousness and unrighteousness?

. . . that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (II Corinthians 5:10)

The Marriage of the Lamb, #12

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (II Corinthians 3:18)

This does not mean God brings to our attention the sins we committed before we became Christians. The guilt of our sins is gone forever provided we follow Christ.

There is a double work. First, the Lord forgives the sins of the past and covers our sinful personality. He no longer "sees" our sinful personality because of the righteousness of the blood of the Lamb.

However, the Kingdom of God does not consist of people who have rebellious and lawless personalities that the Lord cannot see because they are protected by the blood of Christ. Such a condition is temporary, being a necessary beginning phase of the Divine redemption.

The new covenant primarily is one of transformation. It is not primarily a covenant of forgiveness (Hebrews 8:8-12) although it often is preached as such today.

The Lord forgives us initially so He may proceed with the work of creating us in the image of Christ, for it is to such transformation that we have been predestined (Romans 8:29).

This double work, first a forgiveness, and then a bringing out and slaying of evil, is typified by Joshua's tactic with the five kings of the Amorites.

First, Joshua imprisoned the five kings in the cave at Makkedah (Joshua 10:18). The rolling of stones against the mouth of the cave portrays the covering of our lawless personality by the atoning blood of the Lord Jesus.

At a later time Joshua brought out the five kings and slew them (Joshua 10:26). This typifies the work of judgment and reconciliation, the baptism with fire that the saint experiences as he follows the Lord.

At this point in our study we have come to what, from our point of view, is one of the principal errors in Christian theology. This one error has kept the churches of Christ in a state of babyhood.

The error is in viewing the salvation that is in Christ as only a forgiving and covering of us so God cannot see our sinfulness. It is taught that God no longer sees the kind of person we are but only the righteousness of His Son, Christ. This commonly is held to be a perpetual, eternal state, rather than what it is, a temporary legal device while we are being transformed.

There are many fine Christians who follow the Lord into powerful ministry and spiritual maturity even though their doctrine is limited. We think multitudes more would profit from the correct understanding of the Divine redemption.

As we work outward from this commonly-held concept, in the drawing of conclusions and in application, a part of the writings of the Apostles becomes unintelligible.

If God no longer sees us but only the righteousness of His Son, we need have no fear at the Judgment Seat of Christ — and this is what many Christians are teaching. Their conclusion is consistent with their fundamental concept.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #11

Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. (Hosea 6:1)

Many of the Lord's people of today need to understand that the Lord brings judgment on us. It is happening to them and they cannot understand the reason for it. The false prophets of our day are teaching that if the believer is not healthy and prosperous, he is out of the Lord's will. According to this false teaching, the believer has two problems: the fact of his suffering, and then the guilt of displeasing the Lord (so he imagines).

It appears that many Christian people are passing through Divine judgment without any idea of what is taking place in their lives. They do not know whether they are backsliding, or Satan is attacking them, or just what is happening. They could profit more from the Lord's chastening if they understood that all whom the Lord receives must undergo prolonged chastening before they receive the peace and righteousness they are seeking (Hebrews 12:5-11).

The reconciliation stage is set forth in type in the Old Testament Day of Atonement (Leviticus, Chapter 16).

After the feast of Pentecost there were three final feasts celebrated in one month (see Leviticus, Chapter 23 for the seven feasts of the Lord):

The feasts of the Lord speak of Christ, of the kingdom-wide acts of God, and also of the work of redemption in the individual believer. In terms of the individual believer, the memorial of blowing of Trumpets portrays the coming of the King, Christ, to wage war against the rebellion and lawlessness that are part of the human personality.

The Day of Atonement speaks of the removal of all rebellion and lawlessness from us, the reconciling of us to the Lord God of Heaven.

The final feast, the feast of Tabernacles, typifies the union stage of the marriage of the Lamb, that is, the Father and the Son entering us in complete union, in untroubled rest. This is the "rest" of God spoken of in the fourth chapter of the Book of Hebrews.

Back now to the Day of Atonement, for we are speaking of the second stage of the marriage of the Lamb, that is, the stage of reconciliation.

During the annual Day of Atonement, as described in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Leviticus, the sins of Israel were forgiven and then placed on the scapegoat and removed from the Presence of the Lord's people.

The initial act of salvation in our lives, as portrayed in the first feast, the feast of Passover, is a blood-shield over us as the Lord brings judgment on the gods of Egypt (the world).

When we come to the Day of Atonement (Day of Reconciliation), our rebellion and lawlessness are made manifest at the Judgment Seat of Christ and our sins are dealt with through the authority of the blood of the Lamb and the power of the Spirit of God.

The term atonement means covering, and also reconciliation. At first God covers our sins under the blood of the cross. Later in our experience, after we have received the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Pentecost, God reveals our sinful personality to us and helps us get rid of what is displeasing to the Lord.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #10

And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. (Exodus 4;24)

Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: (II Thessalonians 2:5)

Before the Lord is ready to reveal His glory in us He first must wage war against the wickedness that is in us. A forerunner of Armageddon will be fought in the personalities of the members of the Bride of the Lamb before the battle takes place against the nations that come up to attack Jerusalem.

You may recall that before the Lord revealed His glory in the presence of Pharaoh He sought to kill Moses because Moses did not keep the covenant of circumcision.

The Lord God of Heaven will cleanse His Church in the last days. The cleansing of the Church, the Bride of the Lamb, is one of the purposes of the great tribulation. The great tribulation will refine the elect until many of them will become fit to be members of the Wife of the Lamb. The tribulation will seek to kill the adamic nature of the members of Christ's Body.

The "great tribulation" is so termed, not because the sufferings will be more intense than those that Christians already have suffered throughout history but because it will be worldwide rather than confined to one area. Many who walk with God through the great tribulation will come to high rank in the Kingdom of God.

Also, the great tribulation period and the reign of Antichrist will divide between those who will rule with God (Revelation 20:4) and those who will be tormented with fire and sulfur (Revelation 14:10). The coming of the Lord in judgment and fire will make His way straight in the hearts of His people and then in the whole earth. The Divine judgment begins with the household of God.

And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem: when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. (Isaiah 4:3,4)

This passage parallels in meaning Matthew 3:11,12, Malachi 3:1-3 and the fourth chapter of I Peter. This is the reason we must "through much tribulation" enter the Kingdom of God (Acts 14:22).

"The Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, . . . by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning."

This is the baptism with fire. This is the reconciliation stage of the marriage of the Lamb.

Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. (Isaiah 40:2)

The Marriage of the Lamb, #9

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: (Matthew 3:11)

That this verse is speaking of the same coming of the Lord announced in Malachi 3:1-3 can be observed in the verse that follows:

Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (Matthew 3:12)

If we apply Matthew 3:12 to the Jews, as some are doing today, then we must reserve the baptism with the Holy Spirit for the Jews.

The result of separating the Gentile believers from the Israel of God has been doctrinal chaos.

And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. (Galatians 6:16)

Paul considered the Galatian believers, who were Gentiles, to be the "Israel of God."

It is time for Christian scholars to take a close look at the effect the dispensational model has had on the straightforward, coherent interpretation of the Scriptures. It is certain that the concept of the Kingdom of God has been lost by the teaching that there are two separate kingdoms — one of elect Jews and one of elect Gentiles. It is time, we believe, for a reformation of Evangelical Christian thinking concerning God's plan of redemption in Christ and the nature of the one Kingdom of God, the Kingdom coming from Heaven.

The coming of Christ to reconcile Himself to His people, as set forth in John, Chapter Fourteen, Malachi, Chapter Three, and Matthew, Chapter Three, is not the manifestation of Christ to the world (Revelation 1:7).

The coming of Christ to His elect in judgment and reconciliation must take place before the appearing of the Lamb and His Wife. The appearing to the world of the Lamb and His Wife is the manifestation stage of the marriage of the Lamb. By the time of the manifestation stage the Bride already has been judged and reconciled, as evidenced by the clothing of her with the white raiment of bodily immortality.

The expression "to her was granted" signifies that a judgment has been made concerning her eligibility to be arrayed in immortal righteousness. It is obvious that the Bride will not, after she has been arrayed in immortal righteousness, be required to stand before Christ in judgment.

It is not possible she will be declared to be the Wife of the Lamb by virtue of being clothed with immortality, and then be baptized with purifying fire. The baptism with fire must take place before her glorification (manifestation). The stage of reconciliation must precede the stage of manifestation. Malachi 3:1-3; Matthew 3:11,12; and I Peter 4:12-19 must precede Revelation 19:7,8. The believer must be made manifest at the Judgment Seat of Christ before being presented to the universe as the Wife of the Lamb. It is not possible we can be clothed with bodily immortality and after that stand before Christ and receive the bad things done in our body (II Corinthians 5:10).

The Marriage of the Lamb, #8

And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; (II Corinthians 5:18)

It was not necessary for Eve to go through the second stage, the reconciliation stage, because she never had been in rebellion against Adam. Each of us who believes in Christ is, at the time we commence our pilgrimage, filled with rebellion and lawlessness. Whether or not we know it, our hearts are desperately wicked.

Our conflict with the Nature of the Lamb is in three areas: love for the world, the appetites of our flesh, and self-love and personal ambition. These are our three principal idols. We are involved in the spirit of the world, we break God's moral laws, and we are self-willed.

After we are covered by the blood of the Lamb, have been born again, and some progress has been made in the forming of Christ in us, the Lord Jesus Himself comes to us through the Holy Spirit. He is ready to wage war against the wickedness that is in us. He reveals before His judgment seat what we are and what we do. If we follow Him through judgment He works with us until we have been delivered and healed.

The coming in the Spirit in personal judgment is a real coming of the Lord. It is an important part of the personal, secret coming of Jesus to those who are seeking the Lord, to those who belong to Him.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:3)

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. (John 14:21)

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. (Revelation 3:19)

The coming of the Lord to His people in judgment was announced by the Hebrew Prophets.

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 3:1)

This is a coming of Christ to His royal priesthood, not to the world but to the dedicated believers — as set forth in John 14:18-23.

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 3:3)

This passage from Malachi is speaking of the cleansing of the royal priesthood of God, whether Jewish or Gentile by natural birth.

The Lord Jesus will come suddenly to each member of the royal priesthood, whether Jewish or Gentile by physical birth, and refine by fire the believer's redemption (silver) and his faith (gold).

I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; . . . . (Revelation 3:18)

We Christians have been baptized with the Holy Spirit. Now we must be baptized with the purifying fires of God.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #7

That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:27)

Would there appear before Him the treasure for which He has been waiting for so many thousands of years; for the touch of whose hand the creation waits in its chains of futility?

Or would He be facing the typical assortment of unchanged believers who serve Him when it is convenient for them to do so, whose understanding of Jesus is that He is their servant and their "ticket" to everything they want?

The Wife of the Lamb will be formed by the Lord God until she is perfect — without spot or wrinkle. She will not be formed in righteousness at the last minute, according to the Scriptures. When the Lord is ready to appear with her in glory, the Bride will be clothed in the "white raiment" of righteous works.

The white raiment of the Bride is formed from the continuing process of death and resurrection she experiences throughout her pilgrimage (II Corinthians 4:17, Revelation 19:7,8). The Bride makes herself ready for the marriage by cooperating with the Holy Spirit as He delivers her from the lusts of the flesh, love for the world, and self-centeredness and personal ambition.

The formation stage of the marriage of the Lamb is of the greatest importance. It is during this stage that the Wife is created from the eternal Substance of the Lamb.

We stated before that it was not possible for Eve to choose not to marry, or to marry anyone other than Adam, because she was formed with the purpose of being the fullness of Adam.

The forming of Christ in us changes us from an individual who remains free to choose his own destiny into a person who has only one possible destiny. We no longer are individuals who roam about the universe according to our "free will." Rather, we are moving toward only one goal — that of being the completion, the fullness of the Son of God.

It may be true that many contemporary Christians never will accept the formation stage of the marriage of the Lamb because the supreme virtue in the eyes of the "Laodicean" believer is his right to remain an individual and continue to make his own decisions. If receiving Christ cannot be a means of realizing one's potential, of bringing personal fulfillment and satisfaction, then Christianity is not a religion that has as its goal the "welfare of people." Therefore, (according to the Laodiceans) it is not in the best interests of people to embrace it — at least not to the degree of fervency Jesus advocated.

The preceding concept, that an acceptable religion or philosophy must have as its supreme goal the personal fulfillment and satisfaction of human beings, is the position of the humanistic believer of our day. It is an attitude that will increase until all that is of the Spirit of God is driven from the Christian churches.

In these days we must be listening carefully to hear what the Spirit of God is saying to the churches.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #6

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, . . . . (II Corinthians 5:17,18)

No element of our personality is permitted to remain unchanged. Flesh and blood never enter the Kingdom of God. All must become new in Christ.

Because of the current overemphasis on imputed (assigned) righteousness, and the error of stressing we possess an experience merely because the Apostle Paul stated the principle in the Scripture, passages such as the above are taken for granted by those who have "accepted" Christ.

They do not understand that God speaks of things that are not true as though they were true, not because His Kingdom exists in words alone, having no reality, but rather with the intention of bringing to pass what He has declared to be true. God affirms the vision He has concerning us, and then we must through faith grasp and follow the vision until it becomes reality. Otherwise the reality never comes into being.

God calls us new creations in Christ with the intention of making us new creations in Christ. He begins the new creation the moment we receive Jesus. Our life now is to be one of total diligence in following the Holy Spirit in putting to death the original personality and bringing forth the new creation — the Wife of the Lamb.

To insist we have all of salvation "by faith" (which is not faith at all but mental acceptance), and then continue in the world as usual while we are waiting for the wedding ceremony to take place in Heaven, is the error of contemporary Christianity. There is no understanding, in such an approach to salvation, of the Kingdom principle of cause and effect, of sowing and reaping.

Every molecule of Eve was fashioned from the rib of Adam. Every "molecule" of the Bride of the Lamb will be fashioned from the Lamb. All things will be new and all things will be of God.

Adam did not exclaim about her beauty or express pleasure and thanksgiving to the Lord for giving him a companion.

Adam recognized immediately that Eve had not been formed from the red clay of the ground but from himself. Eve "was" Adam in another form.

Eve was a human being like Adam. She was the image of God. More than that, she was Adam. Adam was beholding himself in an external form, a part of himself that had been taken and formed into a fellow creature.

We realize, therefore, the importance of the formation stage of the creation of the Wife of the Lamb. We cannot just "accept Christ" and then wait until there is a wedding ceremony in Heaven.

If Christ were to bring into Heaven the believers of today, would He behold with delight a creation formed from His body and blood? Would He be viewing a spotless completion of Himself, created from the Substance of Divinity? Would Christ be seeing Himself in an external form, a part of Himself that complements Him, making it possible for Him to enter the fullness of His inheritance from the Father? (There might be many such pure believers from among the butchered Christians of Uganda but perhaps not too many from the Western nations of today.)

The Marriage of the Lamb, #5

My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, (Galatians 4:19)

There are many believers today who have had the Substance of Christ conceived in them, but not all are pressing forward until every aspect of their personality has passed through the death and resurrection necessary for the formation of Christ in each element.

The Lampstand of the Tabernacle of the Congregation was hammered into shape from one mass of gold. So it is true that the Wife of the Lamb is hammered into shape from the Substance of Christ.

If we truly are following the Spirit of God, some aspect of our personality is being brought down to death each moment of our discipleship and is being raised again, through the body and blood of Christ, into newness of life in Christ. The "wood" of our personality is passing away while the "gold," which was begotten in us when we received Christ, is being hammered into the shape the Lord desires.

Let us say there is a person whom we despise. We carry bitterness and hatred in our soul toward that individual. We must come to understand two facts: one, the bitterness and hatred are coming from our original personality and are being intensified by Satan; and two, the hatred never will be accepted in the Wife of the Lamb. If we are to be a member of the Wife of the Lamb, we must get rid of the hatred toward another person no matter how justified we may believe our bitterness to be.

We go to the Lord. We confess our hatred. We ask the Lord to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness through His holy blood.

The Lord responds by forgiving us so we may remain without condemnation. Then He begins to remove this darkness from us. This is salvation. He may require us to perform some act of repentance or restitution. Or He may do the work Himself without any further action on our part. However, it is our responsibility to resist the enemy when he seeks to move us to continue in hatred. The Lord will help us resist if we ask Him.

God uses the body and blood of the Lord Jesus to form new Substance in us. Divinity is added to us. Change enters us from Heaven. New life comes forth while the old personality withers and dies. The finished product is a new nature. In this manner we continually are passing from death to life. We are washing our robes and making them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Every aspect of love for the world, the lusts of our flesh, and self-will that are in us are dealt with in this fashion. God keeps on bringing tribulations and enemies upon us in order to display the evil that is in us. We must cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He forms Christ in us. We ourselves must judge ourselves, as the Spirit directs us, and ask the Lord to cleanse us. The Wife of the Lamb is not formed in a moment.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #4

As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. (John 6:57)

Thousands had partaken of the five barley loaves and two small fish. They had followed Jesus and His disciples to Capernaum, hoping to have more free food.

Then, deliberately, the Lamb of God began to speak of His body and blood — of that by which the true Bride lives. The Bride of the Lamb is created from the body and blood of Jesus just as Eve was created from the bone of Adam. The bone became Eve. The body and blood become the Wife of the Lamb.

Jesus knew that all would leave except the twelve whom He had chosen. Even the twelve disciples had further refining to undergo; for there was self-seeking among them, and one of them (even though he had been chosen!) would betray Him and die separated from God.

Thus the true, eternal Bride of the Lamb finally will be distinguished from the multitude of Christ's followers.

The second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation are a love letter from the Lamb to His Wife. There are the seven churches, and then there are those who overcome all hindrances until they finally are revealed as the Wife of the Lamb.

Jesus gives freely of His holy body and blood to all who ask. The Bride is formed from those who choose to live by the inner life and strength that Christ provides. The majority of believers choose to maintain the life and wisdom of their original personalities and because of this do not enter the formative stage of the marriage of the Lamb.

When Christ created Adam, He observed that none of the other living creatures was suitable as a helper for the first man. He recognized also that He — Christ Himself — was alone. None of the angels of Heaven could be His helper because they are different in kind and unsuited as companions for Him.

Christ set about to create another human being who would be suitable for Adam, who would complete Him.

Christ caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, typifying His own death on the cross of Calvary. The Lord then took one of Adam's ribs, a part of Adam, and closed up the flesh in its place.

The rib (part of Adam) was made a woman. God did not use the rib as a nucleus and build Eve around it such that she was a separate person having one of Adam's ribs. Rather, the rib itself was built into a woman. This means that every part of Eve, from her hair to her toes, came from the substance of Adam. In this sense, Eve "was" Adam.

The same identification is true of the Wife of the Lamb. The Wife of the Lamb does not consist of individuals who have a piece of Christ in them. The Wife of the Lamb is made up of those who have been created from Christ just as Eve was created from Adam.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #3

Ask of me [the Father invited Creator Jesus], and I shall give thee the heathen [nations] for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. (Psalms 2:8)

The Father knew that Christ would have to pray, and then suffer exceedingly, before He would be able to possess people in the only manner in which they truly can be possessed. The Creator can create people in His image, but getting them to love Him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength is another matter.

Human parents can have a child, but getting the child to truly love them requires much more than giving birth to them. We cannot obtain the love of our children by coercion, money, or by informing them of their obligations toward their parents.

The dictators of the world possess authority and power over the bodies of their subjects. But they have no authority or power over their hearts. Thus, the dictators possess flesh, "grass" — nothing of value.

God has created all the people of the world of today, but few of them truly love Him and gladly keep His commandments. God has made it possible for people to choose to give Him their love or to withhold their love from Him; to serve Him or to disobey Him.

The Father has added something else. The Father has planted in the Spirit of Christ the understanding that contained in the multitudes of the earth is a special prize — an elect who will become to Him what Eve was to Adam: that is, an enlargement and completion of Himself. With this understanding has come the fiery love of the Father into Christ — a love so intense, so consuming, that death itself cannot stand in the way; a love that finally brought Christ to the Garden of Gethsemane.

The Lord Jesus Christ is motivated by the most powerful of all motives. He never can be satisfied until His Eve is with Him. At the present time Christ is incomplete — the Lord God has made Him incomplete. Christ never again can live in peace and satisfaction until the day in which the Spirit proclaims, "The marriage of the Lamb is come"; until the second Adam can announce, "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh."

The Song of Solomon gives us a faint idea of how the Lamb feels about His Bride.

It is the hope and desire for His Bride that moves Christ to keep on working with the Jews and with the other nations of the earth. It is the thought of His Bride that provides life and splendor to Heaven and earth. As far as Christ is concerned, the creation waits for the touch of her hand.

The formation stage of the marriage of the Lamb comes about as we partake of His body and blood, and then as we learn to live by His body and blood, by His indwelling Virtue.

The calling out of the Bride from the multitude of believers can be witnessed in the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John.

The Marriage of the Lamb, #2

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. (Revelation 19:7)

The unscriptural doctrine of the "rapture" suggests that the believers will be caught up to an Anglican-type wedding ceremony in the air or in Heaven. The all-important forming, reconciling, and uniting stages, the actual marriage, are ignored in favor of a one-time profession of faith. "If I accept Christ as my Savior, I will be included in the wedding ceremony that will take place in Heaven."

We are being taught that the "rapture" will bring us to the wedding ceremony of the Lamb. This analogy has proceeded from fleshly thinking. Such a ceremony would be superfluous. The marriage supper of the Lamb, which will take place at the return of Christ to the earth, will be the manifestation of the enlargement of the Lamb that was accomplished previously. The Bride makes herself ready in advance. All of the saved creation is invited to this most glorious of events, according to our understanding.

It is the previous operations that are critical. The necessity for the prior forming, reconciling, and uniting operations are not given nearly enough stress in our day.

It is not possible for us to comprehend the reasoning of the Lord God of Heaven. We could think of many reasons why it would be good for the all-sufficient, sovereign Lord Jesus Christ to remain as He Is — the only begotten Son of God, the Word of God, the revelation of the invisible God.

We can see why it would be desirable for the Lord Jesus to retain His individuality — especially when we review our own shortcomings.

God is God, and love is love. If God has placed in the heart of Christ a love for us which is sufficiently intense to cause Christ to forgo His individuality (never His identity!) in favor of being one with us, our proper response is to rejoice. It may be a long time before we are able to grasp the magnitude of the love of the Lamb for His Wife.

The fact is, the love of Christ for His Bride is the principal motivation behind all God is performing in the heavens and on the earth. All else is second in importance. Christ's love for His Bride is the wisdom and power that governs the universe.

The Lord Jesus Christ created every angel and every human being. He Is the Word of God.

Why then, would the Father invite Christ to pray that the nations would be given to him as His inheritance, in view of the fact that Christ Himself had created them?

Ask of me [the Father invited Creator Jesus], and I shall give thee the heathen [nations] for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. (Psalms 2:8)

Why should Christ be required to petition the Father for what He Himself had created?

It is because the peoples of the earth cannot be "possessed" by the mere fact of creation. Their hearts must be won. Winning the heart of an individual is not always an easy task. People are exceedingly complex, wonderful creatures.

The Marriage of the Lamb

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. (Revelation 19:7)

The marriage supper of the Lamb, which will take place at the return of Christ to the earth, will be the manifestation of the marriage of the Lamb, a marriage that was accomplished previously. It is the previous operations that are essential.

We can notice three of these four stages in the marriage of Adam and Eve, which is a type of the marriage of the Lamb and His Bride.

And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman,.... (Genesis 2:22)

The reconciliation stage was not necessary because Eve had never been in rebellion against Adam.

The union stage consisted of Eve being brought to Adam and his acceptance of her.

The manifestation stage was the declaration by Adam to Heaven and earth that Eve was his wife.

And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. (Genesis 2:23)

The manifestation stage is the closest phase to what we would refer to as a wedding ceremony. But there is an important difference between the manifestation stage of the marriage of the Lamb and a wedding ceremony as ordinarily conceived. In the case of a marriage today, the actual marriage, the uniting, follows the wedding ceremony — if in fact a union ever does take place.

However, the marriage of the Lamb occurs as the believer takes up his cross and follows the Lord Jesus. The marriage supper will follow later. The manifestation stage, which includes the marriage supper, will be just that — a manifestation of what has taken place previously.

Adam and Eve had no wedding ceremony because none was necessary. It was not possible for Eve to be "married" to anyone else because she was of Adam's bone and flesh. She "was" Adam.

Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. (Genesis 5:2)

Eve was not created as an individual person who could choose whether she should marry Adam, remain single, or marry someone else. Eve was created as a helper suited to, and a completion of, Adam. Eve was formed because the Lord God had determined, "It is not good that the man should be alone" (Genesis 2:18).

All subsequent human marriages can never be more than a shadow of the joining of Adam and Eve because Eve was created from and for Adam alone. The union of Adam and Eve was more than a partnership, it was the enlarging and completing of one person. If Eve had married anyone else it would have been Adam marrying that person.

There was a forming, a uniting, and then a manifestation of what had been formed and united. A wedding ceremony was not necessary because a wedding is the moment in which the final decision to unite is made in the presence of witnesses. In the case of Adam and Eve the decision was made when God formed Eve from Adam.

Today a ceremony, a wedding, is necessary at the beginning of a marriage. By definition, fornication is the act of living together outside of legally-sanctioned marriage. Fornicators will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Righteousness, continued

God always will regard the individual as being righteous who believes and obeys God as God is bringing Christ into prominence, into His central position in the heavens and on the earth.

The end result of bringing Christ into the center of everything is the total destruction of the works of the devil, and righteous personality and behavior on the part of all of God's creatures. Such righteousness of personality and conduct is the product of the Divine program of redemption that works solely through the authority and power that God has given to Christ.

Paul warns us that we are not to attempt to obtain or increase our righteousness by adding the works of the Law of Moses, such as circumcision, to our faith in Christ.

I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. (Galatians 2:21)

Does that mean, therefore, that we can continue to behave in the sins of the flesh because we are "saved by grace"?

Not at all, for being "saved by grace" means we are dead to our old sinful and rebellious behavior and Christ is living His Life in us.

If we are walking in newness of life, if Christ is dwelling in us and growing in us, then four things are true:

We are growing in our love of righteousness and in our ability to behave righteously.

In the Day of Christ we shall be given increased power to behave righteously, in fact, to rule with the crown and sceptre that enforce righteousness upon mankind (Hebrews 1:8; Revelation 2:26,27).

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: (Philippians 3:8,9)

Then Paul explains what it means to live in the righteousness that is by the faith of Christ:

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; (Philippians 3:10)

To stand in the grace of God, receiving the righteousness that comes by faith in Christ, means to come to the full personal knowledge of Christ; to experience in ourselves the incorruptible power of His resurrection from the dead; to be pressed into full conformity to the mold of His death on the cross. Our old life is dying and Christ is living in us.

This is the true Christian life, the true grace of God wherein the elect stand. We stand by faith in the marvelous grace of being held blameless in the sight of the Lord God of Heaven. Both assigned righteousness and an ever-increasing righteous behavior are our eternal possession because Christ is dwelling in us and growing in us. (from Kingdom Concepts)

Righteousness, continued

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

Paul's argument was with Jewish teachers. Paul was informing them that the righteousness of the Law of Moses cannot be mixed in any manner with the atonement made by Christ on the cross. We cannot earn righteousness by keeping the Law. Christ has kept the Law perfectly and has given His own righteousness to us.

But the same Christ who gives His righteousness to us is now working in us to bring forth works of righteousness. If He is in us we are showing forth works of righteousness. If we are not being transformed in our behavior, if we are not pursuing righteousness, then Christ is not being formed in us.

If Christ is not being formed in us we are not overcoming the world. If we are not overcoming the world we are not heirs of the promises the Scripture gives to those who overcome the world. Let us not be deceived: God will not be mocked. Whatever a person sows he shall reap.

It is not possible to earn right standing with God by the Law of Moses, now that God has reconciled us to Himself through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

This does not mean, however, that the Christian is a person who is viewed by God as being righteous while he continues to cheat, to lie, to steal, to treat his fellow Christians with bitterness and hatred, who rushes about in his self-love without regard to the will of Christ for his life.

Should we conclude from God's workings with Abraham that God intends to bless people because of their belief in Jesus while they continue to sin and rebel against God? Was Abraham a thief, a fornicator, a drunkard, a murderer, a treacherous, rebellious, self-willed worker of iniquity?

What can we say of Paul? Did Paul by his behavior and teachings suggest to us that the Christian is permitted to live in adultery, uncleanness of the flesh, stealing, lying, covetousness, violence, carousing? Is this what Paul taught concerning the Kingdom of God?

Yet, Paul is the apostle whose writings are the basis for the perverted doctrine that the emphasis of the Kingdom of God is on "grace," meaning that it is not essential how we behave ourselves provided we make a correct theological statement concerning Christ (Romans 3:8; II Peter 3:16).

Those who hold such a viewpoint are making the Word of God of none effect by their tradition. Truly, the Day of Christ will prove to be the day of surprise for those who fancy that Christ is approving their lukewarm, indifferent, fleshly, self-centered, self-willed, worldly "Christianity."

The next consideration, with respect to God's assignment of righteousness to Abraham, has to do with God's purpose. We have stated that God's eternal purpose is to create people in the image of Christ, filling them with Christ so they are righteous in thought and deed.

When God pointed Abraham toward the stars and said, "So shall thy seed be," God was pointing toward Christ — for Christ is the Seed of Abraham.

Righteousness, continued

But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: that ye put off concerning the former conversation [former way of living] the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. (Ephesians 4:20-24)

The doctrine of assigned righteousness, the foundation of being saved by faith in Christ, is based by Paul on Genesis 15:6.

Abram and Sarai had no children. One night God pointed Abram toward the stars of heaven and promised him that his Seed would be as great as the stars in number. Abram believed God. God counted Abram's faith as righteousness.

And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:6)

Paul bases his argument for assigned righteousness on this incident. The Law of Moses was not given until several hundred years later. Therefore, Paul reasons, Abraham received righteousness, not by the works of the Law of Moses but by faith in what God had promised to him concerning the great number of descendants that were to be his.

To conclude from this episode that we are brought into the Kingdom of God on a statement of belief concerning Christ and it no longer is expected of us that we will begin to make substantial progress in righteous behavior is to depart from the life of Abraham, and also to contradict the major portion of Paul's teachings concerning the Kingdom of God.

First of all, Abraham was a man who conducted himself in a righteous manner, as was true also of all the Apostles of the Lamb. God said to Abraham, "I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect" (Genesis 17:1). God did not say to him, "Now that you have been given righteousness, Abraham, it no longer is important how you behave."

When reflecting on Abraham's righteousness, God did not speak of his belief but of his deeds:

Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. (Genesis 26:5)

Although Abraham did not always fulfill the laws of righteousness (Genesis 20:2), yet his obedience to God in the matter of Isaac stands as one of the highest mountain peaks of righteous behavior in the history of mankind, James himself bearing witness:

Was not Abraham our father justified [declared to be righteous] by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? (James 2:21)

When Paul compared grace and works as the basis for obtaining righteousness (justification; acceptability to God), he was not contrasting assigned righteousness and righteous behavior. Paul was not teaching that God desires to regard us as righteous and cares little for the manner in which we behave ourselves.

It is not possible to prefer assigned righteousness over righteous behavior because it is by righteous behavior that we bring the Kingdom of God into the earth. The Kingdom of God is righteous behavior, not assigned righteousness.

Righteousness, continued

Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. (Revelation 22:14,15)

There already has been one rebellion in Heaven against the rule of God. Would we bring about another rebellion? Will the Christian people behave in Heaven and in the new Jerusalem as they do on the earth?

The principal difference between Heaven and Hell is found in the personalities and behavior of the inhabitants of each area.

The nations of the earth will be deceived into unrighteous behavior at the end of the thousand-year Kingdom Age. God will not save them "by grace." They will be destroyed by fire because of their deeds (Revelation 20:8,9).

No person will be admitted into the new Jerusalem (the holy city) on the basis of assigned righteousness but on the basis of righteous behavior. This is not to say we earn admittance to the new Jerusalem. Assigned righteousness is the authority that admits us to the path that leads finally to the new Jerusalem. If we choose to follow the path of life we will dwell in the new Jerusalem. But if we, after having accepted the atonement made by Christ, choose to follow the path of sin and rebellion, we will never enter the new Jerusalem.

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6:16)

But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:22,23)

He that overcometh [chooses to put Christ first in all areas of life] shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:7,8)

The wall of the new Jerusalem will keep out all unrighteous behavior. That is why the wall is there.

No person will be permitted to remain in the Kingdom of God who continues to behave unrighteously.

Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:21)

We see, therefore, that the Kingdom of God does not consist of assigned righteousness only but also of righteous behavior. Righteous behavior is expected of us while as yet we are on the earth, according to Paul.

Righteousness, continued

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. (Galatians 6:15)

The purpose of God is to create righteous behavior in His people. The purpose of God has not been achieved when only assigned righteousness is possessed by one of His elect.

Assigned righteousness is the gift of God's grace that brings us into favor with God when as yet our behavior is unrighteous. But assigned righteousness does not fulfill the purpose of God in our personality and conduct.

We think with joy of the thief on the cross who was brought to Paradise with Jesus because of his recognition and confession of Jesus' Divine royalty. Such assigned righteousness is wonderful for the thief and we rejoice with him. But God's desire to conform people to the image of Christ was not accomplished in that transaction.

The bells of Heaven ring and there is joy in the presence of the holy angels of God when a prodigal returns home, when a son is restored to his Father. The heavenly rejoicing takes place because of the great love of God for the souls of men. A sinner has come home. But the purpose of God has not been fulfilled when the sinner repents, although repentance is the first step toward accomplishing the Divine purpose.

At this point in our discussion the believer who trusts in Christ for his or her salvation may be stumbling. But let us go on to explain. A little reflection on what we know to be true about God and Heaven, and a thoughtful re-reading of the New Testament, soon will reveal that assigned righteousness is given to us so we may enter the Divine program of redemption that ultimately brings about the purpose of God in the individual: that is, thinking, speech, and behavior that are pleasing to God.

The familiar Lord's prayer itself teaches us that the coming of the Kingdom of God into the earth is the doing of God's will in the earth (Matthew 6:10). This is not referring to assigned righteousness but to righteous behavior. The Kingdom of God brings about righteous behavior.

Will the new world consist of believers who have been forgiven but who still are full of sin and rebellion against God? Or will the new world consist of believers who, being filled with God in Christ, reveal in themselves righteousness of personality and deed?

By righteousness of personality and deed we mean they act justly, show kindness and mercy, and walk humbly with God.

Will the holy city, the new Jerusalem, be filled with "saints" who have received assigned righteousness but who cheat, lie, and steal; who are unmerciful and unforgiving in their attitude toward one another; and who find security, joy and achievement apart from the Lord Jesus Christ?

Do we truly believe that the inhabitants of Heaven and of the new Jerusalem possess assigned righteousness but do not behave righteously? — that unrighteous people will be praising God forever because, while it is true that they have not been transformed morally, God by grace dwells with them in their unrighteousness?

Righteousness, continued

But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Hebrews 5:14)

The purpose of God under both the old covenant and the new covenant is to create people who make their decisions according to God's will. He is bringing forth such people for the world to behold by creating Christ in every aspect of their personality. This is what salvation is!

Death rather than life comes by the Law of Moses because of our sinful nature. This is the law of sin and death. The purpose of the Law of Moses is to bring us to Christ.

When Christ becomes central in all that we are, all that we think, all that we say, all that we do, we behave righteously in our personality, our thinking, our speaking, our actions.

The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Righteousness brings God's peace to us. The wicked never possess peace. Peace brings joy to us, peace being an important element of joy. But first of all must come righteousness; for everything in the Kingdom of God depends on our behaving righteously in the sight of God.

Under the new covenant, the Christian covenant, there are two kinds of righteousness. It is important that we understand the difference between the two when we are studying the Scriptures.

The first kind of righteousness is that which God ascribes freely to the human being who places his faith in Christ but who as yet is making many decisions in his behavior that are contrary to God's will.

The freely ascribed righteousness given to the repenting sinner through his faith in Christ is an assigned righteousness based on the atonement made by the shedding of the blood of Christ. Assigned, imputed righteousness is explained by the Apostle Paul in Chapters Three through Five of the Book of Romans.

The second kind of righteousness is found in the human being who, through the grace given to him in Christ, is actually behaving according to God's will. Righteous behavior is discussed throughout the Scriptures and summed up in Micah 6:8. The necessity and the power for righteous living are explained by the Apostle Paul in Chapters Six through Eight of the Book of Romans.

The first kind of righteousness, assigned righteousness, is the righteousness of Christ Himself placed to the account of the sinner who comes to Christ for forgiveness and transformation.

The second kind of righteousness, actual righteous behavior, is produced by the wisdom and power that come from Christ through the Holy Spirit so that we grow every day in the ability to distinguish between good and evil and in the willingness to choose the good and reject the evil. This is what is meant by the expression growing in Christ (Hebrews 5:14).

Let us speak of the first type of righteousness as assigned righteousness and the second type of righteousness as righteous behavior.

When the Lord assigns righteousness to an individual it is for the purpose of bringing him or her into righteous behavior. If righteous behavior, the fruit for which God is looking, does not begin to grow, then the believer has received the grace of God in vain (II Corinthians 6:1; Philippians 2:15,16; I Thessalonians 3:5; James 1:26, Jude 1:5).

Righteousness, continued

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? (Micah 6:8)

The love of mercy is another important part of the image of God, in whose image we are being created. God loves mercy. He Himself does not sin but He is merciful toward those who do.

We Christians do sin — many times. Yet, we often are unmerciful toward our fellow believers as well as toward the unbelievers. We are harsh, vengeful, angry, holding people to strict account for every infraction we notice.

When someone has caused us pain, and we cannot find it in our heart to forgive him or her, especially when he or she is asking for forgiveness, we are behaving unmercifully and unrighteously.

The righteous person forgives, covering human frailties and faults with the cloak of mercy. He is slow to anger, quick to forgive, always attempting to put matters in the best light for everyone's sake. Such is the way of righteousness.

Many so-called believers are hard of heart, being filled with avarice, meanness, bitterness, and hatred. Why is this? It is because they have been taught that the Lord Jesus is their ticket out of Hell and admission to Heaven no matter how they behave. The current evangelical teaching presents a lawless grace that often does not result in new creations of righteous behavior.

Walking humbly with God is the true meaning of the expression, "The just shall live by faith."

Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just [righteous] shall live by his faith. (Habakkuk 2:4)

Each person on the earth continually is making a choice as to how he or she will maintain physical survival and security, will attain pleasure and joy, and will accomplish fruitfulness and enduring, worthwhile achievement. These are the three areas of motive and behavior found in the healthy human personality.

There are two different ways in which we can attempt to attain security, joy, and achievement. We can attain and maintain them through our own pride and abilities, especially with the accumulation of money, or we can walk humbly with God, trusting Him for our security, joy, and achievement.

To choose to ignore God and to conduct our own life apart from God is unrighteousness. To choose to submit to God's will in all three areas of our personality and life is righteousness in the sight of God.

First, to think, speak, and act in an honest, upright, straightforward, truthful attitude before God and man.

Third, to choose to look to God and submit to His will in obtaining material security, in seeking joy and happiness, and in attempting to enlarge our realm of influence and accomplish something enduring and worthwhile in life.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)

Righteousness

Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. (Isaiah 32:1)

Next to the Lord Jesus Christ and our relationship to Him, righteousness may be the most important topic of the Scriptures. Without righteousness there is no Kingdom of God. The Lord will not work apart from righteous behavior. He has called His elect in righteousness and to righteousness.

A major goal of the program of salvation is the creation of righteousness in God's people: first, in an imputed (assigned) right standing before God; then, in actual character and behavior.

God's goal has not been attained in an individual until that person will make righteous decisions in every circumstance.

What is righteousness — this trait that fills the whole Scripture; this virtue that Christ loves so much?

Righteousness dwells in decision-making. The righteous person is the one who makes decisions that are according to God's will. The unrighteous person is the one who makes decisions that are not according to God's will.

The Kingdom of God is "righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost" (Romans 14:17).

Perhaps the best definition of righteousness to be found in Scripture is Micah 6:8:

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to practice righteousness, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? (Micah 6:8)

Righteousness is righteous decision-making. God requires that each person in the Kingdom of God behave righteously. This means he acts justly, he loves mercy, and he walks humbly with God. This is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets.

First of all, the believer in Christ must act justly. Cheating, lying, stealing have no place whatever in the Kingdom of God. The Christian who cheats, who lies, who steals may be naming the name of Christ; but as long as he is practicing these acts of injustice he is living outside the Kingdom of God.

The people of the Lord are to deal equitably in all business, whether they are working with fellow Christians or with the unsaved. Saints tell the truth. The followers of Christ are to be scrupulously honest in all their business. Honest dealing is an aspect of righteousness and is more important to the Lord Jesus than religious and church activities.

A false balance is abomination to the Lord: but a just weight is his delight. (Proverbs 11:1)

A Christian who cheats, who lies, who steals, who deliberately leans toward that which is devious, slippery, hard to pinpoint, cunning, treacherous, not dependable, misleading, is not living in the Kingdom of God. Also he is not bearing a true witness of Christ no matter what he states with his mouth concerning salvation in Christ.

Can we cheat someone and then lead them to Christ? What is the world's opinion of the assembling of believers who cheat, who lie, who steal, who cannot be trusted? If such an assembling is not willing to repent it would be far better for it to disband for it is an abomination to God and to man.

Righteousness and Holiness

Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to any people. (Proverbs 14:34 — NIV)

They made the plate, the sacred diadem, out of pure gold and engraved on it, like an inscription on a seal: HOLY TO THE LORD. (Exodus 39:30 — NIV)

There is a difference between righteousness and holiness although the two often overlap.

The commandments of the Lord are righteous and lead us to behave righteously toward people. Peter tells us we are looking for a new world in which will dwells righteousness. God will not accept unrighteous behavior on the part of any person.

Righteousness has to do with doing to others as we would have them do to us. We are not to lie, steal, covet, or commit adultery. These are unrighteous acts and hurtful to the people around us.

When we come to the Church we have to consider not only righteousness but holiness as well. The term "church" means called out. Each member of the Church of Jesus Christ was called from the foundation of the world to be a firstfruits of mankind, to be the Seed of Abraham through Jesus Christ, to be a member of the royal priesthood whose role throughout the ages will be to worship God and to govern and bless the saved nations of the earth.

The standards of righteousness are the same for all people. God will accept nothing less than kindness and love on the part of everyone. Every saved person must be scrupulously honest and truthful with his or her neighbor.

We may think of holiness as concentric circles emanating from God. The closer the circle is to God the holier it is.

We see this in the Tabernacle of the Congregation where the Holy Place was more holy than the Courtyard and the Most Holy Place was more holy than the Holy Place. (We would not speak of the Tabernacle as being righteous!)

We see the same pattern in the tribes of Israel. The Israelites were by their election more holy than the rest of the nations. The Levites were more holy than the other Israelites. The sons of Aaron were more holy than the Levites.

The Nazirites were more holy than the other Israelites and were prohibited from partaking of anything of the vine from wine to raisins.

If you are a Christian you cannot do all the things the people of the world are permitted to do. You have been called to be holy to the Lord. You are not to love this present world but to cleave to God, offering praise to Him continually.

Other people may smoke, drink, curse, go to moving pictures where these behaviors are demonstrated, if they are willing to live with the consequences of destructive practices. But you cannot! You must be holy if you would abide in Christ and expect to be raised from the dead to meet Him when He appears.

Everyone must behave righteously or he or she will come under the judgment of God. But Christians must live in a special manner, as was true of the Nazirite. We cannot live like the world or be part of the world. We have been called to be part of the Body of Christ, and the Body of Christ is HOLY TO THE LORD.

Righteousness, Holiness, and Obedience to God

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (I Thessalonians 5:23)

The purpose of the new covenant is to produce righteousness, holiness, and obedience to God in people.

The first thing God does, when we come to Jesus, is to forgive our sins. Now God can begin the program that will result in our total sanctification.

Let's think about the differences among righteousness, holiness, and obedience, for although they are interrelated they are not exactly the same.

Righteousness has to do with our conduct toward other people. Righteousness includes honesty, fair dealing, truthfulness, loyalty, honorable actions, dependability, generosity, kindness, compassion toward the poor, and similar behavior. To treat others as we would have them treat us is to behave righteously.

Holiness has to do with our relationship with God and with the purity of our spirit. God wants His elect to belong to Him and to live before Him in all things. All unclean spirits must be driven from us. That which belongs to God must be holy.

This is where righteousness and holiness overlap. To tell a lie is unrighteous. The spirit of lying is an unholy, unclean spirit. To hurt another person is an unrighteous act. The spirits of violence, murder, gossip, slander, are unholy spirits and cannot dwell in the Presence of God.

Obedience has to do with our response to God's will. There is only one lawful will in the universe. Every son of God must obey his Father without any question or compromise. God has a good and loving purpose in all He commands and to not obey Him instantly and totally is unthinkable!

The Bible stresses righteousness — perhaps above all other virtues. Both the Old Testament and the New, from Genesis to Revelation, contain many commandments involving righteous behavior. The current viewpoint of Divine grace, that it is an acceptable alternative to righteous behavior, is just about as destructive an error as can be imagined.

Holiness is required of Israel, the royal priesthood. Those who have been called of God to serve Him, to represent Him to His creation, must be holy. No unclean spirit can survive the fire of God.

Every Christian must be morally clean in thought, speech, and behavior. Every Christian is called to be a member of the royal priesthood. The Holy Spirit has been given to guide us into complete sanctification. The Christian who loves God but is bound by some filthy spirit will be scrubbed with lye soap — not a dainty perfumed soap but old-fashioned laundry soap. We are to be holy as God is holy!

And as for obedience, every saint will suffer until he or she is totally obedient to God. Adam was disobedient. Abraham and Christ were obedient in their hour of testing. You and I are to be totally, sternly obedient to the will of God!

Righteousness, holiness, and obedience. All three are necessary if we are to stand in the Presence of God and serve Him as His sons and daughters.

The Greatest Lie Ever Told, #24

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:1,2)

No Jew under the Torah ever was required to present his body a living sacrifice to God. Yet, presenting our body to God as a living sacrifice is the reasonable service of worship of the new covenant. Now we have Christ Himself, the Son of God, who makes it possible for us to meet all His requirements.

The new covenant is an infinitely stricter covenant, but a covenant containing infinitely more grace to produce the righteousness the Lord requires.

Hopefully the spirit of delusion we have been describing will never be permitted to enter the land of Israel to any great extent. The true Gospel of the Kingdom originated in the land of Israel and is destined to return to the land of Israel in the last days.

We are not suggesting in this booklet that an individual can reject Christ and enter the Kingdom of God on the basis of righteous behavior. This would be to contradict the Scripture. No person can knowingly reject Christ and find favor with God.

Neither are we implying that the weak believer should despair because he is not being successful in "saving himself." Never allow yourself to become discouraged no matter how hopeless your case appears to be. The Lord will accept you and love you and bring you through to complete salvation as long as this is what you desire.

The Christians who are in danger are those who, in an attitude of smug complacency, are declaring that since they have assented verbally to the theological facts concerning the atonement and the resurrection of the Lord and have made the correct verbal profession they are eternally secure in Christ, even though they are filled with worldliness, lust, and self-will. They are not humble of heart nor repentant. They shall suffer greatly during the coming age of moral horrors until they bow the knee to the Lord Jesus.

It also is a fact that the most wretched sinner, no matter what he may have done, can come to God through the Lord Jesus Christ and gain right standing with God. So great is the redemption provided through Christ!

It absolutely and eternally is true that if anyone knowingly rejects Christ he comes under the judgment of God, and also that the worst of sinners can be received of God if he repents and calls on the name of the Lord Jesus.

These are unchangeable, Divinely established facts. The very heavens and the earth shall pass away but God's Word through the Lord Jesus shall never pass away.

Jesus gave us the Spirit of God so we would have power to bear witness of His atoning death and triumphant resurrection. By far the most important part of the witness the Lord desires is the evidence of Christ's resurrection portrayed in the transformed moral behavior of the believer. The blood of the cross has released us from Satan's authority. We now are qualified to fight in the Spirit of God against all the sin and rebellion found in the "body of sin" located in our personality.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. (Romans 6:12)

People, including the Jews, are looking for the Presence of God in us. They desire to see Jesus. But what they are beholding is the malice and wickedness that always proceed from the adamic nature.

Because the current definition of "grace" assures us we shall not certainly die even though we continue in sin and disobedience to God, that righteous and holy behavior no longer are necessary in order to please God, there is no moral light for the world to see.

Who among us will humble himself, pray, turn from his or her wicked ways, and seek the face of the Lord? (from The Greatest Lie Ever Told)

The Greatest Lie Ever Told, #23

But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. (I Corinthians 9:27)

How can one protest that he is saved whether or not he behaves righteously, when it is righteous behavior that is the salvation and proof of the salvation?

We have eternal security provided we continue to abide in Christ. But we must remember the attitude of the Apostle Paul who strove to keep his body in subjection so he would not be disqualified.

The meaning of the Greek term translated "castaway" is unapproved; rejected; reprobate.

If someone protests, "Paul would be rejected but he would still be saved"; our response is, "This is to make eternal residence in a mansion in the spirit Paradise the goal of salvation." This is what the protester means by "still be saved."

But if one adopts the view that the goal is eternal service to God in His Kingdom, then to be rejected, unapproved, reprobate, and disqualified, is seen to be an extremely undesirable fate.

All arguments relative to redemption become misleading and inappropriate when one is assuming that the goal is eternal residence in a mansion in Heaven.

We speak of being saved "as by fire." What does this mean? In terms of Kingdom theology, being saved as by fire means that much of our inheritance and much of our personality have been burned away. Our behavior has not pleased the Lord. Perhaps an "Abraham" has prayed for us and we have been admitted to the Kingdom of God. But, like Lot, our inheritance is impoverished and threadbare when it could have been a mountain of fire and glory. It is likely we shall begin life again as a small child. It is certain we shall not be a great mountain of fire and glory reigning with the Lord over God's creation.

The Apostle Paul, knowing the terror of the Lord, warned the Christians of Corinth that each one of us shall be revealed at the Judgment Seat (Greek term, beema ) of Christ.

For we must all appear [be manifested] before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (II Corinthians 5:10)

It is taught today that the beema is a kind of awards banquet in which participants receive recognition for their accomplishments. The truth is, the beema was a court where accused criminals were brought to trial. Jesus was brought before the beema of Pontius Pilate (Matthew 27:19).

Every Christian will be exposed before the beema of the Lord Jesus Christ. He will receive from the Lord that which he has done in his physical body, whether good or evil.

One principal reason why Jewish people have such a difficult time accepting Jesus as Christ is that they cannot understand the Christian concept of Divine grace. The Jew is taught from birth that God requires righteous behavior. What is this "grace" that means you do not have to live righteously? Is God still the Holy Fire of Israel?

It may come as a blessing to the Jew who is seeking his Christ to learn that the new covenant is much more demanding, in terms of righteous behavior, than is the Torah. Also, the new covenant provides the virtue, power, and guidance through which the righteous behavior demanded by the new covenant can be put into practice by the worshiper.

For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:20)

The Greatest Lie Ever Told, #22

Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. (Mark 1:14,15)

We do not know how or when the goal of salvation changed from the biblical Kingdom of God to eternal residence in the spirit Paradise. Early Gnosticism is one possible source of the change in objective from establishing the Kingdom of God on the earth to eternal residence in the spirit Paradise. Or, the source may have been the developing doctrine of the Catholic Church.

First of all, let us note that the goal of redemption is to produce sons who are in the moral and bodily image of the Lord Jesus and who are in union in Jesus in the Father. These sons will serve as servants of Christ in the various roles and responsibilities belonging to the ages yet to come.

Second, the method for producing such sons is for human beings to receive Christ by faith, to enter by faith into His death and resurrection, and then to follow Him closely as through the Holy Spirit He administers to us the several components of the Divine grace. As we respond to the Divine grace a transformation occurs in our personality. We are changed from an adamic person to a life-giving spirit.

And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening [life-giving] spirit. (I Corinthians 15:45)

It is not a case of our living righteously and thus earning residence in the spirit realm. Rather, the Divine salvation working in us produces a new creation of righteousness and holiness.

As we have stated before, it is the moral transformation that is salvation, that is redemption.

What are we saved to? We are saved to the image of God, union with God, and fellowship with God in all of His several programs and purposes. Salvation creates us in the image of God, makes us "male and female" (changes us from an independent entity into an integral part of Christ), produces fruitfulness in our personality, and establishes us as a ruler over the works of God's hands. The four results of the Divine redemption are the fulfillment of the original fiat concerning man (Genesis 1:26-28).

We are not saved by works of righteousness we have done. Rather, Divine grace produces salvation, that is, works of righteousness that we do. If righteous, holy, obedient character is not being created in an individual, then we can state he is not being redeemed from the hand of the enemy.

The arguments concerning whether we are saved by faith or works, or whether having once been saved it is possible to be lost, become irrelevant in the model we are presenting.

The Greatest Lie Ever Told, #21

As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. (Matthew 13:40-43)

Two are in the field. One is taken and the other left. Two are working at the mill. One is taken and the other left.

The division is not between the Christians and the non-Christians but between the righteous and the wicked.

The Christian churches are hoping to be caught away to Paradise in order to escape the coming judgment.

In actuality it is the Lord's will to prepare us now so we can stand in the hour to come, and not only to stand but to reveal to the world the righteousness and holiness of the God of Heaven. We can do this only as we are transformed by His Divine Virtue.

For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. (Isaiah 61:11)

Having your conversation [behavior] honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. (I Peter 2:12)

In what manner do both the Catholic and Christian approaches to righteousness come short of the Glory of God?

As we understand it, the Catholic approach to righteousness is to acquire merit by religious duties and to submit to specific priestly ordinances. The amount of merit gained determines the state of joy encountered after death. The concept is that if we will attempt to please God by obeying the Catholic Church we can attain an improved position in the spirit realm after we die. The goal is eternal bliss in the spirit Paradise of God.

The Protestant approach to righteousness often is to virtually ignore our behavior, or to assign it a minor role, and to concentrate on a correct mental and verbal response to the theological facts of the Divine redemption. A belief in the facts of redemption is the Protestant definition of, "the just shall live by faith." The goal is eternal bliss in the spirit Paradise of God.

It is apparent that many fine saints have come from the ranks of the Catholic and Protestant churches. How much richer would have been the harvest if the doctrine had been scriptural?

The Catholic model is to attain Paradise by human efforts to obey the ordinances of the Church.

The Protestant model is to attain Paradise by unswerving belief in the facts of the atonement and the resurrection.

The Greatest Lie Ever Told, #20

And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. (Matthew 9:35)

The Kingdom is mentioned one hundred twenty-seven times in the four Gospel accounts (KJV). The phrase "go to Heaven" is used but once in the entire New Testament, and that is in the Greek text of First Peter where it speaks of Jesus returning to Heaven. Competent scholarship demands that we emphasize the Kingdom of God rather than a flight of Christians to Heaven.

Jesus spoke no parable concerning going to Heaven when we die. Every parable of the Lord concerns the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven. This fact alone renders contemporary Christian theology irrelevant.

The Kingdom of God is a Seed that comes from God Himself. Some people never understand it. In others it does not find sufficient soil. In yet others there are too many other interests competing for the individual's attention.

Of the four kinds of ground, three bear no lasting fruit. The Kingdom of God is not formed in them permanently.

What does this say concerning the hopelessly inappropriate discussion concerning "once saved always saved"?

In the fourth kind of ground, that of adamic personalities with integrity (without integrity no person can make a success of the Divine redemption), the believers bring forth the Kingdom of God in varying degrees. What is brought forth in the personality is Christ, the Kingdom of God. The new personality is Divine in nature. It is a new creation.

My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, (Galatians 4:19)

"Until Christ be formed in you." The saints in Galatia were saved and filled with the Spirit of God. Now the task was to form Christ in them, corresponding to the fourth kind of ground in the parable of the sower.

The parable of the sower is the most important of the parables of the Kingdom of God given by the Lord Jesus. When we do not understand the parable of the sower it is impossible to comprehend the Kingdom of God — the Kingdom announced by John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus.

And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables? (Mark 4:13)

What is the purpose of the return of the Lord Jesus to the world? The Christian churches are continuing in a misunderstanding concerning the return of the Lord to the earth. They suppose that the purpose of Christ's coming is to catch up His Bride to Heaven. However, this is not the reason for the Lord's return.

The purpose for the Lord's coming is to separate the righteous from the wicked in the earth, to deliver the wicked to judgment, and to reward and exalt the righteous. The meek shall inherit the earth.

The Greatest Lie Ever Told, #19

And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; (Matthew 13:3) What is the meaning of the parable of the sower?

The parable of the sower means that the Kingdom of God is the Divine Seed from God that is sown in the heart of an individual.

In some instances, Satan is able to snatch the Seed away before it germinates. The person did not understand the Word.

Sometimes the Seed falls on stony ground and its root structure is not adequate to support and nourish the plant in a time of drought. If the heart of the hearer is hard the Seed may germinate, but in time of persecution or other trouble the Seed of eternal life will die from lack of depth.

At other times the Seed germinates, but then thorns grow up and choke out the growth of the Seed. If the hearer is occupied with money and the cares of life the Divine Seed of the Kingdom will be choked out and perish.

In some cases the Seed is able to bear lasting fruit, varying in amount from person to person. If the individual has an honest, good heart (referring to a basically honest adamic nature even though the individual may or may not have gone into sinful practices), the Seed of the Kingdom can bring forth the lasting fruit of righteous behavior.

The thoughtful reader can perceive quickly how the parable of the sower invalidates the Christian formula — the concept of an abstract redemption that operates independently of the behavior of the worshiper.

The parable of the sower demolishes another Christian tenet — the principle that all people are hopelessly wicked. By stressing the truth that all of us were born in sin and have a nature that sins and rebels against God, today's teachers overlook the numerous verses in the Old Testament and the New that attribute righteousness to people. They would deny that the Seed, the Word of God, could ever fall into an "honest and good heart" because (they would claim) there is no person on earth who has such an inner nature.

And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. (Luke 1:6)

But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. (Acts 10:35)

Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. (Psalms 1:5)

Christians in their haste to insist that there is salvation only through Christ (which is true) have developed simplistic doctrines that are not scripturally balanced. The overemphasis on the wickedness of man has caused Christian believers to ignore completely the many, many commandments found in the New Testament. The Christians are under the impression that any effort to live righteously is to be viewed with suspicion as "legalism." "We are saved by grace apart from any works of righteousness."

How terribly unbalanced this assumption is! How great has been the moral desolation produced by an unbalanced presentation of Divine grace!

The Greatest Lie Ever Told, #18

Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. (Acts 15:18)

For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. (Hebrews 4:3)

Does the above sound to you like God works in fits and jerks, first demanding of people that they live righteously, and then installing a new dispensation in which people are not required to keep His commandments?

The plan of redemption is one plan, from Adam through to the new Jerusalem. God always has had one timeless vision. This vision of man in His image and at rest in His will was created in six days. Then God rested. Our sole task in this present life is to discover what God declared at the beginning of the world concerning us as an individual, and to press into God's rest day by day.

God's goal concerning man is that man walk uprightly, be merciful, and walk humbly with God. That goal is the same from eternity to eternity. The only changes occur as God keeps speaking to us and bringing us closer to Himself.

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; (Hebrews 1:1,2)

The path of the righteous is as the dawn that ushers in light that increases until the fullness of day arrives.

The philosophy of Dispensationalism fragments the continuity of God's program, throwing it into an incomprehensible, morally destructive chaos.

If a person were to sit down and deliberately attempt to render the Scriptures incoherent, to isolate the Jews from the Divine redemption, and to introduce moral chaos into the Christian churches, he would have a difficult time improving on the theological model termed Dispensationalism.

The dispensational model of Bible interpretation implies that God does not know what He is doing. God attempts a certain way of dealing with man, and when that doesn't produce the results He desires He attempts a different way. The covenants of God from the creation of Adam are seen as disconnected efforts. Now God has abandoned all methods of improving fallen man and has decided to receive him in his wretched moral state.

Perhaps we misunderstand the concept of Dispensationalism, but the above is what was presented to us when we first became a Christian.

God knew what He was doing before the creation of the world. In the beginning God created all things through to the new Jerusalem. Then He rested. We are to enter that rest.

The only reason God gave the Law of Moses was to keep sin in check until the promised Seed should appear. It never was contemplated that the Law of Moses would produce the new Jerusalem, the Wife of the Lamb.

The Greatest Lie Ever Told, #17

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: (Matthew 7:24)

Does it mean if I hear what Jesus says and believe He is the Lord I will go to Heaven when I die?

Does it mean the Jews have to keep the Lord's commandments but the Gentiles are saved by grace and go to Heaven by grace?

Does it mean I ought to try to do good but everyone knows that no one is perfect and as long as we are in the world we shall sin?

Does it mean that God knows we cannot do what He says and so we will go to Heaven if we trust in Jesus?

What does this saying mean? It means if we will put into practice the moral directives given during the Sermon on Mount (Matthew, Chapters Five through Seven), when the storm comes we and our family will remain secure. Our "house" will not be moved because it is founded on the Rock of the Word of the Lord.

If we are not able in our flesh to forgive our enemies, to leap for joy when we are persecuted, then we are to approach God in prayer, requesting assistance in our time of need. God shall, by His Virtue enable us to do what Jesus commanded.

If we call Jesus Lord! Lord! and then do not do what He taught, He will say to us in that Day, "I never knew you. Go away from Me you evildoer."

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21)

He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (I John 2:4)

The spirit of deception has so poisoned our minds that we cannot perceive what the Word of God states clearly. We keep contradicting the Word, making it of no effect as we attempt to force it into the mold of our manmade models of redemption.

Of particular danger is the model known as Dispensationalism. Beyond all doubt, Dispensationalism, with its severing of the Old Testament from the New, the severing of all previous covenants from the new, the severing of the Jewish elect from the Gentile elect, its teaching of a special coming of the Lord prior to the scriptural and historic coming of the Lord, its placing of a "Gentile Church" in Heaven, its view of the Christian Church as a special dispensation in God's plan, a "mystery" not mentioned in the Old Testament, is totally destructive of coherent Bible interpretation.

The Greatest Lie Ever Told, #16

For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. (Ephesians 5:5)

This means that if a believer is immoral, unclean, or covetous, he will not inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. None of these behaviors are permitted in the Kingdom. This is not a suggestion that the believer try to show his gratitude for a Divine amnesty, accompanied by the assurance that eternal life in the Kingdom of God already has been guaranteed regardless of whether or not the believer persists in covetous behavior.

We could add many other passages, but these should be sufficient to give the reader a starting point from which to familiarize himself with the injunctions of the New Testament concerning sinful behavior on the part of Christian believers.

No! It is not true that eternal bliss is guaranteed upon our profession of Christ as Savior or that it is sufficient we make an attempt to act righteously in appreciation of God's love toward us. The gratitude model is an incorrect concept of the Christian salvation and will lead (and is leading multitudes) to moral chaos.

Can you imagine the Lord saying to us, "You could do better if you tried, but it really doesn't matter because I am going to take you to Heaven to be with Me forever whether or not you live a life of victory over sin?"

There is a phrase common to the Lord's Word to the seven churches of Asia: "I know thy works."

The Lord never rebuked His servants for their doctrine, neither in the Gospel accounts nor in the Book of Revelation. His concern is with our works. This would not be the case if current Christian doctrine came from the Spirit of God.

But what about the thief on the cross? Did not the Lord admit him to Paradise apart from godly behavior?

First of all, we know nothing about the events of the thief's life that led to his request to be admitted to Christ's kingdom.

Second, the Holy Spirit did not place this incident in the Scripture in order to undermine and refute the commandments of the Apostles of the Lamb.

The story of the thief on the cross reminds us that Christ is willing to rescue the perishing when they call on him. Its purpose is not to comfort careless, lukewarm believers with the idea they will be "saved anyway."

So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:16)

Being spit out of the Lord's mouth is not an illustration of the Divine redemption.

In any case, the Lord Jesus did not bring the thief into the Kingdom of God but into Paradise. The issue of the New Testament is not Paradise but the Kingdom of God.

The Greatest Lie Ever Told, #15

If we are to come to God with the desperation required to resist lust, to resist profanity, to resist violence, to resist occult practices, to resist spite, to resist gossip, to resist our romantic urges, to resist our desire to break out of the prison in which God has permitted us to be placed, then we first must be convinced that our conduct will have a direct effect upon our resurrection; that we are to be clothed in our own conduct in the Day of the Lord.

When an individual has been assured that no matter what he does he will go to eternal bliss in a mansion in Heaven when he dies, he never will possess the inner fire, the fierceness, the determination that are necessary for the successful pursuit of the victorious Christian life. The promises of God are to the overcomer, the winner of the race!

The concept that all will receive the same reward, independently of their conduct, is from Satan. His purpose in this deception is to prevent the moral transformation of God's people. Satan understands very well that the Presence of God will not remain with an individual who is disobeying God. It is the Presence of God that Satan fears. Satan fears the Godhead, not the religious striving of well-intentioned people.

Do the Scriptures invite us to try to behave righteously or do they command us to live righteously on the pain of destruction if we do not?

Please keep in mind that all of the following passages are addressed only to Christians:

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6:16)

This means that if a believer, having been baptized in water, keeps on yielding to the urges of sin, he will die spiritually. This hardly could be considered a gentle invitation to live righteously accompanied by the assurance that eternal life already has been guaranteed regardless of compliance with God's laws.

For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify [put to death] the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (Romans 8:13)

This means that if a believer keeps on living in the appetites of the flesh he will die spiritually. This is not a suggestion that he try to be righteous, accompanied by the assurance that eternal life already has been guaranteed regardless of compliance with God's laws.

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness [immorality], Idolatry, sorcery, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)

This means that if a believer continues to live in the lusts of the flesh he will not inherit the Kingdom of God. None of these actions are permitted in the Kingdom. This is not a mild directive to try to resist sin, accompanied by the assurance that eternal life in the Kingdom of God already has been guaranteed to the believer regardless of obedience to God.

The Greatest Lie Ever Told, #14

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (Romans 6:1,2)

Why is it not true that Jesus already has "saved" us and that our motive for righteous behavior is that we ought to try to please Him in appreciation for what He has done for us? Why is this commonly accepted reasoning not true?

Those who teach and preach the abstract, mystical redemption we have mentioned, a salvation independent of acceptable moral conduct on the part of the worshiper, suggest we ought to try to be good. Their concept is that if God has been so kind as to overlook our wickedness through Christ and to give us the hope of eternal bliss in a mansion in the Paradise of God, then we ought to show our appreciation by godly behavior.

Think of it: we ought to show our appreciation by godly behavior! This is an ineffectual, powerless orientation to the Kingdom of God.

What is incorrect in the "we ought to show our appreciation" approach to producing the new creation, the life-giving Bride that is to be married to the Lamb for eternity?

"Showing our appreciation" is not the scriptural method of developing the unblemished Bride of the Lamb.

The implication of the "gratitude" model is that acceptable moral behavior is desirable but not an essential aspect of the Divine redemption.

In actuality, it is the transformation of our moral personality (as well as our body) that itself is the Divine redemption.

The assumption is that the adamic nature can imitate the Personality of the Lord Jesus if it is willing to make the effort. The truth is, the adamic nature must be crucified if the process is even to begin!

In order to produce the new creation in which the old things have passed away and all things have become new and are of God, all the elements of Divine grace must be employed. The Spirit of God, the atoning blood of Jesus, the body and blood of Jesus as our daily sustenance, and particularly the conception and formation of the incorruptible Seed in us, must all play their part if we are to be transformed into the moral image of God.

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (II Corinthians 3:18)

Man cannot change himself! Only the Spirit of God can change us. Have we learned nothing in six thousand years? By no means are we able to lift ourselves by our own bootstraps.

Our present environment is demonic, becoming spiritually darker each day. In addition, our flesh is filled with the spirit of sin. Also, our self-will rejects vigorously the idea that only the Lord Jesus has the right to sit on the throne in the depths of our personality. We want to be our own god and act as we please.

We may desire to do good. But the demonic pressure is so great from within and from without that our good intentions last about as long as a wooden toy in a bonfire.

The Greatest Lie Ever Told, #13

If salvation were unconditional, an eternal amnesty, then numerous passages of the New Testament would make no sense at all.

How can we deny the verse above? By claiming that the Book of Second Peter is not part of the sacred canon, the fully inspired Word of God? And after we have eliminated this passage, what about the multitude of others that warn us to turn away from our lusts and to walk in the Spirit of God?

And if the righteous scarcely be saved [is saved with difficulty], where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? (I Peter 4:18)

A careful study of the entire fourth chapter of First Peter will reveal that it is speaking of the need to judge and remove sin from the Christian personality. This is in keeping with the concept of the new covenant as the Divine provision for removing our sin, for making the worshiper righteous and holy in behavior.

The theme of I Peter, Chapter Four is that Divine judgment has begun in the household of God. The judgment includes fiery trials that test and purify the believers. We are not to be amazed at the suffering that comes upon us but are to rejoice, realizing that the Divine chastening has as its purpose our redemption.

So great is the wrath of God against sin that the believers must be dealt with very severely. It is difficult to save from destruction even the most righteous individual.

The Jewish race has had its holocaust, and now the Spirit of God is beginning to gather the Jews from all nations where they have been dispersed and to install them in their own land.

But the Gentile holocaust has not taken place as yet. It is coming soon. It will be far more terrible than that which happened to the Jews.

Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; (Romans 2:9)

The Jewish nation has been chastised first because it is God's family. We cannot imagine what will transpire when God begins to chastise the Gentiles!

To redeem an individual requires the mortgage payment made on the cross, and then much fiery chastening as the sin is burned away. Zion always is redeemed with the spirit of judgment and of burning, with the baptism of fire.

Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; (I Peter 4:1)

Let us approach God with fear and trembling, being appreciative of all the fiery tests that come our way, in the confidence that God is dealing with us as sons.

It is difficult for God to save even the righteous individual because the personalities of all people — righteous and unrighteous alike — are filled with lust, deceit, and rebellion against God. We are desperately wicked, and it is no easy task to save us from the moral pit in which we were born and in which we live.

The Greatest Lie Ever Told, #12

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14)

It is true that when we believe and are baptized we are saved from destruction in the Day of God's wrath. In this sense we can say "I am saved because I believe in the Lord Jesus." We can live in the assurance of sins forgiven.

It appears that what it means to be "saved" differs from person to person. Some people apparently experience a basic salvation and they are not challenged by the Lord to go further. Others, as the Apostle Paul, are presented with a high "mark" that they strive to attain throughout their lifetime. Some are destined to sit at the Lord's right hand. They will be required to drink the cup of suffering of which Christ drank. To whom much is given, of him shall much be required.

The Scriptures are clear that there are a variety of ranks and callings in the Kingdom of God. The Lord requires of us only that we grasp that for which we personally have been grasped.

When we believe and are baptized we are saved from the wrath of God. After this initial experience we must seek the Lord daily that we may be transformed in personality. If we neglect to follow the Lord in the transformation and ministry He is requiring of us, then we are a disobedient child. In this case, we may or may not be saved in the Day of Wrath. If we are saved it will be as by fire. Salvation by fire will not prove to be a joyous experience!

Because of our past experience as Christians it is almost impossible to think of "being saved" as moral transformation. Perhaps our generation will never be able to think of being saved apart from going to Heaven. But as long as we think in terms of eternal residence in Heaven as being the goal of redemption, confusing the place termed Heaven with eternal life and the Kingdom of God, we never will truly understand the Kingdom of God or the Christian salvation.

Perhaps the children, the young warriors we are training now, will be able to make the conceptual leap from Heaven to the Kingdom of God.

Why would we be admonished to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling if righteousness were imputed to us unconditionally and eternally?

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12)

But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. (I Corinthians 9:27)

There is a careless spirit of security that often characterizes the Christian spirit. This sense of careless ease views God as a kindly grandfather and "good old Jesus" (as someone described the Lord) as a "regular guy" who would never let Christians (especially Gentile Christians) suffer.

The Lord Jesus, the High Priest of God, would say to this spirit, this "angel" of the Christian churches: "You are in deception. You suppose that I have changed from the days of Noah, from the time of Sodom and Gomorrah; but I tell you that in the hour of My coming the events shall be as in the time of Noah and of Sodom and Gomorrah.

"You have been deceived by the spirit of humanism that is filling the world, the spirit of man seeking to make himself God.

"You claim that God will not permit the saints to suffer. You understand neither the Scriptures nor the history of the Church nor your own day.

"You suppose that My grace is an excuse for your continued careless, sinful behavior. But I will bring every work into judgment and reward you according to your works.

"You are attempting to use Me in order to attain your own goals and desires. Do you not know that you are My slaves? — that I have purchased you with My own blood?

"The Scriptures command you to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, to pray that God will keep you from deception, to turn away from the world, take up your cross, and follow me. Do so. The suffering that comes upon you is My judgment of your sins. Its purpose is to save you from destruction.

"As many as I love I rebuke and chasten. Be not arrogant but fear the Lord. This is the beginning of wisdom."

The Greatest Lie Ever Told, #11

To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. (Acts 26:18)

We are not being saved from the earth to Heaven, we are being saved from Satan to God.

To be redeemed is to be turned from darkness to light, from the authority of Satan to God.

Again we have a definition of redemption. It has nothing to do with going to Heaven but with being turned from Satan to God. We do not receive forgiveness of sins until we are turned from the power of Satan unto God.

The Christian salvation may be thought of as a journey. We commence in the image of Satan and have Satan's spirit in us. We think the thoughts of Satan, speak the words of Satan, and perform the actions of Satan.

By the time we reach the end of the journey we are in the image of God and have God's Spirit in us. We think the thoughts of God, speak the words of God, and perform the actions of God. This is what the Christian redemption accomplishes.

The Christian redemption includes forgiveness. But the forgiveness is a legal maneuver based upon the atonement made on the cross of Calvary. It is a covering that makes it possible for God to accept us while the transformation takes place.

When the transformation does not take place, and the fruit the Farmer is looking for does not appear, then we stand in clear scriptural danger of being removed from Christ. We have turned the grace of God into an excuse for immorality.

Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. (James 5:7)

And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down. (Luke 13:9)

Salvation is moral transformation. To be saved is to be released from Satan and brought into holy fellowship with God. Salvation is a continuing process in our life. Salvation has a specific beginning, a specific divinely-guided program, and a specific conclusion. It has an alpha and an omega. Jesus is the Author and the Finisher of our salvation.

He or she who endures to the end shall be saved. We cannot stop at one point on the journey and state we are eternally saved. Rather, we can say I have been saved from fornication, I have been saved from drunkenness, I have been saved from gossiping. I have been delivered from the control of the enemy and the Lord Jesus is helping me to worship Him and live for Him.

The part of us that has not as yet been redeemed from the hand of the enemy is still under the authority of the Lake of Fire, except that Jesus keeps His protection over us as long as we are abiding in Him and submitting to His rebukes and deliverances. We must "work out" our salvation.

The Greatest Lie Ever Told, #10

For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. (Romans 14:17)

Jesus did not come to admit sinners to Paradise, for that would repeat the original problem of the garden in Eden. Jesus came to change sinners into righteous people so they can inherit eternal life, Paradise, and all the other wonders and responsibilities that await us in the future.

Jesus did not come to take the violent man to Heaven, He came to make the violent man peaceful and gentle.

Jesus did not come to take the fornicator to Heaven, He came to make the fornicator morally pure. The Lord Jesus came to put Paradise in us.

But didn't Jesus state that morally unclean people would enter the Kingdom ahead of the self-righteous? Yes, He did. Entering the Kingdom means that we have been delivered from moral impurity. Sometimes the fornicators and the robbers enter the Kingdom ahead of the religious people because the sinners see their need for Jesus, for His forgiving, cleansing authority and power. No individual is as spiritually bankrupt as he or she who sees no need of repentance and deliverance from worldliness, lust, and self-seeking.

The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Heaven is a place. The Kingdom of God is a relationship to God through Christ.

Today's Christian doctrine is so confused, so erroneous, that making one's eternal home in the spirit Paradise is presented as the goal of redemption.

In actuality the goal of salvation presented in the Scriptures is eternal life in the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of God is destined to be established on the earth.

The Lord Jesus did not come to change what we reap but what we sow. People always will reap what they sow. If we desire to enter eternal life in the Kingdom of God we must sow righteousness. This basic law of the Kingdom can never be done away, not by grace, not by mercy, not by any other means. God does not change!

Salvation is moral transformation. This is what salvation is. It has no reference to Heaven. The statement "salvation is moral transformation" does not mean if we behave righteously we will be saved. It means, rather, that the righteous behavior itself is the salvation.

The purpose of salvation is not that we go to Heaven but that we fulfill the many needs that God has, such as a temple for Himself, a bride for the Lamb, righteous priests and rulers to govern the nations of the saved, and several other roles and services. None of these roles and services can be performed completely and perfectly by a human being until he or she has been changed into the moral image of the Lord Jesus and brought into complete, restful union with the Father through Christ.

Notice how redemption is described by the Holy Spirit through the father of John the Baptist:

That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. (Luke 1:74,75)

The above prophetic declaration could not be improved as a definition of the Christian redemption.

This is salvation. This is redemption. It has nothing to do with going to Heaven. In fact, the earth and its peoples will be the primary beneficiaries of the salvation created in the elect.

The Greatest Lie Ever Told, #9

And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: (Leviticus 16:21)

The Day of Atonement (set forth in Leviticus, Chapter 16) describes the atonement made through the blood of the slain goat, and also the future removal of sin (not just the guilt, but the sin itself) from the camp by the leading away of the scapegoat. Forgiveness, and then removal.

God's grace under the new covenant includes the blood atonement made on the cross of Calvary, the body and blood of Christ given to us as food and drink, the indwelling and anointing of the Holy Spirit, the conception and development of the incorruptible Seed in us in the born-again experience, the gifts and ministries given by the Spirit to the members of the Body of Christ, and the Word of God written by the Apostles of the Lamb. There is no question that the Divine grace provided under the new covenant furnishes sufficient authority and power to remove the presence of sin from the Church, leaving it without blemish of any kind whatever. God's grace is sufficient to perform what He has promised!

Does the verse above indicate that God has forgotten His Torah, His eternal Law?

Is it not rather true that the new covenant is infinitely stricter in that it has moved the eternal law of God from tables of stone to the tables of the heart of man?

In the light of Hebrews 8:10, does it appear to you that the new covenant is primarily one of forgiveness?

It is time to repent! We have been deceived by Satan. He has managed to destroy the Divine testimony in the "Christian" nations of today by perverting the teaching of the Apostle Paul concerning the role of the grace of God under the new covenant.

Precisely what is the Divine salvation (redemption)? What is the goal of salvation? The current model of redemption portrays the blood of Jesus as the means of keeping people out of Hell and admitting them to Heaven to live forever. While this is true in an elementary sense it is so simplistic as to be seriously misleading.

There is a real Hell. There is a real Lake of Fire. There is a real Heaven inhabited by God the Father, Jesus, the saints, and holy angels and creatures of whom we know little or nothing.

The purpose of the Christian redemption is not to make it possible for sinners to go to Paradise, to Heaven, in their sin. Sinners always are of Hell and will go to Hell when they die. The righteous always are of Heaven and will go to Heaven when they die.

The Greatest Lie Ever Told, #8

He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (I John 2:4)

Sometimes it actually is stated that the commandments of the Lord and His Apostles are not to be obeyed. God's purpose in giving the commandments found in the New Testament was not that we would obey them but to demonstrate that we must come to Christ and receive the grace of forgiveness. Although this concept of the New Testament writings has been advanced for many years it utterly is without foundation in the New Testament.

The problem here is that the teachers are making justification by faith the only aspect of the Divine redemption. They are ignoring the all important works of sanctification and consecration. If forgiveness of sins and imputed righteousness are the only aspects of Divine grace, then the new covenant will never produce people in God's image. It is a tremendous misunderstanding of the program and objectives of Divine grace.

If this were true it would mean that the new covenant is inferior to the old, in that the old required godly behavior. God has admitted (it is assumed) there is nothing He can do to save people from their sins. He has decided to forgive them without attempting to change them. What an erroneous concept!

First of all, let us point out the principal difference between the two covenants. Under the old covenant, sin was forgiven through the atonement made by the blood of animals. Under the new covenant, sin is forgiven through the atonement made by the blood of the righteous Jesus, and then removed from us as we fight against it with the power of the Holy Spirit working in terms of the authority of the blood of the cross.

And he shall do with the bullock as he did with the bullock for a sin offering, so shall he do with this: and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them. (Leviticus 4:20)

The new covenant includes the forgiveness and the removal of the presence (power, compulsion, desire) of sin.

For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. (Hebrews 10:1)

For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. (Hebrews 10:4)

And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: (Hebrews 10:11)

"Make the comers thereunto perfect." "Should take away sins." "Can never take away sins."

It is clear from the Scripture that the old covenant made provision for the forgiveness of sin (Leviticus 4:20 above). The difference between the covenants has to do with the removal of the presence and consciousness of sin, with making the worshiper perfect in conscience and in behavior.

The Greatest Lie Ever Told, #7

For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. (Revelation 22:15)

Christian teachers and preachers suggest that God has given grace as an alternative to godly behavior. Worse yet, they imply that this alternative is eternal. A thousand years from now, it is said, we still will be praising God for His "grace." This means, apparently, that we still shall be bound in sin and self-will but God will accept us anyway.

If this were the case it would represent a change in God Himself, in His moral Nature. It would be the most disastrous of all catastrophes that possibly could overtake the creation. In this case, the Holy City would be holy by imputation, meaning that it was filled with malice, violence, filthy moral behavior, and every other abomination that previously had brought the wrath of God upon mankind. There would be no hope for those who are looking for "new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."

Christian teaching often is incorrect in its presentation of Divine grace under the new covenant.

It is true that by our identification with Christ on the cross we are legally free from the Law of Moses. But we are not free to live as we please, we are free only to be married to Christ.

Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. (Romans 7:4)

Marriage to Christ brings a far stricter control over our moral behavior than ever could be true of the Law of Moses.

We have a multitude of spiritual "singles" today who are married neither to Moses nor to Christ. They are without law of any kind other than being a law to themselves. They shall be judged as evildoers. The Lord Jesus does not "know" them, or those who are teaching them that their immoral, lawless behavior is acceptable to God.

What is the new covenant? Precisely what is the new covenant, the new testament, the covenant that has superseded the Law of Moses?

Someone who knew only current Christian teaching would suppose the new covenant consisted of God's forgiveness of our sin so we can make our eternal home in Heaven. This model of redemption is incorrect in method and objective.

God's moral Nature is eternal. He never has changed and never shall change His desire for mankind. God desires that every person practice righteousness, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. This expression sums up the Law and the Prophets.

There was a problem with the worshipers under the Law of Moses. The problem was that many Israelites did not practice righteousness, love mercy, or walk humbly with God. In fact, the envy in the personalities of the Law-keeping leaders of Israel caused them to demand the murder of Jesus of Nazareth.

Not being satisfied with people under the old covenant, God has created a new covenant. According to today's preaching, the new covenant primarily is one of forgiveness. Because people are sinful, God has decided, on the basis of the suffering and shed blood of Jesus on the cross, to waive His requirement that people practice righteousness, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.

The Greatest Lie Ever Told, #6

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? (I Peter 4:17)

God is judging His household today. Swift and terrible judgment soon will fall on every nation in which the believers do not humble themselves, pray, seek God's face, and turn from their wicked ways.

It is an error of monumental proportions to claim that God does not see the actions of the believer but only the righteousness of Christ imputed to him.

What is the role of imputation? What are the limits of imputation? The ascribing (imputing) of righteousness (right standing with God) to whoever puts his trust in Jesus is taught by the Apostle Paul in the first five chapters of the Book of Romans.

Paul, in the early chapters of Romans, is arguing against Jews. He was addressing those who knew the Law of Moses and were trusting in the works of the Law (particularly, but not exclusively, the Ten Commandments) for their redemption and righteousness in the sight of God.

Paul spoke vehemently to the Orthodox Jews, warning them that God has given us His own righteousness through Christ, having declared all of mankind to be bound in sin. Paul explained that there no longer is a need to attempt to adhere to the statutes of Moses because God will ascribe true righteousness to the individual who believes in the Lord Jesus.

Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: (Romans 3:22)

The role of imputed righteousness is to remove the condemnation of sin from the believer so he may come to God for fellowship, and also for help as he seeks to overcome sin and self-will. Having put our faith in Jesus we now, like the High Priest of Israel on the Day of Atonement, are permitted beyond the holy veil so we may present our needs before the throne of Him who dwells between the Cherubim of Glory.

Gentile teachers have made two tremendous errors of interpretation concerning Paul's teaching of imputed righteousness:

Gentile teachers, not realizing that Paul was contrasting faith in Jesus with the observance of the many facets of the Law of Moses, have concluded that Paul was contrasting faith in Jesus with godly behavior. The irony of this error is that godly behavior is the very thing the Lord came to establish.

The second error is worse than the first. Gentile teachers believe that New Testament grace represents a change in God Himself. Not understanding the temporary, provisional nature of imputation, they are assuming that God no longer requires righteous, holy behavior on the part of His servants and will have continuing fellowship with people of unclean behavior on the basis of the blood atonement.

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. (II Corinthians 6:17)

Permanent fellowship with God depends not only on the atonement made by the Lord Jesus but also on our walking in the light of God's will and holiness, on our coming out from the filthy practices of the world.

The Greatest Lie Ever Told, #5

But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. (I Corinthians 11:28)

The New Testament teaches clearly and emphatically that the sin of the believer is judged rigorously. If the believer continues to practice sin he may experience physical and spiritual weakness, sickness, premature death, and even spiritual death, according to the New Testament.

To "examine" ourselves is to judge our own conduct regarding righteousness and unrighteousness.

For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. (I Corinthians 11:29)

Some of the Corinthian believers were not regarding the elements of the Communion service with the proper reverence. The rich were becoming drunk and the poor went hungry. The believers did not realize that the very elements of which they were partaking are to be regarded as the Body of Christ. Their attitude was reprehensible.

Did God ignore their conduct and impute (ascribe) the holiness of Christ to them, or did He judge their conduct to be worthy of "lashes"?

For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. (I Corinthians 11:30)

God revealed His displeasure with their behavior by sending weakness and sickness upon them. Some died prematurely because God judged that their actions warranted their removal from the earth.

God commands us to judge ourselves. We are to examine our behavior, resisting that which is sinful and praying for strength to walk in righteousness, holiness, and obedience to God. We can see at a glance that the concept that God does not see our behavior but only the righteousness of Christ is incorrect — terribly incorrect! Fatally incorrect!

But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. (I Corinthians 11:32)

If we refuse to correct our conduct, God will judge us in order to save us from being under the same condemnation as the world.

While there are numerous statements in the New Testament (the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation and the Books of First John and Jude, for example, plus many exhortations of Paul) that demonstrate beyond all doubt that God indeed judges the sins of His people, the passage from First Corinthians (above) seems sufficient for the student who is willing to flee from the prevailing Christian error concerning Divine grace.

What, then, should be our attitude toward the sins we are committing? We are commanded to confess our sins, turning away from them with the Lord's help. When we confess our sins with the purpose of turning away from them, God is faithful and righteous to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We wash the robes of our conduct and make them white in the blood of the Lamb. We are to do this every day because we are living in a morally filthy environment.

We Christians do sin, and we are not to evade this fact by stating that God does not see our behavior. God sees every action we take. He hears every word we speak. He knows every thought we think. God's plan of redemption through Christ is able to transform every one of our actions, our words, and our thoughts, until they are acceptable to Him. This moral transformation is the Divine salvation, the Divine redemption.

The Greatest Lie Ever Told, #4

He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. (I John 3:8)

We are not implying by this statement that those who led us to the Lord were attempting to harm us, or that today's preachers and teachers are deliberately destroying the moral character of the believers. It is true, rather, that in the process of "cleansing the temple" today, the "Book of the Law" has been found in the trash of tradition. It is time, therefore, for all of God's people to repent. We have been deceived!

The exhortations of many preachers of the Gospel are flattering and wishy-washy. They are not lifting up their voice like a trumpet and showing God's people their sins.

Christ was not sent by the Father to excuse or "cover" the behavior of God's people. Rather, Christ was sent to destroy the works of the devil, to turn people from ungodly behavior to godly behavior.

Let us continue our discussion by examining several aspects of the current misunderstanding of God's grace under the new covenant:

Does God see the behavior of the Christian and judge it or does He see Christ's righteousness and holiness instead?

What is the role of imputation (ascribed righteousness)? What are the limits of imputation?

Why would we be admonished to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling if righteousness is imputed to us unconditionally and eternally?

Why is it not true that Jesus already has "saved" us and that our motive for righteous behavior is that we ought to try to please Him in appreciation for what He has done for us?

In what manner do both the Catholic and Protestant approaches to righteousness come short of the Glory of God?

Does God see the behavior of the Christian and judge it or does He see Christ's righteousness and holiness instead? There is a Christian maxim that views grace (g-r-a-c-e) as "God's Riches At Christ's Expense." The implication here is that Christ bears the cross alone and all the believers can do as they please. There is an old hymn that takes issue with this concept ("Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone?"). The idea is definitely humanistic — well adapted to the wealthy "Christian" churches of the twentieth century.

When the believer lies, does God judge the lie as sin or is the truthfulness of Christ imputed (ascribed) to the individual?

When the believer practices fornication (and some church members do), does God judge the fornication as sin or is the moral purity of Christ imputed to the individual?

How do the Christian lie and the Christian fornication differ from the lie and the fornication of the unbeliever, in the sight of God?

This is an extremely important issue. How we resolve it in our mind affects the manner in which we perceive the Christian redemption.

The Greatest Lie Ever Told, #3

The divinely inspired Word of God proclaims that faith can live only in works of righteousness.

The position is taken that faith is an abstraction, existing alone and not dependent on our behavior. We are saved by faith alone, it is claimed, in direct contradiction of the written Word of God.

The truth is, abstract faith is not faith at all but mental assent. Works of righteousness, godly actions, are the very life of true faith. "The just shall live by faith" means the righteous think, speak, and act by faith in God rather than by faith in their own ability.

"The just shall live by faith," an expression that originated in the Old Testament and is repeated three times in the New, does not mean we go to Heaven on the basis of a mental assent to the theological facts of redemption. In fact, the eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews is the illustration of "the just shall live by faith." The eleventh chapter of Hebrews describes works of obedience to God, not mental assent to theological facts.

Why are we of today insisting that if Christians continue to walk in the flesh they shall not certainly die?

It is the greatest lie ever told and it has produced moral desolation in the churches of Christ. As a result the governments of the so-called Christian nations are moral wastelands.

The only moral guidance available to civil government is the light coming from Christ-produced godly behavior and teaching of the Christian churches. But we have wrested Paul's doctrine of grace to mean that godly behavior, while desirable, is not a crucial aspect of our salvation. The result is, our lampstand has been removed from its place. The government has only our "imputed righteousness" to rely on for moral guidance; and since imputed (legally ascribed) righteousness cannot be observed, the government has no moral light to follow.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

"If you stress righteous behavior you are guilty of preaching works. You are guilty of `legalism' (the current epithet applied to righteous, holy behavior). You are a Pharisee."

The manner in which the Divine grace is presented today is the greatest lie ever told.

When the author received Christ, Ephesians 2:8,9 was emphasized as a "key passage" to memorize.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8,9)

Why wasn't the following verse included as part of the "key passage," since it reveals the outcome of Divine grace?

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

It was not included in our early instruction because it exposes the satanic lie that clouds Christian thinking.

The Greatest Lie Ever Told, #2

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6:16)

The Scriptures teach clearly and emphatically that the Christian redemption always is conditional, always is an opportunity.

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. (II Corinthians 6:17)

Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. (Revelation 2:5)

The theologians hasten to proclaim: Salvation is unconditional. You cannot destroy your relationship with God by your behavior. You shall not surely die!

The Scriptures state that we Christians, like the Israelites, will die in the wilderness if we do not continue serving the Lord.

I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. (Jude 1:5)

The Christian theologians announce: there is nothing you can do to injure your redemption. Once you "accept Christ" you are saved for eternity. This is because redemption is not dependent on your moral behavior.

What is the origin of this deadly misunderstanding, this inability to comprehend the explicit Word of God?

The holy Scriptures assert that the righteous must press forward in faith at all times or else they will draw back to destruction. To be saved we must "endure to the end."

And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. (Matthew 10:22)

But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition [destruction]; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. (Hebrews 10:39)

Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: (II Peter 1:10)

Christian teachers declare that those who would be saved need only make a mental and verbal assent to the facts of redemption (facts the demons know only too well), and having made such an assent they never again will have cause to be concerned about their position in God.

This is antinomianism, an ancient heresy. There is poison here! We have noticed that once Bible students are exposed to current Evangelical teaching they no longer are able to comprehend Old or New Testament Scriptures. There is a spirit associated with Evangelical doctrine. Once this spirit enters the mind and spirit of the believer he or she no longer is able to perceive what is written.

The spirit of which we are speaking presents an abstract redemption that removes the believer from the real world and places him in a special realm shielded from judgment. The Divine salvation becomes an arbitrary act of God designed for elect Gentiles (or for whoever chooses to believe) and cannot be made void or injured in any manner for eternity. The Divine redemption, it is conjectured, is utterly independent of the moral character and behavior of the believer.

It is the greatest lie ever told. It is contradicted by every book of the New Testament.

The Greatest Lie Ever Told

The numerous passages of the Epistles that warn us concerning the consequences of sin are often preached to the unsaved, but none of them were written to unsaved people. Unsaved persons are already dead in their sins. It is the Christians who will lose their eternal life, who will slay their own resurrection, if they continue to live according to the lusts of their flesh.

"Ye shall not surely die." The emphasis in the Hebrew is on the word "die." You shall not die of a certainty. There is a question whether you actually shall die!

Why is Satan so anxious to persuade us Christians that it is not certain we actually shall die when we disobey God? No doubt it is because he himself has been sentenced to eternal death in the Lake of Fire. Since then he has been attempting to rally the angels, and mankind as well, in an effort to overturn the sentence of God against himself.

You shall not certainly die. We hear it all the time today. For this reason or that reason, you shall not surely die!

The New Testament writings state clearly and emphatically that the Christian believer who continues in sin shall not inherit the Kingdom of God but shall die spiritually.

Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. (John 15:2)

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

Romans 6:23 (above) was written to people who had believed and had been baptized in water.

For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify [put to death] the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (Romans 8:13)

For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:8)

How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; (Hebrews 2:3)

But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. (Hebrews 6:8)

Where does the cloud come from that prevents Christians from seeing what is written plainly in the Scriptures?

The passages above were written to Christians. Today they are preached to the unsaved regularly and vigorously, but they were not addressed to unsaved people. Unsaved persons are already dead in their sins. It is the Christians who will lose their eternal life, who will slay their own resurrection, if they continue to live according to the lusts of their flesh.

But what do we hear from pulpit and pew? You shall not surely die. The Scriptures, the Word of God, state that believers in Christ will die spiritually if they do not choose to live righteously. But the Christian theologians, reflecting Satan's attitude toward God and His Word, cry out in one accord, "You shall not surely die!"

Paradise or Eternal Life?, #18

And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. (Revelation 22:12)

Tribulation creates patience in us. Patience is a mark of perfection. The development of patience in us forms a door through which other people can enter the Presence of God. The gates of the new Jerusalem are pearl — that which is created by a patient response to irritations.

Finally the most valuable characteristic anyone can possess — closeness to God. The overcomers forever shall be pillars in the Temple of God and shall "go no more out."

When we consider the above array of destinies (see previous essays) we can understand readily that it is not enough just to "live in a little cabin in the corner of gloryland." There are thrones to be gained — the thrones currently occupied by wicked spirits who are corrupting the creation of God.

There are crowns of life and righteousness; robes of dazzling whiteness that portray the righteous works of the individual.

There is a body to be reclaimed from death and a clothing of that body with Divine glory and fire so it shines as a star forever.

There are the joys of bringing forth healing and life for the saved peoples of the earth.

There is the incomparable fulfillment of hearing the Lord say, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord."

But closeness to the Lord God of Heaven for eternity is a reward that surpasses all others.

No, our goal is not merely admittance to the garden of God. The rewards and treasures available to the victorious saint, the disciple who takes up his cross each day and follows the Master with a perfect heart of obedience and love, are well worth every effort we can possibly make.

Let us not walk in the ranks of those who are trying to see how close they can come to the Lake of Fire without toppling in. Let us seek more abundant life. Let us live so our Lord can joyfully give us the fullness of His Kingdom.

Many that are last in time will be enabled to press into the fullness of salvation, the Fullness of God.

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (Revelation 21:7) (from Paradise or Eternal Life?)

Paradise or Eternal Life?, #17

And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. (I Peter 5:4)

Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. (Revelation 2:10)

As for the robe of white raiment, the "house" created by the righteous behavior proceeding from Christ's work and Presence in us:

He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. (Revelation 3:5)

I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. (Revelation 3:18)

After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; (Revelation 7:9)

And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness [righteous deeds] of saints. (Revelation 19:8)

And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. (Revelation 19:14)

We see from the above that there are crowns and robes to be gained. Of the inhabitants of Paradise, some will wear the crowns of Divine authority. Some will be robed in the white raiment of the priests of God. Whether we are crowned with authority and robed as a priest depends on our diligence in following Christ.

These evidences of authority and power are not issued automatically because we have made a profession of faith in Christ but are the result of the Divine program of redemption with which we have cooperated.

For those who overcome demonic pressures and temptations of the last days there are valuable attributes of character that are gained as through Christ we conquer the adversary.

Courage is one such attribute. Christ's courage is formed in us as we fight onward against every dread, every terror the enemy sets before us.

Faith in God is increased in us as we have to depend on the Lord in the midst of the evil and complexities in which we are attempting to serve the Lord.

Stern, uncompromising, continual obedience to God no matter what He requires of us is one of the most valuable qualities of personality we can gain in our present struggle. Even the Lord Jesus learned obedience through the things He suffered on the earth.

Paradise or Eternal Life?, #16

The saved nations from time to time will come to the new Jerusalem to be blessed by the Presence of Christ in His saints.

And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. (Zechariah 14:16)

The Holy Spirit will issue as the River of Life from the Presence of God. The Tree of Life, which is God in Christ in the saints, will be available to the saved nations of the earth.

We see from this pattern that there are least in the Kingdom and greatest in the Kingdom. It is not just a matter of regaining Paradise. The question is: What will be our role in the new world? Will it really make a difference in our destiny whether or not we live the victorious Christian life, or is it sufficient to just enter Paradise by the skin of our teeth, so to speak?

We already have mentioned the resurrecting and glorifying of our body. It appears certain that the Lord Jesus will not clothe a worldly, sinful, disobedient personality with a body like His own. It is not impossible that when the Lord returns, only those members of His Church who have followed Him closely will receive back their body from death.

If this is true, we may find some of God's elect in Spirit-filled glorified flesh and bone bodies ministering to the nations of the earth (who still are flesh and blood) and also to the remainder of the Church who are contained in the spirit realm. If this proves to be the case, then attaining to the first resurrection from the dead is very desirable.

We have mentioned that the kind of house from Heaven that will clothe our resurrected flesh and bone will reveal in itself the good and the evil we have practiced. This is shown clearly, not only in II Corinthians 5:10 but also in the following:

For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:8)

We shall reap either corruption or eternal life in the day of resurrection, depending on the kind of "sowing" we have done throughout our lifetime.

The Scripture mentions crowns and white raiment. The crowns portray the authority that will be given to the conquerors. The raiment speaks, we believe, of that which will cover our resurrected flesh and bones in the Day of the Lord.

Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. (II Timothy 4:8)

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. (James 1:12)

Paradise or Eternal Life?, #15

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (II Corinthians 5:10)

All the others who have attained the first resurrection will be raised and then clothed with a body that will directly reflect the decisions they have made during their discipleship. That which we have practiced in the body will be given to us in that day.

The mark set before us is an inner nature transformed into the image of Christ by being infused with the Divine Nature of Christ; a transformed inner nature filled with the Presence of the Father and the Son. All of this will be contained in a flesh-and-bone body that has been clothed with a house from Heaven that reveals in itself what we have become as we have lived by the body and blood of the Lord Jesus.

This is salvation and the fullness of eternal life. This is the first resurrection of the dead, the resurrection of the kingdom of priests who will govern the creation of God forever.

Paradise is a place of indescribable love, joy, peace, and beauty. Paradise was at one time on this earth in or near present-day Iraq. It was a garden containing all that people would ever desire, including the Presence of God Himself.

God made man and put him in the garden, and this is where God intends for man to be — in a beautiful garden of delight on the earth.

But man at that time was not "man" as God intends man to be. The Lord Jesus is the first Man to appear on the earth as God wants man to be — in the moral image of God, capable of union with another, capable of limitless fruitfulness and limitless dominion.

The garden will be brought back to earth with the coming of the Lord. But what about the people?

The description of the new heaven and earth, given in the last two chapters of the Bible, portrays the new world of righteousness that is to come. The new Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb, the Kingdom of God, will come down out of the spiritual Heaven until it is visible in the sky and then descend to remain forever on a great and high mountain of the new earth.

On the new earth will be nations of saved people who will be governed forever by the Bride of the Lamb, the royal priesthood, the Israel of God.

The glorified Church, the new Jerusalem will be available to any of the people of the new world who wish to come and be refreshed with the Presence and Virtue of God in Christ in the saints.

Paradise or Eternal Life?, #14

For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (Romans 8:13)

If we are to attain the fullness of eternal life in our inner man we must follow the Spirit closely in putting to death the deeds of our body. As we pursue the life of victory over our sinful desires we keep on eating the flesh of Christ and drinking His blood.

As we keep on eating the flesh of Christ and drinking His blood we are dwelling in Him. We find that just as Christ lives by the Life of the Father so we now are living by the Life of Christ.

As Paul says, we now are experiencing the power of His resurrection and sharing His sufferings. As He is, so are we in this world. He lived in self-denial and we must be willing to live in self-denial if we would be part of His resurrection.

Thus far we have discussed the attaining of the resurrection in our inner man. Now we shall consider the resurrection body.

The resurrection body consists of two bodies: our flesh and bones, which will be raised from death at the coming of the Lord, and our house from Heaven.

For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (II Corinthians 5:1)

The "house not made with hands" is our robe of righteousness, the Glory of Christ that will clothe our raised flesh and bones in the Day of the Lord.

The critical understanding the present-day Christian churches must come to possess is that our house from Heaven is created as a counterpart of the forming of Christ in us in the present hour. We are building a mansion in Heaven, so to speak.

Our heavenly house, which now is before the throne of God in Heaven, reflects directly the decisions we make on the earth. As Paul says:

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; (II Corinthians 4:17)

The "far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" that is produced by our faithful, godly response to our afflictions is our house from Heaven.

The meaning here is that today we are determining the nature of our resurrection from the dead. The day of resurrection will reveal what we have become through Christ. This is why the rewards of the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation are dependent on our overcoming, on our gaining victory over the forces of sin and self-will that fight against us continually as we press forward in order to attain to the first resurrection from the dead, the resurrection of the royal priesthood.

Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6)

When the Lord appears, the flesh and bones of the Apostle Paul will be raised from where he was martyred in Rome and will be clothed with a great mountain of fire and glory. He will resemble His Lord.

Paradise or Eternal Life?, #13

The growth of Christ in us is the growth of the Resurrection in us, for the Lord Jesus Himself is the resurrection.

If we thus attain the inner resurrection, then, when the Lord appears, we will be clothed externally with the fullness of God's Glory.

It is the overcomer, the victorious saint, who is permitted to eat of the Tree of Life, which is Christ, and thus gain eternal life in the inner man in preparation for the donning of immortality in the outer man.

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. (Revelation 2:7)

Every time we overcome the accuser by denying ourselves, putting to death the desires of our flesh and soul, we are permitted to eat from the tree of life. Adam dies and Christ lives. Adam dies and Christ lives. Adam dies and Christ lives.

So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening [life-giving] spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. (I Corinthians 15:42-49)

We attain eternal life, which is the same as the resurrection from the dead, which is the same as Christ Himself (for He Himself is the Resurrection and the Life), by eating His flesh and drinking His blood. This is how we partake of the Tree of Life. As we put to death the deeds of our body we are fed in the spiritual realm with the body and blood of the Lord Jesus.

Notice in the following verses the relationship between eating Christ's flesh and blood, eternal life, and the resurrection from the dead.

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. (John 6:53-57)

Paradise or Eternal Life?, #12

Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. (Luke 24:39)

One of the ways in which our life in Paradise will be affected is that those who are transformed will possess flesh and bone bodies that have been clothed with a glorified body from the spiritual Heaven. The Lord Jesus Christ at the present time is in Paradise in a flesh and bone body.

One of the great errors of current thinking is that every believer will receive, at the coming of the Lord, a body like that of the Lord Jesus — even though he or she has not lived a victorious Christian life. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The concept is as follows. When we receive the Lord Jesus as our Savior and Lord we begin a struggle. The result of our victory in the struggle is the redemption of our physical body. All the forces of darkness, including those resident in our personality, fight against our wrestling, our effort to grow in eternal life to the point we are competent and eligible for the adoption of our mortal body into the eternal Life of God.

Every day of our discipleship, death and life struggle for the mastery of our personality. Our body remains dead in sin while our born-again inner nature struggles against the darkness. The victorious saint is the one who keeps looking to the Lord for victory in the battle.

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. (Philippians 3:10,11)

That Paul is thinking of the redemption of his mortal body is shown a few verses later.

Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (Philippians 3:21)

And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8:23)

Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:14)

Paul taught that the resurrection of our physical body is the purpose of our salvation.

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. (I Corinthians 15:19,20)

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. (I Corinthians 15:22

Paradise or Eternal Life?, #11

Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. (I John 3:15)

Anyone who has known a person who was filled with God's Life, and then has fallen away, can tell you that the personality of the individual who has fallen away has changed in a visible manner. The glow of Divine Life has departed.

Eternal life has nothing whatever to do with dwelling in Paradise. Eternal life has to do with the life that is motivating our personality. Paradise, on the other hand, is the environment of God: our true home, a place of love, joy, peace, and indescribable beauty.

Can you see the difference between eternal life as our life force, and Paradise as the place where we dwell?

Both eternal life and Paradise were lost to Adam and Eve. Apparently Paradise was withdrawn immediately into the spiritual realm. The loss of Divine Life resulted in the physical death of Adam and Eve almost a thousand years later.

The Lord Jesus Christ is our Redeemer. He came to restore eternal life to us. Paradise will follow in its time. But, as we shall see later, our true goal is to be transformed into a life-giving spirit. Then we can enjoy Paradise to the fullest. But to enter Paradise on the basis of forgiveness alone (if that is possible), without having experienced transformation into a new creation, would be to suffer inconceivable loss.

We desire a splendid environment. God desires transformed people who can maintain the splendor and beauty of Paradise. Does this make sense to you?

Saved people will dwell forever in Paradise on the earth. But the process of redemption is the transformation of the future rulers and citizens of Paradise.

Eternal life is not a gift that is handed to us in full measure upon our receiving Christ. Eternal life is an actual kind of life we receive in embryonic form and then must pursue every day of our discipleship.

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. (I Timothy 6:12)

Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. (I Timothy 6:19)

The above two verses are addressed to saved people. They had received the initial portion of eternal life. Now they must pursue eternal life by their godly behavior. The only manner in which we can grow in eternal life is by practicing godly behavior.

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Matthew 7:14)

The gate is small and the way is full of pressure that leads to life. Receiving Christ gives us access to the way, it does not bring us to the fullness of life unless we follow Christ closely throughout our lifetime on the earth. There is life and there is more abundant life.

For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; (Hebrews 3:14)

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; (Philippians 3:10)

Does the above teach that we receive unconditionally the fullness of eternal life when we first put our trust in Christ?

Paradise or Eternal Life?, #10

Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. (John 5:28,29)

But it appears that the bodies of the unsaved, even though they come forth from the ground, have never been touched with God's Life. What will be the end of their bodies we do not know except that they shall not be renewed with the Life of God.

Therefore the individual who has been raised from the dead apart from the Lord Jesus Christ, has perished as a person, having no hope of ever entering the Presence of God or His Kingdom.

Whether his or her destiny after he or she is raised and judged is Hell, or the Lake of Fire, or the outer darkness, or to be a wandering star, only Christ will decide. The point is, the individual has perished.

The person will never again be able to experience the Presence and blessing of God (this is the worst of all consequences).

God may not erase the painful memories of the individual who perishes as He will those who are received into His Kingdom.

It must be kept in mind that the Lord Jesus did not come to earth to give people a pass from Hell to Paradise. The Lord Jesus came to forgive us and furnish us with an opportunity to be transformed so we are acceptable to the Father. There is a world of difference between these two concepts.

Heaven (or the heavens), as we have said, includes all the areas of physical space and the areas of the spiritual realm. Eternal life, however, has to do with our entering the Life of God.

John 3:16 tells us that whoever will put his continuing trust in the Lord Jesus Christ will not perish as a person but will be received into the Life that fills the Godhead.

Perhaps what we have said to this point is not too surprising to the experienced saint. However, the serious problems residing in Christian thought are that eternal life is one, eternal existence; two, a gift that is given in its fullness upon our receiving Christ; and three, a legal state that exists in our mind and the mind of God rather than what it truly is — a form of life, just as biologic life is a form of life.

"Receive Christ and you have eternal life." In today's preaching this means that when you die you will go to a mansion in Paradise to live forever among the angels.

Eternal life is not eternal existence. All spirits, righteous and wicked, will exist for eternity.

We have only a firstfruits of eternal life upon our conversion to Christ, an "earnest," a pledge of a fullness yet to come.

Eternal life is actual, substantial life. It is the Life of God dwelling in us, not a legal state that can never be affected by our behavior. As the parable of the sower reveals to us (along with many other passages), we certainly can lose the initial Divine Life given to us when we received Christ.

Paradise or Eternal Life?, #9

If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. (Philippians 3:11)

There is massive theological confusion concerning the role of Divine grace. No person ever will receive a glorified body on the basis of forgiveness. The purpose of grace is to enable us to press forward to the resurrection. If we rely on grace to forgive us without undergoing the process of personal transformation, then no glorified body has been created before God's throne. We will be found naked in the day of resurrection.

We gain entrance to the Holy of Holies when we receive the Lord Jesus so that God can hear our prayers. This is the wonderful grace of God to us. But in no manner can any individual enter the Kingdom of God by forgiveness. Paradise, yes; but not the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is the doing of God's will in the earth as it is in Heaven.

Hopefully the reader will search the Scriptures to see if we are accurate and not wait until he or she dies and discover when it is too late that it is as we have stated.

Many pastors and teachers may know the strictness of God's salvation but do not preach and teach the truth. They are afraid they will lose their followers. This being the case, we urge you to not rely blindly on your spiritual leader to tell you the truth concerning your salvation. Put the apostles to the test (Revelation 2:2)!

We always should obey the elders of our church and do all we can to assist them. God has not called us to instruct the elders! But our salvation is our individual responsibility and we are required by the Lord to determine from the Scriptures what God has said about our salvation.

Let us repeat what we have stated. The Day of Atonement has begun now and the praying saints will discover that the Holy Spirit is pointing out their sins and helping them to confess them and be delivered from them. Such confession and deliverance makes possible the growth of Christ in us.

We have given the title "Paradise or Eternal Life?" to the present booklet. This is because Paradise and eternal life are not the same thing. The Lord Jesus and His Apostles came preaching eternal life. They never emphasized our going to dwell forever in the third heaven where the Paradise of God is located.

How many times in the four Gospel accounts did the Lord Jesus stress eternal life? Many, many times.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Notice that the contrast is not between Hell and Heaven but between perishing and eternal life. But aren't these basically the same ideas? Not at all.

Hell is God's prison where He confines the wicked. Perishing has to do with our physical body.

Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished [if there is no resurrection of the body]. (I Corinthians 15:18)

The Lord Jesus came so we might not remain a disembodied spirit after death, our flesh and bones returning to the dust of the earth from which they were taken, but might be reunited with our body now made wondrously alive by the Holy Spirit of God.

Paradise or Eternal Life?, #8

Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: (Leviticus 16:15)

We would like to focus the present discussion on the goal of our salvation, that is, our personal transformation into Christ's image, as being above and beyond the simple entrance into Paradise upon our physical death.

The Day of Atonement. With regard to our transformation from Adam to Christ, let us look more closely at the Day of Atonement, found in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Leviticus.

The sprinkling of the blood of the slain goat upon and before the Mercy Seat portrays the sprinkling of Christ's blood before the Altar of God in Heaven for the forgiveness of our sins. The forgiveness of our sins authorizes us to begin the process of transformation that results in the forming of the Kingdom of God in us.

Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. (Hebrews 9:12)

The confessing of sins and laying them on the head of the living goat, and the sending away of the living goat into the wilderness, show clearly that our redemption includes the removal of sin from our personality.

These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. (Leviticus 23:4)

We believe that this is the season for the Day of Atonement, that it has begun now for the Church of Christ, and that it will extend throughout the thousand-year Kingdom Age.

The closer we are to the Lord today the more we shall experience the dealings of the Holy Spirit as He begins to lead us in warfare against the worldliness, lust, and self-will in our personality.

It is our conviction that only those who have cooperated fully with the Holy Spirit in the removal of sin from their personality are eligible to be raised as part of the royal priesthood when the Lord appears.

Why is this? It is because when the Lord appears, those who have lived victoriously in Him will be raised from the dead and then glorified by being clothed with a body from Heaven. They will have a body like the Lord Jesus. They will then be able to enter the Paradise of God in a body of flesh and bone, just as is true of the Lord Jesus.

No human being can ever be raised from the dead and clothed with a body like that of the Lord Jesus while there is worldliness, lust, and rebellion in his or her personality. Only those who through Christ overcome the world, Satan, and their self-will are authorized to eat of the tree of life that is in the midst of the Paradise of God (Revelation 2:7). The cherubim are still guarding the tree!

Paradise or Eternal Life?, #7

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (Matthew 24:14)

Paradise is a garden of delight. The Kingdom of God is the rule of God, the doing of God's will in the earth. The Gospel of Christ has to do with the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth.

Any person who receives Christ and abides in Him is assured of entering Paradise when he or she dies. But this is not the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God can be entered only by personal transformation.

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)

It is not that those who do such things shall not enter Paradise but those who do such thing shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.

The thief on the cross was admitted to Paradise because of his confession of the kingship of Christ. But the Kingdom of God can be inherited only as we become free from the works of the flesh.

The Lord Jesus did not come preaching Paradise but the Kingdom of God. No parable of the Lord had to do with entering Paradise, only with the Kingdom of Heaven, of God.

The reason we must be born again of Christ is so we may enter the Kingdom, not Paradise!

Now, let us see what the last three of the seven feasts of the Lord have to say concerning our inheriting the Kingdom of God, which is the same as saying the transformation of our personality — for that is what the Kingdom is.

The Blowing of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:24) speaks of the Lord of Hosts going to war against the sin in His Church, and then against the sin throughout His entire creation.

The Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:27) portrays the forgiveness of our sin, and then, by means of the scapegoat, the removal of our sin.

The feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:34) reveals God's ultimate intention, which is that Christ (and God in Christ) may become the Center and Circumference of the whole creation of God, beginning with the victorious saints.

That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: (Ephesians 1:10)

Assuming you have received the Lord Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, this is how your personal transformation (which is the new covenant) will occur. This is how you will enter the Kingdom of God.

The Lord Jesus, having forgiven your sins through the atonement made by the shedding of His blood on the cross of Calvary, will guide you until every one of His enemies in you have been put beneath His feet.

The Lord Jesus will nourish your personality with His own body and blood until all that was born of Adam has been crucified and all that is of God has been created in you.

The Lord Jesus and the Father will come to you and make Their eternal abode in your personality.

Paradise or Eternal Life?, #6

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (I John 1:7)

The forgiveness aspect of our redemption was accomplished on the cross of Calvary. When we receive Christ and then walk in Him, we are always in a state of forgiveness. We are without condemnation. However, our forgiveness is not unconditional. It depends on our walking in the light of God's will. We automatically are candidates for admission to Paradise when we die if we are walking in the light of God's will. But residence in Paradise is not the scriptural goal of man's salvation.

The transformation aspect is another matter. To be transformed into Christ's image and to be brought into untroubled union with God through Christ requires the destruction of our adamic nature — all of it, the good and the bad! — and the creation and refinement of Christ's Nature in our personality. Included also is the eternal dwelling of the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit in our personality.

In our day the forgiveness aspect of the new covenant is expanded until it becomes the covenant. "Grace" is defined as an alternative to righteous behavior. Grace has been made a synonym of forgiveness, the idea being that God has forgiven Gentiles so they may enter Paradise apart from a change in their behavior. This is totally unscriptural.

When one examines the nature of the new covenant (Hebrews 8:10-12) it can be seen that the major feature of the covenant is the writing of God's laws in our mind and heart, which indicates the creating of righteous behavior in our personality, while forgiveness is added as a provision that keeps us holy while the required change is taking place.

By no means is forgiveness the central provision of the new covenant even though it is preached as such in our time.

There are several major types in the Old Testament of our progress from initial salvation to the fullness of God. For example, the seven feasts of the Lord can be studied in the twenty-third chapter of the Book of Leviticus. The first four feasts, Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, and Pentecost symbolize the spiritual graces that give us the authority and power to enter the Kingdom of God.

It is the last three feasts, the Blowing of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the feast of Tabernacles, that symbolize our actual entrance into the Kingdom of God. They portray the method God uses to transform our personality. We enter the Kingdom of God only as our personality is transformed. There is no worldliness, lust, or self-seeking in the Kingdom of God. Any part of our personality that persists in the love of the world, fleshly lusts, or personal ambition is not of the Kingdom of God.

We can see from the above that there is a difference between having as our goal entrance into Paradise and having as our goal entrance into the Kingdom of God. Adam and Eve were in Paradise but not in the Kingdom of God.

Paradise or Eternal Life?, #5

God is love, and if He brings us to Paradise, our new environment will be so much better than anything we have ever experienced that extreme diligence in pursuing God's will in order to walk around with a crown on our head may not appear to be worth the effort.

So we will proceed to discuss our transformation into the moral image of the Lord and our pursuit of the fullness of eternal life. It readily can be seen that whether we perceive entrance into Paradise as our goal, or entrance into eternal life and the Kingdom of God as our goal, makes a profound, practical difference on the manner in which we view the importance of serving the Lord Jesus with diligence.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; (II Corinthians 5:17,18)

The result of the new covenant, the Christian covenant, is a new personality. Because the new personality has been formed from the death of our adamic nature and the creation of Christ in us, the new personality is righteous, holy, and obedient in behavior.

The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. (I Corinthians 15:47,48)

Every covenant of God from the beginning of time has had as its goal the creating of men and women in the moral image of God. Each succeeding covenant presents increased demands on our behavior and each succeeding covenant offers more Divine provisions to enable us to meet the increased demands and make the necessary changes in our personality.

The new covenant, as is true of all other Divine covenants, has as its goal our change into the moral image of Christ and our union with the Father through the Lord Jesus. The demands on our personality are total. The available grace far exceeds the provisions of any other covenant.

No covenant other than the new covenant is able to transform our adamic nature into the Nature of Christ.

It is supremely ironic that in our day the Divine grace issued under the new covenant is understood to be a waiving of the demand for change into God's image, instead of what grace actually is — the Divine provision to make such change possible!

We enter Paradise by grace (which we define as "unconditional forgiveness"), it is taught. But what about God's desire for righteous children? Will Adam and Eve return to the garden and eat of the tree of life even though there has been no change in their personality?

The two dimensions of the new covenant. There are two great dimensions of the new covenant. One dimension is that of forgiveness. The other dimension is that of transformation into Christ's moral image (and later His external image if we pursue Christ throughout our discipleship).

Paradise or Eternal Life?, #4

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. (Revelation 2:7)

However, no conscientious student of the Scriptures, after reviewing the text, could claim that escape from Hell or admission to Paradise is the primary emphasis of the four Gospel accounts or the Epistles of the Apostles.

It appears that Christian preachers need to go back to the Bible, particularly to the Book of Acts, and find out what they are supposed to be preaching.

If escape from Hell and admission to Heaven are not the principal theme of the New Testament, then exactly what is?

After the description of Christ as Savior and Lord there are three emphases in the New Testament that bear on our personal salvation. The three are interrelated. They are as follows:

Our transformation into a new creation in the moral image of Christ, including the forgiveness of our sins.

Our discussion will deal mainly with our transformation and our pursuit of eternal life. Our entrance into the Kingdom of God is associated so closely with our transformation and our gaining of eternal life that a separate examination may not be necessary.

After we think about our transformation and our pursuit of eternal life, which are in actuality the manner in which we enter the Kingdom of God, we will have a look at how our diligence in grasping transformation and eternal life will affect our life in Paradise. This, after all, is the great question: will our life as an individual in Paradise be significantly affected by our perseverance in grasping the mark God has set before us? Will the overcomer and the nonovercomer both receive substantially the same reward?

There is no more important question in the day in which we are living, because countless multitudes of believers are living careless Christian lives, being under the impression that they are saved by grace and that all saved people will experience destinies so similar there is no need to be overly concerned about pressing toward the rest of God, the fullness of God.

If one is to receive a twenty-story mansion, and the other a three-story mansion, who cares? (Carnal Christians would care in that day for they experience jealousy today concerning material riches!) Why not seek enjoyment in the present world? After all, we have our ticket to Paradise, so why go to the trouble of taking up our cross, denying ourselves, and following the Master?

Why wait in the Lord's prison, hungering and thirsting, denying ourselves the desires of our heart and soul, when we can reach forth and take what we want without breaking too many laws? If we are saved by unconditional grace, and all saved people receive approximately the same reward, why should we surrender our Isaacs?

Paradise or Eternal Life?, #3

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Revelation 21:4)

The Paradise we think of, the children among the beautiful flowers, the trees, mountains, rivers, harmless animals, freedom from dread, sickness, pain, death, is not mentioned in the New Testament until we come to the new heaven and earth (verse above).

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:6-9)

And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. (Isaiah 65:19-22)

Notice that in the Old Testament accounts and in Revelation, Chapter 21, Paradise is found on the earth. Paradise, the garden of God, originally was on the earth. We know from what Paul said that Paradise in the present hour is in the third heaven. But Paradise was created to be on the earth and will return to the earth with the coming of the Lord Jesus and His Church.

Current Evangelical preaching stresses that the Lord Jesus Christ came to save us from Hell and to admit us to Paradise (which we call "Heaven").

Nowhere in the New Testament is the Lord Jesus Christ presented as being our deliverer from Hell — nowhere! There most certainly is a Hell! But escape from Hell is not set forth as the emphasis of the Gospel accounts.

We could glean from Paul's being caught up to Paradise that Christ came to bring us to Paradise.

And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:43)

This verse often is used to show the possibility of a deathbed conversion. But the Lord Jesus did not bring the thief into the Kingdom of God or eternal life, which are the hope of the Gospel, but into Paradise.

Paradise or Eternal Life?, #2

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. (Revelation 21:1)

"A new heaven." This is in parallel with Genesis 1:1 and may refer to a new sky, a new firmament.

The above (preceding essay) are but a few examples that suggest that our thinking needs to be revised concerning what we mean by "heaven." A little reflection will reveal that we are thinking of Paradise, not primarily of the spiritual Heaven or heavens, or the sky per se.

As we search the Scriptures we will discover there is no emphasis in either the Old Testament or the New on dying and going to the spiritual Heaven. Eternal residence in the spiritual Heaven is never emphasized as being the goal of our salvation. Until we understand clearly that our goal is not eternal residence in the spiritual Heaven or heavens, we will have only a dim concept of the Kingdom of God.

The New Testament has very little to say about what happens to the Christian when he or she dies. The emphasis of the New Testament is on the Day of the Lord and the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth.

The common idea of mansions in Heaven comes from an incorrect translation of John 14:2. It may be true that the change of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to a gospel of residence in the spiritual Heaven after we die originated after the death of the Apostles and reflects the beliefs of various other religions or the philosophy of Gnosticism. We have an extensive Christian mythology built around "mansions in Heaven," no part of which can be found in the Scriptures.

When the spiritual heavens are mentioned in the Bible, we find both good and evil in them. Also, the description does not portray an environment we would choose.

How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. (II Corinthians 12:4)

And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. (Revelation 12:3)

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [heavenly] places. (Ephesians 6:12)

The environment of the spiritual heavens is not that which we ordinarily associate with "Heaven."

And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. (Revelation 15:2)

Are you truly looking forward with joy to standing on a sea of glass with a harp in your hand?

Paradise or Eternal Life?

How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. (II Corinthians 12:4)

Who wouldn't want to go to Paradise? The memory of the Garden of Eden is still in the human consciousness and we long to return to the wonderful environment where all is love, joy, peace, and beauty.

However, the emphasis of the New Testament is not on the return of man to Paradise (which we call Heaven) but on the gaining of eternal life. Our goal is not a change of location but a transformation of personality. There may be no greater need in Christian thinking than that concerning the goal of salvation.

"Heaven" may be the most frequently used word in the Christian vocabulary. When Christians use the term "Heaven," they are thinking of Paradise, the Paradise that at one time was on the earth in the country of Eden.

We desire to go to the beautiful garden of God where the Lord Jesus and the Father are — and perhaps some of our loved ones.

One of the most revealing studies of the Bible one could make would be of the use of the term "Heaven." Two problems are encountered immediately.

Neither the Hebrew nor the Greek language differentiates between the physical heaven above us and the spiritual Heaven, the abode of spirits. We must tell from the context which heaven is meant.

The word translated "heaven" is often plural. For example, examining the Greek text of the Lord's prayer we find, "Our Father who are in the heavens." Not in heaven but in the heavens.

In the beginning God created the heaven [the heavens] and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep the windows of heaven [the heavens] were opened. (Genesis 7:11)

And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven [the heavens] the second time, (Genesis 22:15)

The word "heaven" is plural and may refer to the spiritual Heaven but probably to the sky.

Again he said, Therefore hear the word of the Lord; I saw the Lord sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven [the heavens] standing on his right hand and on his left. (II Chronicles 18:18)

And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; (Acts 1:10)

And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. (Acts 2:2)

"Out of the heaven." We know the Holy Spirit came from the spiritual Heaven. But since there was a "sound," the reference may be merely to that which came from above them.

De Jure and De Facto Salvation, continued

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (Revelation 21:7)

By striving for personal freedom we are bringing ourselves into bondage. Some of the citizens of the wealthy democracies are destroying themselves (and others) by indulging the lusts of their flesh.

We should not want God to change. We should not desire that the Lord adapt to our sinfulness and self-centeredness, as the governments of the world have changed their laws to accommodate the lusts and whims of people.

God has not provided us with modified laws by which we can continue in our sins and still receive the rewards the Scriptures promise to the righteous, to those who do the will of God. Rather, God has made it possible for us to overcome sin and thus gain access to the tree of life (Revelation 2:7). God has given us of His Life so through that Life we may gain more Life.

There is a gulf between the current Christian doctrine of permanently gaining eternal life by imputed righteousness, and the doctrine of permanently gaining eternal life by obedience. It is obvious that one of the two concepts is not scriptural. Initially we enter eternal life on the basis of imputed righteousness. The purpose of the initial portion of life is to enable us to then move forward to the full achievement of life in our personality.

The believer who trusts in perpetual freedom from condemnation independently of his conduct, who does not press through in Christ to the perfecting of his spiritual nature, to the new creation, is not a candidate for the resurrection to life. If he were, Paul would not have warned the Christians in Galatia that those who live in the lusts of the flesh will reap corruption.

We are given to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God, only as through the grace of God we overcome the forces of darkness that always are seeking to prevent our deliverance from their power.

It is as we overcome the forces of darkness that we gain joy, authority, peace, eternal life, union with Christ, and all the other blessings of the Kingdom of God.

When we have been delivered from sin and self-seeking in spirit, in soul, and in body, and when we have been brought into restful union with God through Christ in spirit, in soul, and in body, then we have been completely redeemed from the hand of the enemy. This is what the fullness of salvation is.

The making alive of our mortal body is a consequence of, and part of, such salvation; not a gift given to us independently of what we are in personality and behavior.

This is the true God and eternal life, as John says (I John 5:20). "We know that whoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not" (I John 5:18).

The Christian salvation is infinitely more than a de jure redemption by which we are saved in our sins.

The new covenant is not primarily a covenant of forgiveness but of deliverance and transformation. The result is a new creation and the eternally indivisible union of Christ and the Christian.

There is the de jure aspect of salvation in which God sees us as righteous because of the atonement made by Christ. Then there is the de facto aspect in which we are transformed into the image of Christ (Romans 8:3,4;29).

His name is Jesus, because He saves us from our sins. He saves us so we may dwell forever in the Presence of God and experience the perfect freedom of that Glory. (From It Is Time for a Reformation of Christian Thinking)

De Jure and De Facto Salvation, continued

Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. (Revelation 16:15)

The wise believer is not seeking merely to be raised from the dead, for all human beings will be raised from the dead. The wise believer is seeking to attain eternal Life — the Life that is in Christ and is Christ. If he has not attained life, but has been overcome by sin and self-will, to be raised from the dead will be to have his nakedness revealed.

Christ came into the world so we may have abundant eternal life in spirit, in soul, and in body. First Christ frees us from condemnation. After that He leads us, through the Spirit of God, into the steps that enable us to be changed from our old personality into a new personality. It is the new personality that enters the Kingdom of God and is the Kingdom of God.

The new personality is filled with eternal life. Therefore God is able to extend the inner spiritual life into the dead flesh, within which it was formed, and cause the dead house to live!

Our mortal body will be made alive by God's Spirit who already is dwelling in us (Romans 8:11).

If God's Spirit is not dwelling in us, if there is no eternal life and righteousness in our inner man, how then can God extend His life into our flesh? It is not God's intention to clothe an untransformed inner man with a body that is all Divine Life and power.

If we, after having received Christ as our Savior, walk in the thoughts and appetites of the flesh, we slay our own resurrection unto life (Romans 8:13). We have not attained the inner spiritual resurrection that — in the Day of Christ — makes possible the physical resurrection.

Either we are attaining the resurrection to life or else we are sowing to the flesh and will reap a harvest of death. If we live after the ways of the flesh we will die.

The redemption of the physical body is very important in the plan of salvation. The redemption of the body is Paul's goal (Romans 8:23).

But as significant as it is, the redeeming and glorifying of the mortal body does not approach in importance and priority the perfecting of the spirits of God's kings and priests. It is that group of perfected spirits that make up the heavenly Zion, the Kingdom of God (Hebrews 12:23).

The spiritually immature, self-centered believers who are waiting for a "rapture" are not in harmony with the laws of the Kingdom of God. The Lord Jesus has no intention of clothing fleshly believers, undeveloped, self- seeking spirits, with the power and life of the first resurrection from the dead.

It is not a case of our earning or our deserving the resurrection to life. The issue is one of our attaining life (Philippians 3:11). God in His mercy has made it possible for us, through the Lord Jesus Christ, to overcome the cause of death and to regain what Adam and Eve forfeited through their immaturity and self-centeredness.

Modern Christian teaching is asking God to change what He Is. By hoping to gain the blessing of God apart from righteous living we are seeking to change God. It is not only mercy we are requesting, it is a changing of the Nature and standards of the heavenly, of the Divine.

Modern civilization is like that. As the theory of democracy evolves in practice, people are able to overturn more of the laws that govern the conduct of men. Instead of bringing peace and joy to us, the result of removing laws is lawlessness and anarchy.

De Jure and De Facto Salvation, continued

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (II Corinthians 5:10)

Don't be deluded. The Western nations are sowing sin and they are about to reap judgment. I have no doubt that even now there are many nations preparing the destruction of America and eventually Europe. The Gospel has been preached for hundreds of years but the American people are not keeping the commandments of Christ and His Apostles.

Do not count on a "rapture" to deliver you. The teaching of the "rapture" is part of the humanistic package, of the "amnesty" that Satan hopes will somehow extend to him. The product of the "pre-tribulation rapture" teaching is believers who are not preparing themselves to stand in the evil day that is ahead.

God will bring you and your loved ones safely through the coming fires if you will look each moment toward the Lord Jesus.

God's wrath is as terrible as His love is wonderful. We all are going to stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ and receive the things done in our body. Divine grace does not alter the direct force of Paul's words. He trembled at the thought. We also should learn to fear God and to tremble lest we be led astray by the lies so prevalent in our day.

Live righteously in Jesus each day as He enables you and you need have no fear of the Day of Judgment.

De facto salvation includes the receiving of the fullness of eternal life in our spirit, in our soul, and in our body. It includes total deliverance from "the body of this death." This is resurrection to eternal life.

In order to be raised and revealed with Christ at His coming we must be judged and found worthy beforehand (Revelation 3:4). We must, through Christ's grace, make ourselves ready by practicing righteousness (Revelation 19:7,8). There will be no time for preparation when the Lord comes (Matthew 25:10).

It may be noted that Divine grace and mercy will not, in the Day of Christ, do away with the Kingdom law of sowing and reaping; although current Christian teaching contends they will. Rather, grace works in this present life when the sinner comes to God and seeks His mercy and help.

The resurrection from the dead will be a revealing of what we have done in the body. The Scriptures speak of this fact in several passages.

And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. (Daniel 12:2)

And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. (John 5:29)

Paul addressed the "churches of Galatia" concerning the Kingdom law of sowing and reaping:

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (Galatians 6:7)

The context of Galatians 6:7 reveals clearly that Paul is testifying to the members of the Christian churches, warning them that they will reap what they have sown in this world.

De Jure and De Facto Salvation, continued

If Christ is in us, is being formed in us, is dwelling in us, there is an actual (de facto) righteousness, an actual eternal Life dwelling in us. Our righteousness no longer is only an assigned (de jure) righteousness. There is an actual righteousness of personality and behavior dwelling in the new creation being formed in us.

If we keep on serving righteousness, tending carefully to the growth of the Divine Life in us, putting to death through the Spirit of God the impulses of our body and our fleshly, human, soulish, self-centered reasonings, we will live in God's sight being filled with God's own Life.

The creating of eternal life in us is leading toward the hour when the inner salvation can be extended to include our mortal body. This is what is signified by deliverance from "the body of this death" (Romans 7:24). Paul was seeking the gift of eternal life — the redemption of his mortal body.

The bringing of Divine Life into our flesh and bones is the climax of the Christian salvation. The redemption of the mortal body will take place when the Lord returns from Heaven. If we hope for the redemption of our body when the Lord returns we must follow the Holy Spirit in putting to death the sins of the flesh and by allowing the Spirit to crucify our self-life so Christ may reign freely in us.

The redemption of the mortal body shall not take place for those who have continued to walk in their lusts and self-will, even though they name the name of Christ.

Believers who continue to live according to the appetites and impulses of their soul and flesh shall experience a resurrection to contempt and corruption.

It may be true there is no truth of the Scriptures more in need of being broadcast in our day than that concerning the effect of our daily life on our resurrection from the dead. We are going to reap what we have sown. We wash the robe that will clothe our resurrected flesh and bone as we confess our sins and turn away from them.

When we are revealed before the Judgment of Christ we will receive the things done in our body during our lifetime on the earth.

There is a strong wind of "compassion" blowing in the Western nations. But it is not God's compassion, it is Satan hoping to arm mankind against the idea that he and his angels must spend eternity in the Lake of Fire.

America and many of the other "Christian" nations are deceived. People commit heinous acts of violence against other people. Yet we are supposed to be "compassionate" toward them. This is not God, it is a misdirected attempt to "be like Jesus" or to exercise the ungodly, anti- Christian ideas of Humanism.

De Jure and De Facto Salvation, continued

My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, (Galatians 4:19)

Our part is to obey the Spirit of God and the Word of God, as Christ helps us. We can overcome Satan and our corrupt nature if we will take advantage each day of the forgiveness and other provisions God has given us for that day.

The Nature of Christ is being formed in us. When it has been made perfect in us, every element having been refined, the Father and the Son will make Their eternal dwelling in us. Such is the exceedingly high calling for which we have been chosen. We must not neglect it.

If Christ is dwelling in us and we are praying, meditating in the Scriptures, assembling with fervent Christians as we have the opportunity, confessing our sins and repenting of them, giving, serving, and waiting on the Lord for His will each day, then there is eternal life in our inner man because of the righteousness working in us. The blood is keeping us free from condemnation, and actual righteousness (the Substance and Nature of Christ) is being created in us. Also, the Holy Spirit is dwelling in us.

Our sin-filled body remains dead because of its sin but the blood of Jesus keeps on covering our spiritual nakedness in the sight of God.

And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. (Romans 8:10)

It is our opinion that the word "spirit," in the above verse, should not be capitalized. It is referring to our reborn spiritual nature, as we understand it. The contrast is not between our physical body and the Holy Spirit but between our physical body and our new Spirit-filled nature. Our outer, physical man is dead because of sin but our inner, spiritual nature is alive because of the righteousness of Christ both imputed to us and formed and dwelling in us.

Our mortal body, our flesh, is dead in the sight of God because of the sinful lusts dwelling in it. However there is eternal life in our inner spiritual nature because of the righteousness of Christ. The Divine Substance of Christ is being formed in us and Christ Himself through the Spirit of God is dwelling in the new inner man that is being created.

The righteousness of God, which is Christ, is being formed in us and the Spirit of God is dwelling in us. Therefore there is eternal life in our inner nature although our body remains separated from God (dead) because of its sinful tendencies.

The Jewish feast of Firstfruits, which occurs during Passover week, typifies the initial portion of eternal life given us when we come under the Passover blood. We receive the blood of the Lamb, repent of our sinful behavior, and are given the firstfruit of eternal life — the Presence of Christ in our personality. We are born again.

Because we have the firstfruit of life in us our entire personality is holy to the Lord. If we do not turn back into the ways of the world, the day will come when our entire personality has been harvested. In that day, even our dead physical body will be filled with eternal life.

De Jure and De Facto Salvation, continued

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (I John 1:7)

If we do not walk in the Spirit, in the Light of God's Presence and will, the blood of Jesus does not continue to wash us from our sins. Continuing freedom from condemnation depends on our abiding in Christ, in God's will for our life.

Paul makes it clear it is the Spirit of God who possesses the wisdom and power necessary for breaking the yoke of the law of sin that dwells in our flesh:

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ hath made me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2)

We are dead to the Law of Moses so we may be free legally to walk according to the law of the Spirit of life, not so we may continue in the appetites of the flesh without condemnation.

The authority for our deliverance comes from the blood of the cross. The wisdom and power necessary for our deliverance come from the Spirit of God.

As we pray each day, study the Scriptures, confess our sins to God and repent of them, meet with fervent Christians as we have opportunity, expose ourselves to and practice the ministries and gifts of the Body of Christ (again, as we have opportunity), and, in general, begin to cultivate the holy Seed of Christ that has been born in us, then the Spirit of God leads us into victory over sin.

We do not gain victory in one day over all our sins. The process of redemption, which is the program of delivering us from the guilt, power, and effects of sin, is a protracted battle. We enter "Canaan" one city at a time.

We humans are profoundly corrupt, deeply rebellious against the Lord our Creator. Satan probes continually searching for the area of lust or self-will that will cause us to disobey God. Satan has not changed from the days of Adam and Eve.

It is important for us to keep in mind that while we are gaining the victory over sin and self-will, the blood of Christ keeps on maintaining our freedom from condemnation. The blood makes the difference so God can hear our prayers even though we, in our personality and behavior, are worthy of death.

The Spirit of God uses the two-edged sword of the Word of God to divide every area of our personality. Every detail of what we are and what we do comes under the intense scrutiny of Him who searches the hearts of all men to give to every man — saved and unsaved alike — according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings (Jeremiah 17:10).

God has given us His Son, His Spirit, His Word, many and varied gifts and ministries, and every other grace and blessing so we may be changed into the image of His Son. God is seeking a transformation of us, a complete redemption, a perfect salvation. In order to obtain this He is making all things work together for our good.

De Jure and De Facto Salvation, continued

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ, who walk not in the appetites of the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:1)

In the eighth chapter of the Book of Romans Paul shows us how to behave in order to attain eternal life. He explains to us how to be saved from our sins, how to become able to dwell in the consuming Fire who is our holy God.

First, Paul reminds us we have been set free from condemnation. We always must keep this in mind or we will succumb to despair during the fierce strife we are compelled to engage in throughout our warfare. God always is present to forgive us and help us provided we are continuing in His Spirit.

Notice, in verse four of the eighth chapter, how de jure (legal) and de facto (actual) salvation work together to save us from our sins. Our freedom from condemnation (de jure status) holds true provided we follow the Spirit of God into actual (de facto) righteous behavior.

That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not in the appetites of the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:4)

According to the above verse, the righteousness of the Law (of Moses) is not fulfilled in us who make an initial profession of Christ as Savior and then walk in the flesh but in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.

The current Christian preaching often portrays our de jure status as a permanent, unconditional amnesty.

It certainly is not a permanent, unconditional amnesty according to numerous passages of Scripture.

If our imputed freedom from condemnation were a permanent, unconditional amnesty, holding true while we walked in the flesh in our self-will, the Kingdom of God would be a flimsy structure indeed.

In actual fact, the de jure freedom from condemnation is a legal device that the Judge of Heaven is employing in order to produce a new creation. When the new, actually righteous creation is not being created, the de jure freedom from condemnation is not achieving its intended purpose and will be withdrawn. We will be cut out of the Vine (John 15:2).

The Father stands waiting for the prodigal son to come home; but to come home a sadder, wiser young man, not a wild rebellious youth who will turn the family home into a den of uncleanness and confusion. Salvation has as its goal the creation of a holy city, not a hell to which God has assigned a de jure status of freedom from condemnation.

The condition on which we receive righteousness is in force when we do not walk in the passions of the flesh but after the Spirit.

God does not impute (ascribe) righteousness to believers who are walking in the ideas and lusts of the human personality. This is a clear statement of more than one passage of the New Testament. Yet, if we are hearing and reading correctly, the current Christian teaching is unashamedly to the contrary. "Salvation is unconditional," the leaders of the churches announce. They advance their philosophical proofs, allegories, similes, metaphors, and traditions to support their statements. But the written Word of God authoritatively, steadfastly, and eternally denies their claim.

De Jure and De Facto Salvation, continued

For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. (Romans 7:9)

In Chapter Seven of the Book of Romans Paul was speaking directly to the Jews, showing them the dilemma of the righteous man or woman under the Law. He (or she) has a desire to please God but the flesh is in rebellion. The Law brings sin to life and emphasizes it. The Law cannot deliver us from sin.

Paul suggests, in the second chapter of Romans, that the Jews of his day, like the Christians of our day, had fallen into the trap of considering their knowledge of the Law as constituting a de jure (if not a de facto) righteousness, while their actual conduct was not up to the standard of the righteous Gentile who was behaving according to conscience (Romans 2:12-15.

The conflict of Chapter Seven exists in the person who loves God, whether Jew or Gentile. The eighth chapter points toward the resolution of it.

The Christian life is a prolonged (and successful if we will follow the rules) warfare against sin. The goal of our warfare is eternal life, the resurrection to life. Paul pressed the battle until he had finished his course (Philippians 3:8-14; II Timothy 4:7,8).

I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. (Romans 7:25)

This is the condition of the Christian at the outset of his discipleship. He loves God in his inner man and seeks always to please Him. His flesh hates the ways of the Spirit of God. Satan and his demons strive day and night to provoke and deceive him into yielding to the appetites of his flesh.

Unlike the Jew under the Law, the Christian now has the Divine tools with which he can put to death the deeds of his body. Through Christ the bondages can be broken. Victory in every area does not come at once and so the blood of the cross covers those aspects of his personality that still are under the control of the enemy.

There indeed is victory in the area of immediate challenge if the saint walks in the Spirit, adhering to the rules of Christian conduct (praying, meditating in the Scriptures, worshiping with fervent believers, obeying the Lord, giving, serving).

If we, through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, continue to walk in the Spirit each day, not letting our hope and diligence weaken, going to God for help in our time of need, eventually we will overcome our flesh and Satan and will arrive at the resurrection to righteousness, immortality, and glory.

If we do not hold our confidence firmly to the end, do not continue to walk in the Spirit, do not adhere to the rules of Christian conduct, we will be overcome by our flesh and Satan and will await an uncertain future. The rewards go to the victorious saints. We are made partakers of Christ only if we hold our confidence steadfastly to the end.

De Jure and De Facto Salvation, continued

In Chapter Eight of the Book of Romans, Paul tells us how to press forward in the pursuit of life, how to win the race for the prize of salvation.

Can you see the pattern? First, freedom from condemnation (Chapters Three through Five). Second, we must not continue in sin if we hope to attain life (Chapter Six). Third, it is a fact that there is sin dwelling in us (Chapter Seven).

Finally, in Chapter Eight, we are shown how to walk in Christ if we hope to achieve the redemption of our mortal body, if we would attain the resurrection to life.

In Chapter Seven, Paul, who was reacting against the Judaizers (teachers who were attempting to combine Christianity and the Law of Moses), reminds the Jews of the inability of the Law of Moses to save us from our sins.

We have died to the Law of Moses, Paul proclaims, so legally we may be free to be married to Christ. The Law was not able to deliver us from our sins. Rather, the Law made our sins even more sinful. The Law emphasized our sin and in so doing brought condemnation and death to us.

It is stated today that if we have died to the Law of Moses we are free from the Law. We now are free.

The truth is, the kind of freedom we have is of a certain kind. We are not free to sin but only to be married to Christ.

We are free from the Law of Moses only if we truly have died to our first personality and life.

We are not just free. We are free to be married to Christ. There is a universe of difference between being free and being free to be married. There can be no fruit of righteousness brought forth until we are married to Christ.

In our minds we desire to serve God. We acknowledge that God's Law is good and holy. But the sin that is in us insists on our sinning and disobeying God. Our mortal body is a body of sin and death. How can we be delivered from it?

Here is the question Paul raises in the seventh chapter of the Book of Romans: "How can I be delivered from the death that is in me, from the evil that is present with me? How can I attain the immortality denied Adam and Eve because of their disobedience to God?

"I am in a battle. I am serving God with my mind but the law of sin is dwelling in my flesh. I desire to attain eternal life but my body and human mind are waging war against me."

Such a conflict exists in many religious people whether they are Jews, or Christians, or the adherents of some other religion — even in the righteous individual who is striving to meet the demands of his conscience.

De Jure and De Facto Salvation, continued

I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. (Jude 1:5)

Salvation is deliverance from sin — from its guilt, its power, and its effects. We begin the process of salvation by obtaining, through faith in Christ's atoning blood, freedom from condemnation, from guilt.

After we have been set free from condemnation we must press forward in the program of redemption. If we do not we will die in our sins. In this instance we have obtained forgiveness through the atoning death of Christ and then have turned back into bondage. Therefore we have not been redeemed from the hand of the enemy. We still are bound by the chains of sin. We shall die in the wilderness, so to speak.

Many individuals who receive the Lord turn away from the Lord after a period of time, as in the parable of the sower. They enter salvation and then do not follow the Lord any longer. The New Testament Scriptures warn us of the danger of putting our hand to the plow and looking back, and the possible outcome of doing so.

The Christian salvation is infinitely more than a de jure (legal) state of freedom from condemnation. It is "the way of righteousness" — a way of living and behaving.

In Chapter Seven of the Book of Romans, Paul explains that each of us — Jew, Christian, or heathen — has a compulsion to sin dwelling in our flesh. Truly, every human being is "shapen in iniquity" and conceived in sin (Psalms 51:5).

In Chapters Three through Five of the Book of Romans, Paul has shown us God's plan for removing condemnation from us so we can be accepted of Him.

In Chapter Six, Paul explained to us that we must not interpret his teaching concerning freedom from condemnation to mean it no longer matters how we behave ourselves in this world. It is true that we have been set free from condemnation. Now we must walk in newness of life in the Lord Jesus Christ.

If we continue to sin after having been washed in the blood of the cross we will die in our sins. The wages of sin is death whether we are a Jew, a Christian, or an unbeliever. If we do not allow the Nature and power of Christ to break the hold of sin on us, we will die. The wages of sin is death!

God has offered eternal life to us through Christ. We must diligently lay hold on this life. We must, through Christ, overcome Satan and our own perverted personality for they continually are striving to prevent our deliverance from sin and death (I Timothy 6:12; Revelation 2:7).

De Jure and De Facto Salvation, continued

Know ye not [saints in Rome], that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6:16)

Paul, in Chapter Six of Romans, exhorts us to give all diligence to serving righteousness. We must serve righteousness. The serving of righteousness leads to holiness, and the outcome of righteous and holy personality and behavior is eternal life. The outcome of serving sin, on the part of the believer, is spiritual death.

Our answer to Paul is, "No, Paul, we of the twentieth century do not understand whom we Christians are to serve or that if we who are called to be saints practice sin we will die spiritually. Neither do we understand that true righteousness and eternal life come only to those who walk in obedience to God.

"We have been taught that righteousness and eternal life are given to us solely on the basis of a profession of belief in Christ and that our behavior in the flesh is unrelated to eternal life. We see little or no connection between eternal life and our behavior."

Again, Paul shows us the relationship between our behavior and the gaining of eternal life:

But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. (Romans 6:22)

"You have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life." "And the end everlasting life." The end of holiness, not correct doctrine, not faith, not belief, not confession, but holiness, is everlasting life. The end of holiness!

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (II Corinthians 7:1)

If we Christians, having been found without condemnation through faith in the blood of the cross, and having been baptized in water as a testimony that we have died to sin and the world and have risen with Christ to walk in newness of life, then continue to serve sin, we will die spiritually. We will not attain the resurrection to eternal life.

For the wages of sin [on the part of the believer in Christ, for that is the person to whom the text is addressed] is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

It is not the gift of life, as of an undemanding gift, but the gift of the opportunity to attain life, according to the context of Romans, Chapter Six. The gift of the authority and power to attain eternal life is not in the possession of the individual who is not part of Christ, so we conclude that the text is not addressed to the unbeliever. Therefore the warning concerning the wages of sin is addressed to the believer.

Eternal life was lost to Adam and Eve because of their disobedience. God has given man the opportunity to regain eternal life through Christ by obeying Christ, not merely by announcing that Christ is the Son of God, the sin-bearer, the Lord that has been raised from the dead. It is in obedience to Christ as He leads us away from sin that we reap eternal life.

De Jure and De Facto Salvation, continued

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. (Romans 6:12,13)

Therefore in Chapter Six of Romans, Paul teaches us that this conclusion (it is permissible for us to sin, now that God has forgiven us) is incorrect. Eternal life in spirit, soul, and body, that which was lost in the garden of Eden, now becomes our goal, and in order to attain life we must choose to serve righteousness.

In the New Testament writings Paul sets forth the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith. But the major emphasis of his writings, and the writings of the other authors of the New Testament, is on our behavior as Christians. This is true from the Gospels to the Book of Revelation. Receiving Christ is an act of repenting of our former way of life. Receiving Christ is the God-given means of producing godly behavior in human beings, not a substitute for godly behavior.

Unrighteous, unholy, disobedient behavior brings wrath and death upon us. Righteousness of behavior, holiness of personality, and obedience to God bring eternal life upon us. The relationship between our conduct and God's acceptance of us has remained true throughout the record of the Scriptures. To teach otherwise is to rebel against God and to lead one's hearers to destruction.

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. (II Corinthians 6:17,18)

Under no covenant does God just hand eternal life to us. God, through the living Virtue that Christ Is, creates righteousness in us. The new creation receives eternal life as its natural inheritance and blessing.

There are a number of major misunderstandings in Christian thinking. The greatest misunderstanding, no doubt, has to do with the point we are making. The Christian salvation is not de jure deliverance from sin that results in de jure eternal life and a de jure kingdom. The Christian salvation is de facto deliverance that results in de facto eternal life and a de facto Kingdom of God.

Deliverance from sin and eternal life are real, eternal, Divine actions and substances. Eternal life is not the same as eternal existence. Eternal Life Is the Lord Jesus Christ. He Is the Resurrection and the Life, and the Grace of God.

It is Christ, eternal Life, in us who delivers us from eternal death, from sin and self-seeking. The more of Christ we possess the more de facto (actual) righteousness we have and the more eternal life we have.

A redemption that remains de jure (a legal but not necessarily actual fact) is, from the standpoint of the Kingdom of God, worthless apart from the development of de facto transformation of character.

What kind of a city would the new Jerusalem be if the inhabitants were sinning and striving to please themselves at the expense of everyone else, if they were without condemnation but still bound by lust and self-centeredness?

De Jure and De Facto Salvation, continued

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. (Romans 5:8,9)

In the Book of Romans, Paul tells us how to be saved, how to be delivered from our sins, thus becoming eligible to receive eternal life in our mortal body when the Lord returns.

Let us look now at the Apostle Paul's explanation of the Divine redemption as it is presented in the first half of the Book of Romans. We will consider Paul's presentation in four parts:

In Chapters Three through Five of the Book of Romans the Apostle Paul tells us of the provision God has made for the removal of the condemnation that rests on every human being.

God has given His Son as a sin-bearer, as One who has made it possible for the Divine condemnation, which came upon mankind because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve, to be lifted from us. When we put our faith in the atoning (reconciling) authority of the blood of Christ, God removes all condemnation from us. We now are guiltless in the eyes of God.

This is the first step toward the goal of being made a new creation in Christ, a creation that does not, when it is finished, bring upon itself the judgment of God by what it is and does.

It is vain for any human being, after God has presented to him the slain Lamb, Jesus Christ, to seek to be made righteous in God's sight by obeying the Law of Moses (or the principles of any other religion or moral code), or by obeying his conscience. God has given to the world His only Son as the sin-bearer, and God does not want us to attempt to circumvent His plan of salvation by attempting to make ourselves acceptable to Him by a plan of our own.

He who believes in the justifying blood of Christ has been forgiven his past sin and disobedience to God's will. He is viewed as having fulfilled the righteousness that is gained by perfect obedience to the Law of Moses, that which Jesus Christ did on his behalf.

This is de jure salvation — salvation by means of God's legal provision for us. Through it we receive the authority to be children of God by virtue of God's free gift of righteousness imputed (ascribed) to us. No actual deliverance from our sins has occurred but the important step of freedom from condemnation, from guilt, has taken place.

One could deduce, from Paul's statements in Chapters Three through Five of the Book of Romans, that it no longer is necessary that we live a righteous life. We could assume that since God has decided to hold us guiltless on the basis of the substitutionary death of Jesus, and since Jesus lived a perfect life under the Law of Moses and His righteousness has been imputed to us who believe, it is not critically important how we behave.

De Jure and De Facto Salvation

Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. (I John 3:6)

De jure means by right or according to law. De facto means in fact, in reality. We are using de jure righteousness to indicate that which is ascribed to us and de facto righteousness to refer to that which is actually true of us. De jure righteousness is imputed righteousness. De facto righteousness is actual righteousness of behavior.

He who believes in the justifying blood of Christ has been forgiven his past sin and disobedience to God's will. This is de jure salvation — salvation by the Lord's legal provision for us. Through it we receive the authority to be children of God. But eternal life is maintained by actual (de facto) righteousness.

There can be no Divine, eternal Life where sin and self-will are active except as God is leading the believer toward deliverance from such behaviors. Imputed (ascribed) righteousness is an initial reconciliation to God.

Imputed, de jure righteousness is not the Kingdom of God but a provision God has made so people may be able to press forward to the righteousness of behavior that is the Kingdom of God. Ignorance of the proper roles of de jure and de facto righteousness lies at the root of the current error.

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)

To be "saved" in its fullest sense is to be delivered from our sins and our self-will and to be able to live in the Presence of God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is not only forgiveness of the guilt of our sins but actual deliverance from the presence of sin itself.

Salvation commonly is thought of as deliverance from punishment, from Hell. Salvation is more than deliverance from Hell. Among other things, salvation is deliverance from the need to be punished in Hell.

We may be desiring an amnesty but God is desiring a change in our behavior. Until we, through Christ, overcome the world, Satan, and our lusts and self-will, we remain subject to the authority of the Lake of Fire (Revelation 2:11; 20:6).

Every human being is born with strong tendencies toward sin and self-will. We were born spiritually dead — cut off from the Presence of our Creator.

God gave His only begotten Son, Christ, to save us from our sins — not in our sins but from our sins. Christ saves us by what He Is and by what He does. Christ delivers us from our sins and our self-will. Christ separates the light of our reborn inner nature from the darkness that is in us.

When Christ has completed our salvation, our redemption from the hand of Satan and from the deadly self-will that causes us to destroy ourselves and those around us, we shall experience eternal life and the glorious freedom of the children of God. We no longer will be urged to sin against God's laws. We shall be at rest in the only lawful Will in the universe. Through Christ we are saved, rescued, delivered from all those things in us that result in death and torment.

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #40

And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. (Revelation 21:23,24)

The new world will be governed by the new Jerusalem, which is God in Christ in God's Israel, in the elect — those who have been called from the creation of the world whether they are Jewish or Gentile by physical birth. All the elect will be made one in Christ.

Dwelling on the new earth will be the nations of the saved — the saved peoples who are governed by the saints and for whom the saints serve as priests and teachers. When all has been brought into subjection to Christ, Christ will be subject to God the Father so God may be All in all.

God understood from the beginning that Adam and Eve would fall, that Satan would bring mankind into bondage, and that each inhabitant of the eternal world would be reborn and gain righteousness, peace, and joy through His beloved Son. The wisdom of God is working all things together for good to those who have been called according to His purpose. All God desires will finally be brought to pass and we shall have eternity to enjoy what God has envisioned for us.

The true saint has no fear whatever of physical death. He understands that this life is a wilderness journey, the purpose of which is to determine how he will behave when placed in the glory of the eternal world.

Let us not make the dreadful mistake of regarding the present world as the eternal world, as the only real life — that in which, considering its brevity, we must grasp as many things, pleasures, and relationships as we can before we pass into oblivion.

The present world is a testing ground. It is our opportunity to reveal to the Lord that we have faith in Him and that we shall do what is righteous, what is faithful; that we shall obey Him even though in the process we are denied many things we desire fervently. Now is the time to behold the invisible by faith, to walk by the unseen Light and Truth rather than by the darkness and lies with which we are surrounded.

If we refuse to attempt to make a paradise out of the present world, being willing to take up our cross each day and follow the Master, we will experience many judgments on our sinful personality. But we also will experience a better resurrection.

. . . not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: (Hebrews 11:35) (from The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment)

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #39

Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John 14:23)

The feast of Tabernacles portrays the rest of God, the dwelling of God and Christ through the Holy Spirit in and with the glorified inner man of the saint in a glorified body. Each saint so filled and glorified constitutes a building block in the new Jerusalem, the holy city. Such are the Throne of God. They shall reign forever — ages without end.

All nations will partake of Christ through redeemed Israel, as the Prophets have declared. The nations that remain after the destruction of Armageddon will come up to Jerusalem to keep the feast of Tabernacles, to receive the Life of Jesus into themselves.

When we first receive the Lord Jesus we come under the protection of the Passover blood. At that time, if we truly have repented and drawn near to the Lord, the Seed of God is planted in us.

After this the Holy Spirit, the third Member of the Godhead, enters us to be our Comforter, our strength, and our wisdom.

Now the work of establishing the Kingdom in us commences. The feast that follows the coming of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost) is the Blowing of Trumpets. The Blowing of Trumpets announces the new year of redemption. Today the Blowing of Trumpets is called Rosh Hashanah (the head of the year).

The King has come to enter the gates of our inner man, there to drive out the enemies of God from His sanctuary. As soon as this process has been completed, the Father and the Son enter and make our personality Their eternal abode. We become one in the Father through the Son. This is the marriage of the Lamb, the Kingdom of God.

Driving out the enemy from the inner man, and then from the outward man, is the work of eternal judgment.

Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. (Hebrews 6:2)

What is being accomplished now in the firstfruits of the Church will be performed in the future on a worldwide scale. God through Christ will come to the nations of saved peoples of the earth and drive from them all the works of Satan. They too will receive regeneration by the word of truth and the Spirit of God, and God and Christ through the Spirit will enter them and find rest in them.

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #38

That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: (Ephesians 1:10)

All persons who would be saved to life in the new world, to the new heaven and earth reign of God through Christ, must be born again in the inner man. The race of Adam was finished on the cross of Calvary. The Life of the resurrected Jesus is the Life of the new world. It must be in every creature. There will be no more "sea" of people who do not have Christ in them.

Each person in the new world will have a reborn inner man in a resurrected flesh and bone body. The degree of eternal life possessed by the individual will depend on his role in the Kingdom of God.

The members of the priesthood are undergoing now the transformation of the inner man. We are a firstfruits of the race of people who are to come.

Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (James 1:18)

The firstfruits are appearing before the Judgment Seat of Christ now — today. Every element of our inner man is coming before the Lord. He is revealing to us what is ungodly in our personality. Our role is to follow the Holy Spirit as He leads us to the destruction of each aspect of our personality that is displeasing to God.

As part of our sinful personality is overcome by us, the Spirit of God puts it to death and removes it from us (Romans 8:13). God forgave it on the cross and now has removed it for eternity. An eternal judgment has taken place.

The Life of Jesus enters the part of us that has been cut away. As this process of cutting away and replacement continues, Christ is formed in us. Then the Father and the Son come through the Holy Spirit and dwell in the newly formed Life of Christ that is in us. Christ (and God in Him) dwells in His own Life that has been formed in us. The temple is formed from Him, and then He dwells in His temple.

For those who are willing to endure all the way through to the completion of this process of replacement and indwelling the rewards are staggering. Such will attain the inner resurrection while yet in the flesh and blood body. When they die they will be brought to the very Presence of Jesus. In the Day of the Lord their flesh and bone body will be raised and filled with their transformed and Christ-filled inner man. On this resurrected person the Lord Jesus will place a great weight of Divine Life and Glory.

The faithful saint then will have the unimaginable joy of appearing with his Lord at the beginning of the thousand-year Kingdom Age. He will inherit all things; not merely participate in all things but inherit all the works of God's hands.

The Blowing of Trumpets portrays the King coming to us to make war against the part of our inner man opposed to His rule (Leviticus 23:24; compare Psalms 24).

The Day of Atonement typifies the process of judging and slaying the ungodliness in us and filling us with the Life and Presence of Christ. This is the necessary preparation for the marriage of the Lamb.

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #37

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. (Revelation 20:12)

After the thousand-year Kingdom Age the Lord Jesus and His saints will sit on the great white throne judging the dead who are raised at that time.

When the time comes for the general resurrection of the dead, every person (with the exception of those who participated in the first resurrection) will come from his waiting area and stand before Jesus Christ and His saints. The spirit of death and the spirit of Hell will be cast into the Lake of Fire.

This does not mean, according to our understanding, that all the inhabitants of death and of Hell will be cast into the Lake of Fire. Rather, it is death itself and Hell itself (we believe them to be spiritual creatures) that will be cast into the Lake of Fire.

It is a Kingdom principle that after those who have caused the necessary pain to the saint have done their work, the instruments of judgment (death and Hell, in this instance) will themselves be subjected to Divine judgment (II Thessalonians 1:6).

The people who have been summoned to the Judgment Seat of Christ, in the general resurrection, will be judged according to their behavior. This will happen at one time or another to every individual who has ever lived on the earth.

Whoever is not found written in the Book of Life will be cast into the second death. This indicates that the processes of redemption are closed to such individuals. They no longer can avail themselves of the atoning authority of the blood of Jesus. God will not hear their supplications. The Holy Spirit will not intercede for them or touch them in any manner whatever. They finally have chosen Satan, and Satan will be their portion for eternity.

The Lake of Fire is a horrible fate. For the saint, to be subjected one minute to the spiritual death of the Lake of Fire would be excruciating, unbearable — utterly terrifying!

The thought of spending eternity in the Lake of Fire should cause even the most hardened criminal to tremble.

The remainder of those raised at the end of the thousand-year Kingdom Age (hopefully the vast majority) will receive a portion of Christ and will enter the new world. They then will have continued access to the tree of life by which they will be healed and renewed in personality.

As the citizens of the new earth learn to obey God ever more perfectly they will be given to eat of the fruit of the tree of life, of the Life of Christ, so they may receive the Presence of God in their bodies; and of the leaves of the tree of life, so they may be healed of any sort of distress they may be experiencing (Revelation 22:2).

At that time, God in Christ will be tabernacling in all His creatures, especially in the members of the royal priesthood. The new Jerusalem is composed of the glorified personalities of the members of the royal priesthood, the Bride of the Lamb, the dwelling place of God in Christ.

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #36

I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. (Luke 15:18,19)

If the condemned man stands before the judge, and the judge has mercy on him and forgives him, the assumption of the judge is that the forgiven man will go out and, by his reformed behavior, justify the judge's faith in him.

The story of the prodigal son is not one of unqualified forgiveness. The father did not go to the son. The son repented, left his filthy habits and returned to his father. Only then did the father restore him to his place in the family.

Today's teaching has the father going to the son in his filth, showering love and forgiveness on him, and promising him that no matter how he behaves he always will be an honored son and partaker of the family blessings. This is a corrupt doctrine, revealing the leaven of the various man-centered, humanistic philosophies that have evolved over the last two or three hundred years.

The Christian believer is not without condemnation while he is dwelling in lust, violence, occult practices, covetousness, reveling, and disobedience to God's call on his life. He is under condemnation and God will judge and punish him because of his sins. It is time today for the Christian people to repent of their sins and their lack of consecration.

If the Lord Jesus Christ, the Judge, should decree we are unworthy of redemption and remove our name from the Book of Life, the covering of forgiveness would be removed at that point. Our unconverted inner man housed in our flesh and bone body then would be destined to be cast into spiritual torment that does not consume our elements but leaves us as an eternal lesson to God's creatures.

It is the author's point of view that no individual will be condemned to the Lake of Fire until God has exhausted every means of bringing him to repentance, including fiery punishments (I Corinthians 3:13-15).

When the Lord Jesus returns with the inner man of those who are eligible to appear with Him in the first resurrection from the dead, the bodies of the returning saints will rise from the dead. They will be animated by the Holy Spirit rather than by the life of blood.

The living saints will have their life changed from blood to Spirit while they yet are standing on their feet.

Now the total company of saints will be caught up by the Spirit of God and ascend to meet the Lord in the air.

After this they will receive from the Lord their house, their reward, their robe, their crown (unless this has occurred previously). They will be adorned, as we have stated previously, in the consequences of their behavior while in the body.

Current Christian teaching holds that as soon as the saints are caught up to meet the Lord in the air they will stand before His judgment seat.

But the Scripture teaches, as we have pointed out, that the saints have been experiencing Divine judgment since the first century (I Peter, Chapter Four).

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #35

Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. (Revelation 3:4)

We have mentioned phase A of the outward man — the flesh and blood adamic body.

We have mentioned phase B of the inner man — the life-giving spirit, or, Christ in us.

We have mentioned phase B of the outward man, which is the restructured, revived flesh and bone physical body now made alive by spiritual energy. The spiritual energy will be the Life of Jesus if the inner man is in the image of the Lord; but not the Life of Jesus if the individual has not been found worthy to walk in white with the Lord Jesus (Revelation 3:4).

When the time comes for the rewarding of the person according to his conduct on earth, the inner man will reenter the revived outward man. Now there is a whole person again, consisting of a spirit, a soul, and a body.

At this point the individual will receive the results of his choices and his behavior. He will reap what he has sown. His whole person will receive what he chose to do in life and he then will be sent to an appropriate environment.

It can be seen that some persons will experience shame and possibly torment when they are raised and clothed with the consequences of their conduct. Others will be glorified and receive honor in that day.

It is important for each Christian to understand that mercy may intervene to save us from destruction in the Day of the Lord but never to affect the kind of reward we receive in that Day. Grace and mercy operate now, authorizing, guiding, and empowering us so we may attain a better resurrection. Grace and mercy enter now that we may sow life instead of death.

Grace and mercy never serve to set aside the law of sowing and reaping. Grace and mercy warn us of what is ahead if we do not repent, and then give us the wisdom and power to change our behavior so God may forgive us and help us live righteously before the day of judgment.

The atoning blood of Jesus covers our sinful flesh until such time as the Lord has converted our inner man into His own image. After our inner man has been converted, what the Lord has created in us will be revealed to the creation. The glory of the sons of God will be unveiled in the eyes of the creation.

The blood keeps us without condemnation while the process of re-creation is taking place. The monumental error is the concept that the purpose of the blood of Jesus is to provide an alternate method of pleasing God. It no longer is essentially necessary, evangelical scholars maintain, that a person practice righteousness, love mercy, and walk humbly with God in order to have fellowship with God. It no longer matters if he practices abominations because God sees him only through the blood of His beloved Son. This is not true. It is a wresting of the doctrine of the Apostle Paul to the destruction of the individual.

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #34

But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. (I Corinthians 9:27)

It is unthinkable that an untested, untransformed inner man could ever be put in charge of the power of the body of glory. Perhaps our heavenly body, like our present animal body, will have a life and personality of its own. God must make certain that such a tremendous creature remains under the stern control of a disciplined inner nature.

Yet the Christian churches continually present the concept that once we go through the "four steps of salvation" we are ready to be revealed in glory with the Lord at His coming. The assumption is that the Kingdom of God is built on a profession of belief in doctrine rather than established on the creation of the Rock, Christ, in the personality of the saints.

At one time, most or all of what we associate with Heaven was on the earth. There was a surpassingly beautiful and peaceful environment. God Himself was present. The two people were charged with taking care of the garden, having been given dominion over the works of God's hands.

Adam and Eve had access to immortality but were banished from the garden before they had availed themselves of the tree of life.

The Scriptures, both Old Testament and New Testament, have to do with restoring to man what Satan by cunning wrested from him. The term redemption means to recover what has been lost.

In order for man's inheritance to be recovered there must be, first of all, the payment of the debt that was incurred. The soul that sins against God must die. The Lord Jesus Christ paid the debt with His own blood on the cross of Calvary. God now can forgive us because the debt man incurred has been paid in full.

Second, there must be a correction of the problem. The problem is disobedience on the part of man. The disobedience is in the inner man, in the adamic nature. Until that problem has been corrected by the death of the adamic nature and the creation of the new Life of Jesus, it is impossible for man to recover his inheritance. He cannot recover his inheritance by imputed (ascribed) righteousness. There absolutely must be a correcting of what caused the loss of the inheritance: namely, disobedience.

Man never will be permitted back into Eden nor given access to the tree of life, to immortality, until God is certain the disobedience has been removed from his nature.

Third, there must take place an actual restoration. The restoration will take place when the Kingdom of God comes to the earth. The Kingdom of God will teach obedience to the nations of the earth.

As the nations become obedient to God, the spiritual and material blessings we associate with the Kingdom Age, with the thousand-year reign of Christ on the Throne of David, will fill the earth. "They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" (Isaiah 11:9).

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #33

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Matthew 6:20,21)

The more fervently and consistently we choose righteousness the greater becomes the intensity of militant righteousness with which our heavenly form is infused. The deeper we go in obeying God against the cries of our soul the grander becomes the crown of fruitfulness and righteousness reserved in Heaven for us.

The Lord Jesus invited us to lay up treasures in Heaven, and this is what the wise do.

The result of the continual response of our heavenly reward to what is taking place in our inner man will result not only in a perfected spirit before the Throne of God but also in a glorified body perfectly, completely compatible with our transformed inner nature.

The conversion of the inner man as a prerequisite for resurrection to life. It is not possible for a Christian believer to go through life living in the flesh, spending his days in the enjoyment of his soul and his flesh and blood body, and then be clothed with an outward form like that of the Lord Jesus Christ.

First of all, there is the problem of authorization. The Word of God states that it is the overcomer, the one who conquers the idolatry of the world, Satan, the lusts of his body, and personal ambition, who is given access to the tree of life. Remember, it is the eating of the tree of life that produces immortality in the outward man.

. . . To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. (Revelation 2:7)

The Scripture cannot be changed. What is written is written. Only those who overcome, through Christ, the various forms of darkness that plague us constantly, are authorized to eat of the tree of life. For a defeated Christian to be given access to the tree of life would be to transgress the written Word of God.

Second, there is the problem of competence. The unconverted adamic nature is not competent to direct a vehicle of the power and glory of the glorified body. It would be to place a disobedient, undisciplined, ignorant, self-seeking spirit in charge of galactic power — letting loose a monster in the creation of God.

Those who are faithful in small areas of responsibility will be faithful in greater areas of responsibility. Those who are unfaithful in small areas of responsibility will be unfaithful in greater areas of responsibility.

To give an unfaithful, disobedient believer the power and glory of a body fashioned in the image of the all-powerful body of the Lord Jesus would be to invite chaos. He has been disobedient in the lesser. He will be disobedient in the greater. He will fall in the same manner as Satan.

Satan was created in glory, and then fell because he was overcome by the magnificence of his own being. The same tragedy would occur were a lukewarm, self-seeking Christian to be entrusted with the body of glory.

The saints who finally will be given such power are those who patiently bear their cross behind the Master, suffering in patience as blow after blow falls on them, cooperating faithfully with the Holy Spirit as they are transformed from Adam to the life-giving spirit. They have demonstrated beyond all doubt that no matter how they are tempted they will obey the Father. They are steady, faithful, holy, patient spirits who have experienced many hard lessons in the wilderness of testing. They trust God and God trusts them, as God came to trust Abraham (Genesis 22:12).

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #32

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (II Corinthians 5:17)

The current teaching has removed the necessity for a change in the inner man, which is the basis for the groaning for the redemption of the body. The entire Divine redemption, it is maintained, looks toward forgiveness, mercy, and "grace." "We go to Heaven by grace." Such a concept does away with the central issue of the Kingdom of God, which is the transformation of the inner man so Paradise may be regained.

The practical result of the erroneous concept of salvation is that the believers do not understand why they are plagued with suffering in the present life. They view their pains and inconveniences as being random attacks of the enemy. They are reluctant to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the all-important judgment and conversion of the inner man because they do not understand the cause and effect relationship between the transformation of the inner man and entrance into the Kingdom of God, including the donning of immortality by the outward man.

The believers of today think Heaven and eternal life are synonymous, not understanding that one can be in the heavens, in the spirit realm, and have no eternal life at all.

Also, the believers of today suppose that Heaven and the Kingdom of God are synonymous. They do not recognize that the Kingdom of God is the rule of God in us, not a place where one can go.

In addition, the believers have been taught that God will, by "grace," transform both their inner man and their outward man at the coming of the Lord so they will change from church attenders to powerful princes who will govern the nations of the earth.

All such assumptions are unscriptural, as can be tested by examining what the New Testament actually states.

When the Apostle Paul speaks of "groaning" the believers imagine that Paul was weary of the struggle against sin and wanted to go to Heaven to rest. Little do they understand the fires that were burning in this Jew — fires of eternal Life confined in an aging, mortal prison. The inner Paul was rapidly approaching the image of God. The outer Paul was still the same body that carried about the murderous Saul of Tarsus.

The body of the fleshly believer is quite compatible with his untransformed inner man. His hope is that his untransformed inner man in some kind of body will be caught up to Heaven to sit with God on the thrones of glory. This is a fairy tale, a fable that has kept the Christian believers of the twentieth century in perpetual babyhood. Because of their ignorance of God, today's believers are ripe for the deceptions put forth by Antichrist. Many of them will fall away from God the moment they face suffering.

It is God's plan to clothe our transformed inner man with a transformed outward man so there is compatibility between the two. Our house in Heaven is responding directly to the progress we are making on the earth. The taller we grow in spiritual stature the taller our heavenly body grows. The stronger we grow in the Spirit of God the stronger our heavenly body becomes.

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #31

For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (II Corinthians 5:1)

The creation of the "house from heaven" in response to the conversion of the inner man. We have mentioned previously that our glorified body consists of the clothing of our revived flesh and bone body with a house of eternal life (II Corinthians 5:1-5), and that this heavenly house of eternal life and aggressive righteousness is our reward that will clothe our converted inner man when the Lord appears (II Timothy 4:8).

We would like to stress now the concept of compatibility. While we are living in phase A of our inner man, in the adamic soul, our flesh and blood outward man is suitable as an expression, vehicle, and covering for our inner man. The soul can take delight through the body as it contacts the world through seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and tasting. Also, the fleshly mind can enable the soul to imagine, to create, and to conceive both its goal and the path to that goal. Phase A of the inner man is compatible with phase A of the outward man.

But as soon as the process of converting the inner man commences, and the lusts of the body and the lusts and ambitions of the soul are brought into judgment by the Lord, the flesh and blood body no longer is a suitable expression, vehicle, or covering of the inner man. The inner man groans for deliverance from the miserable, dead carcass it is forced to drag around. The flesh and blood body has a life and personality of its own. It is a lustful animal — incompatible with the transformed inner man.

O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (Romans 7:24)

For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: (II Corinthians 5:2)

We seldom or never hear of the believers groaning for the change in the body. The reason is, current Christian teaching assumes that the plan of salvation consists of saving the believer and bringing him to Heaven as he is. Current teaching does not envision the creating of man in two stages but in one, the adamic man. While lip service is paid to the idea of a new creation there is little practical attention and effort directed toward the crucifixion of the first man and the birth and growth of the second. The modern emphasis is on preserving the first-stage man and bringing him to Heaven to live forever in a mansion, wearing his golden slippers.

The pre-tribulation-rapture error in particular leaves the impression that God will lift the whole adamic person and bring him into Paradise with his loved ones. We see pictures of men in business suits and little girls in party dresses rising from the surface of the earth to meet the Lord in the air and returning with Him back to Heaven.

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #30

And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. (Deuteronomy 8:2)

We surely will achieve victory over the world, over Satan, over our fleshly lusts, and over our self-will if we follow the Lord closely. We must bear our cross patiently, reckoning our inner man to be dead and our new life to be growing up in the Lord Jesus in the Presence of the Father.

We can achieve victory if we do not surrender to the numerous forces and pressures that keep attempting to convince us of the desirability of preserving our adamic inner man — forces that promise us we may preserve our adamic life and still inherit the Kingdom.

We know this is a lie of the enemy. The one who is soothing us by telling us the way of the cross need not be hard is not a friend. We must die. If we save our life we will lose it. It is only by enduring the death of the cross that we reign with Jesus. It is only by sharing in the suffering of the cross that we are qualified to experience the awesome power of His resurrection.

The goal is the total replacement of our disobedient adamic nature with the obedient Nature and Life of Christ, resulting in our attainment of eternal life in the Presence of Christ in the inner man, in our eligibility (authorization and competence) for glorification of the outward man when the Lord Jesus appears, and in our attainment of the role in the Kingdom of God for which we have been predestined from the foundation of the world.

God will be content with nothing less than total victory in our personality. The Kingdom of God does not consist of the defeated but of the conquerors. Satan was crushed beyond hope on the cross of Calvary. The realization and manifestation of this total crushing is to come through God's elect, through saints who are determined that all Christ has purposed and developed will be attained in and through them.

The crushing of Satan came by means of the death of the Lord Jesus. The crushing of Satan will come by means of the death of the members of Christ's Body.

And the God of peace shall bruise [crush] Satan under your feet shortly..... (Romans 16:20)

He who, through the Lord Jesus Christ, emerges victorious in the struggle, will inherit the fullness of God. God will be his God and he will be God's son (Revelation 21:7).

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #29

Moreover the Lord thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed. (Deuteronomy 7:20)

Not only must we be converted to obedience in the inner man but it must be true also that the eternal Life and Presence of Christ are formed and abide in our converted inner man. Victory is gained one step at a time.

The invasion of the land of promise by the tribes of Israel is an excellent type of the invasion of our inner man by the Spirit and Law of God. As the Israelites brought the Law (in the Ark of the Covenant) into Canaan as Divine judgment on the gods of the Canaanites, so the Lord Jesus brings the eternal law of God into our inner man as Divine judgment on the various gods found in our personality.

The afflictions we experience are "hornets" God sends to us to "sting" the evil forces of disobedience hidden in our inner man, forcing them out into the open so they may be judged and slain.

Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the Lord thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible. And the Lord thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee. (Deuteronomy 7:21,22)

The last three of the seven Levitical "feasts" were Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:24,27,34).

The spiritual fulfillment of the blowing of Trumpets is the coming of the Lord Jesus to make war against His enemies, beginning with the inner man of His elect. (Psalms 24).

The spiritual fulfillment of the Day of Atonement is the reconciliation of our inner man to Jesus. There were two goats offered on the Day of Atonement. The blood of the first goat typifies the forgiving of the guilt of our sins. The removing of the second goat into the wilderness portrays the removing of all sin from our personality (Leviticus, Chapter 16).

The spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles is the Father and the Son settling down to eternal rest in the saint (John 14:23).

The goal of the Father is to find rest through Christ in all of His creatures. This goal can be attained only when the inner man of each person has been converted by being judged, and then by being transformed by receiving the Life of Christ.

The only persons who will be "lost" are those who refuse the Divine redemption God is offering through Jesus. They will be lost to the Kingdom because they refuse to be reconciled to God through His Son. Like Satan, the father of rebellion, they prefer to rule rather than to be ruled by the Lord Jesus. Therefore they, like Satan, are doomed to eternal bondage.

It is suffering, the bearing of the cross, that assists us in overcoming our love of the world.

It is suffering that keeps us diligent and prayerful so we do not succumb to the enticements of Satan.

It is suffering that gives us the determination to confess the lusts of our flesh so they may be cast out of our personality.

It is suffering that enables us to gain the upper hand over our selfish ambitions, that humbles us, that brings us close to God so we will be able to rule with Him in our land of promise.

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #28

We have the same thought of salvation through tribulation, the tribulation being a judgment on our inner man, in II Thessalonians.

The persecutions and tribulations we endure are a sign of the judgment of God on us, making us worthy of His Kingdom. To receive the Kingdom includes receiving immortality in our outward man at the coming of the Lord.

After we receive Jesus as our Savior, God goes to war against our inner man. The blood of the cross has forgiven the guilt of our sin. But this does not change what we are in personality. What we are in our inner man must be reconciled to God or else we cannot enter immortality in the outward man. We cannot be allowed back into Eden and given access to the tree of life until our disobedient nature has been converted.

God goes to war against us, as He did against Moses after He had called him (Exodus 4:24). We cannot have lasting peace until that warfare has been concluded and God has won the battle against our inner man.

Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. (Isaiah 40:2)

It is not true, as is taught commonly, that all the judgment fell on the Lord Jesus and we enter the Kingdom without being chastened soundly and thoroughly by the Lord.

The suffering for the guilt of our behavior fell on the Lord. He bore away the guilt of our sins. But what we are in our inner man still is in rebellion against God. There still are lusts in our flesh and soul. We cannot have lasting peace with God until the inner man has been converted and the outward man has been clothed with a robe of righteousness.

It may be observed that the Lord God did all the fighting for the Israelites when He called them forth from Egypt, which is a type of our leaving the world in water baptism.

But when the Israelites sought to enter their land of promise, which is a type of our seeking to dwell in immortality in the Kingdom of God, the Israelites, with God's help, had to do the fighting.

Total victory over our inner man cannot be gained by one stroke. We must "take the land" city by city. We must achieve victory over one area of our personality at a time, and then experience the forming of Christ in that particular area. If this process of deliverance and replacement did not take place we would be as a house swept and decorated but still open to the enemy.

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #27

Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. (I Peter 4:1,2)

The fourth chapter of I Peter is devoted to the concept of judgment and deliverance through suffering. The concept is established in the first two verses (above).

Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick [living] and the dead. (I Peter 4:5)

The beema of Christ is in session, and the first to appear are the members of God's elect.

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? (I Peter 4:17)

The guilt of our sins has been forgiven provided we follow Jesus in obedience. It is as we walk in the light, in the will of God, that the blood continues to cleanse us. The covering of the blood makes it possible for the Spirit of God to purify us through various suffering until the cause of sin in us has been slain and the new life has come. This is what it means to be "born again."

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (I John 1:7)

If we do not walk in the light of God's will, the blood does not continue to keep us free from condemnation even though we continue to profess faith in the doctrines of our church. We must walk "in the light" so the process of judgment may continue in our personality. The Lord Jesus did not forgive our sins so we could continue to live in the lusts of the flesh and the disobedience of our soul.

The righteous are saved from their adamic nature in part by the heavy weight of suffering they endure. The term salvation in this instance means much more than forgiveness. It signifies salvation in the sense of the conversion of the inner man from death to the Divine Life of God. This is how we enter the Kingdom of God and how the Kingdom, the rule of God, enters us.

So great is the spiritual darkness in us that we are saved (converted to life) with difficulty. God uses every Divine resource to slay the wickedness in us and to bring forth the Substance, Virtue, and Nature of His Son in us.

And if the righteous scarcely be saved [is saved with difficulty], where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? (I Peter 4:18)

When we are walking in the light of God's will our sufferings are the judgment of God on us so we will not be condemned with the world but rather be partaker of His holiness.

Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. (I Peter 4:19)

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #26

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:4)

In a true Christian experience we count ourselves as dead. After we put our faith in the Lord Jesus for salvation and repent of our behavior in the world, the next step is to be baptized in water. Baptism in water means we are reckoning that our entire first personality, the adamic life, is crucified with the Lord Jesus.

From God's point of view, the believer who enters Christ in terms of Romans 6:4 actually has died. His outward man has not died in the sense of losing its blood (although the outward man is spiritually dead, cut off from God, because of the sin dwelling in it — Romans 8:10).

The believer is claiming, by faith in God's Word, that his inner man has died with Christ on the cross of Calvary and his new resurrection life has ascended with the Lord to the right hand of the Father.

Physical death is the separating of the inner man from the outward man. When we believe and are baptized, the Lord raises our newly-conceived inner nature to His right hand. Our life is hidden with Christ in God in the heavenlies but our body remains on the earth. A genuine death has occurred.

The believer reckons this to be a fact, and God reckons this to be a fact and deals with the believer's inner man accordingly.

After an individual dies, whether in this spiritual sense or literally, the next step is judgment.

The believer's adamic inner man is reckoned to be dead on the cross with Jesus. Remember, the inner man, the adamic nature, is very much alive in us. But he is "reckoned," counted, to be dead.

The adamic nature having been condemned to death, the Spirit of God searches out the various elements of the adamic nature and puts them to death, meanwhile strengthening our new born-again inner nature that already is in the heavens at the right hand of the Father.

If we cooperate with the process of death and resurrection, which often is performed through considerable suffering on our part, the Divine judgment accomplishes a finished work. We are completely forgiven, through the continuing atoning virtue of the blood of Jesus, and the portion of the adamic life being dealt with loses its life and is replaced by the resurrection Life of Jesus. This is an eternal judgment on the various elements of our adamic personality.

The forgiven and destroyed segment of our personality passes into oblivion and in its place appears a new segment of personality, a segment born of Christ. The new segment cannot sin, having been born of God, and therefore is never condemned by Divine judgment, by the eternal moral law, the Word of God (I John 3:9). The new creation is not under the jurisdiction of the Law of Moses. The new segment takes it place in Christ in the heavens.

And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ: (Ephesians 2:6)

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #25

Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:13)

Being born again does not take place in an instant. First there must be a conception. After that comes the forming of the new creation. Numerous believers experience an aborting of what had begun in them, as we learn from the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:18-23).

It seems there are relatively few who escape the efforts of Satan to destroy the Divine Seed, who bring to full term what has been planted in them.

It may be observed that the Lord, in His parables, portrayed the Kingdom of God as a seed (Matthew 13:31). The Kingdom of God is not a place to which we go when we die. The Kingdom of God is a state of being of our personality. The Kingdom of God is formed in our inner man and then is extended to include our outward man, provided the conversion of the inner man has proceeded to the Lord's satisfaction.

Isaiah spoke of the step by step conversion of the inner man, of the converting of the human soul to the eternal Law of God:

For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: (Isaiah 28:10)

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: (I Peter 2:2)

As the eternal Word of God enters it slays the adamic nature and forms Divine Life in us. The adamic nature perishes like the grass of the field under the burning sun of the Word (I Peter 1:24).

We must, in our human personality, with the help of the Lord, keep our adamic inner man and outward man in control, making our fleshly nature serve the Lord, until the new Life in us begins to dominate our thoughts, words, and deeds. Only an honest and good adamic heart can keep the human personality serving the Lord until the new Life is developed (Luke 8:15).

Notice how Peter emphasizes the necessity for adhering to the Scriptures until the new life is born in us:

We have also a more sure word of prophecy [the Scriptures]; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: (II Peter 1:19)

Each day the Lord Jesus sends some form of death upon our inner nature. The death may be in the form of trouble, or perplexity, or persecution, or some other kind of painful, humiliating, vexing, frightening situation.

As we pray for the strength to overcome our distress, the Life of Jesus lifts us up. The adamic nature dies and in its place is formed the new inner man. This is how the inner man is converted step by step from the first, soulish creation to the new creation. Death, and new life. Death, and new life. Death, and new life. The final result is a new creation in which Christ is the Life and the Center. It is the Kingdom of God. It is the life-giving spirit.

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27)

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #24

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. (Revelation 20:11)

The death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary signaled the end of the adamic creation. At the conclusion of the thousand-year period the earth and the heaven that we know will flee away and no place will be found for them. This marks the termination of the first creation.

We who have been called of the Lord to serve the Lord Jesus are the firstfruits of the new creation. We have the Holy Spirit in us as a pledge that one day our outward man will be renewed in Christ.

But in the meantime our inner man must be made new, for the adamic nature cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

Unfortunately the expression "born again" is being used incorrectly by Christians as part of the "four steps of salvation."

The Apostles did not preach being "born again" (examine the Book of Acts) as the Gospel message. The message of salvation from Divine wrath is not that we must be born again. In order to be saved from wrath we must believe in the Lord Jesus, repent of our sins, and be baptized in water.

Paul never used the term "born again," although he did teach the concept when speaking of the "new creature." Being born again does not mean that our sins have been forgiven and we have been saved. It is not a term one should use for evangelistic purposes. We are using the expression incorrectly.

Being born again refers to the conversion of the inner man from the adamic soul to the life-giving spirit. It is a slow, painful process. The death of Adam in us is excruciating at times. While the conversion of the inner man may commence in an embryonic sense when we make a profession of faith in Christ, it is evident that the majority of believers have not come to the full term of birth in the Kingdom sense.

To be born again is not a doctrinal position, it is an experience of total change of personality. Being born again has nothing to do with "going to Heaven" when we die. Being born again has to do with the Kingdom of God. It refers to the death of the first creation and the birth of the new.

Our inner man must be born again, passing from phase A, the adamic life, to phase B, the eternal life of the life-giving spirit.

The first phase of the inner man is of the earth — earthy. The second phase of the inner man is the Life, Substance, and Nature of the Lord from Heaven.

The first phase of our inner man came from our human parents. The second phase of the inner man comes from God Himself, being born of Him.

Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:13)

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #23

One of the most grievous of the theological errors of Christian teaching is the concept that the moral law of God has been done away. The truth is, only the writing of the Law of Moses on stone and parchment has been done away. Under the new covenant the eternal moral law of God, of which the Law of Moses was an abridged, earthly form, is to be placed in the mind and written on the heart of the believer.

The eternal moral law of God never is to be done away. It is to be written in the believer. The grace of Jesus Christ does not abolish the moral law, it establishes the intent of the moral law in our personality. We are not speaking of the letter of the Law of Moses but of the Spirit of the Law, which is Christ.

The moral law never can be done away. The moral law reveals the moral Nature of God. How, then, can the law be done away? God never changes. Therefore we are not destroyed. If God were to change, all we trust in and hope for would be removed.

The moral law is Christ and Christ is the moral law. The Word of God, the law of God, is Christ. As Christ is formed in us the Word, the law, is formed in us. This is the new covenant. This is the Kingdom of God.

The common teaching is that the central purpose of the Lord's salvation is to forgive us. This is not true. The central purpose of the new covenant is not forgiveness. The central purpose of the new covenant is the placing of the law in our mind and the writing of the law on our heart. The new covenant includes forgiveness, but only for those who respond to the writing of the Word of God in the personality.

And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening [life-giving] spirit. (I Corinthians 15:45)

The verse above reveals the essence of the new covenant. The new covenant is not a saving of what we are. The new covenant is a conversion from one type of creature (a living soul) to another type of creature (a life-giving spirit).

It is only as we understand the total transformation required by the new covenant that we become willing to endure the crucifying of our first, adamic personality.

Now we see that the inner man, as well as the outward man, exists in two phases: phase A of the inner man is the living soul; phase B of the inner man is the life-giving spirit. "Man," as God envisions him, must be created in two stages. The first stage is the animal stage. The second stage is the resurrecting of the crucified animal stage by filling it with Christ. It becomes a glorified humanity. Then the glorified inner man is clothed in a resurrected and glorified outer man. This is man in the image and likeness of God.

Phase A of the inner man (the living soul) cannot enter the Kingdom of God just as phase A of the outward man (the flesh and blood body) cannot enter the Kingdom.

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #22

Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting. (Luke 18:30)

We have seen, therefore, that we are dealing with three elements: the inner man, the flesh and bone body, and the house from Heaven. The flesh and bone body lives in two phases: phase A in which the life is blood; and phase B in which the life is spiritual; although in the case of the wicked who are raised, the resurrected body will not be animated by the eternal spiritual life of God's Presence but by the Divinely ordained energy that activates the creation generally.

The "glorified body" of which Christians speak is a composite body. It consists of phase B of the flesh and bones of the person who then is clothed with the house from Heaven — the substance of eternal life.

When the resurrection is discussed by the Lord, or by Paul, they usually are referring to the resurrection to eternal life. When the Scripture speaks of being found worthy of the resurrection, it means Jesus has deemed the individual worthy of being raised by the Lord's Spirit and brought forward to eternal life on the new earth.

To attain the first resurrection indicates that the believer is eligible to participate in the resurrection and ascension that will occur when the Lord appears. The first resurrection, as we understand it, is limited to the victorious saints, the overcomers.

The first resurrection, the resurrection of the royal priesthood, will take place at the beginning of the thousand-year period. God's priests will rule with Jesus in their glorified bodies (Revelation 20:4-6).

All individuals who have lived on the earth will be raised and stand before the Lord. Some will receive eternal life; others will receive the consequences of wicked behavior. It is not enough to be revived from the dead. It is what happens after we are raised that is of supreme importance.

The Role of the Conversion of the Inner Man in Attaining the Resurrection to Life

We have considered the inner man of spirit and soul, the outward man in his two phases, and the weight of glory that will clothe the inner man and outward man in the Day of the Lord.

Let us consider now the conversion of the inner man, since the conversion of the inner man is absolutely necessary before the personality can be clothed with the house from Heaven.

The step by step conversion of the inner man. The conversion of the inner man is the work of the new covenant.

The old covenant was written on tables of stone. The new covenant is placed in the mind and written on the heart. This is the principal difference between the two covenants.

Under the old covenant the Law of God was written on two tables of stone. Under the new covenant the eternal moral Law of God is put into the mind and written on the heart.

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #21

And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. (Daniel 12:2)

And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. (John 5:29)

It is not that we are raised from the dead that is so important, for all will be raised from the dead. It is what happens to us after we are revived.

Sometimes the house from Heaven, that with which we shall be clothed in the Day of the Lord, is referred to as a crown of life, or a crown of righteousness, or a white garment.

And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness [righteous deeds] of saints. (Revelation 19:8)

The term "righteousness," in the Authorized Version (Revelation 19:8 above), is unfortunate, because it could be construed to mean imputed (ascribed) righteousness. A better translation of the Greek term is "righteous acts," or "righteousnesses."

Notice that the members of the Bride are arrayed in their own righteous conduct, a righteous conduct resulting from their abiding in Christ. As Christ dwells in us His righteous Nature begins to be revealed in our conduct. Each righteous act proceeding from Him and developed in our behavior has the effect of weaving a robe of militantly righteous and holy behavior, a robe that appears before the Throne of God in Heaven. In the Day of the Lord, each saint will be clothed with the robe woven from his Christ-filled conduct on the earth.

. . . she should be arrayed in fine linen, . . . [which] is the righteousness [righteous acts] of saints. (Revelation 19:8)

Again, as in II Corinthians 5:10, we have the teaching that the one appearing before the beema of Christ will be handed what he has practiced during his discipleship on the earth.

If we sow righteousness we will reap righteousness. If we sow sin we will reap the consequences of sin.

This does not mean an individual who serves God with all his heart, who falls into a sin and then recovers and fights onward in the Lord, will be clothed with that transgression in the Day of Christ. God has made provision for the faithful saint who sins and who then confesses his sin, repents of it, and presses forward in Christ (I John 1:9). His sins will be erased from the record. The law of sowing and reaping applies, rather, to what the individual continues to practice.

The believer who does not serve the Lord but walks in the lusts of his soul and flesh will reap corruption in the Day of the Lord. The believer who presses on in God, confessing his sins when he stumbles, serving Jesus with all his strength, will receive glory. God will forgive and cleanse him in the midst of the battle. He need not worry about his shortcomings for he will not face them in the Day of the Lord.

But the careless, disobedient believer, contrary to current teaching and assumptions, indeed will face an angry Christ in that Day. He will not receive glory. He will receive what he has sown. He will be raised to shame and everlasting contempt. The consuming fire will be his portion. Whether or not he ultimately is saved is in the hands of the Lord Jesus.

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #20

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (II Corinthians 5:10)

Woe to those who teach such a fallacy! They will stand with their students before the Master and give an account of their stewardship.

Look once more at II Corinthians 5:10: "that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."

The passage does not state we will be rewarded or penalized for what we have practiced while in the body. Rather, it announces that we will literally receive the things we have done. Some will receive good things. Some will receive evil things. This is what the passage declares.

The saint who is crying out for deliverance from his sinful body will receive a house from Heaven that is aggressively righteous and holy; not just pure and innocent, but militantly righteous, militantly holy, militantly obedient to God.

Can you think of anything more wonderful than having your inner man and your resurrected flesh and bones clothed with a great weight of glory that is aggressively righteous?

O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (Romans 7:24)

But according to II Corinthians 5:10, the person, Christian or not, who has chosen to fornicate will be clothed with lust and the consequences of lust. The habitual liar will be clothed with lying and the consequences of lying. The murderer will be clothed with murder and the consequences of murder.

The abortion doctor upon dying may find the mutilated fetuses revolving around his head — perhaps for thousands of years.

The good we have practiced will be as persons, things, and circumstances standing around us and clothing us. The evil we have practiced will be as persons, things, and circumstances standing around us and clothing us.

Here is the Divine justice. Each individual will receive what he has practiced, what he has chosen.

God says, "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still" (Revelation 22:11).

The Lord Jesus will give to every person precisely as that person's work has been. The individual who loved and sought after righteousness will be given righteousness in the Day of the Lord. The individual who loved and sought after sin will be given corruption in the Day of the Lord. Professing faith in the Lord Jesus does not do away with the principle of sowing and reaping.

Every human being will be raised from the dead, being animated by spiritual energy. With what garment will each be clothed in the day of his resurrection?

To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, (Romans 2:7,8)

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #19

. . . I will give unto every one of you according to your works. (Revelation 2:23)

The current position is, the Christian who serves the Lord receives a reward while the Christian who does not serve the Lord simply does not receive a reward, or as much of a reward.

But we think the Scriptures condemn the believer who does not take up his cross and follow the Master with a pure heart.

Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. (Revelation 3:4)

But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. (Hebrews 6:8)

The Scripture exhorts us to offer up our body a living sacrifice to God, this being our reasonable service of worship (Romans 12:1). This is a commandment of God. What if we do not offer up our body a living sacrifice to God? Is this sin?

The Scripture states that they who belong to Christ "have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts" (Galatians 5:24). Is our not crucifying the flesh a sin abolished on the cross, or is it an evil work we will receive at the beema of Christ?

Jesus declared: "And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me" (Matthew 10:38). Is not taking up our cross and following after Jesus a sin abolished on the cross, or is it an evil work we will receive before the beema of Christ?

If the believer is called by the Lord to serve Him in some capacity, and he does not do so, he is disobedient to the Word of the Lord to him. Is such disobedience a sin removed on the cross or is it an evil work the believer will receive at the beema of Christ? And if disobedience to the Lord is an evil work and not a sin, what will the believer receive when he receives the disobedience to Christ he practiced in his body?

In our day there is occurring a spiritual fulfillment of the Levitical Day of Atonement. Numerous pastors, evangelists, and other workers and believers are confessing their sins to the Lord. This is happening now and thousands of Christians are involved. Are the Christians to confess their evil works but not their sins because their sins already have been forgiven? Are they to come before the Lord and sort out the difference between their sins and their evil works as they repent?

If it is true Christ already has forgiven all our sins and will judge only our works, then the repenting Christian should be careful to confess and repent only of his evil works and not of his sins, his sins having been taken care of on the cross.

We understand, then, that making a distinction between the sins of the Christians and the works of the Christians, concluding that no Christian need have any concern regarding the Judgment Seat of Christ, is dangerous indeed! This distinction and its attendant conclusion, that no believer need fear the Judgment Seat of Christ, have left multitudes of believers unprepared for what they assuredly shall face when they come before Christ.

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #18

For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 25:29,30)

It is reasoned that because the Lord Jesus does not judge our bondages but only our choices there will not be severe penalties for a lack of diligence in serving the Lord. The casting into outer darkness of the lazy servant who buried his talent teaches us that such reasoning is incorrect.

The believer who neglects his salvation will not achieve victory over the world, the lusts of his flesh, or his self-will. As a result, at the Judgment Seat of Christ he will be judged not only for his carelessness and unbelief but also for the practice of sin resulting from his negligence.

The believer who followed the Holy Spirit in putting away his sins will be blessed and rewarded because of his diligence ("Well done, good and faithful servant"), and his holy and righteous behavior will bring him eternal life. The lazy believer loses on two counts and the diligent believer gains on two counts.

Let us think about the concept that Christians need not be concerned about their appearance at the Judgment Seat of Christ because Jesus will not be concerned with their sins but with their works. How are we to be able in that Day to distinguish between sin and an evil work?

The Scripture under discussion (II Corinthians 5:10) declares that the individual being made manifest at the judgment seat will receive the things he has done in his body, whether what he has done has been good or evil (not "good or bad," as in the Authorized Version).

Let us say that an example of a sin would be adultery, while the example of an evil work would be not taking up one's cross and following the Lord. The adultery practiced by the believer will not be mentioned (Evangelicals claim) because it was taken care of on the cross. But now he is being judged only in terms of his lack of diligence in following the Lord, his dedication or lack of it.

Yet, in the twenty-fifth chapter of the Book of Matthew, the servant who buried his talent was termed "wicked," "lazy," and "unprofitable," and was condemned to outer darkness. He received the evil he had done. He was useless to the Kingdom and so he was cast into a place of uselessness. To our way of thinking, the thought of such a penalty is an occasion for trembling.

Is not using one's talent a sin or a work? Does it make any difference in our reward?

It is true also that the Christian who does not cease practicing adultery will not inherit the Kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19).

The concept that the sins of the believer can never be mentioned at the Judgment Seat of Christ is unscriptural, illogical, and produces carelessness and sin in the life of the individual who is convinced his behavior will not put him in any kind of jeopardy. This concept is not true and it is time to sound the alarm in God's holy mountain.

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #17

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (II Corinthians 5:10)

Second Corinthians 5:10, which is the climax of Paul's teaching concerning the receiving of the house from Heaven, has been misinterpreted by many Christian teachers. Its original strength has been taken from it as the believers have attempted to make it conform to their concept of salvation by grace.

It is being taught that no believer need be concerned about the judgment seat of Christ. It is unfortunate that the Apostle Paul did not realize this for he trembled when thinking of the judgment seat (II Corinthians 5:11). The believers of today do not tremble; they do not know the terror of the Lord. But they would if they would receive this verse as it stands.

The word "all" means all persons, not just the Christians. God the Father judges no individual. God has given all judgment into the hands of His Son, Christ. All persons who have ever lived on the earth must appear before the judgment seat of Christ (John 5:22).

The "white throne" judgment of Revelation, Chapter 20 is part of the judgment seat of Christ. The concept of two separate judgment seats is an error in Christian thinking.

The Greek word translated "judgment seat" is beema. The common evangelical attitude views the beema as a place where people are rewarded for their behavior. But the term beema never is used in the New Testament to mean a place where people are rewarded for their works. The beema is the court where the accused are brought to trial. The Lord Jesus stood before the beema of Pilate.

Evangelical theology states that the believer's sins have been judged on the cross and only his works will be judged at the beema of the Lord Jesus. A distinction is made between the sins of the Christians and the works of the Christians.

We agree that the bondage of sin is of Satan. This bondage was destroyed legally on the cross of Calvary and is destroyed in actuality as the Holy Spirit leads the believer in confessing his sins and turning away from them. Only the authority and power of the Divine redemption can forgive sin and remove sin from the believer. The believer will not be condemned because of the bondages residing in his flesh and soul provided he faithfully cooperates with the Holy Spirit in the progressive work of sanctification.

By one offering the Lord Jesus has perfected forever those who are being made holy, those who are abiding in Him and interacting vigorously with His Divine Person and Virtue.

But every human being on earth is judged according to the choices he makes while living on the earth. While we do not have the power to loose ourselves from sin, we do possess the power, as God leads and enables us, to choose to follow Jesus in the work of redemption. We can choose to read the Scriptures, pray, and serve the Lord. It is our diligence in these acts that leads to eternal life and treasures in Heaven. But the believer who neglects his salvation will not escape the wrath of the Lord.

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #16

There is no way in which a glorified outward man can be placed on a corrupt inner man; neither is there any manner in which the inner man can be transformed instantly or made acceptable by imputed (ascribed) righteousness such that it is possible for God to clothe him with a glorified outward man. The resurrection to glory must be attained, it cannot be imputed.

The role of mercy and grace is to lead the sinner to repentance, to forgive his sins, and to transform him so he may inherit eternal life. It is not the place of mercy and grace to clothe a sinful inner man with eternal life on the basis of imputed (ascribed) righteousness. Unless the Christian understands this clearly he may behave in a manner that will cause him to lose his inheritance.

The house from Heaven is our reward that the Lord Jesus will bring with Him when He returns. After our inner man has returned from the spirit realm and has entered our flesh and bone body, we are ready to be clothed with what has been laid up in Heaven as the consequence of our behavior on the earth. We shall be clothed with our own behavior.

Our house from Heaven is an eternal weight of glory that comes into existence as we respond in Christ to our afflictions.

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; (II Corinthians 4:17)

The saint who is living in victory has an ever-increasing desire to be clothed with incorruptible resurrection life.

For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: (II Corinthians 5:2)

The believers who continue to live according to the appetites of their body and soul will have no house of incorruptible life with which to be clothed.

The victorious saint prays that his house from Heaven may clothe his mortal body so he can be free to serve God more fully.

For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. (II Corinthians 5:4)

But we must be transformed in order to be able to receive the marvelous inheritance of the house from Heaven.

Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest [pledge] of the Spirit. (II Corinthians 5:5)

One can see that the hope of the Apostle was not to die and go to Heaven or to be caught up to Heaven in a "rapture." The expressed hope of the Apostle Paul was to attain the resurrection of the dead, to receive an immortal outward man.

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #15

Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. (Luke 24:39)

The second element, then, is the flesh and bone body. In the resurrection, phase B of the body is operative.

Second element — the flesh and bone body, animated at first by blood (phase A), and after the resurrection by spiritual energy (phase B). The spiritual energy is Divine Life for the saint, mere spiritual energy for the sinner — spiritual energy devoid of the Presence of Christ.

Third element — the house from Heaven, a spiritual form that reflects the choices made by the individual during his or her lifetime on the earth..

It is the third element, the "house which is from heaven" that we shall discuss now.

The house from Heaven is the reward of those who have laid down their lives for the sake of the Gospel. It is the reward the Lord will give us at His appearing.

The "glorified body" that often is referred to by Christians is the revived flesh and bone body of the righteous clothed with the house from Heaven. The flesh and bone body of the saint is made alive by the Holy Spirit and then clothed with the house from Heaven.

As we have stated previously, our inner man first must be transformed before God will clothe it with a glorified body. The house from Heaven directly reflects the state of the inner man. That which clothes the resurrected flesh and bones is the same expression of Divine Life that is true of the inner man.

If we have gone through the steps of inner transformation, the steps leading toward the filling of our inner man with the holy, righteous Life of Christ, our house from Heaven will be fashioned from incorruptible resurrection life.

But if we have not been willing to follow the Spirit of God through the steps of inner transformation to righteousness, but have sown to our fleshly, adamic nature, our house from Heaven will reflect what we have practiced in the flesh — our lusts and disobedience to God.

We shall be clothed with what we have practiced. We shall reap what we sow. Here is the perfect righteousness of God our Creator.

It is of importance for the Christian to understand clearly that the grace and mercy of God do not interfere with the Kingdom law of sowing and reaping. We will reap what we sow. God cannot be mocked. If we believe we can sow sin and then reap the Glory of God on the basis of grace, or mercy, or any other aspect of redemption, we have been deceived.

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #14

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4)

We must conclude that the expression "they lived" means they received back their flesh and bone bodies from the ground or from wherever their mortal remains were deposited. When the Scriptures speak of "living" they mean being alive in the body. Man is not "man" unless he is spirit, soul, and body. When an individual dies he no longer is a "man." He is a spirit. This is why the Lord emphasized, "a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have" (Luke 24:39).

Human beings are "alive" only when they are in their bodies. People will be glorified in their bodies. People will be saved in their bodies. People will be punished in their bodies. People will be cast into the Lake of Fire in their flesh and bone bodies.

And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases [corpses] of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh. (Isaiah 66:24)

When the flesh and bone body of the wicked individual has been raised from the dead by spiritual energies (not by the eternal life of God, but by the energies by which creatures live in the spirit realm) it can die no longer. It will remain in the unquenchable fire without being destroyed (their worm shall not die) — a fearful fate indeed!

For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: (II Corinthians 5:2)

We must, at this point, make clear the elements included in the resurrection from the dead so the reader may be able to follow our reasoning.

The first element we must consider is our inner man, our spirit and soul. It is the inner man who is the real person, all else being clothing God puts on our inner man.

Second, there is the flesh and bone body. The flesh and bone body, the clothing of the inner man, experiences two distinct phases. The first phase (we will term this, phase A) takes place this side of the grave, and the second phase (phase B) takes place after the resurrection.

During phase A the life of the body is blood. Phase A is the same for the saints and the wicked.

During phase B the life of the body of the saint is the Divine Life of Christ. But the life of the body of the wicked merely is spiritual energy — the spiritual energy by which fallen angels live.

The spiritual energy of phase B of the wicked is not the eternal life of which the Lord Jesus spoke. The eternal life set forth in the New Testament is the Presence and Spirit of God. The fallen angels live by spiritual energy but they possess no eternal life. Satan is active in the spirit realm but he possesses no eternal life.

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #13

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (II Corinthians 3:18)

Since God will not place a glorified outward man on an immature inner man, and since there cannot be an instantaneous transformation of the inner man, such an instantaneous transformation being neither scriptural nor logical, it follows that prior to giving to us a glorified outward man (which is our reward for Christ-filled righteous behavior) there must be a transformation of the inner man. This fact virtually is unknown in Christian circles; yet, it is of the greatest possible significance to the believer.

It is true that God can break the chains of sin in a moment. But deliverance from sin is only the negative aspect of moral transformation. The positive aspect of moral transformation is the forming of Christ in us. The forming of Christ in us absolutely cannot be done in a moment. It is a lifelong process as we submit to the program of continual dying and continual rising in Christ.

We think the Apostle Paul, in Philippians 3:11, is speaking of the transformation of his inner man in preparation for the transformation of his outward man. The goal of such inner transformation is the total conversion of the inner man into resurrection life in preparation for the total glorification of the outward man in conformity with the glorified outward man of the Lord Jesus Christ.

If such is the case, if our reasoning is scriptural and sound, then the bodily resurrection to eternal life, which is the Christian hope, can take place only if the inner man has been transformed previously. The conclusion of this reasoning is that only those believers who have pressed forward to the mark, the mark being the transition from the adamic nature to the new nature of the Substance of Christ, are eligible for resurrection to eternal life and glory when Christ appears in the clouds of heaven.

Let us consider for a moment the first resurrection, the resurrection that will take place when Jesus returns to earth as King of kings.

The above passage is referring to I Thessalonians 4:14-17, to the resurrection that will take place when the Lord returns. This is the first resurrection. This is the "out-resurrection" from among the dead to which Paul was referring in Philippians 3:11. The first resurrection is the first resurrection!

The participants in the first resurrection will be the firstfruits of mankind. They are blessed. They are holy. They are the priests and rulers of God and His Christ.

Notice the expression in Revelation 20:4, "and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." Now, it is not reasonable that the statement "they lived" is referring to the inner man of these victorious saints. The members of the royal priesthood possessed eternal life in their inner man long before the time of the first resurrection from the dead.

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #12

If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection [Greek, out-resurrection] of the dead. (Philippians 3:11)

The raising of our outward man and the clothing of it with eternal life is not a preparation for judgment; rather, it is the execution of the sentence of judgment. We have been judged, and our sentence is to be made immortal and to be forever with King Jesus Christ as He governs the creation of God.

Toward the end of his life, the Apostle Paul was seeking to attain the resurrection from the dead.

The context of this verse is that of pressing toward a mark. The mark is the attainment of that for which we have been grasped. Each saint has been predestined for a specific station in the Kingdom of God. His task in life is to attain that for which he has been predestined; not to carve out a destiny according to his own impulses and desires but to enter the rest of God, into the perfect creation already finished in the mind of God.

As the saint becomes willing and able to enter what God has planned for him from the beginning, he finds righteousness, peace, joy — the fulfillment of all he is meant to be and to do. Only then is he ready to receive immortality in his body.

Part of the context of Philippians 3:11 is knowing Christ, knowing the power of His resurrection, knowing the fellowship of His sufferings.

Was Paul speaking, in Philippians 3:11, of attaining a resurrection of his inner man, of his outward man, or of both? He was speaking of both, for we find a few verses later:

Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (Philippians 3:21)

The kind of resurrection experienced by the outward man depends directly on the state of being of the inner man.

Since the glorified human personality consists of the inner man dwelling in a glorified outward man (an outward man in the image and of the Nature and Substance of Christ), it follows that in order for the personality to abide in peace and harmony the inner man will have had to be changed from Adam to the life-giving spirit, to the image and Substance of the Lord from Heaven. Otherwise the inner man and the glorified outward man would be incompatible.

It is not possible that God will place a glorified outward man on an immature, disobedient, self-seeking, soulish inner man. It is the hope of many Christians that God will transform the inner man and clothe the transformed inner man with a glorified outward man. This indeed is true, being scriptural and logical.

Error enters with the belief that the inner man will be transformed at the coming of the Lord, along with the outward man. There is a scriptural basis for an instantaneous transformation of the outward man at the coming of the Lord; however, there is no scriptural basis for an instantaneous transformation of the moral character of the inner man at the coming of the Lord or at any other time, except as we have patiently followed the Lord in cross-carrying obedience.

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #11

For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. (II Corinthians 5:4)

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (I Corinthians 15:53)

Since Paul, when speaking of our being clothed with our house from Heaven, uses the expression "that mortality might be swallowed up of life"; and also states that at the resurrection "this mortal must put on immortality"; we conclude that the house from Heaven will clothe our mortal body at the sounding of the last trumpet.

But whether the dead in Christ will descend as an inner man already clothed with the house from Heaven and then infuse their mortal remains and raise them up, or whether the inner man will descend, raise up the mortal body, and at some point after that receive the house from Heaven as a reward, we are not certain. It seems that the Lord Jesus came forth from the grave in a spiritually animated physical body, and then appeared to the Apostle John some time later in a glorified form, causing John to faint (Revelation 1:17).

Since the white robe, mentioned several times in the Book of Revelation, probably is the house from Heaven, we may notice that the martyrs are given their glorified form prior to the resurrection.

And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. (Revelation 6:11)

The people who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord will be a remarkable group of overcomers. They never will be resurrected from the dead because they never will die. They will be changed into immortality while standing on their feet. Sustaining such a change from mortal life to spiritual life will require much faith (Enoch was translated by faith — Hebrews 11:5).

Also, those who are alive and are caught up to meet the Lord must have been judged previously. The resurrection of the victorious saints that takes place when Jesus returns is the first resurrection, the resurrection of the blessed and holy (Revelation 20:4-6). It is not possible that unjudged saints can be raised in the first resurrection and after that be judged according to what they have practiced in the body (II Corinthians 5:10).

It is true rather that their judgment has been accomplished as they, during their pilgrimage on the earth, have passed through the steps of death and resurrection in the inner man and there has then been laid up for them a crown of life. This will have to be the case for the victorious saints who are alive on the earth at the return of the Lord from Heaven.

At the first resurrection the overcomers will receive the crown of life, their judgment having been accomplished previously.

It is not reasonable that the saints will be raised from the dead, ascend to meet the Lord, and then stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ. Rather, we are passing before the Judgment Seat of Christ now as He commands us to put away our lusts and rebellions and receive eternal life in their place. Judgment has begun now in the house of God (I Peter 4:17-19).

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #10

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: (I Thessalonians 4:16)

They shall rise from the dead just as Christ rose from the dead in the third day. At this point, all the saints will be alive on the earth in bodies no longer subject to injury or death. There is no point in lifting them from the surface of the earth in order to escape Antichrist or tribulation; they are invulnerable, being in spiritual bodies.

It is not logical, therefore, to present the catching up (rapture) as being God's means of delivering us from suffering. Nor is it taught anywhere in the Scriptures that the resurrection is for the purpose of delivering us from suffering.

The Lord is not coming to "catch a waiting bride away." This is not true. Rather, He is coming to call up to Himself, who is the Commander in Chief, the army of the Lord in preparation for the attack of Armageddon.

Let us cast the "pre-tribulation rapture" illusion from our minds and spirits. It is not of the Lord. Those who believe in it are not entering the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles, into the fullness that is the protection God has provided for the saints during the closing days of the present age (John 14:23).

How long will the resurrected saints be on the earth before they ascend to meet the Lord? We cannot say. There were forty days between the resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus. This may or may not be the case with the saints.

At Christ's appearing the saints of all time will be caught up to meet the Lord; not to return into the spirit realm with Him, but to meet Him as He descends from Heaven to take command of the governments of the earth. All the teaching about the Lord catching His Bride away, of the saints disappearing, has no support in this passage.

It is possible that the parable of the ten virgins, in which the five wise go with the Lord to the wedding, is taking place today (at least in some measure) and has to do with the entering of our inner man into a higher place in God, not with the lifting of the outward man from the surface of the earth. It is today we are being awakened. It is today the foolish are beginning to seek oil for their lamps.

It may be true that it is at our point of meeting the Lord that we (our outward man) will be clothed over with the body from Heaven. For the body from Heaven is our reward, and we know from the Scriptures that the Lord will bring our rewards with Him when He returns (Revelation 22:12).

First, our flesh and bone body will be raised to stand on its feet (or, in the case of the living saints, our blood will disappear and incorruptible resurrection life will take the place of the blood). Second, our physical body, now animated by spiritual power rather than blood, will ascend to meet the Lord in the air.

We are not certain at what point our animated physical body will be clothed with our house from Heaven, with the "eternal weight" of life and glory that is the result of presenting our mortal body a living sacrifice to the Lord (II Corinthians 4:16-5:5).

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #9

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. (I Thessalonians 4:13,14)

The Christians of Thessalonica were grieving over the fact that some of their loved ones had died. They had departed to the realm of spirits and would not be with them as the Kingdom of God was set up on the earth. They would not share in the immortalizing of the body. They would not be able to participate as Jesus Christ was crowned King on the Throne of David in Jerusalem.

Paul comforted the saints by informing them the Lord Jesus at His coming would bring the departed spirits with Him, and the deceased would then share in the immortalizing of the body and in the setting up of the Kingdom on the earth.

First Thessalonians 4:13-18 is being employed to support the error of the pre-tribulation flight of the living saints to the spirit world. In actuality this passage has to do with the return of the deceased saints from the spirit world so they may receive back their physical bodies and participate with the Lord Jesus in the Kingdom of God on the earth.

The purpose of this passage is to comfort the living saints concerning their loved ones whose outward man is asleep in the grave and whose inner man is with the Lord Jesus. The passage has nothing to do with the Lord removing the living saints from the earth so they may escape the Antichrist and tribulation.

Paul is pointing toward the death and resurrection of Jesus as being our hope that we will see our loved ones once again — and in their bodies.

For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [precede] them which are asleep. (I Thessalonians 4:15)

The living saints will not gain immortality or participate in the Kingdom of God in advance of those who have died.

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: (I Thessalonians 4:16)

The above phrase means that the bodies, the outward man of the saints whom Christ brings with him will stand upon their feet. They will come forth from their places of burial and stand on their feet on the earth. We assume that at this time their inner man, who has returned with the Lord Jesus, has entered the outward man and raised it up.

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, (I Corinthians 15:51)

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (I Thessalonians 4:17)

We who are alive shall be "changed" and after that caught up to meet the Lord in the air. Our earthly life, which is blood, will disappear. Our flesh and bone body will be animated by the Divine Life of the Lord Jesus instead of by blood.

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #8

And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. (Exodus 25:10,11)

The "gold" of Divine Life will cover the "wood" of our risen physical frame. This is the true nature of the resurrection and glorification of the Christian saint.

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (I Corinthians 15:52)

Changed in what manner? First, the flesh and bone bodies of the deceased saints will be raised. Second, the flesh and bone bodies of the living saints will be changed. The blood will vanish and in its place will be the resurrection life of the Lord Jesus. Third, the flesh and bone bodies of the saints will be clothed with their house from Heaven.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (I Corinthians 15:53)

It is not a case of a new body coming down from Heaven on our inner man, but of our corruptible, mortal flesh and blood body putting on incorruptible immortality. It is not our inner man that is corruptible and mortal, it is our outward man that is corruptible and mortal. Therefore it is our outward man that is clothed with incorruptible immortality.

The inner man is "swallowed up in victory" as each day we die in the Lord and are raised in resurrection power. We die to the world, to Satan, to our fleshly lusts, and to our self-will. We are raised in the Life of Christ.

The outward man will be "swallowed up in victory" at the last trumpet. The flesh and blood body of sin and death will be changed into a spiritual body and then clothed with our reward from Heaven.

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? (I Corinthians 15:55)

When we speak of the "grave" we are not referring to the inner man but to the outward man. It is the outward man that is assigned to the grave, and it is the outward man that will come forth and be glorified with incorruptible, eternal life.

The Christians of the first century did not view the purpose of the Christian salvation as being our removal to Heaven to live there forever. Rather, they were taught by the Apostles of the coming of the Kingdom of God. They expected the Lord to return during their lifetime and set up His Kingdom on the earth. The hope of the saints was that they would be changed into immortality and rule in the Kingdom of God on the earth. The concept of going to the spirit realm and living in a "mansion" was unknown to them.

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #7

And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: (I Corinthians 15:37) The above passage appears to teach that our physical body will not be raised.

But if our physical body is not to be raised, then the fifteenth chapter of First Corinthians is incoherent; for the first part of the chapter obviously is speaking of our dead physical body. If our physical body is not to be raised, it would be true that our resurrection is not to be patterned after that of the Lord Jesus; for the physical body of Jesus is not in the cave of Joseph of Arimathea.

The pagan concept that matter is evil and spirit is good has entered Christian thinking. The pagan influence has resulted in I Corinthians 15:37, plus Paul's teaching concerning the "house which is from heaven," of II Corinthians 5:1-4, being interpreted to mean our present body will be no more and we will receive a new body.

If our present body is not to be raised from the dead, then there is no resurrection of the dead.

Paul is answering those who were questioning the doctrine of the resurrection from the dead. Some of their questions were like those of the Sadducees, who approached Jesus and raised the insincere question of the woman who had been married to seven brothers (Luke 20:27-33).

Paul is not saying that our present body will not be raised. He is stating that it will not be the same body because it will not be limited by its present constraints. It will be a "different" body in the sense that it will be greatly improved. It no longer will be subject to weakness, to tiredness, to sickness, to death. It will have powers and capabilities of which we understand little.

It will not be motivated by blood but by spiritual energies. Our body then will be filled with righteousness rather than sin. It will be a source of freedom for the inner man rather than a miserable prison of sin and death.

Paul speaks of our discipleship on the earth as the sowing of our outward man into death in the hope that we will reap a harvest of incorruptible life in the form of a glorified body.

Precisely so. Note that the farmer sows wheat seed. The germinating stalk does not come from another place but from the seed that was sown. So it is true that our new body will not come from another place but from our present body that is being sown to death.

Our present body will be clothed with incorruptible life provided we have sown to the Holy Spirit.

For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:8)

The clothing of our risen flesh and bone body with the house of eternal life that has been kept in Heaven for us is revealed in the design of the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the Covenant was constructed from acacia wood covered within and on the outside with refined gold (Exodus 25:10,11), the wood typifying our risen mortal body and the gold typifying the Divine Life with which the risen body of the saint will be clothed.

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #6

To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: (Romans 2:7)

Paul is holding out immortality, eternal life in the body, as the goal of righteous conduct.

Our resurrection will be patterned after that of the Lord Jesus, and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus was a physical event. The Lord's physical body, now possessing extraordinary capabilities, came forth from the cave of Joseph of Arimathea.

Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. (John 20:27)

There were no wounds in the heavenly body of the Lord Jesus nor in His inner man. Therefore we know Thomas was being confronted with the actual flesh and bone body of the Lord. It was His wounded body that was raised from the dead and appeared to the disciples.

Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. (Luke 24:39)

The text of the fifteenth chapter of First Corinthians emphasizes that the central hope of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is the reviving of the flesh and bone body. This "resurrection chapter" is not referring to the heavenly body nor to the inner man. It is speaking of bringing back to life the mortal body.

And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. (I Corinthians 15:14)

The following passage reveals that Paul is referring to the raising of the physical Body of Christ and of the saints:

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. (I Corinthians 15:23)

It is not the inner man of the saint that is made alive at the coming of the Lord. Our inner man is made alive when we receive Christ as our Lord and Savior. At that time God forgives our sins and permits us to approach Him in prayer. We no longer are spiritually dead (cut off from God) but are spiritually alive.

It is not the house from Heaven that is made alive at the coming of the Lord. Our house from Heaven is fashioned from the substance of eternal life.

Let us remind the reader that when the Scriptures speak of the dead rising it is not speaking of the inner spiritual personality. The inner spiritual personality does not "rise" from the dead. It is the body, the outward man, that rises from the dead. We keep repeating this rather obvious fact because of the centuries of traditional teaching — teaching that has implied it is our inner man who rises from the dead, leaving our physical body to pass into its original elements.

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #5

Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:54)

It is not our inner man that will be raised in the last day. The inner man receives eternal life at the moment of receiving Christ. It is not the body from Heaven that is to be raised at the last day, for the body from Heaven never is buried, never needs raising. It is the flesh and bone body that will be raised from the place of death at the blowing of the trumpet.

The Lord Jesus is the Resurrection. He is the Life. As He is formed in us and lives in us we have the resurrection in our inner man. If we have the resurrection in our inner man, then, when the trumpet sounds, the resurrection life in our inner man will make alive our mortal body. Notice how the Apostle Paul states this:

Our mortal body will be made alive by the Holy Spirit who is dwelling in us, who is a pledge, a guarantee that one day we will have immortality in our body.

That is why Paul teaches that if we live in the flesh, if we choose to walk in our soulish, bodily appetites and do not cultivate the new Life that has been born in us, we will die (Romans 8:13). This means that in the Day of Resurrection there will be no eternal life ready to make alive our mortal body. By choosing to walk "in the flesh" we destroy the quality of our resurrection. Perhaps this will be seen more clearly as we proceed.

The phrase "the redemption of our body" is not referring to the Life of God in our inner man. Neither is it speaking of the state of being of our house from Heaven. Rather, this expression is referring to raising and filling with Divine Life our mortal body, our flesh and bone body.

The Apostle Paul speaks of "immortality." He is indicating the reviving of our flesh and bone body to a state of incorruptibility.

But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: (II Timothy 1:10)

When Paul refers to "eternal life," to redemption, he often puts the acquiring of it in the future, revealing that he is not speaking of reconciliation to God in our inner man, which is present now, but rather of the reviving of the mortal body in the Day of the Lord (Ephesians 1:13,14; 4:30; I Peter 1:5).

To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: (Romans 2:7)

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #4

And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: (Genesis 3:22)

The Scriptures have much to say about the reviving of the outward man, the physical body.

As we have stated previously, immortality comes through eating of the tree of life. It was access to immortality that was lost to man because of his disobedience.

... To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. (Revelation 2:7)

And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: (Job 19:26)

Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. (Isaiah 26:19)

Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. (Ezekiel 37:12)

And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. (Daniel 12:2)

Since the inner man does not sleep in the dust of the earth we understand that Daniel is speaking of the raising of the mortal body.

The Lord Jesus came preaching eternal life — particularly the raising of the mortal body. But the concept that the goal of redemption is the removing of the believers to Heaven, rather than the giving of immortality to redeemed people, has prevented us from seeing what Jesus actually taught.

Jesus' message was eternal life, not going to Heaven, but eternal life. It was access to eternal life, not residence in Heaven, that was lost in the beginning. Jesus, our Redeemer, is redeeming what was lost. Heaven was not lost. Eternal life in Paradise on the earth was lost. Eternal life in Paradise on the earth will be regained, with the Lord Jesus as the eternal Center and Circumference of all creatures and things (Ephesians 1:10).

Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:54)

Notice the two stages in the above verse. First, receiving the Presence of God in our inner man as we partake of the flesh and blood of Christ. Second, raising our flesh and bone body in the Day of the Lord.

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #3

And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. (Matthew 17:3)

Believers have reported recognizing relatives and friends in the spirit realm, which suggests that our inner man may, in some respects, resemble our outward man.

The flesh and bone body. Perhaps one of the most neglected aspects of teaching concerning the resurrection from the dead is the role of our flesh and bone body.

It is clear that the Lord Jesus was raised in a flesh and bone body, and it appears to be both scriptural and reasonable that our resurrection will be patterned after His.

Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. (Luke 24:39)

The resurrection of the physical body is one of the central aspects of the Divine redemption. The fifteenth chapter of the Book of First Corinthians is devoted to the doctrine concerning raising the flesh and bone body from the dead.

The inner man of the human being cannot "perish." Death to the inner man is not extinction as is true of the outward man. The inner man always is existing somewhere.

Therefore the meaning of John 3:16 is, God gave His Son, Christ, so we — our outward man — "should not perish, but have everlasting life."

The Christian teaching of today does not place nearly enough emphasis on the redemption of the flesh and bone body of the human personality.

There are at least three reasons why current teaching does not emphasize the reviving of the flesh and bone body:

Going to Heaven, to the realm of spirits, is believed to be the goal of the Divine redemption. Since one does not need to be resurrected in order to enter the spirit realm, the unscriptural emphasis on "going to Heaven" has obscured greatly the scriptural doctrine of the redemption of the mortal body.

An ascension (the so-called "pre-tribulation rapture") is taught in place of the doctrine of the resurrection. This destructive heresy virtually ignores the resurrection of the body. It stresses a flight to the spirit realm on the part of untransformed believers so they may escape the troubles of the world.

The doctrine of the pre-tribulation "rapture" of the saints is a deception and has caused harm to the understanding of the Scriptures. It also has produced immaturity, sin, and self-centeredness in the believers. They refuse to prepare themselves for the day of trouble because they have been taught God loves them too much to allow them to suffer.

Paul's teaching of the "house which is from heaven," of the fifth chapter of Second Corinthians, often is confused with the doctrine of the resurrection of the fifteenth chapter of First Corinthians. Many believe that since we have a "heavenly body" there is no need to revive the dead physical body.

This is not clear thinking. The heavenly body cannot be resurrected, because it is not subject to corruption and death. Only the dead physical body can be resurrected. If the dead physical body is not to be resurrected there is no resurrection from the dead. One of the primary aspects of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is then destroyed.

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #2

If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. (Philippians 3:11)

There are at least three concepts associated with the resurrection from the dead:

The role of the conversion of the inner man in attaining the resurrection to life.

There are three elements we must consider when studying the redeemed personality:

For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inner man is renewed day by day. (II Corinthians 4:16)

It is our understanding that our spirit is the part of our personality that is able to enter oneness with the Spirit of God. Our spirit is the expression of our personality.

Our soul is our will, our existence as a unique personality. Our soul is the final "I" that decides whether to obey the Holy Spirit or its own adamic impulses and the lusts of our body. Our decisions, our choices, come from our soul. It is the soul that must be saved by being converted, for the new race God is creating does not consist of adamic souls but of life-giving spirits (I Corinthians 15:45).

Our soul can choose to receive its guidance, strength, and joy from God through the Spirit and cooperate in its own transformation into the image of Christ, and also its union with God through Christ; or our soul can choose to receive its guidance, strength, and joy from its human mind and from the senses of the physical body.

Our soul can choose to preserve its own human life or to die and be raised in Christ.

Together, our spirit and soul constitute our "inner man." Our inner man is invisible to the human eye, being housed in the "outward man."

It is our opinion, after reading the testimonies of those persons who have been near death and have been revived, that our inner man has a distinct form (not a body but a form). When we die, our spiritual form, the form of our inner man, can be seen by others of the spirit realm and also by ourselves.

Perhaps Plato and other philosophers were correct in teaching that the material realm is an outward expression of what is true in the realm of spirits. Our outward man may be, to a certain extent, a reflection of our inner man.

This concept appears to be borne out by the experience of the rich man in Hell. Notice that the rich man, although not in the body but existing only in his inner man, was tormented by the flames, was thirsty, and had a tongue. These facts are worthy of thought as we contemplate the nature of the spirit realm, and the state of the person after physical death, after he loses his outward man.

And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. (Luke 16:24)

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment

The goal of the Judaic-Christian redemption is eternal life. Eternal life has two aspects:

Immortality in our body, our outward man. Our physical body must be changed by abolishing the corruption of it and by infusing it with the incorruptible Glory of the Lord Jesus Christ so it becomes a "spiritual body" (I Corinthians 15:44).

Life in our inner man is the Presence of God. The extent of our possession of eternal life depends on our progress in becoming the tabernacle of God (John 14:23).

Life in our outward man, our body, is first, blood; after that (in the resurrection) spiritual animation accompanied by the Presence of God, provided we have attained the resurrection to eternal life. Immortality is the state in which the body no longer is subject to corruption and loss of animation.

Death in our body is first, loss of blood and resulting corruption; finally, resurrection, judgment, and then banishment from God's Presence and torment in the Lake of Fire, which is the second death.

Adam and Eve died in their inner man when they disobeyed God. God withdrew from them because of their disobedience.

Adam and Eve died in their body, their outward man, after more than nine hundred years. They were denied access to the tree of life, the fruit of which would have renewed their outward man. Eating of the tree of life produces immortality in the body.

Physical death, although an enemy that will be overcome through Christ at His appearing (I Corinthians 15:26), was a blessing of God on Adam and Eve. God placed them in the spirit realm, the realm of angels, until such time as God is prepared to forgive their disobedience through the blood of Christ and to convert their inner man so disobedience no longer will occur.

After having been forgiven and converted, Adam and Eve, and their forgiven and converted descendants, will be permitted to live once again in Paradise on the earth. This is what the Judaic-Christian redemption is designed to accomplish.

The coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth will result in the restoration on the earth of all that was lost through the disobedience of Adam and Eve. The Lord Jesus Christ from this time forth and for eternity will be the glorious Center of the Kingdom of God, of the renewed creation.

We are not stating here that all people ultimately will be redeemed, for we do not believe such to be the case. Some will displease God to the point of being cast into the Lake of Fire.

At the heart of the Judaic-Christian redemption is the resurrection from the dead, for it was immortality that was lost through the fall of Adam and Eve. The Lord Jesus and His Apostles preached eternal life, the Presence of God in the inner man and immortality in the outward man.

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. (I Corinthians 15:22,23)

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #83

So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. (I Peter 4:19 — NIV)

How many people have started out believing in Christ, and then have turned away because the path that leads to life brought pain to them and they were required to give up that which they desired so intensely!

Yet, it is the way of the transgressor that is hard. It is true that the way of the disciple requires much self-denial. But everyone suffers. We cannot escape suffering by turning away from Christ.

There were three crosses on the hill. God was crucified. The saved thief was crucified. The unsaved thief was crucified.

You are going to suffer while you are in the world. If you spend your entire life attempting to have your own way, to save your own life, to escape suffering, you will betray those who trust in you, harm many others in your mad plunge toward self-gratification, and when you die (or perhaps even before you die) you will suffer at the hands of an angry God who is disgusted with your lack of integrity.

Let us, therefore, patiently work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. It will not be too long before we stand in joy before a glad King who invites us to share His Kingdom.

A few more weary steps and we shall be home. Don't quit. He has kept for you the best wine until now.

"I have told you these things, so in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33 — NIV)

Of the various errors present in current Christian teaching, the common denominator probably is the misunderstanding of the role of imputed righteousness. This misunderstanding has created an unscriptural "state of grace." The concept of the "state of grace" is that God has given a covenant (not found in the New Testament) by which a Gentile can make a profession of belief in Jesus Christ and on this basis, apart from any significant moral change, be admitted to Heaven upon his or her death.

It is not possible that a more deadly interpretation of the Apostle Paul's explanation of the transition from Moses to Christ could be advanced. The product of this error is people who believe in a doctrine but are not practicing righteousness, holiness, and obedience to God. Thus we have an effect opposite to God's purpose in providing a new covenant.

The very foundation of Christian thought is unscriptural. The blood of Jesus Christ, instead of being a means whereby sinful man may begin the process of transformation into a new righteous creation, is presented as an alternative to moral change. We are being conformed to the image of Christ legally, not in actuality.

The Kingdom of God is a real kingdom in which God's will is performed on the earth as it is in Heaven. It is at hand. Jesus is coming soon. Therefore God's people must begin to make the change from imputed to actual righteousness, for our assignment is to appear with Christ and establish the Kingdom of God on the earth.

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. (Titus 2:11-14 — NIV) (from Fifty-two Kingdom Topics)

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #82

Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. (I Peter 4:1,2 — NIV)

Part of our misunderstanding arises from our definition of what it means to be "saved." When we define being saved as holding a ticket that will admit us to Heaven when we die, we are in error. Holding a ticket that will admit us to Heaven when we die is not what it means to be saved.

To be saved, in the scriptural sense of the word, is to be saved from the world and brought into the Kingdom of God; to be saved from the lusts and passions of our sinful personality and brought into freedom from the bondages of sin; to be saved from our adamic will and thinking, and all idolatry, and brought into the rest of God, the abiding place in the center of God's fiery Person.

To be saved is to acquire a hatred of wickedness and a love for iron righteousness, fiery holiness, and stern obedience to God.

We have seen then that salvation is a lifelong discipleship. Each day we should be further from the chains of worldliness, lust, and self-will. Each day a part of our adamic personality should die and the Life of Christ should be formed in its place. Each day we should be further from the person and works of Satan and closer to the Person and works of God.

Receiving Christ is the beginning of our transformation from Adam to Christ; from the old creation to the new creation. Each day we are pressing into more abundant eternal life. Our adamic personality is decreasing and Christ is increasing. Each day God is making all things new in our personality. The gate is small and the way is constricted that lead to eternal life, that lead to the Father. And we are going through that gate and walking on that path every day.

We finally will be "saved" when, in the day of resurrection, we receive back our body from the dead, and our body then is clothed with the eternal, incorruptible resurrection Life that proceeds from the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bible tells us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. This is because it is very easy to start on the way of righteousness and then to be deceived back into the cesspool from which we were rescued. We have to watch carefully that no one takes our crown. The way to God is filled with pitfalls and snares of every description. We do not fear and tremble because Christ cannot keep what has been committed to Him; rather we fear and tremble lest we be deceived and led away from the covenant we have made with God.

Peter informs us that the righteous are saved with difficulty. The fiery trials mentioned in the fourth chapter of the Book of First Peter are for the purpose of driving worldliness, lust, and rebellion against God from our personality.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #81

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched — this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. (I John 1:1 — NIV)

In our day, as no doubt has been true throughout history, people are being brought to the brink of despair. Families are breaking up. Young people raised in Christian homes are dabbling with drugs and perverted sexual behavior. Anarchy controls the streets in some of our cities.

When we are facing divorce, the breakup of our home, or some other severe tragedy, we do not need to hear a young, inexperienced "minister" tell us how we ought to trust God and be happy. We need someone who can portray to us how God has raised him from the point of death and never failed him. We need to feel the strength, courage, and faith of someone who himself or herself has proven God on the battlefield of life.

When we are morally tempted we need the prayers of God's witnesses — those who also have been tempted and through Christ have overcome.

Only God can make a witness. The Holy Spirit can give a new Christian a ministry or gift, but that does not make him or her a witness of God. A denomination can install someone as the pastor of an assembly, but that does not make the individual a witness of God.

A witness of God is someone who has seen God, who has heard God, who has touched God, who has walked with God. All else in Gospel work has its place of usefulness. But only as we walk through the fires, dangers, and pressures of life on earth with our hand in God's hand do we gain the knowledge of the Holy and become a witness of the Person of God, His way, His will, and His eternal purposes in Jesus Christ.

But now, this is what the LORD says — he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. (Isaiah 43:1,2 — NIV)

We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, (Acts 10:39 — NIV)

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed — not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence — continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, (Philippians 2:12 — NIV) The salvation that is found only in the Lord Jesus Christ has a specific beginning, a specific program, and a specific conclusion. We are not "saved" until we endure to the end.

One of the harmful errors of current Christian teaching is the emphasis placed on an initial acceptance of Christ as our Savior. In fact, accepting Christ has become a ticket to Heaven rather than a start on the narrow way that leads to eternal life.

We do not just slide into salvation by trying to reform our behavior. There must come a specific point in time when we decide to trust in Christ rather than ourselves for salvation. We must place our faith in the blood of Christ for the forgiveness of our sins.

We now can say we are "saved," if we like. However, it is more accurate to say that Christ has forgiven us and now we are going to follow Him and walk in newness of life.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #80

"You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so you may know and believe me and understand I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me."(Isaiah 43:10 — NIV)

We need to understand the difference between witnessing and evangelizing. In the majority of instances when the term "witnessing" is used today we really are referring to preaching the Gospel and evangelizing.

Also, we need to understand the difference between bearing witness and ministering the Gospel. There is an abundance of ministry in the United States at the present time, but the witness of God is nearly dead.

A witness is not necessarily a preacher, but every preacher should be a witness. However, many times the preachers of the Gospel of Christ are actually, in their behavior, bearing witness of Satan. They lie, steal, sometimes commit adultery or fornication, and molest children. They often are covetous. Sometimes they are unmerciful in their actions toward other people. They seek their own advantage. They gossip and slander. All this is true, in some instances, of the preachers of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.

The Lord Jesus told us of the truest form of witnessing: "Let your light shine in the presence of people so they may see your good works and glorify God."

We of today place heavy emphasis on ministry and personal evangelism; but if someone points out the need for righteous behavior he is attacked as being a legalist, a Pharisee.

In other words, we are not truly ministering the Gospel, we are proselyting, making converts to our theological belief. We are exercising our religion and therefore will always slander and oppose Christ wherever He is found.

You just don't go out and fish for men. You just don't go out and "witness." Jesus Christ alone can make a fisher of men. Jesus Christ alone can make you a witness of God so you, in your God-given wisdom, win souls to the way of righteousness by your personality far more than by your words.

God makes witnesses of Himself that He alone is God. We must see God, hear Him, touch Him, before we can bear witness of Him. Any lawyer can tell us.

How do we see, hear, and touch God? Seeing, hearing, and touching God take place throughout a long, rugged discipleship.

We are in deep water but do not drown. We go through the fire, as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, but are not burned.

We endure every conceivable difficulty and frustration. We have the sentence of death in ourselves and become as dead-living people. God keeps raising us up, and in the raising the witness of God shines forth.

We learn of God's faithfulness when we are brought to the brink of disaster and then find that God appears on the scene just in time to save us.

We learn of God's provision when we have great needs and only God's faithfulness keeps us surviving and moving ahead.

We learn of God's keeping power when thousands fall around us and we escape all harm.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #79

Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. (Psalms 24:7,8 — NIV)

These evil compulsions dwelling in our personality are His enemies and our enemies. It is time now to drive them out of our land of promise, beginning with our own personality.

The trumpet of God is sounding in the heavens. The armies of Michael are preparing themselves to descend with Christ. No doubt some type of preparation is taking place among the deceased saints — perhaps more similar to what is taking place in us than we have any idea at the moment.

We are in a new day. The old patterns of the Christian religion will persist throughout the reign of Antichrist. But those who have ears to hear are moving past Pentecost into the Blowing of Trumpets.

We are ready to remove sin from the creation, beginning with our own personalities. We are not continually emphasizing our imputed righteousness, we are coming to maturity in the knowledge of good and evil. We are implacable concerning all sin — all sin!

We read in the Book of Daniel that God is ready to put an end to sin. This is the coming of the Kingdom of God, the doing of the will of God, to the earth.

How about you, dear reader? Is it in your heart to put an end to sin? Do you believe Jesus Christ came to destroy the works of the devil — not to forgive the works of the devil but to destroy them utterly, completely, perfectly, totally, and for eternity?

If so, then prepare your heart to ride on a white war stallion behind the Lord, for if you have prepared yourself you will appear with Him when He appears for every eye to see.

Right now — today — declare your love of righteousness and your hatred of wickedness. Follow the Holy Spirit as He makes known to you the sin and self-will in your own personality. Every idol in you must be brought down and crushed. All sin must go. Be merciless toward the sin in yourself. Give it no quarter. Get help from other Christians when you need it.

God has charged His angels with folly and has created mankind and the earth to be the place of His Throne for eternity. The enemy was defeated on the cross located on the earth, and will be defeated in you on the earth if you will follow the Holy Spirit diligently, putting to death the deeds of your body as the Spirit guides and enables you.

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. (II Corinthians 10:3,4 — NIV)

Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. (Revelation 19:19 — NIV)

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #78

And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. (Revelation 12:7 — NIV)

How we would love to put an end to war on the earth. But there never will be peace on the earth until the Lord Jesus Christ and His saints have driven all wickedness from the presence of mankind.

Because of the presence of sin there always has been and always will be war on the earth. War comes from the self-seeking and hatred found in the human heart. There is self-seeking and hatred in us because Satan has access to our personality. Until Satan and his self-seeking and hatred have been removed, there always will be wars and fighting among the members of mankind.

War actually is a spiritual phenomenon. There is war in the spirit realm against Christ and His holy angels. We read of this struggle in the Book of Daniel.

We ourselves are fighting against highly placed spiritual authorities located in the heavenlies.

The rewards found in the second and third chapter of the Book of Revelation are designated for those who conquer in the struggle against wicked personalities.

Speaking in terms of the seven feasts of the Lord, the Christian Church has come as far as the fulfillment of the feast of Pentecost. The fifth feast, the celebration following Pentecost, is the Blowing of Trumpets.

Those of us who are pressing forward in Christ are experiencing the spiritual fulfillment of the Jewish Blowing of Trumpets. Our choruses are becoming militant. We are being trained in the discipline that always must be true of an army, in this case an army of judges that will return with the Lord and drive all wickedness from the creation.

The Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of Hosts, is standing before us. He is ready to declare war on the enemies in our personality: the love of the world, the lusts and passions of the flesh, soul, and spirit, and especially our stubbornness, rebellion, and self-seeking.

The coming of the Lord to drive evil from the members of His army of necessity must occur prior to His worldwide appearing; for at His worldwide appearing He will invade the earth with His army riding behind Him. No person can ride behind Christ in the attack of Armageddon until that individual first has been subjected to the scrutiny of Christ in every tiniest aspect of his or her personality.

The Lord is standing before us today. He is asking us to open the everlasting doors of our heart. If we will do this, He will enter us and dine with us. We eat His flesh and drink His blood. He dines on our worship and obedience.

We eat at His banqueting table in our own heart and His banner over us is love. At the same time He declares war on all of His enemies that are in us.

We who are experienced Christians find that sins we thought had been removed from us long ago are now raising up in us. Instead of coming to the conclusion we have backslidden, or trying to hold the sins down, we are to confess them specifically to the Lord (and to other people if indicated), denounce them with all our might, renounce them with all our strength, calling on Jesus Christ for assistance.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #77

The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. (Revelation 21:18 — NIV)

When one reads the twenty-first chapter of the Book of Revelation it can be seen that the great jasper wall is emphasized, along with the gems adorning the twelve foundations of the wall.

The reason is, the creating of the wall is a main purpose for the six thousand years of world history.

Originally God placed man in Paradise on the earth. Man was deceived by wickedness. God, because of His holy, righteous nature, was compelled to withdraw from the earth, leaving behind a curse.

God does not want this to happen again. Therefore He is creating a wall to forever keep sin from entering His Presence, and away from the Tree of Life.

If there had been a wall around the Garden of Eden, sin could not have entered. Never again will there be an unwalled Paradise.

The wall against sin is the Lord Jesus Christ. He also is the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

The Lord Jesus Christ loves righteousness and hates iniquity. Christ will never permit sin to enter the Presence of God.

Now Christ is being formed in us. When Christ has come to maturity in us we will love righteousness and hate iniquity. The truest indication that Christ is growing in us is that we are becoming ever stronger in our ability to discern good and evil, and to choose the good and absolutely reject the evil.

God has the power to instantly remove all wickedness from a human being, leaving him as free from a sinful nature as was true of Adam and Eve.

If Christ put us back in Paradise before the wall against sin is formed in us, you know what would happen. We would fall once again.

The reason for the six thousand years of insanity on the earth is so angels and men might witness the result of yielding to Satan, and also to create a wall in people so they may be able to govern Paradise when it has been placed once more on the earth.

There probably is an actual wall and actual gems in its foundation. But beyond all doubt, the wall represents the defense against sin being created in the saints, and the gems in the foundation refer to the Divine Virtues being formed in the saints by the heat and pressure of life on the earth, just as obedience was formed in Christ by the heat and pressure of life on the earth.

All sin must go, and Jesus Christ has the power to this for you. Don't wait to die, hoping when you go to Heaven the wall will be built in you. Walls against sin are built on the earth, not in Heaven. Sin began in Heaven around the Throne of God.

These are troublous times in which we are living, and the wall against sin is being built right now.

His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, (Ephesians 3:10 — NIV)

You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy. (Hebrews 1:9 — NIV)

Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. (Revelation 22:15 — NIV)

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #76

These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. (Revelation 11:4 — NIV)

I understand the Christian world regards the two witnesses of the eleventh chapter of the Book of Revelation as being two patriarchs or prophets from the Old Testament. I think this is an incorrect interpretation.

To begin with, our charge as a Christian Church is to bear witness of Christ in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. In order to accomplish this we have been given the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore it does not make sense that the Lord would go back before the new covenant, before Christ's death and resurrection, to obtain witnesses of the coming Kingdom of God.

Jesus said he who is least in the Kingdom is greater than any of the Prophets. I do not understand why scholars believe the Christians are so spiritually weak God has to go back in time and bring up someone from the dead to bear witness of the return of Christ. Do you?

In the eleventh chapter of Revelation, we find the two witnesses are symbolized as two lampstands and two olive trees. The reference is to the fourth chapter of the Book of Zechariah. The interpretation is that the Temple of God will be completed "not by might nor by power but by the Spirit of God."

The lampstand of the Bible, being pure gold, always represents Deity. Bible scholars understand the Lampstand of the Tabernacle of the Congregation symbolizes Christ. Gold speaks of Deity, never of humanity.

The other use of the figure of the lampstand involves the seven churches of the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation. The seven churches are shown as golden lampstands because they are the churches of Christ, who is Deity.

In the fourth chapter of the Book of Zechariah we notice not two lampstands, but one. That Lampstand is Jesus Christ. The two olive trees pouring olive oil directly into the seven cups of the lampstand symbolize the double portion of God's Spirit, such as rested on Elisha.

Where then did the second lampstand come from? It is my point of view that the second lampstand is the Body of Christ that has been formed during the Christian Era.

If I am correct, the eleventh chapter of the Book of Revelation is referring to Christ and the members of His Body who are on the earth, ministering under the power of a double portion of the Holy Spirit, bearing witness to every nation of the soon coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth.

This testimony of unprecedented power will continue for the first half of Daniel's seventieth week. In the middle of the week God will withdraw the tremendous anointing and permit the witness to be overcome so Antichrist can be revealed in his fullness.

When the second half of the week, the time of Antichrist and the great tribulation, has been concluded, the Holy Spirit once more will come upon God's remnant and the light of the Glory of God will be seen on them. At the same time, the Glory of the slain Lamb will appear in the sky and Christ will send down the deceased saints to regain their bodies from the place of interment. Then the living remnant will be transformed and all the saints will be caught up together to meet the returning Lord in the air.

It is my opinion that the anointing that will rest on God's end-time witnesses will be part of the great harvest-rain outpouring promised in Joel, Hosea, Zechariah, and James.

Make a lampstand of pure gold and hammer it out, base and shaft; its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms shall be of one piece with it. (Exodus 25:31 — NIV)

He asked me, "What do you see?" I answered, "I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lights on it, with seven channels to the lights." (Zechariah 4:2 — NIV)

The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. (Revelation 1:20 — NIV)

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #75

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16 — NIV)

Ask a Christian of your acquaintance what he thinks righteousness is. He most likely will respond: "I am not righteous, only Christ is righteous. God sees the righteousness of Christ in me."

If you said Christ commanded us to let the light of good works shine in us he would not believe you. He probably would become very confused and accuse you of legalism.

There are two different forms of righteousness. One is the righteousness that is ascribed to us because we have placed our faith in Him who justifies the ungodly. The other is the actual righteousness of the new covenant in which we become a new creation. The eternal moral law of God is written on our mind and heart.

God wants us to cease attempting to create our own righteousness by following the Law of Moses or any other moral code. God desires that we seek Christ each moment of each day, obeying the Spirit of God, until the fruit of the moral character of Christ is revealed in our life.

God wants us to seek Christ each moment of each day, obeying the Spirit of God, until the fruit of the moral Character of Christ is revealed in our life.

If there is no transformation of character, if there is no new righteous creation coming forth, then we may be a member of a Christian assembly but we certainly are not abiding in Christ. We are a member of the Christian religion but not a disciple of Jesus.

It is no wonder the Muslims call America "the great Satan." They know America contains many Christians. Yet moral filth pours forth from Hollywood. And while numerous Christians deplore the moral filth coming from Hollywood, they themselves have not been transformed morally because of unscriptural doctrine. They are trusting in imputed righteousness but are filled with worldliness, malice, slander, hatred, unforgiveness, stubbornness, self-will, lying, stealing, immorality, drunkenness, pride, haughtiness, meanness, selfishness, witchcraft, bitterness, and every other behavior that will never be accepted in the Kingdom of God. Because of this lack of Christian morality, Hollywood and the secular government have no moral light to guide them.

The leaders of our government that do profess to be Christians are trusting in grace to bring them to Heaven. Meanwhile our government seems to have more than its share of fraud and corruption. The Christianity is in name only.

This is the condition of the United States of America as we enter the third millennium. God is not waiting for more spiritual babies clothed in the diapers of imputed righteousness. He is looking for a people strong in righteous behavior, set in battle array, who are prepared for the age of moral horrors we are entering.

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, (Romans 3:21,22 — NIV)

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (II Corinthians 3:18 — NIV)

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #74

In order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:4 — NIV)

The subject of righteousness is found throughout the Bible. God is righteous and requires righteousness of all who would walk with Him.

There is a form of righteousness found in the writings of the Apostle Paul that does not appear in any of the other covenants God has made with man. It is referred to as imputed righteousness (ascribed righteousness). The concept is that the Lord Jesus Christ kept the Law of Moses perfectly and then died as though He were a sinner.

On this basis, God is willing to impute or ascribe to any individual who will receive Christ the same righteousness that would be true if the believer had kept the Law of Moses perfectly.

However, there is a proviso, as mentioned in the eighth chapter of the Book of Romans. The perfect righteousness of the Law of Moses will be ascribed to us provided we turn aside from our sinful desires and follow the Spirit of God.

Because we humans have such a struggle with our sinful nature we have forgotten the proviso. The Christian salvation now is preached as though the new covenant consists almost exclusively of imputed, ascribed righteousness.

No more deadly misunderstanding of the new covenant would be possible. The result of the adoption of imputed righteousness as though it is the primary righteousness of the new covenant, or the only righteousness of the new covenant, has destroyed the testimony of the Christian Church throughout the centuries.

We do have a religion to which a person can subscribe and receive forgiveness of sins. But the power of Divinely-inspired morality is largely absent from our midst. In fact, Christians vigorously resist the thought that true salvation always results in moral transformation. They will have none of it. The only righteousness there is under the new covenant is that which is imputed, they insist. Let no one dare talk about a necessity for righteous behavior. We are saved by faith alone, not by a faith that lives in works of righteousness as Pastor James claims.

So now we have a Kingdom of God which is no kingdom at all. It is a house of cards. We humans always will be miserable sinners. But God keeps on imputing righteousness to us because we profess faith in Christ. What a disaster!

When the Bible commands us to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness it is not referring to imputed righteousness but to actual righteousness. The new covenant makes us righteous in thought, word, and deed if we diligently follow the Holy Spirit.

The purpose of ascribed righteousness is to give us a clear conscience so we can turn away from the Law of Moses and follow the Spirit of God. If we do not understand this, but instead regard imputed righteousness as a new way in which God has chosen to relate to man, we have invented the worst of all possible religions.

In fact, it appears every other religion of the world understands what righteousness is — all except the Christian religion.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #73

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:1-3 — NIV)

In the beginning God through Jesus Christ created the spirit realm and all its inhabitants, the sky, the earth, and all its inhabitants. Satan, apparently, was one of two cherubim who guarded the Throne of God in Heaven.

Satan and the angels who followed him were removed from their places of authority in Heaven and many of them of high rank, it seems, appear to have occupied thrones in the air above the earth.

The Lord Jesus Christ came into the world, and through His death on the cross made an atonement for the sins of mankind. When the Lord Jesus Christ cried on the cross, "It is finished," the end of the first creation had arrived. For all intents and purposes, the entire first creation is dead and ready to pass away.

Then God raised Christ from the dead. Now a new creation has come into view. Every person who is baptized in water is stating his first, adamic life has been concluded and he now has risen with Christ to walk in the life of the new creation.

One of the greatest errors in Christian thinking is the perception of Christianity as a religion whereby people who follow the rules will go to Heaven when they die. This is not what the Christian salvation is. The Christian salvation asks us to renounce our first life, to count it crucified, to regard it as having died with the first creation. Now we are to testify that we are alive in and with the Lord Jesus Christ at the right hand of God.

The mainspring of our salvation is crucifixion and resurrection. All of our personality must be brought down to the death of the cross. The Life of Jesus Christ must enter us. We must live by His body and blood. We must become as much a part of Him as He is of the Father. This union with Christ is the Kingdom of God.

Eventually all things in the heavens and upon the earth shall be brought under one Head, under Christ; all things in the heavens and upon the earth shall be summed up in Christ. This is the new creation, the Kingdom of God.

Thus there have been two beginnings of two distinctly separate creations. Christ is the Beginning of both creations, the old and the new. It is essential to our life as a Christian that we understand clearly that God is not going to save any aspect of the old creation. God is making all things new in Jesus Christ.

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:30 — NIV)

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:15-17 — NIV)

To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. (Revelation 3:14 — NIV)

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #72

To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. (Revelation 3:21 — NIV)

From the Throne of God issue rulership, judgment, mercy, and blessing. All of creation is governed from the Throne of God, although it often appears to us that the wicked are in control. The truth is, the wicked are never in control. God always is in total control of all that transpires in the creation.

It has pleased God to give all of His authority and power to the Lord Jesus Christ. In order to receive such unimaginable authority and power, Christ first had to be perfected in obedience in the earth. Because of the perfect faithfulness of Christ, He now is seated on the Throne of God.

The Lord told us, in the Book of Revelation, that He has overcome all the enemies that have sought to destroy Him and now is seated with His Father on His Father's Throne.

Then the Lord told us whoever would overcome as He overcame would be given the right to sit on the Throne of Christ.

There is no other verse in the Bible that promises to the saint such an exalted position. This promise may be found at the end of the third chapter of the Book of Revelation.

I will tell you what I believe this promise means. I believe Christ sits with the Father on the Throne of Christ's Personality. The Father was on the Throne of Christ's Personality. Then, when Christ overcame all that came against Him He was permitted to sit down with His Father on the Throne of His own Personality.

In the same manner, we invite the Father and Christ to sit down on the throne of our own personality. When through Christ we overcome all that comes against us during our discipleship, we will be invited to sit with Christ on the throne of our own personality.

Every one of us was created with a throne room in his or her personality. When we first come to Christ we must turn that throne over to Him. If we prove absolutely faithful, the day will come when we are invited back on the throne of our own heart. Then we are one with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

From our life will proceed government, judgment, blessing, and mercy. It will not be we who are providing government, judgment, blessing, and mercy but Christ who is dwelling in us. However, it is not Christ who is providing government, judgment, blessing, and mercy but God who is dwelling in Christ.

This is our eternal destiny — to be incorporated into Jesus Christ until we are one Whole with God just as Christ Himself is one Whole with God. This is what it means to be the Wife of the Lamb. This is what it means to be a member of the Body of Christ. This is what it means to be a part of the holy city, the new Jerusalem.

At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the LORD, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the LORD. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. (Jeremiah 3:17 — NIV)

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, (Ephesians 2:6 — NIV)

No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. (Revelation 22:3 — NIV)

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #71

My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, (Galatians 4:19)

There are three parts of the program of salvation. First, we are forgiven through the authority of the blood of the cross. Second, we are given God's Holy Spirit so we will have the wisdom and power to achieve God's purpose in our life.

We have been forgiven, and we have wisdom and power. But forgiven and given wisdom and power to what end? This is an important question in our day, for we now are at the point that God is ready to reveal to us what His objectives are.

It is the third part of salvation that is the Divine goal for man. We have been forgiven that we may reach the Divine goal. We have been given wisdom and power that we may reach the Divine goal.

The Divine goal set before us is that we might be the dwelling place of God through Jesus Christ. To attain this supreme goal we must be conformed to the moral (and finally bodily) image of Jesus Christ, and we must be dwelling in untroubled rest in the center of God's will.

The purpose for our being made the dwelling place of God is that God might be able through us to relate to all of His other creatures. As it is now, God is separated from His rebellious creation. His holy Character prevents His associating with that which is unholy, whether cherubim, seraphim, angels, people, priests of the order of Melchisedec, or whatever other creatures there may be in the universe.

Man is to be the chariot of God, the house of God. Jesus Christ is the chief Corner Stone of the great dwelling place of God.

In order to attain God's eternal purpose in us we must experience not just two, but three works of grace.

The third work of grace includes Christ being formed in us, and then the Father and the Son coming to dwell in that which has been formed in us.

In association with the three works of grace, there are three deaths and three resurrections we are to experience.

The first death is death to the world. The first resurrection is into the Kingdom of God.

The second death is death to sin. The second resurrection is into spiritual freedom.

The third death is death to self-will. The third resurrection is into the fullness of fruitfulness and dominion.

Two thousand years of Church history have established the first two works of grace. Now God is ready to bring us into the final death and resurrection, and into the place where Christ and the Father can make us Their eternal dwelling place.

If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever — (John 14:15,16 — NIV)

Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." (John 14:23 — NIV)

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace (Ephesians 1:7 — NIV)

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #70

A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; He will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope. (Isaiah 42:3,4 — NIV)

Between the first and second resurrections from the dead there will be a thousand-year period, whether the thousand years is a symbolic or literal expression of time. The thousand-year period often is referred to as the Millennium. I choose to refer to it as the "Kingdom Age," for it will be characterized by the rule of the rod of iron.

The Kingdom Age will begin when the Lord Jesus returns to earth. The Kingdom Age will terminate when Satan is released from the bottomless pit and leads the nations in rebellion against the saints.

Now, here is a remarkable thing: the nations have been taught by the saints during this age. Yet, at the end they still are willing to rebel against their kings and teachers. So great is the spirit of rebellion in mankind!

One may wonder why God would insert the Kingdom Age in between the coming of Christ and His saints to govern the world, and the descent of the new Jerusalem through the new sky to be installed on the new earth.

First, to prepare us for the fantastic Divine Glory of the new heaven and earth reign of Christ. After all, we shall see the very Face of God!

Second, to give us an opportunity to learn more of Christ as we share with Him in the task of governing the nations of saved people on the earth.

Third, to bring to maturity the members of the Church who were not qualified to rise to meet Christ at the time of the first resurrection. For whatever reason, they had not led a victorious Christian life, and yet they are an important part of God's elect.

I do not mean to imply by this that we can lead a careless life now and we nevertheless will be a part of the new Jerusalem. Not at all! If we do not press through to victory now, only Jesus Christ will decide whether we will ultimately be permitted to be part of His Church, or what our destiny will be. Make no mistake about this. If we are not faithful in that which is least we would not be faithful in the greater and the greater will not be entrusted to us.

Yet it is true that the victorious saints constitute only a minority of God's elect. The victorious saints are as David's mighty men — a part of Israel but distinguished by prowess in war.

The story of Gideon is a portrayal of the last days. The battle was won by a handful of Israelites, but the remainder of Israel profited from the victory. So it is true that the Lord will call up His mighty men when He returns, and they will win the victory on behalf of the entire Church.

From my point of view, one of the principal purposes of the thousand-year Kingdom Age is to bring to maturity the weaker members of God's elect. Victory will be brought to the "smoking flax and the bruised reed." I think that during the thousand years the stronger members of the Bride of the Lamb will assist the weaker until the entire new Jerusalem is ready for its descent to the new earth.

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. (Romans 15:1)

If she is a wall, we will build towers of silver on her. If she is a door, we will enclose her with panels of cedar. (Song of Solomon 8:9 — NIV)

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #69

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God." (Revelation 21:3 — NIV)

The Book of Hebrews states that God has given to man authority over all the works of God's hands. This is true only when Christ, the Temple of God, is dwelling in man.

The Book of Isaiah tells us that God is looking for a house. In Acts we notice that Stephen brings this desire up to date. God is still looking for a house. Paul informs us that we Christians are being constructed into a holy temple in the Lord.

Heaven is the Throne of God and earth is His footstool. But Jeremiah prophesies that Jerusalem finally will become the Throne of God. The Book of Revelation announces that the Throne of God and of the Lamb will be located forever in the holy city, the new Jerusalem. The new Jerusalem is the glorified Christian Church.

There is no temple in the new Jerusalem because the entire city is the Temple of God, and the Throne of God and of the Lamb is located therein.

What an awesome concept this is — that we are being made the dwelling place, the Throne of God Almighty. This fact adds a most significant dimension to our Christian experience. We are not just being saved to go to Heaven; rather, we are being made the Temple of God, the Throne of God.

Now, what does this fact mean in practical terms? It means our salvation is not merely a case of our being forgiven. We have to take up our cross and follow the Lord each day of our discipleship so a place may be prepared in us in which God may rest.

Since Christ is the only Throne of God, the only Temple of God, Christ must be formed in us if we are to serve as the dwelling place of God. Christ cannot be formed in us until we are willing to lay down our own life, our own thoughts, our own desires, our own plans and ambitions, that the Life of Christ in us may be fully developed and expressed.

God will dwell only in Christ. If we want God to dwell in us we must work with the Holy Spirit until Christ is formed in us. Christ is the dwelling place of God.

In God's house, His temple, there are to be many rooms. God's Temple is Christ. So we are saying in Christ there will be many rooms in which God can dwell. We are those rooms, those living stones in the great Temple of God.

Since this is undeniably the truth of the Bible, let us lay aside all else that we may be crucified and Christ may live in us.

This is why we were created — to be the dwelling place of God. Until we die to our first personality and Christ is formed in us and is living in us, we will never enter that state of being for which we originally were designed.

Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. (Exodus 25:8 — NIV)

This is what the LORD says: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?" declares the LORD. "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word. (Isaiah 66:1,2 — NIV)

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #68

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. (Mark 8:35 — NIV)

The Lord Jesus (as we all are) was tempted with bread (survival and security); with the kingdoms of the world (pleasure) and with jumping from the gable of the Temple (achievement). The Lord passed the three tests by appealing to the written Word of God. The Word is His testimony.

We shall be tested in these three realms, and we too must overcome by adhering strictly to God's Word. This is how we overcome the accuser.

God has promised us survival and security in the world. Either we will attempt to create our own survival and security or we will trust God's Word and enter His rest.

God has promised us fullness of joy. Either we will attempt to create our own joy or we will trust God's Word and enter His rest.

God has promised us fruitfulness and dominion. Either we will attempt to create our own fruitfulness and dominion or we will trust God's Word and enter His rest.

The three realms are those of worldliness, sin, and self-will. We can flee from trust in the world by calling on the Lord for strength.

We can overcome sin by following the Holy Spirit carefully and confessing and turning away from our sinful passions.

The third realm, that of self-will, is by far the most difficult area of challenge. It is the "mother" of sin, so to speak. Until we are willing to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus, we cannot possibly be His disciple and we cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

All sin proceeded from the "I will" of Satan. Until through Christ we are able to lay down our life, not seeking to save our life and follow our own will, there remains a door in our personality through which Satan can enter.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:24 — NIV)

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (I John 2:15 — NIV)

In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2:21,22 — NIV)

The building of the eternal Temple of God is one of the main subjects of the Scripture.

Part of God's reaction to the rebellion of the angels appears to be the movement of His throne from His palace in Heaven into the personalities of mankind, His new creation. In fact, it appears man was created to be the eternal Throne of God.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the only man ever to appear on the earth who truly is in God's complete image in body, soul, and spirit. As glorious as the Lord Jesus is, the most significant aspect of His personality is that He is the dwelling place of God, the eternal Temple of God. God has created all things through the Lord Jesus Christ and upholds all things through the Lord Jesus Christ.

When Christ has been formed in us and is dwelling in us, it may be said the eternal Throne of God, the Temple of God, has been formed in us and is dwelling in us.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #67

The Apostle Paul claims that we must suffer if we are to rule. It is through suffering that God conquers the rebellion that is in us. The original sin, the mother of all other sins, came into existence when Satan rebelled against the Father. God will never accept rebellion against His will on the part of any creature, angelic or human.

Therefore those who would rule under God must suffer every kind of trial, pain, prison, frustration, irritation, until there is no flaw in their stern obedience to the Father.

We must live in the power of Christ's resurrection, and through this power share in the sufferings of Christ, being conformed to His death on the cross.

The Lord Jesus Christ has been with God from eternity. Yet, Christ learned obedience in the earth through the things He suffered here. The level of obedience required of those who would govern in God's Kingdom can be attained only through suffering.

Therefore let us profit from our suffering, as Jesus did, patiently committing ourselves to God as we are denied the things, circumstances, and relationships we desire intensely. God is faithful. When we have suffered according to His will He shall give us the desires of our heart and add no sorrow with them. He is a faithful Creator and we can safely commit to Him every aspect of our life.

Trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. (I Peter 1:11 — NIV)

Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. (James 5:10 — NIV)

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters — yes, even his own life — he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26 — NIV)

Survival and security, worship, and achievement — these are the three pursuits of life. Every son of God is tested in each of these three areas.

Every healthy human being is intensely concerned about his or her survival and security in the world.

Every healthy human being is intensely involved in seeking that which he or she desires above all else. This is the realm of idolatry, worship, and joy.

Every healthy human being has a desire to express himself or herself by some accomplishment, by some contribution or expansion of his or her personality.

When all is said and done, there are only two ways of behaving in this present world. Either we utilize our own intelligence, strength, and talents or that of other people to gain survival and security, pleasure, and achievement, or else we trust God in His own way and time to provide survival and security, pleasure, and achievement for us. There is no third way to approach life, as far as I know.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #66

He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time. (Daniel 7:25 — NIV)

Thus we see both righteousness and wickedness, God and Satan, Christ and Antichrist, the Holy Spirit and the False Prophet, coming to full expression in the earth before God announces the end of the universal drama and the kingdoms of the world become the Kingdom of God and His Christ.

God's way in the world, and also in your life and mine, is to permit sin to be revealed so it may be dealt with appropriately. All that is hidden shall be brought to the light. That which has been whispered in secret shall be proclaimed from the housetops.

Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. (Revelation 11:7 — NIV)

He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. (Revelation 13:7 — NIV)

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, (Philippians 3:10 — NIV)

Perhaps because of the rise of humanism, the idea has been advanced that God's people are not to suffer. The principal manifestation of this persuasion is the unscriptural "pre-tribulation rapture," the stated purpose of which is to prevent God's people from suffering under Antichrist or during the great tribulation.

The pre-tribulation-rapture doctrine is an evidence of the love of pleasure that runs deep in modern Americans. It is no surprise that the "rapture" doctrine is so popular in America. It is no surprise either that the "Jesus did it all," lawless-grace teaching, although wildly unscriptural, is so readily received.

The last days, according to the New Testament, will be characterized by a great deal of deception. There is only one action that we can take that will guard against deception: denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following the Lord Jesus each day.

We can read the Bible constantly, pray a great deal, and still be deceived if we are seeking to make this present world a pleasant place to live. It is because of the love of pleasure that we have received the "rapture" deception and the lawless-grace deception. There is widespread doctrinal error in the Christian churches because we love pleasure and tend to reject the iron discipline required in the Kingdom of God.

The fourth chapter of the Book of First Peter has as its theme salvation by means of the fiery trials of the judgment of God on our personality. The chapter begins by exhorting us to arm ourselves with a mind to suffer, because suffering in the flesh purges sin from us.

"The righteous are saved with difficulty," Peter maintains. This is referring to the fact that we have to endure fiery trials if we are to escape the bondages of sin and self-will.

We know suffering produces perseverance in us, and persevering during the trials of the Christian discipleship results in our being made perfect, lacking nothing that pertains to salvation.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #65

The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, "It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed." (Daniel 12:7 — NIV)

Twice in Daniel and twice in the Book of Revelation we are told that God will permit the saints to be overcome, that the power of the saints will be shattered. This shattering will take place under Divine supervision in order that Antichrist may be revealed fully.

The Book of Romans informs us that there is no power that can separate a saint from God's love. We understand this. Nevertheless the Bible is clear that after the great latter-rain revival, God will permit the saints to be overcome by Antichrist; this is to say, they will not be able to bear witness in the major cities of the earth.

The saints will be overcome by three powers, sometimes working in their own lives to cause them to fall from their position in Christ, and sometimes working in other Christians or in the secular population resulting in vicious persecution.

The three powers are described symbolically in the eleventh chapter of the Book of Revelation as Sodom, Egypt, and Jerusalem.

The spirit of Antichrist has been in the world since the first century, according to the Apostle John. But after the great end-time revival, God will withdraw the power of the testimony so Antichrist can be revealed fully.

This indeed will be a dark hour, the hour in which no man can work. However, a remnant of anointed believers will remain on the earth, although hidden away according to my understanding. In this remnant will be the power of deliverance, the means of salvation for those who come to them. But it will not be possible in the cities of the earth to be saved or receive the Holy Spirit, even though there will be numerous theologically correct churches, subsidized by the government, preaching and teaching from the Bible. The "dead bodies" of God's witnesses, the Christian churches, will not be destroyed. But the Spirit of God will not be in them.

Satan will be given enormous authority in those days, being able to reach up to the heavenly host and tear some of them down to the ground that he may trample on them. We see this taking place today as prominent Christian ministers, who at one time had been positioned through Christ at the right hand of God, are deceived and torn down until they are wallowing in the lusts of the flesh.

Satan will be able to prevent the prayers of people in the cities from reaching through to God so great will be the spiritual oppression, as I understand the scenario. The reason for the shaking of the earth and the heaven is so all that is not of Christ may be removed from every place of authority.

At the same time, as I understand it, the Throne of God will be passing from the Temple in Heaven into the hearts of the saints.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #64

For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person — such a man is an idolater — has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. (Ephesians 5:5 — NIV)

It truly is appalling that the Divine warnings concerning wicked behavior are hidden from the understanding of Christian believers because their teachers and pastors are so willing to curry favor with them. But the fact remains: the second death always retains authority over these eight behaviors (Revelation 21:8) whether or not we are taught the truth of the Scriptures.

In the Book of Daniel we are informed that God has determined to make an end of sin. This means when the new Jerusalem descends from Heaven through the new sky and finds its eternal rest on the new earth, there will be none of the eight forbidden behaviors practiced by any member of the new Jerusalem or any member of the saved nations.

All who practice the eight behaviors, including Satan, Antichrist, the False Prophet, the rebellious angels, and people who have refused to be delivered by the Lord Jesus, will be present in the new world but incarcerated in the Lake of Fire.

In the thirteenth chapter of the Book of Matthew we are told that in the last days the Lord's messengers will remove from His Kingdom all behavior that offends God, and then all people who offend God. The idea is that if we will not surrender the behavior, then we ourselves will be cast into the Lake that burns with fire and sulfur.

I think sometimes that Christians believe we still will be sinners while we are in the new Jerusalem but we will be forgiven by "grace." No, this is not the case. This would mean the new world would be no different from the churches of today. And we certainly do not desire this!

All sin will be removed from the creation, not by virtue of dying and going to Heaven but by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. This work of the removal of sin, which is the spiritual fulfillment of the Jewish Day of Atonement, has begun today and I think will continue throughout the thousand-year period sometimes referred to as the Millennium. Every believer in Christ can now present himself or herself as a candidate for complete release from worldliness, lust, and self-will. It is a slow but thorough process.

If you doubt this is taking place today, I invite you to pray and ask the Lord to start you on the program of reconciliation to God through deliverance from the love of the world, from the lust and passions of the flesh and soul, and from self-will. Then cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He begins to set you free from every behavior over which the Lake of Fire retains authority.

Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6 — NIV)

Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. (Revelation 22:15 — NIV)

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #63

Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. (II Corinthians 7:1 — NIV)

The Book of First John tells us that as Christ is, so are we in this world. We are to walk as He walked.

We may know something about righteous behavior. Now we must learn about holiness, about spiritual purity, about closeness to our holy God. "Be holy for I am holy," commands the Lord. "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord." Why not? Because only the pure in heart are permitted to see God.

If we are to please God in the present hour we must return to the ways of holiness, no matter how much we are criticized by other Christians who are certain the grace of God excuses their conduct. They are ready to go to the beach and display their nakedness. They do not understand the holy God of Israel. They do not understand the ways of holiness.

Our dress should be modest. We are not to go to extremes in any direction. Our speech should be free from moral filth. The same is true of our actions. We are a chosen generation, a holy nation. Let us keep this in mind and dress, think, speak, and act accordingly.

Believers are not usually referred to in the New Testament as "Christians." The term employed by the Apostle Paul is saints. The term saint means "holy one."

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14 — NIV)

But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; (I Peter 1:15 — NIV)

But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars — their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. (Revelation 21:8 — NIV)

These eight behaviors bring the one who practices them to torment and eternal separation from God.

What Christians may not always understand is that the Lake of Fire, which is the second death, always maintains authority over these behaviors — even when they are practiced by a Christian.

When we receive the Lord Jesus Christ as the atonement for our sins, the Lake of Fire is forced to withhold its claims for a season while the Lord seeks to assist us in overcoming the specified behaviors. Those who conquer these unlawful behaviors can no longer be tormented by the second death. The second death has no authority over them. They could walk on the Lake of Fire without being harmed.

But if we refuse to permit the Lord to remove such behavior from us, then we eventually will find ourselves in the Lake of Fire even though we profess faith in Christ. Divine grace provides us with the opportunity to be forgiven and delivered. But after we have been forgiven, if we do not bear the fruit of righteousness and holiness that God is looking for, then we are in clear danger of having our name blotted from the Book of Life and being thrown into the Lake that burns with fire and sulfur.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #62

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (I Peter 2:9 — NIV)

The Church is the royal priesthood. It has been chosen by the Lord to govern, guide, and bless the members of the nations of saved people on the earth.

It appears that throughout the history of the Christian Church there has been little understanding of this role of God's saints. The unceasing emphasis on our eternal residence in Heaven leads away from the idea that one day we will be governing, guiding, and blessing the peoples of the earth.

Each true Christian has experienced the seemingly endless dealings of the Lord with him or her. Every thought, every word, every action is brought up for review it seems.

The reason for this careful training is that we are being prepared to be priests — representatives of God to man and of man to God.

Priests must be holy. Holiness has to do with spiritual purity and with our nearness to God. Righteousness has to do with our behavior toward people. Holiness has to do with our behavior toward God.

Sometimes Christian people, who are willing to obey the laws of righteousness as those laws control their conduct toward other people, do not understand the importance of holiness. For example, a Christian might be gentle and trustworthy with regards to his wife and family. Yet he can see nothing wrong with smoking one cigarette on his way to work, knowing that no one is being harmed by the smoke he is blowing into the air.

He is a righteous man at heart, considerate of other people. But he cannot understand how God could object to smoking a cigarette occasionally.

Can you imagine the God of Heaven with a cigarette hanging from His mouth? Or even a cigar or pipe?

How do we know this? We know it because we all have a sense of what is holy. We know a holy God does not smoke cigars. We do not picture Jesus Christ smoking a cigarette or pipe. We have an inner sense of what is holy and what is not.

A Christian should never watch a moving picture or television show that he knows Christ would not watch. Why not? Because it is not holy.

Under Old Testament law, it was a sin for a Nazirite to come near a dead body. This is not a sin of righteousness but of holiness.

It appears to me that our current generation of Christian believers is not, for the most part, sensitive to the issue of holiness. They will go with their family to a moving picture in which there is profane language, or witchcraft, or sexual innuendoes.

Would such be comfortable if they knew the Lord Jesus was sitting next to them when foul words were being spoken?

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #61

Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:23 — NIV)

The primary goal of redemption is the adoption of our body so it is filled with the Life of God. The Apostle Paul groaned for the adoption of his body so he would be free from the compulsions of sin.

Such groaning is unknown to us today. Rather we are waiting for an unscriptural "rapture," which is not even an act of redemption. The catching up of the saints to meet the Lord at His coming is for the purpose of assembling the army of God. The redemption ceases when we are resurrected or transformed. The catching up is an act of Kingdom power. That it is not an act of redemption is illustrated by the fact that while the types and statements of the Old Testament speak of the resurrection, no type or statement has to do with the catching up of the saints.

Jesus Christ was raised from the dead on the third day, the day of the Jewish feast of Firstfruits. Jesus Christ was caught up into Heaven forty days after His resurrection. To my knowledge there is no symbolic feast celebrated forty days after Firstfruits.

However, fifty days after Firstfruits is the Jewish feast of Pentecost. Following the type, the Holy Spirit fell on the waiting disciples on day of the Jewish feast of Pentecost.

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is physical death. This shall take place when the Lord returns. What we will face in that day depends on our behavior today.

Those who are living in total consecration to Jesus will be raised (or transformed) when He returns, and then clothed with the Glory of God. This completes their redemption. Then they shall be caught up to meet the Commander in Chief in the air in preparation for the Battle of Armageddon.

Those believers who are not living in total consecration to Jesus will be judged by the Lord and His saints, as we see in the Book of Jude.

In no case will the lukewarm, pleasure-loving, self-serving Christians of the United States of America be suddenly caught away to Heaven to escape Antichrist and the great tribulation. To teach or believe such a thing is to invite a dreadful future because of our lack of preparation. Such a hope is not scriptural, only a manmade tradition.

Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, (II Corinthians 5:2 — NIV)

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, And so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10,11 — NIV)

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #60

And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. (Romans 8:11 — NIV)

The resurrection from the dead is the central hope of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. No other religion, to my knowledge, offers the hope of people returning to resume life on the earth in a flesh and bones body.

The resurrection from the dead threatens Satan's kingdom, which consists of the nations on the earth and the earth itself. Satan is not at all concerned that we return to Heaven, his original home. Satan's fear is that Christ and His saints will return and take over the kingdoms of the world.

We spoke previously of the fact that the resurrection will be divided into two parts: the first resurrection, composed of the royal priesthood; and then the second resurrection in which all other people who have lived on the earth will rise and stand before Christ and His saints to be judged according to their works.

Christians often state they want to make Heaven their home when they die. We have fantasized an entire world and have furnished it with what we think would be desirable. Yet, almost none of the world and furnishings we think of as Heaven can be found anywhere in the Scriptures.

The truth is, our concern should not be what happens to us when we die. The Scriptures are vague on this point. The real issue is what will happen to us when our body rises from the dead.

Every individual who has lived on the earth will be raised in either the first or second resurrection. The power of God will put our body back together again just as in the beginning God made man from the dust of the ground.

It is what happens to us after this that is important. The Scriptures teach that we will be clothed in our own works. We will reap what we have sown. Our body will correspond to what has been developed in our inward nature.

When we die our body sleeps in the ground. We hope our inward nature will go to an area of peace and joy.

But in the day of resurrection, in which we all will participate, our flesh and bones body will be reassembled and once again house our inward nature. It is right at this point that we either will be clothed in the Glory of God or in the corruption of the adamic nature.

The resurrection is the focus of concern, not what happens when we die. For no matter where we go when we die we will be awaiting the day of resurrection.

The problem with the current "rapture" teaching is that it ignores the resurrection and emphasizes the catching up of the believers. The result of such an unscriptural emphasis is that the majority of Christian believers expect at any moment to be caught up to Heaven without first having been resurrected or transformed! This is a tremendous error in Christian thinking.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #59

Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace." (Nehemiah 2:17 — NIV)

God in Christ in the saints will be available to whoever chooses to come up to the new Jerusalem and ask for life, healing and guidance. Jerusalem will be the very Throne of God.

The story of mankind is that of restoration. We receive the blessing freely; we forfeit through our foolishness what was given to us; then we begin the long process of seeking to regain what we lost. Once we regain our inheritance we do not lose it again because we have come to understand the value of it.

This is the story of Adam and Eve, of the prodigal son, of Samson, of the Christian Church, of all of us. We might say we can receive and hold nothing of value until we have obtained it twice.

God is not going to restore eternal residence in Heaven to us because the world of spirits is not what we lost. What we lost was visible fellowship with God and Paradise on the earth. What will be restored is visible fellowship with God, and Paradise on the earth. What was lost shall be fully restored.

The various jewels and pearls of the new Jerusalem speak of the perfected character of the saints. The jasper wall represents the resistance to sin that is formed in us as we struggle to conquer sin through Christ. The gates of pearl are created as we patiently deal with the irritations and frustrations of life on the earth.

The future is glorious indeed for those who receive and obey Jesus Christ. The future is grim indeed for those who refuse to come under the lordship of Christ, who seek to preserve their own way.

We have been given another chance to serve God in a paradisiac environment. Let us make the most of it. He who overcomes will inherit all that God has promised us.

When he came to his senses, he said, "How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you." (Luke 15:17,18 — NIV)

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #58

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 — NIV)

But numerous enemies are entrenched in the good things God has for us, particularly in the nations of the earth and the farthest reaches thereof. They are entrenched even in our own body, soul, and spirit.

So in order to dwell in untroubled rest in God through Christ we have to continually pray and believe God until we are able to conquer every enemy that would keep us from dwelling in untroubled rest in God.

The exhortation of the Book of Hebrews is that having begun as a Christian we should not die in the wilderness of unbelief and disobedience. We should press forward in faith each day until we are living in the perfect center of God's will through the Lord Jesus Christ.

We can do this, you know, if we are willing to give our whole attention to it. This is the mark set before us, the heavenly calling. For this we have been grasped, and we are to lay aside all else that we may lay hold on that for which we have been grasped.

We have to forget that which is in the past if we are to reach forward to the goal of participation in the first resurrection, the resurrection out from among the dead, the resurrection that will occur at the return of the Lord.

So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me" (John 8:28 — NIV)

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. (John 15:4 — NIV)

He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. (Acts 3:21 — NIV)

In the beginning God gave us a wonderful world — all that heart could desire. In addition, God Himself was present on the earth.

Then, due to the evil suggestion of Satan, we lost our paradise on the earth. The Divine curse fell on us. Adam's descendants were born in sin and rebellion. Sickness, death, and every other corruption soon took the place of the peace and joy of the Garden of Eden.

But all is not lost. God has given us a program through Jesus Christ by which all that we forfeited shall be restored — and much more added. There will be a new sky and a new earth — probably vastly larger than the original. It will be a new world of righteousness. All sin will be gone forever. There will be no more sea of people who do not have a portion of Christ and God in them. This we have to look forward to.

Instead of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, the glorified Church will descend from Heaven through the new sky to rest forever on the new earth. God will be present on the earth once again, this time dwelling in Christ and the saints.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #57

One of the most difficult tests of the entire Christian discipleship involves waiting for God when there is something we desire intensely. We always ought to give thanks to God and let our requests be made known to Him. If we do not we may suffer needlessly.

We are not to attempt to smash down the door that is hindering what we think is God's will. Once we break through that door we will find ourselves in an empty room. Had we looked around we probably would have seen another door that was open just a crack.

The Kingdom of God is always associated with patience. God is patient. Christ is patient. And we are predestined to be in Their image.

"Suffering produces endurance." "Let patience work its perfect work that you may be perfect and complete, wanting nothing."

If we will guard the word of Christ's patience He will guard us throughout the hour of temptation that is approaching.

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know suffering produces perseverance; (Romans 5:3 — NIV)

Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. (Revelation 3:10 — NIV)

For anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. (Hebrews 4:10 — NIV)

The writer of the Book of Hebrews warns his readers, experienced Jewish Christians, to be careful that they do not come short of the rest of God.

Just what is the rest of God? The writer proceeds, in the fourth chapter of Hebrews to present three aspects of the rest of God.

The first aspect has to do with God's work being finished from the beginning of the world.

The rest of God is that state of being where we refrain from our own ambitions and do what God is commanding at the moment. The greatest liberty any believer can achieve is the point at which God's greatest desire is his greatest desire. Such a state of rest and freedom is not attained overnight, but it indeed is attainable if we will diligently pursue it.

The rest of God is based on the fact that God in six days created all events, all people, all things, all circumstances, through to the coming down of the new Jerusalem to the earth. Our own life and destiny is a part of the finished work of God.

Then God rested. We are to enter that rest by ceasing from our own plans and looking to God for all we think, say, and do. The Lord Jesus does nothing apart from the Father. We are to do nothing apart from Christ. When we are abiding in Christ, doing His perfect will at all times, we then are in the rest of God, the eternal Sabbath. This is the only kind of life worth living. This is an important part of our Canaan, our land of promise.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #56

This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus. (Revelation 14:12 — NIV)

God gives us a vision. In God's time the vision will be fulfilled. The period of time between the vision and its fulfillment is critical for the saint. It is during this period of time that we are to patiently bear our cross after the Lord.

We think about Abraham. God gave him a vision concerning an heir. After several years Abraham decided to fulfill the vision. The result was Ishmael, the wild man. After a quarter of a century passed, the vision was fulfilled by the power of God.

The record of Christianity, for the most part, is that of human beings taking matters into their own hands. Denominations may commence with a vision from the Lord, but it appears sooner or later they take matters into their own hands.

Sometimes nine camels are watered immediately, so to speak. But the tenth camel may be delayed for one cause or another. The reason it is delayed is that God is not ready as yet to fulfill the vision. If we plow ahead and wrench and force that which is hindering us, the result will be a wild man.

What we hope for is the fulfillment of the vision. What is not seen is the fulfillment of the vision. So we are to patiently wait for God to do what He has promised.

The vision excites us because it speaks directly to that for which we have been created. We are joyous and ready to serve the Lord.

Here is the testing of our faith and patience. If we go ahead in our flesh and seek to fulfill the vision, we will produce confusion. Apples eaten before they are ripe can cause considerable discomfort in the region of our stomach.

How blessed is that individual who grasps the vision by faith, and then waits while God prepares him or her, other people, and circumstances so once the vision is fulfilled it can be enjoyed without pain. "The blessing of the Lord makes rich and He adds no sorrow with it."

Not only was Ishmael a wild man, Abraham experienced considerable sorrow as he was forced to drive Hagar and Ishmael away. They nearly died in the desert before God intervened.

Hagar was Sarah's idea. She too suffered pain as Hagar scorned her, and later when she saw Ishmael mocking when Isaac was weaned.

The true Christian life is one of patiently waiting for the Lord to fulfill His promises. The believers who are following their own understanding, walking in the flesh, will always mock those who are looking to the Lord Jesus for His will in every circumstance.

We know the current "faith" and "prosperity" teachings are not from the Lord because they insist we receive the answer right now. Such an attitude is contrary to the Scriptures.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #55

For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. (I John 5:4 — NIV)

The bank of Heaven is waiting for you to make a withdrawal. Why are you standing around as a pauper in your rags when the King has invited you to His palace?

No, we will not listen to people as they dump the garbage of their unbelief on us. The base camps have been established by the godly. The summit is in site. The present generation is being invited to ascend to the heights of victory in the fullness of God. You can be a part of those who arrive at the top. Or you can wallow in your unbelief and settle for second best — or less!

You can tell from the tone of my writing that I have become disgusted with believers who choose to huddle in their fears and unbelief and refuse to answer the call of Christ to the life of victory. Oh well, we can't have conquering faith unless God gives it to us. But there certainly is no harm in praying for victorious faith!

At the present time, the overcomers, of the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation, are the only true members of the royal priesthood. The promises we ordinarily associate with being a Christian, such as ruling with Christ, are designated for the overcomer. And to the overcomers the rewards shall go — and to no one else!

Either we are overcoming through Christ or we are being overcome because we are not choosing to believe Christ. There is no middle ground. There are the winners and the losers. All the glorious rewards are given to the winners. The losers are facing pain and chastisement.

You can be an overcomer. Jesus Christ has all authority and power in Heaven and on the earth. The only factor that can prevent your being an overcomer is your own unbelief, disobedience, and fear. Get your eyes off yourself and off other people. Look steadfastly at Jesus. Keep your eyes focused on Jesus and He will give you victory in every area. Christ has more power than the world and Satan have. No obstacle can stop you. Look at Christ and walk on the water for the rest of your life on the earth. The Lord will be proud of you and congratulate you when you stand before Him. "Well done, well done, well done good and faithful servant. Enter My joy, for I also overcame."

Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man. (Luke 21:36 — NIV)

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #54

So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. (Galatians 5:16 — NIV)

Since that time I have been preaching the victorious Christian life. It is entirely possible to overcome sin through Christ, to gain the victory over sin. It is not only possible, it is absolutely necessary if we expect to receive the rewards designated for the overcomers.

Away with this teaching that we have to sin while we are in the world! It came from Satan and belongs to Satan!

I am sure I will hear the old song, "Nobody is perfect. We all have to sin until we go to Heaven." What rubbish!

Sin began in Heaven around the Throne of God. Why, then, is it true that we will not be able to sin when we go to Heaven? On what basis do we believe such a totally unscriptural idea?

Jesus Christ came to earth to destroy the works of the devil. Christ has the power to conquer Satan in our personality.

I am not referring to being "sinlessly perfect" or any of the other objections that are raised. In the first place, our idea of perfection and God's idea are two different matters. When Christ commanded us to be perfect He was not speaking of being perfected. Being perfect and being perfected are two different states of being.

An individual can only be perfect for the day. If he keeps on being perfect each day the point eventually will be reached where he or she has been perfected; and being perfect has nothing to do with being in Heaven, on the earth, or beyond the Milky Way galaxy.

What does it mean to be perfect each day? It means only that we have prayed and obeyed through the challenges of the day. We are not walking around in condemnation, we are praising the Lord and living in victory through Him. In this case the blood of the Lamb keeps us without condemnation even though we have not as yet been perfected.

If God speaks to us about covetousness, then we confess our covetousness, renounce it fiercely, receive our forgiveness, and, by the Spirit of God, turn away from it. Covetousness will die in us if we really want to get rid of it. The reason people do not get delivered from sin is that they do not confess and renounce it specifically with enough determination.

If you have confessed and renounced a sin, and it does not vanish immediately, do not become discouraged. You are in a battle. Keep on confessing and renouncing the sin, not in a stressful frantic manner but in an attitude of praise and confidence in Christ; and the first thing you know the power of covetousness in your personality will be broken.

"Walk in the Spirit," Paul said, "and you will not fulfill the lusts of your flesh."

Faith is the victory that overcomes the world. Read the Bible promise. Determine to make it your own possession. Then, nothing can prevent your receiving the blessing.

Whenever people tell you that a New Testament promise was for the Apostles, or no one is perfect, or as long as we are in the world we have to sin, turn away from them hastily. Their unbelief is keeping them from the blessing. Don't allow them to take your crown of rejoicing.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #53

You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. (II Corinthians 3:3 — NIV)

I repeat, I do not understand how we have put together that which is currently preached as the Gospel of the Kingdom, the new covenant of God with man. The current "four steps of salvation" scarcely resemble the new covenant. The "four steps" were derived from verses plucked here and there from their contexts. They are not aimed toward our transformation so we might reveal God, they are aimed toward our escaping Hell and going to Heaven when we die. This is so far removed from the biblical new covenant as to be hardly related.

He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. (Revelation 21:7 — NIV)

The idea of the overcomer has been important to me since Bible-school days. "He who overcomes will be a pillar in the Temple of God" seemed to be a specially important verse.

When I arrived in Bible school, after being discharged from the Marine Corps, I noticed that the prevailing attitude was "Nobody is perfect. We all sin. The grace of God covers our sin. It is hopeless to try to overcome sin, it is not possible."

This description of the Christian life did not set well with me for some reason. It just did not seem right. In fact, I refused to accept it. The second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation continued to be inspiring.

A few years later I had a dream. Audrey and I were living in a trailer on a property owned by Brother Dowell on the outskirts of National City, near San Diego.

In my dream I was on a ship that was breaking up in a storm. The sailors were jumping over the side. The passengers were drowning in the water. The shore could be seen in the distance.

I jumped over the side. Having spent my boyhood days in a house overlooking the West Shore of West Haven, Connecticut, I had spent a good deal of time in the Atlantic Ocean and so I had no fear of the water.

As I was kind of treading water, looking at the shore, and about to strike out, I saw the sailors on the shore holding hands and playing some kind of child's game, like ring-around-the-rosy. I looked back and saw the passengers drowning.

Then I noticed that my feet were hitting the bottom. Lo and behold, the water was only waist deep. All one had to do was stand up straight and walk to the safety of the shore.

So I turned back to tell the drowning passengers to just stand up straight and they would have no problem walking to safety. At this point I woke up.

I pondered the dream for about three days, and then the meaning came to me. Christians are drowning in sin when they do not need to. The water is only waist deep, so to speak. All they have to do is stand up straight in Jesus Christ and they can overcome sin and walk to safety.

The sailors on the shore represent the churches of today that in many instances are playing childish games instead of pursuing the iron and fire of God and leading the believers to victory in Christ.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #52

This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. (Hebrews 8:10 — NIV)

I do not understand why the new covenant is not preached more often. In fact, I am not sure what we Christians are preaching. It appears we have made up a new kind of salvation that does not appear in the New Testament. Maybe this is what Paul meant by "another gospel."

The new covenant is found in the Book of Hebrews, quoting from the Old Testament where the new covenant is announced.

The first thing we notice is that the new covenant, the Christian covenant and the only Christian covenant, is made with the House of Israel and the House of Judah. The new covenant cannot possibly be made with a Gentile. We must become part of Jesus Christ if we would partake of the new covenant. Jesus Christ, and those who are an integral part of Him, whether Jewish or Gentile by race, are the true Israel of God.

Next we see that God was not pleased with the old covenant because the Israelites did not please God by their behavior. We Christians must come to understand the new covenant is not an alternative to keeping God's commandments; it is the wisdom and power to keep God's commandments.

The new covenant is this: "I will write My eternal moral law in their minds and in their hearts."

It is not the Law of Moses that is written in our mind and heart, it is the eternal moral law of God, of which the Law of Moses is an abridged, covenantal version.

The moral law is written in our mind so we can understand it, and in our heart so we have a desire to obey it. "I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart."

Actually, Jesus Christ is the moral law of God made flesh. As He is written in our mind and heart, the law of God is written in our mind and heart.

When we eat the flesh of Christ and drink His blood we are taking into our personality the law of God.

The end result of the new covenant is that we become the personification of the law of God. The new Jerusalem, the glorified Church, is the highest form of the law of God, and is the covenant of God with saved mankind.

As we follow the Holy Spirit He writes the law in our mind and heart one small line at a time. Line upon line; command upon command; the law is created in our personality. This is the new covenant.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Word of God, the Epistle of God made flesh. We are the flesh being made the Word of God.

When we are born again the Word of God is born in us. If we follow the Holy Spirit He will cause that which has been born in us to increase until it transforms all that we think; all that we say; all that we do.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #51

Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:3 — NIV)

The grand design, prefigured in the arrangement of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, is the new Jerusalem, which is the glorified Church, dwelling on the new earth so the nations of saved people can go up from time to time and be refreshed by the Presence of God in Christ in the saints. These are the trees of life growing by the River of Life, the eternal incorruptible resurrection life of the Holy Spirit.

The saints will govern saved mankind for eternity, because Christ is in them and God is in Christ. Thus when all have been brought into subjection to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Father will then be All in all. This is the wheel in the wheel, as described in the Book of Ezekiel.

All the elect are the seamless robe of the one Lord Jesus Christ. The nations of the earth will walk forever in the Light of God streaming from the persons of the saints in whom the Lamb is dwelling. The Throne of God and of the Lamb is in them forever.

Apart from the nations of saved people we would have no inheritance. We would be priests with no one to love and serve. We would be kings with no one to govern and guide.

We certainly must be drawing near to the return of Christ in His Kingdom, for it appears even such a basic understanding of the Kingdom of God — that it will govern the nations of saved people on the earth — has not been common knowledge until the present hour. Yet, this is the very meaning of what the Church is and will do throughout eternity.

The garden of Paradise cannot be installed and maintained apart from saints who have come to know the Lord. And this is why you, dear reader, are going through the pains and problems of the present hour. It is to provide you with the knowledge of the Lord so you may be equipped to return with Him and revel in the love of the people whom God will bring to you as your inheritance. For they will not come to drink of your adamic personality but of the Life of Christ that has been formed in you through the fiery trials of earth.

For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will be utterly ruined. (Isaiah 60:12 — NIV)

The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. (Revelation 22:17 — NIV)

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #50

The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. (Revelation 21:24 — NIV)

Of the many scriptural doctrines being restored to the churches in our day, one of the most surprising appears to be that of the nations of saved people who are not part of the Church. Yet without an understanding of the saved nations, much of Isaiah, for example, becomes difficult of interpretation.

In fact, the very term church means "called-out." The emphasis on the Church is not on those who are saved, although the members of the Church are saved. Rather the idea is that of an elect who are called out from the ranks of mankind to be a firstfruits to God.

The concept of the firstfruits is very important in the Scriptures. Because God had slain the firstborn of the Egyptians, the firstborn of every creature in the land of Israel, whether human or animal, had to be redeemed with money or by death.

The firstborn, or firstfruits, always belongs to the Lord in a special way. Whatever opens the womb is the Lord's portion.

The Church is not merely mankind but is taken from mankind to belong to God as a representative of mankind. Once the firstfruits has been waved before the Lord the remainder of the harvest can be gathered.

We see, then, a whole new concept, as far as our thinking is concerned. The Church is not the only group of individuals who are to enter eternal life. The "sheep nations" also will enter eternal life, into the kingdom prepared for them from the beginning of the world.

The Church properly is the Kingdom, the government of God. The saved peoples of the earth will be governed and blessed by the Church.

We of the Church are God's elect, having been predestined from the beginning of the world. We are Israel, including those who are Jewish and Gentile by race.

The purpose of the Church Age has been to call out from every nation God's elect, those ordained to eternal life. Because we do not know who the elect are we have been commanded to preach the Gospel to every creature. Then God will draw to the Lord Jesus those whom God has called to be part of His firstfruits.

Remember, the Lord said, "You did not choose me. I chose you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit."

The fruit that we bear is the moral image of Christ in our own personality, and then in the personality of others.

Sometimes we are told we will have precious jewels in Heaven. This is part of our mythical eternal residence in a mansion in the spirit world.

The truth is, our inheritance, since we are co-heirs with Christ, is people. In fact, the only inheritance worth having is first the Lord (always the most important inheritance of the royal priesthood), and then people. All else is nothing more than environment.

As soon as Christ gives you His love for people you will understand what I am talking about.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #49

When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:4 — NIV)

Obviously, such a crop of infants is not competent to descend with the Lord Jesus on the white war stallions and drive the powers of wickedness from the earth. In fact, they would not ride in ranks behind the Lord. They would do as they do today: they would charge at each other with their spite, envy, and malice; or they would decide to ride off in another direction as it pleased them. Such is the bumper crop of self-centered infants we are raising in the Christian churches.

Too strong? Then why are pastors of large churches installing coffee bars so the "worshipers" will be completely comfortable and stuffed before, during, and after the service? Our destiny is our mansion in Heaven where we can continue to stuff ourselves without becoming overweight. The concept of riding behind Christ and installing God's will in the earth is the farthest thing from our mind.

The statement was made to me that only Christ will fight in the Battle of Armageddon, because if the believers had to fight they would get their robes dirty. Honestly — someone actually ventured that idea.

It is God's will that you and I follow Jesus Christ in iron righteousness, fiery holiness, and stern obedience to the Father. We are to pray every day that our personality will be thus transformed. Only mature believers will be resurrected when the Lord returns, be gathered to Him in the air, and then descend with Him to release the groaning material creation.

The immature believers will not be resurrected when the Lord returns. Neither will they be gathered to Him in the air. Why not? Because this first resurrection is for the members of the royal priesthood; for the soldiers of the army of the Lord; for the brothers of Christ to whom has been assigned the authority of judgment; for the members of the Body of the Servant of the Lord who will bring justice to the nations. These are they who will rise in the first resurrection. Anyone else would only bring confusion to the work of God, just as the immature do today.

If you want to be revealed to the creation in that Day, then get busy and follow the Spirit of God today. As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth. (Revelation 5:10 — NIV)

The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. (Revelation 19:14 — NIV)

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #48

The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. (Romans 8:19 — NIV)

Paul stated in the Book of Romans that the creation is eagerly awaiting the revealing of the sons of God. There are believers in our day who are viewing the revealing of the sons of God as an endowment of miraculous power that will be given to us in the last days. However, I think Paul is speaking of our returning with Christ to install the Kingdom of God on the earth.

We are in the Church Age at the present time, and shall continue to be in the Church Age until the return of the Lord. This means the gifts and ministries of the Holy Spirit will continue to travail in birth pains until the members of Christ's Body come to maturity as measured by the stature of the fullness of Christ.

That the creation is bound with chains of sin and rebellion against God is evident. The consequence of such spiritual bondage is pain, insanity, uproar, sickness, bewilderment, and death. The whole planet is in an agony of torment and confusion.

What is the solution? Certainly not education. There is as much pain and bewilderment among highly educated people as there is among the uneducated. Certainly not democratic government. The United States of America is not a model of peace and righteousness. Some of our cities are in a state of near-anarchy.

The only solution to the pain of the world is the return of the Prince of Peace, the Lord Jesus Christ.

However, we may note that Paul did not say the creation is eagerly awaiting the revealing of the Son of God but of the sons of God. I do not think this statement of Paul's is emphasized enough.

The fact that the creation shall be brought into the liberty of the glory of the children of God through the revealing of the sons of God gives us a true picture of our future, and also of the demands placed on us in the present world.

If we are to return with the Lord Jesus Christ, then our concept of eternal residence in beautiful mansions in Heaven is a fairy tale.

In addition, we have some growing to do. The Christian churches in their present state are not producing many believers who are prepared to return to the earth and cause God's will to be done here as it is in Heaven.

The truth is, we have been taught that it is not essential we do God's will because we have been "saved by grace." It is not necessary we come to the stature of the fullness of Christ because we have been "saved by grace."

It is not necessary we go through fiery trials with the Lord because we have been "saved by grace."

It is not absolutely necessary we deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow the Lord Jesus each day because we have been "saved by grace."

It is not absolutely necessary we present our body a living sacrifice to God because we have been "saved by grace."

The expected result of the current teaching is spiritual babies. They do not know the Consuming Fire of Israel. The only righteousness they understand is that which is given to them with no effort on their part.

They know nothing at all about holiness, except it has something to do with the way women used to wear long dresses.

To them, God is a kindly, loving grandfather who spoils His children, making no uncomfortable demands on them.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #47

No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. (Luke 16:13 — NIV)

The Apostle Paul stated that the love of money is the root of all evil. This seems like too strong a statement. But when we consider the wickedness in the world of today, and then realize how many of the wicked acts proceed from the lust for money, we are more willing to follow Paul in this.

Of all the gods of the Greeks and Romans, the Lord Jesus mentioned only Mammon, reputed to be the Syrian god of riches. No man can serve the true God and also Mammon. He must select one or the other as his god in whom he trusts.

Our god is he or that which we trust to provide security and survival, pleasure, and achievement. We Americans seek to amass as much money as we can so we do not have to trust God to provide for us. We may express all sorts of justification as to why we want to store up more money than we need, apart from a reasonable provision for the future. The reason for our anxiety is that we are afraid there is no God, or if there is He is not able or willing to take care of us.

Overcoming trust in money is not easy. However, if we truly desire to be like Jesus and trust God for all our needs, the Lord will cause the needed transformation to take place in our personality.

It is not impossible for the American economy to suffer a severe setback in the near future. If it does, God will still provide our needs. God can take care of every need we have at all times even if our entire nation becomes bankrupt. God is not at all bound by the American economy.

Our task is to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. God's task is to perfectly fulfill His promises concerning us.

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. (Matthew 6:28 — NIV)

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. (Colossians 3:5 — NIV)

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (I Timothy 6:10 — NIV)

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #46

Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 28:31 — NIV)

There is no point in God returning Paradise to us if there is no kingdom that is strong enough to prevent sin from occurring again. This is why God is training victorious saints, saints who through Christ have managed to conquer every force that has come against them. They shall sit on the throne with Jesus Christ and judge the angels and the nations. They shall rule forever from their headquarters, which is the new Jerusalem.

There is a real Heaven and a real Hell, make no mistake. But Jesus Christ did not come to bring us to Heaven or deliver us from Hell. There is no scriptural support for this prevailing myth.

It is true rather that the Lord Jesus Christ came to deliver us from spiritual death and give us eternal life. Eternal life is a kind of life by which all saved people are to live. Heaven is an actual place, not a kind of life. Salvation does not change where we are but what we are.

If our goal is Heaven we have to wait until we die in order to go there. Meanwhile we trust that God will overlook our wicked disposition and take us to Heaven anyway after we die.

But if our goal is to be a part of the Kingdom of God, the rule of God, then every day we have to make the effort to enter the Kingdom. We have to work with the Spirit as He removes from us every thought, word, and behavior that does not belong in the Kingdom of God. We enter the Kingdom of God now, not after we die.

We see, then, that whether we adopt the mythological goal of going to Heaven when we die, or the scriptural goal of entering the Kingdom of God today, has a practical effect on the diligence we apply to our Christian walk.

God invited the Lord Jesus to pray for the nations and the farthest reaches of the earth as His inheritance. Although the Lord had created the nations and the farthest reaches of the earth, He had to come as a baby and grow up to be crucified in order to possess that which He Himself had created.

Because we are co-heirs with Christ, our inheritance is the nations and the farthest reaches of the earth. The nations and the farthest reaches of the earth are a far, far more valuable inheritance than is Heaven.

The true effort of the new covenant is not to bring us to Heaven, it is to create Christ in us so we will be able to help ourselves and others to maintain Paradise once it is entrusted to us for the second time.

To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations — He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery just as I have received authority from my Father. (Revelation 2:26,27 — NIV)

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #45

He said to them, "When you pray, say: xe2x80x98Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.'" (Luke 11:2 — NIV)

It is absolutely amazing that we should be so familiar with the idea of going to Heaven when we die, of making our eternal home there, when nothing of the kind appears anywhere in the Scripture.

For how many centuries have the Christian churches prayed, "Your Kingdom come. Your will be done on the earth as it is in Heaven"? Did we have any idea what we were asking?

We go to a funeral. The minister talks about how wonderful it is to be in Heaven. Then we all pray "Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on the earth as it is in Heaven." I think this inconsistency is termed compartmentalized thinking. This means we keep inconsistent ideas in two separate areas of our mind.

Is there a Heaven? Of course! God, the holy angels, and the saints are there as far as we know. Actually the Scriptures do not speak much of what it is like in Heaven.

We Christians have an extensive mythology concerning Heaven, part of our thinking being based on near-death experiences of various believers.

I have no doubt people have seen their loved ones in a glorious, park-like setting.

But what people describe is not Heaven as such, but Paradise. Paradise at one time was on the earth. Deep in our adamic consciousness is the memory of the garden where we were created. Without realizing it, we do not want to go to Heaven and stand on a sea of glass, we really desire to return to the garden where man was created.

You might wonder, "If Paradise is in the third Heaven now, and it indeed is, why does it make any difference whether we want to go to Heaven or to Paradise?"

The reason is, Paradise was on the earth at one time, was withdrawn to Heaven, and will return to earth after the Lord Jesus Christ and His saints cleanse the earth from sin.

What we really desire is to return to an earth from which the Divine curse has been removed. We want to live on a glorified earth, not in Heaven with the angels. We were not created there and would not be satisfied there.

Of course, we want to be where the Lord Jesus is. He walked in the garden with Adam and Eve. Christ will be seated on the throne of David in Jerusalem, and we want to be there.

The reason we shall be raised from the dead is so we will be able to live once again on the earth, not so we can pick up our body from its place of interment and then return to Heaven, the home of the angels. We would not desire that if it were offered to us, once we have seen what the earth will be like after the Lord and his saints have removed all wicked influences.

What God is creating now is a Kingdom, a government. The purpose of the government of Christ is to remove sin from the earth, and then to prevent its return. This is why we have to overcome sin and rebellion in our own personality before we can be permitted to be part of the Kingdom of God on the earth.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #44

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:7,8 — NIV)

Satan is telling the believers "You shall not surely die." He told that to Adam and Eve. But they did die and all their descendants after them have been born in slavery to sin.

How about you? Are you going to take the chance that the current Christian teaching is correct even though it goes against the specific teaching of Jesus Christ and His Apostles?

When I first was saved I was told to stick with the written Word of God. This I intend to do, as Christ helps me. What is your response?

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. (Romans 6:22 — NIV)

Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. (Psalms 2:8)

The first understanding the Lord gave me was in Bible school in 1948. It had to do with Christ in us, as distinct from Christ being merely with us.

At some point I became aware of the Kingdom of God. This sounds strange, but for many years after I became a Christian I had little or no consciousness of the Kingdom of God. I was vaguely aware the Jehovah's Witnesses emphasized the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth.

I cannot remember when it dawned on me that being saved was somehow related to the coming of God's Kingdom to the earth. I knew John the Baptist spoke of the coming of the Kingdom, as did the Lord Jesus. Lately I have been noticing that the Apostle Paul actually preached the Kingdom of God rather than our being saved to go to Heaven when we die.

Slowly but surely I have been making the mental leap from the idea of salvation having to do with going to Heaven when we die, to the idea of salvation having to do with the coming of Christ in His Kingdom to govern the nations of the earth.

Now I see the teaching of the Kingdom of God in both the Old Testament and the New. In fact, apart from an understanding of the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth, many passages of the Bible do not make sense or do not appear to apply to us. Numerous verses in both Testaments just have to be ignored because they are not related to anything we understand.

The Book of Psalms, for example, states clearly that God is coming to govern the nations of the earth.

When Paul spoke of the dangers of sinful conduct he warned of losing our inheritance in the Kingdom. Paul said nothing about sin keeping us from going to Heaven when we die.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #43

For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? (I Peter 4:17 — NIV)

We cannot deliver ourselves from sin. We always are to exercise self-control as we are able, but only the Spirit of God can actually remove the elements of the sin nature.

Therefore, at the Judgment Seat of Christ the emphasis is not on the fact that we have a sin nature, because this we do not have the power to remove. Rather the judgment will be on what we were able to do, such as pray, read our Bible, give, serve, use our self-control, obey the Lord when He speaks to us personally, and so forth.

Deliverance from sin is a reward for following the Holy Spirit in confessing and renouncing our sin, and for obeying, with Christ's help, the numerous commands found in the Gospels and the Epistles, as well as the personal word of Christ to us.

When we obey the Holy Spirit we are delivered from sin. As we are delivered from sin we receive more life. Every time we receive more life we have more ability to be delivered from sin, which in turn results in more life. It is a cycle progressing upward to the perfect day of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. In the meanwhile the authority of the blood atonement is forgiving our sin.

If, however, we do not follow the Holy Spirit in confessing and turning away from our sin, if we do not pray each day, read our Bible, gather with fervent believers as possible, give, serve, and otherwise obey the commandments found in the Gospels and the Epistles, if we do not obey Christ when He speaks to us, we will not be delivered from our sin nature. We will continue to walk in sin even though we claim to be a Christian.

In this instance we did not do what we could and so God did not do what only He can do. He did not break the power of our sin nature. Therefore we keep on sinning. We remain unchanged. And (although not always taught) the atoning blood does not keep on forgiving our sin. We have broken our part of the covenant.

At the Judgment Seat of Christ we will be handed the consequences of our behavior while in the world, even though we have professed faith in Christ. Our end will be corruption — the corruption we have practiced.

There may be no greater need in Christian teaching than the clear affirmation of what the Apostle Paul has stated. We all must be revealed at the Judgment Seat of Christ. The good we have practiced will be given to us. The bad we have practiced will be given to us.

God, through Jesus Christ, gives us the opportunity to change what we are sowing so in the day of resurrection we will reap eternal life. If we do not lay hold on this grace of transformation we will be judged as having neglected our great Divine salvation. As a result we will be sorely punished, and may in fact find ourselves in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #42

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (II Corinthians 5:10 — NIV)

Paul tells us we all must be revealed before the Judgment Seat. The Judgment Seat of Christ began when the Lord rose from the dead, according to Peter, and will conclude when Christ and His saints sit on the great white throne and judge mankind, at the time the earth and the heaven flee from the face of God.

What we have done while on the earth will be examined at the judgment seat. The good we have done will be returned to us at that time. Also, the bad we have done will be returned to us. It is not our heart that is at issue here, it is what we have actually done. As humans we like to believe we really are good in our inner nature even though our deeds are wicked. This is a game we play with ourselves. The truth is, a liar is an individual who lies, not an individual who believes in his heart that he lies.

There is enormous confusion today over the fate of the Christian at the Judgment Seat, most Christian teachers claiming the believer has nothing to worry about because he or she is "saved by grace." This is little more than Satan saying "You shall not surely die."

The reasoning behind the contemporary position is that Christ judged sin on the cross, therefore we cannot be judged for our sins at the Judgment Seat.

It is true rather that what Christ accomplished for us on the cross made it possible for us to be delivered from sin. The blood atonement is not an eternal amnesty for those who continue to sin. The most casual study of the Epistles will prove my statement to be true.

The answer is, Christ removed the authority of Satan on the cross. Then Christ set in motion a program of salvation that leads to total deliverance from sin so in the day of resurrection we will reap life instead of death.

First, we cannot release ourselves from the chains of sin. Only the power of God can break the chains of sin. We were born in sin. We did not ask to be born with sinful tendencies. God, who always is equitable, does not condemn us for being born in sin. Even though God does not condemn us for something over which we have no control, it still is true that sin always result in spiritual and physical death.

Third, when we receive the blood atonement by faith, our sins are forgiven. However, the sin nature remains.

Fourth, the Holy Spirit begins to lead us to confess our sins and turn away from them.

Fifth, when we diligently confess, denounce, and renounce our sins, God is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This is an eternal judgment. The particular behavior we have confessed and turned away from will never be mentioned at the Judgment Seat.

Sixth, in addition we are to pray each day, read our Bible, gather regularly with fervent believers, give, serve, and otherwise obey the commandments of Christ and His Apostles, receiving help to do this from God as we come boldly (although politely) before His Presence.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #41

Do you not know the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! (I Corinthians 6:2,3 — NIV)

One of the major operations that will be conducted in the Kingdom of God is that of judgment. God no longer judges people, He has committed all judgment to the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ has committed the work of judgment to the members of His Body, provided they are abiding in Him and are filled with His Spirit.

When the Lord returns, his true, victorious saints will receive immortal bodies and will be caught up to meet Him in the air. Then they will be placed on the thrones that govern the creation. At the last judgment, according to my understanding, they will be with Jesus when the angels and mankind are judged.

This means the victorious saints must be judged prior to the Lord's return, for they cannot judge angels or mankind before they themselves have been judged.

Today is a period of judgment for us Christians. Judgment has begun in the household of God. All of the worldliness in us, all of the sins and passions of our flesh and soul, all of the filthiness of our spirit, all of our self-will and self-seeking, must be identified and confessed to the Lord.

We must utterly renounce all sin and rebellion. When we do, an eternal judgment is exercised on our behalf. The Lord forgives us and then through His Holy Spirit removes the love of the world, the love of sin, and the love of self from us. No spiritual darkness is permitted to remain in the Body of Christ. The Bride of the Lamb must be without spot or wrinkle, not by imputation but by actual deliverance.

Whatever we do not confess and renounce, when prompted by the Holy Spirit, is an idol. There are to be no idolaters in the Kingdom of God.

God is ready now to execute an eternal judgment in every believer who is willing to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. Ask and you shall receive.

First, the saints will be judged. Then the saints shall judge the angels and the world.

And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Luke 22:29,30 — NIV)

Instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. (Hebrews 6:2 — NIV)

I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4 — NIV)

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #40

If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. (Romans 11:17,18 — NIV)

There has been considerable confusion about who or what Israel is and where the land and people of physical Israel fit in God's plan for the present and future.

Some are saying the Christian Church has replaced physical Israel in the plan of God. This position is contrary to the Apostle Paul's express statements in the eleventh chapter of the Book of Romans.

Others are claiming that the promises of God in the Old Testament refer only to physical Israel and not to the New Testament Church. This is not true according to Peter's statement that the Prophets were not addressing themselves but us upon whom the ends of the age have come.

A Gentile Church is not a scriptural concept. In the Book of Galatians Paul said the one Seed of Abraham is Christ and all who are part of Christ.

Some teach that there will be a Gentile Church in Heaven and a Jewish Kingdom on the earth. This is against the text of the last two chapters of the Book of Revelation that tell of the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from the new sky to remain on the new earth. That the new Jerusalem is the Christian Church can be seen by the fact that the Throne of God and of the Lamb reside in the holy city, and this could never be true of physical Israel.

What, then, is the truth? The truth can be seen in the figure of the olive tree, of the eleventh chapter of the Book of Romans, and also in the "one new man" of the second chapter of the Book of Ephesians.

The olive tree is Jesus Christ. At one time the olive tree, Christ, was with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the sons of Jacob. Then, when Christ came to earth, a number of Jews did not receive Him and thus were cut from the olive tree. But a remnant did receive Christ and remained in the olive tree. Sometimes the believers forget that the first Christian Church, the Body of Christ, was composed of five thousand Jews, all keeping the Law of Moses.

So today the olive tree comprises a remnant of Jews and a remnant of Gentiles. However, Paul told us clearly that after the full number of Gentiles have been grafted on the olive tree God will turn once again to the physical land and people of Israel.

Paul said, in Romans, "all Israel shall be saved." Paul told us also, in Romans, that to be a member of Israel is by promise. So true Israel includes all whom God has elected, at one time just physical Israel; next, a remnant of physical Israel and a remnant of Gentiles; finally, physical Israel once again.

The Scriptures are quite clear in terms of what I have just stated. All of the promises in the Old Testament concerning the Messianic Kingdom are directed toward the Lord Jesus Christ, the one Seed of Abraham, and those who are part of Him without regard to race. Thus there is no need for confusion. There is only the one "new Man" who includes elect Jews and elect Gentiles.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:28,29 — NIV)

by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, (Ephesians 2:15 — NIV)

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #39

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:29 — NIV)

Historically the Christian churches have viewed eternal residence in Heaven as the goal, the result of being saved. However venerable this tradition may be, it is not scriptural, neither in terms of the Old Testament nor the New.

The goal of salvation has two aspects. The first aspect is that we be conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ, first the moral image and ultimately, at His return, the bodily image. The second aspect of the goal of salvation is untroubled rest in the center of God's Person and will.

To be in Christ's image but not to be resting in the Father's Person and will would be to bring a rebellious christ into the universe. Satan desires to be like the most High but would never be content to rest in the Father's will.

We hear Christians today saying they want power. This is a dangerous desire. We ought to say we want to be in the image of the Lord and to be in the center of God's will. Why do we want power?

To be in Christ's image and at rest in God has nothing whatever to do with going to Heaven or with gaining power with God.

We do not press forward into the image of Christ and into union with God through Christ in order that we might have power or that we might minister. We press forward into the image of Christ and into untroubled rest in God in order that we might please God and serve Him in His Kingdom.

We do not have to wait until we are in the perfect image of Christ and perfectly at rest in God's will in order to minister to people or to serve Christ in His Kingdom. But the more perfectly we are in the image of Christ, and the more completely we are dwelling in God's rest, God's will, the higher the quality is of our ministry to people and our service to Christ in His Kingdom.

So let us rejoice in the thought of going to be with the Lord when we die, but at the same time follow the Holy Spirit diligently as He fashions us in the moral image of Christ and leads us into perfect rest in God's Person and will.

I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:23 — NIV)

Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. (Hebrews 4:1 — NIV)

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #38

For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now — and never to be equaled again. (Matthew 24:21 — NIV)

The "rapture" teaching focuses on the undesirability of living on the earth during the "great tribulation." The great tribulation is the period of unprecedented trouble mentioned by the Lord in the twenty-fourth chapter of the Book of Matthew.

The problem with this emphasis is that the sufferings of the end-time are not to be feared by the saint. The Apostles taught that we must enter the Kingdom of God through many hardships. Tribulation produces patience in us. It is redemptive.

The real danger of the last days will be deception and the abundance of sin. Because of the increase of wickedness, not suffering, the love of the majority will grow cold.

The "rapture" emphasis on escaping suffering shows that the rapture doctrine is not of God. It is popular among those who are living in the adamic nature. They desire to save their life. This is the motive of the "rapture" doctrine.

The true saint concentrates on pleasing the Lord. He is not afraid of suffering. He embraces the cross and is willing to share the sufferings of Christ and be conformed to His death on the cross.

When we hear people speak of escaping the great tribulation and Antichrist we know they are not hearing from the Lord and pressing into Him. They are striving to preserve their own comfortable existence. The victorious saint does not fear suffering or death. His greatest fear is that he will not please the Lord Jesus in some area of his life. Isn't that the truth?

Another point of confusion has to do with the difference between tribulation and wrath. As we have said, tribulation is redemptive. It creates the peaceable fruit of righteousness in us. Wrath is not redemptive. It serves only to destroy that which is sinful, and eventually the sinner himself if he does not repent immediately. God has appointed us to tribulation but not to wrath.

There is a purpose for the great tribulation. It is to prepare the Church for the coming of the Lord. Numerous Christians in America today are lukewarm. The coming tribulation will force the believers to become hot or cold. Each Christian will be forced out of the valley of decision. He either will press into the Lord, finding his survival and security in Him, or he will spend his time and strength attempting to save his life.

So let us turn away from the unscriptural hope of being raptured to escape tribulation. Not only is such a doctrine completely without biblical foundation, it is an exercise of the adamic man who is seeking to save his life rather than to lose it in Christ.

Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, (Matthew 24:12 — NIV)

Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. (Acts 14:22 — NIV)

I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." (Revelation 7:14 — NIV)

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #37

For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. (Romans 3:28 — NIV)

A careful study of Romans and Galatians will reveal clearly that Paul is not seeking to turn people away from righteous behavior but from the works of the Law of Moses. In other passages Paul insists if we do not live righteously we will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

There is no scriptural support whatever for the idea that we are saved to spend eternity in Heaven. There is no scriptural support whatever for the idea that the Lord Jesus Christ will return and catch away His Church to Heaven.

There is no scriptural support whatever for the concept of a state of grace that causes God to see us through Christ so our unrighteous behavior is viewed as Christ's righteous behavior.

Think of it! A major part of Christian teaching is not found in the Scriptures. It must be time for a reformation of Christian teaching and thinking.

While it is true that God forgives our sins through Christ's blood when we first place our faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit sets out immediately to guide us in putting to death the sinful nature that we may be released to walk in newness of life.

We remain without condemnation provided we keep on abiding in Christ and following the Holy Spirit at all times. Any doctrine other than this will lead the believer into Divine judgment and possibly a total loss of inheritance.

I can support my doctrine readily and clearly from passages kept in context. It is impossible to support any other viewpoint without removing verses from their context and deducing doctrine from them. It is not true, as has been said, that we can prove anything we want from the Bible, unless we are willing to take certain verses, use them as axioms, and deduce a philosophy from them.

The Scriptures were given as holy men wrote by the Spirit of God. The only way they can be interpreted accurately is by holy men who are moved by the Spirit of God. No part of the Scripture can be interpreted properly by our own study and reasoning. We must go to the Lord to find out what God is saying.

If we leave the Scriptures as they are without superimposing a philosophy upon them, and then pray, the Lord may be pleased to give us the true interpretation.

The blood atonement, the crucifixion and bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and His coming again in the clouds of glory with His holy angels, have been taught faithfully by Christians. But upon this sure foundation has been constructed a mythology about a "state of grace" leading to eternal residence in a mansion in Heaven, a mythology that simply cannot be supported by an unforced examination of the New Testament.

It is time now for us to return to expository preaching and teaching so the believers can perceive what the Lord Jesus Christ and His Apostles taught. The Great Commission requires that we do this.

The spiritual battle of the last days will be that of error against truth. The generation that will be involved in this titanic struggle will not be able to stand if they are trusting in an unscriptural state of grace and an any-moment rapture that will carry them to Heaven so they can recline at their ease in their mansion.

We must clothe ourselves with the whole armor of God so we can stand in the day of evil and so we can return with the Lord Jesus and install the Kingdom of God, the will of God, on the earth.

And envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:21 — NIV)

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #36

That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so the world may believe you have sent me. (John 17:21 — NIV)

The following are some of the Kingdom roles and tasks for which we are being prepared. It is well to think of these as needs and desires that the Lord has, not exalted positions we are fortunate enough to attain. It does not matter whether or not we desire them, the point is that God has prepared them for us to fulfill and expects us to submit ourselves so God's needs and desires can be met.

A full, mature exercise of each of these Kingdom roles requires that we be brought to the stature of the fullness of Christ and into untroubled rest in God's will for our life.

Can you see how totally different the above goal of salvation is from the traditional "make our eternal home in Heaven"? Salvation is not pointed toward our being in Heaven or on the earth. It is not a case of location but of what we are in personality and behavior. This is one of the major understandings of the Scripture that must be pursued in our day if we are going to develop the strength required to stand throughout the age of moral horrors that is upon us.

You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (I Peter 2:5 — NIV)

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. (Romans 3:21 — NIV)

A second revolutionary though scriptural concept is that when the Apostle Paul contrasted faith and works, he was not speaking of a profession of doctrinal belief versus godly behavior. Yet this interpretation of Paul has persisted mightily since the Reformation.

First of all, by "faith" Paul means a life lived in dependence on God, not a doctrinal position. The righteous shall live by faith means by humble dependence on God rather than by independence of thought and action (the American ideal).

By "works" Paul means the works of the Law of Moses, such as circumcision. He is not referring to honesty, faithfulness, and truthfulness.

We are justified by placing our faith in Christ and living in Him rather than by obeying the statutes of the Law of Moses. This misunderstanding of Paul has destroyed the moral strength of the Christian churches.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #35

Speak to the Israelites and say to them: "These are my appointed feasts, the appointed feasts of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies." (Leviticus 23:2 — NIV)

The seventh element of each of the four types tells us about the goal of our salvation. We have the solid-gold Mercy Seat, representing the fullness of the Glory of God that we are pursuing; the feast of Tabernacles, reminding us that God's eternal purpose is to dwell in us; the Sabbath rest showing us that we are pressing toward that place where we are at peace concerning God's eternal purposes in us; and the possession of Canaan, signifying life lived in the fullness of Christ's eternal incorruptible resurrection Life.

Salvation has a definite beginning, a definite program specifically designed for each one of us as an individual, and a mark, a completion and fullness toward which we are to be pressing every day of our Christian life.

We are not "saved," in the total sense of the term, until we press through to the fullness of God. It is he who endures to the end who finally is saved to the extent the Lord desires.

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:29 — NIV)

We already have mentioned the somewhat revolutionary, yet totally scriptural, concept that the goal of salvation is not eternal residence in the spirit Paradise. Although the idea of "making our home in Heaven" has been part of the Christian tradition for centuries, this objective is not found in the Old or New Testaments.

The Bible presents our future destiny as that of having an inheritance in the Kingdom of God, the rule of God that will come to the earth at the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ from Heaven with His holy angels.

We are not saved to go to Heaven; we are saved to participate in the installation of the Kingdom of God on the earth. In order to participate in the installation of the Kingdom on the earth we have to be changed into the moral image of Jesus Christ and also brought into untroubled rest in the center of God's Person and will.

This is what the Christian salvation does for us — it changes us into the image of Christ and brings us into union with God through Christ. When we are in Christ's image and our will has become one with God's will we then are able to participate in the several Kingdom roles God has prepared for us.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #34

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: (II Corinthians 5:17,18 — NIV)

I think Christianity as a whole has missed the mark throughout two millennia. No doubt there have been notable exceptions. We have missed the mark by not recognizing clearly the two distinctly different creations — the temporary flesh and blood, and then the Divine.

God has no intention of saving our first personality. Adam simply cannot enter the Kingdom of God. God's provision for the first, adamic creation is the cross. The world has been crucified to us and we to the world.

Christianity has been a religion in which the first, soulish creation seeks to adorn itself so God will bring it to Heaven to be with Him. One might as well expect a pig to be a suitable guest in the parlor. The proud, stubborn, self-seeking, conniving natural mind of man always is the enemy of God.

We can neither see nor enter the Kingdom of God until we are born again of the Divine Nature. That which is born in us is Christ. It is the Kingdom of God. It is of God. Everything that God intends to preserve from our first nature must die in Christ and then be raised again in Christ. Nothing of the old sinful nature can remain in the Kingdom — absolutely nothing!

When then do we become? We become as our Lord is — son of man and son of God. Our adamic nature serves as a root on which is grafted the Divine Life of God. Our physical body is adopted. The coexistence of the human and Divine constitutes a new kind of humanity which can fulfill perfectly the four aspects of the Divine decree concerning man.

These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. (I Corinthians 10:11 — NIV)

Four major types of the Christian salvation may be found in the Old Testament. The four major types are as follows:

Since I have discussed the four great types at length in other books and booklets, let me just point out some of the main features so the reader can grasp the general idea.

We can group together the first of the seven elements of each of the four types as follows: the Altar of Burnt Offering of the Tabernacle; the feast of Passover; the creating of light and the separating of the light from the darkness; and the exodus from Egypt.

Can you see that we have borrowed the first item of each of the four types? Can you see that these four examples portray the beginning of our salvation in Christ? We have the Altar representing the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary; the Passover Lamb whose blood protects us from the destroyer; the creating of the Light of Christ in us and the separating of that light from the darkness that is in us; and finally our exodus from the world and the beginning of our pilgrimage toward our inheritance in Christ in God.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #33

The LORD said to Gideon, "With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place." (Judges 7:7 — NIV)

Each one of us has his own mark, a mark given from the beginning of the world. We shall be eternally joyous and fulfilled only as we find our predestined place in the Kingdom of God, whether it is a highly exalted role or one of far less preeminence. Neither personal ambition nor sluggishness are permitted in the Kingdom.

If we cannot cheerfully clean up behind the horses in the royal parade we will never have a place in the front chariot.

Predestination is not inevitability. If we do not diligently use the Kingdom talents we have been given, whether ten, or five, or one, what we have been given will be removed from us and entrusted to another, and we shall be thrown into the outer darkness. This is what God has stated clearly.

So we set aside all else, forgetting the past, and press forward toward that which God has set before us as an individual. Let as many as are perfect be thus minded, for this is the mind of the lowly Jesus.

The sum of what we are saying is that we must serve the Lord with utmost diligence, for not all believers will be ready to be raised from the dead and to ascend to meet the Lord in the air. The church will be divided temporarily into a militant remnant and then the remainder of the Bride.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." (Genesis 1:27,28)

There are to be two fulfillments of the Divine edict. The first fulfillment to a great extent is somewhat animal in nature. The second is of the Divine Life of God.

To the present hour, the only man that ever lived on the earth in the eternal fulfillment of the proclamation concerning the image of God is the Lord Jesus Christ.

As far as male and female are concerned, whether some form of gender will persist into the new world remains to be seen. However we do know we are to be one in Christ in God. This is a true and eternal expression of male and female. Such union can never be true of angels for they were not created in half as we have been. Angels do not need another person to complete them.

We have been called to bear the fruit of the moral image of Christ in ourselves and then in other people.

Our dominion, the fourth aspect of the Divine decree, has been extended to cover all of the works of God's hands.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #32

Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear. (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints. — NIV) (Revelation 19:7,8 — NIV)

I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. (Revelation 21:2 — NIV)

Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. (Revelation 3:4 — NIV)

There is, I think, abundant Old and New Testament evidence that the Christian Church will be divided temporarily into two segments, a militant remnant who will govern with the Lord during the thousand-year Kingdom Age, and then the balance of the Church who will descend together with the militant remnant as the new Jerusalem, the holy city. This will take place after the final resurrection and judgment.

In the Old Testament we have several types that portray a temporary division of the one Christian Church into two segments:

There is the account of Gideon in which a remnant gained the victory for all Israel. The story of Gideon may be the clearest of the Old Testament types of the coming of the Lord.

Then there is the temporary separation of the Ark of the Covenant from the remainder of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, during the rule of King David.

It also is true concerning David (a type of Christ) that he governed Judah for several years before he became king over all Israel.

And then there is the design of the Tabernacle of Congregation. The tent, a type of the Christian Church, was divided into a Holy Place and a Most Holy Place.

Have you ever noticed the emphasis placed on David's "mighty men"? It is remarkable that of all the various vocations pursued by the Jews, one of the principal distinctions was between David's outstanding fighters and then the remainder of Israel. This emphasis on war persists in the New Testament with the exhortation to "fight the good fight of faith" and to "put on the whole armor of God."

In the new Testament we see separate pronouncements of the marriage of the Lamb, divided by the thousand years of the Kingdom Age. The first occurs in the nineteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation, when the Bride is clothed in the white robes of her righteous conduct, and soon after appears as an army following the Commander in Chief.

The second announcement is found in the twenty-first chapter of the Book of Revelation, when the entire Bride of the Lamb descends to the new earth as the holy city.

The second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation imply a division between the victorious saints and the remainder of the churches of Asia.

For example, when speaking to the angel of the church in Sardis, the Lord warns that only a remnant, a "few names," will walk with Him in the white robes of the royal priesthood. What about the majority of believers in Sardis? Are they to be thrown in the Lake of Fire?

Probably not, although the Lord warns them of the danger of having their names blotted from the Book of Life.

We know there shall be some who will be saved as by fire. There are the greatest and the least in the Kingdom of God, according to the Lord Jesus. We realize some reap Christ thirty-fold, some sixty, and some a hundred.

There were the multitude, the seventy, the twelve, and finally the three on the Mount of Transfiguration.

It may be true that one of the most deadening of the "grace" teachings is that because we are saved by grace and not our own efforts, we all shall receive the same reward; all have the same standing in the Kingdom of God.

This is not true. There are some for whom places at the right hand and left hand of Jesus Christ have been prepared.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #31

We understand, therefore, that the great majority of Christian believers in the United States of America will not be raised when Jesus appears and placed in the ranks of the army of saints. They are not saints! They are church members with only the most elementary understanding of the Divine salvation, of the Kingdom of God. They are not at all prepared to assume the thrones that govern the creation and descend on the white war stallions in the attack upon Antichrist and the False Prophet.

They are feeding on candy, not the body and blood of Christ. They are being taught by ear-ticklers, not by men and women of God who are dying that their hearers might live.

Mankind will be judged at the second resurrection. The first resurrection is for the victorious saints. They will return with the Lord and take up their bodies from the ground. Then they, and the living remnant, will ascend to meet the Lord in the clouds. They will meet the Lord as He comes so He and they may descend and destroy all the works of the enemy.

We of today, because of our traditions, talk about the importance of going to Heaven when we die. Going to Heaven when we die is not the issue presented in the New Testament. The concern is what happens to us in the Day of the Lord. I think if you will read both the Old and New Testaments carefully you will find very little emphasis on going to Heaven when we die. Both Testaments deal with the Day of the Lord and the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth.

Because we are approaching an age of moral horrors during which spiritual oppression will rest heavily on us we need to return to the Scriptures. Only then will we have the strength and wisdom to stand during the evil day.

Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:23 — NIV)

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #30

(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:5,6 — NIV)

There shall be two resurrections of the dead. The first will occur when the Lord returns, at the beginning of the thousand-year Kingdom Age. The second will take place at the end of the Kingdom Age.

It is taught commonly that the first resurrection is for all saved people and the second is for those who are lost. I do not believe the Scripture bears this out.

If we will look carefully at the description of the first resurrection, as it is presented in the early verses of the twentieth chapter of the Book of Revelation, we will note that it is the resurrection of an elite priesthood. Nothing is said or implied the first resurrection is the event during which all saved people are raised from the dead.

If we will look carefully at the description of the second resurrection, as it is presented in the last few verses of the twentieth chapter, we will see that the wording does not suggest all are lost who are raised at that time. In fact, the text suggests the opposite — that a minority are thrown into the Lake of Fire.

Paul stated, in the Book of Philippians, that he was endeavoring to attain the resurrection (Greek: out-resurrection) from the dead. Since the Lord Jesus stated that all the dead shall hear His voice and come forth, it appears there is a special resurrection that must be attained, and then a general resurrection in which the majority come forth, no attainment being necessary.

All of this makes sense. The practical import is that if we expect to be raised (or transformed) when the Lord appears, we must be qualified for this experience. How do we attain the first resurrection? According to the Apostle Paul in Philippians, we attain the out-resurrection by laying aside all else and seeking to gain Christ.

Because of our unscriptural traditions, the idea that Paul, toward the end of his life, was seeking to gain Christ, does not make any sense at all. Why would Paul seek that which is so freely given when we first come to Christ?

The answer is, our traditions are incorrect. Although we come to Christ in a moment of time (no attaining is required), and our sins are forgiven, this is just the beginning of the program of salvation. If we would maintain and profit from that which we have been given, we must lay aside all else and press forward toward the out-resurrection. We must learn to live by the power of Christ's resurrection and be willing to share His sufferings and be conformed to His death.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #29

Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. (John 14:23)

The feast of Tabernacles is beginning now as Christ is being formed in us. The Church is in travail that Christ might be formed in the members of His Body. But the fullness of Tabernacles, which is the coming of the Father and the Son to dwell forever in that which has been formed in us, and the final filling of our body with the incorruptible Life of the Holy Spirit of God, may be a bit ahead of us. But the all important preparation must take place now. The fullness of the Tabernacles experience cannot be experienced in one dramatic moment. It requires the step by step progress that occurs as we pass through the spiritual fulfillments of the preceding six feasts. Yet, for all of that, we have all the feasts when we have Christ. It is a matter of working out that which we already posses.

It is as though God has freely given us a grand piano. Now we have to learn how to play it.

We may think of the fulfillment of the seven feasts as being a spiral staircase. We keep ascending, but we keep coming back to the same feast, but now on a higher level. I know the blood of Passover is more real to me than ever before; repentance and water baptism are more meaningful; the born-again experience is more comprehensive.

We are not climbing rungs on a ladder, we are experiencing more and more of the one Lord Jesus Christ.

The understanding of "Christ in you" began with me in the late 1940s. It remains as the centerpiece of my doctrine. All that God has done with me over the last fifty years has been an unfolding of that one glorious revelation.

I remember when a distinguished elder taught us there was more to come after Pentecost. I was so lifted up at the thought that I actually had an out of body experience while sitting in my Greek class in Bible school, if you can imagine. I had to make myself come back down from the ceiling into my body so I could remember the Greek lesson I had studied diligently.

Those were glorious days, but today the revelation of Christ is much, much more glorious. I hope it is that way with you.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #28

I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (Matthew 3:11,12 — NIV)

It seems to me that in our day God is emphasizing the hundredfold — those who have a passion for the holiness of God, who want only to dwell in the center of the consuming Fire of Israel. It is well to have a genuine passion to dwell in the fullness of the Fire of God's Person, a hunger that cannot be measured; a thirst that cannot be quenched, at least for now. We must have more and more and more of God's holiness. This is a gift well worth desiring — an utter passion to do God's will to the fullest.

How does God dwell in us? Remember, Jesus Christ is the house of God and the only house of God. We can only be the house of God to the extent Christ dwells in us.

First Christ must be conceived and formed in us through the travail of the ministries of the Body of Christ. Then the Father and Christ as Persons come and dwell in the Substance of Christ that has been formed in us. We will have to possess a glorified body, I believe, before we will be able to receive the fullness of God and Christ.

Thus we are being made the eternal temple of God, the chariot of God through which He can move throughout His creation.

Those who overcome the challenges placed before them, in the present hour, will receive all the rewards mentioned in the first and second chapters of the Book of Revelation. Actually these are not gifts that will be handed to us at some later time. They are abilities we are gaining today, to a great extent. They are steps in our progress toward attaining the first resurrection from the dead.

Let us think then of the pattern of the spiritual fulfillments of the last three of the feasts of the Lord:

We are entering the Blowing of Trumpets, the beginning of the attack on the enemy. The Lord is changing from the good Shepherd of the Twenty-third Psalm to the Lord, strong and mighty in battle of the Twenty-fourth Psalm. This is taking place now.

The fulfillment of the Day of Atonement also is upon us. We supposed that the sin question had been settled when we came to the cross. Indeed, the question of the guilt of our sins was settled. But the removal of the power sin has over us is just now beginning. It actually is a manifestation of the Judgment Seat of Christ.

If we are willing to cooperate with the Holy Spirit we can pass through the Judgment Seat and be prepared to be changed into glory when the Lord appears.

But if we cling to our worldliness, lust, and self-will, we will not be prepared to be changed into glory when the Lord appears. We will suffer much in the days ahead because we are not dwelling in the secret place of the Most High and therefore not under God's protection.

It means vastly more to be a true Christian than currently is presented in the Christian churches in the United States of America. The truth is, we are badly backslidden and need to return to the Lord.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #27

The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. (Matthew 13:41 — NIV)

If we refuse to deny ourselves, refuse to give to God our idols when He asks for them, insist on having our own way, force our way out of all the prisons the Lord provides in order to destroy our self-will, then we cannot in any manner enter the Kingdom of God. We can pray to Jesus, use faith, ask for grace and mercy, read the Bible continually, and wait on the Lord all night. But until we are willing to yield to God and do things His way, we are a destructive force in the universe. We will slander those who love Jesus.

The original sin was Satan's self-will. His self-assertion is the source of all other sin. As long as we are alive in our own will, even our Christian or ministerial will, we will destroy the work of God all around us. We can speak in tongues, prophesy, work miracles, all in the name of Jesus. Thousands of souls may make a profession of faith in Christ. But in that Day we will hear, "Depart from me."

The greatest problem of Christianity of every age is the self-will of the ministry and the people. It is self-will that caused the death of the millions of martyrs who refused to bow to the demands of the popes, priests, and Protestant kings and queens. It is self-will that produces turmoil and division in the little store-front church.

Until we are willing to permit God to crucify our self-will we are an enemy of God and man.

The primary characteristic of the individual who is walking in the life of the adamic nature is his insistence on having his own way. He will have a childish tantrum if his desires are thwarted.

The seventh and last celebration, the feast of Tabernacles, portrays the will of God for all mankind. It is that God dwell in every person.

The Father's house is Jesus Christ. There are many place of abiding in this house, many rooms. Christ went to the cross, and then to Heaven that we might live in God and He in us.

If I understand the Scriptures, some people will reap Christ a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold. How much of Christ we reap depends on two factors, as I see it: first, our Divine calling; second, our willingness to be pruned.

I picture the new world of righteousness as being inhabited by four basic kinds of people: those who have reaped Christ one hundredfold; those who have reaped Christ sixtyfold; those who have reaped Christ thirtyfold; and finally those who are lost forever to the Presence of Christ.

If I am correct, the Church, the elect, the new Jerusalem comprises the hundredfold and sixtyfold. The saved nations, who are the inheritance of the Church are the thirtyfold. The lost have no part of Christ. They have chosen to reject Christ in favor of being able to pursue their own will.

Christ is seen to be in everyone (except the lost) in the new world, and God in Christ. All is subject to Christ. Christ is subject to God, as the Scripture teaches.

I think this is what the Scripture means by saying there is "no more sea." I believe this means there will be no people in the Kingdom who do not have a portion of God in them; no more mass of the wicked who can be driven by self-seeking leaders.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #26

Three times a year all your men must appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles. No man should appear before the LORD empty-handed: (Deuteronomy 16:16 — NIV)

The Blowing of Trumpets announces the coming of the Lord of Hosts to declare war on Satan, beginning with Satan's influence in the Church.

The Day of Atonement foretells the time when Jesus Christ deals with the worldliness, lust, and self-will in His people. We think the Day of Atonement has begun and will extend throughout the thousand-year Kingdom Age.

The Feast of Tabernacles shows us that God's ultimate intention is to dwell in people, not just with them.

Because we are leaving Pentecost and entering the last three feasts, we are encountering the spiritual fulfillment of the Blowing of Trumpets. This means there will be increasing emphasis on spiritual warfare as Jesus descends to confront His enemies.

You may be in a church in which the music is becoming militant. There are songs about God being a man of war; about the Lord Jesus coming on His great war stallion followed by His saints clothed in white. We are being taught in the newer choruses about the Lord of Battles.

We also are hearing about Joel's army. We of the churches have been an undisciplined mob up to the present hour. We went where we desired and did pretty much as we wanted. If we despised the pastor we told him so and left the assembly and went where we pleased.

For those on whom the hand of the Lord is resting, the day of such willful behavior is over. Either we will obey the Lord strictly and those whom He places over us, or we will be left behind as the cloud and the fire move forward.

The Day of Atonement is the day of reconciliation. We have been reconciled to God legally through the blood of the cross. Now it is time to be reconciled to God in our personality.

If we are worldly we cannot have fellowship with God. God is not at all pleased with the spirit of the world. We cannot love God and at the same time love the spirit of the world, finding our survival and security in the things of this life.

If we are full of the lusts and passions of the flesh, we cannot have fellowship with God. God is Light. He will not have fellowship with moral darkness. If we would draw near to God we must be holy as He is holy, not by imputation but by actual spiritual cleanliness of thought, speech, and action. The Holy Spirit is able to produce such holiness in us if this is what we desire and will pursue.

If we are moved by our self-will, self-centeredness, self-seeking, self-love, we cannot possibly have fellowship with God. God has given a cross for each one of us to bear. If we will bear our cross patiently, remaining in the prisons in which God places us, our self-will shall be destroyed and we will press into untroubled rest in the Father through the Lord Jesus.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #25

That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so the world may believe you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:21-23 — NIV)

The Throne of God is being established in you for eternity. Now you will be able to bring forth eternal Life to other people, and to do so is to experience the absolute fullness of love, joy, and peace.

No longer will you boast about your church or your religious attainments. God will be the focus of your attention. Christ will be lifted up in you and He will glorify the Father. You will urge others to give thanks to the Lord and to call on His name, just as you have done. You will exhort all who will hear you to proclaim to the nations the marvelous things God has performed and to exalt His name alone.

You will sing to the Lord continually because of the perfection of His wisdom and works, and the world will hear you. Because you have become one with Christ the world will believe Christ was sent by God Almighty; He did not come as a man seeking his own glory.

It is an occasion for shouting and singing by the people who are dwelling in the Person of God through Christ, and He in them. It is the Holy One of Israel who is in us and with us forever.

This is the spiritual fulfillment of the Jewish feast of Tabernacles. It is in order that we might enter such fullness of God that we are given the authority of the blood and the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit.

Speak to the Israelites and say to them: "These are my appointed feasts, the appointed feasts of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies." (Leviticus 23:2 — NIV)

The seven feasts of the Lord are an illustration that can be used to describe the program of salvation.

Passover tells us of the blood of the Lamb that protects us when the destroyer executes the Divine judgment.

Unleavened bread shows that God wants us to repent of our sinful ways and to be baptized in water as a sign we are leaving the spirit of the world and are ready to walk in newness of life.

Firstfruits speaks of the born-again experience in which the firstfruits of our personality, our inward nature, comes alive and is brought up to abide in Christ at the right hand of God.

Pentecost symbolizes the outpouring of the Spirit of God on us. The two loaves of wheat baked with leaven remind us of the portion of the Spirit given on the Day of Pentecost, and then of the double portion of the Spirit that is to be poured out in the last days — the latter-rain outpouring.

This is as far as we have come in the Church Age. The last three feasts will be fulfilled spiritually during the period from now until the Lord returns.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #24

On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." (John 7:37,38 — NIV)

Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." (John 14:23 — NIV)

The feast of Tabernacles is the last and greatest of the feasts of the Lord. The celebration of Tabernacles lasts for seven days followed by the climactic "Rejoicing Over the Law" on the eighth day. The joyous ceremonies of the eighth day portray the first day of the week of eternity.

It was on the eighth day of Tabernacles, that great day of the feast, that the Lord Jesus told us whoever believes in Him will have a well of water created in Him that will bring eternal life to whoever drinks thereof.

Pentecost symbolizes the rain from Heaven. Tabernacles reveals to us that God's intention is to create His Throne in us so eternal life will come forth within us. Then the Spirit and the Bride can invite whoever will choose to do so to come and drink freely of the water of eternal life.

The twelfth chapter of the Book of Isaiah was sung during the feast of Tabernacles. We know we are passing from Pentecost to Tabernacles when our testimony corresponds to the twelfth chapter of Isaiah:

We will understand what it means for God to be angry with the sin and rebellion in our personality, just prior to His comforting us. Every Christian whom God is bringing into the spiritual fulfillment of the Jewish feast of Tabernacles will pass through a season of pain and problems in order that all that is not pleasing to God can be brought into the open and removed.

If you are going through such a trial right now, do not despair. God is faithful and will bring you forth as pure gold. It is the Valley of Achor, and you yet shall sing as in the days of your youth. You will come up out of the wilderness leaning on your Beloved.

God Himself is becoming your salvation. You will be able to trust the Lord and not be afraid, even though you may not have conquering faith right at this point.

In the fulfillment of Tabernacles you find yourself on the same side of the net with God. The Lord Himself has become your Strength and your Song. It is not that He merely gives you strength and a song, He Himself is the Strength and the Song. He Himself has become your Salvation. You no longer are holding God's hand. He is holding your hand. Much safer this way!

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #23

But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him. (Hebrews 10:38 — NIV)

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6 — NIV)

The term "faith" is used a great deal in Christian circles, but I think we may be using it incorrectly at times.

The Protestant Reformers contrasted faith with the works of the Catholic religion. But today faith is being contrasted with godly behavior. Today's interpreters of the New Testament are claiming that Paul taught we are saved by belief in correct theology instead of by godly character. They are contrasting faith in Christ with righteous behavior, which they incorrectly term "works," thinking this is what Paul meant.

Whenever Paul spoke of "works" he meant the "works of the Law of Moses." He was not referring to righteous behavior, which is one of the principal outcomes of Divine grace.

That New Testament faith is not belief in theological statements, no matter how accurate, is demonstrated by the fact that the writer of the Book of Hebrews, when giving examples of faith, used the heroes of the Old Testament. Never once is it emphasized that their doctrine was correct. Never once is it emphasized that they employed aggressive faith by deciding what they thought God ought to do and then daring God to do it.

The faith of the eleventh chapter of Hebrews is not the magic we think of today, where we can think or speak what we want and it comes to pass magically.

The faith portrayed in Hebrews is not natural faith, as when we sit down in a chair and believe it will hold us.

Rather, faith is obedience to the vision God has given us because we understand God is a rewarder of those who seek Him diligently.

Biblical faith does not proceed from the soul of man but from the Spirit of God as a gift to us so we may do God's will. We are to think soberly of ourselves according to the amount of faith God has given us.

True faith in God always results in godly character and behavior. Faith apart from righteous behavior is dead. Righteous behavior is the very life of faith.

We are not to try to get things "by faith." Rather we are to keep an open heart before God so we understand what He has said in His Word and also to us personally. Then we are to pray and hope for the promise of God to be fulfilled in our life. It is in the period of waiting between the giving of the vision and its fulfillment that the saints are formed.

True Bible faith requires much courage and perseverance in order to achieve its ends. This is the faith of the patriarchs and prophets of old.

When the Bible states the righteous shall live by faith, it does not mean the righteous hold to their doctrinal position and ignore their behavior. It means rather that the righteous look to God for every decision of life rather than leaning on their own wisdom and strength. It means the righteous are humble rather than proud and arrogant. The just shall live by faith has nothing to do with belief in any theological system or doctrinal position but with a way of living.

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. (Romans 12:3 — NIV)

As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. (James 2:26 — NIV)

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #22

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. (John 6:51 — NIV)

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (I Timothy 6:12 — NIV)

If we do not observe the commandments of Christ and His Apostles, if we do not live as a Christian should, then we are not undergoing the process of deliverance from sin. Then we are in danger, as in the parable of the sower, of losing the life that had been given to us.

The ten virgins went to meet the Lord. Five were too low on oil, on the Life of God. They were not permitted to go to be with the Lord.

We must remember that one of the supreme goals of the Christian salvation is the redemption, the adoption of our mortal body. This means the same Holy Spirit we have now will make alive our body at the coming of the Lord. This is a goal held before us. As Paul says, we must lay aside all else that we may attain the resurrection that is out from among the dead.

If we, as a Christian, insist on living in the sinful nature, we will not attain the resurrection that is out from among the dead, the first resurrection, the resurrection to life and glory. We will be held over to the second resurrection and receive the reward of our works.

Paul warns us that if we live according to the sinful nature we will die, that is, we will not have a life-filled inward personality in the day of resurrection and thus are not eligible for the filling of our resurrected body with Divine Life.

So we Christians, perhaps without realizing it, are in a struggle to press through and overcome the last enemy. If we faithfully follow the Lord Jesus in all matters, then, when He comes, we will receive eternal life in our body. But if we do not follow the Lord Jesus in all matters, then, when He returns, we will find ourselves in a state of corruption. Whoever sows to his or her sinful nature will experience corruption in the day of resurrection.

The believers of today must be made aware their supreme goal is not to go to Heaven when they die but to attain life in the day of resurrection. It is what takes place regarding us in the day of resurrection that is so utterly important to us, not what happens when we die.

The doctrines of the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment are hardly known today. Yet, according to the writer of the Book of Hebrews, they are but elementary principles of the Kingdom. We certainly have lost much of the original revelation given to the Apostles of the Lamb!

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #21

Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man. (Luke 21:36 — NIV)

The saints will ascend the thrones that govern the creation. Then the Lord and His saints will descend on the white war stallions and drive wickedness from the earth.

The Lord Jesus Christ will be crowned King of kings on David's throne in Jerusalem. Then He will send out His saints to govern the nations that have survived the Battle of Armageddon.

The only people who can look forward to these last days with confidence are those who truly are abiding in Christ. A mere profession of having been "saved" will not be enough. We must be really living in Christ, serving Him each day, if we hope to stand in triumph before the Son of Man.

The Christian people in America need to be warned that the events of the end-time will be "out of the frying pan into the fire" for all except those who are genuine disciples of the Lord Jesus.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 — NIV)

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10 — NIV)

Contrary to popular opinion, eternal life is not the same as Heaven. Eternal life is a kind of life. Heaven is a place. An individual can be with or without eternal life in Heaven or on the earth.

God did not give His Son so whoever believes in Him would go to Heaven, as we usually preach, but would have eternal life.

You can't go to Heaven today unless you die, but you certainly can have life today. So we see there is a difference between Heaven and eternal life.

Eternal life is the Life of God that comes to us through the Lord Jesus Christ. He Himself is the Resurrection and the Life.

There are two kinds of life: flesh and blood life, and the Life of God. Flesh and blood life is a temporary kind of life, subject to corruption, and cannot possibly enter the Kingdom of God. Eternal life is eternal, is not subject to corruption, and is an aspect of the Kingdom of God.

Eternal life can be experienced in degrees. There is life, and then there is more abundant life. Paul told Timothy, who certainly was saved and had a portion of eternal life, to lay hold on eternal life.

When we receive Christ as our Savior we are given a portion of eternal life. Then the fight is on. Our sinful nature desires to maintain its own ideas and life. The eternal life that is in us desires to increase so our fellowship with God may increase.

Death and life struggle each day for mastery over us. If we obey God in all matters, living as a Christian should, observing the commandments of Christ and His Apostles, God will deliver us from sin and rebellion one step at a time. Each deliverance from spiritual death causes spiritual life to increase in us.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #20

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14 — NIV)

I will tell you what I think is going to take place from now until the Lord returns.

First of all, I believe God is telling me that catastrophic trouble is coming to the United States of America. During this time of trouble there will be periods of revival and spiritual refreshing.

Perhaps this season of revival will blend into and become part of the promised "spring rain," the revival of unprecedented power symbolized by the "two witnesses" of the eleventh chapter of the Book of Revelation.

I think this harvest revival will bring the Gospel of the Kingdom as a witness to every nation on the earth, according to the promise of the Lord in Matthew 24:14. When the witness has been given to God's satisfaction, God will withdraw the power of the revival. Then the results of the revival will be tested. Because lawlessness will abound, the love of the majority of those who became Christians during the "latter rain," spring-rain revival will grow cold.

A person will arise who will personify the antichrist spirit that has been in the world since the first century. He and the religious leaders will cooperate as the headquarters of the great religious Babylon is built on the site of the original Tower of Babel. Religious Babylon will include all the religious efforts of man, including Christianity.

Antichrist will demonstrate self-will in the establishing of democratic government. The False Prophet, whether an individual or not I do not know, will demonstrate self-will in religious matters. The False Prophet will support Antichrist; that is, Christians who are able to exercise the power of the Lamb, but who are led by their own self-will and reasonings, will support a government that professes to be dedicated to providing the needs of all the peoples of the world.

The true saints, the remnant, will be driven from the cities of the earth. At this time, I believe, the Throne of God will move from Heaven into the personalities of the godly remnant.

All the while that Antichrist and the False Prophet hold sway in the centers of civilization, there will be salvation in the remnant who are hidden away. But in the cities of the earth it will not be possible to be saved by accepting Christ, nor will it be possible to receive the Holy Spirit. Antichrist will have enough spiritual power to block the prayers of the unfortunates who did not choose to be part of the remnant.

When the morally darkest hour arrives, and people are speaking of worldwide peace and safety because there is no more tormenting witness of God, the power of God will return to the remnant. Then the sky will be opened and the Lamb of God will appear.

The deceased victorious saints will descend with the Lord and pick up their bodies from their place of interment. The remnant who are still alive on the earth will be changed from mortality to immortality. Then the entire company will be caught up to meet the Commander in Chief in the air.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #19

In order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:4 — NIV)

We have made the ascribing of righteousness the only critical aspect of our salvation. We forget the mother eagle's expectation that someday we shall be able to fly on our own.

It is not God's intention that the brothers of Christ, the members of the Bride of the Lamb, the members of the Body of Christ, the living stones in the Temple of God be people whose only righteousness is that which has been ascribed to them. No deliverance from sin and rebellion has taken place. The work of Satan has not been destroyed. They still are practicing immorality, hating, stealing, coveting, and so forth.

No, this is not God's intention under the new covenant. God gave us a new covenant so we could be transformed from the image of Satan to the image of God.

I guess all true Christians realize no sinning will take place in the new world of righteousness that is coming from Heaven. We just have not been taught that deliverance from sin will take place in the present world. In fact, I have read Christian writings that imply we always will be sinners who are saved by grace, meaning we still will be morally unchanged but God will always see us through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. We will praise God for ten thousand years because He has received us into His Presence even though we remain unchanged.

The truth is, we have come to the point in history when the Lord is ready to deliver His people from worldliness, lust, and self-will. All that is not worthy of the Kingdom shall be removed and cast into the fire.

Yes, we start off being carried on eagles' wings. We are held to be righteous in God's sight because of the obedience and sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. But this is not intended to be the scope of our salvation. Our salvation includes transformation into the moral image of Christ, and untroubled rest in the will of God.

As soon as we have believed in Christ, have turned away from the ways of the world, and have been baptized in water, we are to present ourselves to the Lord as candidates for change into His image. Each day the Lord will give us something to overcome. Each day we are to pray for the wisdom and strength to overcome the problems of the day. This is how we grow in Christ.

If no change is taking place in our behavior, if we are not growing in the ability to judge between good and evil, and in the willingness and strength to choose the good and turn away from the evil, then we are not being "saved," so to speak. We are in a state of arrested development. For salvation is not a change from earth to Heaven but from Satan to God.

It is not at all the Lord's will that we be carried forever on eagles' wings. We are to grow to the stature of the fullness of Christ. God wants sons who can represent Him throughout His creation, just as the Lord Jesus represents Him. He is not looking forward to an eternity of dealing with helpless, self-centered babies who continually are seeking attention and are of no use whatever for the fulfilling of the numerous roles and tasks of the Kingdom.

This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:49,50 — NIV)

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #18

But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:14 — NIV)

A disciple will turn down a promotion on his job if he judges that it will in any manner affect his fervent pursuit of Christ. He is learning, learning, learning every day of what it means to walk with God. Every day he is more proficient in recognizing good and evil and more capable in the desire and strength to reject the evil and choose the good.

Every day his natural strength is being broken and he is living more and more by God's strength and wisdom. He is being fed the hidden manna, the body and blood of Christ, and he is living in this virtue.

There is absolutely nothing in his life, no thing, no relationship, no activity, no circumstance that he will not give to Christ promptly if it is asked for. He is being freed from all idolatry.

It is Jesus! Jesus! Jesus everywhere and in everything. This is what it means to be a disciple of the Jesus Christ. Nothing short of this is acceptable.

We understand, therefore, that the churches in America are filled with "Christians" but not with disciples. If one can find a single disciple in a large Christian assembly it is a cause for rejoicing.

If I am hearing correctly from the Lord, we are due for enormous catastrophes in America. No doubt the great majority of church members will follow the secular government wherever it leads them. But there will be a godly remnant who will follow only Jesus Christ. Suffering and persecution may cause a division between the lukewarm and the fervent believers.

You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. (Exodus 19:4 — NIV)

The concept of eagles' wings is important for us to understand. The idea merely is that God carries us Himself until we are ready to fly.

On the basis of the fact that Jesus Christ kept the Law of Moses perfectly, and then suffered the penalty imposed on those who break the Law of Moses, God is able to ascribe (impute) righteousness to whoever chooses to come under the lordship of Jesus. This is what Paul meant when he taught we no longer can gain righteousness by keeping the Law but must receive the righteousness of God by faith.

What this means is that when we trust in Jesus Christ for our righteousness we are credited with perfect observance of the Law of Moses.

This truth has been taught clearly by numerous godly Christian teachers and preachers.

However, the proviso stated by Paul, that this ascribing of righteousness depends on our following the Holy Spirit, has not received nearly the attention that has been given to the idea of ascribing righteousness to those who come to Christ in faith.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #17

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, And teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:19,20 — NIV)

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters — yes, even his own life — he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26 — NIV)

The Great Commission directs us to go out and make disciples from all the nations of the earth, commanding them to keep the directives given by Christ and His Apostles. We do not do this. We go out to "save souls," telling them they are not obligated to keep the commandments contained in the New Testament because they are saved by grace.

We do not go out to bear witness. We go out to "save souls" and build churches. This is why we do not bear a true witness. We are so anxious to draw people into our denominational framework that we compromise the Gospel of the Kingdom. We "sell" the Gospel. This means we do everything we can to make it attractive to people.

The Lord Jesus never did this. He spoke in parables so people could not understand and be converted. Christ explained the parables only to those God had given Him. He accused the Pharisees openly, rebuking them with harsh words.

The Apostle Paul did not attempt to sell Felix on the Gospel. He spoke to Felix of righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come until Felix trembled.

The Book of Acts is not so much a record of the Apostles "saving souls," in the sense of urging their listeners to make a profession of faith, but of God's preachers bringing the good news of forgiveness through the blood of the cross and warning people everywhere to turn from their sins and bring forth the evidence of deep repentance.

When we try to "save souls" and build a large church we are apt to trim the demands of Christ so people are not offended.

The Lord Jesus never did this. He spoke plainly to His followers: "If you are going to be My disciple you have to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me. If you once put your hand to the plow and then look back, you are not fit for the Kingdom of God. If you love your family members more than you do Me you are not worthy of Me. If you do not take up your cross and follow Me you are not worthy of Me."

Do we hear this preached today? No indeed we do not. Rather, as in the case of at least one assembly, we fill people's coffee cups during the taking of the offering so they will feel comfortable and happy and have fun.

We are much more concerned about the growth of numbers than we are with the spiritual growth of individuals. We are sowing our traditions and personal ambitions and we are going to reap corruption in the days to come.

One can be an American Christian in all the customary meanings of the term and yet not be a disciple of Jesus Christ. A disciple of Jesus Christ is an individual who in his heart has come out from the world, who is denying himself and seeking Christ with all his might. His whole life — every part of it — is centered on the Lord Jesus.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #16

And so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:11 — NIV)

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. (Revelation 20:12 — NIV)

As I understand it, the Day of the Lord will last throughout the thousand-year period often referred to as the "Millennium," but which I term the "Kingdom Age." I think the purpose of the thousand years is to prepare the Bride, the new Jerusalem, for her descent to the new earth as the eternal dwelling place of God.

The resurrection at the beginning is for the royal priesthood, the Lord's victorious saints. This resurrection must be attained.

The resurrection that will occur at the end of the thousand years is the general resurrection. It will include all who were not raised in the first resurrection. It is at this second resurrection that the determination will be made whether an individual will be brought forward into the new heaven and earth reign of Christ, or whether he or she will be thrown into the Lake of Fire and separated from God forever.

The Apostle John refers to the resurrection at the beginning of the Kingdom Age as the "first resurrection." It is for the blessed and holy royal priesthood.

As I interpret the language of the Scripture, most people will be spared the Lake of Fire. But they will be ushered into eternal life in the Kingdom in various states of personality.

If we of today would aspire to the resurrection and catching up when Jesus appears, then we must, as Paul stated, attain to this resurrection by leaving all else aside and pursuing Christ with all the diligence we can muster. We must learn to live in the power of His resurrection. We must choose to share His sufferings and be conformed to His death.

The current notion that all who have made a profession of Christ will be raised and caught up when He appears is contrary to the Scripture. The rewards we associate with being a Christian, as described in the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation, are assigned by the Scripture to the overcomers — to the believers who have pressed through to victory in Jesus.

It is demonstrably true that numerous Christian believers are not living in victory in Jesus. To teach them they will be rewarded with authority and power even though they have not lived victoriously in the Lord Jesus is cruel and heartless beyond belief. We indeed are a false prophet, a false shepherd, when we tell the American believers of today they will rule with Christ over the nations.

The best numerous American believers can hope for is to be saved as by fire. This means all of their inheritance and most of their personality will be burned away and they will enter eternity as a naked spirit. Why is this? Because they have not served Christ. They and their teachers who curried favor with them are facing a frightful future. Most of the punishments outlined in the Gospel accounts are directed toward the Lord's servants, not the unbelievers.

I know this is true because it is what the Scriptures state; and the Scriptures cannot possibly be changed even though we American Christians think we are so favored of God that He would never let us suffer. We are greatly deluded.

It still is not too late to turn away from our lukewarm discipleship and seek the Lord with a fervent heart. But the day may come when we have passed the point of no return. Then, like Esau, we will seek the inheritance but it is lost to us forever and ever.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #15

Just because you profess faith in the Lord Jesus Christ does not protect you from being revealed before the Judgment Seat of Christ. I know this is taught but it is an error — a terribly destructive error at that!

All of us will appear at the Judgment Seat of Christ, just as the New Testament states. We will be judged concerning the good and the bad we have practiced in the body.

If we have been faithful to the Lord, patiently carrying our cross after Him, confessing and turning away from our sins when they are shown to us, and serving in all good works, then we shall receive, at the Judgment Seat, the good we have practiced as He has enabled us.

But if we have not been faithful to the Lord, have not patiently carried our cross after Him, have not confessed and turned away from our sins when they are shown to us, have lived to ourselves without giving of ourselves for the benefit of others, then we shall receive, at the Judgment Seat of Christ, the bad we have practiced. We shall be beaten with many lashes, or even thrown into the outer darkness, or into Hell itself.

Today there is tremendous deception concerning the Judgment Seat of Christ. But the truth is as I have stated it. The reader, if he may be of another opinion, should at least read once again the New Testament and see what it says about the negligent believer in Christ. After all, it is your future destiny I am concerned about. I am not nearly as interested in being correct in my doctrine as I am about the future welfare of the believers. Unless there is widespread, thorough repentance in the United States, a multitude of professing Christians, when they die, are not going to find themselves in a glorious mansion. Rather they will awake to find a frowning Christ — frowning because they have not been utterly faithful to that which has been given to them.

In America we have every material advantage and every spiritual advantage. Much of the world has neither. We are going to be held accountable, and "grace" will not excuse our conduct in that hour.

And truly, the great concern is not what we will face when we die but in the day when we are raised from the dead. Then all we are and have practiced will be revealed, and we shall be clothed in our own doings. This is what the Bible teaches.

Whether or not you believe this, you are going to face the consequences of your actions in the day of resurrection. The Lord did not come to change what you reap but what you are sowing; for it is certain each one of us is going to reap what he or she has sown. And grace will not intervene in that day.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:9 — NIV)

For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, (Romans 8:13 — NIV)

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #14

And how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. (II Timothy 3:15 — NIV)

Today we must provoke God's people to reexamine their traditions in the light of the Scriptures, the Old Testament as well as the New; for both Testaments speak of the one Kingdom of God. It absolutely is not true that God proceeds in dispensations in which His goals are changed. As has been stated: "The New is in the Old concealed; the Old is in the New revealed."

The very concept of the "dispensation" is destructive of sound biblical interpretation and practice.

One thing is certain: if you can't find your belief set forth plainly in the New Testament, in context, it might be a good idea to go to the Lord about it.

But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat. (Leviticus 16:10 — NIV)

The Day of Atonement is described in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Leviticus. This was the one day of the year when the High Priest could go behind the Veil of the Tabernacle, or Temple, and sprinkle blood upon and before the Mercy Seat.

The main ceremony of the Day of Atonement involved two goats. One goat was slain and an atonement was made with its blood.

The second goat was also a goat of atonement, or reconciliation, but it was not slain. Rather the sins of Israel were confessed over this goat and it then was led away into the desert.

These two goats portray an extremely significant truth. It is that the Divine salvation includes not only the forgiveness of sins but also the removal of sins from us. I do not mean the removal of the guilt of our sins but of the sin itself — the body of sin of which the Apostle Paul speaks.

The Day of Atonement follows the feast of Pentecost. This means after we receive the Holy Spirit, God will begin to deal with us concerning worldliness, the lusts and passions of our sinful nature, and our self-will. We must be reconciled to God in these three areas before we can be considered to be in the moral image of Christ and in the rest of God's complete will.

As an experienced Christian you may find that the sins and rebellion of your personality are becoming obvious. You are not to ignore these leadings of the Spirit and claim God sees you only in Christ. This is not the approach indicated in the New Testament. There is no New Testament passage to my knowledge that informs us God sees us only in Christ; but there certainly are passages that teach the contrary.

There are only two ways in which a human being can live — in the life of his flesh, or in the Life of the Spirit of God. It is God's will that every human being walk in the Spirit of God rather than in the life of his or her flesh. As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

It is your job to walk in the Spirit of God each day. It is the Spirit's task to bring your sins to your attention. It is your responsibility then to cooperate with the Spirit as He enables you to put to death the sin or rebellion under scrutiny.

This process is an eternal judgment of sin. Once you confess your sin and turn away from it with the Lord's help, it never again will be mentioned to you. It is an eternal judgment.

But if you ignore the Spirit's warning and do not confess your sin, do not seek the Lord's help in turning away from it, you will be judged for your disobedience at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Do not let anyone deceive you.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #13

It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. (I Peter 1:12 — NIV)

But God found fault with the people and said "The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. (Hebrews 8:8,9)

The Book of Hebrews tells us clearly that God has given us a new covenant because the old covenant did not produce righteous people.

So how do we of today define the new covenant? We say that God has given up on us and doesn't really care how we live. He has given His Son to overcome sin for us and now all we have to do is believe He did this and we will go to Heaven on this basis.

The prevailing interpretation of the new covenant is so unscriptural as to be ridiculous. It truly would be laughable if the results were not so horrifically destructive of God's intention.

No matter how God moves, men (with Satan's assistance you may be sure) always manage to frustrate and sidetrack God's loving intention.

We Christians are not separate from the Hebrew Prophets. Rather, according to the Apostle Peter, the Prophets were speaking to us rather than to their contemporaries.

The first Christian assembly comprised 5,000 Jews, all rigorously practicing the Law of Moses. Did you know that? The Christian Church never was and never shall be Gentile. If you will read in the Gospel accounts the angelic announcements and prophetic declarations that accompanied the birth of the Lord you will discover the Gospel primarily is a Jewish covenant and blessing. We Gentiles have been grafted on the Jewish olive tree.

All of the Messianic promises found in the Old Testament apply first to the Lord Jesus Christ, and then to those who are co-heirs with Him. No Messianic promise is made to Jews or Gentiles as such, only to the one Seed of Abraham — Jesus Christ and those who are an integral part of Him.

The problem with dispensational theory is that it cuts us off from the Prophets and we are left with no clear destiny. And so the unscriptural myth about mansions in Heaven continues to be unexamined.

Our goal as Christians is not eternal residence in Heaven. We would not enjoy this. We are not angels. Our inheritance is first God, and then the nations of the earth. People are the only inheritance worth having.

God advised Jesus to pray for the nations and the farthest reaches of the earth. The Lord Jesus advises us to pray the same prayer.

You know why we have gone so far astray in our doctrine? We do not pray and read the Bible. If Christians would pray and read their Bible, instead of endlessly rehearsing their unscriptural traditions about lawless grace and eternal life in Heaven, they soon would learn about the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #12

We believe Jesus died and rose again and so we believe God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. (I Thessalonians 4:14 — NIV)

Most rapture teaching I have heard has been an emotional appeal to the fears of people, not a solid exegesis or scholarly exposition of a given text. The teaching jumps from passage to passage while interpreting the verses out of context, and in terms of a preconceived model or philosophy of interpretation.

If today's teachers and preachers would offer expositions of the New Testament instead of a constant repetition of their favorite topics, such as being raptured to Heaven by lawless grace, I think the Holy Spirit would be poured out on us.

One thing is certain — the Bible does not teach that the Lord is coming to catch away His Church to Heaven but will descend with His Church and drive evil from the earth. We really ought to stick with the Scriptures!

He will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope. (Isaiah 42:4 — NIV)

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. (Hebrews 1:1,2 — NIV)

They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. From morning till evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. (Acts 28:23 — NIV)

After reviewing some of the ideas of the philosophy termed "Dispensationalism" I have come to the opinion that this model of interpretation of the Scriptures is decidedly harmful. It certainly is anti-Semitic!

One of the major harms done by the concept of the "dispensation" is a destruction of the continuity of the Testaments. It is conjectured that the Christian salvation is not part of the Old Testament promise; that it is not a part of the utterances of the Hebrew Prophets.

The truth is, the New Testament flows naturally from the Old as one unbroken revelation of God through the Lord Jesus Christ.

There is no such thing as a "Gentile dispensation" or a "Gentile Church." These are not scriptural concepts, although they have been repeated so many times the believers have accepted them as biblical truth.

The one revelation of the Kingdom of God began with Adam and Eve and flows in one unbroken line, one seamless robe, through to the new Jerusalem. It is true that God keeps giving more grace, more of Himself to those He has called. But at the same time he has increased the demands on His elect. More grace, more demands.

God has one goal in mind: all of His children will act righteously, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. However, religion always obscures this one goal.

The Jews obscure the goal by emphasizing slavish obedience to minutia that they have derived from the Law of Moses. The Christians obscure the goal by telling us God does not care particularly how we live as long as we profess belief in Christ.

Such Jews do not know God and such Christians do not know God. As Stephen protested, we always err in our heart. We just can't understand what God is saying to us.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #11

At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. (Matthew 24:30 — NIV)

God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. (II Thessalonians 1:6,7 — NIV)

We Christians hold an unscriptural concept concerning the coming of the Lord. We think the Lord is returning to take His Church to Heaven. There is no scriptural basis for this tradition, as far as I have been able to determine.

There is abundant Old and New Testament to support the doctrine that the Lord Jesus will return with His saints to establish justice among the nations.

Some are teaching that the Lord will return before His second coming in order to catch up His people so they will escape Antichrist and the great tribulation. This is pure mythology. There is no indication whatever in the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew, in the fourth chapter of First Thessalonians, in the first chapter of Second Thessalonians, or in any other major description of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth.

We ought not to be teaching that which is not found clearly stated in the Gospels, the Epistles, and the Book of Revelation.

Our unscriptural teaching that the Lord will return before His historical second coming to catch up the saints so they will not suffer has a negative effect on the spiritual maturing of the believers. They remain as silly, undisciplined children jumping up and down next to their pews in the hope any moment now they will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air.

There is an age of moral horrors on the horizon. The believers simply are not prepared for the catastrophes we are facing in America. They will not be able to serve as witnesses of God's faithful protection. They will be screaming in terror along with the unsaved because they have not strengthened themselves against the time of great darkness. The unscriptural "any-moment-rapture" myth is leaving them unprepared to stand in the day of evil, in direct opposition to Paul's exhortation in the Book of Ephesians concerning preparing ourselves for the hour of intense spiritual oppression.

How long will it be before Christian people wake up to the fact they have been deceived?

An intelligent high-school senior who knows his or her Bible can easily refute the arguments set forth by the rapturists.

The main support (as far as I know) for the "rapture" myth is the fourth chapter of First Thessalonians. This passage is not speaking of the going of the Church but of the coming of the saints with the Lord Jesus to raise their bodies from the dead. Then they, along with the living, shall rise to meet the Commander-in Chief in the air so they may descend with Him in the battle we term "Armageddon."

The "rapture passage" of the fourth chapter of I Thessalonians was not written to comfort the living saints concerning Antichrist or the great tribulation. It was presented by the Apostle Paul to comfort the living saints concerning the saints whose bodies are sleeping in the ground — that the living would not go before them into the Kingdom.

Any intelligent believer can read the "rapture" verses in First Thessalonians and see if I have interpreted the text correctly.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #10

Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:13)

Only when we all are looking to Jesus for our decisions will we be in the unity of the faith. Then the world will believe that the Father has sent the Lord Jesus. So the emphasis today should be on building up the saints to the stature of the fullness of Christ, while not neglecting the work of evangelism.

The nations are in turmoil and will continue to destroy each other until the Prince of Peace returns. The Prince of Peace indeed shall return, but only when His Body is ready to work with Him in the task of installing the Kingdom of God on the earth.

It can be seen that God has called out from the ranks of mankind an elect, an Israel, a Wife for the Lamb, a body for Christ. According to the Scripture, this has been accomplished by the foreknowledge of God. It is not a democratic procedure. It is an arbitrary, sovereign work on the part of Almighty God.

God is the Potter. We are the clay. In fact, we are less than clay. We are dust. How dare we challenge the Creator in our own presumption? He can do whatever He wishes.

Yet, let no man question the love of God for us. Calvary answers for eternity the question of God's love and good intentions toward us.

We must keep in mind also that everyone who has been predestined to be a brother of Christ must respond appropriately and diligently. It is entirely possible for someone to take our crown; for our talents to be removed and given to another. We continually must press toward a full grasp on that for which we have been grasped. To neglect so great salvation is to bring wrath upon us — elect or not!

We understand, therefore, that the purpose of the two thousand years of the Church Age has been to create a body for the great Head, Jesus Christ. As the human body is subject to the head, so the Body of Christ is to be subject to Christ.

It is to this fullness that you have been called. Do not become impatient as God works with you night and day to prepare you to be bread for the multitudes whom God will save when you are able to bring Christ instead of yourself to them.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #9

Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad — in order that God's purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls — she was told, "The older will serve the younger." (Romans 9:11,12)

The truth is, we Christians of America are so filled with humanism we will not permit God to be God. He has to work by our ideas of fairness or we won't cooperate. Yet we are dust, and God does as He will with the dust, even though His actions are not democratic. Salvation is of the Lord. It is God who works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Can we accept this, or will we seek to somehow mix the sovereignty of God with human goodness?

I understand and teach, more than most Christian ministers, that there are things God must do and then actions we must take if the plan of salvation is to operate. However, it is as I have stated: we are dust, and in the final, ultimate sense, God does as He will with the dust. It all is of God even though our decisions and actions are critical.

One may exclaim, "I do not understand how you can say that God does as He will with people on the earth, appointing some to honor and some to dishonor, and yet maintain that our decisions and actions are genuinely critical." Even though we may not at first be able to reconcile this seeming contradiction, it remains true that both aspects are perfectly, totally, true. Perhaps we are going to have to permit God to be God until we come to a more mature understanding of His Word.

One of the major problems of theological thinking is the affinity we have for deductive reasoning. We take a pleasing verse, use it as an axiom, and deduce truth from it. Even though it renders numerous passages invalid, we proudly announce that we subscribe to the plenary verbal inspiration of the Scriptures.

Truth can be gleaned from the Scriptures only by inductive reasoning. We are to take every passage and shout "Amen!" We let God be God. Then we can truly claim to subscribe to the plenary verbal inspiration of the Holy Scriptures.

God is God and He does as He will with the peoples of the earth. He gave the whole nation of Egypt in order that He might show His glory through Israel.

When God has brought the full number of members of Christ's Body to sufficient maturity, then, and only then, will Christ return. He will return with His Body and establish justice on the earth.

We first must come to the unity of the faith. This does not mean to the unity of doctrine but to the oneness that exists among people when each person is looking only to the Lord Jesus for life and behavior. The reason Christians are in such conflict today is that they are living and acting according to their own will. As long as this is true they cannot possibly be one in Christ in God.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #8

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. (I Corinthians 12:12 — NIV)

Hopefully in our day there will be some members of the Body of Christ who absolutely will refuse to put their hand on the ark of God's Glory. They will look to Jesus instead of to themselves. They will hear the end-time call of the Spirit of God: "Not by might nor power but by My Spirit says the Lord." They will wait for the Lord to tell them what to do.

Will you and I be among those who cease from our own works and enter God's rest, into the place where we are so joined to the Head that we respond to His every desire, just as in a healthy body the members are instantly responsive to the brain?

I think the churches have somewhat misunderstood the purpose of the Church Age. We are attempting to save the nations. If one will study the Scriptures it can be noticed that the worldwide revival we are looking for will take place at the time of the Lord's return. We have the cart in front of the horse. We are focusing our attention on the needs of the world. God is focusing on the spiritual needs of His Church; for it is only through a mature Church that God can govern the saved nations.

When the Apostle Paul sets forth the various gifts and ministries of the Body of Christ he stipulates that their purpose is to bring each of us to the stature of the fullness of Christ. For some reason, perhaps because of a humanistic desire to "save souls," to "win people to Christ," we speak of the God-given talents of the members of the churches as being for the purpose of evangelizing. But this is not what the Scripture states. If we do not go by the Bible how can we expect God to bless us and make our way successful?

This is not to say the churches are not to go into all the world and make disciples, commanding them to keep the Words of Jesus Christ. We are to do this. We are to preach the Gospel to every creature because we do not know whom the Lord has chosen for His Church.

But if you will look carefully at the Book of Acts you will find expressions similar to "as many as were appointed to eternal life believed."

I do not know whether it is due to democratic ideals, or to a reaction against Calvinism, or to some other factor, but we of today in America simply will not accept the fact that God makes some vessels for honor and some for dishonor. We will not accept that God would harden Pharaoh's heart. We may say we believe in the full verbal inspiration of the Scriptures, but when we come to predestination and foreknowledge we draw the line.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #7

I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:23 — NIV)

It seems there are some truths of the Scripture that were given to the Apostle Paul alone. It is clear that the transition from Moses to Christ was explained only by Paul. This may be true also of the concept that the Church is the Body of Christ.

I capitalize "body" on occasion, although realizing we are human and not Divine, because of our relationship to Jesus Christ. We are not God; that is certain. But because we are being made an integral part of Christ, as close to Him as our body is to our head, it seems reasonable to once in a while point out that the Church is more than merely human. It is the lampstand of God, that is, it partakes of the Divine Nature through the Lord Jesus Christ.

We need to think much about the idea that the Word of God is being enlarged. He who was with the Father from the beginning is being added to. Branches are growing out from the Vine.

The holy city, the new Jerusalem, is the Church. This means it also is the very Body of Christ. This signifies in turn that the city is a living entity which, although being installed for eternity on a high mountain of the new earth, nevertheless has the power of multiple presence, as is true of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

Perhaps we need a more exalted vision of the Church. We are so accustomed to thinking of the churches primarily as social groups which are endeavoring to do the will of God in the earth.

But the Church — the Bride of the Lamb — the Body of Christ — the eternal Tabernacle of God — is the revelation of God; the incarnation of God. How could it be otherwise in that it is the Body of Christ?

The name of God, the name of the city of God, the new name of Jesus Christ — all will be inscribed on us. Whoever of the saved nations sees us will understand this is the seed whom Lord has blessed; these are the priests, the ministers of our God. The peoples of the earth will come to our light, which actually will be the light of Christ and of God in Him. Then we shall inherit nations of people whom God has determined to save from destruction.

Truly the Church Age might be termed "the Age of Presumption." We have taken matters into our own hands. Instead of waiting for our directions from the Head we have gone forth in our own wisdom, strength, and talents to do the work of the Kingdom of God. We are as an individual afflicted and handicapped by a severe motor dysfunction. On the one hand we are paralyzed. On the other hand our movements are uncontrollable. This is not too harsh an indictment on us. It is the truth!

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #6

Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. (Hebrews 2:11 — NIV)

Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. (Micah 5:3 — NIV)

Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, xe2x80x98I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" (John 20:17 — NIV)

We were not from the beginning, as is true of Jesus Christ. But by the will of God we are coheirs with Him of all the works of God's hands.

"Go tell My brothers I ascend to My Father and your Father; to My God and your God." This is what Jesus said to Mary Magdalene. There are awesome implications in this statement!

One hindrance to our full grasp on the promises of God is an understandable sense of reverence when we are approaching Divinity. We are not God, not as holy as God, and we know this. It is well that we do.

But when our reverence causes us to stagger at the promises of God it becomes a hindrance. The angels understand we have been made in God's image. We can relate to God and one another in a manner impossible to angels. They are not male and female.

We laugh, we cry, we trudge along wearily under the pressures of life. We are dust, and to the dust we return when our feeble frame expires. None of this is true of the angels.

There is no evidence that angels are capable of love, and love is the single most defining characteristic of man. Satan and his followers wish they could love, but love forever is denied them. They exist in hate, corruption, and destruction and inspire people to exist in the same manner.

We have been made in God's image, but to attain that image fully we have to be born twice — the first time of Adam and the second time of God.

The angels have been reduced (or exalted!) to the role of the servants of Jesus Christ and His brothers. However we are not, as currently is being suggested, to attempt to tell the angels what to do. Jesus Christ alone is the administrator of the Kingdom of God at this time. Whether He chooses to share this administration when He returns remains to be seen.

One of the dangers of our day of increased revelation is presumption! We had better cease trying to do "great things for God" and look to Jesus before we attempt to control the Holy Spirit and the angels!

Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. (Isaiah 42:1 — NIV)

The Book of Isaiah tells us of the Servant of the Lord, the Anointed Deliverer who is to come and establish justice on the earth. The Servant of the Lord is Christ — Head and Body.

The purpose of the Church Age is to call out from the nations of the earth an elect. Each of the elect is to be ministered to by the gifts and ministries given by the Holy Spirit until he or she comes to maturity as measured by the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #5

Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. (Genesis 5:2 — NIV)

Eve was Adam in another form. Every part of Eve was formed from Adam. There was nothing of Eve that was not Adam.

Adam's first remark upon awakening was: "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called xe2x80x98woman' because she was taken out of man."

There are no "queens" of the Kingdom of God. This is because a queen is not the same person of the king and can, in fact, be hostile toward him. She is a separate person with a will of her own.

The various Christian organizations may view themselves as "queens," but they are queens of Babylon, not of the Kingdom of God. We are not separate from Christ, if we are the Wife of the Lamb. We forever are an integral part of the Lamb.

When the slain Lamb appears in the sky, the "eagles" who live by eating His flesh and drinking His blood shall be caught up to be with Him forever. Correct doctrine will never raise anyone to meet Christ in the air. It is His body and blood in us that will raise us.

We must gain a glimpse of the nature and power of the love that motivates the Lamb in His dealings with His Church. The intensity of the Divine love will change our understanding of the new covenant, particularly the Communion service. The Song of Solomon will become real to us.

Then we will understand all of our religious doings are only the necessary scaffolding of the building. When we are ready to come up out of the wilderness leaning on our beloved, the scaffolding will be swept away and we forever will be an integral part of His Personality. There is no temple in the new Jerusalem for the entire city is the throne of God and of the Lamb.

That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so the world may believe you have sent me. (John 17:21 — NIV)

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:29 — NIV)

The fact that the elect have been predestined to be the brothers of Christ, He being the Firstborn among many brothers, brings many concepts to our attention.

For one thing, it tells us we have been truly born of God. Being born again is not a mere figure of speech referring to our adopting the Christian belief system.

It tells us that when the Lord rose from the dead He became the Firstborn of many sons of God. The Lord, the Word, the Christ chose to become human in order that He might raise up an entire company of sons of God. The sons are not as great as He, of course. But make no mistake — God has given birth to them and they indeed are sons of God in the truest sense of the word.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #4

And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:17)

The truth is, the Father is the Father. He is not the Wife of the Lamb. Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God, He is not the Father. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He is not the Lamb and He did not die for our sins. We have made the relatively simple, biblical Father and Son relationship one inscrutable Person to whom we cannot possibly relate, except as a dog relates to his master — certainly not as a son to his father.

Now, Christian teaching stresses the oneness of God to the point that it truly can be accused of "oneness" teaching, that is, that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are two other manifestations of the Father. This is not true. It is not even orthodox, as far as I know. Yet this error appears to be prevalent in Christian thinking.

That which is born of God is of God in the truest sense of the Word. Properly nourished it will develop into a genuine brother of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is to this family relationship with our Father, with God, through the Lord Jesus Christ, that we have been called.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (Ephesians 5:25 — NIV)

After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church — (Ephesians 5:29 — NIV)

No aspect of the Kingdom of God is more important than the marriage of the Lamb. The Word of God, the Christ, the Anointed Lord, has never before had a complement, a helper suited to Him.

The story of Adam and Eve is an allegory. It is telling us that God has determined His Son will no longer be alone but will have someone with whom He can communicate and who will reveal His Glory in the creation of God.

The account of Adam and Eve tells us much about the relationship of the Lamb and His Wife. We often refer to the "Bride of Christ." But the Scripture refers to the "Bride of the Lamb." This is because we eat the Lamb. We are made one with the Lamb by eating Him.

Christ is the Passover Lamb. The important aspect of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt was not that of the escape of human beings from physical slavery. The Centerpiece of the exodus is the Passover Lamb. The Jews left the slavery of Egypt and put on the chains of slavery to demons. But whoever eats the Passover Lamb and lives by Him is forever free from slavery.

The only free individual is the one who is the slave of Jesus Christ, as the Icelandic poet, Halgrxc3xadmur Pxc3xa9tursson, maintained.

"He called their name Adam." So it is true that marriage to the Lamb is such total union with the Lamb that their name is the Lamb, so to speak. Those who live by the body and blood of the Lamb are totally, eternally one in Christ in God.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #3

So it is with God. All the characteristics of God are in that seed, the living Word of God, that is planted in us. When the seed matures it will be a son of God in very truth, not as a figure of speech.

Our body shall be adopted. But our inward nature is truly born of God, and thus Christ rightly can refer to us as His brothers.

The divinity, if I may use the term, of the Christian is a fact of the Scriptures. However, it proves to be a controversial subject. Some have pointed out that there always will be a difference in kind between us and the Godhead. This is not true. The born again experience cannot possibly be understood as long as we refuse to realize whatever is born of God is of God's Nature.

This does not mean, of course that we become God, or the Father, or Jesus Christ, or the Holy Spirit, or anything other than ourselves. It is that we now are a new kind of humanity, a humanity that first was born of woman and then born of God.

When the Apostle Paul stated that he was living no longer but Christ was living in him, he was maintaining that his life now is both human and Divine. Paul is still Paul. But his new personality is a blend of that which is authentically human and authentically Divine. He is a son of God in the truest sense.

The Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, is authentically human and authentically Divine. In God's economy, the Lamb can marry only that which is authentically human and authentically Divine. There can be no mixtures in the Kingdom.

There is confusion in Christian thinking concerning the nature of the Trinity. The truth is God the Father is a Person. The Lord Jesus Christ is another Person who has proceeded from the Father. The Holy Spirit is yet another Person who is the Life Force of the Father and the Son.

The Father and the Son are distinct Persons. Whenever we, in an attempt to be dutifully reverent, present Jesus Christ as the Father in another manifestation, we go contrary to the sense of the Scriptures. Jesus Christ is the Son of the Father, not the Father.

God has given all things to His Son. This means the Father is greater than the Son because it is the greater who is able to give to the lesser. The lesser obeys the greater, and Christ always obeys His Father.

Otherwise, the agony in Gethsemane is an inscrutable incident — impossible of comprehension.

The Godhead cannot be defined by human reasoning, it can only be revealed through our experience.

The practical effect of making the Trinity an unfathomable mystery is that we then cannot relate to it. We cannot become one with God through Christ in any real sense if the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three manifestations of one Person and forever are different in kind from us.

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts, #2

Children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. (John 1:13 — NIV)

Christianity has suffered much because it is not made clear to people that being born again is to have God's Nature conceived in us. The believers attempt to save their original adamic nature. They are under the impression God is going to save what they are and bring it to Heaven. The truth is, God will never accept our adamic personality. God's salvation kills the adamic nature on the cross and then brings forth a new nature, a new creation, a true brother of Jesus Christ.

Until this is thoroughly understood Christianity is only another of the world's numerous religions, another discipline by which men hope to please God and earn enough merit to guarantee their acceptance into Paradise when they die.

The Kingdom of God is not Heaven. The Kingdom of God is that which is born in us when Christ is conceived and formed in us.

My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, (Galatians 4:19 — NIV)

Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." (John 14:23 — NIV)

The first aspect is that of the conception and formation of the Divine Nature in us. For this to be true, we must take up our personal cross and follow the Master, permitting the Holy Spirit to guide us in the crucifixion of our adamic personality. Christ is formed in us through the travail of the ministries of the Body of Christ.

The second aspect of having Christ in us is the coming of the Father and the Son to dwell for eternity in our transformed inner nature. God will never dwell in Adam. He will walk with Adam in Paradise but He will not dwell in Adam.

The Father's only House is the Lord Jesus Christ. It is only to the extent Christ has been formed in us that God can dwell in us; for He dwells in Christ in us.

First, Christ is formed in us. This is the new creation. Then the Father and the Son come to dwell in the new creation that has been formed in us. The Father and the Son are not formed in us. What is formed in us is the supernatural Divine Nature that has come from the Father and is planted in our personality.

It is as though a man had a son and then came and dwelled in his son. This, of course, is not possible in the human realm. If it were possible, it would be true then that the son would be in the image of his father, having been born from his father and then indwelt by his father.

The consequences of being born again are not always stressed. All of us know of the miracle of the seed, how a great oak tree can come from a small seed. Do we stop and ponder how all the characteristics of a tree can be in a tiny seed?

Fifty-two Kingdom Concepts

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (II Timothy 2:15 — NIV)

Here are fifty-two topics for Christian believers to consider. Most of the topics either enlarge on or disagree with traditional Christian teaching. We would suggest the reader go to the Bible to see if what we have presented is scriptural. Then check the traditional beliefs to see if they can be supported by whole passages of the New Testament kept in context.

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. (I Peter 1:23 — NIV)

In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." (John 3:3 — NIV)

Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. (Galatians 6:15 — NIV)

The idea of being born of God, or born again, has come to mean an acceptance of the theological facts concerning Jesus Christ. We have believed in the blood atonement, repented of our sin, been baptized in water, and thus we have been born again, or born of God.

This may not be the case. In the first place, the Apostles, as recorded in the Book of Acts, never preached that we must be born again in order to be saved from the Day of Wrath. Also, the expression "born again" is not found in Paul's writings. This infrequency of usage does not correspond to today's emphasis that being born again is equivalent to being saved from wrath.

The main usage of the term "born again" was by the Lord Jesus when He said being born again was required if we are to see and enter the Kingdom of God. Being born again has to do with the Kingdom, not with being saved from Hell or from Divine wrath.

Many Americans claim to be born again. Yet we often do not see in their lives evidence of the righteous behavior of the Kingdom of God. No new creation can be observed.

The association of being born again with the Kingdom of God is that it is the Kingdom that is born in us when Christ is born in us. Faith in Christ is one matter; repentance from our former way of living is another. The blood atonement is another consideration while water baptism is something else again. Being born again has to do with the Life of God being conceived in us. These five factors all play a role in our salvation, but perhaps they should be considered separately.

To be born again is to have the Divine Seed of God planted in our personality. The Seed comes from God. It is not human. It is Divine. It is supernatural. It is new Divine Life.

Now there are two distinct natures in us: that which came from Adam and that which comes from God. Our Christian life consists largely of crucifying the adamic nature and growing in the Divine Nature.

Holiness Unto the Lord, #35

And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (I John 2:2)

When the Lord Jesus Christ shed His blood on the cross an atonement was made for all time. As long as eternity lasts there never again will be made an atonement for sin.

The same is true of the giving of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has been given to mankind once and for all time.

Each person who would please God must avail himself or herself of the Divine forgiveness and the Holy Spirit. Through the authority of the atoning blood and the wisdom and power of the Spirit of God each person can start on the path that leads to eternal life, that is, to reconciliation to God.

The gate to life is small and the way is filled with obstacles — at least in the present hour. But a hardy remnant of saints will build the highway of holiness so that in the future all who have a willing heart may walk thereon.

The atonement has been made. The Spirit has been given. Now it is our responsibility to enter the program of reconciliation to God. The program of reconciliation is the spiritual fulfillment of the Old Testament Day of Atonement. The completed reconciliation is the spiritual fulfillment of the Old Testament feast of Tabernacles.

The "woman," the Church, is in travail today. The purpose of the travail is to bring forth Christ in the saints. Until Christ comes forth in us, and God in Him, the accuser of the brothers cannot be torn from his place in the heavens and the Kingdom of God cannot enter the earth.

God's will cannot be done in the earth until it first is performed in the holy remnant whom the Lord is calling out from the churches of our day.

A nation shall be born at once. The nation is the Body of Christ, the Servant of the Lord. The travail has begun. The Lord is at the right hand of His Father, waiting until all of His enemies have been crushed under the feet of His Body.

Are you prepared to give your life so that Christ might live in you and bring the Father's will to pass in the earth? You show your love to your Lord by making it possible for Him to live in you in place of your worldliness, lust, and self-will.

In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, Holiness Unto The Lord; and the pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 14:20,21) (from Holiness Unto the Lord; from The Tabernacle of the Congregation)

Holiness Unto the Lord, #34

And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it. (Exodus 30:1)

There were seven major furnishings of the Tabernacle. Of these seven, the Lampstand was number four and the Altar of Incense was number five.

Speaking in terms of the warlike remnant, the firstfruits of the Church that are being called out by the Spirit, they are wrestling in the Lord that they might move past Pentecost, the Lampstand, and press forward until they apprehend all that the Altar of Incense represents.

The future of the Kingdom depends upon the success of the godly remnant of today pressing their way to the Altar of Incense.

The first four furnishings, the Altar of Burnt Offering, the Laver, the Table of Firstfruits, and the Lampstand profit man. Man is forgiven his sins. Man is cleansed in water baptism. Man is born again at the Table of Showbread. Man is filled with God's Spirit at Pentecost, the Lampstand.

The next step, as typified by the Altar of Incense, the Ark of the Covenant, and the Altar of Incense, has to do with the coming to earth of God's Kingdom — that which profits God.

There was at one time a colossal rebellion on the part of the angels of God. Since that time God has been desirous of bringing the heavens under His control, forming an eternal bride for His Son, and revealing Himself in a company of sons formed in His image. These are God's needs and desires.

God wants everlasting righteousness on the part of all of His creatures, new heavens and a new earth wherein dwells righteousness.

Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. (Daniel 9:24)

Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. (II Peter 3:13)

Satan understands that the material creation is superior to the spirit Paradise and it is here that he intends to rule. Satan's rule is not brought to an end in us or in the earth when we are forgiven, baptized in water, born again, or filled with God's Spirit. Satan's rule is not threatened until we come to the Altar of Incense, bow before God in stern holiness and obedience, and plead, "Not my will but Yours be done."

When we bow in stern obedience we make it possible for the Father and the Son to enter us and begin to work through us. The work of the Father and the Son is to put down all disobedience and to bring everlasting righteousness into our personality and actions and then into our surroundings. This is the Kingdom of God.

We understand, therefore, that nothing is actually happening, as far as installing the Kingdom of God in the earth, until God finds people who will love not their own lives unto the death, who will present themselves as the servant of the Lord, taking their place in the great Servant of the Lord, the Body of Christ.

Holiness Unto the Lord, #33

He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. (Luke 16:10)

If we reign diligently, faithfully, and prayerfully over the small "kingdom" that God has given us in this world we will reign diligently, faithfully, and prayerfully over the great kingdom available to us during the Kingdom Age. Now is the time. Now is the day of salvation. Now is the hour to demonstrate how faithful we shall be to Jesus.

Now is the time to learn the lessons of the Holy Spirit. Now is the time to enter rulership with Christ. The emphasis of today is on His will working in us and revealed to us and through us by the Holy Spirit as we present our body a living sacrifice. We do our part and He does His part. He who overcomes in this struggle will inherit the Kingdom of God.

Let us who are of the Church, the Body of Christ, the fulfillment of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, now put away all filthiness of the flesh and spirit that we may be a holy temple of the Lord. Let us show forth the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.

We must keep in mind always that we have been called to be a kingdom of priests, a people belonging especially to God and set aside to represent Him and to fulfill all His will. We are a called-out group, separate from the nations of the earth. Called-out group is the meaning of the term "church."

We must make certain that we do not lose our crown but rather that we join the company of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises of God — the promises applied to us because we are part of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Of one fact we can be certain: the Christian Church, the spiritual fulfillment of the Tabernacle of the Congregation is always "holiness unto the Lord." Every person and thing associated with the Tabernacle or with its spiritual fulfillment in Christ must be holy in every aspect.

The holiness that is required consists not only of a righteousness that is imputed (ascribed) by means of the blood of atonement of the Lord Jesus, but also of a purity of personality and behavior that is demonstrated in the spiritual and physical realms. There can be no uncleanness in the Body of Christ, for it is the eternal Tabernacle of the Lord God of Heaven.

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we will be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we will be like him; for we will see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Whoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whoever abideth in him sinneth not: whoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. (I John 3:2-7)

Holiness Unto the Lord, #32

And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. (Hebrews 9:22)

Forgiveness of sins comes only by faith in the blood atonement made by Christ. Holiness is a pattern of attitude and behavior in the individual Christian. Holiness is perfected in the follower of Jesus as he goes through the school of the Holy Spirit.

Those who would arrive at the first resurrection and rule with Christ must be purified in imagination, motive, word, and deed.

The relationship of our Christian experience of the present to the experiences we shall have in the future can be expressed simply. If we do not practice holiness now we will not have a desire for holiness at the appearing of the Lord. At what point would our transformation into holiness take place?

When we die and go to Heaven? Why? Sin originated in Heaven with the rebellion of the angels against God Almighty. Why should our dying and going to Heaven change us from indifferent "believers" into lovers of the Lord Jesus and His ways? If we follow Jesus from far off here we will follow Him from far off there.

When, where, and how would the moral transformation of the Christians take place? In Heaven? At the coming of Christ?

Our places will have been assigned already when we finish our life here on earth. The earth is God's proving ground, His school for victorious saints. Christ Himself learned obedience on the earth and we learn obedience on the earth. Christ Himself had to overcome while on the earth and we have to overcome while we are yet on the earth. It is on earth that the Christian is shaped and tempered for his role and place of responsibility in God's Kingdom.

If we desire to know the place of a person in God's Kingdom to come, all we need to do is to observe him on the earth. If he is responding to the molding and tempering work of the Holy Spirit, it is apparent here on earth.

You can see the transformation with your eyes and weigh it objectively. There will be no sudden transformations of character at the coming of the Lord. The change at the coming of the Lord will be primarily in the body. The saints are the saints whether they are here on the earth or at home with the Lord in Heaven.

If we desire to leave all and follow Jesus now we will have a desire to leave all and follow Jesus in Heaven and in the ages to come. If we can be easily led astray here it is possible that we could be easily led astray in the spirit realm and in the ages to come. However, sin shall not be permitted in the Kingdom of God. God in the present hour is perfecting in the hearts of the saints an eternal defense against future sin and rebellion.

Our character as a person will not be changed by our death or by the Lord's appearing. It is true, however, that it will be much easier to live righteously and obediently when the Lord returns to set up His Kingdom. His Spirit will be poured out on the earth, and the sons of God will be administering justice to the nations.

Holiness Unto the Lord, #31

And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. (Revelation 19:19)

Christ is the Word of God made flesh. We are the flesh being made the Word. We are being made the Word of God by the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in us. Day by day the Word of God tests us, purging away little by little the fleshly nature and replacing it with the Divine Nature. The sharp sword proceeding from the mouth of Jesus is the Word of God in judgment.

In that day, no one will stand who cannot bear up under the judging force of the Word of God. It is Christ and His army who execute the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. We see, then, that grace must result in a transformed moral nature.

A legal state of forgiveness, while it is the all-important first step in the program of redemption in Christ, is not sufficient to enable the Christian to live, fight, and work with boldness alongside of Christ during the Day of the Lord.

The earth belongs to Christ — Head and Body. But the earth cannot be taken without a fight. The battle is kingdom against kingdom — the Kingdom of God against the nations of the earth that are governed by Satan and his kingdom.

When the Lord Jesus appears with His army, the nations of the earth, being driven by Satan, actually will attempt to resist with force His coming (see Revelation 19:19 above). The heads of state will unite in the struggle to prevent the Lord Jesus from ruling over His earth. They shall be totally destroyed. The outcome of the war is described in the last verses of the Revelation, Chapter 19.

It appears that the above is the resurrection about which Paul was so concerned (Philippians 3:8-14), a resurrection that is not to be taken for granted on the basis of assent to Christian doctrine.

The first resurrection is for the blessed and holy priesthood. It is the resurrection to the fullness of eternal life, to ruling with the Lord over the nations of the saved during the thousand-year Kingdom Age. The second resurrection, that which will take place at the end of the thousand years, will include all persons born on the earth, with the exception of the blessed and holy priesthood.

It is generally understood that only the wicked will be raised at the second resurrection. This is not true. The wording of the Scripture indicates that the majority of those raised in the second resurrection will be brought into eternal life in the new world of righteousness (Revelation 20:12-15).

The first resurrection is for the Lord's victorious saints. The second resurrection is for everyone else.

Holiness Unto the Lord, #30

And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness [righteous deeds] of saints. (Revelation 19:8)

The redeeming (buying back; ransoming) of the physical body is an important part of the Christian salvation. Christian grace includes the redemption of the physical body from the power and penalty of sin.

Keeping the redemption of the physical body in mind, we suspect that Revelation 19:8 refers to the putting on of increased eternal life by the saints, and that the putting on of righteousness is Peter's "salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" and Paul's "prize of the high calling of God in Christ."

In fact, the saints will be clothed with their own godly response to their afflictions (II Corinthians 4:17;5:4). If they have sown to eternal life they will put on increased incorruptible life at that time. This is the "crown of life."

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. (Revelation 19:11)

"Judge and make war"! This is the true nature of God's actions through the warrior Son. How could it be otherwise when the presence and work of unclean spirits abound in the earth?

Here is the return of God's King, Christ, and the time when Jesus takes to Himself the rulership of the earth. Here is the Lord Jesus receiving the reward of His tremendous patience — the nations for His inheritance and the farthest reaches of the earth for His possession.

But He must establish His ownership by judgment and war against evil spirits, just as we must establish our inheritance by judgment and war against evil spirits.

And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. (Revelation 19:14)

We believe that these armies are the believers who attain the first resurrection. They are "caught up" to be ever "with the Lord" (I Thessalonians 4:14-17) so they may fight by His side as He drives all wickedness from the earth.

There is an emphasis on the fine linen (righteous behavior). There will be no liars in that army, no lustful, no boasters, no ambitious, no haters, no gossipers, no fearful, no murderers. The word righteousness in Revelation 19:8 is more accurately translated "righteousnesses" or "righteous deeds."

The saints will have been made holy by the power of the grace of God — holy in thought, word, deed, and motivation. They are holy warriors. Because they themselves have been judged and made righteous by repeated fiery trials, testings, temptations, and have overcome them all through Christ, they now are able to work with the Lord in judging and making war on the unholy spirits in the earth.

Judging, warring against, and destroying evil in the earth will bring about the righteous period we refer to as the Kingdom Age (Millennium).

And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. (Revelation 19:15)

Holiness Unto the Lord, #29

. . . so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. (Isaiah 61:11)

The holy city, the new Jerusalem, is the Body of Christ. It is the will of Christ that all sin in the members of His Body be put to death by the Holy Spirit.

The Church will demonstrate the grace of God here on earth while it yet is in a mortal body (Ephesians 5:27). If it were not possible for God to create righteousness in the earth, how could the Kingdom of God be established? God indeed can create righteousness and praise in His people while they yet are in the earth, and He is in the process of doing so.

The Christian Church is the new Jerusalem. In the Day of the Lord, the Church will be set up on the earth as the holy Tabernacle of God.

God will create holiness in the firstfruits of the Church while the members are on the earth in mortal bodies. God will bring in the worldwide Kingdom Age by first creating an individual "kingdom age" (destruction of Satan's power) in the members of the Church. The victorious Christian has the essential environment of the Kingdom Age in him. The actual, historical thousand-year Kingdom Age will commence at the coming of our Lord and Savior, Christ.

The Church is being refined by the working of the several parts of salvation, of which Calvary is central in importance. When the Christian people are ready, having been made so by the careful workmanship of the Holy Spirit of God, then the Glory of God will come upon the Church, "splitting the earthen vessels" of the members just as the pitchers of Gideon's men were broken open.

The coming of our Lord Jesus to the earth is described in the Book of Revelation. The saints will be with Him during the judgment on the earth. The saints will be involved in the administration of the judgment of God (Psalms 149). This is the manifestation of the sons of God; Joel's "army"; Habakkuk's "troops"; Jude's "ten thousands of his saints"; Daniel's "time that the saints possessed the kingdom"; Paul's "resurrection of the dead" (Philippians 3:11).

And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. (I John 3:3)

The above (Revelation 19:7,8) describes the point at which the physical body is clothed with the body from Heaven. A covering of righteousness will be granted to the saints at this time.

Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (I Peter 1:5)

In one sense we are saved now. In another true, scriptural sense a major part of our salvation is ahead of us.

Holiness Unto the Lord, #28

And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. (Revelation 22:12)

Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. (Revelation 22:14)

No one who is not holy in heart and actions can pass through the gates of the new Jerusalem. The emphasis is on doing His commandments.

For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whoever loveth and maketh a lie. (Revelation 22:15)

The last verse quoted is an accurate description of the world in which we live. The only escape from this polluted atmosphere is by means of the transforming power of Christ in the human heart.

We have "blown the trumpet." The alarm has been sounded in the Christian camp. Let the reader examine his own spirit.

Then whoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. (Ezekiel 33:4,5)

The new Jerusalem is the fulfillment of the Tabernacle of the Congregation. We find that under no circumstances will uncleanness of motive, imagination, word, or deed be allowed to enter the new Jerusalem.

Sin originated in Heaven with the rebellion of the creatures there. But sin shall never enter the new Jerusalem.

Sin cannot enter or exist in the new Jerusalem because the holy city is the Church, the Body of Christ, and is filled with the spirit of the victorious saints. Sin shall be driven from the Church, and finally from the remainder of the creation by means of God through Christ through the Holy Spirit working in and through the saints of the Lord.

Christian people are to overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their testimony, and by the fact that they are willing to love not their lives to the death.

The "blood of the Lamb" refers to the legal work of atonement and remission (forgiveness) of sins accomplished by the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary. Whenever Satan attempts to accuse a victorious saint of some past sin, the saint is to place his trust in the blood of the Lamb and believe that the sin has been forgiven by the Lord.

Concerning present sin, the believer is to confess the sin and forsake it. In both past and present sin the blood of the Lamb washes away the guilt and the power of sin, provided the saint turns away from the sin and follows the Lamb.

The "word of their testimony" refers to the steadfast confession of the believer that God is true and faithful, and His Word is true and faithful. No matter into what dungeon of oppression he is cast the saint keeps on expressing his hope and trust that God finally will bring him into perfect love, joy, and peace.

We are to love not our lives to the death, meaning we must cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the death of our first personality until it is "crucified with Christ." We cannot hold back from the Lord one piece of our self life. All must go, as the Lord leads. We must be perfectly obedient to the Father. Also, we are to accept physical martyrdom if it becomes necessary.

Holiness Unto the Lord, #27

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and sulfur: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:7,8)

Paul says, "They which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God" (Galatians 5:21). But today's gospel is, "Those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God unless they believe in Christ." We have made the Word of God of no effect by our traditions. What good is the grace of God in Christ unless it converts us until we no longer do these things?

Imperfection of doctrine will not put a person in the lake of burning sulfur. But fear will! Unbelief will! Depravity will! Murder will! Adultery will! Spiritism will! Idolatry will! Lying will!

Let us place emphasis where God places emphasis. Satan will divert us, if he can, from the necessity for righteous conduct.

And there shall in no wise enter it [the holy city, the Church, the Body of Christ] any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. (Revelation 21:27)

We understand that a person is written in the Book of Life on the basis of his confession of faith in Christ. However, the individual must live a victorious Christian life if he is to maintain his place in the Book of Life.

"I will not blot out his name out of the book of life." It is possible to have one's name blotted from the Book of Life.

Salvation is the reconstruction of the human being according to the pattern of God's image. Without such transformation grace can become an empty form, an excuse for sinful behavior, a license to practice immorality. If the life is not noticeably being reconstructed, how do we know that the person actually has come to Christ? By his words? The Christian testimony consists of more than words.

It is necessary that a person confess with his mouth that Christ is his Lord because by the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

But a life that is undergoing a transformation from the works of the flesh to the fruit of the Holy Spirit — that is more than mere words. That is visible proof that the Son of God is dwelling in the heart. Let us not be deceived. Christians can be identified by the moral fruit they bear.

He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. (Revelation 22:11)

Consider, in the preceding verse, how a person's moral nature is brought forward unchanged to the Day of the Lord. It is vain to hope for miracles of character transformation at the appearing of Christ. What there shall be is weeping and gnashing of teeth as people realize they have been deceived by Satan.

Holiness Unto the Lord, #26

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. (Matthew 5:6)

Every person can desire to be consecrated totally. God can use our desire to accomplish His will in us. If you are weak, say, "Lord, help me. Help me give my life to you without reservation. Strengthen my desire to love Jesus. Blow my flickering flame into a roaring bonfire of love — a single-minded pursuit of Christ."

Then praise God for the answer. Use the amount of will power that you have and believe that God will increase your zeal each day. You must use what you have no matter how small an amount it is. Bring your feeble discipleship to Christ and ask Him to bless and multiply it as He did the loaves and fish.

Ask in faith and do not waver. God will turn your desires toward Himself until He and you are satisfied. Then determine to keep your will as strong as steel in Christ toward God every moment of every day of your life. There is no other way to obtain the fullness of the inheritance God has for us. We must forsake the world and its lusts, our fleshly desires, the devil and his enticements, and our self-love and self-seeking.

Cleave to Christ with every ounce of your personality. Do it now — right now! This is the best and only time you ever will have. Today is the day of salvation. Today is your day to be married to Christ. Tomorrow very well may be too late.

The victorious saints are diligent in earthly responsibilities but there is no mistaking the completeness of their consecration to Christ. When there is doubt at any point, God puts the doubtful area to the test of fire. They are the victorious saints — the archenemies of the spirit of the world.

The heroes of Scripture were cut from this cloth. We can see the nature of the overcomer in Abraham, Moses, David, Daniel, Jeremiah, Peter, Paul, John. They could not rest until the will of God was wrought fully in their life. It is equally true today. Nothing is different. Faith is not belief in doctrine. Faith is the response of the individual to the calling of God on his life. Faith is the same in the Old Testament and the New Testament.

There is no hiding our head in the sand, hoping that some miracle will occur at the coming of the Lord in which a worldly, indifferent church member is transformed into God's holy dwelling place. The Gospel of Christ is ancient — unchanged from the day Abraham led Isaac to the altar; Shadrach was thrown into the oven; Elijah prayed on Mount Carmel; Stephen was stoned.

The new Jerusalem will be holy because the people who serve as a wall around the new Jerusalem will be God's victorious saints of every age. Christ has driven the rebellion and idolatry from their heart.

The emphasis in the preceding passage is on the necessity for conquering sin and self-will, on holiness of heart and actions, not just a profession of faith in Christ.

Holiness Unto the Lord, #25

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. (Revelation 12:11)

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (Revelation 21:7)

To understand the meaning of the word overcome one must consider carefully the second and third chapters of Revelation, and also take into account all that the Apostles of the new covenant have written about the victorious Christian life. Any concept that is addressed so pointedly and repeatedly is worthy of the disciple's strict attention.

To overcome is to emerge victorious in a struggle. The world, the fleshly nature, and Satan are set against the Christian, attempting to prevent him from obtaining his inheritance in Christ; attempting to prevent him from entering the rest of God; attempting to deceive him into disobeying God; attempting to seduce him into spending his days in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

He who overcomes shall inherit all the promises of God, particularly the promises concerning fruitfulness and rulership. Overcoming is an intensely personal condition of the heart and has to do with the life of prayer and dedication on the part of the disciple of Jesus of Nazareth.

Divine grace is not restricted to the forgiveness of sins, although forgiveness is a vital part of God's grace in Christ. Divine grace includes also a change in our character that causes us to be continually obedient to the Spirit of Christ, to be a holy servant of the Lord God of Heaven, just as was true of the priests of the Tabernacle of the Congregation.

Grace means not only the hiding of the sins of Christians from God's eyes but also the Divine working in the believer that re-creates his moral nature until he is able to serve God with increasing success. Grace works legally (de jure ) in providing remission (forgiveness) of guilt, and then actually (de facto ) in purging sinful deeds from the Christian. There is power in Christ to save people from sin, that is, to deliver them from the power of the devil.

We can observe the victorious saints now — here in the earth. They are given over wholly to Christ. The strings of their heart are tied hard to Christ. Christ is All in all to them. They have left the "weak and beggarly" elements of the world so they may know Christ. They are "strangers and pilgrims on the earth."

God is their life and their life is God. They are the disciples of Jesus of Nazareth and they have given all to Him. They follow Him wherever He goes. They love Jesus with their whole mind, soul, and strength. They look to the Lord twenty-four hours of every day — at home, on the job, at school, and assembled with fellow Christians. They cannot get enough of Christ. It is Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!

Does this kind of attitude sound like something you desire? If so, tell the Lord about it right now. Do not let another hour go by. At first it is difficult to make such a total consecration. In fact, it is impossible in our natural strength.

Holiness Unto the Lord, #24

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5,6)

Either our heart is married to Christ or it is not. Either we are lusting after the things of the world or we are not. This does not mean we are to flee from earthly responsibility or perform our tasks in the world halfheartedly. We are to work in the world as to the Lord. It is our heart that is the problem. Our heart must be so devoted to Christ that there is no question as to where our treasures are.

If this is not the case with you, if you cannot find the spiritual strength to say an eternal yes to Jesus, do not despair. Do not faint. Tell Jesus about it. Tell Him out loud with your mouth that you need more strength for consecration. Or just cry, Help! If you really want to be an overcomer, God is willing to give you the necessary strength. God Himself will strengthen your asking and your receiving until you can say, "I love Jesus above all."

What, then, of the nonovercoming Christian, the defeated believer? We cannot say. There is a basis in the Scripture, such as the story of Lot, for the belief that some people will be saved by fire apart from any inheritance in the Lord. On the other hand, there are warnings in the New Testament that the lazy, the careless, the lukewarm, will be dealt with very harshly by the Lord. Do not let the spiritually lazy, the careless, the lukewarm imagine that their experience after death will be pleasant because of God's love, mercy, or grace. It will not be pleasant!

The Scripture is emphatic on one point: the promises of God concerning priesthood and rulership in the age to come, the Day of the Lord, are reserved for the victorious saints. Christians who do not press through to victory in the Lord Jesus have no scriptural hope of ruling with Christ or of being in the first resurrection (Philippians 3:10-14; Revelation 20:6).

Let us glance at some of the verses of Revelation that pertain to the promises to the overcomer. Remember, the term overcome must be defined as "maintaining continually through Christ victory over the world, the lust of the flesh, Satan, and our self-will."

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. (Revelation 2:7)

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of [be harmed by] the second death. (Revelation 2:11)

And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star. (Revelation 2:26-28)

To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. (Revelation 3:21) (Compare Revelation 20:4; Daniel 7:22)

Holiness Unto the Lord, #23

His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; (Revelation 1:14)

The Book of Revelation has much to say about the victorious Christian life and the Day of the Lord. The stage is set for the concept of godly behavior, and judgment to come, by the appearance of Christ.

When Jesus returns to earth He will examine every creature, searching out and destroying sin and the works of the devil. All ungodliness will be exposed to the white heat of the purity of the Godhead.

All fleshly motives, words, thoughts, deeds, will be consumed by Divine fire. This is the day of fire. This is the great Day, the Day of Christ, the Day of the Lord, the Day of God, the Day of Judgment, held in terrifying remembrance by every demon. The attention of God's creatures is directed continually by the Spirit, by the Scriptures, and by conscience toward That Day!

Of particular importance to our doctrine concerning the relationship of godly Christian living to the Day of the Lord are the expressions concerning overcoming found in Revelation, Chapters Two and Three. From our point of view, the concept of the victorious Christian has not received nearly enough emphasis by Christian teachers.

The New Testament writings teach consistently that the promises of God concerning rulership and priesthood in the age to come are for him who overcomes. It appears that this concept has been ignored. We have gotten around the overcoming requirement by defining "he who overcomes" as he who makes a profession of the Christian faith.

Overcoming, in the New Testament sense, is victorious living in Christ. The overcomer is the Christian who, at each point in time, prays and obeys through every temptation and trial set before him or her.

This is not to say that an overcoming Christian cannot stumble or be deceived. He can, assuredly. But stumbling and deception are exceptional periods in his life.

When the overcomer makes mistakes he corrects them, under the supervision of the Holy Spirit of God, and fights on. He is a Caleb, a Joshua. By faith he lays hold on the promises of God and is not discouraged easily.

He recovers from setbacks and proceeds with his life of dedication to and fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. He withholds nothing — absolutely nothing — from God. (It is impossible to overcome when there is an idol in the heart.) His life actually is a living sacrifice.

Through the blood of Christ and the word of his testimony, continually stating his trust in the faithfulness of God, the victorious Christian emerges as a conqueror in the wrestling match against the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Each day he says a final no! to the world, the flesh, and Satan.

The victorious Christian life is not referring to a bearded prophet working out an extraordinary consecration while hidden away in a cave in the wilderness. Perfect, complete obedience to God is our "reasonable service." No believer should be entertaining ideas about ruling with Christ or receiving the rewards of the overcomer unless he is consecrated absolutely to Christ. There is no middle ground, no place of compromise.

Holiness Unto the Lord, #22

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (Revelation 21:7)

It is our task as Christians to overcome the world through the grace that Christ gives so that the wicked one (Satan) does not touch us. By referring to the writings of the Apostles we understand we cannot overcome the world by our own strength.

We overcome the world by means of prayer, submitting to God, resisting the devil, reading the Word, being exposed to the manifestation of the Spirit, walking in strict obedience to the prompting of the Spirit of God, enjoying Christian fellowship, avoiding temptation, confessing our sins, praying for one another, obeying the elders, exercising faith, presenting our body a living sacrifice, putting on the Lord Jesus Christ, and doing whatever else is necessary to prevent Satan from touching us or having any part in us whatever.

Overcoming is overcoming! It is the conquering of a cunning adversary. Christ overcame Satan by perfect obedience to the Father during His life, and during His death on the cross.

Christ destroyed completely the legal claims of Satan on those who receive Christ by faith. But the Christian also must overcome. The believer must overcome the resistance of the world, the flesh, and the devil each day of his sojourn on earth. The believer does this by availing himself by faith of the grace and equipment offered to him by the Spirit of God (Ephesians 6:10-18).

Revelation, Chapters Two and Three teach us the meaning of the term overcome. These chapters are addressed to believers. It is the Christians who must overcome, not the unsaved.

Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God. (III John 1:11)

The Book of Jude is an exhortation and warning to Christians concerning godly living and judgment to come. The Christian life is portrayed as one of resisting sin through prayer, and of daily growth in actual holiness and practical godliness.

But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, (Jude 1:20)

We are not to be just saying prayers but wrestling in the Spirit against the world, the flesh, and Satan — wrestling in the strength and wisdom of the Spirit as the Spirit leads. Otherwise we wear ourselves out battling in our own wisdom and strength.

Keep yourselves in the love of God [this is an active spiritual battle rather than a mental assent to a doctrinal position], looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. (Jude 1:21)

It is true that we have eternal life upon the acceptance of Christ. But it is true also that eternal life is the reward of holding fast to Christ throughout one's life on earth (Hebrews 3:6,14; I Peter 1:5).

Holiness Unto the Lord, #21

Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. (I John 4:17)

Because the grace of God is enabling us to live a godly life now, in this present world, we have no fear of the wrath that will be poured out on mankind at the coming of Christ. We have been "fireproofed" by having been through the fires of judgment with Christ during our Christian experience. We have been chastened and made righteous by the Lord so we will not be condemned with the world.

This is more than a carrying into Heaven while the world is being judged. Rather, it is a "boldness in the day of judgment." It is a boldness based on an acceptance of the atonement and lordship of Christ and on the possession of a life that has been re-created into the image of God by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit until "as he is, so are we in this world."

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? (I John 5:4,5)

Sometimes the above verse is used to prove that if we merely make a mental assent to the fact that Jesus is the Son of God we have overcome the world and there is little more we need to do.

If this were true, then the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation, the part of the Scriptures that addresses the overcomers, would stress our belief. Actually, these two chapters emphasize our works.

Also, if a simple assent to the Divinity of the Lord Jesus were all we needed to do to satisfy God's requirement concerning victorious Christian living, the main thesis of First John, which is that we faithfully keep God's commandments, meanwhile purifying ourselves, would be found to be an unnecessary exhortation.

"Faith" must be defined as obedience to God rather than mental assent to the Divinity of Jesus. The eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews, the "faith" chapter of the Scriptures, does not so much as mention belief in doctrine of any kind. Rather the faith of the saints of old was a faith that resulted in obedience to the will of God.

The meaning of I John 5:4,5 is that true faith, true belief that Jesus is the Son of God, results in our overcoming the world. The individual who overcomes the world is the one who has faith in the Lord Jesus — that Christ has come in the flesh and that Christ is the Lord Jesus. This person, because of his sincere adherence to the truth, will be able to overcome the lust that is in the world.

It is not the belief that is of itself the victory. Rather it is that a true belief will always result in victorious living. This concept follows the exhortation to holy living that is found throughout the Book of First John.

Holiness Unto the Lord, #20

He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. (I John 3:8)

The purpose of the manifestation of the sons of God is to destroy the works of the devil. It is the manifestation of the sons of God, Christ and His army, that will bring in the Kingdom Age. The Kingdom Age is the period of time when the influence of Satan is removed from our earth for a season.

Whoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his [God's] seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. (I John 3:9)

We have been so conditioned by the teaching that it is inevitable that Christians sin while they are in the world, and that grace is little more than an excuse for the sins of believers, that I John 3:9 (above) may be incomprehensible to us.

In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. (I John 3:10)

The passage just quoted (above) is important because it provides a method of testing the genuineness of Christian experience. It is neither a profession of belief nor some kind of religious behavior that enables us to discriminate between Christians and non-Christians. The test of Christian experience is whether the Holy Spirit is bearing the fruit of godliness in the individual.

When Paul was testifying to Felix, the governor of Caesarea, Paul did not advise Felix to make a profession of "faith," after which he could continue his life as before. Rather, we find that Paul warned Felix concerning the wrath to come:

And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee. (Acts 24:24,25)

How many evangelists of "grace," after the modern definition of the term, have preached that Felix would not make a simple profession of belief, preferring a "convenient season"?

But the Scripture states that the Apostle reasoned of "righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come." If we of today who claim the name of Christ are to draw back from our adulterous union with the world and to seek Him whose Gospel we claim to teach, then we must proclaim righteous, temperate behavior with a view toward the judgment to come. Righteousness and self-control are essential parts of the Christian Gospel.

We are re-created in righteousness by means of the work of Christ in us. It is through the Gospel that we learn self-control in the use of the world and so escape the riotous living that destroys the bodies and souls of our neighbors.

It is through the Gospel of the Kingdom of God that we learn to fear the Day of Wrath that will dawn in fire, and through that fear turn from the lusts of the world and present our bodies a living sacrifice before God in Christ. It is not surprising that the worldly Felix trembled.

Holiness Unto the Lord, #19

And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure [this thought parallels that expressed in 2:6]. (I John 3:3)

Again, the expression of the relationship between Christian living and the Day of the Lord: "this hope" (above) is that of being like Christ when He appears, and seeing Him as He is.

And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whoever abideth in him sinneth not: whoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. (I John 3:6)2

Godly living is the true test of faith. It is impossible to have a living faith in our Lord Jesus Christ without an accompanying transformation of character — a transformation into a holy and blameless life.

Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. (I John 3:7)

Paul mentions men who "lie in wait to deceive." Who are the men who deceive? They are Christian teachers who say that a person can serve God acceptably apart from a life of holy consecration. Why do men "lie in wait to deceive"? Because they are seeking personal advantage. They worship their own appetites. "For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's."

Not all that takes place in Christian churches comes from the Lord Jesus. Satan and his angels and demons are religious creatures. They desire the inheritance designated for the sons of God. They are active in all Christian churches. They thoroughly enjoy church activities and attempt to experience the glory and joy they once knew in the heavens. Their joy and their motivation are unclean, perverse, and destructive. They will seek to use believers who are worldly, lustful, or personally ambitious. When Christ begins to work, the unclean spirits and people influenced by them will rise up and seek to kill Him and those He is using to further his purposes.

The true prophets of the Lord are always denouncing the works of Satan in God's Church, and God's Church often hates and murders the prophets of God.

When a group of people have begun to expose the false concept of grace, the concept that leaves people with the impression they will experience Paradise after they die even though they have not served Christ with all diligence — when this concept is threatened, as it shall be by God's prophets in our day, we shall see the face of an enraged Satan. This is because Satan is counting on a pardon from God. He is hoping for escape from the Lake of Fire for himself, and so he puts in the hearts of lukewarm believers a false understanding of mercy and grace, hoping that God will save both them and himself as well. Satan fears the vengeance of God!

The true saints of the Lord, the holy remnant, will be persecuted without mercy in the near future. Some of their fellow Christians may heap scorn on them and seek to silence those who are announcing the true message of the Kingdom of God, the message of righteous and holy behavior and the doing of God's will in the earth.

Holiness Unto the Lord, #18

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation [conduct] and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto [hastening] the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? (II Peter 3:10-12)

The same "Flee from the wrath to come!," "Prepare for the Day of Wrath!" exhortation found in I Peter 4 is seen also in II Peter (above).

Chapter Three of Second Peter does not appear to assume that the Christian will escape judgment. If Peter were making such an assumption, some evidence of it should be manifest in the third chapter. Here is the type of statement we should be finding:

"The elements shall melt with fervent heat. But the judgment of God shall never touch you, beloved. Now that you have accepted Christ as your personal Savior there is no way in which the Lord's judgment on sin can possibly affect you."

"You, beloved of our Lord, shall take your ease with Jesus in the mansions of glory. Therefore, put your minds at rest concerning the Day of God. The grace of God has forgiven all the sins you are practicing and will yet practice. On your profession of faith in Christ you are totally free from sin and the judgment thereof. Though the Day of the Lord will be a time of terror to the unbelievers, you as a Christian can never be brought into judgment concerning your sins."

"Rejoice in Christ, my brothers, for He will never allow His own to come under the judgment of God."

The preceding three "passages," which we have composed from our knowledge of evangelical sermons, are in keeping with the doctrine of grace on which millions of Christians are resting their hope. However, the three statements are alien to the teaching of the first-century Apostles.

Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. (II Peter 3:14)

We are to live a holy life because we are looking forward to the destruction of the world and the spirit of the world, and to the creation of "new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness."

The Apostle John has written a letter to us. The main burden of the letter is the overcoming of sin in the life of the disciple. John warns us concerning sin:

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (I John 1:8)

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (I John 2:1)

He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. (I John 2:6)

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (I John 2:15)

Holiness Unto the Lord, #17

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: (I Peter 4:12)

When we Christians come into difficult situations we may find them "strange." We need to consider the following:

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is more powerful than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (Matthew 3:11,12)

But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. (I Peter 4:13)

Here is the correct attitude for the Christian to take toward suffering, and the Day of the Lord. We are being prepared now so we can stand in that Day (Ephesians 6:13). We are being "fireproofed."

The suffering that comes on the Christian is part of God's judgment on the earth.

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved [is saved with difficulty], where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? (I Peter 4:17,18)

So much, then, for the pleasure-loving, overconfident attitude in our churches that portrays the grace of God as a screen that conceals from Divine sight the sins of the Christians while permitting the sins of the non-Christians to pass through to judgment and execution of sentence. One sentence that already has been passed on the churches of today is the tragic lack of Divine Presence and revival power.

The churches do not seem to care! Few cry to God day and night for the restoration of His Presence and power among us. We have been "burned" doubly by judgment: first, we have been deprived of the abundance of resurrection life; second, we do not recognize and are not concerned that we have been deprived of Divine Life. We are paying dearly for our sin and coldness toward God.

It may be observed that the Book of First Peter is an exhortation and warning concerning godly Christian behavior. Such an exhortation and warning would be unnecessary if the only benefit of Divine grace were the covering of the sins of the Christians.

The Book of Second Peter also is an exhortation and warning concerning godly Christian living.

Wherefore the rather, brothers, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things [develop godly characteristics], ye shall never fall: (II Peter 1:10)

Holiness Unto the Lord, #16

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

The Spirit of God always stands ready and willing to assist us as we go to the Throne of God for help in our time of need. But we ourselves must make the decision to serve God at every moment. If we do not, the Life of Christ in us will be aborted. As in the parable of the sower, the Divine Seed will bear no lasting fruit.

Adam permitted Satan to enter the Paradise of God. It is Adam, with the assistance (grace) of Christ, who must be the one to drive Satan from the garden.

Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. (James 1:21-25)

James has given us a word that should help offset the pleasure-loving attitude that currently attends the ancient Gospel of Christ:

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. (James 4:8-10)

Peter is of one mind with Paul and James. These words are addressed to Christian people:

Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation [in all your behavior]; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: (I Peter 1:13-17)

Chapters One through Three of I Peter are exhortations to holy Christian living. Chapter Four reveals that God sends suffering (fiery judgment) on Christians to prepare them for the Day of the Lord.

Holiness Unto the Lord, #15

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22,23)

The third trap in which Christians get caught is the attempt to create heart holiness by using human energy. A believer can destroy his spiritual rest and poise by attempting to manufacture love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and self-control.

The above virtues are the "fruit of the Holy Spirit," not the fruit of the Christian. They grow out from and characterize the Spirit of God, not the human spirit. They will grow out from and characterize the Christian provided the Spirit of Christ is prevailing in the Christian's life. They are the natural, expected outcomes of abiding in Christ.

Such virtues cannot be developed or copied by human effort. The more one tries the more fretful and despairing one becomes. Our part is to accept the forgiveness of Christ, to rest in Him, and to be obedient to the Holy Spirit during each moment of our life.

God's part is to create righteousness in our heart. This is the true grace of God. It cannot be developed or imitated by human nature. Although we must live as righteously as we can in each of these areas, human nature is basically corrupt, whereas the Spirit of God is pure, all-powerful, all-wise, all-loving, all-peaceful, all-joyous.

We must use the self-control we do possess in our own personality. We must say no when we are enticed to do something we know to be wrong. If we are too weak to say no, we should pray for the strength to say no, and then look to God for total victory.

We must resist the devil as well as we are able. We also must recognize that our will power, while it is a vital part of man and related to his will and power of judgment, can never create in us the lasting fruit of the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is the fruit of the Spirit and is the end result of the abiding of the Spirit of God in the human heart.

Although it is true that holiness does not consist of do this and don't do that, and that we cannot create holiness by human will power, it still is important that we do what we can to keep our personality pure.

Social activities, such as going to the beach or to theater, which in time past were wholesome, are now accompanied by so much corruption that in many instances they are not at all suitable for the Christian family. The television, the most prominent source of entertainment and information of our day, projects so much that is satanic that many Christians wisely refuse to have a television receiver in their home.

Let us emphasize once again that we must obey the commandments of the Apostles to the best of our ability. Since the growth of Christ in us is a slow process, the greater part of our discipleship is conducted as our adamic nature calls on the Spirit of God for assistance. If our natural man does not have integrity, is not willing to deny himself, take up his cross, and follow the Lord, then it is impossible to walk in the path that leads to eternal life.

Holiness Unto the Lord, #14

Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? (Colossians 2:20-22)

The second of the three traps is defining holiness as external observances of some kind or another. These may include such items as the wearing of old-fashioned clothes; special dietary regulations such as abstinence from pork, tea, coffee; the keeping of special days. All such religious observances are significant to those who practice them and are entwined in their faith toward God.

If we ourselves believe we are not obligated to observe such regulations we ought to refrain from criticizing Christians who do keep them, and when we are with them to follow their customs insofar as it is necessary to help them maintain their faith toward God. Many Christians are too loose rather than too strict in their religious observances.

True new covenant holiness is concerned with spiritual cleanliness — cleanliness from the influences of evil spirits. The motives, thoughts, imaginations, acts, and words that God views as unclean (unholy) are those of lust, perversion, murder, hatred, lying, stealing, spiritism, jealousy, gossiping, backbiting, spite, envy, denominational pride, revenge, boasting, coveting, idolatry, excesses of eating and drinking, fearfulness, timidity, greed, reveling, haughtiness, immoderate ambition, slothfulness, rebellion against God, unbelief, reliance on education and intellectual ability instead of the Spirit of God, to name a few uncleannesses prevalent in the Body of Christ.

These are the things that defile a man. These are the spiritual uncleannesses and bondages that Christ came to destroy so that people may find rest in the Presence of God.

Lust, murder, covetousness, and lying are the nature of Satan and his followers.

Attending a performance of some kind, vacationing at the beach or at a national park, drinking coffee or tea, are holy or unholy in God's sight depending on the particular situation. But lewdness, perversion, hatred, spite, gossiping, criticism, covetousness, always are an abomination to God. They abound in the churches. God sends judgment on the doers of them whether or not they are Christians.

We church members, with regard to holiness, need to be careful that we do not swallow camels while we are straining out gnats. There are some of us who would die before we would be seen at the beach or inside a moving picture theater. Yet, we harbor an unforgiving spirit in our heart. We are stubborn and unyielding over injustices that we have suffered or think we have suffered. We respond with malice when we cannot have our own way.

The truth in this case is upside down. The theater and beach are of little consequence from the Divine viewpoint. They may be good or evil depending on the circumstances.

But unforgiveness! stubbornness! malice! — these are wicked spirits, the brood of Satan. So are all forms of lust and perversion, hatred, sorcery, idolatry, and pride. Personal ambition, envy, strife, and the willingness to follow personal loyalties (I am of Paul; I am of Peter) have destroyed thousands of Christian fellowships.

Holiness Unto the Lord, #13

But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. (Ephesians 5:3-7)

The passage above sums up the apostolic attitude toward the sins of the Christian:

Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. (Ephesians 5:14)

Christ gives the Christian man and woman the authority and power to overcome sin and lead a holy life. This a different concept from that of attaching the label of Christ to a human life that continues in unholy behavior, stating that Christ is saving that one by "grace."

It is the writer's understanding that God will save multitudes of people from destruction in the Day of Wrath on the basis of their accepting the Gospel of Christ. Many of these may not have lived a victorious life for one reason or another. Only Jesus will decide the fate of each person.

However, it is an extremely dangerous position to trust in God's mercy to save us if we know the Gospel and are careless in our response to it. There are stern warnings in the Scripture concerning the lazy servant!

And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 25:30)

In addition to basic salvation from wrath, it is God's will that the Church grow in holiness and power until it is a militant, overcoming force in the earth. We must expand our understanding of grace to include the power to move from victory to victory over the impulses of the flesh and fleshly mind.

That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:27)

In the last few pages an emphasis has been placed on personal holiness. There are at least three "traps" in which the Christian can be caught, in the area of the doctrine of holiness.

The first trap is the concept that righteousness by faith means that the sins of the Christian are overlooked because of his profession of faith in Christ. When the overlooked concept is emphasized, the creation of righteousness in the believer, which is the essential act and meaning of salvation, is left to chance.

Grace then becomes an empty form. The main doctrine of several of the books of the New Testament is destroyed. A verse such as the following loses its importance:

For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:8)

Holiness Unto the Lord, #12

For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. (I Corinthians 11:32)

It is difficult for us to understand the New Testament passages concerning sin because we have for so long a time applied such rebukes to the unsaved. Yet, the setting and text of the New Testament writings show that the exhortations to godly behavior are addressed to the Church.

Current Christian teaching implies that God overlooks the sins of the believers and then pours out frightful afflictions on other people who are doing no worse than we. What kind of righteousness would that be? Would God look at two people performing some lustful deed, visit one with wrath, and let the other go free because he names the name of Christ or attends a Christian church? Would not God rather chasten His own son and be more lenient toward the unsaved person because of his ignorance?

Would God destroy one individual because he is full of hate, and pass by another person who also is full of hate but who names the name of Christ? Would this be true of Him of whom it is said: "True and righteous are your judgments" (Revelation 16:7)? Instead, would not God rebuke His own child in advance so he would be prepared for the chastening to come?

Let us review a few more of the admonitions from the Apostles that we may understand God's judgment on sin in the Christian life, and that we may not be confused concerning the manner in which grace operates under the new covenant.

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. (II Corinthians 6:17)

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (II Corinthians 7:1)

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness [immorality] idolatry, sorcery, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)

How can we, in the light of such words, continue in the concept that God overlooks sin in the Christian because of his profession of belief in Christ?

Concerning Galatians 5:19-21, we of today might exclaim: "Isn't it wonderful that God doesn't hold us accountable for such things now that we have found Christ!"

To think or say such things is to be deceived. In contrast, Paul, speaking to the Church, proclaims: Those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Perhaps it is time for us to examine once again the manner in which God deals with sins of motive, thought, word, and deed in the Christian life.

That ye put off concerning the former conversation [former way of life] the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-24)

Holiness Unto the Lord, #11

It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. (I Corinthians 5:1)

The teachers of today, in order to prove that God does not see the sins Christians commit, will claim the man never was a Christian or he would not have done such a thing. Incorrect on two counts. First, the context of First and Second Corinthians establishes the fact that the man was a member of the assembly, considered to be a brother in the Lord. Second, numerous Christians commit moral sins. This does not signify they never have accepted the Lord, only that they are bound in sin.

But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. (I Corinthians 5:11)

Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. (I Corinthians 6:15)

Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. (I Corinthians 10:12)

We could go on and on, keeping well within the unforced interpretation of the exhortations of the Apostles of the early Church.

But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. (I Corinthians 11:32)

God indeed does bring the Christian to strict account for all of his motives, thoughts, words, and deeds. If the Christian is living in the Spirit he will judge himself (I Corinthians 11:13).

The Holy Spirit will lead the Christian in a successful program of putting to death the deeds of his body (Romans 8:13,14). The Christian will be baptized with fire from time to time in order to make him "fireproof" in preparation for the coming of the Lord Jesus in the blazing fire of Divine wrath.

The Christian is made "fireproof" by having all the sin of his personality burned out of him in advance. When the fireproofing has been completed, the Christian will be ready to stand and minister before God in that Day (Isaiah 33:14). This is one way in which we are "delivered from the wrath to come."

And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. (I Thessalonians 1:10)

Holiness Unto the Lord, #10

For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. (Romans 7:9)

God gave the new covenant to the Jews because they were not able, with human ability, to keep God's commandments. There is power and authority in the new covenant to enable each of God's elect to keep God's commandments. The Law, the Torah, is written in the heart of the true Christian, enabling him to walk in righteousness and holiness. To view the new covenant as a legal maneuver by which the believer goes to Heaven apart from keeping God's laws is to miss completely the Divine goal and program of redemption.

If the goal of redemption were to bring us to Heaven to live forever in the spirit realm, it is conceivable that forgiveness through the blood of Jesus would be the only grace included in the Divine atonement; although such a limited definition still would not be scriptural.

But because the goal of redemption is to create us in the image of God and bring us into total union with God so we may be able to serve Him throughout His creation, forgiveness alone cannot serve the purpose of God. Divine grace must include all the components necessary for accomplishing the needed transformation.

It is a knowledge of the goal of redemption that will open the meaning of the Scriptures to us. As long as we hold the unscriptural view that the goal of redemption is to bring us to eternal residence in Heaven we cannot understand the Kingdom of God or the redemption that is in Christ.

What do the Apostles of the early Church have to say about sin in the life of the Christian? Do they advise us to forget about righteous, holy living as soon as we accept the Christian faith?

Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. (Romans 13:13,14)

But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. (Romans 14:10-12)

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. ( I Corinthians 3:16,17)

It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. (I Corinthians 5:1)

This tragic affair was found among the tongues-speaking Corinthians. Notice that Paul did not say there was no real problem here because of God's grace that covers the sins of the believers.

Holiness Unto the Lord, #9

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ, who walk not in the appetites of the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:1)

The above verse, interpreted in isolation, seems to imply that God treats sin in the life of the Christian in terms of a lesser standard than is true of the unbeliever. But Paul's logic, beginning with Romans 1:16 and proceeding through 11:36, leads to the true meaning of Romans 8:1. Paul is teaching in Romans 8:1 that the believer who is living in obedience to the Holy Spirit, the overcomer, is free from guilt. He is free from the guilt of the sins committed by the law of sin that dwells in his flesh. If the Christian did not have access to the blood-covering that keeps him guiltless while he is moving forward in the process of salvation he could not have fellowship with God.

The blood-shield over the fleshly tendencies of the overcomer as he or she is learning to follow the Spirit, the shield that covers the lying, foolishness, gossiping, hatred, jealousy, lust, sectarian pride, idolatry, hypocrisy that remain in the saint, is not to be confused with an attitude of favoritism on God's part toward Christians and their misbehavior.

The belief that God continually overlooks, covers, or ignores the multitude of sins in the churches, on the basis of a profession of belief in the doctrines taught by the churches, has destroyed the testimony of the churches.

During the time that the victorious saint is free from all condemnation through the legal remission (forgiveness) of guilt by means of the blood atonement, the Holy Spirit continues to point out the sins that are proceeding from the law of sin that resides in his body.

The Holy Spirit illumines the sins one by one and helps the saint put them to death. Putting sins to death is a continuing process and is one of the main aspects of the victorious Christian life. The continual destruction of sin under the guidance of the Holy Spirit is commanded as follows:

For if ye live in the appetites of the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify [put to death] the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (Romans 8:13)

There is a great gulf between the concept that God overlooks or is lenient toward sins committed by Christians, and the concept that God shields the saint from the guilt of the sinful acts of his fleshly body during the time the Holy Spirit is guiding him in the spiritual warfare against the "deeds of the body."

We must call to mind that the purpose of the Christian redemption is to do what the Law of Moses could not do — enable the believer to keep the eternal moral Law of God. The current doctrinal confusion has arisen because grace is being defined as the forgiveness of our sins so we can go to Heaven when we die. This tradition is widespread but it is not at all scriptural.

Holiness Unto the Lord, #8

If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings [insults], evil surmisings [wicked suspicions], Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. (I Timothy 6:3-5)

Grace is the authority and power of God working in the life of an individual to re-create his nature, delivering him from all satanic influences. This is a different concept from that of grace being a legal maneuver that qualifies an individual for escape from the Day of Wrath and eternal residence in the spirit paradise.

There are situations in which the legal waiving of guilt is, for a season, the only functioning aspect of redemption. However, for most believers most of the time, true grace produces holiness. The major portion of the writings of the Apostles of the new covenant is devoted to the necessity for holy behavior.

Anyone who teaches that a religious belief is of relative importance in the eyes of God when weighed against the development of a pure and holy character is inviting delusion on himself and his hearers. There is no substitute for a Spirit-filled life of holiness to the Lord. There is no other kind of Christian experience that is acceptable to the God of Heaven.

Religious practices come and go and vary from church to church. Some are more edifying than others. But the Word of God is eternal and unchanging, and it is one from Genesis to Revelation: Israel must be HOLINESS TO THE LORD!

When we first are saved we bring an entire life of sin to Christ, asking for forgiveness through the blood of Christ. No one is turned away. We receive complete forgiveness.

But what about the sins we continue to commit while we are Christians? Does God bring them into judgment? Indeed He does! The contemporary evangelical belief appears to be that a Christian can lie and it is excused while a non-Christian is judged for his lie. This is a misunderstanding of the manner in which the atonement of Christ operates.

The fact is, the lie the Christian tells is of far more serious consequence than the lie of the non-Christian. The Christian is a member of the Body of Christ. Christ is the Judge of the heavens and the earth. God will examine the Christian lie with unusual interest because the Body of Christ, the eternal habitation of God, the fulfillment of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, must be utterly holy.

The Body of Christ is to be righteous and holy in all of it imaginations, motives, words, and deeds. God judges very carefully the motives, words, and deeds that proceed from each Christian.

A glance at the writings of the Christian Apostles reveals that God judges sin whether committed by a Christian or a non-Christian.

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6:16)

Holiness Unto the Lord, #7

I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked [the Christian Church in Laodicea]: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire [Christian character refined by suffering], that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment [a righteous, holy life], that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve [the Spirit of truth], that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. (Revelation 3:15-19)

The admonition to the Christians in Laodicea is not at all in harmony with the concept of grace as being only the forgiveness of sins by belief in the name of Jesus.

Paul stressed grace as opposed to works because he was teaching the transition from the Law of Moses to the law of the Spirit of life. Paul was reacting to Jewish teachers who were attempting to mix the Christian redemption and the Law of Moses.

Paul was emphasizing the fact that salvation does not come by keeping the Ten Commandments and observing all the points of the Levitical ordinances. Salvation comes only through Christ.

In some instances we Christians have interpreted Paul to mean there is little need for personal holiness on the part of church people, since we are "saved by grace and not by works." A little reflection will enable us to understand that Paul never would contrast grace and holiness of behavior. Paul was contrasting salvation by faith in Christ, and attempts to earn eternal life by keeping the Law of Moses.

We are not saved by observing the Levitical statutes. But Paul indeed would be amazed if he were to appear today and hear his teaching concerning the distinction between works and grace being understood to mean that people are saved by professing belief in Christ while they continue in unholy, unrighteous conduct.

One of the principal effects of receiving Christ is the creation of holiness in the heart. There is no salvation apart from the creation of holiness in the heart and life because that is what salvation is. Salvation is deliverance from the power of Satan and the development of union with God through Jesus. If we are not being transformed morally we are not being saved. If we are not becoming healthier we are not being healed. It is as straightforward as that!

There is no such thing as an abstract saving faith, a possession of Christ apart from the development of godliness in the personality of the Christian. The only valid test of genuine Christianity is the growth of godly character in the believer (I John 3:6).

Holiness Unto the Lord, #6

Not forsaking the assembly of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:25-31)

Meditate on the above passage, remembering that these words are addressed to Christians.

The exhortations and warnings of the Lord Jesus to the seven churches of Asia have to do with works of righteousness.

I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not [here is a warning concerning "Christian" teachers who claim to be apostles sent from the Lord Jesus], and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love [not as fervently in love with Jesus as at first]. (Revelation 2:2-4)

The admonition in the above passage does not conform to the interpretation of God's grace that is often preached.

Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. (Revelation 2:22,23)

The exhortation to the Christian people in Thyatira includes ideas that are not part of the current teaching of grace. In fact, the admonition to the believers in Thyatira reminds us of Paul's reasoning with Felix concerning righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come.

Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. (Revelation 3:2-4)

The current doctrine of grace maintains that the only worthiness there is comes from our identification with Christ — a doctrinal position that does not agree with the warning to the believers in Sardis.

Some of the Christians in Sardis were walking in the flesh and others were following Christ in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). Are the Christian people of today attempting to use the grace of God to cover impure conduct?

Holiness Unto the Lord, #5

We observe from the above that in Paul's mind, the next coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is associated with our living a godly life in the present hour.

The reason for this is as follows: the purpose of the grace of God, of salvation, is to preserve us when the wrath of God is poured out at the coming of the Lord. Preservation during the Day of Wrath is the scriptural meaning of the term salvation. God is saving us with the understanding that we will be a people belonging especially to Him, eager to do good works.

We are to "flee from the wrath to come" (Matthew 3:7). The scornful of the world have mocked this part of the message of salvation (fleeing from the wrath to come) until the churches have become timid in speaking along this line.

We are wise when we flee from the wrath to come. The grace of God saves us from the wrath to come, not only by providing the means for the forgiveness of our sins but also by teaching and empowering us until we are able to live in the world without the lust, murder, idolatry, drunkenness, and sorcery that are part of the peoples of the earth.

If we are not growing stronger each day in a truly holy pattern of behavior, then it is unlikely we are sharing in the grace of God. By holiness we mean putting off the works of the flesh of Galatians 5:19-21 and putting on the fruit of the Spirit of Galatians 5:22,23.

One important aspect of grace is the forgiveness of sins, after the fashion of the thief on the cross (Luke 23:40-43). Another important aspect of the grace of God is the empowering of the Christian to lead a godly life.

To emphasize one of these aspects at the expense of the other is to create moral confusion, to destroy the testimony and power of the Church, to render the work of God ineffectual in one's life, and to invite delusion concerning our relationship with God.

For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. (Hebrews 6:7-9)

The "things that accompany salvation" are the actions of a godly life in Christ. The Book of Hebrews is addressed to backsliding believers — believers who were not pressing forward in the Lord. One of the emphases of the Book of Hebrews is the dedicated Christian life that always is pressing forward in Christ. Read through Hebrews with this in mind.

Holiness Unto the Lord, #4

And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brothers beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: (II Thessalonians 2:10-13)

We are obeying Christ when we pray, "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." God sends strong delusion on people who take pleasure in unrighteousness and who imagine that God takes pleasure in their unrighteousness.

Salvation results from our being set apart by the Spirit of God to holy behavior as we obey the truth set forth by the Apostles of the Lamb. Salvation is not restricted to a momentary experience in which we acknowledge the truth of Christ's atoning death, triumphant resurrection, and Divine Lordship, but a day by day living in Christ. The Lord Jesus is not a ticket to Heaven. He is the Way of holiness and of eternal life.

It is very misleading to define grace as meaning only a forgiveness of sins apart from the converted moral behavior of the Christian disciple.

Paul argued that man is saved apart from obeying the laws and statutes of Moses. A careful study of Paul's writings will show that man cannot achieve righteousness in himself apart from Christ and thus earn the favor of God. This concept is altogether different from the idea that the Christian salvation has little to do with righteous and holy behavior — which is the conclusion of the argument that grace means only forgiveness of sins apart from holiness of deed, word, motive, and imagination.

Paul never intended that his letters be used to teach that Divine grace releases the believer from having to account for his sins of word and deed while the unbelievers are to be brought into judgment for every sin. Paul understood from the Scripture that Jerusalem always receives "double for all her sins" (Isaiah 40:2).

The next passage gives a more balanced concept of grace than that which often is presented. Paul helps us understand that grace is much more than a blanket forgiveness of the sins that we commit, although such forgiveness is included as part of the atonement when we first receive Christ and holds true as we learn to walk in the Spirit of God.

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people [people for God's own possession], zealous of good works. (Titus 2:11-14)

"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ."

"Purify unto himself a peculiar people [people for God's own possession], zealous of good works."

Holiness Unto the Lord, #3

Did not Christ come so that the liars and the fearful might enter the Kingdom of God? Emphatically yes! He surely did! Christ came to deliver us from the ungodliness of the world. The only acceptable response to the love of Christ is to cooperate with Him in the re-creating of our personalities so we no longer live according to the lusts of the world.

We are to be made new creations by the power of Christ working in our lives. If a transformation into holiness of conduct does not occur after a period of time, if our character remains as it was before we were converted to Christ, then the Divine redemption is not taking place in our personality. If we are not experiencing continuously the renewing power of Christ and are not moving forward in the knowledge of Him, then we may need to seek the Lord with increased fervor.

Sometimes it is not evident that Christ is moving in our life and we are required to endure prolonged seasons of dryness and heaviness. Such dryness is part of the normal Christian experience. Plants profit as much from the dry energy radiating from the sun as they do from the moist refreshing of the rain.

But there is a difference between the dry seasons through which the saints must walk at times, and the dryness and deadness of seeking to fulfill the desires of our fleshly nature. The dryness of the victorious spiritual experience leads after a season to increased power and revelation of God. The dryness of walking in the flesh leads to spiritual death. It is wise to ask God for a progress report so we can learn how well we are doing.

Brothers, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies 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 3:17-19)

Paul is referring (above) to believers who have chosen to walk in the appetites of the adamic nature.

Mortify [put to death] therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence [lust], and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: (Colossians 3:5,6)

For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: (I Thessalonians 4:3-5)

Holiness Unto the Lord, #2

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. (Galatians 5:16,17)

The Holy Spirit of God is interested in every motive, imagination, word, and deed of every Christian. We may be in a hurry to do things. The Holy Spirit, who has the power to create galaxies of stars, is more concerned with spiritual cleanliness than He is with our accomplishments. He is the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit will gladly take the time to "sit down" with the Christian and rehearse fine points of behavior moment by moment throughout the day. There is no need for haste. It is easy for God to create a star. But holiness of motive and deed in a human — that is a problem!

By teaching the need for holiness we do not mean to create self-tortured, introspective Christians. The constant searching out of motives and deeds can be maintained by the Spirit of God while the Christian is conducting a poised, joyful, fruitful life. Spiritual experience and maturity are required if we are to remain victorious as the Holy Spirit brings sin to our consciousness.

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: (Hebrews 12:14)

We are saved by calling on the name of the Lord, apart from righteous conduct on our part. We are justified by our faith in the redeeming blood of Christ. But we enter the Kingdom of God as the Holy Spirit enables us to live in a righteous and holy manner.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21)

One of the most important ideas revealed in the Tabernacle of the Congregation, which is a type of Christ — Head and Body — is that of holiness to the Lord. The parts of the Tabernacle, and the priestly ministry associated with the Tabernacle, portray the utter holiness of the Lord God Almighty.

Holy! Holy! Holy is the Lord! This is what the Tabernacle proclaims in its every dimension. Everyone and everything associated with the Tabernacle had to be holy. So it is today. No liar, no lustful person, no fearful, no murderer, no idolater, has any part in the inheritance of the Bride of the Lamb (Revelation 21:8; 22:15).

For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. (Ephesians 5:5)

Holiness Unto the Lord

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (II Corinthians 7:1)

Every member of God's elect is to be a saint, a holy one. What does it mean to be holy unto the Lord? It means to be separated to God for His special purposes. It means to be free from all unclean spirits and filled with the Presence of the Lord.

The concept of spiritual progression from least holy to most holy is illustrated by the design of the Tabernacle of the Congregation. The Most Holy Place was the location of God's Presence. We learn from this pattern that the Christian life progresses toward complete sanctification (I Thessalonians 5:23) and that the climax of Christian experience concerns the place of residence of God Himself. The completely sanctified Christian heart is God's Holy of Holies.

When the Lord gave to Moses the plans for the Tabernacle He began with the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat (Exodus 25:10,17). These are the holiest of the furnishings of the Tabernacle as shown by the fact that they were located in the Most Holy Place.

So it is that God, during the process of setting up His Kingdom on earth, has started with the Most Holy Place. First came Christ, the Holiest of all. Next, the Body of Christ is being prepared.

When the Body has been completed, or perhaps we should say as the Body is being completed, the work will extend outward toward the perimeter of the Kingdom until the entire earth is filled with the Glory of the Lord (Isaiah 11:9; Daniel 2:44; Matthew 6:10; Romans 8:19-21; Revelation 2:26,27).

It appears that one of the most important messages that the Tabernacle of the Congregation has for us today is that of the need for holiness. A holy human heart follows the Lamb wherever He goes. A holy human heart is reserved for God's use. A holy human heart refuses the influences of unclean spirits.

It is interesting to note that the Spirit of God is termed the Holy Spirit and that the new Jerusalem is referred to as the holy city.

The holiness of the Tabernacle is emphasized in such verses as the following: Exodus 28:36; 29:33; 30:21; 40:32; Leviticus 10:10; 11:1-15:33; Numbers 6:1-6; Deuteronomy 23:14. It may be accurate to state that Exodus through Deuteronomy, to a great extent, is one long exhortation to holiness. One of the principal themes of the entire Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, is holiness.

Holiness is a personal condition of purity of motives and deeds, a right attitude of the heart toward God. In one way of considering it, holiness means freedom from the influence of evil spirits.

The Old Testament doctrine of unclean food emphasizes the concept of the difference between the clean and the unclean (Leviticus, Chapter 11).

Some spirits are holy and some are not. The only way we can distinguish between the clean and unclean is by the Scriptures combined with everlasting prayer and watchfulness as the Holy Spirit guides us moment by moment.

We must learn to distinguish between good and evil and then to embrace the good and refuse the evil.

Grace, and the New Covenant, #25

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

We have seen that grace ordinarily refers to the Presence and blessing of God that we receive under the new covenant apart from obedience to the statutes of the Law of Moses. Part of the Presence and blessing of God is the forgiveness of our sins, the purpose being that we can begin life anew and, by the power and Virtue of God, begin to live in a righteous manner.

Jeremiah would understand this definition of grace and would term it, "The Lord our righteousness."

Satan has achieved a mammoth victory. He has managed to separate God's grace from righteous, holy behavior. This has been no small accomplishment seeing that most of the epistles of the New Testament, not to mention the Gospel accounts and the Book of Revelation, emphasize again and again that our God will never dwell with wicked people.

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (II Corinthians 6:14-7:1)

"Oh, but we are not wicked because of the grace of God! God sees us through the Lord Jesus (where is this statement in the Scriptures?).

"When I gossip and slander another Christian God sees only the holy speech of the Lord Jesus."

How will we ever escape from this monumental lie? It will require much suffering and tribulation if we are to escape the current teaching and begin to serve God in truth and faithfulness. The Christian churches and their leaders may not willingly give up the security they have found in believing that God does not see their sin. They may not willingly face the Holy Fire of Israel.

Enough suffering will drive many believers to the understanding that God is not the kindly old gentleman they have pictured. The sinners in Zion will be afraid in the days to come. The hypocrites will tremble. We shall be accounted as sheep for the slaughter. The Bride will be purified with the fires of Divine judgment. Enough tribulation will cause her to wash her robes in the blood of the Lamb in preparation for her marriage to Him.

We have been deceived. God in His love is sending truth to us in these last days. Let all of us who love Jesus turn again to the Lord. Let us humble ourselves and repent, turning from our wicked ways.

If we are willing to confess our sins and turn away from them, the Lord God will have mercy on us and we will stand before Him. If we are willing to guard the word of His patience He will keep us from spiritual destruction during the hour of temptation that is on the horizon.

Tremendous catastrophes will visit the earth from this time forward. Through it all the Lord Jesus will sit as King of the flood. Jesus has control of all. We need have no fear of anything except that we are displeasing Him in some manner.

Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. (Jeremiah 6:16)

Let us not be like disobedient Israel. Let us rather press forward into the rest of God, into that place of abiding in the perfect will of God through Christ. (from Grace, and the New Covenant)

Grace, and the New Covenant, #24

But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. (Acts 20:24)

The term "gospel of the grace of God" as used here means all that Paul taught. Paul taught that we no longer are bound by the statutes of the Law of Moses. We have been set free from Moses so we may be married to Christ.

Being set free from Moses does not mean we are free to sin. Being set free from Moses means we are free to place our hope and trust in the Lord Jesus, meanwhile offering the members of our body as a slave to righteousness. If we offer our body as a slave to righteousness we will inherit eternal life. If we choose to serve unrighteousness we will die spiritually.

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6:16)

And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. (Acts 20:32)

Grace here refers to the Divine Virtue given to us to bring us to maturity in Christ.

By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: (Romans 1:5)

To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:7)

Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ: (Romans 3:24)

Forgiveness of sins based on the atonement made by Christ on the cross of Calvary.

Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. (Romans 4:4)

Grace here means that God rewards us with righteousness through His sovereign goodness, not on the basis of the works of the Law of Moses. The context of the Book of Romans will reveal clearly that Paul always was contrasting Divine grace with the works of the Law of Moses, not Divine grace with godly behavior. Paul was arguing against those who were pressing the Law of Moses on the new converts.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8,9)

This verse often is used to prove that the Christian need not worry about righteous behavior because he is not saved by works. Again, Paul was referring to the works of the Law of Moses.

Ephesians 2:8,9 should never be quoted apart from verse 10. To quote 8 and 9 without 10 is to distort what is being taught.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

"Created in Christ unto good works." Created unto good works. God is creating us so we will walk in good works, that is, we will practice the godly behavior assigned to us from the foundation of the world.

Grace, and the New Covenant, #23

Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: (Romans 15:8)

Jeremiah made no effort to fulfill the prophecies the Lord gave him. Jeremiah contented himself with bearing witness of the mighty promises of God. Meanwhile he obeyed the Lord in the directions given to him each day. Let us do the same.

On and on goes the list of myths and errors. But the churches will be purified during the age of moral horrors that is approaching. Then the Gospel of the Kingdom will be seen to be a response to the statements of the Hebrew Prophets, not a new religion unrelated to biblical Judaism.

The term "grace" has come to mean the perpetual forgiveness of the sins of the Christian whether or not he or she makes a success of victorious Christian living. We ought to try to do good, but if we are tempted and fall there is no real problem because we are saved by grace and not by works of righteousness we have done.

Let us look at several passages that employ the word "grace" and from them derive a more comprehensive definition.

And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. (Acts 4:33)

Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. (Acts 11:23)

Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. (Acts 13:43)

Grace here would mean to continue to trust in Jesus for salvation, according to the doctrine of Paul, rather than in the Law of Moses.

Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands. (Acts 14:3)

And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled. (Acts 14:26)

But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. (Acts 15:11)

And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God. (Acts 15:40)

And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace: (Acts 18:27)

Trust in the Lord Jesus for salvation rather than in the ministry of John the Baptist.

Grace, and the New Covenant, #22

And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: (Luke 4:9)

The challenging of us to "do great things for God." Nowhere in the Bible are we challenged to do great things for God. This is presumption. It is the challenge to leap from the gable of the Temple. It is soulish ambition in the things of God.

The "faith chapter" of the Scriptures is the eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews. There is not one instance of aggressive faith in this chapter. The faith portrayed here is obedience to the revealed Word of God. True faith is a confidence in God's goodness, power, and faithfulness such that we obey implicitly His every command.

There is no evidence whatever in the Book of Jeremiah that Jeremiah challenged God to do exploits. A careful study of the Book will reveal that true faith, the faith by which the people of God of every century have lived, is the faith of obedience to that spoken by the Lord.

When God called Jeremiah in the beginning, Jeremiah protested that he was only a child. After this, God gave Jeremiah an unpopular message, a message that aroused hostility. The concept of an aggressive faith that challenges God to perform some grand idea of the believer is foreign to the Book of Jeremiah.

Today we have thousands of Christians who believe that the role of the churches is to govern secular society and to force unsaved people to behave in a manner acceptable to the Christians. Christians are attempting to impose their will on unbelievers. They will fail and may bring intense persecution on all of us.

The proper role of the Christian in the present hour is to bear witness of the Kingdom of God that is coming to the earth. To attempt to govern now is to move outside of the plan of God for His Church.

In America the churches are demanding that the civil government repent. But God is speaking to the churches to repent.

In some quarters the idea has been expressed that Christians are to use their gifts to set up the Kingdom of God now so that all will be ready for the Lord to return. According to the Scriptures, the present age will grow increasingly worse until the end. Then the angels of God will remove all wickedness and wicked people from His Kingdom. In that hour the saints of God will shine as the sun in their righteousness.

Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. (Matthew 13:43)

The greatest witness of all time will be given just before the Lord returns. But the Kingdom of God will not be established on the earth before the Lord Jesus returns from Heaven with His saints and holy angels. To teach otherwise is to invite presumption and destruction.

Grace, and the New Covenant, #21

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (I Timothy 6:9,10)

A modern doctrine is that Christians are to be rich in this world and they can use "faith" as a tool to acquire riches. But the Lord Jesus refused to turn stone into bread by the word of faith, teaching us we are not to attempt to use miracle-working faith apart from the express will and directions of the Lord. There are higher issues in the Kingdom than our personal desires.

"No person can serve both God and money," the Lord Jesus said. The Scriptures tell of Balaam, Gehazi, Judas, and Ananias and Sapphira. We have been clearly warned by the Apostle Paul to avoid the pursuit of riches.

The Scriptures could not be more clear on this topic, yet the love of money has kept many people from the Kingdom of God, just as it did the rich young ruler.

The new covenant prophesied by Jeremiah has as its goal the creating of righteous people. It says nothing about making them wealthy in the present world.

Christians are to imagine what they want and then speak the creative word that will bring their imagined object or situation into physical existence. The word of the Christian is totally different from the Word of God. God speaks worlds into existence. The believer cannot speak a grain of dust into existence.

The current faith-prosperity doctrine in some instances may be framed in harmless exhortations to maintain a positive, cheerful attitude toward God. But in other cases it may result in attempts to manipulate the physical environment by supernatural power. But it is not the supernatural power of God.

It is not God's will that man at his discretion speak words of power, not yet at least. This would put man in control of the physical universe while he still is under bondage to an adamic soul and body. Imaging and speaking creative words are too close to the occult!

We are not to attempt to exercise supernatural faith in this manner. We are to call on the Lord. True faith is demonstrated when we place our trust in the Lord Jesus and ask Him to move on our behalf. There could be instances when the Lord then directs us to act in faith in some manner. But this is true faith, faith in the Lord Jesus, not faith in faith itself. There is a world of difference in these two approaches to miracles.

No part of the new covenant announced by the Prophet Jeremiah includes the idea that people are to have power to get what they desire by speaking creative words.

Grace, and the New Covenant, #20

Wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see labour and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame? (Jeremiah 20:18)

Jeremiah knew of the stern warnings that God issues to those of His elect who continue in sin and rebellion against God. He lived to see the end result of ignoring those warnings. If Jeremiah were alive on earth today he would tell us to pay attention to the words of the Apostle Paul. He would not claim that God loves us so much Paul could not possibly be speaking to God's own people!

The concept that the Christian must never suffer. Christ did all the suffering for us. This idea is so obviously unscriptural that it is amazing intelligent believers would accept it as truth. But it is a part of the understanding that to be a Christian requires only that we make the right profession of belief. Once we do that we are saved by grace and no other action is necessary.

Jeremiah indeed would wonder at the notion that God's people are not supposed to suffer. Jeremiah suffered at the hands of his own people because he continually rebuked them for their ungodliness.

Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; yet every one of them doth curse me. (Jeremiah 15:10)

Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail? (Jeremiah 15:18)

Suffering plays an important role in the development of God's rulers. If we suffer we will rule, Paul stresses.

The Apostle Peter claims that suffering is part of the process of making us holy.

To attain the first resurrection from the dead we must share the sufferings of Christ.

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; (Philippians 3:10)

It is through our suffering that the resurrection life of Christ is brought to other people.

Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. (II Corinthians 4:10)

Tribulation creates patience in us and teaches us obedience to God. Christ Himself learned obedience through the things He suffered. Paul learned that God's power is perfected as we are weak.

The teaching that Christians are not to suffer but are to be raptured to Heaven before they face Antichrist or the great tribulation is unscriptural. God's way, according to the Scriptures, is to enable us to go through the fire without being burned — like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Grace, and the New Covenant, #19

If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. (I Corinthians 3:15)

To overcome is to wage a successful war against Satan, the lust of our eyes, the lust of our flesh, and the pride of our life — our self-will, self-love, and self-seeking. We know we have the victory when we cease loving the world, our sins, and our stubborn, arrogant self.

The Christian salvation is not in word and belief. The Christian salvation is in the power and demonstration of the Spirit of God.

The interpretation of being saved "so as by fire" to mean that the fruitless believer will be rewarded and never scolded but that he will have a smaller mansion than more diligent believers. In actuality to be saved so as by fire will be a terrifying experience.

To be saved as by fire is to have the fire of God burn away all of one's accomplishments, all that has been achieved during the individual's lifetime on the earth. This happened to Lot, the nephew of Abraham. Abraham, on the other hand, had an abundant entrance into the Kingdom of God.

There will be the mental torment of opportunities for glory forever lost. There will be lashes, the chastisement due the disobedient servant. There may be long, long stays in lower levels of darkness while the person is instructed by the angels of God. There also may be a stripping of maturity such that the individual starts again as a child, at which time the individual's memory will be removed so he or she may begin life anew.

The person was saved into the Kingdom of God, perhaps, as in the case of Lot, because of the prayers of a relative or friend. But there will be no robe of militant righteousness, no crown of eternal life and glory.

Jeremiah lived to see the destruction of Jerusalem including the Temple, and the removal of Ark of the Covenant. God's promise was that Israel would be saved at a later date. But the salvation proved to be a flaming destruction of all that was cherished by the Jews.

The applying of the numerous warnings of the Apostle Paul, such as Galatians 5:19-21 and Romans 6:23, to unsaved people when they obviously were written to the believers in Galatia and Rome. We hear teachers of the Bible who profess to be fundamental in belief state that the warnings found in the Epistles are not directed toward Christians.

Toward whom are they directed? The unbelievers? The Epistles are addressed to the saints in the various localities, not to the unbelievers. Paul states clearly in many places that the believers who continue to sin will not inherit the Kingdom of God. If Paul were addressing unbelievers, which was not the case, he would be implying that unbelievers will inherit the Kingdom of God provided they do not walk in the flesh.

Grace, and the New Covenant, #18

The belief that all believers, all who have taken the "four steps of salvation," will receive the same reward. The concept of salvation by grace has led logically to the teaching that there are no rewards for living an obedient Christian life. If we are saved by faith apart from works, then how can we be rewarded? God's grace saves us all on the same basis.

But the New Testament speaks of rewards in many passages, particularly in the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation. To say there are no rewards for serving the Lord is to defy the Scriptures and also to destroy a prime motivation for struggling to be an overcomer.

In the case of many believers, if we remove the fear of punishment and the hope of reward, they will drift through life aimlessly. This is why the Spirit of God placed the fear of punishment and the hope of glorious rewards in the sacred text. Those who have removed the fear of punishment and the hope of reward from the Book of Revelation are in danger of having their name removed from the Book of Life.

We live in a demonic environment. It requires all the strength and will power we possess to press through each day to victory in Jesus. Very few of us would make the supreme effort if there were no fear of God to goad us and no hope of glory in Jesus to inspire us.

The fact is, we are going to be clothed with our works in the day of resurrection. We are going to reap precisely as we have sown. The New Testament is very clear in this matter. Those who teach otherwise are mistaken. They are false prophets and they need to repent and ask the Lord to help them preach the truth.

Continuing to preach a lie after we know the truth leaves us vulnerable to severe Divine chastening.

The doctrine that the overcomer, of Revelation, Chapters Two and Three, is the individual who merely has made a profession of belief in Christ. Because of the false concept that we are saved by faith apart from works of righteousness and therefore there is no reward for seeking the Lord, it is being taught that to qualify as an overcomer we are required merely to state our belief in the Lord Jesus.

But it may be noticed that Jesus made only one statement that was common to each of the seven churches of Asia: "I know your works." If it were true that we are an overcomer merely on the basis of professing belief in Christ, then the repetition of I know your works is meaningless and superfluous.

The verse that is used to support the "overcomer by identification" doctrine is as follows:

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. (I John 5:4)

This does not mean that if we profess faith in the Lord Jesus we automatically have overcome the world. It means, rather, that if we will place our faith in the Lord Jesus, walking each day in Him, we will receive wisdom and power from the Holy Spirit to enable us to overcome our worldliness, our sinful lusts, and our rebellion, self-will, and desire for preeminence among the brothers and sisters. Faith is a fight!

Grace, and the New Covenant, #17

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. (Romans 11:25-27)

God has never forgotten the people of Israel or the land of Israel. When the Lord Jesus returns to earth He will establish His throne on the Temple Mount in the city of Jerusalem. God will pour out His Spirit on the Jews who are living there and they will be born again of the Spirit of God. They will look on Christ whom they pierced and will weep for Him as for an only Son.

There is only one olive tree. That tree is Christ, the anointed One of God. We Gentiles were grafted on that tree. But in the last days the physical people and land of Israel will be joined once again to the olive tree.

Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. (Ezekiel 37:23-25)

Every word of the Prophets directed toward the physical people and land of Israel will be fulfilled to the letter. We believing Gentiles will be an integral part of Israel at that time.

The understanding of the fourteenth chapter of John to mean the Lord Jesus is building houses for us in Heaven. "In my Father's house are many mansions." What a long-standing tradition! Yet, the Greek term monai does not mean "mansion." Also, there is no other verse of the New Testament that speaks of us living in a mansion in the spirit Paradise, and important doctrines are not to be based on only one verse.

Jeremiah would not be familiar with the concept of the saints living in mansions in Heaven. It simply is a myth.

In the twenty-third verse of the same chapter of John the same Greek term translated "mansion" in verse two is translated "abode," which is a suitable rendering of the Greek noun. The context of John, verses 1-23, show that the Lord Jesus is speaking of the Father and the Son making Their abode (mansion) in us. The Father's House is the Lord Jesus. The saints are many rooms that are being added to Christ.

Grace, and the New Covenant, #16

But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, (Luke 6:27)

What commandment of the Lord does not apply to Christians? That we love and bless our enemies? Paul taught the same. That we rejoice when we are persecuted? Paul taught the same. That we should live in a holy, righteous manner? Paul taught the same. That we should abide in Christ as He abides in the Father? Paul declared:

Jeremiah would have no problem with the teaching of righteous, holy behavior. However, he certainly would not understand a God who no longer required righteous, holy behavior of Israel!

The current teaching that the Book of Hebrews does not apply to Christians but to unsaved Jews. Again, this is an attempt to prove that Christians are not obligated to press forward to righteousness, to the rest of God.

Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ; (Hebrews 3:1)

If the writer was addressing members of the "heavenly calling," then he was speaking to all Christians — Jews and Gentiles alike.

A sincere, intelligent Christian should be able to see the error of distinguishing between Christian Jews and Christian Gentiles. Paul was adamant that Jews and Gentiles are one in Christ!

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:27-29)

Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; (Ephesians 2:15)

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. (Ephesians 4:4-6)

The teaching that God is finished with the physical land and people of Israel and the Christian Church is now the only Israel of the Kingdom of God. To believe this is to be ignorant of what both the Old and New Testaments have to say on the subject. Jeremiah of all people would have us know that God has promised to bring His chosen people back to the land and to bless them there.

And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more. At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart. In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers. (Jeremiah 3:16-18)

Grace, and the New Covenant, #15

Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. (Isaiah 26:19)

The endless emphasis on the catching up of the believers with practically no mention of the resurrection. The resurrection of the dead is the central hope of the Scriptures and was declared by the Prophets. The ascension of the believers was never mentioned by the Prophets.

And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. (Daniel 12:2)

The quality of our resurrection is to be the focus of our endeavors. We shall be clothed in the day of resurrection with the deeds we have practiced during our lifetime on the earth.

And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness [righteous deeds] of saints. (Revelation 19:8)

The saints will be clothed in their righteous deeds — righteous deeds that flow from Christ who has been formed in them.

The sinners will be clothed in their unrighteous deeds — especially the sinners who have made a profession of Christ. They knew to do good and chose not to. Therefore they shall be beaten with many lashes.

Paul's mark was the out-resurrection from the dead, the resurrection to life and glory as a priest of God.

If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. (Philippians 3:11)

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. (I Corinthians 15:19)

The current emphasis on the catching up of the believers, an emphasis out of all proportion to the importance placed on the catching up in the New Testament, has destroyed the doctrine of the resurrection. It is the resurrection that is the crowning act of salvation, not the catching up. And they are not at all the same thing. The resurrection to life and glory is the result of and the reward for a life of patient cross-carrying obedience. The catching up of the saints to meet the Lord in the air is the bringing together of the army of the Lord in preparation for the cavalry charge of Armageddon.

Jeremiah, knowing the Scriptures, would be aware of the resurrection. But he never would have heard of a "rapture" of God's people to Heaven.

The current teaching that the commandments of the Lord Jesus found in the four Gospel accounts do not apply to Christians. Here is a deadly error. Christian teachers, being aware that the Lord Jesus preached righteousness, are teaching that He was speaking to Jews. Now that He has risen from the dead we need pay no attention to the words of Christ because we are saved by grace.

Yet if one will go through the epistles of Paul he will discover that Jesus and Paul taught the same need for righteous, holy behavior. How could it be otherwise? It was God in Jesus who gave the commandments found in the Gospels. It was God in Jesus in Paul who gave the commandments found in the Epistles.

Grace, and the New Covenant, #14

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (Matthew 24:14)

Why do we not at once get rid of these ridiculous, illogical, unscriptural myths and preach the one Kingdom of God for a witness to all nations? The Christian churches are not nearly prepared for the age of moral horrors that is on the horizon, and part of the reason is that we do not understand new-covenant grace, believing it to be some sort of ticket that insures our entrance into Paradise when we die. New-covenant grace is the power that transforms the sons of Adam into sons of God so that soon they will be able to descend from Heaven with the Lord Jesus and drive Satan and all wickedness from the earth.

The view that the Lord will "rapture" Christians to Heaven so they will not suffer during the great tribulation or at the hands of Antichrist. Can you picture Jeremiah promising the elect that they will be spared tribulation by being caught up to Heaven to live forever in a mansion?

There are four great types in the Old Testament: the days of creation; the feasts of the Lord; the journey of Israel from Egypt to Canaan; and the Tabernacle of the Congregation. Each of these types is made up of seven parts. Each of the seven parts reveals some aspect of the Divine plan of salvation.

In addition to the four comprehensive types there are a multitude of other types, symbols, and shadows, such as the restoration of the Temple and the surrounding wall, Gideon's three hundred, the fall and final victory of Samson, and many more.

No type of the Scripture, no prophecy of the Scripture, portrays a pre-tribulation catching up of the believers in order to escape Antichrist and the great tribulation. Yet, as we have pointed out previously, those of us who are preaching today are supposed to be declaring that which was given to the patriarchs and prophets of Israel.

Those who teach the pre-tribulation rapture claim that the new covenant is a parenthesis in God's work, a mystery not revealed in the Old Testament. But the New Testament itself declares that it is the fulfillment of that which was declared in the Old.

Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: (Romans 15:8)

And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ. (II Timothy 3:15)

Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. (I Peter 1:10,11)

We have also a more sure word of prophecy [the Old Testament Scripture]; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: (II Peter 1:19)

To claim that the new covenant is a special mystery not appearing in the Prophets of Israel is clearly contradicted by the New Testament itself.

God's way, as Jeremiah knew well, is not to remove His saints from trouble but to deliver them in the midst of it.

Grace, and the New Covenant, #13

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 henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; (Ephesians 4:13,14)

The present overemphasis on evangelism, to the neglect of bringing the saints to maturity. It is as though all of the health services of a nation were directed toward the birth of babies and virtually no attention was paid to any other form of health need. It seems to us that the present effort to increase church membership without an accompanying emphasis on spiritual maturity is not coming from the Holy Spirit of God.

There is no emphasis in the Prophets on acquiring large masses of people but much emphasis on righteous, holy behavior. Almost always the significant work of God was performed through one person. The nation of Israel, on the other hand, was backslidden most of the time.

Which is better: to have five people who are growing in the image of Christ and pressing into God's rest, or five thousand spiritual babies living in the appetites of the flesh and soul who continually are fighting among themselves? All of us would probably agree that five mature sons of God are more likely to install God's Kingdom in the earth than would be true of five thousand babies. We believe this! Let's act on our belief!

What is the goal anyway? Is it to bring God's Kingdom into the earth or is it to collect thousands of people in a building?

Jeremiah stood virtually alone, resisted by most of the people of Israel — even after the fall of Jerusalem. The names of the Jews of that day are buried in the dust of history. Jeremiah remains as a Prophet, a righteous man, the voice of God for his generation.

Let us gain perspective by this fact. Most of the hurrying to and fro of the church people of our day will not survive our own generation. Occasionally there may be an individual who is doing God's will and who therefore will join the ranks of the eternal witnesses of God.

The division of the one Body of Christ into a Gentile church that will remain in Heaven and a Jewish kingdom that will govern the earth. Not only is the two-kingdom teaching totally unscriptural, it also is very damaging in terms of biblical interpretation. If we envision a Jewish kingdom on earth and a Gentile kingdom in Heaven, then we have to explain the several statements of Paul that emphasize the oneness of the Body of Christ.

There then would have to be two olive trees, and this cannot be. How could the Lord have two brides? Where does the new Jerusalem fit into this manmade scheme?

The idea of a Jewish kingdom on earth and a Gentile kingdom in Heaven is pure mythology. Jeremiah and the other Prophets would feel badly because they were not permitted to enter the fullness of glory that today is in Heaven. So would the Apostle Paul.

But the Gentiles would be even more chagrined when they saw the Divine Glory that is coming to Jerusalem as Christ takes His seat on the throne of David. They are required to remain in Heaven while the Throne of God is being established in Jerusalem.

Grace, and the New Covenant, #12

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Romans 8:29)

The concept that Heaven, the spirit Paradise, is the eternal home of the saved and that the purpose of the Divine salvation is to bring us to Heaven to live forever in a mansion. How this myth started we have no idea. It is not found in the Old Testament or the New Testament. Here is a thesis waiting to be developed by a candidate for a doctorate in theology: at what point in Church history did theologians first present eternal residence in the spirit paradise as the goal of redemption rather than participation in a Kingdom that is to come to the earth? This viewpoint may be a reflection of early Gnosticism which teaches that matter is evil and spirit is good.

The goal of the new-covenant grace is to conform the believer to the image of the Lord Jesus in spirit, in soul, and, at the Lord's coming, in body; and also to bring the believer into untroubled rest in the Father through Christ.

As soon as these two goals have been attained the believer is qualified to serve as a living stone in the eternal Temple of God; as a member of the Wife of the Lamb; as a brother of Christ; as a judge of men and angels; and in all the other roles and responsibilities of the royal priesthood.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, the everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:6,7)

During the Church Age the Lord has been calling out and training the nobility of the Kingdom. Those who suffer with Christ will govern, as Paul says.

To ignore the two Scriptural goals and the consequent areas of service and to present the goal of the Divine salvation as eternal residence in the spirit Paradise is to completely misunderstand the new covenant.

Because the Gospel of the Kingdom has been assigned an incorrect goal the work of the Gospel is performed inefficiently. Most of the resources of the Christian institutions are directed toward the gaining of new believers. The result is multitudes upon multitudes of spiritual babies who represent no threat to the kingdom of Satan and are of little use to the Kingdom of God. They still are part of the problem rather than of the solution. The problem has to do with the performing of God's will in the earth.

A wiser use of money and energy would be to assign part of the resources to evangelism and part to building up the believers into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. What good is it to keep on adding babies if they are not being brought to maturity, when the goal is to construct a nobility that is able to govern the creation of God?

Grace, and the New Covenant, #11

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (II Corinthians 5:10)

The view of the Judgment Seat of Christ as a kind of sports award banquet in which all participants receive some kind of award but no believer is punished. The change of the Judgment Seat of Christ into an awards banquet is fairly common in Christian teaching. It is a complete misunderstanding of the Judgment Seat.

God has warned us in the Bible that there is coming a Day of Judgment. The unsaved have invented the fantasy of evolution to prove there is no God and thus no Day of Reckoning. The Christians have invented unconditional grace to remove from the believers the fear of the Day of Judgment.

If we had any idea of the terror of the Judgment Seat of Christ we would flee from such a perversion of truth.

Here is the truth: the most important issue a believer faces is the day of resurrection, for it is after this that he will be judged and rewarded.

The physical body of every person who has lived on the earth will be raised on the last day and stand before Christ. Then the consequences of his behavior on earth will clothe his resurrected frame as a robe, or house from Heaven. We will reap in that day precisely what we have sown.

The individual who has cooperated with the Spirit of God in the transformation of his inward nature will be clothed with a glorious body of eternal life and glory.

The individual who has not cooperated with the Spirit of God but has continued in his unchanged way, walking in his worldliness, lusts, and self-will, will be clothed with corruption and death.

This is an inviolable law. No mercy, no grace, no belief in Christ — nothing can alter the Kingdom law of sowing and reaping.

The Apostle Paul was striving, at the end of his days, to attain to the out-resurrection from the dead. He warned us to be thus minded. To attain to the out-resurrection is first, to attain to the inner resurrection in which the adamic man has been put down and the believer is living by the Life of Christ. As a consequence, the individual will be clothed with incorruptible resurrection life and to rise to meet the Lord Jesus at His coming. The teaching of today is that every believer will rise in the first resurrection, but this is not true. Only the blessed and holy members of the royal priesthood will be clothed in white and rise in the first resurrection. It is a goal, a mark worth pressing toward, as did the Apostle Paul.

Jeremiah did not know of the first resurrection. But he did understand that it is God's will to bring back His elect to the land of Jerusalem. So it is true that those who attain the first resurrection from the dead will return with the Lord Jesus and rule with Him from the city of Jerusalem.

Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all. (Jeremiah 31:12)

Grace, and the New Covenant, #10

Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:20)

The view of Divine grace as an alternative to righteous behavior rather than what it is — the means of enabling us to practice righteous behavior. In the Book of Romans the Apostle Paul spoke of the fact that God has replaced the Law of Moses with His salvation given through the blood of Christ. When Paul mentions "works" he is referring to the works of the Law of Moses.

We Gentiles, not having a background in the Law of Moses, have interpreted the text of Romans to mean God has replaced godly behavior with salvation through the blood of Jesus. We are having Paul contrast godly behavior with salvation through grace.

The Apostle Paul would never contrast godly behavior with salvation through grace. The very purpose of Divine grace is to produce a new creation that practices godly behavior.

Can you imagine the Lord telling Jeremiah He was going to furnish a new covenant in which the Jews could continue in their ungodly behavior and then go to Paradise to live forever? Can you see we have concocted a fairy tale that has no relation to the Prophets? The present-day doctrine of unconditional grace reflects a total ignorance of the Holy One of Israel. God would never tell the Prophets He was going to provide a new covenant with Israel in which the people were not required to serve God. How ridiculous! How utterly reprehensible!

The emphasis on the goodness and love of God to the exclusion of the severity of God. Nothing in the prophecies of Jeremiah would indicate that God is love and not wrath. In fact, the good news of the new covenant is always presented against the backdrop of dire predictions of wrath.

Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely: And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them: And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul. (Jeremiah 32:37-41)

Behold, in the above passage, both the severity and goodness of the Lord. God is speaking here of the new covenant, of the one new man, Jew and Gentile, in Christ. Notice that God says He will put His fear in our heart. But modern teaching is stealing our crown by saying there is no need to fear the Lord. Will we repent and turn away from this evil doctrine?

Grace, and the New Covenant, #9

Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life: (Ezekiel 13:22)

The current teaching that no believer will be punished at the Judgment Seat of Christ, that we should reverence God but not fear Him, that once we make a profession of Christ we never can have our name blotted from the Book of Life, and similar teachings are all coming from Satan. "Thou shalt not surely die." It is the same voice. The same lie. It will have the same results — unbearable agony followed by certain destruction.

Every one of God's ministers should throw on the dung heap the terribly destructive doctrine that no believer will be punished at the Judgment Seat of Christ. It is the very opposite of the history of Israel and the prophecies of Jeremiah. It is worse than a myth or error. It tells the disobedient, the rebel, the adulterer, the covetous, he shall live and not die. It presents a false picture of God. It creates moral havoc! It is weighed in the balances and found wanting.

Millions of the Christians of our day are heading toward an angry Christ unless God in His goodness sends such suffering that they turn from their wicked ways and seek the Lord.

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (II Chronicles 7:14)

American Christians do not take this Scripture too seriously because they have been taught that they will go to Heaven whether or not they humble themselves; whether or not they pray; whether or not they seek God's face; whether or not they turn from their wicked ways.

The watchmen are not warning the sinners in Zion. The sinners will die in their sin but their blood will be required at the hands of the ministry.

When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. (Ezekiel 3:18)

For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (Romans 8:13)

Are you one of those who believe we can ignore the warnings of the Prophets and Apostles and still live in God's sight? I hope you are not!

Grace, and the New Covenant, #8

I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. (Jude 1:5)

The doctrine of unconditional grace applied to a heavenly Gentile Church is so unscriptural, so illogical, so destructive of all God has planned for mankind, that it should be abandoned at once by every minister of the Gospel.

The Prophet Jeremiah would not recognize a new covenant that promised unconditional forgiveness to Gentiles for the purpose of bringing them to the garden of God to live forever in bliss.

Another error and myth that has become part of the Christian Gospel is as follows:

The doctrine that salvation is unconditional, meaning that once an individual makes a profession of Christ he never can be lost to the purposes of God whether or not he obeys the Lord's commandments. This error is closely related to the first. It is so different from the Old Testament account that one indeed would have to view the new covenant as a change in the way God deals with people.

There are several incidents in the Old Testament where God blessed people and then later had to bring severe judgment upon them. We think of the Jews wandering an additional thirty-eight years in the wilderness until a generation died. This incident is treated in the New Testament as a warning to believers that if they do not press forward in the Lord they also will experience the anger of God.

But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? (Hebrews 3:17)

Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. (I Samuel 2:30)

But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. (Ezekiel 18:24)

A change in this principle would be a change in God. If we as a Christian abide in Christ, pray, study the Scriptures, meet with fervent believers, give, serve, covet the gifts of the Spirit that we may minister, and put to death the lusts of our flesh, we will live.

If we then ignore Christ, cease to pray, neglect the Scriptures, forsake the assembly of the saints, hoard our money, live in the appetites of the flesh, we will die spiritually. We will slay our own resurrection. We will never inherit the Kingdom of God.

Grace, and the New Covenant, #7

That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. (Luke 1:74,75)

Here we have the true Christian Gospel. It is fundamentally of the Jews, and it is designed to deliver us from Satan and his demons so we can serve God without fear in holiness and righteousness.

All Christian theology, all Christian worship services, should reflect the purpose of the new covenant, which is that the members of God's elect, God's priesthood of which we converted Gentiles are an integral part, serve God each day without fear in a holy, righteous manner.

In your mind, how does this concept compare with what you perceive concerning the Christian Gospel?

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (II Timothy 4:3,4)

Now let us think about some of the errors and myths that have become part of the Christian Gospel. If we had insisted on viewing our Gospel as a fulfillment of the utterances of the Hebrews Prophets we would not be in the theological confusion of today.

The interpretation of Paul's teaching of "grace" to mean the Divine salvation consists of the forgiveness of all of the believer's sin, past, present, and future regardless of how the believer behaves. Defining grace as a perpetual covering for sinful behavior is at the root of many of the errors of today.

The father of John the Baptist declared that the Hebrew Prophets announced the Divine salvation that is in Christ. However, one could never find in the Prophets the prediction of a change in God such that He was ready to forgive Gentiles (or Jews either) of all their sins and then not require that they behave righteously! The very idea is so foreign to the Old Testament Scriptures that we would have to view this fantasy as a special intervention of God never envisioned by the Prophets.

But this cannot be because the New Testament in several places reveals the inseparable connection between the old covenant and the new; between the Prophets of the Jews and the Apostles of the New Testament.

And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. (Acts 13:32,33)

But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: (Acts 24:14)

And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers: (Acts 26:6)

Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: (Romans 15:8)

And so on, and on, and on. To maintain that the new covenant, the Christian Gospel, is a special Divine forgiveness directed toward Gentiles to bring them to Heaven apart from any moral transformation of their personality, that new-covenant grace is unconditional and permanent such that morally unchanged people dwell in the Paradise of God forever — or worse yet, govern the nations of the earth as royal priests, has no basis in the Prophets of the Old Testament or the Apostles of the New.

Grace, and the New Covenant, #6

In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness. (Jeremiah 33:16)

If "The Lord our righteousness" does not mean we are righteous by identification with Christ, what then does it mean? It means we become righteous with His righteousness because the Spirit of God slays our wicked adamic nature and creates Christ's Substance and Virtue in its place. There is a new creation in which all things are of God.

What a vast difference there is between the two concepts! One gives us a legal righteousness with no real change in our personality. The other offers total transformation such that we are changed from an adamic man to a life-giving spirit, having been formed in the moral image of Christ and brought into untroubled union with the Father through Christ.

These are not the same concept. Only one of the two will change us into the image of Christ. The other is a kingdom in word only.

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Romans 8:29)

The words of Jeremiah sound foreign to us because of the myths and errors that have accumulated in Christian theology and liturgies. Is there any place in the New Testament, other than the Book of Hebrews, where we find the same orientation of the Christian Gospel to the people of Israel?

And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. (Luke 1:31-33)

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. (Luke 1:68-75)

The above prophecy given by the father of John the Baptist is a perfect representation of the purpose of God in the Christian Gospel.

The Christian salvation is the redemption that has been announced from the beginning by God's Prophets.

The purpose of the Gospel is to save us from our enemies so we can serve God without fear.

It is God's will that we walk before Him in holiness and righteousness all the days of our life.

Grace, and the New Covenant, #5

And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me. (Jeremiah 33.8)

Let us think a little bit more about what Jeremiah declared, for his words enable us to understand new-covenant grace.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (I John 1:7)

The whole book of First John shows us that through the blood of the cross we receive not only forgiveness of sins but the removal of sins so that we walk righteously before God and keep all of His commandments. The great error of our day is that we view new-covenant grace as forgiveness apart from the removal of our sinful nature. In today's preaching there is very little writing of the law of God in our mind and heart, only forgiveness. This is not the new covenant!

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The Lord our righteousness. For thus saith the Lord; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel; (Jeremiah 33:14-17)

The Man who will sit on the throne of the house of Israel is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us think about the expression, "The Lord our righteousness." It is here that the great confusion in Christian thinking occurs. The Lord our righteousness could be interpreted to mean the Lord is righteous and we become righteous by identification with Him. This is a logical conclusion but totally destructive of the moral strength of the Kingdom of God.

If it were true that The Lord our righteousness means that the Lord is righteous and we are righteous only by identification with Him, then the greater portion of the writing of the Apostles in the New Testament is unnecessary. If the only or even primary righteousness that we have is that which comes to us by identification with Christ, then the Lord has saved us in our sins but not from our sins. This would be an incomplete redemption.

Think of the consequences of such a position for the Church of God? The members are still worldly, full of lust, and directed by their own self-will. They cannot be distinguished from the world by their thinking, speech, or actions. They are adulterers, fornicators, and addicted to pornography. They have no intention of laying down their life, taking up their cross, and following Jesus. All of their righteousness proceeds from their identification with the Righteous One.

This is what is preached today. This is why the members of the Christian churches, to a great extent, are worldly, full of lust, and disobedient to God. It is an error of monumental proportions and it has destroyed the Christian testimony.

Grace, and the New Covenant, #4

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. (Mark 16:16)

And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (John 2:2)

But isn't it true that anyone, not only a member of God's elect royal priesthood, can repent of his sins, put his trust in Jesus, be baptized in water, and thereby be saved into the Kingdom of God when it appears? This is true and it is a covenant of salvation that God has made with mankind. But when we are referring to the Church, the royal priesthood, God's elect whether Jewish or Gentile by race, then the covenant, as Jeremiah prophesied, is made with Israel and Judah.

The writings of the Apostles are addressed primarily to the Church, to God's elect, to His Israel whether Jewish or Gentile by birth. The salvation begins by saving us from Divine wrath and finishes by creating us in the image of the Lord Jesus and bringing us into untroubled rest in the Father through Jesus.

So we see there is a basic covenant of salvation from wrath that is made with all flesh — God is not willing that any perish but that all be saved from wrath. But during the Church Age the emphasis is on the bringing of the Body of Christ, God's Israel, to the perfection that will make it possible for the Body to assume the many roles and responsibilities designated for the sons of God and brothers of the Lord Jesus.

For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. (Hebrews 8:7-12)

The Book of Hebrews is one long exhortation to Christians to not stop at basic salvation but to press forward to perfection, to the rest of God. The rest of God is that position in which we have ceased living our own life and are totally committed to the Presence and will of God in all that we do. It is the eternal Sabbath, the land of promise, an acknowledgment by us that God has finished the creation and is resting and our sole responsibility and task in life is to press into that rest.

Grace, and the New Covenant, #3

Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: (Jeremiah 31:31)

If we Gentiles would understand the new covenant we must realize it is made only with Israel. We must become, through Christ, an integral part of Israel before we are eligible to partake of the new covenant.

Also, we must realize that the new covenant is a response to the wickedness of God's chosen people and its purpose is to forgive their sins and cleanse them from all unrighteousness. God was displeased with the rebellion and uncleanness of His people. God issued a new covenant designed not only or even primarily to forgive the sins of Israel but to remove their wicked ways.

When the grace of the new covenant is seen as an unconditional unforgiveness not requiring godly behavior, the purpose of which is to make Gentiles eligible to reside forever in Heaven, then what we have is a myth, not the fulfillment of the prophecy given by the Prophet Jeremiah. There is absolutely no foundation for such a viewpoint in either the Old Testament or the New Testament.

Let us look briefly at what Jeremiah stated, remembering that what God is declaring is the new covenant, the only covenant, the Christian covenant. All else is the vain imaginations of people.

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

The new covenant, the Christian covenant, is made only with the house of Israel and Judah, that is, with the royal priesthood. It is not made with the people of the world.

The new covenant supersedes the Mosaic covenant because the Jews could not or would not remain faithful to the Mosaic covenant.

The new covenant is the eternal law of God put in the mind of the worshiper and written in his heart.

God will be their God and the Israelites will be God's people, as a result of the new covenant.

Grace, and the New Covenant, #2

Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. (I Corinthians 10:11)

Apart from the Old Testament, Christians have no foundation on which to build, no prophecies of the future, no types and shadows to help us understand the abstractions of the spiritual Kingdom of God. Apart from the New Testament, the Jews are left with forms which cannot fully meet the needs of people, such as the blood of animals as an atonement for sin (today they do not even have this), and also with unfulfilled prophecies concerning Christ and the Kingdom of God.

The Jews have a book, the Old Testament as we term it, filled with forms and symbols. But apart from Christ they do not have the spiritual fulfillments of these numerous types and shadows. They have no Lamb of God to deliver them from Satan, the Pharaoh of this world. But according to the Prophets the Jews will have Christ in the time to come. God has not forgotten His people!

Whether the Jews or Christians like the idea or not, they constitute one revelation, one covenant of God with man.

The Holocaust cuts deeply into the sensibilities of the true Christian because the Jews are God's chosen people. May it one day be true that Calvary will cut deeply into the sensibilities of the true Jew — the Jew who is circumcised in heart and not just in the flesh.

The reason we Christians do not understand new-covenant grace is because we are defining grace apart from the statements of the Old Testament. Until we see our salvation as the fulfillment of the words of Jeremiah, Isaiah, and other Jewish Prophets we will continue to heap error upon error and myth upon myth as we keep accommodating the Christian Gospel to the philosophical currents and human desires of our time. We are not anchored in the Prophets!

The Prophet Jeremiah gave his pronouncements during a very difficult period. The Israelites had made the Lord so angry with their wicked practices He was ready to destroy Jerusalem and hand over His people to the Babylonians.

During this time Jeremiah had the unpopular task of informing the inhabitants of Jerusalem that they already were defeated. God was commanding them to turn themselves over to the Babylonians and that He would take care of them in Babylon.

At the same time the Lord, looking ahead to Christ and the Divine salvation, promised the Jews that He would provide a new covenant for them and return them to the land of Israel.

Of course the Israelites had no way of understanding the depth and breadth of the new covenant — that it would involve the crucifixion of their adamic nature and the birth and development of Christ in their inward man, climaxing with the resurrecting of their physical body and the clothing of it with a body from Heaven that is free from the chains of sin and death.

It is well for all of us, Jews and Gentiles alike, to keep in mind that the fulfillment of any of God's promises always is far, far beyond any marvelous wonder we could conceive.

Grace, and the New Covenant

For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. (John 1:17)

Christianity is founded on a Rock. The Rock is Christ, slain to make an atonement for our sins, risen to guarantee salvation for all who place their trust in Him. On this sure foundation has been built an assortment of errors and myths that have made Christianity a religion that bears little resemblance to the new covenant.

An age of moral horrors soon is to engulf the world. The assortment of myths and errors we term the "Christian religion" will be weighed in the balances and found wanting.

God is calling out of the churches (not out of the buildings but out of the errors) a holy, warlike remnant of saints. They will proceed to establish their lives according to the Scriptures. They will be more than conquerors throughout the age of moral horrors and will encourage and assist many who otherwise would be swept away into the darkness.

We Christians may understand the Law of Moses but it appears that in some instances we may not understand the grace and truth that came by Christ.

We Gentiles have made a religion of Christianity. This is error number one. There is only one Divine salvation, one revelation of God to man. The Divine revelation was given to Abraham and then to the patriarchs. The same revelation, not a different revelation, continued through the Lord Jesus Christ.

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; (Hebrews 1:1,2)

We understand, therefore, that biblical Judaism and biblical Christianity are one and the same religion — if we wish to term Divine revelation a religion.

In biblical (to distinguish it from Jewish commentaries) Judaism we have the forms of the Kingdom of God. In biblical Christianity (to distinguish it from the potpourri of errors and myths that accompany Christian theology and liturgies) we gain understanding of the forms of Judaism and we find eternal life through them.

For instance, the blood-stained altar of Judaism is the form of which the cross of Calvary is the life-giving fulfillment.

The lampstand of Judaism is the form of which the Holy Spirit is the fulfillment.

The booth of Judaism is the form of which the dwelling of the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit in the believer is the fulfillment.

We have made Christianity a religion that competes with all other religions, including Judaism. Perhaps this is why we cannot understand new-covenant grace. Perhaps this is why we have gone far afield in our thinking until the original revelation no longer is recognizable.

Judaism and Christianity are one and the same — the same God; the same Holy Spirit; the same Prophets. The Old Testament reveals God to us Christians. (What would we do without the twenty-third and ninety-first Psalms?) The New Testament reveals the meaning of the people, things, and events of the Old.

The Righteousness of God, #9

Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism But accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right." (Acts 10:34,35 — NIV)

Adamic righteousness, while certainly more pleasing to God than no righteousness at all, is a lower level of righteousness, even though God accepts it and will bless the individual who is truthful, honest, and merciful.

The righteousness of God is infinitely purer and stronger than the best efforts of the adamic nature. The righteousness of God is that which God Himself is, His moral Nature. It is God's will that His Nature be formed in us. When it is, God and Christ will come and live forever in the new creation we have become as Christ has been formed in us.

As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." (Romans 3:10-12 — NIV)

Some Christian teaching emphasizes that no person on earth ever has or ever will live righteously. The conclusion is that we can be righteous only through identification with the Lord Jesus Christ.

However, both the Old Testament and the New on many occasions refer to people as righteous, even when they were not identified with Christ.

This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. (Genesis 6:9 — NIV)

Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. (Matthew 1:19 — NIV)

The Bible speaks in numerous instances of righteous people. Then it states that there is not even one righteous person.

It is as we have said. God welcomes every attempt of human beings to live righteously, unless, of course, they hear the Gospel of Christ and seek to employ their own righteousness in place of receiving Christ.

At the last judgment human beings will be judged according to their works. God honors those who, in terms of their conscience or cultural standards, try to do what is right. To say this is not true is to deny the clear statements of the Bible.

People of the world also honor righteousness even though they seem to fight against it at times. Because the Christian churches do not preach righteous behavior the world despises the believers as being no different from themselves.

However, it is as we have said. The righteousness of God is a kind of righteousness that far exceeds the attempts of the human being to act according to conscience, and therefore the seeking of God's Kingdom and His righteousness is the first duty of every person.

The nations of the earth will not glorify God until we who are Christians begin to practice the righteous works for which God has created us. It is well that we bring the Gospel to them, but this is not the light that Christ spoke of. The light that Christ referred to consists of our good works. Such good works can be seen in us only as we forsake our sinful nature and embrace the righteousness which is that of God Himself through the Lord Jesus Christ. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16 — NIV) (from The Righteousness of God)

The Righteousness of God, #8

To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ — their Lord and ours: (I Corinthians 1:2 — NIV)

Being a saint is a full-time calling. We have to make our walk with the Lord the chief occupation of each day, even when our secular employment is very demanding. The Spirit of God will show us how to do this.

The average American Christian is not close to being the righteousness of God. He has been taught that he is "saved by grace" and any moment he is going to be raptured into Paradise so he can lay around in his mansion and do nothing except talk to his friends and rest.

He is deceived. The truth is, unless he turns and begins to serve God as the New Testament directs, he will face an angry Christ. His talent will be taken from him and given to another. He will be thrown into the outer darkness. This is what the Bible says.

He has no concept of the Kingdom of God. He has no idea that when the Lord returns he is to follow on a white war stallion, ready to face the hordes of Hell. He thinks he will spend eternity in Paradise in the spirit realm, not understanding that his task as a member of the Body of Christ is to drive all sin and darkness from the earth and to install righteous, peace, and joy on the earth.

He is not overcoming the accuser by the blood of the Lamb. He is not overcoming the accuser by the word of his testimony, because his testimony does not line up with the written word of God.

He is not overcoming the accuser by loving not his life to the death. He has been taught that God loves him too much to permit him to suffer. Christ became poor so he might be rich, he thinks. Christ suffered so he never will have to suffer, he imagines. Such is the American Christian.

He is not bearing the fruit of the moral image of Christ because he is not abiding in Christ. He is filled with the love of the world, the lusts of the flesh, and self-will. He shall be removed from the Vine, from Christ, along with those teachers who have cried to him, "rapture, rapture, rapture, grace, grace, grace, Heaven, Heaven, Heaven."

He has little in common with the heroes of faith because his only faith is a mental assent to Christian theology. He is not bearing his cross after Christ. He does not know Christ, only the sayings and ways of the churches.

The path to becoming the righteousness of God is outlined in the New Testament, beginning with Matthew and ending with the Book of Revelation. This entire text is inspired by the Holy Spirit and is addressed to Christians. None of it is "for the Jews." All of it is directed toward the one Seed of Abraham, that is, Jesus Christ and all who are part of Him, whether Jewish or Gentile by physical birth.

It is well that the human being, Christian or non-Christian, behave righteously with the moral strength that he has. God will always bless righteous behavior — even when it proceeds from the adamic nature.

Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism But accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right." (Acts 10:34,35 — NIV)

The Righteousness of God, #7

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:24 — NIV)

Now, how do we go about having our sinful nature destroyed and its place taken over by the righteousness of God in Christ?

We have to do what Christ and His Apostles commanded. First of all, we have to count that we have been crucified with Christ and now are to live by His life. Our born-again inward nature already has been raised in Christ to the right hand of God.

We must — we absolutely must — deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. We must do this each day. Each day we must look to Jesus for His will for the day. We must turn aside from our love of the world, the lusts of our flesh, and especially our self-will. We must deny our self! Until we deny our self-will we cannot possibly enter the Kingdom of God. All the Christian religious activity in the world will never, never, never compensate for our unwillingness to surrender our will to Jesus Christ.

The great fork in the road that faces the Christian believer today is whether or not he is willing to forsake his own religious ambitions and strivings and bring all of his gifts of Jesus, so that Jesus may use them as He will. We hear of many exciting programs that will save all the people in the world, but we do not hear very often of someone who is dropping his own notions of "doing great things for God" in favor of turning to Jesus to find out what He desires.

If we would become the righteousness of God we must pray every day until we know we are in tune with the Lord Jesus. We must meditate in the Scriptures every day. We must, if possible, gather regularly with fervent believers, placing ourselves under the oversight of the godly elders of the assembly.

We must give of our means, serve, and seek the ministries and gifts of the Spirit that we may help build each member of the assembly to maturity as measured by the stature of the fullness of Christ.

We absolutely must offer our body a living sacrifice to God, being transformed by the renewing of our mind. Only through this means can we discover the will of God for ourselves.

We absolutely must walk before the Lord in the open confession of our sins. When the Holy Spirit points out something in our personality that is not according to the moral image of Christ, we must quickly, fervently, with all the strength we can muster denounce and renounce such behavior. Then we must draw near to God and in the future resist the devil when he tempts us along this line.

As we read the Bible consistently and prayerfully, being ready to do what God points out to us, the Lord will show us what must be done that day to change us into the Glory of the Lord. If we are faithful and obedient we shall be changed into the image of the Glory of the Lord.

The Righteousness of God, #6

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; Idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions And envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

It is my opinion that teachers of the Gospel should not maintain that to have God's righteousness it is necessary only to believe in Christ; that godly conduct is not an integral part of our salvation. If this is the case, how do we account for Paul's statement, "those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God"? I don't think we should persist in our point of view until this inconsistency is answered clearly from passages from the New Testament kept in context.

Second, since we know the new Jerusalem will not consist of believers who are unrighteous in behavior, how, when, and where do we make the transition from unrighteous behavior to righteous, holy behavior?

There is no clear statement in the New Testament, kept in context, that informs us that when we die we will suddenly be made righteous, or that when the Lord Jesus appears we will suddenly be made righteous. The parables of the foolish virgins and the man who buried his talent show us plainly that when the Lord appears He will treat us on the basis of how faithfully we have served Him.

The master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him, and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. (Luke 12:46 — NIV)

The above verse obviously is referring to the Lord's servants. How can we maintain that Christ will make us righteous when He appears, when the Word informs us that He will punish the sinful believers when He comes?

If we explain away Luke 12:46 by maintaining that such verses do not apply to Christians, then how can we insist that the Lord's explanation in the third chapter of the Book of John about the necessity for being born again applies to Christians? How can we pick and choose what words of Christ we will accept and what we will reject? Are we not interpreting the Word of God in a private manner, according to our own notions?

Third, if our salvation consists primarily of Christ's righteousness attributed to us, and righteous behavior no longer is necessary, why does the Lord tell us that at the end of the age His angels will remove from His Kingdom all behavior that offends God?

The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. (Matthew 13:41 — NIV)

Are we Christians not part of the Kingdom of God that will experience this purifying?

If actual righteousness on our part is not necessary, why would God remove from His Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil?

I think it is obvious we have misunderstood the concept of our having God's righteousness. It is not true that His righteousness is merely assigned to us, except in an initial, temporary sense. It is, rather, that His righteous Character enters our personality and changes it until we reveal in ourselves the good works that God always performs. It is His righteousness in us, portrayed in our conduct, that is the goal of the new covenant. Our sinful nature is destroyed and its place is taken by the righteous Character of God Himself.

The Righteousness of God, #5

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. (I Peter 2:12 — NIV)

I do not think any Christian would disagree with me that we have been called to show forth the righteous Character of Jesus Christ in our life. The problem in today's thinking pertains to how we are to arrive at the place where God's righteousness is revealed in us.

If I am correct, the assumption is made, in Christian thinking, that somehow in the future God is going to remove our sinful nature and replace it with His own righteous Nature, without any effort on our part. In the meantime we are "saved by grace," meaning God's righteousness is attributed to us because we believe in Christ; and while we ought to behave righteously, our salvation is not critically harmed if we do not.

This is horrific error! The result is, other religions and governments of the world despise Christian America as "the great Satan." Why is this? It is because of the way we behave.

We do not understand the new covenant. We have made the grace of God a license for immoral behavior.

For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. (Jude 1:4 — NIV)

How does one change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny the Lordship of Jesus Christ? By doing as we do today. When we are warned about fornication, pornography, profanity, the love of money, gossip, hatred, jealousy, strife, and the other works of the flesh, we say, "But I am saved by grace, not by works of righteousness I have done," quoting a Bible statement out of context. Thus we turn the grace of God into a license for immorality. Also, we deny the claims of Jesus Christ. We are willing to accept Jesus Christ as Savior, but not as our personal Lord who has the absolute right to tell us what we can and cannot do.

Previously we mentioned three questions that must be answered from the Scripture, if we are going to maintain that to have God's righteousness means only that we have believed in Jesus Christ and God therefore attributes righteousness to us.

First, if the Christian salvation consists primarily of Christ's righteousness attributed to us, why does the Apostle Paul state if we believers continue in unrighteous conduct we will not inherit the Kingdom of God?

I have never heard a minister of the Gospel address this issue clearly and scripturally. It always seems to be avoided.

The Righteousness of God, #4

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10 — NIV)

We were created to be living epistles that all of God's creatures might learn the difference between good and evil.

God chose you and me, each Christian, to perform certain good works. Obviously we do not all do the same good works, but we press forward toward our individual mark. We are saved by grace through faith. This salvation is God's gift to us. We did not earn it by keeping the Law of Moses or any other code of religious or moral behavior.

God's purpose in saving us is that the angels and the inhabitants of the earth might see and understand the difference between good and evil.

In the middle of the Garden of Eden God placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It is my opinion that both of these trees reflect the Character of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The sign of spiritual maturity is that we can discern between good and evil and are willing and able to choose the good and reject the evil. But we cannot attain such maturity except as the Lord Jesus Christ, who Himself is the eternal law of God made flesh, is formed in us.

But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:14 — NIV)

The mistake Adam and Eve made was to partake of the knowledge of good and evil before they partook of the tree of life. They were slain by the eternal moral law of God before they had a chance to partake of the Life of Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul stated that the same was true of him before He received Christ. The Law of Moses killed him.

For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. (Romans 7:11 — NIV)

God gave His elect the Law of Moses in order to control sin before the Seed of Abraham, the Lord Jesus Christ, appeared on the earth.

Then through the Lord Jesus, and through the Lord Jesus through the Apostles, God's holy commandments were issued. The New Testament contains numerous commandments that we must observe if we are to enter eternal life. God also gave us the blood of the Lord Jesus so we can enter the Most Holy Place in Heaven and receive strength to help us overcome worldliness, the lusts of our flesh, and self-will.

All of these commandments are steps back to the original righteousness, the righteousness the angels experienced before the creation of the world, and yet did not comprehend. This is the righteousness which is God Himself — His moral Character.

The end of the new covenant is that God's moral Character might be written in our mind and heart. Then we are in fact the righteousness of God, for it is Christ in us who is living. Our inward nature has been transformed, by the Holy Spirit, into the image of the Glory of the Lord. Then the Father and the Son make Their eternal home in our transformed inward nature. Now we indeed are the righteousness of God — not an attributed righteousness, a legally assigned righteousness, but an actual righteousness of personality.

The Righteousness of God, #3

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10 — NIV)

When a new moral creation has not been brought forth it is because we have not been abiding in Christ. Rather we have been trusting in a legalistic kind of grace, a perversion of the true Divine grace. In fact, we have changed Divine grace into a license for immorality, as Jude states.

But let us return to this enigmatic statement: "We have been created to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do."

The good works are those that Jesus always does, that is, behavior that proceeds from the iron righteousness and fiery holiness of God Himself. In addition to iron righteousness and fiery holiness we must add stern obedience to the Father.

The fruit of iron righteousness, fiery holiness, and stern obedience to the Father is morally upright, compassionate behavior coming from those who are walking humbly with God.

We have been created that we might walk uprightly, show mercy to people, and listen constantly for the will of our Father in Heaven.

So far so good. I do not think any Christian would find fault with the above statements.

To answer this question we will have to return to the creation of the universe, and even before then.

Before God created the firmament of heaven (the sky and outer space) God and Christ were living in the spirit realm surrounded by a vast number of angelic beings. It is my viewpoint that none of these angelic beings possessed a conscience or was capable of moral judgment, as God and people are.

I do not think God at that time had ever defined righteousness as specific behaviors. I think righteousness existed but it was not codified. Righteousness at that time was that which God always is.

When it came into Satan's mind to disobey God there arose automatically a need for judgment. Judgment must proceed in terms of "you may do this but you may not do that." It seems to me you cannot make a moral judgment unless there exists a clear standard, a distinction between right and wrong. I do not believe the angels had any concept of "you may do this but not that," they merely existed in the bliss of God's Presence.

In fact, it is my point of view that the Ten Commandments actually are a judgment against Satan and his angels, and that they understand this. They now are learning what righteousness is, a concept not known to them before the Law was given to Moses.

I believe God created man to demonstrate righteous behavior in the sight of the angels. I think man was created to be God's judges and rulers, with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself being the chief Judge and Ruler.

On this basis God brought into existence the new race of humans, who have a conscience and who are capable of moral judgment. Through them what is good and what is evil can be revealed to the inhabitants of the heavens as well as the peoples of the earth.

The Righteousness of God, #2

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — Not by works, so no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8,9 — NIV)

When I first became a Christian I was presented with the above two verses. I was informed that these contained the basic idea of salvation.

But my instructors did not add the next verse, Ephesians 2:10. Ephesians 2:8,9 apart from the next verse leaves an entirely incorrect view of the Christian salvation.

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10 — NIV)

Now, the above verse can lead us to a biblical understanding of how we actually possess God's righteousness, how it is that we can be called "The Lord our righteousness."

First of all, we are God's workmanship. We have been created in Christ Jesus to do good works. We have not been created to go to Heaven to lay on a couch in our mansion. We have been created to do good works.

We have been created to do good works. I am repeating this idea because it is almost never mentioned in Christian circles.

Where do these good works come from? They come from God in Christ. God is dwelling in Christ who is dwelling in us. Their righteousness becomes our righteousness when we have been crucified and they are living in us. We have been predestined to be in the moral image of Jesus Christ, our older Brother. As He is, so are we in this world. We are to reveal His Life in us. This is salvation and the new covenant.

But then a mysterious thought is added: "which God prepared in advance for us to do."

We have been created to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do. What do you think this means?

Jesus advised us to let our light shine that people might see our good works and because of them glorify God.

What good works? The Lord Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil.

In other words, we who claim to be part of Jesus Christ ought always to behave ourselves as He behaves Himself.

Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. (I John 3:3 — NIV)

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. (I John 3:7 — NIV)

We can behave ourselves as Jesus behaves Himself only as we are dead to our sinful nature and it is Christ who is living His Life in us. Isn't this true?

We understand, therefore, that seeking God's Kingdom and His righteousness is not primarily a matter of having God attribute right standing to us because of our belief in Jesus Christ but of revealing in ourselves God's righteous Character and His Kingdom.

There is an awesome gulf between these two concepts. If we hold only to the idea of Christ's righteousness being attributed to us, and continue in our ungodly behavior, then there is no Kingdom of God, no doing of God's will in the earth. It is this misunderstanding that has created the poor testimony of the churches during past years.

The Righteousness of God

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33 — NIV)

We have been commanded to seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. The righteousness of God is what He is in Character. The righteousness of God includes all of His commandments and goes even beyond these. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the Righteousness of God and the Covenant of God with people.

But this is a difficult thought, at least for me, to get hold of. What does it mean to seek God's righteousness?

I believe the conclusion is today, in Christian thinking, that we should not try to work up some righteous behavior of our own but should trust that God counts us righteous by the fact that we have believed in Christ, or we are identified with Christ. God is righteous. Christ is righteous. We are unrighteous in behavior but God deems us righteous because of our faith in Jesus Christ.

In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: "The LORD Our Righteousness." (Jeremiah 23:6 — NIV)

In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: "The LORD Our Righteousness." (Jeremiah 33:16 — NIV)

It is absolutely true that when we are a true disciple of the Lord Jesus our name is "The Lord our righteousness."

While it is understandable from having such a name that we might conclude God has attributed righteousness to us because of our association with the righteous Christ, this conclusion leaves three huge questions unanswered:

Third, if our salvation consists primarily of Christ's righteousness attributed to us, why does the Lord tell us that in the end of the age His angels will remove from His Kingdom all behavior that offends God?

I have never heard these three questions answered from clear passages of Scripture kept in context. Have you?

My opinion at this point is that gaining God's righteousness is by no means limited to having the righteousness of Christ attributed to us. I don't think this is what the expression means, except in a limited, initial sense. I do not believe being saved by grace means God refers to the members of His Kingdom as righteous even though they are continuing in the filthy conduct of the sinful nature.

Babylon, #9

And you say, "If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets." So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers! You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? (Matthew 20:30-33 — NIV)

Self-centered religionists do not know the Lord. They will work together to accomplish their goals. They always have and always will seek to destroy, whether by murder, torture, or slander, the true saints of the Lord, those who really love God and seek His will each day. It was true in the days of Cain and Abel. It is true today.

The following passage describes perfectly how the multitude of Christian people regard the individuals who look to Jesus each moment for His will.

My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice. (Ezekiel 33:31,32 — NIV)

Religion often warps character and judgment. Following the living Lord Jesus never warps character or judgment. Walking with Him leads us to righteousness, mercy, and humility. But religion sometimes produces the most abominable of people — proselytes who, as the Lord said, are children of Hell.

Truly the spirit of religion, whether the Judaic or Christian religion, always slanders and kills those whom Christ has commissioned to represent Him. Pilate understood clearly that the chief priests delivered up Christ because they envied His popularity. What an abomination! The leaders of Judaism murdered their own Christ because of their self-will!

So it is that the spirit of slander and murder abounds in the political actions of Christian churches. Aspiring young ministers soon learn that the meetings of the pastors are attended by cynical men who show very little of the Spirit of Christ in their words and actions. This is not always the case but certainly does occur.

Will we ever recover from the babylonish abominations? I doubt that we shall until the time Babylon is destroyed. Then the true saints of the Lord will flow together in the Presence of Christ. They are abiding in Christ in God and therefore are one with each other. They are one in Christ, not in a denominational attempt at unity or ecumenicism.

So it is true of us that when we are willing to cease trying to build a city and a tower that reaches to the heavens, we will be revealed as the Wife of the Lamb.(from Babylon)

Babylon, #8

When I say to a wicked man, xe2x80x98You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. (Ezekiel 3;18 — NIV)

Ordinarily the organized churches do not warn the believers of coming danger. Rather they speak comfortable things so people will attend the services, and they confine their strongest exhortations to matters that affect the institution itself, not to warnings to the people that if they continue to sin they will suffer God's judgment.

This is especially true in the Christian churches of America. One would travel far before hearing a pastor warn his congregation that if they did not live as true disciples of the Lord they would suffer at the hands of Christ upon His return. It is "rapture, rapture, Heaven, Heaven, grace, grace." The souls of their followers will be required of the leaders who curry favor with those who sit under their ministry. The ministers and the people will never hear "Well done, good and faithful servant" if they have not been good and faithful. The believers need to be told this emphatically in our day.

If the Christian ministers throughout Church history had turned aside from their own babylonish efforts to build the Kingdom of God, and had worked along with Jesus Christ as He built His own Church, it is possible there would have been no wars during this period of time. I think God would have made sure of this.

If the German Lutherans had all been abiding in Christ, Hitler could not have come to power and there would have been no holocaust.

If the Christians in America were living in iron righteousness, fiery holiness, and stern obedience to the Father, our nation would be one great source of food and other blessings to all the countries on the earth. It is possible the moral light then streaming from America would prevent all future wars.

But we Christians are content to make a nominal commitment to Christ and live in luxury while many are starving or imprisoned for the faith. We just do not want our material luxuries to be denied us. So we are facing World War III as the poorer nations plot against the "great Satan" of the West.

As soon as Babylon, the self-willed Christian Church, is condemned, a great multitude of people in Heaven will begin to praise God.

After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, For true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants." (Revelation 19:1,2 — NIV)

The wild jubilation in Heaven reveals how great an abomination self-willed Christianity is. We become accustomed to living and working within a denominational structure. We do not always realize how much the Lord wants us to have a personal relationship with him rather than just with the people of our group.

Babylon, #7

The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more — Cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; (Revelation 18:11,12 — NIV)

Notice the impact of the destruction of organized religion on the merchants of the world!

Think about the United States, for example. What would happen to the retail merchants in our country if there were no more Christmas, Easter, or Thanksgiving sales because the true Christians had left the great denomination and refused to celebrate their holidays by buying gifts or surfeiting themselves with food?

Cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and bodies and souls of men. (Revelation 18:13 — NIV)

Indeed, in the eyes of the huge denomination of the future, the souls of people will be just another commodity like cinnamon and spice. The great idol will be money, as it will be also in the Antichrist government.

Self-willed religionists always will attack God's true saints. This accounts for the following verse:

Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you. (Revelation 18:20 — NIV)

Notice that before the time Babylon was destroyed, the voice of the Lamb and His Bride could be heard in this organization. So it is today that in just about every Christian organization and in every church one can find true disciples of the Lord. The remainder are church members and some are fine people. But they never have denied themselves, taken up their cross, and followed the Lord Jesus. They have never set aside their own will that they might do God's will. Fine people, but not Christians; for a true Christian is a disciple, not just a church member.

The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. (Revelation 18:23 — NIV)

After the great Babylon is destroyed there never again will be found a Christian organization, only individual members of the royal priesthood who personally are known to the Lord Jesus and are an integral part of Him, and who personally know the Lord apart from any group influence.

If we go back and include the man-directed institutions of Judaism, and add to them the Christian institutions, we find in the whole the blood of prophets and of the saints. In fact, Revelation states that the blood of all who have been killed on the earth can be found in this huge Christian organization.

In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on the earth." (Revelation 18:24 — NIV)

The answer to this broad statement may be found in the Book of Ezekiel. God told Ezekiel that if the watchman did not warn the people of the coming danger, then the people would be slain in their sin but their blood would be on the watchman's hands.

Babylon, #6

Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my people, so you will not share in her sins, so you will not receive any of her plagues;" (Revelation 18:4 — NIV)

That God's true people are members of babylonish churches can be seen from the above.

Every once in a while we hear ministers call to us to leave our denomination or church. We are to "come out of Babylon."

I think the Lord is telling us today to seek the good of the Babylon where we find ourselves, just as He told the Jews in captivity to seek the good of the nation that had captured them.

When we leave our church today and meet in a home group we are apt to bring the spirit of Babylon with us. Babylon is self-will performing religious service. We find self-willed people in the small home group just as readily as in the megachurch of ten thousand members.

Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, "I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn." (Revelation 18:7 — NIV)

But there are no queens of the Kingdom. The Bride of the Lamb is referred to as the Body of Christ, not as a queen who governs alongside the Lord Jesus Christ.

Some of the queens of history have been great rulers in their own right, such as Elizabeth of England. But the Church is not a queen in her own right. She is absolutely nothing apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. She is the Body of Christ, that is, she is His fullness, His glory, His counterpart. She cannot sit as a queen and govern according to what she thinks the King desires.

But this is exactly what the churches of history have been — queens! They govern according to what they think the King desires, or what they themselves desire. They do not permit Christ to build His own church on the Rock He Himself is. Rather, they seek to build the church according to their own ideas. The result through the centuries has been, and is to the present hour, Babylon!

But God finally will overthrow all babylonish organizations, in the day He is ready to present the true Bride of the Lamb.

The next passage reveals that in the last days the Antichrist governments and the babylonish organization will share the wealth of the nations. They will be amazed and afraid, when they are cast down, because they never believed that their comfortable situation would ever be disturbed.

In prior verses we are told that Antichrist and ten kings closely aligned with Antichrist will bring Babylon to ruin and leave her naked. But in the next two verses we are told that some of the kings of the earth will not be part of the ten kings aligned with Antichrist, apparently, and that these kings of the earth will be upset over the destruction of the great man-controlled denomination.

When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: "Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come!" (Revelation 18:9,10 — NIV)

Babylon, #5

After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. With a mighty voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird." (Revelation 18:1,2 — NIV)

Again, without any intention of harming sincere Catholics by what I say, I believe we soon will see astonishing miracles performed in the name of the Virgin Mary. Many of us know of some of the major miracles that have occurred under the banner of Catholicism, such as those surrounding Joan of Arc and Bernadette of Lourdes. I do not know of miracles of similar magnitude that have occurred in the ranks of Protestantism.

The result of the current ecumenical trends added to stupendous evidences of supernatural confirmation could very well bring into existence an enormous world church operated by human wisdom — all in the name of Mary and Christ. Here is a great part of Babylon the Great, as I see it.

It appears most, perhaps all, of the great Christian denominations began with groups of sincere Christians who were seeking to serve the Lord. However, personal ambition soon entered and little by little the little group became a thriving organization.

As the denomination gains stature and influence, people who are not following the simple Jesus rise to positions of leadership. They talk much about the Lord and pray often, perhaps, but they do not know how to listen to Jesus. There are many factors in a denomination that are common to all organizations, the same internal strivings for preeminence, for example.

Another force is present in a Christian denomination. It is Satan who is attempting to direct the denomination into paths that will prevent the denomination from becoming a serious threat to Satan's kingdom in the earth.

Satan enters the door opened by the self-seeking of the denominational leaders. Soon the organization, still engaged in worthy works of evangelism and social assistance, has become a "a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit."

This is why the Catholic organization tortured and murdered dissenters up until the beginning years of the present century. I do not believe any sincere Catholic could honestly believe Mary or Jesus Christ would support the torture or murder of a believer because he or she had rejected Catholic doctrine.

It is because of personal ambition and avarice that so much cutthroat political jockeying takes place in Protestant organizations and independent churches. Such demon-inspired activity prevents the organization from becoming a serious threat to Satan's kingdom in the earth.

God's way is to take one individual, work with him night and day for a number of years until he is walking with Jesus, and then use him to bring the Kingdom of God forward.

Meanwhile, the Lord Jesus sits up on top of the temple, so to speak, while "Israel" rushes about engaging in religious politics. It was true then. It is true today.

Babylon, #4

One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. With her the kings of the earth committed adultery and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries." (Revelation 17:1,2 — NIV)

(Prior essays will reveal it is not our intention to demean the Catholic Church.)

Those who have studied the history of Europe realize the tremendous influence the Catholic Church has had on Western civilization. Indeed, "the kings of the earth committed adultery and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries." The influence of the Catholic Church, and later the Protestant denominations, was felt in every area of human life.

But in many, perhaps most, instances it was not the influence of the Lord Jesus that affected European life but the influence of religious leaders following their own political ambitions.

This title was written on her forehead: MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. (Revelation 17:5 — NIV)

It is my point of view that Babylon the Great is the Catholic Church and the Protestant churches are her daughters.

Why are the Protestant churches prostitutes? Because they seek to find favor with the world and attempt to offer God's grace to the world instead of standing as a witness of Christ against the malice and wickedness of the world.

I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. (Revelation 17:6 — NIV)

Here is a horrible thought. The self-directed Christian organization has murdered so many true saints of the Lord Jesus Christ, those who bore testimony to Jesus, that it actually is drunk with their blood. It has lost its ability to reason and its balance because it is intoxicated with its success in crushing all resistance to what it believes is its Divinely inspired program to save the world.

Ten kings who are aligned with Antichrist will make war against the Lord Jesus. But their effort is futile. He shall overcome them because of His God-given authority as Lord of lords and King of kings.

Notice that those who are with Christ are called, and chosen, and then proven faithful. Many are called. Few are chosen. The chosen few are then tested repeatedly in the area of obedience to Christ until their faithfulness has been demonstrated beyond all question. The self-will must be destroyed out of them before they can overcome the evil that is in the world.

They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings — and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers. (Revelation 17:14 — NIV)

The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. (Revelation 11:16 — NIV)

It is my point of view that in the not too distant future the Christian denominations will combine into one huge religious organization. Antichrist and his fellow kings will work with this new denomination until they feel strong enough to rule without it. Then they will destroy it.

Babylon, #3

If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. (John 7:17 — NIV)

God wants each one of us to come to Him as an individual, not as part of a group. God does not interact with groups but with individuals. It is God's plan that His Kingdom be composed of people who have come to know Him in a very personal way, who have become part of Him through the Lord Jesus Christ. Such people automatically are one with each other because they are integral parts of the one Christ. None of them looks to the other for recognition, power, or wisdom, except as God directs one to minister to the other. The members of the Body of Christ do not gain status, wisdom, or power by joining together but by living in iron righteousness, fiery holiness, and stern obedience to the Father.

Can you see now why God prevented the ancient people from proceeding with their plan to build the city? God caused them to be confused and scattered them over the face of the whole earth so they would look to Him rather than to each other. To look to the group instead of God is Babylon — confusion!

The spirit of Babylon is found in religion, including the Christian religion. Its name is Babylon the Great.

It seems so natural and "right" that people should join together to promote the Christian religion. However, this is not God's way. The result of such attempts at united effort, unless clearly and specifically put into effect by Jesus Christ, brings into existence the horror of Babylon the Great. When God's people neglect to seek the mind of Christ, and look to cooperation with others in order to build the Kingdom of God, we eventually create a cage of unclean spirits.

The Lord Jesus Christ stated He would build His own Church. For two thousand years we have denied Him His right to build His Church. Instead we have attempted to do this for Him. The result has been Babylon! Confusion! A thousand competing denominations!

Many churches understand that a true Christian is not worldly in appearance and behavior, and that God does not want us to continue in sin. This is good and right. But the greatest monster of all is self-will. Until God destroys the self-will from us by repeatedly sending tribulations and prisons to purify us of this monster, we always are going to bring forth Babylon as we seek to build the Kingdom of God.

Two chapters of the Book of Revelation are devoted to a discussion of Babylon the Great, revealing what an abominable institution it is. From the description, I believe Babylon the Great represents the Christian religion when it is guided and empowered by the will and ability of human beings instead of by close interaction with the living Jesus and by the Holy Spirit.

While the description of Babylon the Great seems to fit the Catholic Church to a significant extent, it is not our goal to condemn this particular denomination. The spirit of Babylon, that is, of man seeking to join with other men to gain a name for themselves, to pool their abilities, can be found in the smallest of independent churches. We understand well that many fine, self-sacrificing Christians have emerged from a Catholic background, and so our point is not to point the finger at them or to minimize their contribution to mankind in any manner whatever.

Archive of the Daily Word

Quick Links

The Basic Story of Life, #13

The Basic Story of Life, #12

The Basic Story of Life, #11

The Basic Story of Life, #10

The Basic Story of Life, #9

The Basic Story of Life, #8

The Basic Story of Life, #7

The Basic Story of Life, #6

The Basic Story of Life, #5

The Basic Story of Life, #4

The Basic Story of Life, #3

The Basic Story of Life, #2

The Basic Story of Life

The Gift of an Opportunity, #7

The Gift of an Opportunity, #6

The Gift of an Opportunity, #5

The Gift of an Opportunity, #4

The Gift of an Opportunity, #3

The Gift of an Opportunity, #2

The Gift of an Opportunity

Ye Shall Receive Power, #32

Ye Shall Receive Power, #31

Ye Shall Receive Power, #30

Ye Shall Receive Power, #29

Ye Shall Receive Power, #28

Ye Shall Receive Power, #27

Ye Shall Receive Power, #26

Ye Shall Receive Power, #25

Ye Shall Receive Power, #24

Ye Shall Receive Power, #23

Ye Shall Receive Power, #22

Ye Shall Receive Power, #21

Ye Shall Receive Power, #20

Ye Shall Receive Power, #19

Ye Shall Receive Power, #18

Ye Shall Receive Power, #17

Ye Shall Receive Power, #16

Ye Shall Receive Power, #15

Ye Shall Receive Power, #14

Ye Shall Receive Power, #13

Ye Shall Receive Power, #12

Ye Shall Receive Power, #11

Ye Shall Receive Power, #10

Ye Shall Receive Power, #9

Ye Shall Receive Power, #8

Ye Shall Receive Power, #7

Ye Shall Receive Power, #6

Ye Shall Receive Power, #5

Ye Shall Receive Power, #4

Ye Shall Receive Power, #3

Ye Shall Receive Power, #2

Ye Shall Receive Power

The Marriage of the Lamb, #48

The Marriage of the Lamb, #47

The Marriage of the Lamb, #46

The Marriage of the Lamb, #45

The Marriage of the Lamb, #44

The Marriage of the Lamb, #43

The Marriage of the Lamb, #42

The Marriage of the Lamb, #41

The Marriage of the Lamb, #40

The Marriage of the Lamb, #39

The Marriage of the Lamb, #38

The Marriage of the Lamb, #37

The Marriage of the Lamb, #36

The Marriage of the Lamb, #35

The Marriage of the Lamb, #34

The Marriage of the Lamb, #33

The Marriage of the Lamb, #32

The Marriage of the Lamb, #31

The Marriage of the Lamb, #30

The Marriage of the Lamb, #29

The Marriage of the Lamb, #28

The Marriage of the Lamb, #27

The Marriage of the Lamb, #26

The Marriage of the Lamb, #25

The Marriage of the Lamb, #24

The Marriage of the Lamb, #23