biblecombibleman.combiblecombibleman.com/cfifreedist.pdfii peter 1:20.21, the aspi version of the...

Learn Christ from the Apostles and Prophets,Volume 2: Christ for Individuals, the 5 NT booksfrom the Apostle John.To LEARN Christ is to learn Truth from Jesus, who said “I am the way, thetruth, and the life”; from God the Heavenly Father, the Creator of all; and fromthe Bible, God’s Great Design in a Book. Not even family is more importantthan the Truth of Jesus, God, and the Bible; as a matter of fact that also defineslove for God more than family, country, and all. Jesus said, "He that does notlove me more than father and mother is not worthy of me."

Also Jesus said, "You shall love the Lord thy God with all your heart, mind,and soul, and the second is like it you shall love your neighbor as yourself."Volumes can be written on "who is my neighbor", but Jesus defined it assomeone you see, that is in need, and you are able to help. However, theemphasis here is that this love is second, the prime love and loyalty is for Godand His Truth, the truth "once for all given to the saints" in the literal Bible ofII Peter 1:20.21, the ASPI version of the Bible. A conservative commentarybased on the ASPI is constrained by the rules the Bible Itself imposes onexegesis, generally called hermeneutics, with the paramount interest of“comparing Scripture with Scripture”, and hence you will find a large numberof Bible quotes in the Learn Christ commentaries. Dr. B. H. Carroll’s “AnInterpretation of the English Bible” has been admired for years as an exampleof good hermeneutics; however in the place of many actual comments as suchan authority of the founder and first President of SWBTS could do, comparisonscriptures have been multiplied in green, many of the strictly comments inblue. This may be one reason that while Carroll’s commentaries are in 17volumes, the Learn Christ commentaries are 7 volumes with both sets ofcommentaries having the same goal, to go al the way through the Bible fromstem to stern. Here, the startling recognition that the internal structure of theBible Itself with Old Testament quotes in the New Testament make thispossible, with an equal realization that Jesus and the Apostles explain whenthey quote, and sometimes it is the Prophets that explain more than theApostles.

Copyright by Jerry Vaughan McMichael for SunGrist November, 2004

Table of ContentsIntroduction to Christ for Individuals.......................................................................................4

Chapter 1: Eschatology in the Book of Revelation ..................................................................7

Chapter 2: Pride or Worship God, Revelation 1-3.................................................................33

Chapter 3: Number the People of God or Worship Christ, Revelation 4-7?.........................62

Chapter 4: The Seventh Seal, The Completion of History, Revelation 8-12..........................82

Chapter 5: War with the Remnant, Revelation 12-20...........................................................95

Chapter 6: “How Long?”......................................................................................................125

Chapter 7: New Heavens and New Earth, Rev 20,21. ........................................................145

Chapter 8: Overcomers are the Seven Thousand. ..............................................................168

Chapter 9: “Come and See”, The Gospel of John. ..............................................................191

Chapter 10: Revelation, the Gospel of John, and the Epistles. ...........................................206

Chapter 11: Signs for Believing in Jesus from the Gospel of John. .....................................223

Chapter 12: Security of the Believer from the Apostles John and Paul. .............................258

Chapter 13: Complete Outline of I John..............................................................................280

Chapter 14: Faith and Faith Contending in the Bible. .........................................................300

Chapter 15: The Sound of a Sound Faith.............................................................................317

Chapter 16: What Do You Do? ............................................................................................363

Introduction to Christ for Individuals

The contemporary gap between Christ and church membership should beobvious to all. It hardly matters which church or denomination as you look atchurch members around you, and then look at the Christ of the Bible and theteachings of Christ, there is little similarity. The discouraging aspect of thegap is that it is getting larger each year. That means that it is diverging; and ifit is diverging, it is conceivable that shortly the churches and Christ will begoing in opposite directions. Horrible, yes; but what is the answer. What isthe cure for this obvious and serious problem that has gripped the world ofChristians?

The answer is for church members to Learn Christ. Which Christ? The Christfrom the apostles and prophets of the Bible.

If one passage of the Bible were chosen as a gist or theme for this set of Biblecommentaries, LEARN CHRIST FROM THE APOSTLES AND PROPHETS, itwould be Ephesians 2:19-22.

“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having beenbuilt on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himselfbeing the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building being fittedtogether, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are beingbuilt together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:1922NJKV)

I know the classic reply for church leaders. “No human can be perfect”, and “atleast they are trying.”

No, that is the point: church members are not trying. They are doing whatthey want to do. They are not making positive efforts to be like Christ and tobe like God, which is demanded in the Bible from the apostles and prophets.The description of what is presently happening to church members is like thedescription from the Apostle Paul in II Timothy 4:3,4:

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, butaccording to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will

heap up for themselves teachers, and they will turn their ears from thetruth...” (II Timothy 4:3,4 NJKV)

You see it is no longer a negative thing of “we are trying...our heart is in theright place...but we just cannot reach perfection.” No, that is not it! It is apositive matter of first, a lack of tolerance for sound doctrine–church memberswill not listen to sound doctrine, church members will not go to hear sounddoctrine, and church members will not tolerate preachers and teachers whopreach sound doctrine. Church members, according to the Apostle Paul’sdescription, are motivated not by any effort to be like Christ and any effort atperfection, but are motivated by their own human desires; that is, “accordingto their own desires,” and “because they have itching ears.” In short, churchmembers are doing what they want to do and they are believing what theywant to believe. What they want to believe is things that will tickle their ears.Things that will give them pleasure like, “nobody is perfect” and “you are thepeople of God”, and “at least you are trying”. Maybe 20 or 30 years ago thatwas true; but not now. And the apex of the gap in Paul’s description is thatthey pile up or heap to themselves teachers. It is much like building a dirtfortress or battement around themselves in order to protect themselves fromsound doctrine. They buy books from teachers that feed their desires; theyrun off teachers and preachers that offend their itching ears with the truth; andthey call as pastors, teachers, and administrators those “teachers” that willteach according to their own desires.

The whole motivation is to turn away from the truth. Now, brother, that is apositive thing. It takes a lot of effort for so-called “Christians” to turn awayfrom the truth of the Bible. It takes a lot of effort for church members to ceaseto Learn Christ; and in the place of learning Christ to learn some kind of churchmembership that is based on “desires” and “itching ears”. Some today, likeamong Presbyterians, are worried about an intolerance caused by thepreaching of Christ as the only way of salvation. Brothers, you had better beconcerned about the intolerance of sound doctrine that is growing.

Being the third volume of the LEARN Christ commentaries, it is centeredaround the five books of the Apostle John with the emphasis on the book ofRevelation. This approach helps to support the title theme of “Christ forIndividuals”. As churches and denominations are “falling away” from God,

Christ, and the Bible (not falling away from churches as church attendancemay actually go up during the falling away), it is important that the few sounddoctrine church members remaining of the seven Christian thousand adopt tothemselves the Christ of the individual that is presented in Revelation 2-3.

The approach to the eschatology of Revelation is simple. The outline is takenfrom the teachings of Jesus as given in Matthew 24 with the major divisions ofthe History of Christianity all the way to the end given by the natural divisionsof “and then”: (1) Beginning of Sorrows; (2) Period of Persecution Tribulation(the tribulation of the fourth period is primarily physical tribulation and fromGod as the heavens and earth fall apart, the shaking of heaven and earth); (3)The Period of Offences, often the most neglected, when God’s people areoffended by sound doctrine, betray and hate one another; and (4) The periodof the Falling away which includes lawlessness and all the end time events.Remember, however, that whatever is in one period continues into the otherperiods.

Chapter 1: Eschatology in the Book of Revelation.

Since we have already made inroads and progress on last things and since thatis what most people think of in Revelation, we will continue from the lastchapter of volume 1 (“Eschatology in the Old Testament”) with theeschatological aspects of Revelation. Later we will have the more pleasantsurprises of the timely messages of Revelation that deal with our churches andour lives today! Let us first survey such passages in the book of Revelation,then we will go back to review, highlight, and reinforce what was found onlast things from the Prophets in volume 1 of the LEARN CHRISTCOMMENTARIES. About the most serious mistake people make oneschatology and the book of Revelation is to study it isolated. In other words,come to the book of Revelation and treat it as isolated from the rest of the truthof the Bible. We will not do that. Remember, we are looking for truth fromthe Apostles and Prophets, and the consistent truth for ALL the Apostles andProphets. We will find the consistency between the eschatology of Revelationand the eschatology of the Prophets, between the Apostles and Prophets andJesus.

1-1: Last Things (eschatology) passages in the book of Revelation.

NOTE: As you will see in this commentary, the book of Revelation is farfrom being a book only abut last things or eschatology. It should beapparent to you that this is an elaboration on the Day of the LORD of theOld Testament and the Day of the Lord Jesus Christ of the New Testament,the same Day or period of time. Like with the Hebrew word for Day, it canbe a period of time.

1. The opening of the Seven Seals, Revelation 6,7. There is little doubt inanyone’s mind that the events of Revelation 6 and 7 deal with the very endtimes.

"But one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribeof Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose itsseven seals..'" (Revelation 5:5)

(1). Rumors of wars, Revelation 6:2, bow and white horse.

(2). War, Revelation 6:4, sword and red horse.

(3). Famine, Revelation 6:5,6, black horse and scales.

(4). Accidental death, Rev 6:8, pale horse and Death.

(5). Tribulation, Rev 6:9-11, martyrdom.

(6) The Day of the Lord, Rev 6:12-17. (Here in the book of Revelation the

Day of the LORD has been further developed from the consistent themethroughout the Old Testament, almost always in terms of the dark sun andmoon and the falling stars as the old universe crumbles.) "I looked when Heopened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sunbecame black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. Andthe stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig the drops its late figs when it isshaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolledup, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And thekings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mightymen, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in therocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us andhide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath ofthe Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able tostand." (Revelation 6:12-17)

2. Sealing of the Elect of God, Rev 7.

3. Opening of the Seventh Seal with the forthcoming of the SevenTrumpets, more elaboration on the Day of the Lord of the Sixth Seal,Revelation 8-11, of the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 24 of the elementsmelting with a fervent heat of the Apostle Peter, and of the consistent DAYtheme of the Old Testament.

(1). Hail, fire, and blood-letting.

(2). Burning mass into sea becoming bloody.

(3). Polluted wars and death.

(4). Darkening of moon, stars, and sun.

(5). Locusts with the power of scorpions to harm non-Christians.

(6). Four angels released to kill a third of mankind with an army of horsemen.

(7). The Mystery of God finished with the sounding of the seventh trumpet."...but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about tosound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servantsthe prophets." (Revelation 10:7)

NOTE: The phrase of verse 7 about the prophets, "...AS HE DECLAREDTO HIS SERVANTS THE PROPHETS...: It is impossible to overestimatethe importance of the Prophets as background for Revelation. And alsoNOTE that this mystery is in the same sense of the mystery of godliness orthe mystery of Christ; that is, something hidden that God is about to makeclear! However this is the mystery of the Day of the LORD that Godrevealed often to His Prophets, but is now making much more clear to thewhole world. This tells of the actual event from the mind of Jesus. This isthe Day of the LORD actually completed on the earth. You get a lot of fictionfrom Tim Lahaye and other PREs where some truth is mixed with fictionand half truth, much like with the Mormons and their extra four Bibles.However in the case of the PREs, it is most generally based on the ScofieldReference Bible notes rather than the Bible itself. (I have known people tomemorize these notes and treat them as if Scripture itself. The book ofRevelation also has something to say about this near the end.) This is justone of the unsound doctrines of the fundamentalists: the others being afighting spirit and a substitution of the American Democratic Faith for theFaith of the Bible and Christ. However this will be further discussed in thechapter on “Some Sounds of a Sound Faith”.

4. The Romans tread Jerusalem underfoot for 42 months, Revelation11:1,2.

NOTE: Right now it is important that you get away from the sequence flowof most books where what you read at the beginning is historically beforewhat you read next. There is somewhat a historical flow in the book ofRevelation in that in the first chapters it deals with problems in the churchesof the first century and then finally in the last chapter all is wrapped up withthe new heaven and the earth; however often like in this case there areflashbacks in history. This is first century history as in approximately 48A.D. the Romans destroyed the temple and Jerusalem and took most of the

residents captive. Jesus in Matthew 24 also skipped in time. He would endthings at the very end of time like when He taught the gospel would bedelivered to every nation and then the end would come, then later inMatthew 24 go back to fill in some of the details. This is a consistent patternin eschatology: like radar to make an initial sweep from a distance thatpicks up the broad outline, then later a closer look that fills in the details.Why does the Bible do this on eschatology? To confuse people? Perhapspartly to confuse a lack of spiritual discernment, but primarily because timeis like that to God the Father and therefore to the Son: the past, present, andfuture are to them like one day or a thousand years, and what the futureholds as God has determined it is as much a settled fact as the past.

5. Two witnesses, Revelation 11:1-14. Although the more classicalinterpretations of the two witnesses will also be presented, I must see this as atribute to the Apostles Peter and Paul.

6. The Sounding of the Seventh Trumpet, Rev 11:15-14:20

(1). The Woman and the Child, Rev 12. You must see this also as the past . A“God-perspective” of Mary and the birth of Jesus, putting it in the total contextof world history as warfare between Satan and the forces of evil with Jesusand the people of God.

(2). The Beast and the False Prophet, Rev 13. Even as there has always sinceChrist been two witnesses, there has always been a Beast (that is Satan) andsome false prophet. That false prophet can also be an anti-Christ, and theApostle John said in I John that already in the first century there were manyanti-Christs. Do not confuse this with the man of sin, the son of perdition, thatPaul writes abut in II Thessalonians 2. There Paul clearly identifies that severalthings have to happen before the Second Coming: the falling away of churchmembers after the increase in lawlessness and the withdrawal of the HolySpirit from the world scene which is the unloosing of Satan for a little while,and then also the revelation of the man of sin, the son of perdition, which Iwould speculate is Osama bin Laden or an associate or relative.

(3). Babylon and the people of God, Rev 14. In God’s perspective of historyeven as there has always been two witnesses and a Beast and a false prophet,there has also always been a wicked city. Babylon was the best known, but it

was not the first; and surely not the last. The Babylon of the first century wasRome. The Babylon of today could be Paris or New York or Washington. Thecontrast is once again between most of the people in the world, who are ofcourse in the big cities, and on the other side the people of God (albeit smallin number and appropriately represented by seven thousand.

7. Seven angels with the seven last plagues, Rev 15-16. More details on theDay of the LORD and Lord.

"Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angelshaving the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete."(Revelation 15:1)

(1). First angel with a bowl, foul and loathsome sores on non-believers,Revelation 16:2.

(2). Second, blood in the sea and total death, Rev 16:3.

(3). Third, rivers and springs turned to blood, Rev 16:4-7.

(4). Fourth, sun and intense heat, Rev 16:8,9.

(5). Fifth, darkness, Rev 16:10,11.

(6). Sixth, the waters of Euphrates dried up, Rev 16:12-16, with the preparationfor the great battle of Armageddon. You know where the Euphrates is? InIraq. People are right to be thinking that with our troops in Iraqi and theincreasing Muslim opposition from the whole region, that the stage is set forthe final great battle of Armageddon. In fact what we can expect in the not-too-distant future is an invasion against the American army in Iraqi fromMuslims all over the world as they flood in from Iran, Palestine, and SaudiArabia led by Osama or a follower with the subsequent retreat of the US armyto the camp of the saints outside of Jerusalem and then the destruction by Godof the gigantic Muslim army (perhaps supported by other countries likeChina, Russia, and some European countries--all needing the oil supplies.

NOTE: Obviously, like the Prophets told us this "great day of GodAlmighty" is the "day of the LORD" of the Prophets and the "day of theLord" of Peter. How foolhardy for PREs to weave their fiction of Christiansnot being there for this final tribulation in light of Jesus saying to “watch”.

If there were no Christians on earth at the Day of the LORD and the SecondComing, how could they watch for the Second Coming which happensimmediately after the Day of the LORD and Lord.

Table 1: Phases of History in Revelation Based on theTeachings of Jesus in Matthew 24.

1. Beginning ofSorrows

Matthew 24:5-8

2. GreatTribulation

Matthew 24:9

3. Period ofOffences

Matthew 24:10

4. The FallingAway

Matthew 24:11-14

(1). Many falseprophets

False Prophets

(2). ManyDeceived

Many Offended Falling Away

Betray oneanother

Lawlessnessabounds

Hat one another Man of sinvisible

(3). Wars andrumors of wars

Lovers of self andmoney

Holy Spiritwithdrawn from

earth(4). Nation

against nation.Despisers of good Satan released

(5). Famines Form of godlinesswithout inwardpower of God

World Wide Warat Megiddo

(6). Pestilences Intolerance ofSound Doctrine

Love of manywaxes cold

(7). Earthquakes Blasphemers,proud, arrogant,

and troublemakers

Shaking ofheaven and earth

Tribulation,persecution, and

blood

Turn away fromtruth and turn

into fables

Selectivedestructions ofearth, sea, and

personsAbomination ofdesolation of

Daniel

Elements meltwith fervent heat

Great tribulationshortened for the

elect

Gospel to everyNation

False rumorsabout the Second

Coming

Second Comingof Christ withGathering of

Believers in theair

Second Coming of Christ

"Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, andits water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might beprepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of themouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth ofthe false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, whichgo out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world to gather them to thebattle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I am coming as a thief,blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked andthey see his shame. And they gathered them together to the place called inHebrew, Armageddon." (Revelation 16:12-16)

(7). Seventh angel and bowl, "It is done", Rev 16:17-21, with the great earthquake. This earthquake, one like never before seen on earth puts it in thecategory of a once for all time or end time event.

"And there were noises and thundering and lightnings; and there was agreat earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurredsince men were on the earth." (Revelation 16:18)

8. The Woman and the Beast with seven heads and seven horns, Rev 17:1-18:24.

NOTE: This is obviously the specific Babylon called Rome since itrepresents in the “sevens” the famous seven hills of Rome and the infamousseven Caesars that persecuted first centuries’ Christians. The “Woman” isof course Rome, and the Beast as always is Satan. Christ’s Second Comingto personally intervene with the destruction of the Muslim plus army, andthe subsequent casting of Satan and his followers into the lake of fire andbrimstone. Some think it is terrible that God created a hell. Well, beyondhell is the lake of fire and brimstone. The dead unbelievers wait in hellnow for the lake of fire and brimstone. Once again you will not find this inthe history books or even in Tim Lahaye’s fiction: it is God’s perspectiveand predetermination of history.

9. The Word on the white horse with his army against the kings of theearth, Rev 19:121, with the beast captured and his followers into the lake offire and brimstone.

10. Satan chained to the bottomless pit for one thousand years so that hecannot deceive the nations, and then released for a little while, Rev 20:1-3.

NOTE: It is important to see the thousand years as just a long time fromman’s perspective. Even as “a little while” is an indefinite period of time,so is a thousand years. All we know for certain is that a little while is muchless than the long period of a thousand years, and that is all that we aremeant to know except for the two signs that much happen before the SecondComing preceded by the Day of the LORD and culminated by the battle ofArmageddon: remember the two signs of II Thessalonians 2: revelation ofthe man of sin, the son of perdition; and the Falling Away of churchmembers from God, Christ, and the Bible. If God had wanted us to knowexactly the number of the years, He would have told us. It is even moreimportant to see that what chained Satan was the coming of the Holy Spiriton earth, and that what releases Satan for a little while is the withdrawal ofthe Holy Spirit during the “Falling Away” that Paul writes of in IIThessalonian 2.

11. The Souls that witnessed for God and Word reigned with Christ onethousand years, Rev 20:4-6.

NOTE: Believers throughout history from the chaining of Satan by the HolySpirit to the withdrawal of the Holy Spirit, the time represented by thethousand years, go immediately in spirit or soul to be with Christ and Godafter death. What happens at the Second Coming of Christ when the electare gathered by the angels from all corners of the universe is the resurrectionof the physical body. Of course unbelievers are waiting in hades or hell forthe lake of fire and brimstone with their leader, the prince of this world,Satan.

12. Satan released for a little while at the end of the thousand years, todeceive the nations and gather against the camp of the saints, and fire comesdown from heaven to destroy Satan and his army, Revelation 20:7-9.

NOTE: I think it is quite obvious that this is a real battle, and that the armyof the saints is loosing against the Muslims and their unbelieving alliesuntil God and Christ intervene. I know it strained us to think of the USarmy as an army of the saints, but it is perhaps the closest to saints that thisearth can have remaining at that time.

13. Satan cast into the same lake of fire and brimstone as the beast and thefalse prophets, Revelation 20:10.

"And the devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire andbrimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will betormented day and night forever and ever." (Revelation 20:10)

14. Old heaven and earth pass away, judgment with believers judgedaccording to the book of life and all others according to other books of theirdeeds, and then comes the second death which is the lake of fire andbrimstone, Revelation 20:11-15.

NOTE: You see how a second death which is the lake of fire and brimstonedemands a first death where souls come to an intermediate place called“hades” or “hell”. Incidentally that is where Peter says that Jesus went forthree days after His crucifixion to preach, and it is mistakenly confused with“paradise” (paradise is more appropriately called hades) where the day ofthe crucifixion Jesus met with the thief on the cross to further explain to himand all residents of hades the way of salvation.

15. New heaven, new earth, and a new Jerusalem, Revelation 21:1-22:1-5

NOTE: It is true that we will again live on this earth, and for eternity; but itwill be a new earth and a new heaven--in other words a new universe. Thenew Jerusalem is lowered down from heaven as a place where believers canlive and worship. You see the old universe has already been melted withfervent heat: you see all unbelievers and Satan have been defeated byChrist and cast into a separate place called the lake of fire and brimstone.Unbelievers have been judged by their works as every deed has beenrecorded; and believers are judged on a separate basis as to whether theirnames have been written in the book of life. By the way, when you becomea member of the Assembly of the Firstborn (Jesus Christ was the Firstbornfrom the dead), then your name is written in two books: you are recordedin heaven as a member of the only Church or Assembly that really counts,and you are simultaneously written in the book of life. Wow, that issomething worth shouting about!

Perhaps we should speculate as to why the large group of PREs that nowdominant the Southern Baptist Convention, historically they are essentially

the same as the fundamentalists that left the SBC about 1920 and decided 20years ago to take control with a fighting spirit, are so determined to have athousand year reign on this earth: (1) it is primarily due to inadequate Bibleexegesis and hermeneutics (rules for Bible interpretation that are establishedby the Bible itself) whereby the reader or teacher takes Scripture like in thebook of Revelation out of the context of the total Bible; that is, away from theteachings of Jesus in Matthew 24, that of Paul in II Thessalonians 2, that ofPeter, and that of the consistent Day of the LORD and of the Lord of both theOld Testament and New Testament; (2) a desire to not be here for the finaltribulation which is just good old human nature and the desire of teachers andpreachers to tell church members what they want to believe (this is coupledwith another out of Bible context failure to see the great tribulation as duringthe first centuries and the simultaneous failure to see tribulation as part of eachcentury); and (3) if the majority is wrong and the minority right as Jesus taughtabout the many and the few, the broad way and the narrow way, and if themajority of church members fall away from God, Christ, and the Bible duringthe Falling Away, and if we are in the Falling Away right now, and if theFalling Away includes the heaping away of sound teachers of sound doctrinewho will teach and preach the truth, and if the Falling Away that we are innow includes, as the Bible teaches, the teachers of itching ears teachingcongregations of itching ears what they want to hear, the comfort of amaterialistic kingdom for themselves, then it should be no surprise that amajority of church members in the populous SBC support a thousand yearreign on earth. Materialism among church members is far more pervasive anddeterminative than any American cares to admit. You see it in the America oftoday and yesteryear in what Henry Steele Commager and other AmericanStudies scholars call “the gospel of wealth “and the corollary of “success”.

1-2: Phases of Historical Events.It is obvious with this previous summary of last events that there is somerepetition. A help would be key to find the overlap and chart it as shown inTable 2 below.

Table 2: The Phases of History in Revelation Based on the Teachings of Jesusin Matthew 24.

Consider the heading numbers of 1-4 as historical sequence, and the numbersin the body of the Table 2, 1-11, as more an outline of the teachings of Jesus,supplemented by the Apostles. The “false Christs deceiving many” of number1 in the outline of Jesus, as you can see, overlaps the four phases of history.Also the wars and rumors of wars start in the beginning of sorrows andcontinue to the falling away where they culminate in the last great war, thebattle of Armageddon. Likewise in the outline of the teachings of Jesus inMatthew 24 as supplemented by the Apostle John and the Ascended Christ inthe book of Revelation, number 3 with earthquakes in divers places continuesuntil the last great earthquake of the DAY of the LORD, number 4, tribulationis a characteristic of every historical phase with the greatest in the firstcenturies and the final during the Falling Away period. {The final tribulationis only great in the sense of the tribulation from God as He shakes the wholeuniverse.} Also continuous is the false prophets that deceive many of the four

phases that also culminates with the Great Deception of the Falling Away ofchurch members of the fourth phase of history according to Jesus. Of course,the gospel of the kingdom is preached in each phase until the end at that DAYand the Second Coming.

Before we deal thoroughly and decisively with the “chaining of Satan” for athousand years, which is no doubt one of the most divisive of all issues ineschatology; we must consider some fundamental principles of hermeneutics.(I think it was mentioned previously but hermeneutics is the study of theprinciples of Biblical interpretation, which by and large come from theBible itself, but which received widespread recognition in the books ofBernard Ramm.) The prime principles of hermeneutics is to keep the book orsection of the Bible under studying the context of the total body, in this casethe book under study is the book of Revelation. This is based on the veryfundamental doctrine that the total Bible came from the single source of God;and therefore like God Himself, it is consistent. (One of the primary reasonsin Christian evidences that we are convinced of the inspiration of the Bible--that is, that it is divine in origin-is because that what we read in Paul agreeswith what we read in John, and what we read from a Prophet like Moses, thefirst writing Prophet of the Old Testament, agrees with what we read inMalachi, the last writing Prophet of the Old Testament. Although separatedby thousands of years Moses and Malachi agreed, because the initial sourcewas not Moses and Malachi, but God Himself through the Spirit of Christ.

There is another principle of Bible interpretation we should consider and thatis to first go with the most straightforward and simple to understand, like theteachings of Jesus and Peter, or sometimes even Paul, then to look at the moredifficult passages like in the book of Revelation in the light of the simpler. Onereason that the book of Revelation is somewhat difficult is that it is a book ofvisions with symbolic meanings more than straightforward statements likefrom Paul or Peter. (Of course, even here it is in the category of certain OldTestament books like Zechariah; and if we read and understood the book ofZechariah more then we would also understand the book of Revelationmore. A case in point will be when we come to the two olive trees and thetwo lampstands standing before the God of the earth of Revelation 11:4,which if a person already knew Zechariah would be a way to identify thetwo witnesses of Revelation 11:3.)

Now, on the chaining of Satan it is the Apostle Paul in II Thessalonians 2:1-12that gives us the clearest understanding. It is a long passage and you shouldread it straight from the Bible and in which ever version you prefer. Themeaning will be the same. Instead of quoting it here, I will paraphrase thepassage.

1. This passage is dealing with the subject of the Coming of the Lord JesusChrist and the Gathering of the Saints at His return (II Thess. 2:1). Well, that’sobviously eschatology of all eschatology, the Second Coming of Christ and theRapture of the Saints.

2. Paul calls this the Day of Christ (II Thess. 2:2). Recall that previouslywe talked of how is the Day of the LORD in the Old Testament, and the Dayof the LORD and the Lord in the New Testament.

3. Paul wants the Christians at Thessalonica not to get all shook up (IIThess. 2:2). There is probably more getting all shook up over the book ofRevelation and eschatology based on it than over any other book in the Bible.Certainly Satan has worked overtime to confuse the understanding of thisbook. Satan’s work here must be considered the best he can do to simulateGod’s confusion of tongues and languages at the tower of Babel. Of course,some of it is still the veil that the Apostle Paul speaks of in Hebrews in thereading of the Bible that is done way with when a person knows Christ. AndI think there is still a third factor, human pride. Have you ever noticed that ifthere is a little confusion in a group, there is always a hero to come to therescue to take leadership with strong convictions, sometimes based on falseassumptions. Of course, the people in the First Century at this church, and nodoubt at many of the other churches, had decided that the Second Coming ofChrist had already passed and therefore since they were not caught up in theair to meet Christ, they were not among the elect. (I don’t know why they didlook around themselves and among themselves for the most saintly, like sayan Apostle, to see if he was still among them.) But this was a seriousproblem! We know according to II Timothy 2:17,18 that two preachers of suchfalse doctrine were Hymenaeus and Philetus, who were saying that theresurrection was already passed, and how that they with this unsounddoctrine were overthrowing the faith of some. Well, brother or sister, todaywe have some (no many) teachers with itching ears (perhaps even the majority

as a characteristic of the end time), who are overthrowing the faith of many orat least shaking them up with unsound doctrine.

3. Okay, now in verse 3, we start to get into the nitty-gritty, and in particularto the understanding of last things and the chaining of Satan that we need inorder to proceed to the historical cycles of Revelation (II Thess. 2:3). “THATDAY” (the Day of the LORD and the Lord) will not come until first there is aFalling Away and the Man of Sin is revealed.

NOTE about the Tables and the Teachings of Jesus in Matthew 24: let usnever forget as we get into the “harder-to-understand” eschatology of thebook of Revelation, that The Day of the LORD and Lord comes immediatelyafter tribulation--that Day as in all other places of the Old and NewTestaments being marked by the sun and moon darkened and the fallingstars. Then Christ comes again, and then the elect are gathered up to meetHim in the air.

(1). There is the general falling away of church members first; and

(2). It becomes obvious as to who the “man of sin”, the son of perdition is, ashe is revealed. Of course, he must first make his appearance, and then he mustbecome infamous to be known.

By the way, let me suggest right now before later study of the subject thatOsama Bin Laden can fit the bill of the description in Daniel 11 of the man ofsin. Osama is a man of war and a person who has a low esteem towardwomen. Also he seems to be fitting the description of the person of anothercountry who first fights in a foreign country (like Afghanistan) then goes backto his home country (in Saudi Arabia on the border of Yemen), and then leadsan uprising from there that extends to Israel and the Middle East. You seeeven if he has made his appearance, it is still not clear that he is the man of sin.If killed, then he is not; and perhaps one of his likeminded sons or followers isthe man of perdition.

4. The Holy Spirit in verse 6 and 7.

“And now you know what is restraining (what restrains or chains Satan fora thousand years) that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mysteryof lawlessness is already at work; only He (and noticed this is capitalized

for Holy Spirit, a member of the godhead) who now restrains will do sountil He is taken out of the way.” (II Thessalonians 2:6,7)

Of course, the thousand years of Revelation 20 where Satan is bound for thatperiod of time and then released for a little while to deceive the whole worldis an indefinite period of time. We learn that from the Apostle Peter who talksof how indefinite a period of time is to God. It can be a day or a thousandyears. Peter also in that passage of II Peter 3 on the subject of the day of theLord tells people not to get shook over the scoffers that come during the lastdays period to talk about “where is Christ’s appearing”. Therefore it isamazing that the single subject that has been most divisive among Christiansbecomes the simplest to understand in the light of Peter and Paul’s teachings(which by the way they received from Christ), and hence the chaining of Satanfor a thousand years becomes the firm foundation for the historical cycles ofthe book of Revelation. The table and the cycles also have their start in theteachings of Jesus, especially in Matthew 24, and in the teachings from Pauland Peter. Really, it is Jesus Himself who starts the cycles going in a majoroutline of Matthew 24, and leaves it for the disciples like John to fill in the gapsbetween the majors. (Recall how in John 14-16 Jesus told the disciples that theHoly Spirit would teach them more as they were able to understand it.)

Keys to an understanding of Table 1.

1. The last cycle, of course, is the fourth, when the end comes; and theprevious cycles do not stop but continue all the way from cycle 1 to cycle 4. Inother words all through these cycles, the false prophets and wars and rumorsof wars, famines, etc. will continue.

2. You notice that there are a lot of gaps. Exactly, Jesus left it for Hisapostles, in particular, John and Peter and Paul, to fill in those gaps.

3. While this division may at first seem a little artificial, remember it isfrom a literal interpretation of Jesus in Matthew 24 based on the “THENs” and“AND THENs”.

4. In no way can we place a period of time on each phase or claim thatthey are equal. For example, the beginning of sorrows started shortly after theresurrection of Christ, and the continuation of sorrows, the famous

persecutions of Christians during the First Century, were well under way afterthe destruction of the temple of 70 A.D.

5. Don’t get lost in the phases. The Table is for assistance inunderstanding, not to make a dogma of history. It is much like the efforts involume 1 to sequence the books of the Old Testament. Use it as far as it helps,after all it is only an approximation, and please don’t make a religion out of itlike some have done for the notes in the Scofield Reference Bible.

6. It should be explained that Satan is bound only to the extent asindicated in the passage that he can no longer for a thousand years deceive thenations as he did during the Roman Empire. The method of deception in theRoman Empire is now obvious: Satan used the Emperor, the Caesar if you will,to demand worship of the citizens of the Emperor. So that John and the Spiritthrough the Apostle John is telling us that for a complete and long period oftime, a thousand years, Satan will not be allowed to deceive all the nations ofthe world through worship of a giant dictator. Satan can still and does deceivein many ways, and as a lion goes about seeking whom he may devour; but thisis not deception on the world-of-nations level. Of course, for a little while afterthe thousand years Satan is loosed to establish control over and use a giantdictator again. The Holy Spirit is busy during that one thousand years toconvict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. But woe be to theworld when the Holy Spirit is withdrawn, causing Satan to be released.Lawlessness abounds and the love of many waxes cold. Believers andchurches become intolerant of sound doctrine. States and nations ignore theteachings of God.

7. As you would expect from the next to the last row in the table, with thegreat earthquake, it is also the phase for the old heavens and the old earth passaway. Remember there have been earthquakes all along but this is the greatearthquake; there have been anti-Christs all along but this is the time of theman of sin; there have been the ups and downs of the “perilous times” but asthe folly is no longer obvious of church members with a only a form ofgodliness” , then comes the full fledge falling away. There has also beentribulations all along; but in this phase comes the great tribulation that is morephysical than persecution. It is physical tribulation as the earth’s passing awayinvolves the earth and the mountains being ripped apart, pieces of the

universe falling from the sky, the molten material in the earth erupting outand all over the earth, the shaking of heavens and earth, and the fervent heatthat Peter speaks of as the elements themselves melt.

1-3: Eschatology in the Prophets.What Jesus had taught the Apostles on the Prophets was background for theeschatology of Revelation; what the Apostle John spent his life reading fromthe Prophets was background for the eschatology of Revelation; and of course,what Jesus the Risen Christ appearing to John on the isle of Patmos taught himwas background for the eschatology of Revelation. In short, we need thatbackground of the Prophets to properly understand the eschatology of thebook of Revelation. We will use the outline of Carroll in a sequencing of theProphets. It is amazing the amount of literature written on the Prophets, butit is also amazing that with the advent of historical criticism and then thereaction of the superficialities of the fundamentalists centered around theScofield Reference notes that little new contributions have been made to theProphets.

I. The Assyrian Period of (1) Obadiah, (2) Joel, (3) Jonah, (4) Amos, (5)Hosea, (6) Isaiah, (7) Micah, and (8) Nahum; II. The Chaldean Period of(9) Zephaniah, (10) Habakkuk, (11) Jeremiah, (12) Ezekiel, and (13) Daniel;and III. The Persian Period of (14) Haggai, (15) Zechariah, and (16). Malachi.This outline is the same as in the “Quicksweep by Quotes” chapter of volume1 in this order of the New Testament quotes from the Prophets. You can do thesame thing: simply read through the New Testament making a note for eachtime you see a quote from the Old Testament Prophets, and then rearrangethose quotes in the order of the Old Testament Prophets.

1. Obadiah.

If this sequencing is correct that places Obadiah at the beginning of theProphets, and I think it is since both Sampey and Carroll use it, then Obadiahhas the burden of starting the eschatology of the Prophets. This it does wellwith the introduction to the "day of the LORD", a time of final judgment thatmakes for the righting of many wrongs.

"For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, itshall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head."(Obadiah 15)

Even as the Hebrews thought of the heathen as Gentiles, and Paul so quotedthe Old Testament putting Gentile in place of heathen, so also after Paul'sdevelopment in Romans of God's people as Jews and Gentiles who arebelievers, so also must we expand our concept to the heathen as being non-believing Jews and Gentiles. Leslie C. Allen in THE NEW INTERNATIONALCOMMENTARIES writes about this passage from Obadiah.

"The final portion of the poem (Obadiah) sets the downfall of guilty Edom within awider perspective. A substantial part of the prophetic literature of the O.T. isconcerned with eschatological expectations, in which the themes of the Day of Yahwehand his people's dominations of other nations come to the fore. It is to this larger hopethat our prophet now not unnaturally turns in climatic conclusion. Relating his owntheme to the great traditional framework of the future, he is still much concerned withEdom but shows how his special message fits into the eschatological pattern of God'sfinal triumph. The conquest of Edom already predicted is now presented as a signalinaugurating that traditional widespread demonstration of divine justice and gracewhich is associated with the Day of Yahweh. Behind the fate of the nations, as behindthat of Edom alone in the preceding part of the book, stands the fall of Jerusalem in 587as the crime that sets the wheels of divine retribution in motion."

We must recall from the previous look at eschatology in Revelation that on theJudgment Day of Revelation 20:11-15 several books are opened as the "dead"stand before God. The "standing before God", of course is the Judgment of theDay of the LORD. Books were opened and a Book of Life was opened: thedead are judged according to their works, good or bad, from the books; butbelievers according to their names being written in the Book of Life. So whatthe Prophet Obadiah is really telling us, or the Spirit of Christ speakingthrough Obadiah, is that Edom because of the treatment of God's people (theJews at that time being essentially all of the people of God, and even then onlya remnant of the Jews), Edom will be judged out of the books according totheir deeds. NOTE: Believers are judged by grace as to whether they believewith their names written in the Book of Life. Others are judged according toworks. "The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades

delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each oneaccording to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire.This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Lifewas cast into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:13-15) Allen continues onObadiah.

"This first piece is a divine pronouncement of coming punishment for all the nations,i.e., excluding the Jewish nation. (This really has to be the nation of Romans 11 of allJews, God's children of Jews and Gentiles, will be saved.)...The O.T. looked forward toa time when Yahweh would finally intervene in human affairs and set right the wickedworld, a time when man's day of self-sufficiency and oppression would be brought toa close. This future period, when moral debts would be settled and Yahweh openlyrevealed to all as the upholder of right and justice and the victor over sin and violence,was called the Day of Yahweh. A basic and traditional part of this eschatological motifwas the participation of the people of God in his victory."

John in Revelation also tries to make it clear of how God's people who reapthe final rewards are primarily Gentiles, or rather Jesus the Risen Christ triesto make it clear through John. For while the first of Revelation 7 talks aboutthe 144,000 that come from the tribes of Israel, the second part tells of themultitude of Gentiles that come from all nations.

"After these things I looked, and beheld, a great multitude which no onecould number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing beforethe throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palmbranches in their hands, and crying out with loud voice, saying, Salvationbelongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" (Revelation7:9)

This theme of judgment on Edom is repeated throughout the Prophets all theway up to Malachi.

"’I have loved you,' says the LORD. Yet you say, ‘In what way have youloved us?' Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" says the LORD. Yet Jacob I haveloved; but Esau I have hated, and laid waste his mountains and his heritagefor the jackals of the wilderness. Even though Edom has said, ‘We have beenimpoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places, thus saysthe LORD of hosts: ‘They may build, but I will throw down; they shall becalled the Territory of Wickedness, and the people against whom the LORD

will have indignation forever. Your eyes shall see, and you shall say, theLORD is magnified beyond the border of Israel." (Malachi 1:2-5)

Paul deals with this question of the love of Jacob over Esau and Edom inRomans 9, and as to whether there is a matter of unrighteous favoritism withGod. It is part of the Apostle Paul's great treatment of the doctrine of electionThe older of Esau was chosen to serve the younger Jacob before the two wereborn, and before they had done any good or evil. God wants it by electionrather than by works. God will have mercy and compassion on those whomHe decides to have mercy and compassion!

2. Joel.

The subject matter of Joel is very similar to Obadiah; however, for some reasonJoel is more frequently quoted in the New Testament.

(1). For example, there is that very popular passage already alluded in thechapter on Last Days where the Apostle Peter quoted from Joel 2:28-31 to referto what was happening on the first Pentecost after the Resurrection. It is apassage that begins fulfillment on the first Pentecost and runs all the way tothe end of time. Only the mountaintops are seen, but it does give an outlinethat can be filled in with the valleys and lesser peaks during a study of thebook of Revelation. And I think it would be wise here to follow a procedurethat we will use later on the book of Revelation, that of considering the verylast things first then backing up to what happened on this last day of Pentecost.

a. The great and notable day of the LORD.

b. Wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth: blood, fire, smoke

with the sun turned to darkness and the moon into blood.

c. The beginning of the last days with the democratic outpouring of theSpirit of God, and the salvation of all that will call upon the name of the LORD.

(2). Jesus quotes from Joel 3:13 as recorded in Mark 4:29 and Mark 13:24.

"Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; forthere I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for theharvest is ripe. Come, go down; for the whimpers is full, the vats overflow--for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of

decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. The sunand moon will grow dark, and the stars will diminish their brightness. TheLORD also will roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; theheavens and earth will shake; but the LORD will be shelter for His people,and the strength of the children of Israel." (Joel 3:12-16)

Obviously we can get our perspective both from the end of time seen in theheavens and earth from Peter's explanation, and some perspective from Mark4 and 13: (1) Mark 4 is a parable Jesus told about the kingdom of God whichHe established during His life on this earth, how the seed would grow andthen harvest time would come with the sickle, obviously another reference tojudgment which we see is also the main subject as it says "I will sit to judgeall..."; and (2) Mark 13 is the equivalent of Matthew 24 with the greateschatological teachings of Jesus.

"Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when allthese things will be fulfilled?" (Mark 13:4)

Once again we will look at the end events like we did with Matthew 24, butthis time we will work from the time of the end of history with the passing ofthe heaven and the earth and work forwards to the Phase 1 of Jesus, thebeginning of sorrows.

1. Heaven and earth shall pass away (13:31). We should pronounce whatJesus said about that day and that hour when the heavens and earth passaway. He said no one knows when that is, not the angels, not even the Son ofGod, but only the Father. Now, there could be some question as to whetherthe Father told Jesus when He got back to heaven after the Resurrection, andtherefore told John in Revelation.

2. Jesus comes in the clouds with great power and glory (13:14), and thenJesus will gather His Elect from the four corners of the earth and of heaven.

3. After tribulation, the sun will be darkened, the moon will stop givinglight, and the stars will fall, and the powers in the heavens shaken (13:24-13).

4. Tribulation like no other time in history, shortened only for the sake ofthe elect of God, with false Christ’s, false prophets.

Allen writes in his commentary on Joel about the plague of locusts, thedominant event of Joel: "Enemy invasion was to blame, but from no humanadversary. Advancing in their myriads, the locusts had done as much damage as anyarmy could. Joel is to develop the military metaphor in 2:4-11...Observers have oftencommented on this terrifying phenomenon, of ‘the myriads of insects that blot out thesun above and cover the earth beneath and fill the air whichever way one looked."

And further Allen relates this locust plague to the Day of Yahweh as sort of apercussive, or image lesson: "First, the prophetic DAY of Jahweh, which Judahunderwent in a king of trial run in the form of the locust plague, is to be unleashed inits full force upon the nations, according to Joel. The curtailed prototype of Judah'sexperience is now built into its fully developed counterpart. Secondly, Judah is toexperience a reversal of the devastation caused by the locusts and drought. The cursewill be no more: it is to give way to a wealth of blessing."

We should briefly also look at what Carroll has to say on the plague of locusts:"The locust is used else where in the Bible symbolically, to represent a curse (Rev 9:3-11)."

You recall what we briefly considered on the locusts in Revelation 9:3-11. Asthe fifth angel sounded his trumpet, a star fell from heaven to the bottomlesspit where poured out smoke with a darkening of the sun. From the smoke ofthe bottomless pit came locusts with power like the scorpions of earth havepower. These locusts were very unique as they had instructions to ignore thegreen grass and trees, but to only sting the men on earth who did not have theseal of God in their foreheads. Likewise the scorpions were not given powerto kill, only power to torture; and that torture would be like the torment of ascorpion. Then Revelation 9 further describes the locusts as having a shapelike battle horses, with something like gold on their heads, and with faces likethe faces of men. You notice how much of the description is in terms of "like":the locusts are like scorpions, the shape is like battle horses, like gold, and likethe faces of men. Like women was their hair, like lions' teeth were their teeth,like breastplates of iron were their breastplates, like the sound of chariots withmany horses running in battle were their sons, like scorpions were their tailswith stings. The angle of the bottomless pit was their king. You know whatit sounds like: a great final battle of choppers and other aircraft. So that evenas the locusts of Joel sound like an invading army so do the locusts of

Revelation 9 sound like an invading army over which Satan rules, but Satancan only hurt the non-elect of God.

1-4: Bottom Line of the book of Revelation.Now, with eschatology out of the way, we can come to the main messages ofthe Bible. Like for first century Christians under the great tribulation, weunder the last tribulation need practical messages for the daily life, evenbeyond the comfort that comes from the assurance that the ultimate justice ofGod will prevail. You can consider 22:11-21 as the last instructions.

Keep living like you live already, the unjust being unjust, the filthy beingunfilthy, the righteous as righteous, and the holy as holy (22:11) Hey, justkeep doing what you are doing already! You know the consequences of whatis done. That will not waiver nor change. God is the same yesterday, today,and eternally. The results are inevitable for the unjust and filthy; and as for therighteous and holy, Jesus is Coming quickly to give to every man rewardsaccording to his works. Jesus is the beginning and the end, the Alpha andOmega, the first and the last. The blessed are those who by doing hiscommandments prove that they have a right to the tree of life. These will enterinto the gates of the holy city. Outside the city are dogs, sorcerers,whoremongers, murderers, idolaters, those that lie and love a lie (22:15). Thismessage is from Jesus and He has given the message to angels to give to thechurches. Jesus is the root and offspring of David, the bright and morning star(22:16).

The Holy Spirit and the Christ say "Come" to drink of the water of life freely(22:17) If any man who hears or reads the book of Revelation and adds wordsto it, then God will add to him the plagues of this book (22:18). This is acompulsion to good exegesis. You will hear a lot in this commentary aboutthe Mormons as a good example of the bad practice of “falling” away fromsound doctrine to turn away from the truth and ultimately turn into fables. Itis not that they are so different from other denominations where churchmembers are also falling away from sound doctrine, it is only that they leadthe fleet, so to speak. They need prayer. Two curses are on their head and weneed to remind them of these two curses from the Bible: (1) the curse abovewhich comes from adding words to the Bible as the Mormons have actually

added the additional words of three more Bibles; and (2) the curse ofadvocating a reformed gospel that is different from what Jesus gave to theApostle Paul to deliver in word and print.

Recall that isogesis is adding meaning to the Bible. The bottom line of thiswarning and the next is to not read too much into or out of the originalmeaning or intention! This is also a clue as to what is the worse that canhappen to a person besides their name not being written in the book of life.What are the plagues? Since this is, no doubt, a summary of the wrath of Godand the worse that can happen, we will cover it in the next section. If any mantakes away from the words of this book, God will take away his name fromthe book of life and from the holy city, and from all the good things that arewritten in this book (22:19). Jesus says, "I come quickly" (22:20)

It is a shame that we do not let the easiest to understand parts of the Bible beguides for what is more difficult to understand; for example let the simple,straightforward words in II Thessalonians from Paul about the Holy Spiritbeing withdrawn be a commentary on Satan being released in the book ofRevelation. It should be obvious that Satan was bound as the Holy Spirit camein great power on the first day of Pentecost after the resurrection, that the HolySpirit restrains for an indefinitely long period of time which is represented bythe thousand years; and then Satan is released for a short period of time as theHoly Spirit is withdrawn.

It is at this period that the United States will have so declined, even as theRoman Empire declined, that it will no longer have the power as it did inWorld War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Kosovo to containdictatorships. These dictatorships will expand, rule the world, with theelimination of the separation of church and state, and Satan will again deceivethe nations as he did during the time of the Roman Empire.

1-7: Composite Witness of the Five of the NewPentateuch.The composite witness of the five books from John is that God is not willingthat any person should perish because of last things, but rather that throughthe last events and knowledge of the last events might turn to faith in the LordJesus Christ. J. B. Phillips in his translation of the book of Revelation so aptly

lists 5 great themes that emerge from the book of Revelation. That God isabsolutely sovereign and that His eternal purpose is to destroy all forms

Chapter 2: Pride or Worship God, Revelation 1-3.

“Because thou sayest…” The worst thing that any individual or church cando is to feel sufficient within themselves.

“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, andhave need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, andmiserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17)

This is no new problem: it is only an old problem with new disguises. Thereare only seven New Testament churches mentioned in the introduction to thebook of Revelation; each of those seven churches had problems; but one ofthem in (Revelation 3:17 KJV) particular had the glaring problem of self-sufficiency.

Self sufficiency or self reliance is difficult for an individual or church to seewithout an objective and outside warning. Look at what this church atLaodicea thought of itself: we are rich, we have plenty of goods, and we areself-sufficient since we have “need of nothing”! Look at what the AscendedChrist speaking to the Apostle John thought of this same church: you arewretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked! Quite a contrast between whatthe church thought of themselves, and what Christ thought of the church.While throughout this chapter and the rest of the book the Mormons will beused as the extreme example of those who are self-sufficient, depending ontheir own works for salvation, and that is one of their official doctrines asstated by Joseph Smith in THE DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS, this problemis by no means isolated to the Mormons nor to the religious. After all,Mormons are only about the 14th largest denomination in the world. Nowthis is an INTERNAL PROBLEM; and that is part of the reason that it is sodifficult to see by an individual or church. We need to blame everything onSatan or someone else EXTERNALLY—the old matter of “the devil made medo it”, while we tend to overlook the greater problem of ourselves and the factthat as the Apostle James quoted from the Old Testament that “the spirit (thehuman spirit) that dwelleth within us lusteth to envy” (James 4:5)

2-1: External Church Problems, Revelation 2.

These seven churches of Asia Minor, typical of all New Testament churches,had many external problems; and these like the internal problems of self-sufficiency and a sinful human spirit were placed up front as the totalsummary of problems before the vision of God in control of most of the bookof Revelation. Let us briefly note some of these external problems of thechurches, not forgetting that these are also individual problems as churchesare composed of a certain discrete number of individual Christians.

1. Liars who claimed to be Apostles of Jesus Christ in the church atEphesus, Revelation2:2. The history of civilization is replete with attempts ofvarious groups to number the elect of God in a circle about themselves; andJoseph Smith tried to do it first with three more Bibles, then with establishmentof the only church and with himself as the Prophet; and then with both thequorum of the seventy and the Apostles.

2. The Ephesian church had the works of the Nicolaitans to contend with:Revelation 2:6,works or “deeds” which this church hated and God also hated.

3. Tribulation and poverty surrounding the church at Smyrna, Revelation2:9.

4. Also being in the same community as a “synagogue of Satan”, andlistening to those worshipers blasphemy as they claimed to be Jews, the chosenpeople of God, Revelation 2:9. If you study Mormonism closely you will findthat what has happened instead of the Restored Gospel is the Restored JewishReligion. They have restored everything about the First Century Hebrewreligion that Christ came to do away with: the Temple, good works forsalvation, sacrifice, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, andworshipping God with their lips while their hearts are far away.

5. The surety of suffering and the fear of suffering, Revelation 2:10.

6. The church at Pergamos which had to perform Christian works, upholdthe Christian faith, and to speak the name of Christ in a very community whichwas considered as the “seat of Satan”, Revelation 2:13. Allowing only a fewto become temple members and “card carrying” Mormons in the Utahvernacular with secret rites of sealing is the very opposite of the truth of

Christianity which is to be shouted from the housetop. You don’t light acandle and hide it in a locked temple.

7. Satan was so active in the community of Pergamos that a Christian hadactually been physically martyred, and so active that Christ referred to thecommunity as “where Satan dwelleth”.

8. The church in the community of Thyatira had a problem that was bothexternal and internal (Revelation 2:20-24): Jezebel, a prophetess was theexternal problem, and the internal problem was that the church not onlyallowed her to teach to them but also accepted her as a prophetess. We willbe as bad if we accept Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, or even the current LDSPresident Ezra Taft Benson as a Prophet. In fact since you will find the God ofthe Mormons and the Jesus of the Mormons not to be the real God and Jesusof the Bible, the admonition of II John is upon us of not accepting them intoour homes or bidding them Godspeed.

9. I suppose that the problem of the church in Sardis was also external aswell as internal: externally they had the reputation in the community andperhaps in the State of a real First New Testament Church, but internally theywere either “dead” or near dead, Revelation 3:1-4. Here is where we need todeal with the problem of appearance versus the reality in the sight of God.Where Mormons have faked many people out including their own people isin the appearance of faithfulness to the Bible and to Christ while secretly theyhave become disciples of Satan, the lie, distortions, and half-truths. We needto think about what has impressed us about the Mormons—things like apretended emphasis on family, on evangelism, on good music, on talentedspeakers, and good works; and then we need to see how in Christian churchesthese appearances can also exist without the reality of the worship of God withthe heart.

10. The real problem of the church at Philadelphia was in the form of achallenge: Christ had opened the door before them of a challengingopportunity that no man or group of men could shut including the synagogueof Satan, the Jews, that were influential in that community, Revelation 3:7-9.

11. Likewise the previously mentioned problem of the church at Laodicea,that of being lukewarm instead of cold or hot, could also be considered

external as well as internal; for even as a cold body or hot body must radiatea temperature consistent with its own internal temperature, even so mustLaodicea and all similar Christian churches today ultimately radiate externallywhat they consider most important internally; and if they consider themselvesto be self sufficient without the need of help from God and from otherChristians, then that self-centered ego will reflect to those outside theimmediate community of the church itself. 26-2: Internal Problems

1. The prime internal problem of all the churches can be summarized asINTOLERANCE OF SOUND DOCTRINE. Chapter 2 and chapter 3 answerthe question, “What do you do when most in your church and yourdenomination become intolerant of sound doctrine?” You may have done likeI did for years in reading, teaching, and preaching, to overlook the fact thatafter each passage to one of the seven churches, there is an appendix. Anappendix written not to the church or to the angel (pastor) of the church; butan appendix written to the individuals in the church. I like to call it theCHRIST FOR INDIVIDUALS APPENDIX.

2. The Ephesian church had the works of the Nicolaitans to contend with:Revelation 2:6,works or “deeds” which this church hated and God also hated.This was mentioned earlier in the External Problems, but actually it was bothinternal and external since the widespread First Century doctrine waswidespread: it said essentially, “You can do whatever you want to do as longas you are a Christian.” It has historically been easy for Baptists, who naturallyaccording to the Bible emphasize “salvation by grace”, to adopt a practicalextreme position of “since we are saved by grace, let us not worry aboutworks.” Paul dealt with this question in Romans and Galatians when he saidBible believers might conclude “let us sin that grace may abound.” Baptists, asBible believers, do believe in The Security of the Believer as a Baptistdistinctive; but also we believe in the rest of the Bible. I recall as a youngpreacher in Hot Springs Arkansas teaching a study course on the book ofJames. Having always been committed to strict Bible exegesis, I taught rightdown through the book of James verse for verse, letting the Bible speak foritself. As the end of one session, an active church member of this large SBCchurch said, “Is this good Baptist doctrine?” My answer was essentially thatthe Baptist distinctive of all Baptist distinct doctrines is that the Bible is the

Word of God: (1) divine in origin, (2) absolute in authority, (3) high fidelity inits communications, and (4) sufficient in its message. Many of the Baptist’sstatements of faith talk about “the Bible is the sole criterion for faith andpractice.” This has been eroded in Baptist churches as we ease further andfurther into the Falling Away, as church members will no longer endure sounddoctrine. Someone has jokingly said, “The only difference between theBaptists and the Methodists is that Methodists believe in falling from grace butBaptists practice it.” {By the way, let us not confuse “falling from grace” withThe Falling Away. Baptist Church members will inevitably be part of theFalling Away from God, Christ, and sound doctrine of the Bible, andperhaps lead in it as the largest Protestant denomination. It is not a fallingaway from church membership as church attendance will actually go up ascertain churches become more popular with and conformed to the world.The big difference between the two is that “falling from an initial work ofgrace in the heart, called the new birth is impossible. Even God can notdeny His own children that have been born again by the power of God.However, when you get down to the nitty-gritty of the Falling Away as inthe first falling away of the children of Israel in the wilderness over 20 yearsof age, there was never a work of grace there in the first place.}

3. Tribulation and poverty surrounding the church at Smyrna, Revelation2:9. This was also an internal problem since it looks like the “poverty” and“tribulation” had come into the church. We should never fear being poor asJesus came primarily to preach the Gospel to the poor. {Tribulation as a majorproblem will be discussed often in Revelation, but we should quote here theScripture that “all who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”It may not be physical but it must be there.}

8. The church in the community of Thyatira had a problem that was bothexternal and internal (Revelation 2:20-24): Jezebel, a prophetess was theexternal problem, and the internal problem was that the church not onlyallowed her to teach to them but also accepted her as a prophetess. I think asthe Falling Away progresses with first an itching ears lack of endurance forsound doctrine because of personal desires, then a heaping up of itching earscomforting teachers and preachers, then a turning away form the truth and asubsequent turning into fables, that one of the fables will be to find “prophets”like Jezebel to tell the people what they want to hear. This can easily be done

in churches of all denominations like the Mormons have done it: to claim latterday “prophets” with the same status as the Prophets of the Old Testament whoheld the office of a prophet, or even of the New Testament “prophets” whobriefly exercised a predictive element in prophecy. It is very important torealize that the Old Testament Prophets, whom we know spoke for God, hada message first of all for their generation, which is the same message for ustoday: like do not mistreat the people in the land, stay away from iniquity andimmorality, don’t make an idol by putting anything or anyone in the place ofGod for first priority, and your nation will fall if you do not stay close to God.We are always told to test the prophets as to the consistency of their messagewith the Bible, and we are told above all to test the spirit of their message.

As serious as all these external problems are, especially Satan and the servantsof Satan whom we must never underestimate, the real problems that willultimately destroy us are internal problems. The Apostle James illustratesthese internal problems in the matter of public and private prayer. Theproblem is why do we pray and do not receive an answer or answers to ourprayers? And the answer of the Apostle James is—

“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it uponyour lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship ofthe world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of theworld is the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, Thespirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy.” (James 4:3-5 KJV)

Furthermore the cure of this problem of human spirits that lust and of selfsufficiency is given as the grace of God given to the humble in James 4:6-10.Cure of Self-Sufficiency in James

1. The assurance is given that as surely as God resists the proud, He alsoas surely gives grace to the humble. The hope for those Mormons that havenot seared their consciences by supporting lies and giving themselves over tothe temple worship is: (1) Since Hebrews tells us that the way to please Godis through faith, we do not know how much faith it takes to please God; and(2) Even as a child is placed by Christ as the example for faith, the amount ofdoctrine that a child actually knows is very minimal. In other words howmuch unsound doctrine as recorded in the revelations of the LDS can a

Mormon believe and still exercise sufficient faith in the God of the Bible, theGod of Creation, to be saved.

2. Every avenue of life, individually or collectively in the church, is to besubmitted to God. There are to be no secrets or withholdings from God.

3. Satan is to be resisted, leaving him no alternative but to flee away fromyou. Satan wants clearly to be worshipped. That is the way he tempted Jesus.As the “god of this world” he had the power to take Jesus up to the top of thetemple from which he could show Him all the kingdoms, then tell Him thatall those would be His if He would only worship Satan. Jesus responded with:“God only should you worship and serve.”

4. Directly proportional to your drawing nigh to God is the nearness thatHe will responding staying close to you. This is not works. This is justaccepting the grace which God provides. “For by grace are ye saved throughfaith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works lest anyman should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8,9 KJV)

5. The cleansing of external actions and internal motivations of the heartis a prerequisite to the grace of God. The problem with Mormons as anextreme example of others is that they maintain that you must be good enoughfor God to bless you.

The Cure of Self-Sufficiency in Revelation

1. Remember, repent, and do. That is remember your past from whichyou have fallen, repent of the changes that lost you your first love, and do thedeeds that you did at first— Revelation 2:5.

2. Listen to what the Holy Spirit says to the churches about overcomingand eating of the tree of life to live eternally—Revelation 2:7.

3. Do not fear; be faithful even until death; and Christ will give you thecrown of life, eternal life—Revelation 2:10.

4. Listen to what the Spirit says to the churches about overcoming in orderto escape the Second Death—Revelation 2:11.

5. Repent of the teachings of Balaam and of the Nicolaitans- Revelation2:14-16.

6. Listen overcomers, you can have the hidden manna and a new namewritten on a white stone—Revelation 2:17.

7. You that have not known the deep things of Satan hold fast to thosethings that you have as Christians—Revelation 2:24,13. This points out thegroup of people who have seared consciences as they have also learned thedeep things of Satan, the kind of things you would learn secretly in a temple,and who have committed the unpardonable sin.

8. Listen overcomers, even as Christ receives authority from God theFather He will pass on authority to you. Authority is a very important matterin Christianity and religion. The Bibles of the Mormons do not even meet thesame Canon criterion that was placed on New Testament letters before theywere included in the Bible. Things such as they had to be written by anApostle or the associate of an Apostles, consistency of doctrinal teachings, andconsistency with the teachings of Christ.

9. Wake up; strengthen the good things that remain but which also areabout to die; and complete your deeds in the sight of God—Revelation 3:2.

10. Remember, keep it, and repent. That is, remember what you havereceived from God and heard from God; keep that you have heard andreceived; and repent of any changes from what you know to be from God-Revelation 3:3.

11. Listen overcomers, you can have white garments and Christ willconfess your name before the Father and angels—Revelation 3:5.

12. Hold fast to what you have already so that none will also take awayyour crown of life, eternal life—Revelation 3:11.

13. Listen overcomers, you can be a pillar in the eternal temple of God!Revelation 3:12.

14. Purchase gold from God, white garments, and eye salve to see. That is,the gold is a matter of suffering for the cause of God; white garments represent

the righteousness of God that covers the nakedness of sins; and eye salve is tosee things with the improved vision and perspective of God—Revelation 3:18.

15. Be zealous and repent—Revelation 3:19.

16. Open the door of grace, and Christ will come in and live with you—Revelation 3:19.

17. Listen overcomers, you can sit on the throne with Christ- Revelation3:21.

2-3: The Ascended Christ Completes the Bible.

It is important to see the giving of the book of Revelation to the Apostle Johnas the last work of the Ascended Christ in the completion of the Bible. (1)Jesus during His life on earth got the Apostle Matthew started on the Gospeland the New Testament with what He did and said; (2) After His AscensionJesus appeared to the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus and then in SaudiArabia to give Paul the revelations for the writing of 14 books of the NewTestament; and (3) Finally with this appearance to the Apostle John Jesus givesJohn the final revelation. Revelation 1:1-3 tells us—

1. God the Father Who on the First Day of Pentecost after the Ascensiongave Jesus the Holy Spirit to send down on earth, now gives Jesus theRevelation to give to the Apostle John, lifting John up to heaven where Jesusis.

2. John is called a “bond-servant” and the Revelation is given throughJohn to those also who are called “bond-servants”. This reminds us of Paul’sown epitaph in Colossians where he writes “Remember My Bonds”, implying(1) the bonds of imprisonment for them and for Christ; (2) the bonds of theSpirit of God, “Spare no effort to make fast with bonds of peace the unitywhich the Spirit gives”; (3) the bonds of the Seven Ones, the major doctrinesof the Bible as One God, One Lord Jesus Christ, one Spirit, one body, etc.; and(4) The books or epistles of Paul that tell about these doctrines.

3. The means of transmission of this book of the Bible, the book ofRevelation is not simple as an angel is also involved. It goes like this— (1).God the Father originated the book of Revelation;

(2). The Father gave it to the Son even as He gave the Holy Spirit to the Sonbefore given on earth; and

(3). The Son, The Ascended Christ, gave it to a messenger, and angel, for actualdelivery to the Apostle John.

(4). The angel gave it to the Apostle John.

“...the things which must shortly take place; and He sent and communicatedit by His angel to His bond-servant John.” (Revelation 1:1b NASV)

Later this angel becomes very important as a fellow servant of the ApostleJohn— “And I (the Apostle John) fell at his feet to worship him. And he saidunto me, See thou do it not; I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren thathave the testimony of Jesus: worship God; for the testimony of Jesus is thespirit of prophecy.” (Revelation 19:10 KJV)

2-4: Worship God.

You want a primary theme for the book of Revelation, here it is from the angelthat actually delivered Revelation from God the Father through the Lord JesusChrist to the Apostle John, “WORSHIP GOD”. If you are truly worshippingGod then you will not and can not be internally self sufficient; if you are trulyworshipping the God of the Bible, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, theAuthor of the Bible and the Creator of the Universe, then you will have lessexternal doctrinal problems. How does this reconcile with the gist I haveannounced of “Seven Christian Thousands”. Well, you will have to read thewhole book for that but I will give you a clue now from what God told Elijahwhen Elijah felt even as those few Christians and only seven churches in AsiaMinor thought that they were all that was left of servants of God; and when Irefer to that event of from God to Elijah I read it from Romans as quoted bythe Apostle Paul to explain why most of the First Century Jews did not acceptChristianity.

“I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am anIsraelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath notcast away his people which he foreknew. What ye not what the scripturesaith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am

left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God untohim? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowedthe knee to the image of Baal. Even so then at this present time also there isa remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it nomore or works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, thenis it no more grace; otherwise work is no more work.” (Romans 11:1-6 KJV)

Seven Christian Thousands, seven thousand for each generation represent thechosen people of God for each generation, a people that come independent ofgood works through the election of grace. Grace is grace and work is works,and the two are never to be confused in any generation; and althoughmankind has developed hundreds of ways to identify and number the peopleof God, God always reserves the right to number His own people. “SevenChristian Thousands” acknowledges that numbering by God Himself, and bythe Grace of God!

2-5: Dominant Perspectives for the book of Revelation.

“...the things which must shortly take place...” (Revelation 1:1 NASV)

Allow most of what you can to be literal in the book of Revelation and youwill not be so inclined as many others to go off into weird interpretationsindependent of the total context of the Bible. There is not one theology for thebook of Revelation and another theology for the rest of the 66 books. Whileyou can not allow the Dragon, etc. to be literal, you can much of the book ofRevelation including the one thousand years and this statement above thatmost of Revelation will take place shortly and immediately. In fact, I know ofonly the following events to remain to be fulfilled in the book of Revelation:(1) The release of Satan from bondage after a thousand years of not being ableto deceive whole nations which probably also took place somewhere between1820- 1948; (2) Revelation of the Man of Perdition and the False Prophet; and(3) The Final Battle of Armageddon as Gog and Magog come against a campof the saints in Jerusalem.

Everything else has to have an immediate message for the First CenturyChristians that are immediately undergoing persecution, who in theirchurches have already become self-sufficient as if they did not need the realApostle, John, nor God nor His Ascended Christ and Holy Spirit; and who

have developed most of the external and internal problems that we asindividuals and churches face today! The message by and large for those FirstCentury Christians is the same message for us today!

How We Identify the Author as the Apostle John? Well the book does that forus in the first and second verses of chapter 1. “...by His angel to His bond-servant John, who...” (Revelation 1:1,2 NASV)

1. John, “who bore witness to the word of God”.

2. John, “who bore witness to the testimony of Jesus Christ”.

3. John, “who bore witness to all that he saw”, what he saw during the“Revelation of Jesus Christ”.

4. The John that would write to the seven churches of Asia Minor,Revelation 1:4.

5. The John who is a brother and fellow participant with the Christians ofthe seven churches, Revelation 1:9.

6. The John that was on the isle of Patmos because of his testimony to Jesusand to the Word of God, Revelation 1:9.

7. The John who was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, Revelation 1:10.

8. The John who was chosen to write down what he saw then send it tothe seven churches of Asia Minor, those seven churches specifically beingnamed in Revelation 1:11. First to Speak to John is the Ascended Christ

It is important to realize that while an angel was the primary messenger of thebook of Revelation, that the first to speak to the Apostle John with “a loudvoice like the sound of the trumpet” was the Ascended Christ—

“And when I saw Him, I fell at his feet as a dead man. And He laid His righthand upon me, saying, `Do not be afraid, I am the first and the last, and theliving One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I havethe keys of death and of Hades.” (Revelation 1:17,18 KJV)

How Revelation 1:12-18 identifies the loud voice as the Ascended Christ—

1. One like a “son of man” clothed in a robe and girded with a goldengirdle, Revelation1:13.

2. One who stood in the midst of the seven golden lampstands whichrepresented the seven churches, Revelation 1:12.

3. His head and hair were white like snow, and His eyes were like a flameof fire, Revelation 1:14.

4. His feet were like heated brass in a furnace, and His voice was like thesound of many waters, Revelation 1:15.

5. In His right hand were seven stars, the seven pastors of the sevenchurches; His face shine like the sun; and from His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, Revelation 1:16.

6. He identified Himself as the First and Last like God the Father ofRevelation 1:8,Revelation 1:17.

7. He identified Himself as the living One, the One who was dead andnow was alive forevermore, Revelation 1:18. That alone is enough to identifyHim as the Ascended Christ!

8. He identified Himself as the one who has the keys to death and Hades,Revelation 1:18. John gets Initial Instructions/Interpretations

“Write therefore the things which you have seen, and the things which are,and the things which shall take place after these things. As for the mystery ofthe seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven goldenlampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the sevenlampstands are the seven churches.” (Revelation 1:19,20 NASV)

1. Write, John is to write a book of the Bible.

2. What this book will cover—

The things John has already seen, the vision of the Ascended Christ.

The things which are in the Seven Churches of Asia Minor, the subject ofRevelation 2 and 3.

The future, the things that will take place after the vision of Christ and afterthe things that exist in the seven churches of Asia Minor.

3. Christ’s own assistance in the interpretation of the book of Revelation—

The seven stars are the seven angels of the churches. Yes, churches like littlechildren have guardian angels! But what is really being spoken of here is thepastors. Yes, the pastors as messengers of God are called angels. Was that tokeep the Romans and persecuting Jews from knowing the place the elders orpastors had in the sight of Christ. I don’t know, but it is quite awesome tothink that your pastor is so revered in the sight of Christ to be called an angel.It hopefully, if appreciated, would prevent so many pastors from being runoff from their churches; and even beyond that as a factor in the intolerancetoward sound doctrine that is the trend in our contemporary churches, itmight help in letting the pastor rule over the church. What is happening inmost churches today--yes, particularly in Southern Baptist Churches--wouldhave to be called “anarchy”. Like Jannes and Jambres and others among thechildren of Israel in the wilderness the people have rebelled against pastors,God, and Moses!

The seven lampstands are the seven churches. You know we should considerhere if there is any relationship between the two lampstands and two olivetrees of Revelation 11 and of the book of Zechariah (the two witnesses), andthe seven lampstands of the seven churches. Surely this beginning of properinterpretation should relate to the whole book of Revelation and to what is theprimary theme of the book of Revelation. The Ascended Christ wants Johnand John’s fellow Christians to see His power and Ascended capability as inthe middle of the seven churches with the seven angels who have the powerto preserve or reprimand those churches.

The Ascended Christ wants to identify with the God the Father that is to beworshipped! Jesus refers to Himself in the very same words that have comefrom God the Father in Revelation 1:8—”I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ saysthe Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’” (Rev1:8 NASV) 26-6: Pride

Pride is by far nothing unique to the Mormons. It is only that they have madean official doctrine and practice out of pride, maintaining in their DOCTRINE

AND COVENANTS that God blesses those who are good enough; and that isthe ultimate in self-pride as it bespeaks of self sufficiency and eliminates aneed of the grace of God. (It is called by them THE REFORMED GOSPEL.)And I would by no means attempt to enhance the already well developedpersecution complex of the Mormons. Also while it is highly questionable ifthe LDS should be even classified among Christians, the Mormons with theirmany churches and with their claim to be the only Church are the verypersonification of the first three chapters of Revelation in that they have aname, a reputation, but they are dead. That in adopting the other three Bibles,in adopting the false concept of a Prophet who speaks revelations to berespected beyond that of the Bible and their other three Bibles, in the falseconcept of a Restored Gospel that modifies and replaces the Gospel of the LordJesus Christ, and in the false and self-disillusionment that they only are theLatter Day Saints, with the reality that it is difficult for any real Saint to remainamong them, they are showing the ultimate in pride: a pride that leads awayfrom the acknowledgment of the God of the Bible, the real God; and that leadsaway from salvation through the only real Lord Jesus Christ.

Yet they are only an ultimate example of pride as was the church which had areputation for being alive but was dead. We also have individual pride andchurch pride. A pride that can give us the same appearance of religion in goodattendance, many meetings, a wonderful sounding choir and musicalprogram, evidence of good works, an emphasis on the family, and even anappearance of evangelism in the name of Christ; but be for naught except as amatter of self-justification and a matter of bragging before other men aboutour exclusive religion. If we learn nothing else from the follies of the Mormonswe must learn that good music, dynamic speakers, attendance and meetings,an appearance of evangelism, and family life with an appearance of goodworks will not get it done! You see, okay what is left that is not covered bythose things; and what can we do that they are not doing already. The answeris simple: (1) Worship the true God, the God of the Universe and the God ofthe Bible, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ; (2) Daily live in the grace of Godthrough the Lord Jesus Christ; and (3) Find your salvation only in the LordJesus Christ of the Bible, the Son of the God of Creation and the Bible.

Organization

I’m afraid God may have withdrawn from Southern Baptists because of thewarfare between the moderates and the fundamentalists. Open warfare as itexists now in the Southern Baptist Convention can not co-exist with love sothat it becomes evident that Southern Baptists like the church at Laodicea hasleft its first love. And so has gone every denomination of Christianity asevidenced in the History of Christianity as the organization itself becomesparamount over anything else. While many verbal disguises have been usedduring the last decade of warfare between the moderates and fundamentalists,it has primarily been a political warfare for the control of the organizations ofthe Southern Baptist Convention.

Organization is most often a substitute for enthusiasm; and if we stop to thinkabout it, which do you think the Holy Spirit can most easily work through,organization or enthusiasm? The answer is self-evident! How quickly achurch or a convention of churches can depart from its beginnings in first love.The is evidenced by what happened at Ephesus, the single church of the sevenof the book of Revelation that we know a great deal about. Acts 19 records thebeginnings of the church at Ephesus under the ministry of the Apostle Paul, aministry which saw the Gospel preached in all of Asia—

“And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dweltin Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.” (Acts 19:10KJV)

We learn what is going to happen almost immediately in the future of thisfervent and evangelistic church of Ephesus by what Paul tells the elders atMiletus—

“For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter inamong you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise,speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.” (Acts 20:29,30KJV)

And we know from Revelation 2 this is what really did happen in Ephesus—

“I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst notbear them which are evil; and thou hast tried them which say they areapostles, and are not, and hast found them liars; And hast borne, and hastpatience, and for my name’s sake hast labored, and hast not fainted.

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy firstlove. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent and dothe first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thycandlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” (Revelation 2:2-5 KJV)

Considering that the church at Ephesus was organized in approximately 54A.D. and when this indictment against them was written it was approximately94 A.D., a period of only 40 years to go from the fervor of evangelism to thedecadence of organization, to go from first love to secondary pursuits; then doyou think it strange that with a history of from 1861 to 1991, or 130 years, morethan three times that of the almost fall of Ephesus, that the SBC in 130 yearscould repeat both the history of other denominations and of the church atEphesus. 26-7: Seven Christian Thousand.

If in this generation there are only seven thousand people of God as in the timeof Elijah, I don’t think we should look for too many of those people among theSouthern Baptists or among the Mormons!

Some Exegesis Points of Revelation 1-3:

1:1 The connection of revelation, secrets, and the book of Daniel as anintroduction to the prophecy of the book of Revelation—in particular Daniel2:28-30—is evident. While the Mormons in their Temple worship are in thesecrets keeping business, God and his true Prophets and prophets are in thesecret revealing business. During this study we will find an inevitableconnection between the spirit of prophecy and the testimony of Jesus; andJesus early in His ministry to the apostles and other Christians made it clearthat what is entrusted by way of revelations is to be shouted from thehousetops, not keep in secret.

1:7 This quote or RevRecon from Daniel 7:13,14, makes it clear that the wickeddead will also see Christ at His Second Coming. Also in the evident RevReconnature of Zechariah 12:10 and the words of “even those who pierced him”, wesee the double or beyond nature of prophecy in that Zechariah 12:10 is first ofall clearly a reference to the Crucifixion of Jesus still to come with thesubsequent outpouring of the Spirit and grace to follow; but by the use of thosesame words here in Revelation, we see that it also applies to the SecondComing. And it is not so much a double nature as a fuller nature that covers

much more spread of time that in those terms of which we normally think.Even Joel’s prophecy that Peter quoted on the first day of Pentecost asbeginning to be fulfilled with what was happening that day, the beginning ofthe last days, also including the great and notable last One Day of the Lordwhen the old heavens and earth would pass away. And the whosoever wouldcall upon the name of the Lord applied at the beginning or near the end of theLast Days.

1:8 This LORD God the Father of the book of Revelation was no new God inthe Bible; for like here identified as “Alpha and Omega” was so identified asthe God of the Prophets in Isaiah 41:4: “I the LORD, the first, and with the last;I am he.” (KJV)

1:9-20 Even as God’s pattern as part of the tabernacle construction of Exodus13:31-40 was the golden candlestick of seven lamps, so John sees seven goldenlampstands which represent the seven churches and the seven stars representthe seven angels of the churches. (We find angels to be more than angels in thebook of Revelation.)

2:1 Immediately you know “angel” not to be an angel in the conventionalsense of the rest of the Bible, because there would be no need for Jesus to writeto an angel. The angels are right there in heaven with Him, and can be spokento directly. Therefore, the angel is really the pastor or leader of the localchurch. Angel in the book of Revelation has more the meaning of “messengerof God”; and what we will find is that this is a small key to the unlocking ofthe mysteries of Revelation. It is these angels, fellow servants, brethren, andholders of the testimony of Jesus and of the Word of God that also have thespirit of prophecy. How then can we distinguish between an angel with thepower of an angel and an angel in the making still on earth? In the context ofthe verse and chapter!

2:4 The church at Ephesus was not the first assembly of God to leave its firstlove as we find in Jeremiah 2; and this background helps us understandexactly what the leaving of the first love at Ephesus was—

“Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my peoplehave changed their glory for that which doth not profit....For my people havecommitted two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and

hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.” (Jeremiah2:11,13 KJV)

To leave the first love is to depart in concept and conscience from the God ofthe Bible, the God of salvation. It entails two evils: (1) Forsaken the God ofthe living water of salvation and His Son; and (2) Making other gods that cannot provide this living water. Hence the last invitation of the book ofRevelation to Ephesus, to the other churches of Asia Minor, and to allChristians and churches is to “Come” to the living water and drink (Rev 22:17).

2:7 Since another chapter of this book, SEVEN CHRISTIAN THOUSANDS,is on the “overcomers”, and the overcomers are mentioned here, it should alsobe pointed out how that the promise here of eating from the Tree of Life in theParadise of God is the subject also of Revelation 22 where with the newheavens and earth comes a new Jerusalem with the Tree of life in its midst.When God after the expulsion of man made it impossible for anyone to findthe Garden of Eden and the tree of life, we must decide that He pulled it upinto heaven approximately 1500 miles from which it will be lowered with theTree of Life when the new city with its Garden is lowered. There were also“overcomers” in the book of Proverbs, Proverbs 11:30,31—

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more thewicked and the sinner.” (Proverbs 11:30,31 KJV)

The “overcomers” are identified as: (1) The righteous and this is consistentwith the final admonition of Revelation 22:11 where the righteous and holyare to keep on being righteous and holy; (2) Those who win souls by thetestimony of Jesus and by the Word of God, a consistent and repeating themein the book of Revelation; and (3) As the opposite of the wicked sinner wherealso in Revelation 22:11 it is admonished to let the filthy and liar keep on beingfilthy and a liar.

2:14 The teachings of Balaam are not new to the book of Revelation and to thechurch at Pergamos. Besides the original teachings of the Balaam of the OldTestament (Numbers 22), the Apostle Peter wrote earlier of this problem in IIPeter 2, starting the discussion in 2:1 in terms of “false teachers” and thenclimaxing in 2:15,16 with about loving the wages of unrighteousness. From II

Peter 2 then the teachings of Balaam would include: (1) Those teachers whobring damnable heresies among the people that serve to deny the atonementof Christ (2:1);

(2) Those who follow their own fickle way bringing an evil reputation on theway of Truth (2:2); (3) With fake words and out of a covetous heart they makemerchandise of Christians, or profit from Christians (2:3); (4) They that walkin the flesh with uncleanness, despise government, are presumptuous, self-willed, and speak evil of higher-ups (2:10); (5) Speak evil of those things whichthey do not understand (2:12); (6) Spots and blemishes among Christians withdeceptions that they parade before Christians (2:13); (7) With eyes full ofadultery, hearts full of sin, unstable souls (2:14); (8) Wells without water,drifting clouds, and recipients of the darkness (2:17); and (9) Speakers of greatswelling words of vanity that led those previously escaped from such backinto the lusts of the flesh (2:18). (NOTE: A study of these teachers andteachings of Balaam of II Peter, Revelation, and the book of Jude as well ascertain correlating passages form Paul could be considered a study of much ofthe Mormons and Mormonism. Balaam as Satan always has his followers. Theteachings and practices are the same only the name is changed to protect theguilty!)

3:9 While we may be somewhat fearful of labeling a spade as a spade and theMormons as under the leadership of Satan, the book of Revelation does nothesitate to call the Jews at Philadelphia “the synagogue of Satan”. Now, thatis intolerant and religious persecution; but true.

James 2:17,18: Neither Faith Nor Works Alone

Mormons and Baptists stand at the two extremes of the faith-works spectrumwith Mormons placing an overemphasis on works for salvation without faithand Baptist placing an overemphasis on faith for salvation without works.“EVEN SO FAITH, IF IT HATH NOT WORKS IS DEAD, BEING ALONE.”(James 2:17 KJV) And the opposite would also be true: EVEN SO WORKS,IF IT HATH NOT FAITH IS DEAD, BEING ALONE. The primary point ofJames and the rest of the Bible is that faith and works go inseparable together.While Baptists need primarily the message of James, the Mormons need

primarily the message of the book of Galatians. Both beliefs are intolerant ofsound doctrine.

“Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified bythe law; ye are fallen from grace.” (Galatians 5:4 KJV)

Hear that Mormons! You may call yourself the “Church of Jesus Christ”, butthat name is “of no effect” for you and your salvation as you simultaneouslyseek to be “justified by the (works) of the law”. You have fallen away fromthe grace of God by which only there is salvation.

2-8: Works, Faith, and Grace.

When you look at the total number of times these three words—works, faith,and grace—are mentioned in the New Testament, there is absolutely no doubtwhich is the most important subject: the word “works” is found 118 times, theword “faith” 245 times, and the word “grace” 131 times. It is almost as if Godin the writing of His New Testament through the Spirit and Apostles is sayingI will balance works and grace, respectively 118 and 131 times; and then I willdeal with the primary subject of the Bible which is faith. And if you add theword “believe” which is the verb form of the word “faith”, you find acombined total in the New Testament of 369 times.

In short, what the Mormons have had to do in order to make effectively theirown King James Version of the Bible that is consistent with their other four ormore Bibles is to take approximately 118/618, or 19%. Baptists have done a

little bit better in takingapproximately 81% of theBible. However that is onlyofficially. In fact andunfortunately, bothMormons and Baptists haveeffectively throughindifference and ignorancetaken only a little of theBible for all practicalpurposes, having created areligion of the world

through the exercise of their own conscience rather than an objective Bibleexercise.

At the end of the chapter in tabular form is a comparison of the NewTestament on the four words “works”, “faith”, “believe”, “faith and believe”,and “grace”. From these numbers, indications of the way God wrote the NewTestament, you have no doubt that the book of Revelation is the book ofWORKS, having the largest number of usages of the word “works” in the NewTestament, 17; and the only other New Testament book close to that in usageof “works” is the Gospel of John written immediately after Revelation. Theway the Apostle John compensated, or rather the Spirit of God through John,in order to make the Gospel of John more a book of faith and believe was touse believe an even greater number of times!

The books that are more on “works” than “faith” and “grace”; or WORKS >FAITH AND GRACE books—

1. Revelation.

Wow, the book of Revelation stands alone here; because even the book ofJames of which we normally think of as a book of “works”, there is a balancebetween works and faith and grace, respectively 10, 12, and 2. While you werethinking of so many other characteristics of the book of Revelations such aseschatology, etc. surely you overlooked the fact that the book of Revelation isthe paramount book of all the Bible on the subject of works as compared tofaith and grace. You notice that “faith” plus “believe” are only mentioned 4times and grace only twice!

The books that are approximately balanced on “works” and “faith” and“grace”; or WORKS

= FAITH AND GRACE—

1. Matthew with 12 and 12 respectively on works and faith.

2. James with 10 and 12 respectively on works and faith.

NOTE: When James emphasizes that faith and works stand together, he ispracticing what he teaches in the writing of his book.

3. Titus with 6 on works, 5 on faith and believe, and 4 on grace, perhapsthe most balanced on the three subjects in the New Testament.

AND OF COURSE WHAT THAT LEAVES IS THAT THE REST OF THEBOOKS OF THE NEW

TESTAMENT ARE MORE ON FAITH-BELIEVE AND GRACE THAN ONWORKS—FAITH BELIEVE PLUS GRACE > WORKS—OR THEREMAINING 23 BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.

“Works” in Revelation

With this in mind, we definitely should take a closer look at what the “works”references tell us in Revelation, noting that while the Mormons are fartheraway from the rest of the Bible than Baptists, we must check to see that withtheir works are they closer to the truth in the book of Revelation than areBaptists?

1. Revelation 2:2.

“I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst notbear them which are evil; and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles,and are not, and hast found them liars...” (Rev 2:2 KJV)

While we tend to think of Mormons as emphasizing works over Baptists, herewe find that the Baptists fare much better than the Mormons in good works asthe Baptists have had far less tolerance with those who falsely claim to beApostles than have the Mormons!

2. Revelation 2:5.

“Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and, repent, and do thefirst works; or else I will come unto thee quickly; and will remove thycandlestick out of his place; except thou repent.” (Rev 2:5 KJV)

It is amazing in these words from the Ascended Christ Himself in that the“fallen” sounds much like Galatians 5:4 although it is primarily on grace! Andultimately we must find that a failure to do the first works is the equivalent ofthe attempt to be justified by the works of the law! To fall or fail is to do theworks of the law rather than the works of faith and grace!

3. Revelation 2:9.

“I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and Iknow the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but arethe synagogue of Satan.” (Rev 2:9 KJV)

Well, we know where the works of blasphemy and of Satan are in ourAmerican society! Well, at least some of them; and it should be refreshing topick on somebody other than the Mormons. I have reminded you that theMormons are only the best example of the bad aspects of the falling away. Letme parenthetically remind you that the gap between church membership andChrist today is in all churches and all denominations!

4. Revelation 2:13.

“I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is:and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in thosedays wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you,where Satan dwelleth.” (Rev 2:13 KJV) Satan was declared to be therebecause that was where faithful Christians were being slain! Notice also thatit is not enough simply to name the name of Christ—”holdest fast my name”:it is also necessary to “hast not denied my faith”

5. Revelation 2:19.

“I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, andthy works; and the last to be more than the first.” (Rev 2:19 KJV)

Is the Ascended Christ saying that the last works of the church at Thyatira aregreater than the first works; or do we have two different words for “works” inthis one verse? We are assisted by the translation of the NASV:

“I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance,and that your deeds of late are greater than at first.” (Rev 2:19 NASV)

6. Revelation 2:23.

“And I will kill her children (the children of the prophetess Jezebel) withdeath; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reinsand hearts; and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.”(Rev 2:23 KJV)

God gives to each church and each individual in the churches according totheir individual works.

7. Revelation 2:14.

“And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him willI give power over the nations...” (Rev 2:14 KJV)

We think of Paul’s “always abounding in the work of the Lord”, which is neverin vain. The end will be at the end of the falling away, and then the SecondComing of Christ with the catching up of believers to meet Him in the air.Those that fall away during the great falling away do not work until the end:they have turned away from the truth of all sound doctrine including theworks of Jesus.

8. Revelation 3:1,2

“And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things saith hethat hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works,that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful andstrengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have notfound thy works perfect before God.” (Rev 3:1,2 KJV) The works of anychurch can be such that in the community and American society they are agood name or reputation, and yet such that in the sight of God that reputationis nothing; that is, those works are nothing. Dead surely would be theequivalent of fallen, of justification by law or dead works, and of Christ beingof none effect!

9. Revelation 3:8.

“I know thy works; behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no mancan shut it; for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, had hastnot denied my name.” (Rev 3:8 KJV)

We are beginning to realize that “works”, at least in Revelation, has moremeaning than works as in work; for what are the works that the AscendedChrist knows here?

(1). That they have a little strength which means grace and the power of gracesince the power, grace, and strength of a church even as an individual comesfrom the grace of the Spirit of God.

(2). That they keep the Word of Christ.

(3). That they have not denied the name of Christ.

So that while perhaps two out of three are works in the sense of what wenormally think of works, at least one third is grace!

10. Revelation 3:15.

“I know works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou were coldor hot.” (Rev 3:15 KJV)

We see that works are more the characteristics of the churches. What they aredoing and what they are saying and what they are believing and how they areloving and serving!


“And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yetrepented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worshipdevils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood;which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of theirmurders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.”(Rev 9:20 KJV)

Well, it is obvious that most of these works are exactly what we think of as evilworks which violate the laws of God: of murder, fornication, and stealing; andonly the first is a different yet somewhat similar work in that is the worship ofdevils instead of the worship of God. Of course, again we remember that thefirst commandments are laws of the worship of God.


“And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are thedead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that theymay rest from their labors, and their works do follow them.” (Rev 14:13KJV)

What are the characteristics of the true saints, those who “die in the Lord”?That: (1) They rest from doing works; and (2) That their works or labors followthem to the new life. So that works being the opposite of rest is what weordinarily think of in terms of works!


“And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of theLamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; justand true are thy ways, thou King of saints.” (Rev 15:3 KJV)

The “works” of God give us a clue as to what the works of men and of churchesare to be: (1) The works of God are marvelous and great; and (2) The worksof God are just and true. AND ONLY THIS GOD OF THE BIBLE, THE LORDGOD ALMIGHTY, IS THE KING OF SAINTS!


“Reward her eyes as she rewarded you, and double unto her (Babylon or theNew Babylon, Rome) double according to her works; in the cup which shehath filled fill to her double.” (Rev 18:6 KJV)

The deeds of Rome, and of any subsequent generation, as they persecutedChristians will return to them double for what they have done!

15. Revelation 20:12,13.

“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books wereopened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and thedead were judged out those things which were written in the books,according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it;and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them; and they werejudged every man according to their works.” (Revelation 20:12,13 KJV)

There is a set of books by which works are to be judged; and then there is onebook, the book of life, which is the book that list all those who by grace andfaith have been in the Lord, that once listed in that book the books of workshave nothing to do with them. It is only that in the churches of all kinds thereare many individuals who must be judged according to works, because theyhave never experienced the faith and grace that comes from God! You will

find from the last chapter study, that when Christ tells the church at Sardisthat there are “only a few who have not defiled their garments”, they tells ushow sad it can get among church members in any given church.

Let us be frank or honest: how pastors, other church and denominationleaders have done during the “perilous times” of II Timothy 3:1-9 and the{falling away} “time” of II Timothy 4:1-4, is to redefine works, illustrated asfollowing: “the men will be lovers of themselves” is redefined by leaders asacceptable self-fulfillment; the lovers of money is made a goal for all Christiansand a sign of the blessing of God; the boasters are promoted to positions ofleadership since they have all the answers anyway; the proud, ah yes pride,the subject of this chapter--well, the proud become the inheritors of the Fallenchurches while the poor in spirit inherit the rest of the earth; the blasphemersare allowed to remain anonymous as long as they take the name of God invain only at work, home, and play; the disobedient to the Bible teachings oftheir parents are excused in terms of the natural evolution of a new generation,the necessity to be “cool” and keep up with the times; the unthankful areallowed to cry their poison out to the whole congregation as self-expression;the unholy--well, the unholy, how can we know the difference without sounddoctrine; the unloving, well if we go by the appearance of things instead of thereality, and we say “love, love, love”, or Touched by Love, then it must be so;the unforgiving are allowed to vent their anger in the spirit of thefundamentalists; the slanderers are placed in charge of weeding out themoderates and liberals in the Southern Baptist Convention; those without self-control are allowed freedom of expression and dominance in the anarchy inchurch government; the brutal appear as defenders of the faith; the despisersof good subvert the concepts of right, wrong, and doctrine; the traitors ignoreBaptist and Bible sound doctrine; the headstrong charge on conquering for thebenefit of the Falling Away; the haughty support them; the lovers of pleasuremore than lovers of God dominant the democratic process; and the form ofgodliness that denies the power of God becomes the norm for churchmembership; more new teachers are heaped up to send them into homeswhere they can make captive more silly women laden with sins; those that willnot endure sound doctrine are provided alternative convictions; that their newdoctrines are based more on their desires is alleviated by the pastor as creativeexpressions; the itching ears are tickled each time the church comes together;

the heaping up of unsound teachers is promoted and the heaping out of soundteachers becomes a regular practice; and finally there is no absolute truth, onlyfables.

Chapter 3: Number the People of God or Worship Christ,Revelation 4-7?

Before we thank God that we are not as the Mormons, the Church of Christ,the Roman Catholics, Jehovah Witnesses, and some non denominationalchurches who claiming to be the only Church and the only Christians havenumbered the people of God in a circle about themselves; before we thankGod that we are not as the hypocrites, the Jewish people of the First Centurywho also claimed to be and still do to be the elect of God in spite of the rejectionof Jesus Christ, we should also consider our own guilt of a priority fornumbering what we consider to be the people of God over the Worship ofChrist. This chapter explains that!

Church people like other people have the two great needs of (1) guilt relief and(2) self identity. Even in the churches these needs are not met according toGod’s ordained methods in the Bible: (1) confession and forgiveness of sin and(2) personal identification with Christ through repentance and faith.Therefore you expect in the larger American society there must be substitutesolutions for these two great needs. Guilt relief can be found in the churchwhen the appearance of relief is chosen over the reality by justificationthrough attendance, and self identity rather than with Christ can be found byidentifying primarily socially with the other members of the church who mayor may not have properly identified with Christ or found proper guilt relief.

These artificial means of guilt relief and self-identity are enhanced by thepastor and the people when they like so many others in history attempt tonumber the people of God in a circle about themselves. It seems pathetic tous who objectively witness it when a very small church has so rationalized insuch a manner as to think they are the only people of God in the whole world.Of course, Elijah felt the same way when things were not going so well; excepthe felt as if he was the people of God of one, one individual—

“Lord, they have killed the prophets, and digged own thine altars; and I amleft alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God untohim? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed

the knee to the image of Baal. Even so then at this present time also there isa remnant according to the election of grace.” (Romans 11:3-5 KJV)

“THERE IS A REMNANT”, that is what I mean when I say “Seven ChristianThousand”. It may be six thousand, it may be eight thousand or ninethousand. It is only that today as the today at the present time of which theApostle Paul wrote in the First Century there is a small number of the realpeople of God as compared to those who call themselves the people of God,and the seven thousand Jews in the land of Israel during the time of Elijah onlyserves to remind us how small the remnant may be as compared to all thosewho claim to be the people of God. 27-1: Worship the Almighty God on theThrone, Revelation 4.

The theme of Revelation 4 is the worthiness of LORD God the Father to beworshipped, and is best expressed by the last verse of that chapter—

“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thouhast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”(Revelation 4:11 KJV)

It reminds us of the Model Prayer where Jesus taught disciples how to pray toGod the Father, beginning with “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowedbe thy name...” and ending with “For thine is the kingdom and the power andthe glory forever. Amen.”

1. The book of Revelation as other books of the Bible is a self revelationoriginating from God and delivered through the Lord Jesus Christ by way ofsome messenger. The Apostle John looked toward heaven, and “a door wasstanding open in heaven” (Rev 4:1). John only heard a voice through the opendoor, saying “Come up here” and I will show you things that are going tohappen in the future after this present time.

2. The first voice John heard in Revelation 1:10 was the voice of Jesus, andturned to see Jesus standing in the midst of the seven lampstands, Who thendelivered to John the messages to the seven churches. The “first voice”, alsolike a trumpet, from the open door of heaven is another voice (Rev 4:1), andthe voice which identified himself in Revelation 19:10 as a fellow servant.

3. The trumpet-like voice invites John to “Come up” in order what? Tosee “the things which must be hereafter” (Rev 4:1), the things of eschatologyand the future. So that immediately after timely messages to the sevenchurches comes eschatology, seven as they are typical of all churches. {Therewere actually more than seven churches in the Asia Minor of the first andsecond century.} We can find a message for our church, denomination, andourselves in the book of Revelation. We are not trying to ignore eschatologyas you see by the extensive discussion in the last chapter, but we are sayingthe first priority is a timely message from Christ to the churches and theneschatology; and then beyond that to a timely message from Christ TOINDIVIDUALS. {Hence the volume 3 title, “Christ for Individuals”, in thisvolume of the LEARN CHRIST COMMENTARIES.}

4. “immediately I was in the spirit” (Rev 4:2)—this is hard tounderstand, for John was already “in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day” in chapter1. It would naturally lead one to believe that this was a day after Sunday.Recall that the Sabbath Day of the Old Testament became after theResurrection the Lord’s Day of Sunday. Sunday is really the new testamentSabbath; and by the way, according to Jesus, it is made for man, not man forthe Sabbath.

5. God the Father on the Throne: “behold, a throne was set in heaven,and one sat on the throne” (Rev 4:2,3):

(1). The reflections of light from Him on the throne were so great that Johncould in writing only compare it with “like a jasper and a sardine stone”; and

(2). The rainbow that surrounded the throne of God, obviously reflecting thegrace of God, and it reflected like an emerald. I believe God and heaven aremuch closer to earth than we can possible imagine, in another dimension thatwe can not see since the wavelength dimensions of our visual sight are veryshort anyway; and that this is the actual rainbow that we are seeing on theearth all the time. After all, the Bible tells us that God sits on the circle of theearth, and that the clouds are His footstool.

6. Worship God on earth as God is worshipped by the elders in heaven—”thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”: Revelation 4:4,5.

(1). Here starts the numbering of God that is unique, or almost unique to thebook of Revelation as first it is mentioned that around the throne are 24 seatsand then exactly 24 elders in those 24 seats. The number of leaders before thethrone of God are exactly the number that God planned to be there, and thatnumber is twice the number of God’s ordained leaders of the First Century:there were 12 Apostles and there are 24 seats with 24 elders before the throneof God.

(2). They were clothed in white raiment. The white raiment obviousrepresents as we learn later in the book of revelation being washed white inthe blood of the lamb.

(3). They had on their heads crowns of gold. This obviously represents thereward of God for their service and persecution; and with their position beforethe throne, also represents their leadership in heaven.

(4). The sound was as awesome as the sight and sound of lightnings,thundering, and voices came out of the throne.

(5). Seven lamps were burning in front of the throne which the Apostle John—and note only the Apostle John—identifies as “the seven Spirits (or spirits) ofGod” (Rev 4:5). I emphasize that these are words from the Apostle John thathe added when he wrote the book of Revelation, and therefore are based onsome things that were explained later to him in the revelations of the book ofRevelation. Since we know that there is only One Holy Spirit of God, we aremore inclined to lean toward “spirit” instead of the “Spirit” that the KingJames translators used. Unfortunately there is only one Greek word, the word“pneuma” literally meaning wind, for both the Holy Spirit and other spiritslike human spirits.

7. Worship God as all living creatures of heaven and earth worship God:Rev 4:6-9. It does not matter so much what the living creatures, unfortunatelycalled “beasts” in KJV, look like as the fact that all the living creatures besideshumans here on earth are worshipping God. To really pray from the heart the“thy will be done on earth” part of the Lord’s Prayer (more appropriatelycalled he Model Prayer), we should be worshipping God more nearly the wayHe is worshipped in heaven. God could use more of our thought time, more

consistent time talking to Him, and much less time--like zero—taking Hisname in vain.}

a. They keep up this tireless worship of God both day and night andforever; and

b. They say: “Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty, which was, and is,and is to come.” (Rev 4:8) This is the same Alpha and Omega of Revelation1:8 that John moved forward after the giving of the whole book andimmediately after John talks about Jesus Christ. You see these words aboutJesus and God the Father are preliminary summaries of the main messages ofall the book of Revelation as is of all the books of the Bible.

c. This is glory, honor, and thanks to the God Almighty on the Thronefrom all living creatures not human.

d. It is glory, honor, and thanks to the Everlasting God. By the waycontrary to the way of much of the “praise” worship and songs, Jesus nevertaught people to pray to Him, only to God the Father through Jesus. And sincepraise must be a aspect of prayer and worship, this is inappropriate. AlsoJesus taught to pray without vain repetition as the heathens do, and noticesome of these simple praise songs which repeat three or four words over andover. That fits more in the vain repetition category, and less in the pray withunderstanding category. This should also eliminate that vain babbling of so-called tongues in worship as Paul was particularly talking about this matter inCorinthians when he wrote that we are to speak in the church withunderstanding (that is, so others can understand) and pray and sing withunderstanding). On the first day of Pentecost after the Ascension of Jesus,when the Jews from every country of the Roman Empire spoke in tongues, itwas not unknown tongues. It was the tongue of a certain country. In otherwords if some Jews were there from Spain, they heard in Spanish; if fromFrance they heard in French, et cetera. Of course, the really unsound doctrineof this charismatic movement in worship is that it tries to make thisemotionalism of speaking in truly unknown tongues synonymous withSanctification. Sanctification is not that easy. According to the sound doctrineof the Bible in spite of popular practices otherwise, sanctification is the thirdaspect of salvation after initial belief and new birth whereby the Christ

follower becomes more and more like Christ until at the Second Coming, “weshall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is.” This sound Biblicalsanctification takes hard work, thus the Apostle Paul says “work out yoursalvation with fear and trembling”. Would that it could happen instantly atone worship service or evangelistic meeting or even each Sunday, but that ishardly consistent with the Bible. And what you will most generally find isthat this kind of worshipper quickly forget during the week as far as real lifechanges, what happened to them during that worship. It is an unsounddoctrinal substitute for the sound doctrine of the Bible.

e. It is synchronized with worship from the leaders. Andrew Blackwoodwrote a wonderful book on public prayer entitled LEADING IN PUBLICPRAYER in which he offers this abbreviation to remember the Biblical aspectsof proper public prayer, ATCSS. It stands for Adoration of God, Thanksgivingto God, Confession to God of sin, Supplication to God for such basics as dailyneeds, and Submission to the will of God. You can follow those aspectsthrough the Model Prayer, and it would also be a good basis for your dailypersonal prayer, expanded of course, and put in your own words andthoughts.

8. Worship God as all living creatures and leaders in heaven worshipGod: Revelation4:10,11

“The four and twenty elders fell down before him that sat on the throne,and worshiped him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crownsbefore the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory andhonor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure theyare and were created.” (Revelation 4:10,11 KJV)

(1). God the Father created all things of heaven and earth; and

(2). All things were created for God the Father. The ultimate purpose of theChristian calling is to glorify God, thus W. O Carver calls his commentary onEphesians, THE GLORY OF GOD IN THE CHRISTIAN CALLING.Ephesians is the best, short book of the Bible to cover all aspects of the Christlife, both BIC (before in Christ) and AIC (After in Christ), and besides my owncommentary on Ephesians, ONE COMMENTARY ON EPHESIANS, it is oneof the best. Anyway “great things He has done”.

3-2: Worthy is the Lamb of God, the Christ, to be Worshipped, Revelation5.

Oh yes, don’t misunderstand, Christ is to be worshipped. This chapter isoutlined as follows:

(1) The need for someone to open the book that was in the right hand of Godthe Father, Revelation 5:1-4:

(2) The Lamb of God takes the book while all living creatures around thethrone of God worship the Lamb, Revelation 5:5-10;

(3) Thousands of angels join in this worship of the Lamb, Revelation 5:11-12;and

(4) All living creatures of the universe of heaven and earth join in the worshipof the Lamb, Revelation 5:13,14. How did they worship Christ? With a newsong with many different words and much meaning for understanding!

3-3: Correlation of the events from Jesus of Matthew 24 with the Seven Sealson the Book of Revelation 6.

It actually takes six chapters for the Lamb of God to open all seven seals of thebook, Revelation 6-11; but six of the seals are opened in Revelation 6, and thenthe seventh seal is opened at the beginning of Revelation 8, but it takes 8-11 todiscuss it since that seventh seal has seven trumpets. Revelation 7, after thefirst six seals and before the opening of the seventh seal, is an important insertabout God’s numbering of His own people.

As is the nature of prophesy throughout the Bible where high points are givenby one Prophet then elaborated on by another Prophet, Jesus as recorded inMatthew 24 gives the high points of the future with seven aspects of the Timeof Sorrows, and in the book of Revelation these are expanded into the SevenSeals on the Book with the Seven Seal having seven trumpets.

The disciples asked Jesus privately about eschatology—

“Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thycoming, and of the end of the world?” (Matthew 24:3 KJV)

First, the beginning of the Time of Sorrows: Matthew 24:4-8.

Then the continuation of the Time of Sorrows: 24:9-14.

Then the Abomination of Desolation of Daniel, in 80 A.D. the destruction ofthe Temple, Jerusalem, and for all practical purposes the Jewish religion of theFirst Century: A.D.: Matthew 24:15-20.

Then Great Tribulation of believers: Matthew 24:21-13.

A Final Tribulation on all flesh and on the universe shortly before the SecondComing: Matthew 24:29.

The Second Coming of Christ: Matthew 24:14-31.

One place that the Apostle John moves progressive revelation on eschatologyforward, based on and going beyond what Jesus taught in Matthew 24 is inallowing us to see these six categories as continuing events. Of course, youmust remember that the book of Revelation is coming from the AscendedChrist so that Jesus the Ascended Christ is elaborating on what Jesus the Sonof God taught before His crucifixion and resurrection! Events of thebeginnings of sorrows continue while the time of sorrows goes deeper, thedestruction of the temple continues as destroyed while the tribulation of theFirst Century takes place, also the time of sorrows; and so on through the sixcategories: (1) The Beginning of Sorrows; (2) The Continuation of Sorrows; (3)The Abomination of Desolation; (4) Great Tribulation on flesh only; (5) FinalTribulation on the universe and flesh, and (6) The Second Coming of Christwith the Gathering of the Elect. We will briefly compare the six categories ofMatthew 24:4-8, the beginning of sorrows, with the six categories of the sixseals of Revelation 6:1-10. To summarize the six seals of Revelation 6:1-10: (1)white horse rider with bow and power to conquer; (2) red horse rider withpower to cause a world war; (3) black horse rider with famine; (4) pale horserider with power od Death and Hades; (5) the souls under the altar slain forthe word of God given robes; (6) The Great Day of the LORD with the shakingof the whole universe.

Matthew 24:4-8 Revelation 6:10-7:17

1. The beginning of sorrows 24:5-8 1. white horse riderwith power to conquer: 6:1,2

2. Continuation of sorrows 24:9-14 2. red horse rider withpower to take away peace from the earth: 6:3,4

3. Abomination of Desolation 24:15-20 3. the black horserider of famine and hunger in Jerusalem 6:5,6

4. Great Tribulation on flesh only 24:21-13 4. pale horse withpower to kill one fourth of population 6:7,8

5. Last Tribulation on flesh 24:29 5. The Cry of Martyrsduring the tribulations 6:9-11, 7:1-17

6. The Day of the LORD and Lord 24: 5. The universecrumbles and men cry for relief 6:12-17

Should it be a surprise that we have a one to one correlation between theevents of Matthew 24 and the six seals of Revelation 6. You see how easy it isif we keep Scripture, including the book of Revelation, in the total context ofthe Bible. The beginning of sorrows finds expansion in the first seal as therider on the white horse with a bow went out to conquer; the continuation ofsorrows correlates with the rider on the red horse who has the power to takepeace from the earth; the rider on the black horse that delivers famine andhunger is an expansion of what happened in Jerusalem during theAbomination of Desolation, the period the Romans surrounded and thendestroyed Jerusalem, as a quart of wheat sold for a day’s wage.

3-4: Seven Christian Thousand.

It is in Revelation 6:9-7:17 that we see the primary theme of the book ofRevelation as we witness the three ways in which Christ and God the Fathernumber their own people: (1) First the martyred souls under the altar who aretold to be patient until the number of those to be so martyred is complete; (2)Then 144,000 Jews from the twelve tribes of Israel; and (3) The vast multitudefrom every nation that no man can number. That is no really many Jewsamong the people of God is the Jews of each generation that were truly of theremnant, or people of God, was only seven thousand like God said during thetime of Elijah. If you divide seven thousand into 144,000; or— 14 X 7 equals20.57 generations.

From Earthquakes to Final Tribulation.

Notice also that the sixth seal of Revelation 6:12-17 goes all the way from thesimple earthquakes of the beginning of sorrows to the sun darkened of theFinal Tribulation that is on the whole universe as well as man—

“For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”(Revelation 6:17 KJV)

“...(all men living) hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of themountains...” (Revelation 6:15 KJV)

“And the heaven departed as a scroll” (Revelation 6:14 KJV)

“And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth...” (Revelation 6:13 KJV)

“the moon became as blood” (Revelation 6:12 KJV)

“the sun became black as sackcloth...” (Revelation 6:12 KJV)

“And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a greatearthquake...” (Revelation 6:12 KJV)

Considering these in reverse order, or in the original order of Revelation 6:12-17, what you have is: (1) The lesser earthquakes of the beginnings of sorrowsto at the end of time becomes one great earthquake that shakes the wholeearth; (2) The sun becomes dark just as predicted by Jesus and by the OldTestament Prophets as an event before the Great One Day of the LORD andLord; (3) Also the moon ceases to give light; (4) The stars fall from heaven,another event before the Great One Day; (5) The old heavens began to passaway in preparation for a new heavens; (6) The whole old earth is shaken inpreparation for the coming of the new earth; and (7) This is the One Great Dayof the LORD and Lord.

Satan. We already know from the clear teachings of II Thessalonians thatSatan has been bound for a figurative one thousand years since the first Dayof Pentecost after Christ’s resurrection. That is when the Holy Spirit came ingreat power putting a restraint on the successful works of Satan in terms ofsin, righteousness, and judgment. As Paul tells, when the Holy Spirit iswithdrawn at the peak of the increase in lawlessness, then Satan will beempowered to do all his dirty works. It is much like the happenings between

God, Job, and Satan as recorded in the book of Job. God gave Satan permissionto take away Job’s possession, family, and his health. In the case of the releaseof Satan, God for a short time gives Satan the leeway (with the Holy Spiritremoved) to harass the whole globe as he did Job.

The Prophet. Another thing that the book of Revelation demands in the wayof last events is a last False Prophet to support the last great world leader, theson of perdition, who is also under the control of Satan; and while theMormons are by no means the only group that could supply such a FalseProphet, they are a good example of one of several such good groups. EachPresident of the LDS is considered God’s modern day Prophet on earth somuch so that any time he speaks on secular or religious matters it is revelationsfrom God. Well, one of those Prophets, Brigham Young, according to thecriterion established by Moses in the book of Deuteronomy for a false prophetis a false prophet. If he foretells something as Brigham Young was foolishenough to foretell that men were on the moon, which was proven to be falsewhen the Astronauts landed there. and it doesn’t come true, then he is a falseprophet.

The Son of Perdition. While there are several sons of perdition mentioned inthe Bible including Judas, and meaning that these are men under the controlof Satan, the ultimate son of perdition like the ultimate false prophet isreserved for the last events of the last times; and the Apostle Paul writes ofthis son of perdition in II Thessalonians 2:1-5.

From this passage and from the total context of the Bible the dominant themeof eschatology must be kept in mind of the ONE DAY OF THE LORD ANDLord. Sometimes you do not get that impression from reading books on lastthings nor even listening to sermons or lessons, but for every one time thatmatters like a thousand years, the battle of Armageddon, Satan, and the FalseProphet and Man of Perdition are mentioned, the One Day of the Lord ismentioned at least ten times. There is no more consistent theme in all the Bibleother than on God Himself, on Jesus and salvation, than on the subject of theOne Day of the Lord. And it is with the subject of the One Day of the LORDand Lord that Paul in II Thessalonians 2 also mentions the Man of Perdition.

“Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord JesusChrist, and our gathering together to him, that you may not be quicklyshaken from you composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a messageor a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.” (IIThessalonians 2:1,2 NASV)

The sequence of primary last events are here—

1. The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. The Gathering of Christians to Him that are alive at His SecondComing.

3. The One Day of the Lord when all these things will happen of theSecond Coming, the gathering of Christians, and judgment on Satan, the Manof Perdition, and the False Prophets with all unbelievers. Some people thinkthat hell is horrible; but there is something far worse than hell about which thelast chapters of Revelation tell us. We are told that death and hell are cast intothe lake of fire and brimstone with Satan, the False Prophet, and the Man ofPerdition.

4. The One Day of the LORD and Lord preceded by an Apostasy ofChristians. “Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unlessthe apostasy comes first.” (II Thessalonians 2:3 NASV)

5. Then the Son of Perdition is revealed which the NASV calls the “manof lawlessness” and “the son of destruction”.

“...and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, whoopposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship,so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as beingGod. Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling youthese things?” (II Thessalonians 2:3b-5 NASV)

What we learn here about the Son of Perdition as foundational for the morewe will learn in the book of Revelation—

(1). False worship sets the stage for him to exalt himself above those falseobjects of worship.

(2). He leads in the ultimate deception as he takes the primary seat of honorin the very temple of God.

(3). He displays himself as God!

Honesty Versus the Lie. Every time an individual or a group of individualsin a church or any other organization contribute to a lack of honesty, to half-truths, distortions, and lies {the Mormons with their four Bibles that distorttruth and sound doctrine are not the only ones, only the best example of theworst unsound doctrine}, they are also contributing to the release frombondage of Satan to again deceive all the nations as he did the Roman Empirein the First Century. Seem strange, then read again II Thessalonians 2 wherethe mystery of lawlessness is at work centered around the believing of a Lie.Evidence of the big lie comes when churches or other organizations like thatof Sardis have a reputation of being alive while the reality is that they are dead.It can also happen to an educational institutions, a state, or a federalgovernment. It can happen to any leader, secular or religious, as a divergencedevelops between their reputation and the reality. Here as an aspect of sin orlawlessness, we are dealing with what Elton Trueblood calls “intellectualhonesty”. It is a lie when appearance is promoted through PR that is adistortion of reality.

You see the reason the reputation can be so different from the reality is thatwhile man looks on the outward appearance, God looks on the heart of anindividual or organization. The way of the world is the way of appearance.The way of God is the heart. The way of the world is the appearance of thebuilding and the organization, the way of God is the inward motivation andstrength of the spirit. This is the reason Jesus said, “Judge not by appearance;but judge righteous judgment.”

We see the ultimate the appearance of religion versus the reality as we listento what Jesus had to say to religious leaders about the First Century Hebrewreligion—

“Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This peopledraweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips;but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching fordoctrines the commandments of men.” (Matthew 15:7-9 KJV)

1. Since this was a quote for Isaiah, it was the indictment of God againstthe Hebrew religion years before it took place; and it figured in significantlyto the rejection of Jesus by most of the Jews.

2. They were practicing vain worship. Isn’t that horrible to assemblesabbath day after sabbath day, to speak the name of God, and to even proclaimthat it is in the name of God; and for it all to be vanity. Worthless worship!

3. The mouth and the lips of the worshippers were speaking the rightwords, even the appearance of the words was right; but their hearts were faraway from God.

4. Along with vain worship was the teaching for doctrines thecommandments of men.

The doctrines of the Bible had been subverted into the commandments of men.

3-5: Exegesis of Revelation 4-7.

4:1 John saw a door standing open in heaven. The eternal secrets of heavenwere about to be revealed. John is going to be told what shall happen “afterthese things”; but what has happened after the things? Only the things of theproblems in the seven churches, and this interpretation is verified by thewords with which this verse starts—”After these things...” You see theseproblems in the Christian churches were as much revelations of secrets as theseven seals and seven trumpets to follow, because these churches andChristians did not realize that they had these problems. Only whole churchthought it was alive and was dead, had a reputation among many churches ofbeing alive; but the secret revealed to them is that they were dead. Anotherhad left their first love, the original concept of the God of the Bible, and didnot know it. One thought it was rich, but it was poor; and so on...

4:2 The Throne is important, sitting in heaven; for when the old earth passesway and the new earth comes with the New Jerusalem, this same throne ofGod will be lowered with the 1500 mile high city and God on that throne.

4:3 Even as much of the news of the new earth has the appearance of jasper,clear and sparkling so the God the Father who sat on the Great White Thronehad that appearance. It is the appearance of purity and righteousness.

4:4 You can see that the new Jerusalem is going to be a place where God andthe 24 elders rule all nations as the new Jerusalem is going to be lowered toearth. That is, it will close the gap between heaven and earth!

4:5 The seven “spirits of God”, spirit not Spirit, are the spirits of the prophets,the spirits of the angels.

4:6-8 All living creation is represented in the four living creatures, like a lion,a calf, a man, and an eagle; and the point is that all living creation worshipsthe Almighty God.

You know that even as seven represents completion so the opening of theseventh seal on the book of heaven will wrap up all the events of Matthew 24and of history. The Seventh Seal in short is the Second Coming of Christ; butthe story of the end is spread out in that there are seven trumpets to besounded, in that history is reviewed from beginning to end from theperspective of God and of God’s heaven! After this review of history from theperspective of God, the Sounding of the Seventh Trumpet of the Seventh Sealis the Second Coming of Christ.

The first six trumpets represent the Judgements of God against the earth inanswer to the prayers of the saints—

“And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them weregiven seven trumpets. And another angel came and stood at the altar,having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, thathe should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar whichwas before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with theprayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.”(Revelation 8:1-4 KJV)

Recall that the original prayer of the souls under the altar of Revelation 6:10was, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge ourblood on them that dwell on the earth?” (KJV)

As the first angel sounded the first trumpet fire and blood was cast upon theearth destroying one third of the trees and all the green grass; as the secondsounded a mountain size ball of fire was cast into the sea destroying one thirdof the ships and one third of the life in the sea; at the third a bitter star poisoned

the fresh water of earth so that many died; at the fourth trumpet the light ofthe sun, moon, and stars was darkened by one third; at the fifth trumpet theangel of the bottomless pit is released with his scorpions to torment men thatwho do not have the seal of God in their foreheads—”They have as king overthem, the angel of the abyss, his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greekhe has the name Apollyon” (Revelation 9:11 NASV); at the sixth trumpet anarmy of two hundred million which killed one third of the men on earth; andat the sounding of the seventh trumpet the kingdoms of the earth become thekingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 11:15-19).

How do these seven trumpets of the seventh seal compare with the broadoutline of eschatology of Matthew 24? After the Abomination of Desolationof 70 A. D., Jesus tells of: (1) A Great Tribulation on flesh only but so terriblethat if it were not shortened no flesh would survive; (2) The arising of manyfalse Christs and false prophets; (3) The death of many men as carcasses forthe gathering of the eagles, another great tribulation but this time one thataffects the environment as well as flesh; (4) The shaking of the heavens withlessened light from the sun, moon, and stars; (5) Second Coming of Christ inpower and glory; and (6) The angels gather the elect of God together fromheaven and from earth. And once again you see how the aspects of eachcategory spill other from one sequence in history to another as first there is agreat tribulation on flesh only which took place in the First Century, andindeed had already begun to happen in the history of Revelation where youfind the martyred souls under the altar, similar to the Great Tribulation of thevery last days that is on the universe and flesh.

You also see how the seven trumpets are simply more details on theeschatology of Jesus of Matthew 24. Also the aspects of the fire and brimstoneof the seven trumpets elaborate on the earth melting with a fervent heat of theApostle Peter and of II Peter 3:

“But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are keptin store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition ofungodly men....But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; inthe which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elementsof the earth shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works thatare therein shall be burned up.” (II Peter 3:7,10 KJV)

The fervent heat starts on earth as the first trumpet of the seventh seal sendshail and fire to earth that burns all the green grass and one third of the trees;the heat gets hotter as with the second trumpet the mountain of fire affects theocean life and ships; a burning and bitter star falls into the fresh water at thesounding of the third trumpet; and the heavens began to be effected— sun,moon, and stars—with the fourth trumpet; with the fifth trumpet as thebottomless pit opens to let out the angel-king, more of the sun, moon, and starsare darkened by the smoke from the bottomless pit; and from the army of twohundred million came fire that destroyed one third of the men living on earth.This is the Greatest Tribulation on the universe and man for which the Greatand shortened tribulation was only a foretaste.

The Apostle Peter in reference to why God was withholding the sounding ofthe seventh trumpet with the end of time and the Second Coming of Christwrites about the patience and mercy of God—

“But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one days is with theLord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is notslack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but islongsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that allshould come to repentance.” (II Peter 3:8,9 KJV) Yet during the judgmentsfrom the sounding of the fifth trumpet rather than repent as God is seeking bythe delay in final judgment, they continued not to worship God!

3-6: Patience and The Thousand Years.

Although we will encounter the famous one thousand years of Revelation inRevelation 20, so called by many as the “millennium”, since the Bible has solittle to say about this “one thousand years” with references only in Revelation20 and here in II Peter 3:8,9, it behooves us to take note of what Peter writes inprogressive revelation before the Apostle John writes Revelation andRevelation 20. Peter is making a point of the patience of God, and that to Godone day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like one day.However, in spite of this Bible relativity whereby to God one day can meananything from a day to a thousand years and vice versa, I think we should takethe thousand years during which Satan is bound as literal, starting when Satancould deceive the nations no longer when the influence of the Roman Empirewas destroyed in the world, or approximately somewhere between 400 and

1400 A.D. Since I think that Joseph Smith had to have supernatural help in thegeneration of so many lies, distortions, and half-truths as are represented inthe three unique Bibles of the Mormons, I think Satan had to be releasedsomewhere before or about the time of the famous golden plates on which wasrecorded the book of Mormon. That would mean that Satan had to be releasedsomewhere before 1820. If we speculate Satan’s release as approximately 1800,then one thousand years before this would be at approximately 800 A. D.when Satan is bound in that he can no longer deceive whole nations. (Satanwas not bound in that he could no longer deceive individuals, only nations!)I like this date of approximately 800 since it places it closer to the destructionof the Western Roman Empire than to the destruction of the Eastern RomanEmpire. After all, since Christ told us that no man knows the exact time, whatwe are doing is using God ordained signs in the book of Revelation and in therest of the Bible to speculate. It is the trends that we must look for that willconclude the end of time. The two great and detrimental trends of rejection ofthe knowledge of God and of the increase of intellectual dishonesty in lies,half-truths, and distortions.

The Apostle Paul had something to say about this increase in dishonesty witha corresponding rejection of the knowledge of God, and identified the trendsas the “latter times”. (This “latter times” reminds you of what Moses wrote inDeuteronomy 4.)

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shalldepart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines ofdevils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hotiron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, whichGod hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believeand know the truth.” (I Timothy 4:1-3 KJV)

Notice that on the positive side that those “which believe” are also those who“know the truth”; and that with a seared conscience, seductive spirits, andfaith departure also comes “lies in hypocrisy”. (Since we know whichdenomination called by them a Church abstain from meats and forbids tomarry, we also know which Church besides the LDS is active in “lies inhypocrisy” with the seared conscience, faith departure, and seductive spiritsand doctrines of devils. Also recall that it is devils that are being worshipped

in Revelation 9:20 that keeps them from repenting in spite of the torments ofscorpions from hell of the fifth trumpet, and in spite of the slaying from thearmy of Satan of one third of mankind.

Table 3: The 4 Phases of History in Revelation Based on the

Teachings of Jesus in Matthew 24.

Beginning ofSorrows

Matthew 24:5-8

Great TribulationMatthew 24:9

Period of OffencesMatthew 24:10

The Falling AwayMatthew 24:11-14

1. Many FalseProphets Come.

False Prophets

2. Many Deceived. Many Offended Falling AwayBetray One Another Lawlessness

AboundsHate one Another Man of Sin Revealed

3. Wars and rumorsof wars

Lovers of self andmoney

Holy Spiritwithdrawn

4. Nation againstNation

Despisers of good Satan released

5. Famines Battle ofArmageddon

6. Pestilences Love of many waxescold

7. Earthquakes Shaking ofheaven and earth

Great Tribulationfrom the World

and Satan

Turn Away fromthe truth and turn

into fables

Physicaltribulations from

God in FinalTribulation

Abomination ofDesolation

Form of godliness(religion) with

inward power ofGod

Elements meltwith fervent heat

Great Tribulationshortened forsake of Elect

Blasphemers,proud, arrogant,

and troublemakers

Gospel to everynation

False rumorsabout the Second

Coming

Second Comingof Christ and

great gathering inthe clouds

Chapter 4: The Seventh Seal, The Completion of History,Revelation 8-12.

To keep in mind the panorama of flow of Revelation up to this point, that isup to the point of through Revelation 12, we should review what hashappened with the seven seals—

Recall first of all that this is seven seals on the book that the Apostle Johnultimately makes part of his life as he eats it in Revelation 10:8-11; and thesame book about which John cries when no man is found worthy to open it toreveal the secrets until the Lamb-Christ in Revelation 5:7 is found worthy toreveal these sealed secrets of God to John and therefore to the saints. In short,this book of seven seals is the book of Revelation. In fact, an alternate title forthis commentary or for the book of Revelation itself could be THE BOOK OFTHE SEVEN SEALS. After all when you consider the seven seals with theseven trumpets of the seventh seal, the seventh not being sounded untilRevelation 11 with the fact that from Revelation 12-20 you have theimplications of what is happening to the people of God, then either 11 out of22 chapters is about the book of seven seals, and if you consider theimplications for God’s people in the war against the remnant of Revelation 12-20, then it is the subject matter of 20 out of 22 of the chapters of Revelation.

4-1: Introduction to the Seven Sealed Book: Revelation 5

“And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book writtenwithin and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.” (Revelation 5:1 KJV)

In other words it was a double sided book that most of the ones that we areaccustomed to with printing on both sides of the back, except no doubt it wasrolled up in the form of a scroll. First Seal, Rumors of War: Revelation 6

“And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it werethe noise of thunder, one of the four beats saying, Come and see. And I saw,and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown

was given unto him; and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.”(Revelation 6:1,2 KJV)

Recall that rumors of war and limited wars remain part of the periods all theway to the last great Battle before the second Coming of Christ, indeed are partof the great and greatest tribulation.

Second Seal, World-Wide War: Revelation 6

“And when he had opened the second seal, I hear the second beast say,Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red; and powerwas given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that theyshould kill one another; and there was given unto him a great sword.”(Revelation 6:3,4 KJV)

The four beasts, or living creatures, around the throne of God with the twenty-four elders take on more significance now as we realize that with the first fourseals each of the four living creatures say in turn “Come and see”. Of course,only the Lamb-Christ is actually worthy to open the seals.

Third Seal, Famine: Revelation 6

“And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Comeand see. And I beheld, and lo a black hose; and he that sat on him had a pairof balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beastssay, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measure of barley for apenny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.” (Revelation 6:5,6 KJV)

While the third beast or living creature says to Come and See to John when theLamb opens the third seal, it is a voice from the middle of the four beasts whichtalks about the costliness of food and that tells to leave the oil and wine alone.Think how many times this kind of famine has happened during the times ofsorrows, after the Day of Abomination, during the Great and ShortenedTribulation of the First through the Fifth Centuries, and that will happenedalso in the Greatest Tribulation on the universe as well as on flesh; and thinkof the poverty and cost of food today in Russia.

Fourth Seal, Death: Revelation 6

“And when he (Christ) had opened the forth seal, I heard the voice of thefourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: andhis name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. Andpower was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill withsword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.”(Revelation 6:7,8 KJV)

Later we will see that with the sounding of the sixth trumpet of the seventhseal, one third of mankind is killed. Here it is only “one fourth”; and we beginto realize that with war and famine would also come death, howeveraccompanied by death is also hell the place of the lost until with Satan theyare cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. Some people think that hell is toohorrible to be in the Bible, to be from a God of love; but I have news for themthere is something worse than death and hell, and that is the second deathwhere death and hell are cast into the lake of fire and brimstone.

Fifth Seal, Where are the people of God?:Revelation 6

“And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls ofthem that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which theyheld: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O lord, holy andtrue, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that swell on theearth?” (Revelation 6:9,10 KJV)

The answer is only two more seals until it is all wrapped with the end of time!

Sixth Seal, Shaking of Old Heavens/Earth: Revelation 6

“For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”(Revelation 6:17 KJV)

Seventh Seal, Introduction to Seven Trumpets: Revelation 8

“And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heavenabout the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stoodbefore God; and to them were given seven trumpets.” (Revelation 8:1,2KJV)

4-2: The Trumpets.

First Trumpet, Fire on Earth: Revelation 8

“The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled withblood, and they were cast upon the earth; and the third part of trees wasburnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.” (Revelation 8:7 KJV)

The shaking and destruction of the old earth and heavens that started with theopening of the Sixth Seal now continues mildly at first with the first trumpetas fire destroys only green grass and on third of the trees on earth.

Second Trumpet, Fire Mountain in Oceans: Revelation 8

“And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burningwith fire was cast into the sea; and the third part of the sea became blood;and the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died;and the third part of the ships were destroyed.” (Revelation 8:8,9 KJV)

It is obvious that this is nothing less than the beginning of what Peter told ofin II Peter 3 as to how the old heavens and old earth would be melted with afervent heat in preparation for the new heavens and new earth of Revelation21 and 22.

Third Trumpet, Fiery Star on Fresh water: Revelation 8

“And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven,burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, andupon the fountains of waters. And the name of the star called Wormwood;and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died ofthe waters, because they were made bitter.” (Revelation 8:10,11 KJV)

Men died here even before the fifth trumpet when men were to be tormentednot killed, and recall that this whole process of the shaking of the heavens andearth started with the opening of the sixth seal as the “heaven” (Heavens)departed like a scroll and the stars fell and the sun and moon were darkened(Rev 6:12-17). Again we must see repetitions in the historical periods.

Fourth Trumpet, Darkened Lights of Heavens: Revelation 8

The diminishing of lights from the heavens that started with the sixth sealcontinues now in intensity, building up to the point where one third of thelights of the heavens is diminished—

“And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten,and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the thirdpart of them were darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, andthe night likewise.” (Revelation 8:12 KJV)

Fifth Trumpet, Bottomless Pit Opened: Revelation 9 This is the release ofSatan from bondage, but in other words.

“And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall form heaven unto theearth; and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he openedthe bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of agreat furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smokeof the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth; and untothem were given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And itwas commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth,neither any green thing neither any tree; but only those men which have notthe seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they shouldnot kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and theirtorment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And inthose days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire todie, and death shall flee them.” (Revelation 9:1-6 KJV)

The events that follow are—

The locusts that tormented unsealed men on earth are described assimultaneously like warhorses, crown-like on top, and like men’s faces in frontwith hair like women and teeth like lions; with a breastplate like iron and asound like many chariots of war. With the sting of scorpions in their tails theywere given power to hurt all unsealed mankind for five months.

Their leader/king is Satan.

“One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.”(Revelation 9:12) We don’t have to make parenthetical emphasis in the bookof Revelation, the book of Revelation will do that for itself as here where it isrequired; and this parenthetical emphasis of two other woes under the fifthtrumpet and related to the fifth trumpet are highlighted. Those two otherwoes are respectively identified in Revelation 8:13 and 11:14—

“Woe, woe to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of thetrumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!” (Revelation 8:13 KJV)

“And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of thecity fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand; and theremnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. The secondwoe is past; and, beheld, the third woe cometh quickly.” (Revelation11:13,14 KJV)

NOTE: That above the Seven Thousand Men that are killed in thisgeneration is the reciprocal of the remnant of God’s people, because thepeople that were not killed turned to God.

Review, what happened during this second woe of the Sixth Trumpet relatedwith woes and identified with trumpets: (1) The same hour of the Ascensionof the two witnesses to heaven is a great earthquake; (2) The same hour is thefall of one tenth of the new Babylon while seven thousand men are slain; and(3) At the same time is the remnant of the city that turn to God; and (4) Soquickly behind the second woe of the sixth trumpet is the seventh trumpetwhere Christ comes again that “the third woe (seventh trumpet) comesquickly.” (Revelation 11:14 KJV)

Seventh Trumpet, Realized Kingdom of Christ: Revelation 11

“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 rein for ever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15KJV)

What more do we need? And why is there more of the book of Revelationafter Revelation 11:19? Because Christian are still suffering and still living onthe earth in the First Century and now, and they need some more assuranceof where they fit into the end events, where they fit into the warfare of eternity,heaven, and on earth.

4-3: Mormons in the Completion of History

If you get tired of hearing about Mormons, remember that they are not sodifferent from Southern Baptists, or members of any churches ordenominations that “have a form of godliness and deny the power thereof.

They are simply the most outstanding representation of this form withoutsubstance, works without faith. Mormons could have their part in thecompletion of history all right but not as Latter Day SAINTS as they claim forthemselves, but rather in furnishing the last False Prophet of the end time! Tosee this first we must be filling to face up to several obvious truths: (1) TheMormons claim to have 12 living Apostles that is among the ruling body ofthe LDS, and this is a false claim—THEY ARE NOT APOSTLES LIKE THEORIGINAL TWELVE APOSTLES OF JESUS EXCEPT FOR THE POSSIBILITYOF ONE OF THEM, JUDAS WHO FELL BY TRANSGRESSION; and (2) Theyclaim that their First President, originally Joseph Smith and then BrighamYoung and now Ezra Taft Benson is a living Prophet that speaks Word of Godby revelation, and he is a False Prophet.

Of course, we must allow for other groups than can also furnish the last FalseProphet who combines with the Man of Perdition, the last world leader, tolead to the destruction of the Final Battle of Armageddon. Only a couple ofweeks ago we heard Robert Schuler tell of the secret meetings which hadcreated among several denominations—he never names the denominations—a group called “Churches Uniting for World Mission”. If in their beliefs andpractices, they allow for and promote the opposite of the separation of churchand state; that is, for a Church or group of churches to rule over the State orco-rule with the Prophet and the Man of Perdition co-ruling together then wehave here a possible mechanism for the end “Gog and Magog” with the FalseProphet that comes against Jerusalem. There are also other possibilities. Untilrecently we could not think of Russia and the United States working togetheras the possible “Gog and Magog” of the isle of the Gentiles; although certainlythese two countries, Russia and the United States with a coalition of Europeancountries, certainly do dominate the isles of the Gentiles. And the currentnews tells us of the increasing rift between Israel and the United States whichis happening at the same time that Russia, the United States, and Europe growcloser together.

We should look at the history of the “false prophet” in the Bible as backgroundfor what we find about the last “false prophet” of the book of Revelation—

1. Acts 13:6.

“And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found acertain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus; Whichwas with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; whocalled for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God. ButElymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them,seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. Then Saul, (who also iscalled Paul,) filled with the Holy (Spirit), set his eyes on him, And said, Ofull of all subtlety and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy ofall righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?”(Acts 13:6-10 KJV)

Let us not be deceived. Any person today who claims to be a Prophet thatgives revelations is a false prophet and anyone today who claims to be anApostle like the original Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ is a false Apostle!Therefore what the Apostle Paul said to Elymas, the false prophet, would alsoapply to the Mormons: (1) They are “sorcerers” as well as false prophets andthe Old Testament also has much to say about “sorcery”; (2) Like the falseprophet Elymas withstood Paul and Barnabas, the Mormons today withstandthe work of all true leaders of Christ; (3) The Mormons like the false prophetbefore them are “full of all subtlety and all mischief”; (4) They are children ofthe devil who ultimately they worship, and whose cause they support inworks for salvation and in the secret practices of their temple; (5) They are theenemies of righteousness in that they promote a substitute righteousnesswhich is not by faith; and

(6) They “pervert the right ways of the Lord (Jesus Christ)” while doing sosubtlety and mischievous in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

There were other false prophets, called “exorcists” who tried to do work in thename of Jesus “whom Paul preached”; but like Mormons were overcome bythe false spirits and false demons in whose name they really worked.

“Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call overthem which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjureyou by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of oneSceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spiritanswered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? Andthe man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them,

and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked andwounded.” (Acts 19:13-16 KJV)

Mormons have also been overcome of the same evil spirit that they sought byworks to escape in spite of the fact that they have sought like Sceva to do it inthe name of Jesus!


“And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of thedragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the falseprophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forthunto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to thebattle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief, Blessedis he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and theysee his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in theHebrew tongue Armageddon.” (Revelation 16:13-16)

We find three individuals working together to form up the nations of “Gogand Magog” for the final battle: (1) The Dragon which is Satan; (2) The Beastwhich is the man of perdition, the last great false leader; and (3) The Prophet,the “false prophet”. And all of the mouth of all three of these working togethercomes the “spirits of devils”; and it is these spirits of devils like the falseprophets of the book of Acts that inspire the nations to gather for the last greatbattle, the battle whose purpose is really for Almighty God to wrap up theevents of the earth.


“And I saw the beast (the first beast was the Roman Emperor and the lastbeast will be the world leader, the man of perdition), and the kings of theearth (Gog and Magog), and their armies, gathered together to make waragainst him that sat on the horse, and against his army (they are doing battleagainst the Lord Jesus Christ and His supporters, how foolish). And thebeast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miraclesbefore him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of thebeat, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive intoa lake of fire burning with brimstone...” (Revelation 19:19,20 KJV)

Mormons with their False Prophets and False spirits and their influences fromSatan may only be a good example of what can evolve before the end, or theymay provide THE FALSE PROPHET!


“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of hisprison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quartersof the earth (THE EMPHASIS SHOULD BE HERE RATHER THAN ONGOG AND MAGOG; FOR IT IS ALL THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH—RUSSIA, THE UNITED STATES, AND EUROPE, ETC, AND IT IS ONLYTHAT ALL THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH—ALIAS THE ISLES OF THEGENTILES ARE FURTHER DESCRIBED IN OLD TESTAMENT TERMSEVEN AS ROME WAS DESCRIBE IN OLD TESTAMENT TERMS ASBABYLON), Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle the numberof whom is as the sand of the sea (we have already seen in the Persian GulfWar how easily all the nations can be gathered together for battle). And theywent up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saintsabout, and the beloved city; and fire came down from God out of heaven,and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lakeof fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shallbe tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (Revelation 20:7-10 KJV)

The Man of Perdition and the False Prophet are already in the lake of fire andbrimstone before Satan gets there!

4-4: “False” in the Bible.

In order to get a Bible wide perspective of this whole matter of the opposite oftrue and truth, we briefly look at “false” in the total Bible. The word “false” isfound 64 times in the Bible in 60 verses; and we will skip the more obviousones of the law where “you shall not bear false witness” although a very goodBible argument could also be made that herein the Mormons are also violatedthe Ten Commandments by their witness supposedly to the God of the Bibleand the Lord Jesus Christ of the Bible is really a witness to a false god and falselord jesus Christ!

1. Exodus 23:1,7.

“Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked tobe an unrighteous witness. Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil;neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrestjudgment....Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent andrighteous slay thou not; for I will not justify the wicked.” (Exodus 23:1,2,7KJV)

These would be words of caution to those who want to stay in Mormonismlong after they have seen the error of the way of the mass or multitude ofMormons, or those who attempt to dabble in Mormonism, not being all theway in nor all the way out!

2. Psalm 27:12.

“Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses arerisen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. I had fainted, unless Ihad believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Waiton the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait,I say, on the LORD.” (Psalm 27:1214 KJV)

David expresses the frustration of all including the Christ Himself who realizethat they are surrounded by people who have made themselves enemies withtheir lies and false witnesses; and that as always the relief and peace comesfrom taking the eyes off them to place it on the LORD God Almighty ofCreation and of the Bible—to wait on Him and to worship Him!

3. Psalm 119:104,128.

“Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every falseway....Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right;and I hate every false way.” (Psalm 119:104,128 KJV)

In this context the reader is talking about a spiritual exercise with the Word ofGod, the Bible; and the inevitable result is that as we love the precepts and theunderstanding that comes from the true Word of God is that we “hate everyfalse way”. IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE THE TRUE SWEETNESSOF THE TRUE WORD OF GOD WITHOUT LIKEWISE EXPERIENCING THEBITTERNESS WHEN WE ENCOUNTER THE FALSEHOOD OF THE FALSEWAYS!

4. Psalm 120:3.

“In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me. Deliver my soul,O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue. What shall be givenunto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue? Sharp arrowsof the mighty, with coals of juniper. Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech,that I dwell in the tents of Kedar! My soul hath long dwelt with him thathateth peace. I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.” (Psalm120:1-7 KJV)

Truly this has to be GOD’S RESERVES that dwell in the land of Mesech, in thetents of Kedar, surrounded by lies, falsehoods, false teachers and falseprophets; and feeling the sharp arrows and woes as the true people of God areoverwhelmed with the claims of the false people of God.

5. Proverbs 6:19.

“These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination untohim: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, Anheart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running tomischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discordamong brethren.” (Proverbs 6:16-19 KJV)

I think if we observe carefully and cautiously we will find that the same peoplewho are the false witnesses that spread lies in the place of truth are also thepeople that God hates, the people who also: (1) Have the proud looks, thepride in what they themselves can do; (2) A lying tongue and that is what leadsto the lies, that is, an inclination to lie in the first place; (3) Hands that alsocommit the murders of reputation destruction, etc.; (4) Imaginations from theevil heart that are wicked, and (5) That are quick or swift, even agile, atmischief (recall Paul’s indictment in Acts of false prophets that were subtleand mischievous); (6) Sowers of discord among Christians.

6. Proverbs 11:1.

“A false balance is abomination to the LORD; but a just weight is hisdelight. When pride cometh, then cometh shame; but with the lowly iswisdom.” (Proverbs 11:1,2 KJV)

Notice what comes with a pride in good works: a false balance, and shame;and the path of wisdom is the opposite, to be lowly in a concept of our owngood works!

7. Proverbs 12:17.

“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes; but he that hearkens unto consulis wise. A fool’s wrath is presently known; but a prudent man covers shame.He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness; but a false witnessdeceit. There is that speaketh like the piercing of a sword; but the tongueof the wise is health. The lip of truth shall be established for ever; but alying tongue is but for a moment. Deceit is in the heart of them that imagineevil; but to the counsellors of peace is joy.” (Proverbs 12:15-20 KJV)

We have a rapid series of contrasts here centered about the false witness; andif we already know who the false witnesses are that are spreading lies then itall makes sense—

The Fool The Wise

Right in his own eyes Listens to Bible counsel

Talking shows what like inside Silence hides sinfulness

Deceit goes with falsehood Righteousness with truth

Words that wound Words of spiritual health

No eternal values Eternal values Evil imagination withdeceit

Joy with peace

8. Proverbs 14:5.

“A faithful witness will not lie; but a false witness will utter lies.” (Proverbs14:5 KJV)

Chapter 5: War with the Remnant, Revelation 12-20.

The War starts in heaven with the introduction of the woman with child–

“And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with thesun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelvestars; And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to bedelivered.” (Revelation 12:1,2 KJV) There must be the other side so that thesecond wonder is Satan being cast to earth (Revelation 12:3,4).

The Woman on earth brought forth the Christ “who was to rule all nations”.(Revelation 12:5,6)

Back up in heaven Michael and his angels fought the Dragon (Satan) and hisangels, and they were cast from heaven to earth at the same time that Salvationwas come so that at the point on the cross when Christ bought salvation wasthe point that Satan lost direct access to God in order to accuse Christian beforeGod; and the overcoming spreads to the brethren of Christ. Now the warfarecontinues on earth–

“Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them (now, it is safe upthere). Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the seal for the devil is comedown unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth the he hath but ashort time.” (Revelation 12:12 KJV)

First Satan persecutes the woman with child as through Herod Satan tries tokill the newborn Christ, and warned of an angel in a dream Joseph takes Maryand the child to Egypt.

“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war withthe remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and havethe testimony of Jesus Christ.” (Revelation 12:17 KJV)

This is the story of the history of earth and heaven from now on up until theend of time as Satan and his angels war against the remnant!

However before we continue the saga of this war between Satan and theremnant of Christ that runs from Revelation 13 all the way through Revelation

20 where Satan, his angels, is cast into the lake and fire and brimstone, andwhoever was not found written in the book of life, we will briefly look at someof the RevRecons of Revelation 12-20 in order to verify that the interpretationof those chapters is according to the Old Testament. Recall that just as in thefirst eleven chapters of Revelation, the same events and categories arerepeated several times, especially the last great battle, one time being calledthe Battle of Armageddon.

5-1: RevRecons in Revelation 12-20.

[Yes, there is an overlap between the subject matter of the previous chapterand the subject matter of this chapter as that is the nature of the book ofRevelation and of eschatological prophecies. You see that Revelation 12 isdiscussed there and here.]

1. Revelation 17:5.

“...and upon her (the great harlot) forehead a name was written, a mystery,`BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THEABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.’” (Revelation 17:5 NASV)

This is a RevRecon from Revelation 14:8 and Revelation 16:19 and Revelation17:2 which in turn are ReCons from (1) Isaiah 21:9, (2) Jeremiah 51:7,8, and (3)Daniel 4:30. Babylon is a large and wicked city that rejects God: first it wasNineveh which became the city of Babylon, then it was Rome and Jerusalem,and past those two will be other large and wicked cities although it will comeback to Jerusalem.

(1). Isaiah 21:9.

“And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen.And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen: and all the gravenimages of her gods he that broken unto the ground.” (Isaiah 21:9 KJV)

(2). Jeremiah 51:7,8.

“Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD’s hand, that made all theearth drunken; the nations have drunken of her wise; therefore the nationsare made. Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed; howl for her; takebalm for her pain, if so be she may be healed. We would have healed

Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into hisown country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up evento the skies.” (Jeremiah 51:7-9 KJV)

(3). Daniel 4:30.

“All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of twelve monthshe walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. The king spoke, andsaid, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdomby the might of my power and for the honor of my majesty? While the wordwas in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O kingNebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.”(Daniel 4:28-31 KJV)

2. Revelation 14:8.

“And another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice,`Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drinkof the wine of the passion of her immorality.’” (Revelation 14:8 NASV)

NOTE: Since we saw the seventh angel sound the seventh trumpet inRevelation 11:15, we should say something about this third angel, howmany angels we are now going to hear from, and the origin of these angels.By the way the King James Version does not list this angel of Revelation14:8 as a third angel. In the KJV the angels that appear after the seventhangel of Revelation 11:15 are—

* “another angel” (Rev 14:6) flying through heaven with the everlastinggospel.

* “another angel (Rev 14:8) where NASV translates it as a third angel, theangel which says that

Babylon is fallen.

* “and the third angel followed them” (Rev 14:9 who warns againstworshipping the beast.

* “and another angel came out from the altar” (Rev 14:18).}

* Seven Angels reappear with Seven Plagues—

“And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues,clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded withgolden girdles.” (Revelation 15:6 KJV)

And with this identification of “the seven angels” we are inclined to think thatprimarily even after Revelation 11:15, we are dealing with seven angels.

5-2: Assignments of the Seven Angels.

Since all seven of the angels mentioned again in Revelation 16:1 pour out theirvials in chapter 16, called “the seven last plagues” in Revelation 15:1, we willhave in chapter 16 a condensed survey of the functions or assignments of theseven angels.

1. The first angel (16:2) poured out his vial which caused a sickness on themen of earth who had the mark of the beast and that worshipped the image ofthe beast.

2. The second angel’s (16:3) vial affected the Oceans (Seas) so that all inthe Seas died.

3. The third angel’s vial (16:4-7) affected all the fresh water and isspecifically called “the angel of the

waters”.

4. The fourth angel had power over the sun so that it scorched men withgreat heat. (16:8,9).

5. The fifth angel is the angel of a city that causes darkness to come overit—the city of the seat of the beast—and from the darkness men received painand sores.

If the fifth angel is the angel of darkness, then the fourth is the angel of thesun, the third the angel of fresh water, the second the angel of the Oceans, andthe first the angel of the earth.

6. The sixth is the angel of the River Euphrates.

7. The seventh is the angel of the air who says, “It is done” (Revelation16:17).

From General to Specific. We see that what was general with the firstencounter with the seven angels as they blew their seven trumpets was verygeneral in judgments, only a little less general than the seven seals, and beingwrapped up in Revelation 11-15 with more about what is happening to God’speople; then it becomes more specific in judgement as the seven angels focuson a specific city and a specific river, etc. Of course starting with the Beast inchapter 13, obviously Rome, the judgments do become more specifically as onthe city of Rome, the harlot, the beast the Roman Empire, and the RomanEmperors.

Specific Chapters and General Chapters.

Revelation 14:6 through Revelation 18:24 is specifically about the RomanEmpire of the first few centuries with the judgments announced on Rome, theRoman Emperors, and the Roman Empire. Revelation 19 and 20 goes moregeneral again with the events of the very last times with the loosing again ofSatan, the battle of Gog and Magog against Jerusalem and the end.

So what we really have in the grand flow of the whole book of Revelation isfirst seven seals and seven trumpets where the general nature of thejudgments of God go all the way up to the Second Coming and the end of time;then starting with Revelation 14:6 the more specific judgments against theRoman Empire and Rome, the New Babylon with the same seven angelsdelivering more specific judgments; and then the same sweep of events as inthe first general treatment repeated with more information in Revelation 19and 20.

5-3: Specific Judgments on the Roman Empire, Revelation 14:6- Revelation18:24.

These specific judgments on the Roman Empire start where the Christianswere in the first century after the Ascension of Christ, entrusted with theeverlasting gospel and trying to spread it; but Revelation 14:6 being fromheaven’s perspective has an angel ready to preach the everlasting Gospel.

“And I saw another angel fly in the amidst of heaven, having the everlastinggospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, andkindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, andgive glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come; and worship him

that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountain of waters.”(Revelation 14:6,7 KJV)

1. The Gospel must go to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.

2. Fear God, give God the glory, and Worship God.

3. If the general judgments on the whole world of the first of Revelationand repeated in Revelation 19,20 would be considered the One Day of theLORD and Lord of the whole Bible, {And for the most part they are!} then thejudgments to follow on the Roman Empire can be considered the one hour ofthat One Day. Then the specific events are listed that will fall in judgments onthe Roman Empire within the next two hundred years—

1. The fall of Babylon, the city of Rome: 14:8.

2. Doom of the Beast, a composite of the Roman Emperors under thedominance of Satan: 14:9-12.

3. Armageddon: 14:14-20.

4. The Seven Angels with seven specific plagues for the Roman Empire:15:1-16:21.

5. More on the Doom of Babylon: Revelation 17,18.

The specifics of the Roman Empire ending with—

“And in her (Rome, the Babylon of the first century) was found the bloodof prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.”(Revelation 18:24)

5-4: Back to General Judgements for Another Sweep Until the End of Time,Revelation 19,20

1. God reigns supreme over the universe and His judgments are just:Revelation 19:1-6.

2. Worship God if you are invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb:Revelation 19:7-10.

3. The Second Coming of Christ: Revelation 19:11-16.

4. The Greatest Battle of Armageddon: Revelation 19:17-19.

5. The Doom of the Greatest Beast and False Prophet: Revelation 19:20.

6. The Victory in the War Completed: Revelation 19:21.

And there is still another complete sweep of these same general events inRevelation 20—

1. Satan cast into the bottomless pit so that for one thousand years hecould not deceive all the nations: Revelation 20:1-3.

2. The dead in Christ live and reign with Him during that one thousandyears: Revelation20:4-7.

3. Satan is loosed and leads in the battle of Gog and Magog againstJerusalem: Revelation 20:8.

4. When this mighty army under the leadership of Satan and the FalseProphet came against the camp of the saints in Jerusalem, God sent down firefrom heaven to destroy them: Revelation 20:10.

5. Hell, death, Satan, the beast, the false prophet and all those not writtenin the book of life are cast into the lake of fire and brimstone: Revelation 20:11-15.

5-5: God’s People, The Seven Christian Thousands Of Revelation 11- 19.How many of God’s people are there?

1. Revelation 11, the martyrdom of the two witnesses after their testimonyis complete, and their subsequent resurrection.

“And after the three and a half days the breath of life from God came intothem, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who werebeholding them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them,`Come up here’. And they went up into heaven in the cloud, and theirenemies beheld.” (Revelation 11:11,12 NASV)

In order to identify this time of resurrection of these two dead Christianleaders, typical of all leaders that died in Christ, the great earthquake ispresented in Revelation 11:13.

How Many? Two Martyred Christ Witnesses.

2. Revelation 12:10,11 is “our (Christian) brethren” who have beenaccused night and day by Satan in the presence of God, the OVERCOMERS,who:

(1) Overcame because of the blood of the Lamb;

(2) Overcame because of the word of their testimony; and

(3) Overcame because they did not put the love of their own lives in frontof every thing. How Many? The Number of the Overcomers.

3. Revelation 12:17, when the dragon Satan is frustrated in his attempt todevour the woman and child, he makes war against “the rest of her offspring”(NASV).

How Many? The number “who keep the commandments of God and holdto the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 12:17 NASV)

4. Revelation 13:7 where the beast with authority from the dragon makes“war with the saints and to overcome them.”

How Many? The number against which the Roman Emperors under thecontrol of Satan are making war.

5. Revelation 13:8 is an identification of the people of God by implicationas first all those living on the earth at the time of the Roman Empire worshipthe beast, “every one whose name has not bee written from the foundation ofthe world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain” (NASV).

How Many? The number written in the book of life from the foundation ofthe earth.

6. Revelation 13:9,10, How many? The number that even as they arenumbered by the list in the book of life are also numbered during thepersecutions of the Roman Empire to:

(1). Go into Captivity;

(2). And to be killed with the sword—

“Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.” (Rev 13:10 NASV)

How many? The number who (1) persevere and (2) hold faith, the samenumber as written in the Lamb’s book of life from the foundation of the world!

7. Revelation 13:15 where the “image of the beast”, the next RomanEmperor and no doubt former General Titus who killed all the Jews andChristian Jews at Jerusalem on crosses, now kills all that will not worship theimage of the beast. {abomination of desolation} How many of God’s peopleunder the Roman Empire? The number who do not worship the image of theBeast, the counterpart of the Old Testament number who did not bow the kneeto the image of Baal, the number who did not receive a mark on their righthand or forehead, the number who could not buy or sell in the marketplace(Revelation 13:16,17).

8. How Many? 144,000 standing on Mount Zion with the Lamb Christ,the number who are “having His name (the name of Christ) and the name ofHis Father written on their foreheads” (Revelation 14:18 NASV).

9. How many? The 144,000 who only could learn the new song, “who hadbeen purchased from the earth” (Rev 14:3), “who have not been defiled withwomen” (14:4); “who follow the Lamb wherever He goes”, who were chosenfrom among men to be “firstfruits to God and to the Lamb”, the Apostles; andwho were honest witnesses (14:5).

10. How many? The number of dead “who die in the Lord from now on”!(Revelation14:13 NASV)

“`Yes’, says the Spirit, `that they may rest from their labors, for their deedsfollow with them.’” (14:13 NASV)

11. Revelation 15:2,3 where “those who had come off victorious from thebeast and from his image” (NASV), from the Roman Empire and Emperors,now stand on the sea of glass and fire with the harps of God and sing the songof Moses.

12. Revelation 16:4 where when the third angel pours out his vial into thefresh water turning it to blood, it is the Righteousness of God because “theypoured out the blood of saints and prophets”—

“...and Thou hast given them blood to drink. They deserve it.” (Revelation16:6 NASV)

Here is the answer to “How Long?” of Revelation 6, How Long before theirblood is avenged?

13. How Many? The number of the “Blessed” of Revelation 16:15 at theSecond Coming of Christ—

“(Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake andkeeps his garments, lest he walk about naked and men see his shame.)(Revelation 16:15 NASV)

(1). The number who stay awake; and

(2). The number who keep their garments from exposure to men.

14. How Many? The number whose blood was drunk by the Harlot,Babylon or Rome, “the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnessesof Jesus” (Revelation 17:6). This makes it clear that the two witnesses ofRevelation 11 as leaders represent all the witnesses of Jesus.

15. How Many? The number that is with the Lamb when the kings wagewar against the Lamb who overcomes, the number who:

(1). Are called; (2). Chosen; and (3). Faithful (Revelation 17:14).

16. How Many? The number who come out, separating themselves fromthe harlot Rome—

“`Come out of her, my people, that you may not participate in her sins andthat you may not receive of her plagues...” (Revelation 18:4 NASV){Remember that Babylon can be any city just like Rome so the commissionof the Christ follower is counter-cultural; that is, you may not participate inthe sins of the city.}

17. How many? The number who rejoice with heaven, “saints and apostlesand prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her”.(Revelation 18:20 NASV) The number who rejoice at the Fall of Rome and theRoman Empire which by the way looked such indomitable at 94 A.D., the timeof writing of the book of Revelation.

18. How many? The number that God avenged of His “bond-servants”when He destroyed Rome the harlot (Revelation 19:2)

5-6: RevRecons Revelation 11-19.

For these detailed exegesis of these ten chapters of the book of Revelation,Revelation 11-20, we will depend on the Old Testament’s interpretation of thebook of Revelation, the RevRecons, and we will look at those backwards,starting with Revelation 19 then moving back to Revelation 18,17...11.

1. Revelation 19:2 and Psalms 19:9.

“The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of theLORD are true and righteous altogether.” (Psalm 19:9 KJV)

“And after these things I hear a great voice of much people in heaven,saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lordour God: For true and righteous are his judgments; for he hath judged thegreat whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hathavenged the blood of his servants at her hand.” (Revelation 19:1,2 KJV)

2. Revelation 19:3 and Isaiah 34:10.

“And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down andworshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.”(Revelation 19:3,4 KJV)

“It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up forever; from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall passthrough it for ever and ever.” (Isaiah 34:10 KJV)

Since it provides such a good background for the understanding of Revelation19 and the whole book of Revelation, we will briefly look at an exegesis ofIsaiah 34-

(1). Let all nations, people, the whole earth, and universe listen as theindignation of the LORD is on all nations as He has delivered His fury on allnations and their armies. (Isaiah 34:1-3)

(2). All the heavens of the universe shall be dissolved, rolled up like a scroll(Isaiah 34:4).

(3). God’s judgment will come on “Idumea” (Isaiah 34:5).

(4). The land is filled with blood on this “day of the LORD’s vengeance, andthe year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion” (Isaiah 34:6-8).

(5). The land shall become burning brimstone forever with smoke coming upnight and day (Isaiah 34:9,10).

(6). It shall be a land of buzzards, the owl and the ravel, a land of confusionand emptiness with no nobles or princes (Isaiah 34:11-15).

(7). Read the book of the LORD for it specifies that these things will come topass, indeed have in fact as good as already come to pass (Isaiah 34:16,17).

3. Revelation 19:5 and Psalms 116:13.

“And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye hisservants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.” (Revelation 19:5 KJV)

“The LORD hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless thehouse of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron. He will bless them thatfear the LORD, both small and great.” (Psalm 116:12,13)

4. Revelation 15:3,4 and Exodus 15:18 and Deuteronomy 31:30 and Hosea14:9.

(1). Revelation 15:3,4.

“And they sang the song of Moses the bond-servant of God and the song ofthe Lamb, saying, `Great and marvelous are Thy works, O Lord God, theAlmighty, Righteous and true are Thy ways, Thou King of the nations.Who will not Fear, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? For Thou alone art Holy;For all the nations will come and worship before thee, For thy righteous actshave been revealed.’” (Revelation 14:3,4 NASV)

We are told this is “the song of Moses” so we expect to see it in Moses and inthe rest of the Old Testament as quoted or referenced from Moses. {the wayto sing and praise}

(2). Exodus 15:18.

“Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, andspoke, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously;the hose and his rider hath he thrown in the sea.” (Exodus 15:1 KJV)

This is clearly the beginning of the Song of Moses. {yes, war for justice is partof God’s character}

a. The LORD is my God (15:2).

b. The LORD is His name, He is “a man of war” (15:3).

c. The Greatness of Your Excellency has overthrown the enemies thathave come against you (15:4-10). {God is omnipotent, that is all powerful}

d. None is like the LORD among the gods, glorious in holiness, fearful inpraises, and doing wonders (15:11-12). {capital LORD is for Jehovah God, theFather}

e. You have led the people you redeemed (15:13-17).

f. The LORD will reign for ever and ever (15:18-21) and triumphed gloriously.

(3). Deuteronomy 31:29,30.

“For I know that after my death (Moses to Israel) ye will utterly corruptyourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; andevil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight ofthe LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands. AndMoses spoke in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of thissong, until they were ended.” (Deuteronomy 31:29,30 KJV)

(4). Hosea 14:9.

“Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shallknow them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk inthem: but the transgressors shall fall therein.” (Hosea 14:9 KJV)

5-7: The Spirit of the book of Revelation.

Since the book of Revelation is more a book of emotion than logic, you mustget the spirit of the book more than the logic of the book in order to understandit. This is exactly what we are told in so many words in Revelation 19:10—

“And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do itnot; I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony ofJesus: worship God; for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”(Revelation 19:10 KJV)

We already knew that Revelation is a book of prophecy so that here we arebeing told that such a book of prophecy has the spirit which is “the testimonyof Jesus”; and to see how this “testimony of Jesus” is different from thetestimony of Jesus as for example in the four Gospels or in the 14 letters ofPaul, we will look at the other places in the book of Revelation where “thetestimony of Jesus” is mentioned.

1. In the first two verses of the first chapter the Apostle John in attemptingto identify himself, first calls himself (1) a “bondservant” then furtheridentifies himself as (2) one “who bore witness to the word of God”, and (3)also as one who bore “the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all those he saw”(Revelation 1:2. It is interesting that with these reference to the testimony ofJesus in the next verse is also a reference to “prophecy”—

“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy,and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.” (Revelation1:3 NASV)

The ability to understand this prophecy and the spirit of this prophecy is morein terms of: (1) reads; (2) hears; and (3) heeds.

2. Other Christians who like John had been faithful to the word of Godand the testimony of Jesus were not as fortunate as John, they had beenmartyred and were “souls under the altar” in Revelation 6:9. When they cried“How Long” and after they were given white robes they were told to wait alittle while until (1) the number who would die as they died would becomplete, and that (2) Those were their Christian “brethren”.

3. It is both clear that the “two witnesses” of Revelation 11 are related tothe Apostle John and to the souls under the altar, and more specifically the

“testimony” of the two witnesses which is completed in Revelation 11:7 is thetestimony of Jesus for which the beast out of the “abyss” kills them.

4. When the Deceiver is thrown out of heaven by Michael and his angels,this Deceiver Satan is identified as the accuser of the “brethren”, the brethrenwho overcome on earth in spite of the accusation because (1) of the blood ofthe Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, (2) of the word of their testimony, and (3)because they did not love their life until death (Revelation 12:10,11). {NOTE:Constantly in the book of Revelation we detect some sort of relationshipbetween the status of God’s people in heaven and the status of Satan, boundand loosed, or kicked out of heaven and turned loosed on earth with wrathas in Revelation 12:12.}

5-8: The Deception of All Nations

“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of thebottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on thedragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him athousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, andsat a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till thethousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a littleseason.” (Revelation 20:1-3 KJV)

The key to understanding the binding and loosing again of Satan, thethousand years, what happens during the “little season” after the loosing ofSatan including the war of Gog and Magog against the camp of the saints inJerusalem, and much of the book of Revelation, especially of that whichremains to be fulfilled is the matter of how Satan deceives all nations—”thathe should deceive the nations no more”. The fundamentals that we realizefrom this passage are: (1) Satan deceived all nations before he was bound andcast into the bottomless pit; (2) When bound he was not able to deceive allnations for a thousand years; and (3) After he is loosed Satan will again beallowed to deceive all nations for a “little season”. Surely a little season ascompared to a thousand years would be no greater than 10% of 1000 years;however recall that it was also a little season for the first century persecutionuntil the number of the martyred souls under the altar would be complete.{approximately 200 hundred years}

The bottomless pit in which Satan is bound and sealed has three obviouspossibilities: (1) It is inside the earth in which case it would not be bottomless;(2) It is hell; and (3) It is outer space which makes more sense in that as far aswe know there is no bottom to space. The mistake that is often made is toequate (1) Hell with (2) the bottomless pit with (3) the lake of fire andbrimstone; but they are three distinct places which is made clear in Revelation20:10,14,15:

“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire andbrimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormentedday and night for ever and ever....And the sea gave up the dead which werein it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them; and theywere judged every man according to their works. And death and hell werecast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was notfound written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation20:10,13-15 KJV)

Therefore with this obvious key to understanding it behooves us to look at allin the Bible, the rest of Revelation and otherwise, for all references ondeceive—especially of all the nations—and Satan and deceiving. FromVolume 17 of my ONE BIBLE COMMENTARIES, “God’s Conscience”, comethe following references to deceive and deceit—

1. There were already “many deceivers” in the world when the Apostle Johnwrote II John near the end of the First Century, and the “deceiver and anantichrist” there is one who denies that Jesus Christ is come in flesh.

“For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that JesusChrist is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.” (II John 7KJV)

This leads us to believe that as in the First Century there are always manydeceivers or deniers of Jesus Christ; and that Satan, loosed or bound, has a partin that deception, but it does not directly address the deception of all nations.{all nations make a big army}

Recall however, that a key to the time of the Second Coming of Christ with theend of time is the Gospel being preached to every nation (Matthew 24:14); andthat to assist in the witness of the Gospel to every nation, Satan is limited by

the presence of the Holy Spirit so that he can not prevent that spreading of theGospel until the end of the thousand years. Revelation 12 is a key tounderstanding all history in that we see history as essentially a warfarebetween two sides: (1) The side of Satan and the other fallen angels, the beastsof Satan, the false prophets of Satan, and all that give allegiance more to Satanthan to Christ; and (2) The side of God and His Christ, the angels that kepttheir original state, and the seed of the woman, the remnant. “And the dragon(Satan) was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnantof here seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimonyof Jesus Christ.” (Revelation 12:17 KJV)

What we have in Revelation chapter 12:1-6 basically is the birth of Christ fromheaven’s perspective with the attempt of Satan through Herod to kill the babeChrist. If 12:7 follows historically immediately after 12:1-6, then the war inheaven between good angels and evil angels takes place immediately after thebirth of Christ; and therefore at the birth of Christ, Satan and his angels arecast from heaven to earth at that point in time (Revelation 12:7-12). Howeverthe obvious problem is the “short time” of Revelation 12:12 that Satan knowshe has left after being cast onto earth. Yet we can see in the “little while” thatthe martyred souls are told to wait, the same little while before Satan is boundin order to not deceive all the nations; and the little season after the thousandyears during which Satan is bound, if these are added together as the sum oftwo little seasons, the total again might be a little while, say surely no greaterthan two hundred years.

Of course, Revelation 12:13 makes the obvious that Satan was cast fromheaven to earth at the time of the birth of Christ, because when “Satan sawthat he was cast unto the earth” is when he tried to kill the baby Christ andJoseph with Mary and Jesus fled to Egypt. And being able to get theprogenitor of the seed of the woman, Satan became even more angry, turningthat increased wrath on the other seed of the woman- those who keep thecommandments of God and the testimony of Jesus (Rev 12:17)—until he isbound for a thousand years, being physically confined to outer space so thathe is unable to completely deceive all nations as he did under the RomanEmpire. Of course, the key to this deception of all nations is the One World

Government that existed during the First Century where Rome ruled theknown world.

And it is here also that we get a key to understanding Rome as the NewBabylon of the book of Revelation. The first Babylon was Babel where allnations were one in language, and they attempted to build a tower right up toheaven. The wickedness of this city, and the religious worship of the towerand city was so wicked that God confused the tongues. It took manythousands of years later with the spread of the Greek language during theGreek Empire and the subsequent spread of the Roman Empire with theretention of the Greek language as the language of the marketplace (also of theNew Testament) before again nations were re-united as they had been underthe first Babel or Babylon. Therefore it seems obvious that we will need oneworld government before Satan can again deceive all nations, or at leasteffectively one world government, say for example “world democracy”. Lastweek Yeltsin said before the United Nations that the efforts of Russia and theUnited States were for “global democracy” by the year 2000. Does that meanthat Satan has already been loosed, and among other places is working amongthe government leaders of Russia and the Soviet Union to established a oneworld democratic government? {Perhaps Russia will join the Muslims fortheir oil.}

2. The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5:5-7 makes it clear that“whoremongers”, the “unclean person”, the “covetous man”, and the“idolater” are the reason that the final judgment will come on thesedisobedient, and that such have no place in the kingdom that is God’s andChrist’s. The admonition of Paul here is not to let such “deceive you with vainwords”. So thus far we have three ways that Satan can deceive: (1) All thenations through one democratic government; (2) With vain words from thewhoremongers, unclean, covetous, and idolaters; and (3) with the truth of theHoly Spirit withdrawn during the falling away, nations will believe the Lie.

3. In II Thessalonians 2:1-4 Paul warns the Thessalonians and thereforeother Christians not to be deceived about the time of the Second Coming asbefore the Second Coming these things must take place: (1) First a falling awayof Christians; (2) The man of sin or perdition being revealed which wouldcorrespond to the beast of Revelation, the first in the double nature of

prophesy being the Roman Emperors and the next being those of the end timeswith some in between; and (3) This son of perdition sits in the temple of Godsaying that he is God. This some of the Roman Emperors did, and again itmust be done at the end. (For example, Mormons claim to be God; and so doothers.) So we know have three ways that Satan can deceive all nations: (1)One democratic world government; (2) Vain words from idolaters; and (3)False claims to be God Himself.

4. The Apostle James in James 1:14,27 cautions Christians to be wary thatthey not be deceived by those who deceive themselves by thinking they arereligious when they do not keep themselves unspotted from the world as wellas perform the essential works of visiting the suffering fatherless and widows;and we come to a fourth way in which Satan can deceive all nations: (1) Oneworld government of democracy; (2) Vain words from idolaters (say, THEGODMAKERS, but there are also others; (3) False claims to be God Himself;and (4) Vain religion that is spotted and indifferent to suffering.

5. Jesus Himself in Matthew 24 teaches many times about deceit asconnected with: (1) Those who claim to be Christ’s, 24:4,5; (2) Many falseprophets that will also deceive many, 24:11; and (3) False Christs and prophetsthat can show great signs and wonders, coming close to even deceiving theelect, 24:24. And this gives us a fifth way in which Satan can deceive all thenations again: (1) One democratic world government; (2) False words fromidolaters; (3) Personal god makers; (4) Vain religion; and (5) False Christs andProphets.

6. According to the Apostle Paul in II Timothy 3:12,13 there are two waysto live “in Christ Jesus”: (1) godly which means persecution and thereforecomparable to great tribulation, or at least tribulation; and (2) ungodly or as“evil men and seducers”. And it is these evil men and seducers that becomeproponents of Satan in the deceiving again of all the nations as they “waxworse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived”. Six ways for Satan todeceive all the nations again: (1) One democratic world government; (2) Thefalse words of religious idolaters; (3) God makers who make themselves gods;(4) Vain religion like the LDS or the Church of Scientology or the Mooners; (5)False Christs and Prophets; and (6) The Deceivers in turn experiencing the

ultimate deception as Satan takes them over completely. {possible becauseHoly Spirit is withdrawn in the Falling Away}

7. The Apostle John speaks in I John 1:8 of those who say that they aresinless being those who also have not the truth inside them; and now,temporarily we will wrap up our brief discussion on deceit with the seventhmanner in which Satan can again deceive all nations: (1) One worlddemocratic government; (2) A false religion of idolaters that worship god butnot God; (3) Other idolaters that claim to be a god; (4) Vain religions; (5) FalseChrists and False Prophets that support the vain and false religions; (6)Deceivers being increasing suckered into ultimate deception by the GreatDeceiver; and (7) The falsehood of sinlessness among the religious. What thisreminds us of is the false Christian leaders of II Peter 2:17 and Jude 12:

(1). II Peter 2:17.

“These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; towhom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.” (II Peter 2:17 KJV)

(2). Jude 12.

“Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedilyafter the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feedingthemselves without fear; clouds they are without water, carried about ofwinds, trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up bythe roots; Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wanderingstars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.” (Jude 11-13KJV)

4. Jeremiah 14:14.

“Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: Isent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spoke unto them;they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought,and the deceit of their heart.” (Jeremiah 14:14 KJV)

False prophets with their false claims and false messages are as old as the OldTestament! Do these false prophets remind you of anyone we know? {a bunchmust be here}

5. Jeremiah 23:32.

“Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal mywords every one from his neighbor. Behold, I am against the prophets, saiththe LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. Behold, I am againstthem that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, andcause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent themnot, nor commanded them; therefore they shall not profit this people at all,saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah 23:30-32 KJV)

Since we hear about the “restored gospel of Jesus Christ” so often we mightforget the seriousness of such who would substitute the original gospel ofJesus Christ, of the Old Testament, and of the Apostles of Jesus Christ. Theprophesies with the lying restored gospel are efforts to steal God’s own wordsof the real Gospel from neighbors! It is serious! Their own people or any otherpeople who listen to these lying prophets of the LDS will not be profited byany means in terms of salvation in this life or the life to come!

6. Lamentations 2:14.

Even as the original people of God rescued from Egyptian bondage andeventually brought to the land of Israel and established had false prophets ineach generation which had extensively increased by the time of Jeremiah inLamentations, so each subsequent generation of God’s people in Christiantimes have had false prophets also increasing to the peak of the falling away.

“Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they havenot discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity: but have seen forthee false burdens and causes of banishment.” (Lamentations 2:14 KJV)

The Bible clearly teaches false prophets. Paul told the Ephesian elders thatafter his departure in the first century even then grievous wolves would comein that take advantage of the flock. Jesus also foretold in Matthew 24 falseprophets. Now, you know they must exist now and that they must exist inour country. So how do you identify them. A general way is in terms ofpopularity: since according to the teachings of Jesus the majority is wrong andthe minority is right (difference between the many and the few), popularpreachers are more suspect than little known preachers; and of course, the

most popular are on television. For more specific things to look for in a falseprophet, according to Lamentations, is:

(1). Vain and foolish things;

(2) Things that do not show your own sinfulness;

(3). Messages which do not deliver you from your captivity to sin and Satan;

(4). Messages that put false burdens on you that will in no way help with yoursalvation; and

(5). Messages that cause your banishment from God now and eternally.

7. Malachi 3:5.

You who attempt to identify yourselves so closely with the Jewish people,calling all other except yourselves Gentiles, and having restored more theJewish religion of the First Century more than the Gospel of Jesus Christ, listento what was happening to the majority of the Jews just before Christ, with onlya remnant of the remnant, a small portion of GOD’S RESERVES if you would:

“And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witnessagainst the sorcerers (remember another word for false prophets), andagainst the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those thatoppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and thatturn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD ofhosts.” (Malachi 3:5 KJV)

8. Matthew 7:15.

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, butinwardly they are ravening wolves.” (Matthew 7:15 KJV)

9. Matthew 15:19.

“But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart;and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders,adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are thethings which defile a man; but to eat with unwashed hands defileth not aman.” (Matthew 15:18-20 KJV)

It is difficult but we must keep the record of the Bible straight on the Mormonsor on any other American people: Without the new birth from God throughfaith in the Lord Jesus Christ and by the grace of God, independent of allworks which man can do, the natural and sub-natural man is going to doconsistently with a heart full of sin. In spite of their claims that in the Gardenman fell up instead of down, becoming more like God, the Bible still teachesthat sin like gravity causes man to fall down.

10. Matthew 24:11,24.

“And many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many.” (Matthew24:11 KJV)

Do you know many that have been deceived? Perhaps you live among themin the land of Mescesh, in the tents of Kedar?

“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew greatsigns and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive thevery elect.” (Matthew 24:24 KJV)

God’s true RESERVES or saints must be careful less they also be deceived bythese false prophets with their false Lord Jesus Christ, who falsely claim to bethe Latter Day Saints, confusing themselves with the elect of God who areGod’s Reserves!

11. Luke 6:14.

“Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did theirfathers to the false prophets. But I say unto you which hear, Love yourenemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, andpray for them which despitefully use you.” (Luke 6:14,27 KJV)

5-9: What About God’s Witnesses, Revelation 10-12?

Some commentators on the book of Revelation like to call Revelation 10-12“parenthetical” since it is an extended passage between the sounding of thesixth and seventh trumpet; however while it is parenthetical in that theseventh trumpet of the Second Coming of Christ is not immediately soundedafter the sixth trumpet which affected only the non-people of God, yet it doesmake us naturally ask about the main theme of the book of Revelation, what

is happening to the people of God? (1) What happens to the Apostle John ashe eats the little book that was sweet in his mouth and bitter in his stomach(Revelation 10:1-11); (2) What happens to Moses and Elijah or any other twowitnesses until their testimony is complete or after their testimony is complete(Revelation 11:1-14); (3) What happens to the remnant of God’s people thatkeep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ(Revelation 12:1-17).


The chapters of revelation following are a commentary or elaboration of this“War with the remnant of Her Seed”, Revelation 13-20. Actually the finalbattle of this war takes place twice between Revelation 13 and Revelation 20,once in Revelation 19 and then again in Revelation 20, and perhaps others.Also you will find several reminders during these chapters of what ishappening to the elect or people of God since this is the primary theme, andwhat is paramount on the mind of those who read the book of Revelation,especially during times of persecution and martyrdom as in the First CenturyA.D. {great tribulation as contrasted to the final tribulation: the final isgreater only in the number of people affected, the world}

The People. If you look carefully at the number of passages that relate to thepeople of God, about comfort for the people of God, and an identification ofthose people, you can see how this under the theme of “Seven ChristianThousands” is the primary theme of the book of Revelation. “Seven ChristianThousands” is just a another way to say the “people” or “elect” of God! {Christfor Individuals necessary with a limited number of elect in the churches}

1. Revelation 1:1. The Revelation of Jesus Christ that God gave to Jesus“to shew unto his servants” so that the very introductory words are remindersof the goal of the book as one to show the people of God as servants “thingswhich must shortly come to pass”; and one of those servants so named in thesame verse as a “servant” is the John to whom the book of Revelation was sentand signified unto by way of an angel. (In this book we must consider whatthe rest of the Bible teaches about angels, so important are the angels as part

of the message. We must also consider the fallen angels, chief of which fallenangel is Satan.)

2. Revelation 1:3. A special promise of “blessing” to God’s people is givenalso as introductory words since only God’s people would do those thingswhich are admonished of (1) Reading the book of Revelation, (2) Hearing thewords of the prophecy of the book, and (3) Keeping those things which arewritten in the book of Revelation. This also implies that these Christians(God’s people) of the First Century needed the words of this book, and needit immediately as “the time is at hand”. {what was most “at hand” was thegreat tribulation}

3. Revelation 1:4. “Grace” and “peace” to God’s people of the “sevenchurches”. “Seven” as always throughout Revelation and the rest of the Biblebeing the magic number for completion. We know Paul and Acts that therewere more than seven churches in Asia Minor.

4. Revelation 1:5. The witness of John to Jesus as “the first begotten of thedead” implies as always in the Bible that God’s people are the secondbegotten; and the double “us” in “loved us, and washed us from our sins inhis own blood” with the “us” speaks more of God’s elect. {John likes the word“firstborn” for Jesus as Paul calls in Hebrews the only important church andchurch membership as the “Assembly of the Firstborn”, written in heaven.}

5. Revelation 1:6. Also the “made us kings and priests unto God and hisFather” speaks of the peculiar selection of a certain group of people often inthe Bible called the remnant or the people of God. {only a few kings andpriests and only a few true believers}

6. Revelation 1:9. John identifies himself as “I John”, and specifically as“brother” and “companion in tribulation” to the implied elect of God whichhave been also specified in the previous verses. {John already a participantin persecution with them exiled by Rome.}

7. Revelation 1:11. Not only does the Ascended Jesus supervise what theangels lead John to see and hear, but He first specifies to whom the book ofRevelation is to be given, “send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia”,naming them specifically

8. Revelation 1:20. The first vision of Christ and the seven candlesticks isabout the people of God, Jesus explaining so that it is clear up front that thisbook is a revelation for the people of God, and for the comfort of the people ofGod: “The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches; and the sevencandlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches”. (Again we see theimportance of angels in the book of Revelation.)

9. Revelation 2-3. Each message to each church is a specific message tothe people of God at that location with their particular problems and assets,and as the seven representative churches of all Christian churches is acombined message to all Christian churches today.

10. Revelation 4:4. With the vision of God on His throne was also theencouraging vision of some of God’s former people on earth, now “elders”around the throne, clothed in white and with crowns of gold on their 24 heads.

11. Revelation 5:8. While the Lamb is at the center in this verse, alsoworshipped by the four living creatures and the 24 elders, even here thepeople of God and in particular “the prayers of saints” are remembered ascentral to the message of the book.

12. Revelation 5:10. That the 24 elders are former living on the earth peopleof God is made clear in the last words of the “new song” that they sing to theLamb of God, the Christ— ”And hast made us unto our God kings and priests;and we shall reign on the earth” (KJV). {With the 4 living creatures and 24elders around the throne are “ten thousand times ten thousand, andthousands of thousands of angels” (Revelation 5:11) so that for quantityalone the angels would be important in the book of Revelation.}

13. Revelation 5:13. When every creature in heaven and on earth givehonor to God the Father on the throne and to the Lamb-Christ, you know thateither this is a vision of a reality to happen at the end of time or a look at thereality to come, or both; and that among these “every creature” is the 24 eldersof 5:9 who have been redeemed, God’s people “out of every kindred, andtongue, and people, and nation”. The fact that they are out of every livingpeople makes it something for after the end of time. With his transformationto heaven does the Apostle John also receive a transformation in time? Surely!

The visions are visions of the future as well as of heaven and earth in thefuture. {a minority now, a majority later}

14. Revelation 6:9-11. In this longer than one verse identification of someof the people of God we learn that: (1) These are souls of God’s people underthe altar; (2) They were slain for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus;(3) They cry “How Long” until their blood will be judged and avenged of thosestill on the earth; (4) Each of them—”unto every one of them”— was given awhite robe; (5) They were told to wait for a “little season” until the numberwas complete (the seven thousand) of fellow servants and brothers who werekilled liked them.

15. Revelation 7:1-3. Between the sixth seal and the seventh seal and at thebeginning of the long passage on “What is happening to God’s people”, weare given the assurance of preservation of God’s people in the followingwords—

“And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of theliving God; and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it wasgiven to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither thesea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in theirforeheads.” (Revelation 7:2,3 KJV)

16. Revelation 7:4-8. “the number of them which were sealed: and therewere sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of thechildren of Israel.” (Rev 7:4) The Jewish number of the Seven Thousand.

17. Revelation 7:9-17. Not stated as the sealed also but also identified asthe equivalent of sealed in Revelation 7:14 is the numberless multitude ofevery kindred, nation, and tongue— “What are these which are arrayed inwhite robes? and whence came they?....These are they which came out ofgreat tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in theblood of the Lamb.” (Rev 7:13,14 KJV)

18. Revelation 8:3,4. “the prayers of all saints”, incense before God throughangels.

19. Revelation 9:4. Satan, the angel of the bottomless pit released at thesounding of the fifth trumpet is not allowed to harm the sealed people of God,

implied in “only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads”(KJV). {NOTE: What did these men do that was so bad as to turn loose Satanand his army on, the same things of which in Revelation 9:20 they wouldnot repent even during the horrible torment? They worshipped: (1) Devils,(2) Idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood. And once again you see thata remnant of God’s people are there during this final tribulation.}

20. Revelation 10:11. That this verse, special comfort for the Apostle John,as is all of Revelation 10 through Revelation 11:1-14. It is hardly parenthetical:notice the words of the mighty angel warning of how time will be no morewhen the Seventh Angel sounds—

“THAT THERE SHOULD BE TIME NO LONGER: BUT IN THE DAYS OFTHE VOICE OF THE SEVENTH ANGEL, WHEN HE SHALL BEGIN TOSOUND, THE MYSTERY OF GOD SHOULD BE FINISHED, AS HE HATHDECLARED TO HIS SERVANTS THE PROPHETS.” (Revelation 10:6,7KJV) {time and all finished at the Sounding of the 7th trumpet}

(1). Time ceases to be at the Sounding of the Seventh Trumpet of the SeventhSeal, the same time that Christ comes again. {no longer even a way to count athousand years}

(2). Time ends when the Seventh Angel begins to sound the Seventh Trumpet.

(3). This end of time will complete also the eschatological mysteries of God ofthe Bible.

(4). These are mysteries that will be made evident in historical reality even asthey have been revealed in the Bible by the Prophets. {mysteries are alwaysmade clear by God} 29-10: Baal or Christ? {Baal really represents any objectgiven priority over God}

To fully appreciate the main theme of Revelation as the proper identificationof the people of God, we must consider the two options of Baal or Christ.When people do not worship the LORD God the Father through Christ as Godhas ordained in the Bible, who do they worship? You can see the answer tothat question in Revelation 9:20. God allows Satan, the angel of the bottomlesspit, to torment all of the non-sealed of God on the earth; and yet they do notrepent. Instead, what do they do?

“And the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did notrepent of THE WORKS OF THEIR HANDS, so as not to worship DEMONS,AND THE IDOLS OF GODS AND OF SILVER AND OF BRASS AND OFSTONE AND OF WOOD, WHICH CAN NEITHER SEE NOR HEAR NORWALK; and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries norof their immorality nor of their thefts.” (Revelation 9:20,21 NASV)

It is clear what happened! When they rejected the worship of God, THEYWORSHIPPED DEMONS AND IDOLS! And we must make clear also whathappens when any people worship other than the God the Father through theLord Jesus Christ of the Bible, and for example worship “Baal” or any otheridol of a god which does not exist. Since Baal or any other of the gods of idolsdo not really exist, they end up worshipping Satan who does exist. How manymen today would change their ways if they knew that it comes down to onlytwo alternatives: You either worship the God of the Bible or your worshipSatan!

“But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him,if thou seek him with all thy hear and with all thy soul. When thou art intribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days,if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shall be obedient unto his voice; (Forthe LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neitherdestroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware untothem.” (Deuteronomy 4:29-31 KJV)

Did you notice that? “tribulation” and “the latter days” so that indeedDeuteronomy 4 and Revelation 9 are talking about the same times. It is onlythat Deuteronomy 4 includes both periods of Old Testament History when thechosen nation of Israel was Captive in Babylon and Persia, later in Old andNew Testaments captive to Greece and Rome, and then during the very lastdays is captive to this great army of Satan.

God Is Merciful. {another character trait of our God to be worshipped} Noticethose words of Deuteronomy 4:31 to the extent that God Is Merciful. Morespecifically what it does is identity a characteristic of the God of the Bible as“the LORD thy God is a merciful God...” Knowing this about God the Fatherhelps us understand the limitation that He places on Satan who has beenreleased {If indeed we are in that period of the Falling Away, the withdrawal

of the Holy Spirit, and the release of Satan for a little season.} from thebottomless pit to torment men.

“And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth; and unto themwas given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it wascommanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neitherany green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not theseal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they shouldnot kill them but that they should be tormented five months; and theirtorment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.”(Revelation 9:3-5 KJV)

With the judgments of this fifth trumpet before the sixth and seventh trumpetsthat end time, God is patiently dealing in judgment with all mankind even asHe patiently dealt with the Pharaoh of Egypt. God first sent the milderjudgments of lice, frogs, etc. before Pharaoh rejected God, then built up intothe intensity of judgments until death was brought on all the firstborn inEgypt.

Chapter 6: “How Long?”

“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given untothem: 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 hisimage, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands;and they live and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:4KJV) {the souls lived and reigned with Christ}

Back in Revelation 6:9-11 when the souls under the altar cried, “How Long”,the answer was “rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also andtheir brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled” (Rev6:11 KJV) Times up here in Revelation 20:4! The “little season” is over at thesame time that Satan is bound with the Coming of the Holy Spirit on the firstday of Pentecost after the Ascension. The number is complete that have diedas those souls under the altar died; and furthermore Revelation 20:4 elaborateson how those souls under the altar of Revelation 6:9-11 died, “them that werebeheaded”, and we realize immediately if tradition is true that Peter and Paulwere beheaded the same day in Rome, then the Apostles Peter and Paul wereamong those who were reigning with Christ for a thousand years. We almostmiss this central message of the numbering of God’s martyr’s in terms of thenumber that will be so honored since most often we become overly enamoredwith the thousand years and with the binding and loosing of Satan. What thebook of Revelation is telling First Century Christians is that it is a badge ofhonor to be martyred by being beheaded. These Christians get to heaven onethousand years before those Christian which were not martyred– “But the restof the dead lived not again unto the thousand years were finished. This is thefirst resurrection. 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 andof Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:5,6 KJV)

The dead, not believers, do not live in heaven during the thousand years. Theylive in an intermediate place called Hades, awaiting judgement and castinginto the lake of fire and brimstone. How do we know this “rest of the dead”is the non-believers. Well, a lot of people were dead during the greattribulation, and other tribulations; and “the rest” would have to include them.

Besides, you see it in the context later, in Revelation 20:12-15, where it is “thedead, small and great”, and the dead were judged by works {only unbelieversare judged by works}, and death, Hades, and the Sea gave up the dead thatwere in them. {The three words mean the same thing as so often in the Bible:the dead in the Sea and in Death are all in Hades.}

6-1: The Little Season.

And if we are sharp enough to pick it up this also gives us an approximategauge of years by which to judge the amount of time that Satan will be allowedto run free on this earth after his release. Since Satan was knocked down, hishead bruised (Genesis 3:15) as his power to rule over the world becamerestricted, and then with the Coming of the Holy Spirit in approximately 33A.D., then loosed a thousand years later, or approximately 1033 A.D.; and Johnwrote approximately 100 A.D. with the little season starting then that the soulsunder the altar were told to wait until the number that died as they died wascomplete (that happened with the end of the persecution under Domitianapproximately 313 A.D. {Fox in FOXE’S BOOK OF MARTYRS identifies thetenth persecution of Christians by the Roman Emperors as ending in 313 A.D.},so that little season, from the persecution under Domitian where John wasexiled (100 A.D. to the ceasing of persecutions by the Roman Emperors, 313A.D), gives us approximately 200 years for this little season. Now if the littleseason is 10 percent of the long season of a thousand years, then the onethousand years would be the real number of 2000 years which would be 2033.{I am playing the numbers game with a lot of imagination, though based onsome history; but you see how foolish such attempts are to date the actualevents.} Of course, we are only dealing in speculations as Jesus says that noman knows the time but only the Father. .

How Many is the Number of God’s People? Let us forget the many ways thathumanity has developed throughout history to number the people of God,generally in a circle about themselves; and review the ways that God inRevelation uses in order to number His people. The way that God numbersthose people is in terms of the characteristics that identify the people. Here astabulated in each previous chapter we will review those characteristics,adding also additional insight in the context of the chapter and verses. Since

it will be easier to remember, we will work backwards again, starting withRevelation 20.

1. Two categories are given for the dead in Revelation 20:5,6 andRevelation 20:12-15: (1) those dead who take part in the first resurrection asthey live and reign with Christ for a thousand years, and over which thesecond death have no power; and (2) then naturally follows the secondcategory of the dead who do not experience the first resurrection and hencedo not live and reign with Christ forever, and over which the second death ofthe lake of fire and brimstone for eternal punishment does have power.(Revelation 20:5,6)

2. Those can be the most confident of being among the people of God whohave had their blood shed for God and Christ. This is repeated often inRevelation in many different words. (Revelation 19:2) {According to Fox mostApostles and many other Christian leaders were martyred during the tenpersecutions by Rome; of course, including Peter and Paul of whom traditionand Fox say that they were martyred the same time in Rome.}

3. Among the number are those Apostles, prophets, and saints of the firstfew centuries under the Roman Empire (Revelation 18:20); and of course mostof these were killed because of the stand {Like Martin Luther’s “Here I Stand”.}they took as Apostles, prophets, and saints, and therefore lived and reignedwith Christ at the beginning of the one thousand years. It was a special honorfor being martyred. {You see since all of these martyrs did not die at the sametime, and since all of them witnessed from heaven as the Holy Spirit waswithdrawn from the earth and the unbinding of Satan, then one thousandyears is just a long time, not a specific amount of years.}

4. The separated people under the Roman Empire which distinguishedthemselves from the life-style of the Roman Empire—in other words “the oneswho while in Rome did not as the Romans did—are numbered among thepeople of God by God Himself. (Revelation 18:4)

5. The called, chosen, and faithful in Revelation as in all the rest of theBible number the people of God as the elect. (Revelation 17:14)

6. Again obviously the bloody under the Roman Empire, saints andwitnesses of Jesus.(Revelation 17:6)

7. Those who stay awake and do not expose their nakedness to men.(Revelation 16:15) If you recall the parable of the second coming of Luke 12:35-41 where the owner of the house is caught off guard by the thief in the night,as well as losing belongings, as his lack of full dress is discovered.

8. Again the bloody, Revelation 16:4.

9. Again the victorious over the Roman Empire and the Emperors,Revelation 15:2,3,those who can sing the Song of Moses. And while it mayseem strange that these victorious stand on a sea of glass mingled with fire,we are reminded of I Peter 1:7–

“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold thatperisheth, thought it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise andhonor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” (I Peter 1:7 KJV)

Where are we in the series of last events as given in Revelation? Are we at theSecond Coming of Christ, before or after? The last and seventh trumpet of theseven seals was sounded in Revelation 11; and now with the beginning ofRevelation 15 again there are seven angels, this time with seven last plaguesas the judgments previously more general in nature now become more specificon the Roman Empire. And before in Revelation 16 the vials or plagues arepoured out, the status of God’s people are reviewed in Revelation 15. I wouldhave to say that this is before the Second Coming, but with assurance of thesure standing of those being persecuted that while they are surrounded by firethat they stand on a sea of glass.

10. Those who die in the Lord after the firstfruits of Christ of the Apostles,etc. (Revelation14:13)

11. The firstfruits of Christ. (Revelation 14:4) These are numbered at144,000 with many different characteristics (Revelation 14:1-5): (1) Father’sname written on their foreheads, and that is much better than having the nameof the Roman Emperor stamped on their foreheads or hands, the elect of theRoman Empire; (2) Numbered as the only ones that could learn to sing thenew song before the throne of God; (3) They could learn this new song only

because they were the redeemed from the earth, meaning that it must bebecause of their gratitude for the experience of redemption; (4) Virgins, notdefined with women; (5) They followed the Lamb Christ wherever He went;(6) Redeemed from among men, the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb; (7)Justified, no guile in their mouth or fault before God.

Why 144,0000? Well, for several reasons. There were also 144,000 inRevelation 7:4-8 where “the number of them which were sealed” is also144,000 of the twelve tribes of Israel, or the number of Jews. The significanceof numbers make it obvious: 12 for the 12 tribes; don’t leave out any of themin the numbering so multiply it again by 12; and then just in case to make allof the persecuted believing Jews of the first century and beyond, multiply itby the number one thousand for magnitude. Or you could multiply the twelveapostles by the 12 tribes. It is only a numbers game intended to show that thenumbering by the same God who has the hairs on our head numbered has alsonumbered accurately the people who have believed.

6-2: Repeats with More Information.

What the Old Testament does on prophesy over a period or periods ofhundreds of years, the book of Revelation does in a few chapters. It repeatswhat has been previously revealed of future events, then adds additionalinformation. We see that in the matter of the souls under the altar that areintroduced in Revelation 6:9,10 and then repeated again in Revelation 11:11,12with the two witnesses, and then repeated again in Revelation 20:4 wherethese same martyred live and reign with Christ the same thousand yearsduring the time in which Satan is bound. We can start a chart as follows thatwill help to unlock the revealed mysteries of the book of Revelation—

Revelations

Event First Second Third

1. Martyred Souls 6:9,10 11:11,12 20:4

2. Who the Angel is? 19:10 22:9

3. Worship God 19:10 22:9

And we can add other obvious repeats as shown above such as when the angelidentifies himself to John as a former Christian brother, and in the samecontext when the angel emphatically states to worship God. Are we thereforeto think that the angels are former Christians on earth? It certainly looks thatway, except we now that some angels had to exist before even the Creation ofman since Satan who tempted man in the Garden was a fallen angel. {It is mostprobably that the original Greek word was “messenger of God”, the angelbeing one type and former Christian brothers another.}

With this as a foundation we can start to reconstruct other less obvious repeatsof the book of Revelation such as the Great Last Battle to end all battles,sometimes called Armageddon; and also the signs of the times introduced byJesus as the earthquakes, wars, etc., and elaborated on by the other Apostlessuch as Peter {Peter on the elements melting with a fervent heat.} and Paul’sthe whole Creation groaneth in travail up till now. To assist in this processthree key words can be used: (1) war or battle; (2) earthquake; and (3) fire.

1. War or battle.

War is not mentioned by that word with the opening of the first seal and therider on the white horse, but it is obvious that war is implied with the“conquering and to conquer” (Rev 6:1,2). The same is true of the rider on thered horse of the second seal that takes peace from the earth and kills (Rev6:3,4). Likewise war is implied with famine and death in the pale rider of thefourth seal (Rev 6:7,8). By the way “famine” would be another key word asimplied in the rider on the black horse of the third seal (Rev 6:5,6). Andquickly we are reminded of what is happening today in Russia with the costof food with the thought that while this has happened without war, it has nothappened without the rumors of war; for it is the cold war with the arms raceand the race for space with the money spent by Russia in these directionswhich no doubt has greatly contributed to the lack of adequate funds andefforts in the direction of the necessities of life.

In the construction of our key to the understanding of Revelation Table, weshould combine “war and famine”. And this event becomes the fourth for thecharting of the major events of the book of Revelation as shown on the next

page. We will also start to rearrange the events according to which one ismentioned first, etc. Revelations

Event First Second Third

1. War and Famine 6:1-8 ——— ——

2. Martyred Souls 6:9,10 11:11,12 20:4

3. Earthquake, fire, 6:12-17 ——— earth’s end

4. Who the Angel is? 19:10 22:9 ——-

5. Worship God 19:10 22:9 ——-

And before we continue with the repeats of war, battles, and famine, we willtake a brief look at earthquakes since we know that opening of the sixth sealafter the revelation of the souls under the altar included earthquakes.

2. Earthquakes, fire, and end of old heavens/earth.

“And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a greatearthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moonbecame as blood...” (Revelation 6:12-17 KJV) {Always the Day of the LORDand Lord is described in terms of the dark sun and mon, so this is this Daywith the opening of the sixth seal.} And since it is obvious that this earthquakeis tied in with the whole destruction of the old heavens and earth {That is whatthat Day is!}, we will add that to this grouping. So if this is the end of the oldheavens and old earth, why does not the book of Revelation quickly pass fromRevelation 6 to the new heavens and new earth of Revelation 21,22. Theanswer is that these events must be repeated with more information. That isthe nature of prophecy..

6-3: Ezekiel, RevRecons, and Revelation.

Since we find so few direct quotes of the book of Ezekiel in the New Testamentas compared to the size of the book, we naturally suspect that the ProphetEzekiel makes a contribution to the total flow of the Bible in some avenue otherthan direct quotes. The very nature of the book of Ezekiel suggests that thiscontribution is as RevRecons to the book of Revelation.

Ezekiel helps to provide the language of Revelation. For example when Johntries to describe what he sees of God on the great white throne in Revelation4:3, it is with the reference of Ezekiel 1:28 that he describes the rainbow. It isa “rainbow around the throne” in Revelation KJV, it is “as the appearance ofthe bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of thebrightness round about” in Ezekiel KJV. The Prophet also makes it clear thatthere is a struggle to describe the appearance of God and His glory, stating,“This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.” The twowords “appearance” and “likeness” make it clear that there is a struggle to putinto human words any vision of the LORD God the Father. Revelation buildson Ezekiel in that the second RevRecon in Revelation 4:6, only three versesfrom the first, jumps in Ezekiel from the first of Ezekiel 1:28 to the second of10:12. It is background for the description of the four living creatures that arein the center and around the throne. If we compare the faces of the four livingcreatures between Ezekiel and Revelation, it goes as shown below—

Ezekiel Revelation

1. First cherub lion

2. Second man calf

3. Third lion man

4. Fourth eagle eagle

While the order in not the same in both books, we do notice that three out offour faces are the same likenesses in both books, those of the (1) lion, (2) man,and (3) eagle. The one face or appearance that is different is that of the“cherub” in Ezekiel, and the “calf” in Revelation. Calf we understand, butwhat is a cherub? We learn of the cherubim in Psalm 18:10 and Ezekiel 9:3.The LIFE APPLICATION BIBLE comments on cherubim in these words:

“Cherubim are mighty angels. One of the functions of the cherubim was to serve asguardians. These angels guarded the entrances to both the tree of life (Genesis 3:24)and the Most Holy Place (Exodus 13:18-22). The living creatures carrying God’sthrone in Ezekiel 1 may have been cherubims”.

These faces of Ezekiel 1 are essentially the same as Revelation, the exceptionbeing that it is “ox” in Ezekiel and “calf” in Revelation.

“As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and theface of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on theleft side; they four also had the face of an eagle.” (Ezekiel 1:10 KJV)

And quickly while we notice that each of the living creatures of Ezekiel havethe four faces, the living creatures of Revelation have one different face each.This can be seen from Ezekiel 10:14 and Revelation 4:7.

The Prophet defines these cherubim as “the living creature”:

“And the cherubim were lifted up. This is the living creature that I saw bythe river of Chebar.” (Ezekiel 10:15 KJV)

Also in Ezekiel 10:20-22:

“This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river ofChebar; and I knew that they were the cherubim. Every one had four facesapiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a manwas under their wings. And the likeness of their faces was the same faceswhich I saw by the river of Chebar, their appearances and themselves: theywent every one straight forward.” (Ezekiel 10:20-22 KJV)

There is also some similarity between the book of Ezekiel 2:9,10 and the bookwith seven seals on it in Revelation 5:1. It gives us some background forrevelations of the seven sealed book when we read in Ezekiel 2:20 of how thebook had inside it “lamentations, mourning, and woe”. The eating bread byweight and care of Ezekiel 4:16 with the water by measure providesbackground for the famine of the third seal of Revelation 6:5,6. The “four sorejudgments” of Ezekiel 14:21 provide background for the first four seals ofRevelation 6:

“For thus saith the Lord GOD: How much more when I send my four sorejudgments upon Jerusalem, (1) the sword, (2) and the famine, (3) and thenoisome beast, (4) and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?”(Ezekiel 14:21 KJV)

The mountains moving out of their place, with the islands, of Revelation 6:14is similar to the mountains being thrown down of Ezekiel 38:20; and the totalcontext of both Revelation and Ezekiel make it clear that this the finaltribulation that affects both man and the universe with the “that day” of

Ezekiel 28:19 being the same One Day of final eschatology and the rest of theBible:

“Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel”(Ezekiel 28:19 KJV)

The book of Ezekiel could not make it any clearer that it speaks of the end timeas well as the end of Israel when in the words of Ezekiel 7:2 where the “fourcorners of the land” remind us of the four angels of Revelation 7:1 are standingat the four corners of the earth to hold back the winds. And just as inRevelation 7:3 where the four angels are stopped until the bondservants getthe seal of God on their foreheads, so in Ezekiel 9:4 a similar thing is done inJerusalem as there is “set a mark upon the forehands of the men that sigh andthat cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof” (Ezekiel9:4 KJV). SURELY THERE IS NO BETTER PREPARATION FOR THEREADING AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE BOOK OF REVELATIONTHAN A READING OF THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. IT IS PREPARATIONBOTH IN LANGUAGE AND CONCEPTS!

Ezekiel 37:27 and Revelation 21:3. Here is also obvious eschatological contentas these words of God tabernacle with His own people are so similar to that ofRevelation 21:3 on the new earth under the new heavens—

“My tabernacle also shall be with them; yea, I will be their God, and theyshall be my people.” (Ezekiel 37:27 KJV)

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, `Behold, the tabernacleof God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall beHis people, and God Himself shall be among them.” (Revelation 21:3NASV)

Ezekiel 38:1 and Revelation 20:8. The Gog in the land of Magog is spirituallythe same as the Gog and Magog of Revelation 20:8 even as Rome is spirituallythe same as Babylon, Jerusalem the same as Sodom, Egypt, and Samaria.

“And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy faceagainst Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, andprophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I amagainst thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn

thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and allthine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armor,even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handlingswords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield andhelmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the northquarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.” (Ezekiel 38:1-6KJV)

{NOTE: In spite of Scofield’s notes that place Magog as Russia and Europe,you see much more to this army than that with the emphasis more on thosenations in the middle East. Obviously here you have a coalition of Arabs asPersia, Ethiopia, and Libya. What we can most probably expect atArmageddon since just about all the Muslims in the world are mad at us orgetting mad, a coalition of Iran, Iraqi, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, and someothers under Osama or a follower; and allying with them some Europeancountries like Russia and France and even countries like Japan and NorthKorea. The need for oil and the dislike of the US policies can make somevery strange allies. Of course, there are indications right now that the 3 frogsthat bring the world to the final battle at Megiddo are Putin, Syria, andPersia.}

“And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released fromhis prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the fourcorners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war;the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up onthe broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and thebeloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them.”(Revelation 20:7-9 NASV)

What is really important here is that “Gog and Magog” represent all thenations of the four corners of the earth even as in Ezekiel Gog and Magog hada coalition of nations surrounding Israel. It would be much like the coalitionof nations that came against Sadam in the Persian Gulf War except thealliances and coalitions would have to be somewhat rearranged.

6:20 And the obvious last things content of Ezekiel continues with the “allthe men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence”

showing that Ezekiel is much more than the immediate judgment on Goghere and on this limited time content.

Notice the similarity of the details of judgment on earth as compared toRevelation 6:14 where the islands and the mountains are moved out of theirplace. {NOTE: Attaching spiritual names to previous locations as Sodom toJerusalem, Babylon to Rome, and Gog and Magog to the army that comesagainst the camp of the saints in Jerusalem in the last battle to end all battlesis not a matter of physical location. Even as Rome was far to the West of theoriginal Babylon, Gog and Magog of Revelation 20:8 need not be located in thesame place as the original Gog and Magog. However even as there weresimilar characteristics in wickedness between Babel, Babylon, and Rome, sothere should be some similar characteristics between the original Gog ofEzekiel 38,39 and that of Revelation 20:8.}

Ezekiel 40:1-48:35 and Revelation. While scholars tend to emphasis the first orprimary meaning of the book of Ezekiel, we know by now that even most ofRestored Jerusalem will be the new Jerusalem of the new earth. People getquickly deceived by the prophecies for the new earth as applying them toostringently to Israel on the old earth, and to the nation of Israel instead of theIsrael not of the nation of Israel only. All understanding should have beenaltered in the New Testament when Acts and the Apostle Peter taught of thetabernacle not made with hands, and the Apostle Paul taught in Romans inthe new Israel of a few real Israelis and the rest Gentiles. John tries to makeGOD’S RESERVES or God’s remnant or God’s seven Christian thousands clearin Revelation 7 with both the vision of the 144,000 of the nation of Israel andthen the multitude that no man could number. It takes both of these crowdsto describe the new Israel, the new remnant!

Ezekiel 40:3. Even as Ezekiel in a vision was transported back to Israel fromBabylonian captivity and to a high mountain and to a city where a man wholooked like brass and with a measuring rood made measurements of the city,so also in Revelation 11:1 John is given a measuring rod to measure: (1) thetemple of God; (2) the altar of God; and (3) those who worship in it.

Ezekiel 40:17. Starting here there are details about the outer court of the templeeven as John is told by the time of the book of Revelation not to measure the

outer court as it is “given to the nations; and they will tread under foot theholy city for forty-two months.” (Revelation 11:2 NASV)

Ezekiel 42:20. Here the man measures part of the temple, that of the wall whichwas give hundred reeds long and five hundred broad; and in Revelation 21the wall of the city is measured where the length, width and height are equal.

6-4: Work and Word in James.

If we do not read James 1:22-13 we miss the subtly difference between usageof “word” and “works” confusing them often as we do in our reading,memorization, and message—

“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your ownselves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto aman beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, andgoeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. Butwhoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, bebeing not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall beblessed in his deed.” (James 1:22-13 KJV)

Where we easily get confused is with those words of: “being not a forgetfulhearer but a doer of the work...” Even as the “forgetful hearer” implies the“forgetful hearer of the WORD so we expect that the hearer with the goodmemory will also be the “doer of the WORD; BUT IT IS WORK NOT WORD!DID YOU NOTICE THAT. WE HAVE SWITCHED FROM FORGETFULHEARER OF THE WORD TO A GOOD MEMORY DOER OF THE WORK!

Perhaps the same passage in the NASV can help us–

“But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers whodelude themselves. For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, heis like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has lookedat himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind ofperson he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law ofliberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but aneffectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:22-13NASV)

You see how the NASV makes it clear that the contrast of the last sentence isbetween the forgetful hearer and the doer with a good memory. The contrastis not been faith and works; but rather between doers of the word and hearersof the word. The hearers of the word only have not necessarily exercised faith,the works will show the hearers that have also exercised faith!

Even as in a much earlier chapter, we looked at “works” in the Bible, so nowwith the inspiration of James 1:22-13, we should look at the singular of“work”—

1. The people that “work” but “work iniquity” and who claim that theyprayed “Lord, Lord”, naming the name of Christ, will be told by Christ on thejudgment day that He never knew them as His own people (Matthew 7:23).

2. Jesus told the parable of the two sons being told to go “work” in thevineyard, one said he would but did not, and the other said he wouldn’t butlater repented (Matthew 21:28).

3. Jesus reprimanded the disciples in that while they considered theointment poured on His feet by Mary of Bethany as a waste whereas it couldhave been sold and the money used to buy food for the poor, Jesus said that itwas “a good work” which she had done (Matthew 14:10).

4. Jesus Himself could do “no mighty work” in Nazareth since the peoplehad no faith in Him, except to heal a few sick folks; the implication being thatwhile this healing was “work”, it was not a mighty work or miracle of Jesus(Mark 6:5).

5. Jesus compared Himself to man taking a journey that gave to hisservants, each a “work” (Mark 13:34).

6. Six days should man “work” (Luke 13:14).

7. To finish God’s “work” was to do the will of God for Him, and was alsothe meat of Jesus, more important than eating (John 4:34).

8. Jesus said, “I work” because My Father continues to work (John 5:17).

9. This verse in John 6:28 is interesting in that it combines “work” with“works”: “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work

the works of God?” Thus in one verse of one sentence we have: (1) The worksof God; (2) To work the works of God; and (3) What to DO in order to workthe works of God?

We should look at the answer of Jesus to this question.

“Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that yebelieve on him whom he hath sent.” (John 6:29 KJV)

10. The next question was, Okay, what signor work do you show us inorder that we might believe in You (John 6:30). The answer of Jesus is:

“Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave younot that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread fromheaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, andgiveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give usthis bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life; he that comethto me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”(John 6:32- 35 KJV)

11. When Jesus said that He did one work (John 7:21) and that the Jewsmarveled at this one work, it was the work of the teaching that He gave tothem in the temple as He taught with authority.

12. Jesus uses “work” and “works” together as He states that He must“work the works “of the Father that sent Him; and that He must do it whilethere is still daylight, before the darkness comes when no man can work (John

9:4). Obviously the only time when man can no longer work is after the endof time!

13. Jesus asked the Jews for which good work did they try to stone Him,and they replied not for a good work but for blasphemy as He claimed to beequal with God the Father (John 10:33).

14. As Jesus prayed before the Crucifixion, He told the Father that He hadfinished the “work” the Father gave Him to do, glorying the name of theFather (John 17:4).

15. Gamaliel counsels the Sanhedrin to leave Peter and John alone, whohave performed many signs, wonders, and miracles, stating that if this “work”

and “counsel” be of men it will fail, if a “work” of God, then they will findthemselves opposing God Himself (Acts 5:38).

16. The Holy Spirit told the church at Antioch to set aside for missionarywork the “work whereunto I have called them”, of Barnabas and Paul (Acts13:2).

17. Paul in the synagogue at Antioch tells the Jews of how the Prophets ofthe Old Testament condemned the despises, telling them that they would“wonder” and “perish”; because of (1) A work of God in their days; (2) A workof God in their days that God would work; and (3) It would be a work thatthey would not be able to believe under any circumstances (Acts 13:41).

{NOTE: Personally I think the Mormons, and in spite of the fact that one ofmy best friends is one, as despisers of the truth of God in the Word of God,the only Bible of 66 books, have done a marvelous job of identifying with theJews, the majority of whom rejected Jesus Christ; because going about toestablish their own righteousness through the law, and not submitting to therighteousness of God by faith, they missed the whole truth of salvation.}

18. “Work” is fulfilled in Acts 14:14 upon the return to Antioch to thechurch that had sent them out on the missionary journey. The way the churchhad sent them out was by “recommending them to the grace of God”.

19. John Mark did not go with them to the “work” (Acts 15:38).

20. “much work” was required of the sailors in the boat (Acts 27:16).

21. The non-Christian Gentiles “show the work of the law written in theirhearts” by: (1) Accusing one another out of a natural conscience; and (2)Excusing themselves out of the same natural conscience (Romans 2:15).

22. Before in Christ and while still “in the flesh” it was the “work” ormotions of sins by the law working in the members that brought forth the fruitof death (Romans 7:5).

23. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—all things -”work together for good to them” who love God and are the called accordingto His purpose (Romans 8:28 KJV).

24. God the Father will make a “short work” on the earth in that He willsave only “a remnant” of the nation of Israel although the total number ofthem be as the sand of the sea (Romans 9:28).

25. “Work” is no more “work” if: (1) salvation be of works; and (2)salvation is not of grace. But if truly salvation is of grace, as it is, then salvationcan not be of works; and otherwise grace would not be grace (Romans 11:6).{NOTE: Mormons, see how confusing you make it for believers in the ONEBible with your “reformed gospel” of works as necessary for initialsalvation as is grace, and when you ignore Paul’s statements that if anypreach another gospel or bring another spirit, let them be accursed! Youmake it impossible for us to accept you as Christ believers, much less asLatter Day Saints.}

26. Meat and the eating of meat, or any other law of works, can not destroythe “work” of God in the salvation of an individual conscience and soul(Romans 14:20).

27. At the Judgment and the fire of the Judgment, the “work” of each manwill be revealed whether it stands the test of fire or not; and further the firewill test what “sort of work” it is that a man has done (I Corinthians 3:13).

28. If a “man’s work” survives after the fire of the Judgment Day, then hewill get a reward for that “work” (I Corinthians 3:14).

29. If a man’s work burn up, he will suffer the loss of reward; but hehimself, being saved by grace, shall be saved (I Corinthians 3:15).

30. The Apostle Paul tells the church at Corinth that they are his “work inthe Lord” (I Corinthians 9:1).

31. True Brethren of Christ are to “be always abounding in the work of theLord” with steadfastness and stability (I Corinthians 15:58).

32. Paul states to the church at Corinth that Timothy “worketh the work ofthe Lord” as Paul himself does (I Corinthians 16:10). So that there is theworking and then there is the work of the Lord, and even if a person does notwork it must be the work of the Lord at which he does not work. Faith mustcome in the “work of the Lord”, and working is with faith in the work of theLord.

33. The way to abound in “every good work” is only through the grace ofGod also abounding in the same life, II Corinthians 9:8: “And God is able tomake all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency inall things, may abound to every good work...”

34. Every Christian should prove his “own work” to himself so that he canrejoice in himself rather than in others (Galatians 6:4).

35. The “work of the ministry” is: (1) To perfect the saints; and (2) To buildup, or edify, the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12). So what would be the otherwords that we would use for “the work of the ministry”, the calling of theministry or the career of the ministry?

36. There is a bad “work” which is called “to work all uncleanness withgreediness” from those who are past natural feeling and who have giventhemselves over to “lasciviousness” (Ephesians 4:19). {NOTE: You seegenerally how dangerous it is to talk about “work for salvation” since somework is good and some bad! Granted however that Paul in Hebrewsadmonishes to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” since our“God is a consuming fire.” This is a matter of applying efforts to continuein the Christlikeness process called sanctification (not the instantaneousemotional process of many today called charismatic). If Christ followers arebusy working on or working out their salvation based on the grace that theyalready have, then they do not need to fret about their salvation during theFalling Away. The Falling Away is what Paul is primarily concerned aboutin Hebrews. In many ways the book of Hebrews can be considered a bookof the Falling Away. It tells of the first falling away of the Hebrew childrenin the wilderness who participated in the works of God for 40 years. If thesecond Falling Away, the real challenge of our generation, is like the first,it is only the people 21 years of age and over who will have to worry. Allthe people of God in the wilderness of 20 and below were allowed to enterthe Promised Land. Those 21 and older could not enter the Promised Landor eternal rest because of their unbelief.}

37. God who has started “a good work in you” with initial salvation willalso continue the same good work in you until the Day of the Second Comingof Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). You see if we talk about work for salvation, itmust be identified as the work of God, not of man!

38. It is the “work of Christ” by a faithful Christian, not the work of thatChristian, that is referenced in Philippians 2:30.

39. To be “fruitful in every good work” for Christians is also to: (1) Walkworthy of the Lord, or live such a habit of life as to be worthy of the Lord; and(2) Increase in the knowledge of God. Good work here is a habit of life and anincrease in knowledge. Habit and increase in knowledge not necessarilyworks as we might think of ordinarily.

40. What Paul remembers about the faithful of the Christians in the churchat Thessalonica is (I Thessalonians 1:3): (1) Their “work of faith”—that soundslike a good work, one that is “of faith”;(2) Their labor of love; and (3) Theirpatience of hope in Christ and God the Father. 41. What Paul wants theChristians at Thessalonica to continue to do is (I Thessalonians 4:11):

(1) Study to be quiet;

(2) To take care of their own personal business; and

(3) To “work with your own hands”. Working with a person’s own handsas a Christian, rather than being a work for salvation, is a work that provesthat salvation has started and will continue to take place. This is the kind ofjustification that the Apostle James writes of in the book of James. There isfaith which is a product of only listening and talking and which shows noworks, and there is faith which is a product of listening and doing whichshows works.

41. What we ask God to do in our salvation (II Thessalonians 1:11):

(1) To county you worthy of this calling that has already been extended toyou;

(2) That He will fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness; in otherwords, complete the salvation that has been God’s pleasure to start in you; and

(3) Fulfill the “work of faith” in you by His power. NOTE AGAIN: Thatit is the work of faith of God!

42. Revelation 22:12. The single time that “work” as contrasted to works ismentioned in the book of Revelation. Remember however that while the bookof Revelations is the book of “works”, it is not the book of “work”.

“And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every manaccording as his work shall be.” (Revelation 22:12 KJV)

Chapter 7: New Heavens and New Earth, Rev 20,21.

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the firstearth were passed away; and there was no more sea.” (Revelation 21:1 KJV){God’s heaven will not pass away, wherever it is; because that will instantlybe our new home when we die, where Jesus is, making a home for us; andsometimes the Bible translators are careful to distinguish between the heavensof the universe where the stars, sun, moon, and planets are located and theheaven of God’s home. We do have a clue that heaven exist in anotherdimension from space and the heavens, since the Bible tells us that God sits ona great white throne with His feet in the clouds. In our prayers we shouldincrease our awareness of God up there on the Great White Throne, and withJesus Christ at His right hand making intercession for our sins and preparingto come get us again in great power and glory. With the new earth and newJerusalem, we will again dwell on earth} “the first heaven and the first earthwere passed away”: this is a significant world-wide historical event. Iswritten in a few words but can you imagine the forces and movement of earthand mountains and islands and planets to make a whole universe pass away.When did the old heavens and old earth pass away? During the last 20chapters of the book of Revelation. Working backwards first and inpreparation for the new heaven and new earth of Revelation 21,22, we have inRevelation 20:11 the fleeing away of the old earth and heavens—

“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face theearth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.”(Revelation 20:11 KJV)

One reason that John can so glibly write of the awesomeness of the whole olduniverse passing away is because of relativity. So much greater is He that sitson the great white throne and from whom whose face the old flees away. It isa very personal matter with God. He wants all things old that are tainted withsin removed and to have a new beginning. We need to start developing somekind of time perspective for these cataclysmic events, sort of a BEFORE andAFTER sequence centered around THE PASSING AWAY OF THE OLDUNIVERSE. Let us call that gigantic event THE DAY OF THE LORD and

Lord, just like the Bible, since the destruction of the old universe is alwayscentered around those phrases in the Old and New Testaments.

The Day of the LORD/Lord is AFTER the devil that deceived all the nationsis cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophetalready are (Rev 20:10), and BEFORE the new heaven and the new earth (Rev21:1).

7-1: Passing Away of the Old -- Before the Completion of Passing Away andAfter Completion of the Passing Away.

We can start with the more obvious events of Revelation 20 and 21.

1. Rev 20:11 Rev 20:10 Rev 21:1

old earth/heaven fled Devil in lake new earth

It is obvious that the old earth and heaven have fled away at the Day of theLORD, also almost as apparent that the Devil is cast into the lake of fire andbrimstone is before that DAY since it is in the verse before the fleeing of theold universe; therefore we will start our Watershed of the Day of the LORDchart above with these three events. NOTE: that the actual fleeing away ofthe old universe is not in the chart since it is the Watershed marker. Rememberwhat we are considered is the events before that DAY and after that DAY.

2. At the pouring out of the last of the seven plagues or vials, Revelation16:17-21—”It is done”—making it clear that this is also the end of the old earthand heavens and time itself as the greatest earthquake man has everexperienced is on earth causing all the nations to fall and Babylon (Rome) tobe remembered, also the islands and mountains. The main thing that makes itclear that Revelation 11:13,14 is also among those passages describing the veryend is the After of Revelation 11:15-19 where the seventh angel sounds withthe Second Coming of Christ since “The kingdoms of this world are becomethe kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ...” (Rev 11:15 KJV) And this iswhere we really get the clue that Revelation repeats in cycles with moreinformation given during each cycle as two woes introduce a third woe tocome (Rev 11:13,14). Here only a great earthquake as compared to the greatestearthquake of Revelation 16, etc.

4. Actually it takes the first six trumpets of the seventh seal to bring an end tothe heavens and earth with the battle of Armageddon being at the sixthtrumpet. (Revelation 8-9) No mistaking that here—Revelation 6:12-17—thesixth seal—the old heavens and earth end as “the heaven departed as a scrollwhen it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved outof their places” (Revelation 6:14).

IF WE COULD PRECISELY DETERMINE WHERE EACH CYCLE ENDSAND THE NEXT STARTS, THE BOOK OF REVELATION WOULD BE EASY;FOR WHAT WE WOULD HAVE WOULD BE A REPEAT OF LAST EVENTSAS (1) THE PASSING AWAY OF THE OLD HEAVENS AND EARTH; (2) THESECOND COMING; AND (3) THE NEW HEAVENS AND NEW EARTHWITH MORE DETAILS IN EACH CASE.

Before the Watershed of thatDAY

After the Watershed ofthat Day

Satan bound at the Coming of theSpirit on Pentecost and released as theSpirit is withdrawn before that DAY

(Revelation 20:1,2)

devil cast in the lake of fire andbrimstone (Revelation 20:10)

the old universe melts since noplace is found for heaven and

earth (Reve 20:11)the pouring out on man (tribulation)

of the seven plagues from seven“it is done”, after the seventhangel poured out his bowl or

plague into the air (Revelationangels of the wrath of God (Rev

16:1-17a) 16:17b)same thousand years as above (Satan

bound), martyrs go immediately to bewith Christ and the rest of believers

await Second Comingnoises and thundering’s and

lightnings (Revelation 16:18a)

If there is a first resurrection,there must be a second; and

this is at the Second Coming ofChrist when all remaining

believers are caught up

Satan deceives all the nations whenthe Holy Spirit is withdrawn (Rev

20:7,8)

Satan, the beast and the falseprophet tormented forever, day

and night, in the lake of fire

7-2: New and Eschatology.

However though the passing of the old is preparatory, the real subject of thischapter and of Revelation 21,22 is the new heavens and the new earth. If theprimary themes and events of eschatology in the rest of the Bible is no firmlynailed down before the eschatology of the book of Revelation—in other wordsif the fundamentals are not understood how can we understand theeschatology of the most difficult book of the Bible. From the rest of the Biblethe repeating themes and events of eschatology most fundamentals are—

(1) The One Day of the LORD and Lord when the old heavens and the oldearth pass away; and (2) New Heavens and New Earth. While in the NewTestament the One Day of the LORD God the Father has added to it the OneDay of the LORD and Lord with the addition of the Second Coming,throughout the Old Testament it is primarily the One Day of God the Father.Understand this and these from the other 65 books of the Bible and you can

and brimstone (Revelation20:10)

Satan gathers a gigantic army againstthe camp of saints outside Jerusalem

(Revelation20:9a)Babylon (wicked cities) and all the

great cities of the earth crumble(Revelation 16:19)

Judgment before great whitethrone and all not in the book

of time cast into lake of fire(Revelation 20:11-15)

Armageddon: a fire comes downfrom God in heaven to destroy theforces of Satan outside Jerusalem

(Revelation 20:9b)the islands and the mountainsdisappear (Revelation 16:20)

great hail, each the weight of a talent,falls on mankind (Revelation 16:21a)you would think it would be a timefor repentance, but “men blaspheme

God” (Rev 16:21b)

come closer to understanding the spirit of prophecy of the book of Revelation.Indicative of these fundamentals on eschatology are the following otherscriptures from the rest of the Bible: (1) Isaiah 65:17; and (2) Isaiah 66:22.

1. Isaiah 65:17.

“For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shallnot be remembered, nor come into mind.” (Isaiah 65:17 KJV)

2. Isaiah 66:22.

“For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remainbefore me, saith the LORD, so shall our seed and your name remain. Andit shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from onesabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith theLORD. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men thathave transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shalltheir fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.”(Isaiah 66:2224 KJV)

Exegesis Points of Revelation 20 and 21.

{Exegesis is the reading out of the Bible meaning as contrasted to Isogesiswhich is going to the Bible with preconceived conclusions and reading in themeaning. Obviously “exegesis” is good Bible interpretation: “isogesis” is bad.Bible scholars like Bernard Ramm in THE PRINCIPLES OF BIBLICALINTERPRETATION like to call it “hermeneutics”. I like to say that the BibleItself lays down certain principles for understanding, and I will come to thosein chapter 38, “Some Sounds of a Sound Faith”. Read it now if you wouldlike!}

1. It is obvious in 21:1 that John needs to see a new heaven and a newearth as “the first heaven and the first earth passed away”. In general in mostof the rest of the Bible there is heaven where God dwells, the heavens of stars,moon, stars, and planets, and the earth; but the book of Revelation does notdistinguish between heaven and heavens, although the text of the verse doesas here since we know that God’s heaven has not passed away.

2. The reason that there is in 21:1 “no more sea” is that the fervent heatthat God sent down from heaven in the destruction of the old earth andheavens has evaporated all the water.

3. The bride of the Lamb-Christ is the “New Jerusalem” (21:2) with theemphasis of the chapter more on the physical dimensions of the NewJerusalem as contrasted to the people. Where many have problems with OldTestament references like in the vicinity of Isaiah 65,66 above where it alsomentions a new or reconstructed Jerusalem is that some look for that tohappen before the destruction of the old heavens and earth. In other wordsthey mistakenly look for a New Jerusalem on earth before this one is loweredfrom heaven to earth.

4. It is clear about the origin of this New Jerusalem (21:2): (1) It comesdown out of heaven; and (2) It is from God.

5. God comes with the New Jerusalem (21:3): (1) God tabernacles withman on the new earth; (2) God’s dwells among the new people of the newearth; (3) The new people of the new earth are God’s people; and (4) God theFather is right in the middle of His people on the new earth.

6. Some of the advantages of dwelling with God on the new earth arelisted (21:4), also some of the things that pass away with the old earth andheavens. Eliminated are: (1) Death; (2) Tears and crying; and (3) Pain andmourning.

7. The God the Father that sits on the great white throne mentionedthroughout Revelation tells what He is doing: “Behold, I am making all thingsnew” (21:5).

8. Another cycle could be made through the book of Revelation with thetimes when something like “Write, for these words are faithful and true” ismentioned; but this time it is from God the Father Himself (21:5). Recall thatone time, Revelation 10:4, John is told not to write.

9. “It is done”, the God of beginning and end says to John (21:6); and thisis a preface for the invitation to drink of the spring of the water of life withoutcost. It is of grace.

10. The Overcomers are primarily the subject of the next chapter of thisbook, but it is introduced here in 21:7. The Overcomers: (1) Inherit all thesethings of the new earth; (2) God Himself will be the God of the overcomers;(3) And overcomers become sons to God.

11. The Non-overcomers (21:8), or succumbers, are identified as the: (1)Cowardly;(2) Unbelieving; (3) Abominable; (4) Murderers; (5) Immoralpersons; (6) Sorcerers; (7) Idolaters; and (8) Liars.

12. The Succumbers participate in the lake of fire and brimstone. This lakeis identified as the second death (21:8).

Then John wants us to know which seven angels talk to him next, one of theseven with the seven plagues; and this one is going to show him the “bride”of the Lamb. The marriage of the Lamb and the wife of the Lamb wasmentioned previously in Revelation 19:7-10.

7-3: Exegesis of Selected Verses.

21:10 Important is it that we must see the origin of this holy Jerusalem: (1) itcame from God; and (2) it came down from heaven. Of course that is the onlyway it could be holy.

21:11 Characteristics of this new Jerusalem are described: (1) it had the gloryof God as its glory; and (2) the light of it was clear like a jasper stone.

21:12 Description of the wall of the city is next: (1) a great and high wall; (2)12 gates with 12 angels; and (3) the name on each wall was one of the tribes ofIsrael. Here is still another way to say “Seven Christian Thousands”, or all ofGod’s children are numbered by God and accounted for.

21:13 Three gates were on each symmetrical side of the 1500 miles by 1500miles city.

21:14 The twelve foundations of the wall had in them the names of the 12Apostles. This is more thorough numbering on the part of God, after the 12tribes come the 12 apostles.

21:15 The angel had a golden reed to measure the city, the walls, and the gates.

21:16 The city measured a cube of 1500 miles by 1500 miles by 1500 miles.21:17 The amazing revelation here is that human measurements are the sameas angelic measurements.

21:18 Materials are identified: (1) clear jasper for the walls; and (2) pure goldfor the city.

21:19-20 The stones of the twelve foundations are identified.

21:21 Each gate was made of a single pearl, and the streets of transparent gold.21:22-23 Having no temple, the holy Jerusalem has God the Father and theSon as the temple. God and Christ are the light.

21:24 The light of the city is so bright that all the nations of the earth can seeto walk by it. The kings of the earth bring their glory to this city. As it didn’thave enough light, the kings bring some more.

21:13 Their is no night in the city, and the gates are always open.

21:14 Whatever glory and honor the nations have with their kings will bebrought to the holy city.

21:27 This fascinates us; fir it implies that on the new earth will also live (1)the unclean, (2) the abominable, and (3) the lying which are not allowed in thecity. Only those allowed in the city are those who names are written in theLamb’s book of life.

22:1 The river of the water of life, clear as crystal, came out of the throne ofGod and the Lamb.

22:2 The tree of life is described: (1) it has 12 kinds of fruit; (2) it fruits eachmonth; and (3) the leaves of the trees are for the healing of the nations.

22:3 The water, the fruit, and the leaves remove the curse of Genesis. Thecurse is removed so God and His Christ can have direct fellowship with men,a certain kind of men which are called the servants of God.

22:4,5 These servants, the seven thousands: (1) See God face to face; (2) God’sname is in their foreheads; and (3) They shall reign with God for ever and ever.

22:6,7 The last sayings from the angel: (1) You can count on these sayings; (2)God is identified as the Lord God of the holy prophets; (3) God sent his angelto show God’s servants what is happening in the future; (4) These things ofthe future will be done shortly; and (5) the angel speaks directly for Christ,“Behold, I come quickly”.

22:8,9 After John saw and heard these things he started to fall down andworship the angel as before in Rev 19:10; but he is told: (1) It is a fellow servanttalking to him; (2) He is from among his own brethren, the prophets; (3) Andhe is from among those who keep the sayings of the book of Revelation; and(4) Worship God, also as in 19:10. 22:10-11 Final Instructions to John and thereaders— (1) Don’t keep secret what is written in this book; (2) The timeis close for these events to happen; (3) Let every man continue to be what heis now—a. Either unjust and filthy, or b. Righteous and holy.

22:12-16 When an ambassador like an angel speaks, what he speaks forhimself, or for the President and Vice President is almost inseparable; and herein only a few verses we pass from what the angel speaks for himself to thequoting of Jesus Himself to the quoting of Jesus and the Spirit.

22:8 John speaks about the angel.

22:9 The angel speaking about himself says that he is really a fellow Christian.

22:10,11 The fellow Christian, alias angel, speaks for the book of Revelation.

22:12-15 The angel speaks for Jesus, Jesus speaking first for Himself, thenGod.

22:16 The angel speaks directly for Jesus again: (1) I Jesus sent this angel;(2) I am the root and offspring of David; (3) I am the bright and morningstar.

22:17-19 The angel speaks directly for Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

22:20a The angel reminds that this is the testimony of Jesus that He willcome quickly.

22:20b John speaks for himself and to Jesus, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus”.

22:21 John speaks for himself and to Christians, “The grace of our LordJesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”

The 1500 Mile High City. The New Jerusalem for the New Earth and NewHeavens will be 1500 miles high! Denver is the mile high city; but this isridiculous, we might think, why in the world is it necessary to have a city 1500miles high? After all, most of us that live in the West would be terrified at thethought of living in giant skyscraper-like apartment complexes. However, thereasons for the 1500 mile high new city are:

1. To fill the gap between heaven and earth. Since there are 12foundations to the new Jerusalem, you can see that even in the floor level ofthe city is high above the ground level of the earth; and since orbit isapproximately 80,000 feet or 15 miles, I would suspect that the floor of the cityis above this level. We can easily see how transport between heaven and earthbecomes easy by means of the new city.

2. To provide light for all of the nations of the earth and for the heavens.This is the new source of light for the new heavens and the new earth.

7-4: Bible Verses on “False”.

While we have looked on the positive side of the Bible with looks at “true”,now for intellectual honesty with the Bible we must look at the word “false”.This is considered as a prelude to the “Faith and Faith Contending” of chapter37. {Even as the American Democratic Faith (I suppose Gabriel, an AmericanStudies Scholar, coined the phrase with the writing of his book, MAINDOCTRINES OF THE AMERICAN DEMOCRATIC FAITH) is not the same asregular Faith in Christ and the Bible, so in our land of the free and the bravethere has to be some false prophets. Where are they? Only among theMormons who are accursed because they have preached another gospel, thereformed gospel, that Paul did not deliver; and doubly accursed because inviolation of the last words of Revelation they had added to the Scriptures withtheir four Bibles? No, I am sure that we in the country are prolific with falseprophets: the place to look is at the popular since while the AmericanDemocratic Faith is popular, being the Faith of the majority, Christ Faith is asJesus taught the narrow way of the minority.}

1. II Corinthians 11:13.

“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselvesas apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself asan angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguisethemselves as servants of righteousness; whose end shall be according totheir deeds.” (II Corinthians 11:13-15 NASV) {I’m afraid that even in theland of the free and the home of the brave, you must look for some falseapostles and deceitful workers in disguise. Since they are in disguise andsimulate the genuine, they will be hard to recognize. You see they clothethemselves as servants of righteousness. Of course you will see more andmore as we in this country fall deeper into the Falling Away, and becauseof their increased popularity of doctrine that will tickle itching ears, theywill be harder to recognize.}

You know you can not help but wonder if Joseph Smith having known of hiscommitment to the side of Satan did not take this verse as inspiration for anew religion, one that would disguise itself with righteousness as Satandisguises himself. Aspects of this passage:}

(1). There are “false Apostles” just as there are false Christs and false prophets;

(2). These false Apostles are deceitful workers in that they work with deceit;

(3). These false Apostles attempt to disguise themselves as the Apostles of theLord Jesus Christ, calling themselves the Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ;

(4). Satan disguises himself as an angel of light; and either when Satanappeared to Joseph Smith as the angel Moroni Joseph was deceived orrecognizing Satan as Satan he desired to perpetuate the lie;

(5). False Apostles who claim to be the Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ areindeed servants of Satan;

(6). These False Apostles like the Satan they serve will strive to look likerighteousness and light; and

(7). In the end of time their true deeds will be known. It behooves us furtherin the context before this passage to see what some of the characteristics are ofthese false apostles—

“But what I am doing, I will continue to do, that I may cut off opportunityfrom those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in thematter about which they are boasting.” (II Corinthians 11:12 NASV)

So that we will look in II Corinthians for the characteristics of the ones atCorinth who were boasting; and having come full circle we are back to wherewe started on Revelation with Pride, those who are proud of their works andachievements more than the grace of God and of the Gospel of grace and faithof the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Boastful Ones of II Corinthians. The word “boast” is found zero times inI Corinthians, but it is found 5 times in 5 verses of II Corinthians: IICorinthians 9:2; 10:8; 10:13; 10:16; and 11:16. It is obvious that the tenthchapter, having three of those five, is the chapter on boasting! As we look atthese from the Apostle Paul, we must recall that this is the same Apostle Paulwho wrote in Galatians 6:14:

“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord JesusChrist, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”(Galatians 6:14 KJV)

I will not try to repeat the arguments here of Volume 8 of ONE NEWEXPANDED COMMENTARY ON THE BIBLE, entitled “The NewDimensions of Gospel Pride”, where I deal with the only real pride that theApostle Paul allowed himself to retain was Gospel Pride, the only realboasting, and the only way he chose to glory; and while many Americanstoday, especially Mormons, tend to glory in their families, their ownachievements, even their churches and church Bible, all these things took asecondary place of crucifixion as things of the world to the Apostle Paul.Paul’s real Gospel Pride was expressed in Romans 1:16:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of Godunto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to theGreek.” (Romans 1:16 KJV) In stating “I am not ashamed” the Apostle Paulis really saying that I am proud of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and this in shortis Gospel Pride; and as we continue with glorying, boasting, and pride—essentially words that describe the same attitude—we will find how carefulthe Apostle Paul was to show pride and boasting in anything but the Gospel.

And before we continue with the word “boast” in II Corinthians, we shouldbriefly look at the word “glory” in some of the letters of the Apostle Paul—

1. Romans 15:17.

“Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in somesort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God,That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering thegospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable,being sanctified by the Holy (Spirit). I have therefore whereof I may glorythrough Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God. For I will notdare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought be me,to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed. Through mighty signsand wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, andround about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. Yea,so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest Ishould build upon another man’s foundation.” (Romans 15:15-20 KJV)

However as an Apostle of Jesus Christ, you will note that Paul carefullyguarded his God- given authority as an Apostle!

2. I Corinthians 1:29,31.

“That no flesh should glory in his presence....That, according as it is written,He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.” (I Corinthians 1:29,31)

3. I Corinthians 3:21.

“Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are your’s. Whether Paul,or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, orthings to come; all are your’s; And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.” (ICorinthians 3:21-23 KJV)

4. I Corinthians 9:16.

“For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of (obvious thesame as boasting or to be proud); for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe isunto me, if I preach not the gospel!” (I Corinthians 9:16 KJV)


“For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion toglory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which gloryin appearance, and not in heart. For whether we be beside ourselves, it is toGod; or whether we be sober, it is for you cause.” (II Corinthians 5:12,13KJV)


And in the primary chapter where we deal with “boasting”, we find a keyverse on “glory”. “But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. For not hethat commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.”(II Corinthians 10:17,18 KJV)

7. II Corinthians 11:12,18,30.

Even as II Corinthians 10 is the chapter on boasting, so II Corinthians 11 is thechapter on glorying.

“But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them whichdesire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we. Forsuch are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into theapostles of Christ....Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will gloryalso....If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mineinfirmities.” (II Corinthians 11:12,18,30 KJV)

And here you see what is happening centered around this boasting, glorying,and pride: Paul is trying to support His own Apostleship and fruit of hisApostleship in order to rescue them from false apostles that are “deceitfulworkers”.

Now we are ready to look at the five verses on “boast”: (1) Paul boasted of thegiving of the church at Corinth to the churches in Macedonia, and thatboasting provoked other churches to give even as the Corinthians did, IICorinthians 9:2; (2) Paul was not ashamed when he boasted of his authorityfrom the Lord Jesus Christ to be an Apostle as the boasting was for theiredification, not for their destruction as was the authority claimed over themby false apostles, II Corinthians 10:8; (3) Paul would allow himself to boastonly to the full measure or extent of the grace of God given to him for theministry and for the help to the churches, II Corinthians 10:13; (4) Paul sought

to preach the Gospel in regions where there had been no evangelism, and toboast according, not to boast of authority over churches as some did wherethey had done no evangelistic work, II Corinthians 10:16; and (5) Paul doesboast himself a little, urging that the church not think him foolish, IICorinthians 11:16, so that the church will see that if Paul desired he could glorymore in the flesh than those false apostles who are trying to usurp authorityover them.

Now, Completion of “False”. Recall that it was the false apostles, like falseprophets, which led us to go into boasting, glorying, and Gospel Pride, allcentered around II Corinthians 10 and 11. Now we continue with “false” inTitus 2:3.

1. Titus 2:3.

“The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness,not false accusers, not given to much wine, teacher of good things...” (Titus2:3 KJV)

Thus we see that “false” is not limited to false prophets and false prophets, butanyone can be a false witness or false accuser, including aged women!

2. Galatians 2:4.

“But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to becircumcised; And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, whocame in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, thatthey might bring us into bondage: To whom we gave place by subjection,no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.”(Galatians 2:3-5 KJV)

Galatians is the book that deals with the problem of Christians having startedsalvation by faith through grace, and this providing liberty in Christ from thelaw; then at the insistent of false leaders with a restored gospel in that lawswere added to the gospel of grace, faith, and liberty, they were loosing thatliberty and being subjected to new and unnecessary bandages. In short, whatthese false leaders were tiring to do with a false Gospel, just like the Mormons,was to restore legal requirements for salvation; and while doing so establish

their own authority over churches and Christians! Galatians is the book toanswer the Mormons.

3. II Timothy 3:3.

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come, For menshall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers,disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection,trucebreakers, false accusers...” (II Timothy 3:1-3 KJV)

4. II Peter 2:1.

“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall befalse teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies,even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swiftdestruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason ofwhom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousnessshall they with feigned words make merchandise of you; whose judgmentnow of a long time lingered not, and their damnation slumbereth not.” (IIPeter 2:1-3 KJV)

5. I John 4:1.

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are ofGod; because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” (I John 4:1KJV) {Do you seriously think that if there were false prophets and falseChristian spirits in the land and area where the Gospel of Christ started, andin the first century, that they will not also be in this American land and twothousand years later. That would be gullible, and it would be confusing theFaith of Christ and the Bible with the American Democratic Faith. By this Imean it would be similar to what Prime Minister of Israel, Begin, said a fewyears ago: “You Americans are born Christians just like we Israelis are bornJews.”}

7-5: A Brief Summary of the Book of Galatians.

While we tend to be tolerant with Mormons and with Mormonism in theefforts to love them and in the hope of rescuing some from such a hideous fateof being cursed, we dare not overlooking the seriousness of their false claimsto speak for God with a Gospel that is a substitute for the Original Gospel of

Jesus Christ as given in the Old Testament, by Jesus Himself, and by theApostles of Jesus.

It may seem a bit strange to start a brief commentary on Galatians for theMormons and centered around the word “gospel” by a quote from IICorinthians, but that is the nature of the Bible: the way to understand the Bibleis by comparing scripture with scripture since it all in the 66 books originatedin the mind and heart of God—

“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through hissubtlety, so you minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is inChrist. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have notpreached, of if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, oranother gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.”(II Corinthians 11:3-4 KJV)

YOU MIGHT BEAR WITH HIM, JOSEPH SMITH, BRIGHAM YOUNG, ANDTHE OTHER MORMONS WHO ADMIT THAT THEY HAVE BROUGHT TOYOU ANOTHER GOSPEL THAN THAT ORIGINALLY GIVEN, THERESTORED GOSPEL. We dare not bear with them in the name of tolerance inthis curse of the restored gospel that attempts by works to replace the originalGospel, the original Jesus—for truly their Jesus is not the Jesus of the Bibleand the Jesus that we believe in—and their spirit is not the Spirit of God andof the Bible!

And while it may shock you that something written long before the origin ofMormonism in the United States could so aptly deal with their attempts topresent a substitute Jesus, Gospel, and spirit, we must also recall the othermany things that Paul warned about false leaders to come—

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but aftertheir 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 untofables.” (II Timothy 4:3,4 KJV)

“For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter inamong you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise,speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.” (Acts 20:29,30KJV)

So into the real Word of God for the real Gospel, the Gospel in Galatians forthe Mormons.

1. Gospel in Galatians 1:6.

Notice what happens at the same time that one is removed from the originalGospel, they are also removed or taken far away from the “grace of God”!

“I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into thegrace of Christ unto another gospel. Which is not another; but there be somethat trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, oran angle from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which wehave preached unto you. let him be accursed. As we said before, so say Inow again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye havereceived, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:6-9 KJV)

Do you hear that in the name of tolerance for the Bible? Joseph Smith is“accursed”; Brigham Young is accursed; all the so called living prophets andapostles that support the restored gospel which is beyond this original gospelare accused; and any and all Mormons who really believe and support the socalled restored gospel are accursed. That is unless, you can find in Galatiansto follow and that part in particular centered around the gospel any supportat all for a “restored gospel”; but I warn you, you can not!

How did Paul know in the First Century of a movement that would begin inthe United States in the 18th century? Well, he could have known through theSpirit of God; but since Mormonism is nothing knew being rather the RestoredJewish Religion of the Fist Century much more than any restored gospel, whilePaul was dealing with this number one problem in the church at Galatia andin the book of Galatians, he was also dealing with Mormonism. Mormonismis an effort on the part of Satan and those who have given themselves inallegiance to Satan to restore the Jewish religion of salvation by works that theJews had cultivated for hundreds of years, and which disappointed Satan somuch as Jesus destroyed it in the first century, Satan knowing that throughthis religion and this type of religion that he was able to divert so many fromthe grace of God to the restored gospel of Satan. It should be no strange matterthat Satan revived so a religion: what is strange is that it took him so long, andthat should lead us to believe that he was bound for a thousand years in that

he could no longer deceive all the nations to a restored religion of works, beingreleased shortly before the “angel” Moroni gave Joseph Smith the silver plateswith new scriptures to restore a religion of works!

We should carefully note “another” in Galatians 1:6,7: (1) “removed from himthat called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel; and (2) Which isnot another. For the Greek language has two words for another: another of adifferent kind which is the Greek word in the first case; and another of thesame kind which is the Greek word in the second case. So what the ApostlePaul, and God through the Apostle Paul, is writing is: I am surprised that youare so quickly removed from the gospel of grace in the Lord Jesus Christ toanother gospel of a different kind (a gospel of works), which is not anothergospel of the same kind as that in which you believed, that which Paulpreached, that which Jesus taught, and that which was proclaimed by the realProphets in the Old Testament. That gospel which is still in the real Word ofGod, only a sample of which is here in Galatians to the Jews and Mormons!


There always have been and always will be those who will trouble Christianswho believe in salvation by the grace of God. The Jews of the First Centurytroubled the first Christians, and the Mormons of these Latter Day centurieswill trouble the Latter Day Christians!

“Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and wouldpervert the gospel of Christ.” (Galatians 1:7 KJV)

Let there be no misunderstanding that the restored gospel of the Mormonsattempts to “pervert the gospel of Christ”.


Don’t believe that fallen angel that sits on top of the Temple in temple square,striving to get mankind to worship himself in the place of Jesus even as hetried to get Jesus Himself to fall down and worship him, promising Him theworld even as he promises Mormons and others the world today if they willonly worship him!

“But though we, or and angel from heaven, preach any other gospel untoyou than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.”(Galatians 1:8 KJV)

Okay, what is the gospel that Paul preached? From Galatians and “gospel” inGalatians to follow, we will compare it to this restored, perverted gospel of theMormons. While we are doing this don’t forget the curse that rest onMormons!

4. The Gospel in Galatians 1:9.

“As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospelunto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:9KJV)


“But I certify you, Brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is notafter man.” (Galatians 1:11 KJV)

We know the Gospel that Paul presents here in Galatians to be the Word ofGod, who is this guy Joseph Smith and how does he have the audacity to speakand write for God. He has no marks of an Apostle, nor of a Prophet. He didnot live as righteously even as an ordinary Christian. If the same criterionwere applied to Joseph Smith’s four Bibles as was applied by Christianchurches to select the Bible Canon, then the Bibles of Joseph Smith and theMormons would flunk: (1) They were not written by an Apostle or anassociate of an Apostle; (2) They do not present consistent truth with the restof the 66 books of the Bible; and (3) Christians do not accept them!


This gospel that the Apostle Paul preached is the same gospel that God gavehim by revelation through the Ascended Christ in Arabia. It is the same gospelthat Paul presents in the other of the 14 New Testament letters that he wrote,the same gospel of the Apostle Peter and the Apostle James and the ApostleMatthew.

“And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospelwhich I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which are of

reputation, lest by any mean I should run, or had run, in vain.” (Galatians2:2 KJV)

You speak of “in vain”: yesterday, I heard a man saying “Jesus Christ” severaltimes, taking the Lord’s name in vain; and that is little different with theMormons mentioning the name of Jesus often including in the name of their“church?”; for Jesus spoke of how the first century Jews and likewise theseLatter Day Jews worshipped God in vain, teaching for doctrines thecommandments of men.


The truth of the gospel must continue with Christians and with Christianchurches unadulterated by the gospel of works from Jews or Mormons!

“To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth ofthe gospel might continue with you.” (Galatians 2:5 KJV)

Even at the Great Jerusalem Circumcision Conference that Paul and Barnabasattended after the first missionary journey, the attempt to add works to gracefor salvation was a problem in the very First Church at Jerusalem. Andalthough this problem centered around the work of circumcision as a work toadd to the gospel of grace, it was an early effort to pervert the original gospelwith just one little law of work in order to later open the door so that salvationby works could come to again replace salvation by grace!


Read the gospel from the Apostle Peter as recorded in I, II Peter and you willfind it to be the same as the gospel from Paul; and the Apostle Peter evenreaffirms what the Apostle Paul is writing in Galatians and other scriptures.

“And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation, even as ourbeloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hathwritten unto you: As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of thesethings; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that areunlearned, and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, untotheir own destruction.” (II Peter 3:15,16 KJV)

To their own destruction!

Unlearned and unstable!

Wrestle with the scriptures!

What an adequate description of the Mormons!

And when Paul writes of the Gospel of the uncircumcision, what he means isthe Gospel to the Gentiles, while Peter delivered and had primarily the Gospelto the Jews; however, it was the same Gospel. It was only that while Peter hadthe commission of God to deliver the Gospel primarily to the Jews, the ApostlePaul, the Apostle of the Gentiles, had the commission to deliver it primarily tothe Gentiles. Both delivered the same Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles!

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of Godunto salvation toe very one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to theGreek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith;as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16,17 KJV)

And so we have provided adequate background for a presentation ofGalatians 2:7.

“But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision wascommitted unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter...”(Galatians 2:7 KJV)


In spite of the fact that Paul had to rebuke Peter who was getting carried awaywith the other Jews in Jerusalem, Peter later wrote those words about Paul andscripture that we read above from II Peter.

“But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of thegospel, I said unto Peter before them, all, If thou, being a Jew, livest afterthe manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou thegentiles to live as do the Jews?” (Galatians 2:14 KJV)

AND ALL THESE PREVIOUS “GOSPEL” REFERENCES DESCRIBE THEPROBLEM, IN PREPARATION FOR THE SOLUTION; AND INPREPARATION FOR THE STRAIGHT FORWARD PRESENTATION ANDDEFINITION OF THE GOSPEL WHICH FOLLOWS, THE ORIGINAL.

Chapter 8: Overcomers are the Seven Thousand.

If Mormons want to be accepted as Christians they must prove that their LDSorganization is more than a socio-political and economic group; and they mustchange their concepts about God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spiritto be more like the Bible of most Christians (not their five special Bibles), andespecially must they change their concept of revelation. If Christians want tobe accepted as overcomers, they must become more like the seven Christianthousands of the book of Revelation. And if churches want to be assembliesof overcomers they must heed the positive and negative admonitions of thebook of Revelation. The LDS is more the Latter Day Selectors taking a littledoctrine here from one Bible, a little doctrine there, and a little more there; andexcept for the 87 at the top, differing in the type of religion they have from oneindividual to another: but once again they are only an extreme example ofwhat is happening to people in other denominations during this historicalperiod of THE FALLING AWAY. Senator George McCain of Arizona said,“terrorism is the challenge of our generation.” From the perspective of theBible and hence of God, I would think that the falling away is the challenge ofthis generation!

“Leave Them Alone”

When Jesus was still on earth, the Apostle John found some working in thename of Jesus that did not belong to their group; and John told them to stopworking in the name of Jesus. Jesus told John and hence the rest of us to“Leave Them Alone” because none can speak lightly of Jesus who is workingin the name of Jesus. And there in Revelation 22:11,12 is the equivalent of thatin the let them just keep doing as they have done for years.

“Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and let the one who is filthy,still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness;and let the one who is holy, still keep himself holy. Behold, I am comingquickly, and My rewards is with Me, to render to every man according towhat he has done.” (Revelation 22:11,12 NASV)

In other words, don’t worry about judging other people, or who are the chosenpeople of God. Christ will take care of that when He comes again. It is to Him

that God the Father has committed both judgment, rewards, and thedetermination of who are the children of God!

8-1: Overcomers Worship the God of the Bible.

It may seem simple at first to say that the Overcomers, alias the seven Christianthousands, are those who worship the God of the Bible, the Father of the LordJesus Christ and the Creator and Controller of the Universe. IT IS NOTSIMPLE! As I read more of the distorted concept of the Mormons about Godthe Father where He was once a man like them, becoming God and they toocan become “gods”, I modified my daily prayer to “Our Father which art inheaven, God of Creation and Control, Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, God ofAbraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Author of the Bible, and Sender of the Holy Spirit”;because I did not want my prayers misaddressed to the wrong “god”. Thebottom line of this whole matter as pointed out in Romans 11:4-8 is that whenmen of any generation worship another god other than the God of the Bible,and since these other gods really do not exist except in the minds of the humancreators, it is a worship of Satan.

Now, it would be a simple matter if only the Mormons were guilty of creatingtheir own images of a god that does not exist, or the Buddhist or the Moslems,or even the Jews of the Old and New Testaments. But it is not that simple forall of us as Christians have an inadequate concept of and conscience on Godas compared to the fullness of the God of the Bible, the God of Creation; andwhat it comes down to in the final analysis is when do we have an adequateconcept or conscience about God, for the Mormon or any other person,whereby that conscience on God becomes adequate in faith to be honored byGod. {Years ago J.B. Phillips wrote the book YOUR GOD IS TOO SMALL todeal with the same problem among all denominations.} We don’t know! Andwe need not be worried about it except in that we have an adequateunderstanding of the problem. JUST LET HIM THAT IS FILTHY AND LYINGREMAIN FILTHY AND A LIAR, AND LET HIM THAT IS RIGHTEOUS ANDHOLY REMAIN RIGHTEOUS AND HOLY UNTIL CHRIST COMES AGAINTO FETTER OUT GOD’S PEOPLE FOR GOD!

“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deedand in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assureour hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our

heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, thenhave we confidence toward God.” (I John 3:18-21 KJV)

The Worship of God as a primary theme {There are many primary themes, asyou might expect in a book as large as Revelation. We have considered thedominant theme as how to number the people of God with a larger themewhen all five books from the Apostle John are added of “Christ forIndividuals. However this is not greatly different from the worship of Godwhich must be done individually and among the numbered people of God.}starts early in the book of Revelation, Revelation 4:7,8 where the four livingcreatures representing all of Creation worship the LORD God Almighty nightand day. And this is a good point to revise our Repeat Table in order to showthis as the first example of the Worship of God.

The Repeat Chart of Revelation

Event First Second Third1. Worship God 4:6-8 19:10 22:92. Acknowledge

Lamb-Christ5:8-10 —- —-

3. War andFamine

6:1-8 — -—-

4. MartyredSouls

6:9,10 11:11,12

5. Earthquake,fire, earth end

6:12-17 —-

6. Who theAngel is?

2:1 19:10 22:9

Notice that this changes the priority of events to put the worship of God infirst place. And what do you think should be second in priority to the worshipof God the Father? Yes, you are right, the worship of the Lamb Lord JesusChrist; and indeed we do find that in Revelation 5:8-10, before the opening ofthe seals of war and famine or before chapter 6, is the worship of the Lamb-Christ. Recall that it is always the “Lamb” for Christ in the book of Revelationreminding us of His atonement for sin on the cross; or the bride, reminding usof His place as head of the church.

Also we have to change the first reference to angel, for we know that the angelof the church of Ephesus of Revelation 2:1 had to be the pastor of the church.Angel being used in Revelation in a general sense of “messenger of God”. Andthis places an unusual priority on the Table whereby messengers of God couldtake precedence over the worship of God and Christ; and since we know thatis not true, we must look for earlier than chapter 4 and 5 references to theworship of both the Father and the Son. Then since that will extend the rangeof the repeats, we must add additional levels of revelations.

The Repeat Chart of Revelations

Event 1st 2nd 3rd 4th1. Worship God 1:4 4:6-8 19:10 22:92. Acknowledge Lamb-

Christ1:5 5:8-10 —-

3. Who the Angel Is? 2:1 19:10 22:9 —-4. War and Famine 6:1-8 —- —- —-5. Martyred Souls 11:11,12

20:4 —6.6:9,10

6 Earthquake\fire\earth’send

6:12-17

You can not miss the worship of God in the introduction of the Apostle Johnto the book, in Revelation 1:4, with the order of mention being God the Father,the seven spirits before the throne, and the Lord Jesus Christ. And while weare dealing with some priorities, having first of all in the writings as well as inour hearts and minds established the priority of God the Father and the Son,we should also realize that the martyred Christians have priority over suchfuture events as war and famine. In other words, people—especially God’speople and God’s martyred people—are more important than predictions; andthat the predictions should give comfort to God’s people in order to be part ofprophecy, first to those of the first Centuries who were undergoingpersecutions and then to all of God’s people of all time that look for theappearing of our Lord Jesus Christ was the correlating events. Amen. In short,the event for Who the Angel is should be combined with the Martyred Souls!Why? Well, just read again the answers of the angels as to who they were—

“And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do itnot; I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony ofJesus: worship God; for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”(Revelation 19:10 KJV)

“And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard andseen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed methese things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep thesayings of this book: worship God.” (Revelation 22:8,9 KJV)

The Repeat Chart of Revelations

Event 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th1. Worship God 1:4 4:6-8 19:10 22:9 ___ ___2. Lamb-Christ

1:55:8-10

___ ___ ___ ___

3. Who the Angel Is? 2:1 6:9,10 11:11 19:1020.4 22:9(martyredsouls)

4. War and Famine 6:1-8 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___5. Earthquake\fire\earth’s

end6:12-17___

___ ___ ___ ___

And we begin to suspect that even as there are six repeats for theAngel/Martyred Souls, there are also six for the other major events; andperhaps seven since seven is indeed the magic number of completion of thebook of Revelation as in the rest of the Bible. Indeed in order to finish thiscommentary with a Complete Repeat Table, we should be looking for a 7 X 7Repeat Table of Seven Major Events and Seven Repeat Columns. Immediatelywe can think of two more with the Second Coming of Christ and Judgment asone, and the New heavens and earth as another. One more step on the repeatchart, and we will have a complete 7X7 Table. It should be obvious that inorder to construct such a table we must add an additional column, shorten thefirst column of events, and therefore identify the seven major events with asingle word as follows—

Repeat Revelations

Event 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th1. Worship God 1:4 4:6-8 19:10 22:9 —- —- —-2. Lamb/Christ 1:5 5:8-10 —- —- —- —- —-3. Messengers 2:1 6:9,10 11:11 19:10 20:4 22:9 —-4. Battle 6:1-8 —- —- — - —- —- —5. End 6:12 —- —- —- —- —- —6. One Day 6:17 7:14 —- —- —- —- —-7. New Heaven and Earth 7:15 —- —- —- —- —-

—-

8-2: Overcomers are Saved By Grace, Not Works.

“But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myselfseven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to theelection of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works, otherwisegrace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace:otherwise work is no more work.” (Romans 11:4-8 KJV)

“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 takethe water of life freely.” (Revelation 22:17 KJV)

In this bottom line of invitation to all men as a closing invitation of the bookof Revelation, there is no work involved, only grace!

(1). There is no work to “Come”, only grace.

(2). “heareth”, there is no work to hearing, only grace.

(3). Drinking of the water of life freely. There is no work to drinking thiswater, only grace.

The Martyred Messengers

Obvious among the Overcoming Seven Thousands are those who weremartyred messengers as these are so privileged as to go to reign with Christ,

complete with resurrected bodies, at the beginning of the thousand years. Ifwe look again at the Repeat Table the last time we tried to

We notice this will require seven repeats of the Martyred Messenger-Angels,then we need to find one more which has been overlooked, and eureka, thereis one in Revelation 12:17. Wouldn’t you know that a book like Revelation thatlikes the number seven as a number of completion so much, would also repeatseven times. {Remember how much the book of Revelation likes to play withnumbers for meaning, and how also the number 6 is the number ofincompletion, and 666 the number of falling so short.}

. The Repeat Chart of Revelations

Event 1st2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th

1. Worship God1:4

4:6-8 19:10 22:9 ___ ___ ___

2. AcknowledgeLamb-Christ1:5

5:8-10

___ ___ ___ ___ ___

3. Messengers(angels/souls)

2:1 6:9,10 11:11 12:1719:1020.422:9

4. Battle (War andFamine) 6:1-8

___

___ ___ ___ ___ ___

5. Day of theLORD/Lord

6:12-177:14

___ ___ ___ ______

6. SecondComing/Rapture

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

7. New Heavenand Earth

7:15 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

{Note that “Revelations” is used for the revelations in the book ofRevelation.} The martyred messengers are also those who when Satan fails to

get the first seed of the woman, the Christ-Lamb, he goes to battle against, thesecond seed of the woman by faith, the remnant of those who believe—


The characteristics of the messengers, alias the angels and martyred souls, stayconstant as: (1) Holding the word of God, here as keeping the commandmentsof God; and (2) As holding the testimony of Jesus. And here those areidentified as the “remnant”.

8-3: Overcomers Have the Testimony of Jesus!

“And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls ofthem that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which theyheld...” (Revelation 6:9 KJV) (1). These overcomers are “souls” and “underthe altar” because they have not become resurrected bodies since that happenswhen Satan is bound for the thousand years.

(2). These have overcome because they were slain for—

a. The Word of God; and

b. The Testimony of Jesus.

(3). They have soul rest and are given white robes until the number ofovercomers who died as they died is a complete number.

“And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said untothe, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servantsalso and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should befulfilled.” (Revelation 6:11 KJV)

8-4. Overcomers Have the spirit of Prophecy!

(1). The Prophet Joel was one of the first of the Old Testament to identify themore democratic nature of prophecy that would come in the New Testamentdays as contrasted to the very exclusive nature of Prophecy and the Prophets.

“But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel: And it shall cometo pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh;

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young menshall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams...” (Joel 2:28-32 andActs 2:16,17 KJV)

(2). And the Apostle Peter continued to quote from Joel in explaining whatwas happening at the beginning of these “last days” on the first day ofPentecost after the Ascension of Christ—

“And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those daysof my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heavenabove, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke:the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before thatgreat and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pas, thatwhoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Joel 2:28-32 andActs 2:18-21 KJV)

NOTE: Parenthetically it also takes no work to “call on the name of theLord”, only grace!

(3). It was the Apostle Paul who first defined for the Revelations of God in theBible what prophecy really is.

“But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation,and comfort.” (I Corinthians 14:3 KJV)

a. Prophecy is speaking to men clearly for their own edification.

b. Prophecy is speaking to men in assembly with the conviction of a loudtrumpet in order to exhort other men.

c. Prophecy is speaking for comfort.

And therefore if you are not edifying other men, exhorting and comfortingother men when you speak then you are not engaged in prophecy.

(4). It was also the Apostle Paul who distinguished between Prophets of theOld Testament and prophets of the New Testament in that the New Testamentprophets, the prophets of the last days, are gifts from the Ascended Christ.(prophets as contrasted to Prophets, and like apostles, evangelists, pastors andteachers were given by the Ascended Christ which only happened in NewTestament “last days” times)

“But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the giftof Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, and he ledcaptivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what isit but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He thatdescended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that hemight fill all things.) And he gave some, apostles, and some, prophets; andsome, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers...” (Ephesians 4:7-11KJV)

NOTE: Parenthetically here is more grace, not works, in the giving ofapostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, and evangelists. It is grace or a gift tothe individual that receives one of these offices, and it is a gift from Christto the church which receives the gift or gifts of these men. Incidentally forothers of unsound doctrine who would attempt to run the church (I like tocall it anarchy in church government, which has become prevalent in Baptistchurches where pastors of sound doctrine are run off and their authoritysubverted), the authority in a church comes from the Ascended Christthrough apostles and prophets (now, their words in the Bible), throughpastors which are also teachers, and through evangelists.

(5). After Paul has passed on into eternity, the Apostle John adds one morestep to the understanding of prophecy. Rather, the same Ascended Christ whogave Paul the understandings of I Corinthians and Ephesians, gave John therevelations of Revelation!

“And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do itnot; I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony ofJesus: worship God; for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”(Revelation 19:10 KJV)

Was this angel really the Apostle Peter? I think more than likely it was theApostle Paul who John did not recognize because he had never met him onthe earth; but it was the resurrected Apostle Paul projected in time, since thosemartyred as Peter and Paul, as those souls under the altar, would beresurrected approximately 450 A. D. at the same time that Satan was boundfor a thousand years.

8-6: “God’s Reserves”.

Think about thefull meaning ofwhat God told theProphet Elijah:you don’t knowwho they are andyou haven’tworshipped withthem, but I havereserved for myown people seventhousand in Israelthat have notbowed their kneeto Baal (Satan)”.The problem thatElijah had wasthat he thought heand God werealone in doing thework of God. Hewas saying ineffect, “Why arewe fighting thesebattles anywayagainst King

Ahab, Queen Jezebel, and the majority of the people and leaders of Israel?”And God was telling Elijah in effect, “You are doing it for the benefit of myseven thousand people whom you don’t know, but who worship Me.” TheWord “True” in the New Testament.

Having considered the word “false” at the end of several previous chapters, itis a comfort to end this last chapter on a more positive note as we look at “true”in the New Testament. The word “true” is found in the New Testament 54times in 50 verses with 10 of those times in the book of Revelation, and as youmight suspect this is exceeded only by the Gospel of John where the word is

found 19 times. It is one word that is used more exclusively by the ApostleJohn than the Apostle Paul, what with adding the 3 times in I and III John fora total of 32 times from John, or 32/50 for 64%; and with the two from Peter,four from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Acts that leaves only 12 verses for the 14letters of the Apostle Paul. Of Paul’s 14 letters, true is mentioned the most inthe first which is “The Gospel to the Jews According to Paul”.

We will try to list verses in the most probably order in which the NewTestament books were written and/or delivered in order to get the flow of“true” in the progressive revelations of the Bible-

1. Matthew 22:16.

“And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying,Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth,neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.”(Matthew 22:16 KJV)

Jesus is called “true” by the Pharisees and Herodians, which doesn’t mean thatthey meant it since they were always trying to trick Him, and quite often byflattery; however it was true of Jesus as He Himself had said on occasions, andthis must be part of the being True: (1) Jesus taught the way of God truthfully;(2) Jesus did not cater His teachings to the whims or desires of any man; and(3) Jesus did not have a respect toward persons, honoring some more thanothers because of their position, wealth, or success, etc.

2. Hebrews 8:2.

While the tabernacle in the wilderness and the temple were patterns of whatwould come in New Testament times, the “true tabernacle” is and was JesusChrist’s own body.

“Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have suchan high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty inthe heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, whichthe Lord pitched, and not man.” (Hebrews 8:1,2 KJV)

3. Hebrews 9:24.

This verse is similar to Hebrews 8:2, the “true holy place” of heaven and Christin heaven with God the Father being foretold by the holy place of the templebuilt with man’s hands.

4. Hebrews 10:22 is about a “true heart”.

“Let us draw near with a true hear in full assurance of faith, having ourhearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with purewater.” (Hebrews 10:22 KJV)

5. Romans 3:4 is about God being true, men a liar.

“God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, Thatthou mightest be justified in they sayings, and mightest overcome whenthou art judged.” (Romans 3:4 KJV)

6. II Corinthians 1:18 is also about God being true.

7. II Corinthians 6:8 is part of a contrast whereby Paul while dealing withglorying, boasting, and Gospel Pride in order to gain acceptance and keepacceptance as the ministers of Christ and effectively being all things to allpeople:

“By honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, andyet true...” (II Corinthians 6:8 KJV)

Paul seemed to strike most people in their responses to him as an Apostle ateither one extreme or the other, some making evil report of him and othersgood reports, some honor and others dishonor, and some calling him and hisfellow ministers “deceivers”, other calling them “true”.

8. I Thessalonians 1:9.

Here God is also true, but “true and living” as contrasted to the idols fromwhich those Christians at Thessalonica turned in order to worship the true andliving, rather than the false and dead god and Christ which the Mormons stillworship.

9. I Timothy 3:1 and Titus 1:13 respectively deal with a “true saying” anda “true witness”.

10. I Peter 5:12.

Even among those who see salvation by grace can evidently be a “false grace”,because the Apostle Peter in this verse refers to “the true grace of God whereinye stand”; and of course, in doing so testifies and exhorts that our salvationstanding in by the grace of God.

11. II Peter 2:22.

The “true Proverb” quoted by the Apostle Peter from the book of Proverbs isabout the dog returning to its vomit about the false leaders who attempt to ledpeople away from the grace of God, stealing their liberty and placing them inbondage to requirements of the law.

12. Ephesians 4:24 about the “true holiness” of the new birth andsanctification by grace through faith.

“And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created inrighteousness and true holiness.” (Ephesians 4:24 KJV)

13. Philippians 4:3 is about a “true yokefellow” who works with Paul in theGospel, and who is urged to help other fellowlaborers in the Gospel whosenames are written in “the book of life”, the same book of Revelation 20:12 thatreplaces all the books on works for the Christian. (I have to admit it wouldsurely be nice to have an Apostle like Paul talk about yourself as one whosename is written in that book of life, but we dare not deceive ourselves withsuch contemporary false assurances!)

14. Philippians 4:8 with “true things” are other things that Christians areto think about. “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoeverthings are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure,whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there beany virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (Philippians 4:8KJV)

8-7: “True” in the book of Revelation.

As mentioned earlier, the word “true” is found in ten verses in the book ofRevelation.

1. Revelation 3:7, “He that is true”.

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith hethat is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth,and no man shutteh; and shutteth, and no man openeth...” (Revelation 3:7KJV)

This is the same He that was alive, dead, and alive forever more talking ofRevelation 1:18 so that it is the Ascended Christ of whom we learn that He is:(1) Holy; (2) True; (3) The One who holds the key of David, in other words thekingdom of David that will exists forever; and (4) When Christ shuts or opens,it can not be reversed.

2. Revelation 3:14, “The Faithful and True Witness”.

The prime subjects of the Bible are that of God the Father and the Lord JesusChrist. It is even more so in the book of Revelation if we pause to see that factin spite of the often frantic search to learn about the future events.

“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These thingssaith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creationof God...” (Revelation 3:14 KJV)

The characteristics of the Ascended Christ are accumulating rapidly. HereChrist is: (1) The Amen; (2) The Faithful and True Witness; and (3) TheBeginning of the Creation of God, obvious another reference to Jesus as the“firstborn”. I suspect that if we look at all the initial words to each church wewill learn far more about the Ascended Christ.

(1). In addressing the church at Ephesus, Revelation 2:1, Christ is: (a) He thatholdeth the seven stars in His right hand, recalling that the seven stars are theangel/pastors of the seven churches; and (b) He is the One who walks in themidst of the seven golden candlesticks, representing the seven churches.

(2). In the address to Smyrna Christ is: (a) The First and Last; and (b) He thatwas dead but is now alive, Revelation 2:8.

(3). To Pergamos Christ is He that has the sharp sword with two edges,Revelation 2:12.

(4). To Thyatira Christ is: (a) The Son of God; (b) With eyes like a flame offire; and (c) Feet like fine brass, Revelation 2:18.

(5). To Sardis Christ is: (a) He that hath the Seven Spirits of God; and (b) Hethat hath the seven stars, Revelation 3:1.

And what we have accumulated about the Ascended Christ is 16characteristics of His Divinity.

8-8: THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST!

Following is some of the references to the divinity of Christ in the book ofRevelation__

Revelation Characteristics of Christ’s

Reference Divinity2:1 (1) Holds the pastors in His right hand as gifts to the churches,

Ephesians 4:7-11(2) Walks in the midst of the churches

2:8 (3) He is the First and the Last(4) He is the Christ Risen From the Dead

2:12 (5) Possesses the Sword, the Word of God2:18 (6) He is the Son of God

(7) His eyes are like a flame of fire(8) His feet are like fine brass

3:1 (9) He controls the Seven Spirits of God(10) He controls the seven pastors

3:7 (11) He is Holy(12) He is True(13) He controls the keys to the kingdom of David, shutting

and opening3:14 (14) He is the Amen

(15) He is the Faithful and True Witness(16) He is the Firstborn

8-9: Continuation of “True” in Revelation

3. Revelation 6:10, God the Father is Holy and True.

And now what we begin is characteristics of God the Father! God the Fatheris not used, but it is the same “Lord” being addressed that sits on the greatwhite throne in Revelation 5. “And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How

long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood onthem that dwell on the earth?” (Revelation 6:10 KJV)

4. Revelation 15:3, True are the ways of the Lord God Almighty.

“And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of theLamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; justand true are thy ways, thou King of saints.” (KJV)

5. Revelation 16:7, True and Righteous Judgments.

“And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, trueand righteous are thy judgments.” (Revelation 16:7 KJV)

6. Revelation 19:2, Again True and Righteous Judgments.

“For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the greatwhore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avengedthe blood of his servants at her hand.” (Revelation 19:2 KJV)

7. Revelation 19:9, The True Sayings of God.

“And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto themarriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the truesayings of God.” (Revelation 19:9 KJV)

8. Revelation 19:11, Back to the Faithful and True Christ.

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat uponhim was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge andmake war.” (Revelation 19:11 KJV)

9. Revelation 21:5, Back to the Lord on the Throne Whose Words are Trueand Faithful.

“And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new, Andhe said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.” (Revelation21:5 KJV)

10. Revelation 22:6, The Sayings from the angel-messenger are Faithful andTrue. “And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and theLord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show unto his servants thethings which must shortly be done.” (Revelation 22:6 KJV)

8-10: Accumulated Characteristics of God the Father.

Revelation Chief Name for God Characteristics of the Father

6:10 Lord (1) Holy and True

(2) Judge

(3) Avenger

15:3 Lord God Almighty (4) Great, Marvelous works

(5) Just, True Ways

(6) King of Saints

16:7 Lord God Almighty (7) True, Righteous Judgements

19:1,2 Lord our God(8) Salvation

(9) Glory, Honor, and Power

(10) True, Righteous Judgments

(11) Judged

(12) Avenged

19:9 God (13) Source of True Sayings

21:5 One on the Throne (14) Maker of all Things New

(15) True, Faithful Sayer

22:6 Lord God of the holy prophets

(16) True, Faithful Sayings

(17) Sender of Angels

(18) Shower of Future Events

8-11: The Word “True” in the Gospel of John.

As mentioned earlier the Gospel of John with 19 verses with “true” in them isthe majority of the New Testament books on True: (1) In John 1:9 Jesus the

Word is the “true Light”; (2) In John 3:33 God is true when the testimony ofJesus and the testimony of God the Father to Jesus; (3) True Worshippersworship the Father in spirit and truth as that is what God has sought, John4:23, and this naturally implies that there has and can be much false worship,Jesus Himself quoting the Old Testament to the extent that in vain do thereligious Jews worship God, teaching for doctrines the commandments ofmen; (4) In John 4:37 the Saying is True of “one soweth, and another reapeth”because it is quoted from the Old Testament even as the Proverb was truewhich was quoted from the Old Testament book of Proverbs by Peter—inRevelation the Sayings of God are True because they come straight from God;(5) In John 5:31 Jesus talks of a true witness, and likewise in 5:32 where thetrue witness is God the Father Himself bearing witness to the Sonship ofChrist; (6) The true bread from heaven is to believe on

Jesus, John 6:32; (7) A true or truth speaker can be determined by whether heseeks the glory for the One that sent him or for himself, John 7:18; (8) In John7:28, The God that sent Jesus is True, Jesus says, and they do not know Him;(9) The Pharisees claimed that Jesus record was not true since He bore recordof Himself, John 8:13, but in 8:14 Jesus replied that it is true since He knewwhere He came from and where He was going; (10) In John 8:16 Jesus says thatwhen He judges it is true judgment because the Father and Him are making ittogether; (11) John 8:17, the testimony of two witnesses is true in the law, Jesusand the Father being those two witnesses; (12) The God that sent Jesus is True,and Jesus speaks the things that God gave Him, John 8:14; (13) All the thingsthat John the Baptist spoke of Jesus are true, John 10:41; (14) Jesus is the trueVine and the Father is the Vine tender, John 15:1; (15) What is life eternal?

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, andJesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3 KJV)

—gods can be known that are not the true God, but only through knowing thetrue God does life eternal come

—the same about true and truth applies to Jesus Christ, the Jesus Christ whomthe True God sent

“But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brakenot his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and

forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it (The ApostleJohn is speaking of himself without the mentioning of his name in therecord even as he does at the end in 21:24) bare record, and his record is true;and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. For these thingswere done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not bebroken. And again another scripture said, They shall look on him whomthey pierced.” (John 19:33 37 KJV)

“This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things:and we know that his testimony is true.” (John 21:24 KJV)

8-12: “True” in the Little Epistles of John.

1. I John 2:8, where true is found twice, once of the true light and once“true in him”. “On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment toyou, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away,and the true light is already shining.” (I John 2:8 KJV)

The gist of the passage, much like in James, begins with I John 2:4 where thecontrast is made between the man who says, “I know Christ”, but does notkeep Christ’s commandments. The verse calls that man a liar.

2. I John 5:20 where a series of three trues in one verse can almost lose us.“And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us anunderstanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him thatis true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.”(I John 5:20 KJV)

The difficult part of this verse is to keep the “him’s” straight which can bedone with the phrase “even in his Son Jesus Christ”. So that if we work firstbackwards from this phrase: it is God that we are in who is true; then we knowGod that is true; and that Christ has come to give us an understanding to knowthe true God. Then working forward from the key phrase is a statement tofurther identify the true God in terms of the Son of God: this true God thatalso gives eternal life.

3, 3 John 1:12, where the record from the Apostle John about Demetrius istrue. After the Apostle John had identified that those who did not believe thedoctrine of Christ were neither to be received in the church where Gaius was

nor in their homes, then by the time of III John one Diotrephes in the churchwas rejecting the messenger Demetrius that John had sent.

8-13: The Book of Life.

We close this commentary on Revelation with a very true word about “thebook of life”! The words “book of life” are found in 8 verses of the NewTestament, and 7 of those are in the book of Revelation. IT MAKES YOUTHINK THAT THE BOOK OF REVELATION IS ALSO THE BOOK OF LIFE!

1. “Book of Life” in Philippians 4:3.

“And I entreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboredwith me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other myfellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.” (Philippians 4:3KJV)

Let us never be removed from the “simplicity which is in Christ”, from thesimplicity of the gospel; and how that in the final analysis all the books ofworks count for nothing for those whose names through faith in Christ and inthe simple gospel of Christ by grace have been written in that one, single book,the book of life!.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, thatwhosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. ForGod sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that theworld through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is notcondemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because hehath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this isthe condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loveddarkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:16-19KJV)

2. Book of Life in Revelation 3:5.

“He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I willnot blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his namebefore my Father, and before his angels.” (Revelation 3:5 KJV)

What Jesus says here as the Ascended Christ reminds you of what He said asthe Pre- Resurrection Christ:

“Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess alsobefore my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me beforemen, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew10:32,33 KJV)

This confession of Christ has to be the real Christ; for the confession of anotherChrist which is not the real Christ is to take the name of Christ in vain, nobetter than cursing, and so that this type of confessing of less than the realname of Christ is really a denial of the name of Christ which falls into thesecond category of Matthew 10:33!


“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are notwritten in the book of life of the Lamb slain form the foundation of theworld.” (Revelation 13:8 KJV) The “worship him” is the worship of Satan, aworship on the part of all those whose names are NOT written in the Lamb’sbook of life. Why should it be thought a strange thing to us that a group ofpeople centered around temple square in Salt Lake City with a monument ontop of their temple dedicated to and in honor of the fallen angel Satan andunderneath where so many questionable practices occur have worshippedSatan since all one day on the earth will worship Satan that have not beenwritten in the book of life!


“The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of thebottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shallwonder, whose names were not written in the book of life form thefoundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not,and yet is.” (Revelation 17:8 KJV)

That “beast” is the servant of Satan, the equivalent for all practical purposesof Satan himself, being Satan incarnate! He was because he deceived allnations through the gospel of works before he was bound for a thousandyears; he is not because he was bound in the bottomless pit of outer space for

a thousand years before Joseph Smith in order that he could no longer for athousand years deceive all the nations with a gospel of works for salvation;and he is now, released and holding all people on the earth in “wonder”because of the marvels of the LDS!


“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books wereopened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and thedead were judged out of those things which were written in the books,according to their works.” (Revelation 20:12 KJV)

There are the books of the same kind, the books of works; and then there is thebook of another kind, not the same, the book of life. The dead are judged outof the books of life. The living dead are not judged- there is no need for that—as their names are written in the Lamb’s book of life; and Jesus has alreadytestified about them to God the Father!


“And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into thelake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15 KJV)

There is the choice of the Mormon as for any other individual on earth; to bejudged according to the books of works; and that is what they confess that theydesire, or to be judged solely by grace and by the Lamb’s book of life. Theyhave chosen the books of works over the book of life; and although they are inmany ways wiser than the children of light in their own generation, the eternalhabitation of such who chose the books of works over the book of life is “thelake of fire”!

Chapter 9: “Come and See”, The Gospel of John.

The New Pentateuch of the Apostle John

The name “Pentateuch” of course was given long ago to the first five books ofthe Bible which Moses wrote—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, andDeuteronomy. Since the Apostle John also wrote five books, the last five ofthe New Testament, it seemed natural to call a volume on those five books,THE NEW PENTATEUCH OF THE APOSTLE JOHN. Those five NewTestament books written by the Apostle John are easily identified by four withhis name on them—John, I, II, and III John, and the other—Revelation—wherehe clearly identifies himself.

1. Revelation.

“I, John, both your brother and companion in tribulation, and in thekingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is calledPatmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was inthe Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of atrumpet, saying, ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,’ and‘What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which arein Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, toPhiladelphia, and to Laodicea.’” (Revelation 1:9-11)

2. The Gospel of John.

“Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following,who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, (John 13:13) and said,‘Lord, who is the one who betrays You?’...This is the disciple who testifiesof these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony istrue.” (John 21:20,24)

NOTE: When after the book of Revelation we come to a study of the Gospelof John, we will discuss further obvious ways in which the Apostle John isthe author of the Gospel of John.

3. I, II, and III John.

These three little epistles are not as clearly identified as Revelation and theGospel of John, but such internal evidence as the usage of “little children”,“beloved”, and the reference to a fellowship that centered around him beforea split in fellowship, certainly indicate the author as the Apostle John.

9-1: Law and Grace.

There is a more important reason to call the five books from the Apostle JohnTHE NEW PENTATEUCH as contrasted to the Old Pentateuch which is thefive books of the Bible, the law of Moses. It reminds us as the Apostle Johnexpressed in his preface to the Gospel of John that while law came from Moses,grace and truth came from Jesus. (It is not that truth did not come throughMoses and in the law, but rather that complete truth came from Christ!)

“For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came throughJesus Christ.” (John 1:17)

Grace and Graciousness is what the books of John reflect as a spirit. True, itcomes from Christ; but John reflects it best of any New Testament writers.

9-2: Law, Prophets, and Revelation.

You have suspected already that a great deal of integration is required in orderto put commentaries on the whole New Testament of 27 books in a three-section-one-volume commentary. (Beyond that a significant amount of theOld Testament is covered.) Of course, it is easier than you think when theapproach is made that there is a built-in integration to the whole Bible that theSpirit put there when He wrote it. Also there is sort a coding to the total Biblethat comes from the ministry of the Apostle Paul as Christ started him in theArabian desert and Paul back at Tarsus continued during the so-called “silentyears”. We have spoken about it previously; however a reminder is in order:Paul at Tarsus re-read the whole Old Testament, recording quotes from it thatwere to be part of the 17 books that he wrote or edited. Those quotes form thisencoding from the Old Testament, with proper interpretation from Christ, thatwould provide the overall integration of truth.

Many minor (only because not as easily apparent) built-in integrations in theBible will be encountered throughout the three sections of this one volume.Such is one that relates to law, prophets, and Revelation. Basically stated this

is it: an understanding of the law provides background for a study of theProphets and in turn a study of the Prophets provides a backgroundunderstanding for the book of Revelation.

NOTE: Someone might reply, “Of course, a study of the Bible anywhereprovides help in the study of the Bible elsewhere.” And that is true. It is agood principle of hermeneutics, the science of biblical interpretation, toallow the clearer passages of the Bible to help in an understanding of theless clear passages. But more specific matters are referred to here than thisbasic principle of biblical interpretation.

Dr. B. H. Carroll in AN INTERPRETATION OF THE ENGLISH BIBLEexpresses this idea of integration in the manner that is quoted below. In anintroduction to the prophets and on an interpretation of prophecy and afterdiscussing how the Prophets present “dark saying” and “enigmas”, he writeswhat you read below.

9-3: The “Logos”.

You see in the first chapters of Hebrews the way that the Apostle Paul provedthat Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God: you see in the Gospel of John the waythat the Apostle John proved that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Theintroductions to the Gospel of John and Hebrews are similar; however, withsome striking differences.

In Hebrews chapter 1: God speaks through His Son; His Son is the heir of allthings; through Him all the worlds were made; He is the brightness of Hisglory, the express image of His person, the power to keep the world going, theone who alone purged our sins, and sat down at the right hand of the Father.In John chapter 1: the Word was with God, was God, and all things were madethrough Him; the world did not know it’s own creator; however, to those whobelieved He gave the privilege to become children of God; this “Word”became flesh and dwelt among men; man saw the only begotten of the Father,full of grace and truth.

I. Revelation 19:1-16

I’m sure you’ve noticed the striking difference between Hebrews 1 and John1. The Apostle John is unique in using the word “Word” to describe the eternal

and pre-existing Christ. Only John of the four Gospels uses the word “Word”.Only John uses the word “Word” for Christ in all of the New Testament.Where did John get that word “Logos” for Christ? From the Holy Spirit ofcourse; but more specifically it was revealed in the book of Revelation,Revelation 19:11-13.

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat uponhim was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge andmake war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were manycrowns; and he has a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. Andhe was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called TheWord of God.”

While some might protest that the Son of God would never make war on thepeople of earth, you must recall that very shortly in the book of Revelation allthe non-believers will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. There is noway that this can happen without pain and suffering; so that surely the timewill come (the time of judgment) when Jesus no longer turns the other cheekor tolerates any kind of behavior. Also recall that the passage in Revelation19:1113 reminds us that Jesus will both “judge and make war” inrighteousness.

Even as Jesus urged Christians to “judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24),even so does Jesus at the Second Coming judge righteously; and that isbasically what the passage of Revelation 19:11-13 is all about. It begins withthe great voice of the peoples in heaven saying of one accord that “true andrighteous are his judgments” (Rev 19:2). Specifically in the last chapterBabylon was judged with destruction in one hour with the guarantee that acandle would not longer shine in her forever. God avenged the blood of thesaints against her. And while we tend to think of the Babylon of Revelation asRome, it could be any great and wicked city of the world that persecutesChristians. A candle still burns in the city of Rome and one stone is still leftstanding on another in Rome. So either this destruction is the final one onRome or some other wicked city.

You may think of the Son of God as “gentle Jesus, meek and mild”; and that istrue until the end time when this Word, the One from in the beginning waswith God and the One through whom all things were made and through

whom all things consists will come and make war and judge righteousjudgment. You can count on that! While it may be true as Parrington statesthat New England has never forgiven Jonathan Edwards for preaching on thewrath of God, those souls that were saved from the worse fate in life haveforgiven him; and while Parrington also believes that Edward’s unconsciouslybrought on the death of Calvinism, the word of God stands firm!

II. The “Word” in John 1:1-18.

The Greek word “Logos”, translated “Word” in English was a common wordin New Testament Greek times. The use of the word in secular terms meanteither: (1) something that remained in a man as his thought or reason; or (2)something spoken from a man that denoted an expression of his thought. Inphilosophical Greek “logos” meant something like the “world-soul” or soul ofthe universe. You could identify with it in terms of Walt Whitman’s Oversoulor that of the transcendentalists. While the Greeks who listened to John wouldknow that the “logos” as John used it was something important, they had tolisten to the total context of the Gospel of John to know that this God in Jesuswas passionately involved in the Universe, a God who came where we are,took our nature, entered the world’s struggle, and won man’s salvation.

Those Jews who heard John would immediately recognized in John 1:1 withthe “in the beginning” a similarity to Genesis 1:1. All would recognize fromthe Old Testament where the Word of the Lord is an agent for accomplishingthe will of God. (Psalm 33:6). For God to speak is for God to do something.Even today we can not miss the almost independent existence of the Word asin Isaiah 55:11.

“...so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not returnunto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shallprosper in the thing whereto I sent it”

As Leon Morris writes in THE NEW INTERNATIONAL COMMENTARY:“For him (the Apostle John) the Word was not a principle, but a living Being and thesource of life; not a personification, but a Person and the Person divine. The Wordwas nothing less than God.”

1. The “word” stands for the whole Christian Gospel in Mark 2:2 andMark 8:32. In Mark2:2, Mark’s record of the healing of the paralytic man, Jesus

preached the word to them. In Mark 8:32, Jesus “spoke this word openly” ofhow the Son of man must suffer, be rejected by the religious leaders, andcrucified.

2. Preaching the word in the New Testament often implies or states thatit is the same as preaching Jesus. (Luke 1:2, Acts 8:4, Acts 11:20, I Corinthians1:23, II Corinthians 4:5, Gal 3:1, and Colossians 1:13.)

“For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom; but wepreach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto theGreeks foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks,Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishnessof God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”(I Corinthians 1:22-13)

Henry Steele Commager in THE AMERICAN MIND is buffaloed by anAmerican people, so optimistic and self-confident, accepting the depravity ofman; and also how an American people so distrustful of authority couldsubmit to the authority of Scripture. Well, they see in it the Word of God.

III. The “Word of Life” in I John 1:1.

Whether you look at the book of Revelation or the Gospel of John or I John 1:1as we look at now, you can not get away from the consistent objective of theApostle John to show men the way to Jesus as the Christ the Son of God thatthey thereby might have eternal life.

1. John states it the introduction to the Gospel of John in the words of John1:12,13. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to becomechildren of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not ofblood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

If you see little else about the authority and power of Jesus, you should seethat while most in the world reject Him and He knows it, He has the authorityto make any who will believe the children of God through the new birth. Theyare not children of God by birth or the will of the mind or the strength of thehuman body but of God.

2. John records it in Revelation 19:9 as part of the Second Coming of Christand the righteous judgment.

“Then he said to me, ‘Write: Blessed are those who are called to the marriagesupper of the Lamb!’ And he said to me, These are the true sayings of God.”

It is a true saying of God that the believers in the church of the firstborn willbe called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

3. Then you see it also in I John 1:1.

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we haveseen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands havehandled, concerning the Word of life— (here it is more than the Word or theWord of God, it is the Word of life) the life was manifested, and we haveseen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was withthe Father and was manifested to us—that which we have seen and heardwe declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly ourfellowship is the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these thingswe write to you that your joy may be full.” (I John 1:1-4)

Wow, this passage is full of true sayings also!

(1). When John says what we have seen and heard, etc.—the voice of personalexperience— he is talking about what the Apostles saw and heard.

(2). The Word of Life was manifested, this is the Son of God, this is JesusChrist. What was revealed to be the Word of God in Revelation, what waspresented to be the Logos or Word in the Gospel of John; now here in I John isthe Word of Life.

(3). This eternal life, alias this Jesus, was with God the Father from thebeginning; and it is this incarnation of life eternal that the Apostles witnessedand are testifying to.

(4). John and the other Apostles are declaring nothing less or more than whatthey saw and heard of this eternal and incarnate life in order that you thereader or listener can have the fellowship with the Apostles, with otherChristians.

(5). This fellowship is with God the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

(6). The record is made in I John as in Revelation and the Gospel of John inorder that you may know the fullness of joy through Christ.

IV. We must see the connection between Jesus as the Word, the Son of God,and life itself.

1. Jesus words are the words of God. We see this in John 3:34; 14:10; and17:8,14. Jesus made a prayer of intercession for his Apostles and for all thatwould believe through those Apostles. Among other things He prayed asfollows to God the Father.

“For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they havereceived them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and theyhave believed that thou didst send me.” (John 17:8)

2. It is extremely important for you to believe the words of Jesus, John5:47. Jesus tried to tell the people of His own time that they did not listen toHis words of the words of Moses. Then it is that hear from Jesus as recordedin John 5:47.

“But if ye believe not his writings (Moses), how shall ye believe my words?”

Recall that as John stated in the introduction that while the law came by Moses,grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. In effect, Jesus is saying, ‘If you don’tpay any real attention to the Ten Commandments as far as obeying them, youwill not also pay attention to the matters of life in grace and truth.

3. The abiding in the word of Jesus is the same as being a disciple of Jesus,or a Christian. (John 8:31). The Bible itself only uses the word “Christian”three times. The person who believes in Jesus is more appropriately referredto a believer or as a disciple.

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in myword, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and thetruth shall make you free.” (John 8:31,32)

4. Jesus words bring life. Jesus’s words are life. We see this in John 5:24;6:68; and8:51.

“Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hastthe words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art thatChrist, the Son of the living God.” (John 6:68,69)

5. Jesus’ words bring cleansing (John 15:3).

“Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abidein me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abidein the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.”

Conclusion: The negative side of not listening to the words of Jesus is alsoin the Bible. There is a positive side: listen to Jesus, believe in Jesus andlive. The negative side is that a refusal to listen to the words of Jesus willbring judgment. In short, those who will not heed the words of Jesus belongto the devil. Wow, let me see it in the Bible!

6. The refusal to heed the words of Jesus bring judgment (John 12:47f).

“And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for Icame not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me,and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I havespoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken ofmyself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what Ishould say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandmentis life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father saidunto me, so I speak.” (John 12:47-50)

9-4: A Candle Still Burns in Rome Until the Fall of the United States Empire.

Of course the classic interpretation of Revelation chapters 17 and 18 is thatRome is the city of Babylon; and that is obviously true of chapter 17 with itsreferences to the seven hills of Rome and the obvious sequencing of the RomanEmperors including the Nero that burned Rome. However, in chapter 18 thepattern changes; and the Babylon of chapter 18 could either be Rome in itsultimate destruction or another great and wicked city that persecutesChristians.

There is one obvious reason this is true and this is found in Revelation 1:21and 23.

1. In Revelation 18:21 the city of Babylon is found no more.

“And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it intothe sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be throwndown, and shall be found no more at all.”

We know that the city of Rome does still exist in the nation of Italy; people stilltoss coins in the fountains of Rome as they visit there; it is considered I supposeto be the home of the Mafia; and of course, it is the home of the Roman Catholicchurch.

2. A candle still burns in Rome, Revelation 18:23.

And that brings us to the second reason that the Babylon of chapter 17 is notthe same as the Babylon of chapter 18. A candle still burns in Rome! In fact,many candles.

“And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voiceof the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee...”(Rev 18:23a)

I. The Babylon of Revelation 18 is closer to being the world itself, or at leastany and several wicked and great cities that persecute Christians. There areseveral reasons besides the one of the introduction that are shown in the text.

1. The general nature of the groups of “all nations” and the “all that were slainon the earth” of Revelation 18:23,24 indicate that this is the final judgment onthe earth.

“...for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorcerieswere all nations deceived ed. And in her was found the blood of prophets,and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth...” (Rev 18:23,24)

. The words of Revelation 18:8 obviously remind the reader or listener of thedestruction of the earth by fire predicted by Peter in II Peter 3:10. Comparethe two portions of Scripture. a. II Peter 3:10.

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which theheavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt withfervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnedup.”

b. Revelation 18:8.

“Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, andfamine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord Godwho judgeth her.”

Babylon shall be utterly burned with fire: that sounds like the same fire thatconsumes the earth.

3. The events of the next chapter, Revelation 19, show us the SecondComing of Christ and the marriage supper of the church of the Firstborn.

4. The extent of the fall of Revelation 18:2 has also obviously not happenedto Rome as it does still exist and as also a candle does still burn in Rome.

“...Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation ofdevils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean andhateful bird.”

5. If Babylon can be Rome in chapter 17, and obviously it is instead of thereal Babylon, then the Babylon of chapter 18 could be a large city in the UnitedStates, or Europe, or could be representative of all large cities before theSecond Coming of Christ.

6. The sins of Babylon of chapter 18 and even 17 is also what all othernations are guilty of as far as sin, Revelation 18:3.

“For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, andthe kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and themerchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of herdelicacies.”

Honestly, it sounds more like the United States and the cities of the UnitedStates to me.

II. Look at Revelation 17 and 18, especially the references about the merchantsand the fornicators, and you will see the United States written all over it.

What is the sin of fornication? The regular dictionary gives three definitionsfor fornication: (1) voluntary sexual intercourse, generally forbidden by law,between an unmarried woman and a man, especially, an unmarried man; (2)any unlawful sexual intercourse, including adultery; and (3) worship of idols.Let us face the bottom line of what we are talking about here. Jesussummarized the existing Ten Commandments as “You shall love the LordGod with all your heart, mind, and soul; and the second is like it, you shalllove your neighbor as yourself.” The first is a summary of the first three of the

Ten Commandments: not to have any other gods before the LORD God, notto make an graven images or idols, and not to take God’s name in vain. Thelove of neighbor as self summarizes the rest of the commandments as notstealing, no adultery, no false witness, etc. So when the Old Testamentprophets called those named the children of God fornicators or whores, as theyoften did as you well know from reading your Old Testament, and the samein the prophesy of Revelation, it is an obvious reference to not giving God thefirst place in love of heart, mind, and soul.

And certainly you must see in all the references to merchants in Revelation17,18 that it is America that leads the world in business. When you traveloverseas what do you see General Motors, Exxon, MacDonald’s, etc.Constantly since the failure of communism in Russia, the United States issending businessmen to Russia to teach capitalism. The business of Americais business, and the United States is the undisputed world leader in business.I recall visiting the various sites of missionary activity in Thailand with aCMA missionary named Neal Webber. He said that previously they gave thenative Thais shoes. But soon it was heard from them that “you can get a pairof shoes if you become a Christian.” And that is the way the world looks atus, as merchants of plenty.

Now, already we suspect that the fornication of cities and nations influencedby Babylon must the last, the worship of idols; but let us continue. Vine’sEXPOSITORY DICTIONARY gives the first and obvious meaning of “illicitsexual intercourse” and then the second as metaphorically, of the associationof pagan idolatry with doctrines of, and professed adherence to, the Christianfaith, Rev 14:8; 17:2,4; 18:3; and 19:2.” And we must decide from a look at anyconcordance and the usage of the word “fornications” in the Old Testament,that the fornications of Revelation 17 and 18 are like that of Ezekiel 16 wherethe Prophet talks of the harlotry of Jerusalem. How they had taken idols toworship instead of God. It is background for Revelation 17 and 18 asJerusalem like Babylon is called a whore.

American religion what is it? It is 1 part church, community, Bible, andChristianity; 2 parts freedom and democracy; and 3 parts merchandise, things,status, success, comfort, and the good life. Believe you me, the movies areinfluencing foreigners more than our missionaries; and what the people of the

world want is our goods and comfort. They by and large see little relationshipbetween our Christianity and our democracy of things.

III. The nations like the United States are in trouble because the churches arealso in trouble.

If that seems like an odd thing to you remember that of the seven originalchurches mentioned at the beginning of the book of Revelation only two werenot in serious trouble. The church at Ephesus left its first love, and wasthreatened with removal; the church at Smyrna was the only one not introuble; the church at Pergamos had members of very unsound doctrine andwere fornicators in that they were influenced by idol worship, and werethreatened with a fight from The Word of God; the church at Thyatira allowedJezebel to influence fornication of idol worship, and those followers andJezebel were threatened with destruction; the church at Sardis had areputation of being active and alive, but the Risen Christ said they were dead;and the church at Philadelphia was also not in trouble. Now if five out ofseven of the original churches had these magnitudes of problem to the extentof being threatened with extinction, what do you think the state of thechurches in America almost two thousand years later is going to be like. Doyou not recall that the Apostle Paul wrote of what would happen inChristianity and churches as time passed.

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but aftertheir 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 tofables.” (II Timothy 4:3,4) Now, do you think that time is here already ornot. Look at the unsound doctrine of Roman Catholics all over the world thatthink they have salvation because they were baptized as babies; look at theMormons who look so good with their TV ads, and evangelism, but havehideous doctrines that make salvation by works instead of faith (they call itthe restored gospel); and look at some of our Southern Baptist Churches sodeep in divorce that if a preacher presents the Bible on the subject, the peopledon’t come to church.

Notice the way it goes—

First, people not longer have tolerance for sound doctrine. They don’t wantto hear it, and they will assure themselves that they do not listen to it. Second,motivation by certain pet sins that they desire to keep in their lives, they lookfor preachers and teachers to agree with them. To talk about something newlike the government that will not miss with their sins. As the Old Testamentsays, “Like the priest, like the people.” The teachers with itching ears becomelike the people that called them. Thirdly, after a period of time they graduallyturn their back on truth. They, preachers and people alike, do not evenrecognize any longer what has happened to them. Fourth, they are turned intofables. You can see where other churches are headed by looking at the fablesthat the Mormons have turned into with their book of Mormon about aprevious civilization here in America, about Jesus coming to preach here whileHe was in the grave, and so on.

IV. Where does that leave the individual Christian?

We’ve talked about the nations and the fate of the nations in Revelation; we’vetalked about the churches and the fate of the churches in Revelation and IITimothy. But where does that leave the individual? Notice that right in themiddle of Revelation 18, what with all the activity of the merchants and thefornication by not loving God with all the heart, mind, and soul, and theannouncement of destruction on their cities, comes an appeal to the individualRevelation 18:4.

“Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and thatye receive not of her plagues.”

Also, you will notice if you have not already done so that in the midst of allthe disturbing information about five out of the seven churches is an appealto the individual to still act wisely.

1. To the individual church members in the church at Ephesus, the RisenChrist said. “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto thechurches: To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which isin the midst of the paradise of God.” (Revelation 2:7)

2. To the individual church members in the church at Smyrna the RisenChrist said.

“He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.” (Revelation2:11)

3. To the individual church members in the church at Pergamos the RisenChrist said.

“To him that overcoemth will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and willgive him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no manknoweth saving he that receiveth it.” (Revelation 2:17)

4. To the individual church members in the church at Thyatira the RisenChrist said.

“But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not thisdoctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak: Iwill put upon you none other burden. But that which ye have already holdfast till I come.” (Revelation 2:24,13)

5. To the individual church members in the church at Sardis the RisenChrist said. “Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiledtheir garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.He that overcoemth, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I willnot blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his namebefore my Father, and before his angels.” (Revelation 3:4,5)

6. To the individual church members in the church at Philadelphia theRisen Christ said. “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I alsowill keep thee form the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all theworld, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly: holdthat fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcomethwill I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out:and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city ofmy God, which is new Jerusalem which cometh down out of heaven frommy God: and I will write upon him my new name.” (Revelation 3:10-12)

7. To the individual church members in the church at Laodicea the RisenChrist wrote.

“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore and repent.”(Revelation 3:19)

Chapter 10: Revelation, the Gospel of John, and the Epistles.

Since the book of Revelation provided motivation for the Apostle John to startwriting and provided background for him to continue writing, in ourcontinued Bible study we will utilize Revelation as BACKGROUND for theGospel of John; and since the epistles of I, II, and III John came after the Gospel,providing IMPLEMENTATION of the Gospel and Revelation to the problemsof a split in Christian fellowship, we will naturally use the epistles for theimplementation of the Gospel. Therefore the outline of each paragraph of theGospel will have these three points (no poem!):

1. Background from Revelation.


3. Implementation in the Epistles.

I. The Word.

No other Gospel or book of the Bible refers to Jesus as the Word except theGospel of John and the book of Revelation. No one even knew that name forChrist until it was revealed to John in the book of Revelation.

1. Background from Revelation.

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat onhim was called Faithful and True, and with righteousness He judges andmakes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were manycrowns. And He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. AndHe was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called TheWord of God.” (Revelation 19:11-13)


Armed with this revelation from Christ Himself of the name only known byChrist Himself, John starts writing the biography of the life and times of JesusChrist. Only John of the four Gospels goes back into eternity to begin with thepre-existent Christ. Matthew goes back to Abraham,. Mark goes back to Isaiahto pick up the prophecy about John the Baptist as the messenger to prepare

the way for Christ, and then Luke goes back one generation more to theparents of John the Baptist. John starts like the book of Genesis with “In thebeginning...” That was very purposeful on the part of John and the inspirationto John from the Holy Spirit. This is in Christ the new beginning of life. Andin order to receive that life, which is the very purpose of John’s writing of thestory of Jesus, you must see Christ as: (1) The Word that existed before thefoundation of the world was laid, (2) The Word, Christ, who was with Godfrom before the beginning of Creation; (3) That this Word is very God; (4) Thatthis Christ was definitely not exclusively the God as He was with God in closefellowship; (5) Christ the Word was the mediating cause of Creation as allthings in the heavens and the earth were made through Him; (6) Here is thesubject of John—”In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And thelight shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (John1:4,5) The darkness of earth with the sin and doubt and rebellion could notovercome the light and extinguish it, although it was tried!

3. Implementation in the Epistles of John.

I John 1-3 is a summary of the whole Gospel of John.

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we haveseen with out yes, which we have looked upon, and our hands havehandled, concerning the Word of life—for the life was manifested, and wehave seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which waswith the Father and was manifested to us—that which we have seen andheard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; andtruly our fellowship is with His Son Jesus Christ.” (I John 1:1-1)

Then John implements the story of life in Jesus with it’s practical applicationof joy in Christian fellowship.

“And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.” (I John 1:4)There is the implementation of life in Christ: full joy.

II. John the Baptist’s Testimony, John 1:6-13.

1. Background in Revelation.

Obviously this passage from John is about “light and life”, and the light ofNew Jerusalem comes from the Lamb of God, the Christ.

“And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are itstemple. And the city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it,for the glory of God illuminated it, and the Lamb is its light.” (Revelation21:22,23)

Naturally if a person is to eternally enjoy this temple of God and this light ofGod, then they must begin right now on earth to find a way to get fellowshipwith that light and life!


The Apostle John does not divert from the focus on Christ as the light and lifeas he introduces John the Baptist as the witness to the Light. “That (Christ,the Word) was the true Light which gives light to every man who comes intothe world.” (John 1:9)

NOTE: This could be a show stopper right here. That is, moments could bespent on this. In what way does Christ light every man that comes into theworld. Certainly, the kind of spiritual light that gives life does not come toevery man, so that John must have learned something from the AscendedChrist about physical light, and of Christ as the source of all light in theuniverse. 3. Implementation in the Epistles.

“Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him andin you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is alreadyshining.” (I John 2:8) This is true in you and in Christ: that the darkness thattried to comprehend Christ is passing away. Something is getting better onthis earth, and that something is the darkness that the light of Christ isovercoming.

“Come and See”, The Gospel of John

“Come and See” is the invitation that Jesus gave to His first disciples, theApostle John being one of them.

“Come and See” is the invitation that Jesus gives to people today. Not thesame way as originally recorded at the beginning of the Gospel of John.However, the way is later in John: it is through the Other Jesus, the Comforter,the “alter ego” of Jesus, in other words the Spirit of Christ or the Holy Spirit

who came to take the place of Jesus on earth when He ascended back to theright hand of the Father.

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, thathe may abide with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world[the American Conscience] cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neitherknoweth him, but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be inyou.” (John 14:16,17)

“Come and See” is the essential gist of the Gospel of John. “Come and See”what Jesus did, what Jesus taught, and the life and death of Jesus.

“And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples,which are not written in this book: but these are written, that ye mightbelieve that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye mighthave life through his name.” (John 20:30,31) Here is where you begin to seethe uniqueness of the Gospel of John as compared to the other Gospels.

1. The “signs”. John carefully chose seven of the miracles and Jesusperformed from the many, and selected events and teachings closely relatedto those seven miracles in order to give the focus of John.

2. These Seven Miracles were done in the presence of the disciples. Thework of Christ by no means was done in secret. The personal experience of“come and see” is the tone throughout the book.

3. These are written. There was the need for a written record of what Johnand the other disciples had seen and heard for themselves. There was the needto wrap up the revelations of the New Testament.

4. The goal was simple, evangelism: that men might believe that this Jesusof Nazareth whom they followed was indeed the Promised Messiah or Christof the Old Testament, and that He was indeed the very, only Son of God.

5. It was evangelism that lead to “life”—”that believing ye might have lifethrough his name.”

10-1: John the Baptist.

Since the Apostle John does not use his own name in the book of John, youknow that the “John” referenced in the first chapters is John the Baptist. This

is the John who came to prepare the way for Christ. The same John that wasprophesied in Isaiah as “the voice crying in the wilderness”. Also in Malachihe is referred to as the new Elijah, because he came in the spirit and power ofElijah.

“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold theLamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whomI said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he wasbefore me. And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest toIsrael, therefore am I come baptizing with water.” (John 1:29- 31)

1. If again we replace in the text “American Conscience” for “world”, wehave the encouragement that no matter what shape the collective AmericanConscience is in or the individual American conscience, Christ came to takeaway the sin of the American Conscience.

2. By referring to Jesus as the “Lamb of God”, a term of sacrifice from theOld Testament, John the Baptist was not only preparing the nation of Israel tolisten to Jesus but also preparing them for His death on the cross.

3. The Apostle John uses the quote from John the Baptist about “he wasbefore me” to keep going with the theme of the “Word” who was with Godfrom the beginning. Naturally, as John the Baptist admitted Christ would bepreferred before him, He existed before him. 33-2: “COME AND SEE” IS THEEVAGELISTIC INVITATION THAT JESUS GAVE TO HIS FIRST DISCIPLES.

Evangelism is first of all a matter of learning. Jesus did not ask the firstdisciples to believe immediately, but rather to come and live with him in orderto see and learn. Jesus did not first say, “Believe”, he said “Come and See”.Jesus did not first say, “Repent”, He rather said “come and see”; first it wasnot “be baptized”, but “come and see”. First things and first, and the firstpriority is to learn Jesus before believing, repenting, and being baptized.Before working for Christ is believing, and before believing is coming to Jesusin order to learn about Him. These words recorded in John 1 were to twodisciples that followed John the Baptist until that John identified Jesus as theLamb of God, then when they expressed interest in Jesus, He told them to“come and see.” One of these two disciples was Andrew, the brother of SimonPeter. Andrew found his own brother and said to him:

“We have found the Messias, which is being interpreted, the Christ.” (John1:41)

NOTE: You see that Andrew as many others in his generation were lookingfor the promised Messiah, promised in the Old Testament. In the nextchapter of this book we will look at some of those prophetic expectationsthat were created in the minds of Old Testament readers by the many OldTestament prophecies about the “Christ”.

“And he brought him to Jesus...” Still the greatest thing any brother or friendcan do for another person, to bring them to Jesus. It is another way ofrepeating the invitation of Jesus to “come and see”.

10-2: Come and See Jesus in the Gospel of John.

Jesus went into Galilee looking for disciples. He found Philip and said,“Follow me.” (John 1:43) This is the step beyond “come and see”; and if we areto understand the complete process of learning Christ, then we need to knowthe difference between coming to see and following Jesus.

Step 1: “Come and See”. Step 2: “Follow Me”.

What it comes down to is what did Philip know about Jesus that first disciplesdid not yet know when the invitation was simply to “come and see”. Well, toanswer that, we must investigate learning. Educational theory indicates thatin general people learn four ways: (1) Rote memory, (2) Example, (3) Trial andError, and (4) Creativity. We must add a fifth way in order to include thespecial way that Christ is learned. True, the other four secular ways are alsoincluded in the learning process, but without the fifth and special way it isimpossible to pass from the simple “come and see” to the “follow Me.”

To see this fifth way of learning, we need to look at what Jesus Himself toldus about learning in the Gospel of John.

“It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes toMe.” (John 6:45)

1. Those who have heard directly from the Father are those who reallylearn Christ, heard from the Father through the Word of God and through theHoly Spirit.

2. Those who have learned from the Father are those who come to Jesus.

“Philip found Nathaniel and said to him: ‘We have found him, of whomMoses in the law, and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son ofJoseph.’” (John 1:45)

Nathaniel was skeptical. He asked: “Can there any good thing come out ofNazareth?” (John 1:46) (NOTE: Nazareth had a bad reputation in the timeand generation of Nathaniel.

Philip had learned by example from Jesus. Philip said to Nathaniel, “Comeand See.” Those who are skeptical, Phillip not being one of those since heimmediately received the invitation to “follow me”, must “come and see”more than those who are not skeptical; and later in this book we will discussnot only the importance of hearing the Word of God in believing, but also theimportant of “evidence” in believing.) Jesus knew men even as He knows mentoday. He immediately took care of the skepticism. He provided Nathanielwith “evidence” for believing in Him as the Son of God.

“Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to him, and saith of him, ‘Behold an Israeliteindeed, in whom is no guile.’” (John 1:47)

1. Nathaniel was a real Israelite.

2. Nathaniel was sincere about being an Israelite.

Jesus replied: “Before that Phillip called thee, when thou wast under the figtree, I saw thee.” (John 1:48) With a little demonstration of His powers as theSon of God, Jesus showed Nathaniel that He could exhibit the all-seeingcapabilities of God the Father. How quickly it worked on Nathaniel! InstantlyNathaniel passed from the sceptic who must “come and see” to the disciplethat is ready to “follow Me.”

“Nathaniel answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God;thou art the King of Israel.” (John 1:49)

This identified Jesus of Nazareth in the mind of Nathaniel, the former sceptic,as: (1) The Son of God, and (2) as the King of Israel, the Prophet Messiah ofthe Old Testament.

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw theeunder the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.”(John 1:50)

This was not a reprimand. It was rather an invitation to see more and believemore. Seeing Nathaniel under the fig tree was only a minor miracle, Nathanielwould see much more godlikeness in the miracles that Jesus would performin his presence as in the presence of the other disciples. (NOTE: See howcarefully John has selected what he writes in the Gospel of John. “the Son ofGod” from Nathaniel reinforces the preface of John where Jesus is the “word”with God and is God, and where a very minor miracle with a promise fromJesus of seeing much more, is preparation for the seven magnificent miraclesaround which the Gospel of John is weaved.)

10-3: “Come and SEE” is the Invitation of Today.

“COME AND SEE” IS THE INVITATION THAT JESUS EXTENDS IN THISDAY AND TIME AND THAT TELLS US SOMETHING ABOUT JESUSHIMSELF. A person recently said to me in an attempt to justify his lack ofinterest in Christianity, “There is so much confusing about the Bible: all thosetranslations, the priests had their own ax to grind and sins in their own lives, and themanuscripts have gone through so many languages.”

To which I replied simply: “Since there are 66 books in the Bible, what I do isto compare one book against the other 65.”

That is what will be done in this volume and the other of the seven volumesof THE LEARNING CHRIST NEW TESTAMENT COMMENTARIES. In thescience of “hermeneutics”, or the science of Biblical interpretation, it is calledcomparing scripture with scripture. For example, you will find that it is thesame Jesus being quoted in Matthew as in John. You will find that what Jesussays and does in John is consistent with what Jesus says and does in Matthew.For that reason, Matthew is quoted now on what Jesus said in other wordswith the equivalent of “come and see”. Actually it really goes a little beyond“come and see”, which John also does as we will see later.

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give yourest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly inheart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and myburden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30) See how that goes beyond “come andsee” and even beyond “follow me”. Recently as I was driving along after mydaily prayers, and thinking of some of the problems that I would commit toChrist since He “cares for me”, I was warmed within as I saw the billboard ofthe sign with the fireman carrying the child to safety and the word “Gotcha”.God and God through Jesus with much more power to carry it out says to theChristian disciple, “Gotcha!”

1. It is a today invitation.

(1). It is an invitation to those that work for a living.

Jesus has a preference, and always has, for the blue collar worker over thewhite color worker. Not only is it difficult for the rich and wise to believe, butthe preference for the Gospel of Christ in the Bible is for the poor and humblein status. Those that “labour and are heavy laden.”

(2). It is an invitation to those that are heavy laden.

The invitation becomes more general here, for truly the rich and wise are asheavily laden with problems as are the poor and laborer. While the wise andestablished in this world have more of a problem with the special learning ofChrist from God the Father, this general invitation is to the educated anduneducated, the down and outers as well as the up and outers, to the wealthyand the poor, and to the established as well as the struggling.

(3). It is an invitation for rest.

The Shepherd of the Old Testament is one with the Shepherd of the NewTestament. Even as we can say of the Shepherd of the Old Testament, “OurFather which art in heaven...” and “He maketh me to lie down in greenpastures...” and “He restoreth my soul”, so also we can say of the Shepherd ofthe New Testament He “will give you rest.”

(4). It is the invitation to take a yoke.

The invitation is also a call to the discipline of discipleship. The yoke like theyoke on the oxen is a discipline of direction and dedication in life. “Take myyoke upon you and learn of me...” However, the yoke is easy and the burdenis light.

(5). It is an invitation to learn. We need a reminder that this is what disciplemeans, a learner. The first disciples called Jesus “Rabbi”, or Teacher beforethey called Him Master or Lord. The “come and see” was an invitation tocome and learn. When these first disciples asked Him, “Where do you live?’”it was really a question of how do you live and what is your life-style?

2. The Invitation to “Come and See” tells us something about Jesus Himself.

(1). Jesus is Meek.

Jesus is a supervisor that is concerned about His disciples. He will not beatthem down or expect of them what they are not capable of doing. He willpatiently teach and guide disciples.

He will give them what is best for they life and career as a disciple.

(2). Jesus is Lowly in Heart.

Jesus in not like the rich and powerful. Or even Christians who want to bebossy and exercise control. He is like among the humble folk. Even as Jesustaught that “blessed are the poor in spirit”, another way to say the humble,and blessed are they that mourn, and blessed are the meek, and merciful, andpure in heart, and blessed are the peacemakers, first of all He offers all thesethings to disciples that will first “come and see” and then “follow me.”

10-4: “COME AND SEE” IS THE CONTINUING AND PRESENTINVITATION OF THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST, THE HOLY SPIRIT.

John’s stay on the isle of Patmos put him in the authorship business: not onlydid he with the revelations of Revelation get the word “Word” for Christ withwhich to start the Gospel of John, but also he received as recorded inRevelation 22:17 the primary invitation of the Gospel of John.

“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 takethe water of life freely.” (Revelation 22:17)

Come, Come, and Come in the book of Revelation as an introduction to theGospel of John. Behind Revelation all the Gospel of John has to do is add the“See”. See what Jesus said, See what Jesus taught, and See the character ofJesus: then when His life on earth is over, See how the Holy Spirit continuesthe work of Jesus on earth. The best way to visualize the relationship betweenthe work of Jesus and that of the Holy Spirit is to consider the Holy Spirit asthe Spirit of Jesus at work on this earth. Before Jesus lived on this earth, duringOld Testament times, the Spirit of Jesus was at work among the authors of theOld Testament writing Scriptures; and after Jesus Ascended to the right handof the Father, the Spirit of Jesus came back, sent by and from the Father, in amore powerful and more democratic fashion.

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out ofMy Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, youryoung men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on Mymenservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days;and they shall prophesy. I will show wonders in heaven above and signs inthe earth beneath: blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turnedinto darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great andnotable day of the LORD. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on thename of the LORD shall be saved.” (Joel 2:30 and Acts 2:17-21)

1. Recall this is a prophecy from the Prophet Joel which the Apostle Petersaid was being fulfilled before their eyes on the first day of Pentecost after theAscension of Jesus.

2. This is in the “last days”.

3. See the democratic outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ,with the Spirit on all flesh, the young men, the old men, the men and women.

4. Since one day is to God as a thousand years and a thousand years asone day, the first coming of Christ blends in together with the Second Comingin the “great and notable day of the LORD.”

5. The most significant aspect of those days between is that “whoever callson the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

So...the “bride” says COME in Revelation 22:17. The bride is, of course, Christ:“I Jesus”, we read in verse 16 of Revelation 22. It is the root and offspring ofDavid and the bright and morning star who says “Come” first in Revelationand then in the Gospel of John in the sequence of writing. Or in the actualhistorical sequence first during His life on earth as recorded in the Gospel ofJohn and then in the book of Revelation that occurred after His Ascension backto the right hand of the Father.

Everyone that hears says “Come”. All Christians that have personalexperience because of their listening to the Holy Spirit say “Come.” The Spiritsays COME.

Let everyone that is thirsty COME.

Jesus said that He was “the bread of life” and “the water of life”, and the HolySpirit today reminds us of those facts. As Jesus taught:

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go way: forif I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I willsend him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin,and of righteousness, and of judgment...” (John 16:7,8)

1. The Spirit reproves the world of sin.

Jesus explains further in the next verse (John 16:9) that the primary sin is thatof unbelief: “of sin, because they believe not on me...”

The only condemning sin that Jesus and the Spirit are concerned about is thesin of unbelief. The sin of unbelief is the only unforgivable sin. The Spiritworks with men today to remind them that Jesus is the Lamb of God that takesaway the sin of the world, the Spirit reminds men that Jesus is the Christ, thePromised Messiah; and the Spirit reminds men that Jesus of Nazareth was andis the Son of God.

NOTE: This is a problem with the American Conscience today especially aspracticed by the fundamentalists. They try to usurp the work of the HolySpirit, themselves desiring to reprove the rest of the world of sin, ofrighteousness, and of judgment. This besides making themselves feel godlike,also eases the guilt of their own conscience and provides a certain superioritycomplex.

2. The Spirit reproves the world of righteousness.

“...of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more...” (John16:10) We can not see Jesus today exactly as the first disciples did in flesh, butthe Spirit was sent to remind us of what Jesus is like. Jesus is righteousnessand when we look at the character and works of Jesus and the teachings wesee righteousness.

3. The Spirit reproves the world of judgment.

Simultaneously while the Spirit is at work in the world today reminding us ofsin and righteousness, He is also reminding us of the judgment to come if wedo not believe on Jesus as the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

“...of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged...” (John 16:11)

The New King James Version calls this “prince of this world” the “ruler of thisworld.” This is of course Satan! He is the top leader in the “world” that is tobe shunned: He is the top leader in the world of the American Conscience. Soif the top is judged so also will be all that chose to follow Satan in the rejectionof the Lord Jesus Christ through unbelief.

You see how this rejection is more than a disbelief, for you know that Satanhaving been an angel in heaven knows that Jesus is the Son of God. Unbeliefis a positive rejection of the Lordship of Jesus over life, a rebellion, if you will,against the high God of the universe.

10-5: “COME AND SEE” IS THE ESSENTIAL GIST OF THE BOOK OFJOHN!

(NOTE: To contend for the faith is to take the faith back from the simulatorsof Christianity. They simulate Christianity in that they replace methods and asensitized American Conscience with the correct learning of Christ. Themanner in which the faith is taken back from them is: (1) Identify their status,popularity, nice suits and buildings for what they are (contrast what youknow about the way Christ lived with what you see today); (2) put doctrinesespecially the doctrine of Christ up front in priority beyond their methods; (3)Provide examples of how Christ is learned since there are some Christians left

in the fundamentalists churches that are overwhelmed, leaderless, andsurrounded.)

“Come and see” is the invitation of the Gospel of John. It is an invitation toread about, to hear about, and then later to believe in Jesus as the Christ, theSon of God.

John the Apostle tells the reason that he wrote the Gospel of John.

“And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples,which are not written in this book: but these are written, that ye mightbelieve that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye mighthave life through his name.” (John 20:30,31) You must see some similaritybetween “the signs on the earth beneath” of Acts 2 and Joel with the “signs”of Jesus in the Gospel of John. Indeed the last days shows signs above andbelow!

1. Jesus did “signs” in the presence of His disciples. What are signs? Signsare something that you can see, the essential gist continues of coming in orderto see.

a. The character of Christ is a signs. The thief on the cross said, “We arebeing crucified justly, but He has done no wrong.”

b. The teachings of Jesus are signs. It was said of Jesus when he was onearth and is still said of him today that “Never man spake like this man.”

c. The works of Jesus are a sign. When Jesus turned the water into wine,or walked on water, or made the deaf to hear and the lame to walk, it was a“sign” from God that this Jesus of Nazareth was the very Christ. Nicodemussaid to Jesus as other have:

“Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can dothese miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.” (John 3:2)

d. The death of Christ on the cross was a sign. As John the Baptist said,This was the Lamb of God—the Lamb which God provided—taking away thesins of the world.

e. The resurrection of Christ was a sign. Where else have you heard ofGod bringing someone from the grave on the third day. And it is easily

verifiable as a fact that would stand up in a court of law. As Peter said on thefirst day of Pentecost after the resurrection, “This Jesus hath God raised up,whereof we all are witnesses.” (Acts 2:32)

2. To be a personal and reliable witness was the purpose of John’s writingof the Gospel of John. Jesus did these signs in the very presence of John andthe other disciples. Nothing was done secretly.

3. John was selective about the signs that are recorded in the Gospel ofJohn. Jesus performed many works and miracles, some in Matthew, others inMark and Luke, and not all recorded.

“And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if theyshould be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could notcontain the books that should be written.” (John 21:13)

John was selective to achieve the goals of (1) Come and see, and then (2)believe and have life.

“But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Sonof God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” (John20:31)

4. The correct response to the Gospel of John is to believe.

It is written for no lesser purpose but that you the reader might haveeverlasting life after death and abundant life on this earth. The book ofRevelation describes it as out of the belly comes rivers of living water.

a. The Gospel of John is the Gospel of Belief. The word “believe” ismentioned an overwhelming number of times in John.

b. It is a selective belief in Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God, as thePromised Messiah or Christ of the Old Testament. It selective belief is tobelieve as John the Baptist said that Jesus is the Lamb of God that takes awaythe sins of the world; to believe like John the Apostle recorded that “He is theChrist”; to believe like Phillip told Nathanael, “We have found him, of whomMoses wrote in the law and the prophets, Jesus of Nazareth, the son ofJoseph.” (John 1:45)

10-6: In John 3 we have Nicodemus coming to see Jesus.

“There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: thesame came to Jesus by night...”

This tells us four things about this “man” that came to see Jesus: (1) he was aPharisee; (2) his name was Nicodemus; (3) he was a ruler of the Jews; and (4)he came secretly at night.

1. Nicodemus was ruler of the Jews.

The Roman government was in power, but they permitted each culture theydominated to retain their own form of government. For the Jews, it was theSanhedrin that ruled both the politics and religion of Israel. In fact, thereligious laws were also the laws of the nation. You will recall that Paul wasa lawyer before he became a Christian, and that meant that he was trained inthe religious laws which were the laws of the nation. Well, Nicodemus was amember of that religious and political and even social ruling body, theSanhedrin.

Later in the gospel of John, it will be members of the Sanhedrin that plot to putJesus to death lest the Romans come and take away their place and theirnation; later in John, it will be the Sanhedrin, or at least the Pharisees and chiefpriests of that body, that look for Jesus during the Passover; and later in John,it will be member of this body, with help from Judas, that come to arrest Jesus.You see that this Sanhedrin was very concerned about their status as religiousand political leaders in the nation—they didn’t want to lose it—and they didnot want to lose their status in the Roman Empire. (It reminds you of certainBaptist churches today who are so fearful of losing their position in theassociation and in the Southern Baptist Convention.) And we must also recallthe statement from the Bible that it is very difficult for a person of wealth andstatus to become a Christian.

“For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to theflesh, not many mighty, nor many noble, are called.”

And this was what Jesus had in mind when He said that it was harder for arich man to go to heaven than it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.Why? Simply the status, position, wealth, and possessions get in the way ofputting Christ first in life. However, we do know looking ahead in the story

that Nicodemus did take seriously the teachings of the new birth, but that isfor later.

2. Nicodemus was a Pharisee.

There were two parties in the Sanhedrin: the Sadducees that did not believein a resurrection from the dead and the Pharisees that did; yet it was primarilythe Pharisees that made themselves an enemy of Jesus which seems strangesince believing in the resurrection, one of their main accusations against Jesuswas that He would rise from the dead on the third day. John the Baptistcondemned both of these religious and political parties.

“But when he (John the Baptist) saw many of the Pharisees and Sadduceescome to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hathwarned you to flee from the wrath to come.”

The most stinging accusations that Jesus made against people or groups ofpeople while on earth was against the Pharisees and Sadducees. Just beforechapter 3 of John and in the second half of chapter 2, Jesus has an encounterwith the Pharisees and Sadducees in the temple at Jerusalem. Jesus said theywere making His Father’s house a den of thieves and mon-

Chapter 11: Signs for Believing in Jesus from the Gospel ofJohn.

11-1: We Preach Christ: The Seven Signs of the Gospel of John.

People who study the Bible know that the chief subject of the Bible is the LordJesus Christ. If I had only one sermon to preach or a last sermon to preach itwould have to be on Christ! The Apostle John was overcome by what wasshown him in the book of Revelation, so that by the time the revelations hadbuilt up in Revelation 19 he was about to fall down and worship the onepresenting him the revelations. The revelator told him, “Don’t do that!”

And then told him what John and all of us should do: “worship God: for thetestimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophesy.” (Revelation 19:10) Today weworship God; today we do so by a testimony to Jesus; this is the real spirit ofall prophesy.

I. What do we learn about Jesus from the book of Revelation that willcontribute to our testimony about Him, and add to the spirit of prophesy. Itwill also assist us in the worship of God.

1. The introductory words of Revelation 1 and the vision John recorded of theRisen and Ascended Christ enhance that testimony, spirit of prophesy, andworship.

(1). The very first words of Revelation (1:1) tell us that it is the “Revelation ofJesus Christ”. We might be inclined to forget that in our curiosity and need toknow about future things. It is primarily the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Thatis what is meant by the fact that the very spirit of prophesy is the testimony ofJesus. Further God gave this Revelation of Jesus Christ to Christ.

(2). Notice in Revelation 1:2 what the Apostle John is really writing about andtherefore bearing record to in the order of priority: (1) The Word of God, andrecall that it is in the book of Revelation that the secret name for Christ isrevealed as the “Logos”, the Word of God; (2) the testimony of Jesus Christ;and (3) all things that he saw. The predictions and world events are third tothe testimony of Jesus and to a record of the Word of God.(3). John begins a

worship of the One True God in Revelation 1:4 as he first addresses the sevenchurches and deliver a benediction of peace from the God is, was, and is tocome; also from the Seven spirits which are before His throne; and from JesusChrist. Here we learn something about what we can Preach of Christ; for hereJesus Christ is:

a. The faithful witness;

b. The first begotten from the dead;

c. The Prince of the kings of the earth; and

d. Him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood.

(4). John is busting out to make a written record of what he saw and heard,but first he has to preach a mini-sermon about Christ in Revelation 1:7.

“Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they alsowhich pierced him: and all kindred of the earth shall wail because of him.”

(5). What John saw and heard of the Ascended Christ helps us to PreachChrist.

a. When John saw the Ascended Christ He looked like the “Son of Man”that John had known, but He was different in that He was clothed with agarment down to His feet and girt about with a golden belt (1:13).

b. Christ’s head and hairs were white like wool and like snow, His eyeslike a flame of fire (1:14); His feet like burning brass, His voice as the sound ofmany waters (1:15); out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and Hiscountenance was like the sun (1:16).

c. When John fell almost dead at His feet, Jesus said:

“I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore.Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” (Rev 1:18)

II. Armed with these revelations of the book of Revelation about the Word ofGod and the testimony of Jesus, and having been given the very name inRevelation 19 with which to begin the Gospel of John, the Apostle John startsthe introduction to a unique preaching and teaching of Christ with the “Wordof God”, the “Logos”.

1. We Preach the Christ who “in the beginning” at the Creation of theworld was there with God, was God, and through Whom all things were made(John 1:1,3).

2. We Preach the Christ who is very Life itself. In Him was the life andthis life was the light of men. The life Jesus lived on earth gives life and light:the light of Jesus character and teachings gives life and light. (1:3-5). Eventhough the darkness of the world and Satan tried to overcome and overwhelmthis light and life of Christ, the light shined through the darkness!

3. It was not a “they lived happily ever after” story as the introduction toJohn (1:9,10) tells us that although the world was made by Christ, andtherefore He came into His own (1:11), His own did not know and recognizeHim; and let us not be deceived this is still true. Although this true Light ofJesus lights every man without exception that comes into the world, He is notreceived or recognized by the majority of the world.

4. We Preach Christ by preaching this “Word of God” or “Logos” madeflesh that dwelt among us, making, here on earth; the Apostles and othersbeheld His glory, it was as the only begotten Son of God the Father; and whatthey beheld was full of grace and truth.

5. We Preach Christ by preaching that this “Word of God” made itpossible for making to see the God that had never been seen before. Jesusmade God known; and as we Preach Christ this morning from the Gospel ofJohn we will see more and more what both God and Christ are like. (1:18)

6. We preach the Christ of grace and truth; for although the law camethrough Moses, it was through Christ that grace and truth were fully know.Christ made clear the real truth to the law of Moses, and Jesus showed us thegrace in the law of Moses. (1:17)

III. The Seven Miracles or Signs of the Gospel of John supply us withinformation to Preach Christ.

1. The Water turned into Wine (John 2).

a. We Preach the Christ who in the beginning made all things andtherefore was quite able to exercise authority over just a couple of those

elements that He made in the world. When at the marriage feast in Cana, thehost ran out of wine, Jesus turned the water into wine.

b. We Preach the Christ Who by turning water into wine showed Himselfto be THEJOY OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. This marriage feast was a festiveoccasion and in a home; and Jesus was concerned enough about those socialoccasions of life to perform the first miracle of the book of John.

c. We Preach the Christ Who turned the water into wine, a sign that beganthe proof to the world that Jesus was the Son of God, and that increased thefaith of the first disciples in Himself as the Son of God.

“This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested Hisglory: and His disciples believed in Him.” (John 2:11)

2. The healing of the nobleman’s son ( John 4).

a. We preach the Christ who in the beginning created man in the image ofGod, and therefore was quite capable of exercising control over the illnessesof the Bible.

“So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. Whenhe heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him andimplored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point ofdeath. Then Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you people see signs and wonders,you will by no mans believe.’ The nobleman said to Him, ‘Sir, come downbefore my child dies!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go you way: your sons lives.” Sothe man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying,‘Your son lives!’ Then he inquired of them the hour when he go better. Andthey said to him, ‘Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.’ So thefather knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, ‘Yourson lives.’ And he himself believed, and his whole household. This againis the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.”(John 4:46-54)

I want you to notice almost the casual, or at least effortless manner, in whichJesus healed the son and dealt with the man. The goal of Jesus was the eternal

salvation of men’s souls, and in order for them to go beyond the mere healingof the human body to the salvation of the soul and body, they must believe inJesus. He addressed the crowd who heard the nobleman, letting them knowthat the goal of these signs was to engender faith; and also in the nobleman.After he learned when his son began to heal, the very moment at which Jesussaid your son is healed, he believed; and also his household believed.

b. We preach the Christ who can exercise control over fear and anxiety as Hebrought hope and peace to the heart of a grieving parent.

3. The healing of the paralyzed man (John 5).

The nobleman’s son had been in his sick condition for only a short period oftime, the paralyzed man at the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem had beenparalyzed for 38 years. This required a little more power than the turning ofwater into wine or the healing of the nobleman’s son. With this miracle of thehealing of the paralyzed man we Preach the Christ who is a Restorer of bothphysical and spiritual life, realizing that we must Preach primarily thespiritual life as Christ also did. After the paralyzed man was healed, laterJesus found Him and encouraged him to a faith that would prevent a worsefaith than lying impotent every day by the pool of Bethesda. “Afterward Jesusfound him in the temple, and said to him, ‘See, you have been made well.Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.’” (John 5:14)

4. Feeding of the 5,000 hungry people (John 6).

a. We preach the Christ who proved that He could also be the GreatShepherd of the Sheep in whose presence they and we can say “I shall notwant”. We shall not want for bread and meat, we shall not want for healingof the physical body and salvation; and we shall not want for the festiveoccasions of life, the joy of the Christian life.

Jesus took the five loaves and two fishes and multiplied to feed the crowd offive thousand.

b. We Preach the Jesus who is the Promised Christ, the Prophet that waspromised in the Old Testament.

“Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, ‘This istruly the Prophet who is to come into the world.’” (John 5:14)

c. We Preach the Christ who is the Bread of Life. It is not withoutsignificance that in the same sixth chapter of John after this miracle with thefive loaves and two fishes and after the walking on the water, that Jesuspresented His great discourse on the bread of life. “And Jesus said to them, ‘Iam the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he whobelieves in Me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35)

5. The walking on water (John 6).

The walk on water by Jesus as He illustrated that He could certainly overcomethe very works which He in the beginning made, was more than a simplewalk, it was also a calming of the storm and sea.

a. We Preach the Christ who can calm the sea and storm, the Christ whocan calm all the storms of life.

b. We Preach the Christ who patiently shows His disciples step by step toa profession of faith. Most of Jesus’ disciples were fisherman by trade, and byshowing His authority of the elements where they made their living, Heengendered faith from them as the Son of God. 6. The healing of the man blindfrom birth (John 9).

a. We Preach the Christ who is the Light of the world as John told us inthe introduction to the Gospel of John. Jesus and His disciples discussed theblind man and the factor of sin in his life before he was healed. It was in thatdiscussion, Jesus said: “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of theworld.” (John 9:5)

It was then Jesus spat on the ground, made an ointment and placed it on theman’s eyes, telling him to go wash in the pool of Siloam; and the man did so,he came back seeing.

b. We preach the Christ of the Introduction to John. I think we appreciatethe introduction now more of the Gospel of John. The Apostle John in theGospel of John had no smaller goal than to prove to people that Jesus was thePromised Prophet and Messiah of the Old Testament, and the Son of God; andin order that they might believe and have life. What John introduced aboutChrist is what the seven miracles were all about. In the making of water intowine, the Mediator of all Creation—the One of the all things were made

through Him—was able to reconstruct the things He made at first; in thehealing of the nobleman’s son, the healing of the paralyzed man, and thehealing of the man born blind, the Lord of Creation showed He concern forthe Man as the Crown of Creation and His ability and will to overcome anydeficiencies that had occurred in His Creation; and in the feeding of the fivethousand, the One through whom all the good things to eat had originallybeen provided, Jesus illustrated the simplicity with which He can still createsomething out of nothing or out of little; and in the walking on water, the Lordof Creation who made the heavens, the earth, and the seas did not suddenlybecome a victim of what He had made, rather an Overcomer.

7. The raising of Lazarus from the dead (John 11).

a. Lastly in the miracle of the raising of Lazarus from the dead, we PreachJesus as the Resurrection and Life. And that is exactly what Jesus told thepeople present before He brought Lazarus back from the dead.

“I am the resurrection and the life, He who believes in Me, though he maydid, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.Do you believe this?” (John 11:13,14)

b. Herein is the rest of the introduction to the Gospel of John. Jesus is theLife. Starting in John 4:45, we look at as many places in John as time permitswhere the word “sign” or the equivalent is written. In John 4:45 it is theequivalent of signs: that is the “having seen all these things”, talking aboutthe signs that the Galileans had already seen from when Jesus was inJerusalem at the Passover. As we look at these “signs” and the equivalent,don’t forget that the prime subject, or main theme, of John is SIGNS FORBELIEVING IN JESUS AS THE SON OF GOD. We see that clearly in John20:30,31:

“And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples,which are not written in this book; but these are written that you maybelieve that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you mayhave life in His name.” (John 20:30,31 NJKV)

11-2: You Will Recall the Signs that Jesus Earlier did at Jerusalem.

1. The Sign of the Zeal of His Passion toward His Father’s Temple.

The exactly sign of the work of Jesus was the driving out the moneychangers,overturning their tables, and herding the cattle out of the outer court of thetemple. What the sign really pointed to was the Zeal of Christ for God’sTemple. To illustrate how this was what the sign pointed to, John the Apostle,who was there at the time it happened, said that the disciples suddenly hadtriggered in their mind the scripture of the Old Testament which said, “Zealfor Your house has eaten me up.” It was a well-known quote from the OldTestament as recorded in Psalm 69:9, and it was well known as a quote thatreferred to the Coming “Messiah” or Christ. Did you notice in the purpose ofJohn as recorded in 20:30,31 of what you are to believe about Jesus. First youare to believe that Jesus is the Christ, then the Son of God, and then bybelieving you might have life in His name. Well, the Christ is the Greek forthe same word in Hebrew Messiah. So all that was promised in the manyprophecies of the Old Testament about the Coming Messiah, John says youare to apply that to Jesus of Nazareth; and that is the burden of proof that Johnaccepts for the Gospel of John. Well, Jesus’ zeal for the temple was a sign alongwith the memory of the disciples who had learned those promises about theMessiah from youth.

2. The Sign Requested by the Jews: and the Answer of the Destruction ofthe Temple of Jesus Body and the Restoration in Three Days.

Since you have the zeal to do these things, the Jewish leaders in the templesaid, show us a greater sign than this! Jesus said only one sign will be givenyou; and you have to be patient to wait for it until the end of my life. Destroythis temple and in three days I will raise it up. They scoffed and laugh. Duringthe time of Ezra and Nehemiah it took 46 years to build this temple. This wasnot the original temple with all its splendor built by Solomon, but the templerebuilt after the restoration of the Jewish people from Captivity. John comesto the rescue of the reader of John.

“But He was speaking of the temple of His body.” (John 2:21 NJKV)

But the disciples of Jesus remembered this statement when He was risen fromthe dead, so that it engendered faith on their part: faith in the Scriptures of theOld Testament and faith in the words of Jesus. {NOTE: Parenthetically Ithink it should be noted here how the actions and words, signs if you would,

correlate with memories to cause faith or belief. You have seen it twicealready here in the review of John 2.} The disciples immediately after Jesuscleansed the temple REMEMBERED their training on the Old Testament ofhow the Christ was to have zeal or passion for the temple of God. Thissecond time, how it lodged in the mind of the first disciples how Jesus said,“Destroy this temple and in three days I will rebuild it”; and thenremembered it three years later after His resurrection. Now the ApostleJohn is trying to get us to remember what Jesus did at the Passover Feast inJerusalem, that the Galileans also remembered as Jesus came back in theirprovince, and they flocked to see and hear Him.]

3. These Galileans were among that “many” of John 2:23 that believed onthe name of Jesus when they saw the signs that He did. Remember that verse.

“Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, manybelieved in His name when they saw the signs which He did.” (John 2:23)

At some point we must elaborate on what it means to believe “in the name ofJesus”, and an introduction should be offered here. It means to believe in thefulness of the meaning of His name as given and designated by God andprophesied in the Old Testament Scriptures. His names are Lord Jesus Christ.Jesus was given by an angel to Mary and to the nation of Israel. You shall callHis name Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins. Christ was thePromised Messiah of the Old Testament, and the Lord puts Him equal withthe LORD of the God of this Universe and of heaven.

4. The Sign of Turning the Water into Wine. John marks Cana of Galileeforever as the historical spot where Jesus performed the first miracle-sign.

“So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the waterwine.” (John 4:46a NJKV)

But John turns quickly to a new impending sign, and the second miracle-sign.

11-3: The Miracle-Sign of the Healing of the Nobleman’s Son.

You have to be careful in the reading of the Gospel of John. Sometimes “sign”is the kind of Greek word that refers to a miracle-sign, and sometimes it refersto another kind of sign like the driving of the moneychangers out of thetemple, or sometimes to the teachings of Jesus. Later we will see that Jesus

Himself refers to all these signs in the Gospel of John as “the works which theFather gave Him to do.” Thus when you read in John 4:54 of the healing ofthe nobleman’s son as the second sign that Jesus did as He came out of Judeainto Galilee, these are the miracle signs; and in the Gospel of John, it is hard tobelieve, but the whole book if built around only seven miracle signs. Like Johnconcludes that are many other things that Jesus did that are not written in thisbook, and many other signs of teaching and works are written in this book;but only seven miracle-signs. Well, the second miracle sign is the healing ofthe Nobleman’s Son. Jesus did not even go to the household. When He sawthe faith of the man in Him as having the capability to heal, Jesus said simply,“Go and your Son lives.” Previously the Son was at the point of death. Theman believed the word that Jesus spoke and went home. On the way home,the servants met him to say your son lives, and when he requested at whattime he began to amend, it turned out to be the save hour when Jesus saidyour son lives. The man believed and his household believed in the name ofJesus when told what happened.

11-4: A Re-Occurring sub-theme of the Gospel of John is the Request of thePeople for Signs.

Before we pass on to the next chapter and to the next mention of signs or theequivalent, there is one more in John 4. It points out a sub-theme of the Gospelof John. It is a request from the people for a sign. You recall how the Jewishleaders in the temple at Jerusalem asked Jesus for a sign to back up theauthority He showed in cleansing the temple. The Nobleman was just anopportunity for Jesus to say something that would stick in the memory of theApostle John and the other disciples. The Nobleman really had one thingsprimarily on his mind: he wanted his son healed and he knew that Jesus coulddo it. Why, because he probably was in Jerusalem during the Passover whenJesus performed many signs, or since it was a small country and Galilee wasnext to Judea the word had arrived before Jesus. Anyway the first reply ofJesus to the Nobleman who request was to come down to his home, Jesusletting him know initially that He did not even need to be there with enoughfaith.

“Then Jesus said to him, ’Unless you people see signs and wonders, you willby no means believe.” (John 4:48)

That alone points out how there are other signs not classified as miracles, butrather classified as wonders; and no doubt the cleansing of the temple wouldbe considered a wonder of authority, as would the teachings from Jesus.

11-5: “These things” Jesus did on the Sabbath Day of John 5:1-18, refers tothe Miracle Sign of the Man made to walk at the Pool of Bethesda.

In John 5:16, we find the reaction of the Jewish leaders to Jesus healing the manand their attack on what he told the man to do. The attack was because Hedid these things on the Sabbath Day. It did not matter to them that Jesus hadhealed the man; it did not matter that the Jesus who had the authority to healwas also the One who had the authority to tell the man to carry his bed on theSabbath...Well, it really did matter to them; because the healed man waslistening to the authority of Jesus more than the Jewish leaders, and that wasa threat to their own authority. They could not heal, that did not have thatpower from God; and Jesus healed and the people knew it, so that the leaderswere jealous. The point of their attack was the Old Testament law whichprohibited work on the Sabbath Day. They surely had not come to see Jesusas Lord of the Sabbath Day as well as Lord of all. Even for the disciples thatwould come later. And before we pass on to the teachings of Jesus as signs,we should note that by the time of this third miracle-sign the opposition of theJewish leaders had crystallized so that as a group they sought to persecuteHim and to kill Him.

“For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, becauseHe had done these things (signs) on the Sabbath.” (John 5:16) PersecutedJesus and sought to kill Him!

11-6: The Teachings of Jesus as Signs that Jesus called The Works that theFather gave Him to do.

We come in John 5:19 to one of the extensive discourses of Jesus. Thisdiscourse was prompted by Jesus knowing that the Jews were starting topersecute Him and attempting to kill Him. For the rest of this fifth chapter ofJohn I would focus on the “works” statement of Jesus in John 5:36.

“But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Fatherhas given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, thatthe Father has sent me.” (John 5:36 NJKV)

They knew it was true: Jesus could do miracles and other wonders that theJewish leaders could not do, and they knew it. They had to eliminate Him forthat reason. Those miracles and wonders which Jesus called “works” werethemselves as witness that the Father sent Him. You see again how signs pointto something beyond themselves, especially the signs that Jesus performed,they pointed to God the Father as the source as only God could work suchwonders and miracles. However, we should briefly develop the argument ofJesus in John 5 as it is something repeated often by Jesus, the Apostle John,and all the Apostles of the New Testament.

1. Jesus was Humble in that He admitted the real source of the miraclesand other signs as having been learned by the Father. Jesus said that He coulddo nothing within Himself, but only what the Father told Him to do andshowed Him how to do it. Jesus went a step beyond that.

2. The Father loves the Son and therefore Shows Him all these things.These miracles and other signs were signs of love from the Father, signs oflove for His only Son.

3. Greater works than these were in store to come from the Father by wayof the Son. You will see greater works and you will marvel. Since the Fathercan raise the dead, and I am sure that you would admit of that, since God isthe source of life and He can give life to all: well, the Son is going to give lifeto all starting with some limited cases that you will see shortly.

4. Jesus jumps from here into the Judgment of God, and if you are notcareful you will get lost here. Here is where Jesus starts making it clear thatHe is the same Lord over healing and over water and Lord over the Judgmentof God also. Even as the Father has committed all things to the Lordship ofChrist in heaven and on earth, the Father doesn’t Judge anybody but rathercommits all Judgment to Christ. If you are fearful of Judgment you had bestpray to Jesus. Jesus is taking care of Judgment, not God the Father.

5. God’s Plan is that All will Honor the Son even as the Father is honored.A lot more people honor or think they honor God than do honor Jesus. Theintention of God according to the teachings of Jesus, and I believe them, is thatall people of this earth will honor Jesus even as God is honored. In fact Jesus

said that if you do not honor Him, then you really can not honor the Fatherthat sent Jesus in the first place.

6. Jesus explains the way the Father has committed Judgment to Him.Judgment is a matter of life and death; and since those who hear the words ofJesus and believe them, subsequently passing from death into everlasting life,then they also have passed from Judgment into life. There is no moreJudgment. The book of Revelation echoes this as it says whoever name waswritten in the Lamb’s book of life did not pass into Judgment.

7. Jesus said the time is coming and the time is now that the dead willcome to life. These walking dead in trespasses and sins will hear, Jesus said,the voice of the Son of God— they in person and us through the Apostles andthe words they recorded from Jesus like here— and the ones who really hear,and this is important as it is selective hearing and I will have more to say aboutthat from the book of Hebrews, then when they really hear, they will reallylive, everlasting life that begins at the moment of belief. God the FatherHimself is very life, and has life in Himself; and He gives that life to the Sonin order that He can pass it on to others. With this life comes the authority ofJudgment that was mentioned earlier.

8. Jesus means more than now, the hour is coming, He says, when thosethat have already died will come back to life. Jesus said that “all” in the graveswill hear His voice and come out of the grave: some who have done good—and this spells out the Judgment—to the resurrection of life, and those thathave done evil to the resurrection of condemnation.

9. Jesus says that He goes by what He sees and hears in order to passJudgment, and He Judgment is just because it is not self-seeking, rather areflection of the will of God the Father.

10. Then Jesus gets into the witness to Himself beyond His own witness.

(1). The Witness of John the Baptist. John was a bright and shining light whosaid of Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world”,and you went out to listen to him.

(2). The Works the Father gave Jesus to do are a greater witness. The veryworks that I am do, Jesus said, are from the Father; and bear witness to me.

Here, we see that the works are almost the equivalent of “these things” andthe wonders and signs.

(3). Jesus said the Father in His own voice gave witness to Him. Jesus has inmind several ways that the Father’s own voice was a testimony to Him: (a) Ofcourse at the baptism by John the Baptism, the Spirit in the form of a dovecame from the Father to fall on Jesus and a voice came out of heaven saying“This is My Beloved Son, listen to Him”:; (b) Through the Spirit of the wordthat abides only in believers; and (c) the Old Testament Scriptures that testifyof Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God.

11. Now Jesus gets very blunt and straightforward with them in a way theycan not fail to understand. How would you like to have the Son of God talkingto you this way. Well, it could happen on the Judgment Day.

a. You think you have eternal life based on the Scriptures, but you don’tand those very Scriptures are the ones that specific the faith in Jesus.

b. You do not have the love of God in you and I know it. Wow, howwould you like to hear that when you thought you had eternal life based onthe Bible.

c. Jesus said to them, I have come in My Father’s name and you do notreceive me; and yet you receive and honor leaders that come in their ownname.

d. How can you really believe when you accept honor from one anotherand yet do not seek the honor that comes from above, from the Father?

e. Moses will condemn you instead of me because Moses wrote of Jesusand you do not believe it!

11-7: John chapter 6 is full of signs: the word “sign” itself is used four times.

It is as if John as we come in our reading to the sixth chapter, wants no mistakethat we see that the theme of the Gospel of John is to believe in the signs ofJesus. Therefore we will look carefully at: (1) Those four usages of the wordsign and what they refer to; (2) We will look at the extensive discourse of Jesusin chapter six to see how it relates to the signs and belief in Jesus; and (3) thenwe will look at the reaction of the people and the leaders to these signs— we

already know that many have believed on Jesus because of the signs, and wealready know that these signs have engendered hatred, persecution, and anattempt to kill from the leaders of the Jews.

1. Usage of the word “sign” in John 6.

(1). Signs of healing on the sick that caused multitudes to follow Him.

“After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea ofTiberias. Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signswhich He performed on those who were diseased.” (John 6:1,2 NJKV)

This is preliminary to the famous miracle-sign of Jesus when He fed the fivethousand with five barley loaves and two small fishes.

2. This miracle-sign of the Feeding of Five Thousand yielded faith fromthe multitude in Jesus as the Prophet like Moses that would come into theworld.

“Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, ’This istruly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” (John 6:14 NJKV)

You recall how Jesus said that Moses in the Old Testament Scriptures was awitness to Him, and how we quoted earlier how Moses predicted inDeuteronomy how a Prophet like Him would come, and the people wouldlisten to Him in all things. Well, these people tried to descend on Jesus rightthen and there to take Him by force and make Him a King. They knew him tobe a Prophet but as yet they did not see Him as also the Suffering Messiah ofthe Old Testament that would die on the cross. They did not understand theTemple of His body that must die and be rebuilt on the third day. They didnot understand the nature of His kingdom as larger than this world. So Jesusescaped from them and went to the other side of the Sea.

3. Here we have a sign not labeled as a sign by the Apostle John and yetnonetheless a miracle.

Jesus went to the other side of the Sea without a boat. The next day themultitude knew that no other boat had been there except the one the disciplesof Jesus go into, and Jesus was not with them. The multitude got into boats,

coming across the Sea to Capernaum, and they asked Jesus, “Rabbi (they alsorecognized him as a Teacher as well as a Prophet) when did you come here.”

4. Jesus Himself in reply mentions Signs.

“Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me,not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loves and werefilled.” (John 6:14 NJKV)

and what follows is the teaching that the miracle sign of feeding the fivethousand refers to...“Do not labor for the food which perished, but for hefood which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you,because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” (John 6:27 NJKV)

Remember how Jesus quoted to Satan in the wilderness that “Man shall notlive by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”The tacit assumption here is that every word of the Old Testament proceedsfrom the mouth of God; and Jesus told us already earlier in John that the wordslike these teachings that came from Him were really from God.

5. The fourth specific mention of the word “sign” in John 6 does us a bigfavor in that unmistakably correlates “signs” with “works”. Of course, theApostle John and Jesus did that for us somewhat in Jesus discourse on witnessand how the works the father gave Him to do are witness.

“Therefore they said (the multitude that followed Jesus across the Sea) toHim, What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?What work will You do?” (John 6:30 NJKV)

You see how they asked the question two different ways, no doubt fromdifferent ones in the crows; and the Apostle John was alert to record it withthe help of the Holy Spirit. What work or sign will you do that we may seeand believe?

6. What follows in Jesus teaching of the Bread of Life goes back to whatthe miracle sign points to a food from God that when eaten does not perishbut leads to Everlasting Life.

11-8: The Teaching of Jesus that He is the Bread of Life and the Responseof the People. After the multitude asked Jesus what sign or wok would He

perform that they might believe, they mentioned how their forefathers in thewilderness were fed manna from God. It looks like the people were lookingto be fed much more than once as with the two fishes and five barley loaves.They even quoted from Exodus how “He gave them bread from heaven.”

1. Jesus identified Himself as the True Bread from Heaven. Jesusexplained how He called Himself the true bread from Heaven, because Hehimself came down from heaven for the very purpose of giving life to theworld. Hey, here was the reaction of the crowd: they said, “Lord, give us thisbread always.” You see they were still looking to be fed for life. Jesus againtried to explain to them that as the bread of life and when people would cometo Him in faith they would never hunger and they would never thirst.

2. Jesus Explains why some of them would actual be there listening butcould not believe. You really see Me, Jesus says, as a Prophet and miracleworker, but you do not truly believe. The only ones that can come to Him,Jesus says, is the ones that are given to Him by God the Father. In other words,God the Father decides which ones can come to Jesus in the full sense of theword of received the bread of life. And those that God gives to the Son willnot be rejected. Jesus reminds again that He came down from heaven to dothe will of God, and since it is the will of the Father that Jesus should not losethose given, He gives them life and will raise them up at the last day. This, Ithink, is the first mention in John of the “last day” so that we should look at it.

“This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me Ishould lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is thewill of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes inHim may have everlasting life; and I will rise him up at the last day.” (John6:39,40 NJKV)

{NOTE: And now we will complete this Bible study with a combination ofsigns or works with the diverse reactions (R is for reaction and the type ofreaction is numbered) of the people. It is felt that the same reactions of thepeople in the First Century is the same as the reactions that are possible topeople today. And that these are in certain categories.]

11-9: (R1) The Jewish Leaders Murmured because Jesus said that He wasthe Bread of Life and that He came down from heaven.

“The Jews then murmured against Him, because He said, ’I am the breadwhich came down from heaven.” (John 7:41)

The first reaction we considered is in John 6:41 where the Jewish leadersreacted because Jesus called Himself the Bread of Life and said that He camedown from heaven. So this is a reaction to the teaching sign of Jesus of thebread of life that followed the miracle sign of the feeding of the Five Thousand.The sign of course of the feeding of five thousand pointed to Jesus as the Breadof Life. They had investigated this Jesus of Nazareth more than they admitted.Why He is the son of Joseph, we know His Father and Mother.

Once again as He heard the murmuring among the leaders, Jesus remindedthem that they could not come to Him unless the Father draw them.

11-10: Some of the Jews quarreled among themselves as to how Jesus couldgive them His flesh to eat.

“The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, ’How can thisMan give us His flesh to eat?” (John 6:52)

(R2) The Disciples of Jesus said this is a hard saying.

“These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, ’This is a hardsaying; who can understand it?’” (John 6:60 NJKV)

Does this offend you. And He explains how it is the Spirit, the Holy Spirit thatgives life.

(R3) Many disciples went back and walked no more with Jesus, but SimonPeter made the famous confession of Faith. (John 6:66 and 68,69).

(R4) At this point even the brothers of Jesus did not believe in Him (John7:5).

(R5) Murmuring among the people that He is Good and others that Hedeceived the People. (John 7:12).

(R6) The Jewish leaders as Jesus taught in the Temple marveled about whereJesus received His education (John7:15,16), and Jesus explains where Hisdoctrine or teachings come from, from God the Father.

(R7) Some People Replied that Jesus had a Demon because He said that theleaders were trying to kill Him (John 7:20,21), because of one work they weretrying to kill Him. Others from Jerusalem said this is He that they seek to kill(John 7:13ff); is this Christ, but we know where He is from.

(R8) They sought to take Him but could not as it was not time (John 7:30); butmany believed (7:31) when they saw the Signs that He performed.

“Then they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because Hishour had not yet come. And many of the people believed in Him, and said,’When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Manhas done.” (John 7:31 NJKV)

(R9) The Pharisees and chief priests sent officers of the Sanhedrin to take Himas they heard what the people were saying about Jesus (John 7:32).

(R10) On the Last day of the Feast as Jesus spoke of the Living water (John7:37- 39) the reactions were diverse: may said this is the Prophet; many saidthis is Christ; others will Christ come out of Galilee; and there was a divisionamong the People (John 7:43)

(R11) The Sign of Jesus forgiving the woman in adultery pointed to Histeaching as the Light of the Word, and the reaction of the Pharisees was thatHe was a witness to Himself (John 8:13).

(R12) The Jews argumentatively said “Will you kill yourself?” (John 8:22), andthen they asked Him “Who are You?” (John 8:13). But many believed on Himwhen they heard His answer (John 8:30).

(R13) Jesus tried to tell the disciples who believed in Him that they weredisciples indeed if they would abide in His word or teachings (John 8:31); andsome replied that since we are Abraham’s seed we have never been in bondage(John 8:33).

(R14) The Jews called Him a Samaritan and a Demon (John 8:48); then afterHis replies took up stones to stone Him (John 8:59).

(R15) The Pharisees became divided after Jesus performed the miracle-sign ofhealing the man blind from birth, some said that He could not be of God since

He did not keep the sabbath, and others said how can a man that is a sinnerdo these signs.

“Therefore some of the Pharisees said, ’This Man is not from God, becauseHe does not keep the Sabbath.’ Others said, ’How can a man who is sinnerdo such signs?’ And there was a division among them.” (John 9:16)

We should carefully note the reaction of the man healed and then that of thePharisees who cast him out of the Temple.

More reactions from this sign in John 10:19-21,

(R16) Reaction to the If you are Christ tell us plainly; and I and My Father areone; as they took up stones to stone Him. (John 10:22-42).

It is maintained that human nature being essentially the same from generationto generation, the reactions today would be the same as when Jesus lived andwalked on the earth. Perhaps the only real difference is that the people of thattime knew far more Bible, and the religious laws were also the socio-politicolaws. Recall that Paul was trained as a lawyer which meant the law of Israeland well as the religious law. There were some restrictions under the Romanrule in that the people were not allowed to perform executions.

11-11: Who Is Jesus from John 6-10?

We will look at this Bible Study, “Who IS JESUS?”, in terms of Who Jesus saidthat He was to His contemporaries; in terms of what the Apostle John wrotewho He was to them; and in terms of the different reactions and divisionsamong the people and the leaders as to who Jesus was.

Note how intense it is in these five chapters of John, from chapter six to ten.Jesus does a lot of teaching and Jesus performs miracles; but everything Hesays unless it is in private to the disciples is challenged, from the Jewishleaders, the people, and even His brothers. We find during the events of thesefive chapters that many of the disciples that followed Jesus around—somelooking for a permanent way to be fed—ceased to follow Him. They could notunderstand how He was the bread of life. They choked at eating His flesh asthe means for everlasting life. In fact one of the many reactions of the peoplewas, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” Jesus explained that to Hislarger group of disciples, but many still left following Him. {NOTE: And now

we will complete this Bible study with a combination of signs or works withthe diverse reactions of the people. It is felt that the same reactions of thepeople in the First Century is the same as the reactions that are possible topeople today. And that these are in certain categories.}

1. The Jewish Leaders Murmured because Jesus said that He was theBread of Life and that He came down from heaven.

“The Jews then murmured against Him, because He said, ’I am the breadwhich came down from heaven.” (John 6:41)

The first reaction we considered is in John 6:41 where the Jewish leadersreacted because Jesus called Himself the Bread of Life and said that He camedown from heaven. So this is a reaction to the teaching sign of Jesus of thebread of life that followed the miracle sign of the feeding of the Five Thousand.The sign of course of the feeding of five thousand pointed to Jesus as the Breadof Life. They had investigated this Jesus of Nazareth more than they admitted.Why He is the son of Joseph, we know His Father and Mother. Once again asHe heard the murmuring among the leaders, Jesus reminded them that theycould not come to Him unless the Father draw them.

2. Some of the Jews quarreled among themselves as to how Jesus couldgive them His flesh and blood to eat, and many of the disciples said this is ahard saying. “The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, ’Howcan this Man give us His flesh to eat?....These things He said in the synagogueas He taught in Capernaum. Therefore many of His disciples, when they heardthis, said, ’This is a hard saying; who can understand it?’” (John 6:52,60 NJKV)

Does this offend you. And He explains how it is the Spirit, the Holy Spirit thatgives life.

3. Many disciples went back and walked no more with Jesus, but SimonPeter made the famous confession of Faith. (John 6:66 and 68,69).

“From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him nomore. Then Jesus said to the twelve, ’Do you also want to go away?’ ThenSimon Peter answered Him, ’Lord, to whom shall we go? You have thewords of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You arethe Christ, the Son of the living God.’” (John 6:66-69 NJKV)

4. The brothers chastised Jesus for not more public appearances: At thispoint even the brothers of Jesus did not believe in Him (John 7:5).

Jesus was walking openly in Galilee more than Judea because the Jews soughtto kill Him. And when it was close to time for the Feast of Tabernacles, hisbrothers chastised Him for not going at first in order that the larger body ofdisciples could see His works. “Show yourself to the world,” was their words.

“For even His brothers did not believe in Him.” (John 7:5 NJKV)

5. Seeking of Jesus by Jews, and Murmuring among the people that He isGood and others that He deceived the People. (John 7:12).

Later we will come to a series of three questions from the Pharisees. Here wehave some of the Jews, that is Jewish leaders asking “Where is He?” Theywere actively seeking Him and could not find Him. Of course, their motivesalready were to persecute and kill Jesus. Already the Jews had placed thepeople on notice that if anyone believed in Jesus, since it was heresy, theywould be put out of the Temple; so the people “murmured amongthemselves” in a semi whisper.

Some murmured, “Jesus is Good.”

Others murmured, “No, Jesus is not good because He deceives the people.”

“And there was much murmuring among the people concerning Him. Somesaid, ’He is good’; others said, ’No, on the contrary, He deceives the people.’However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.” (John 7:12,13)

6. The Jewish leaders as Jesus taught in the Temple marveled about whereJesus received His education (John7:15,16), and Jesus explains where Hisdoctrine or teachings come from.

“And the Jews marveled, saying, ’How does this Man know letters, havingnever studied?’ Jesus answered them and said, ’My doctrine is not Mine,but His who sent Me. If anyone wants to do His will, he shall knowconcerning the doctrine, whether I speak on My own authority.” (John 7:15-17 NJKV)

7. Some People Replied that Jesus had a Demon because He said that theleaders were trying to kill Him (John 7:20,21), because of one work they were

trying to kill Him. Others from Jerusalem said this is He that they seek to kill(John 7:13ff); is this Christ, but we know where He is from.

“The people answered and said, ’You have a demon. Who is seeking to killYou?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ’I did one work, and you allmarvel.” (John 7:20,21 NJKV) This was back at Jerusalem where they knewprimarily of only one miracle-sign, that of the healing of the man on thesabbath at the pool of Bethesda.

9. They sought to take Him but could not as it was not time (John 7:30);but many believed (7:31) when they saw the Signs that He performed. ThePharisees and chief priests sent officers of the Sanhedrin to take Him as theyheard what the people were saying about Jesus (John 7:32).

“Then they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because Hishour had not yet come. And many of the people believed in Him, and said,’When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Manhas done. The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these thingsconcerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to takeHim.” (John 7:31,32 NJKV)

10. On the Last day of the Feast as Jesus spoke of the Living water (John7:3739) the reactions were diverse: may said this is the Prophet; many saidthis is Christ; others will Christ come out of Galilee; and there was a divisionamong the People (John 7:43)

Since this is the most positive reaction of the crowd in Jerusalem to theTeachings of Jesus, we should look at it carefully. What did Jesus teach them?

(1). Let those that are thirsty come to Him;

(2). Who believes in Jesus out of his heart, according to the Scripture (Isaiah12:3,43:20,44:3, and 55:1), would flow rivers of living water.

(3). John explains this phenomena of water out of the heart as the Holy Spirit,which was not yet come, did come on the first day of Pentecost after theAscension. “Therefore many from the crowd, when they hard this saying,said, ’Truly this is the Prophet.’ Others said, ’This is the Christ,’ but somesaid, ’Will the Christ come out of Galilee? Has not the Scripture said thatthe Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem,

where David was?’ So there was a division among the people because ofHim. Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands onHim.” (John 8:40-44 NJKV)

11. The Sign of Jesus forgiving the woman in adultery pointed to Histeaching as the Light of the Word, and the reaction of the Pharisees was thatHe was a witness to Himself (John 8:13).

“The Pharisees therefore said to Him, ’You bear witness of Yourself; Yourwitness is not true.’” (John 8:13 NJKV)

12. A series of questions: from the Pharisees, “Where is your Father?”(John8:19); from the Jews, “Will He kill Himself?” (John 8:22); from the Jews,“Who are you?” (John 8:13)8-13: (R13) But many believed on Him when theyheard His answer (John 8:30). Here is the crux of the whole matter as to howthe world has accepted Jesus, how we should accept Jesus. These three keyquestions, His answers, and then the final answer about His lifting up causedmany to believe on Him. Following is the intense sequence.

1. What triggered the first question: the Pharisees stated that Histestimony to Himself, when He said “I am the light of the world” was not truebecause He was His own witness. In other words, He was patting Himself onthe back.

2. Jesus replied that He knew where He came from and where He wasgoing back to; then reminded them of the law of the Old Testament which saidthat the testimony was true from two men; and the conclusion was since theFather and Himself bore testimony to Him as the Light of the World, thetestimony was true.

3. The Pharisees could not let it stand there, and the first question in thisseries came, “Who is your Father?” Always the questions were attempts totrap Jesus. Jesus answered the question in two parts (John 8:19-21): (1) Youdon’t know the Father and you don’t know me or stated a different way If youhad known the Father you would also know Jesus, the two go hand in hand;and (2) I am leaving, Jesus said, and you will seek me for salvation, but youwill die in your sins since you cannot come where I go.

4. This triggered the second question in that series of three, again from thePharisees, and among themselves but so that the people and Jesus could hear,“Will he kill himself?” They tried to start the rumor that Jesus was going tocommit suicide. This question came after Jesus said where I am going youcannot come. Jesus answer this time was once again the heart of the Gospel:(1) You are from this world and I am from another world; (2) You will die inyour sins because you do not believe that I am He.

5. This in turn triggered the third question from the Pharisees, probablythe most important question that can ever be asked and then answeredproperly. Let us see what the answer of Jesus is? First the third question, “WHO ARE YOU?” “Who are you, Jesus?’ is the most important question thanany human on earth can ask.

The answer of Jesus is:

(1). Exactly what I have been saying to you from the beginning, no doubt thebeginning of His ministry.

(2). I have many things to say and to Judge of you; but as God is true, I speakto the world the things that I heard from Him. Jesus says that He is only anecho of the Father. What He heard, He repeated! (The Apostle John adds thatthey did not know that He spoke of the Father since He used the words “He”and “Him”.)

(3). Then comes the Gospel of the Atonement. Jesus said that when you havelifted up the Son of Man then you will now who He is; and that nothing isdone by Jesus except what the Father taught Him (the implication here beingthat it is also recorded by the Father in the Scriptures of the Old Testament).The Father is with Him at all times.

(4). As He spoke these words many believed on Him.

“As He spoke these words, many believed in Him” (John 8:30 NJKV)

(5). You know how Billy Graham seeks to instruct those who believe after theyhave made a public profession of faith. Well, here Jesus is doing the samething. We have the Master Teacher telling us exactly what it means to be aChristian, what it means to have faith.

a. You are indeed my disciples if you abide in my word.

b. You will know the truth and the truth will make you free.

13. Some of the believers mixed with the Pharisees were very questioning,they reacted that they were already free since Abraham’s seed, never havingbeen in bondage. (John 8:33). Probably more the Pharisees than the believers.

“They answered Him, ’We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never beenin bondage to anyone. How can you say, ’You will be made free.’” (John8:33 NJKV)

They wanted to believe, but they did not want to be insulted. They were notslaves to anybody including the despised Roman government that ruler overtheir country. So Jesus explained what it meant to be in bondage and to befreed by the truth:

14. The Jews called Him a Samaritan and a Demon (John 8:48); then afterHis replies took up stones to stone Him (John 8:59).

15. The Pharisees became divided after Jesus performed the miracle-signof healing the man blind from birth, some said that He could not be of Godsince He did not keep the sabbath, and others said how can a man that is asinner do these signs. “Therefore some of the Pharisees said, ’This Man isnot from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.’ Others said, ’Howcan a man who is sinner do such signs?’ And there was a division amongthem.” (John 9:16)

We should carefully note the reaction of the man healed and then that of thePharisees who cast him out of the Temple. (More reactions from this sign inJohn 10:19-21.)

16. Reaction to the If you are Christ tell us plainly; and I and My Father areone; as they took up stones to stone Him. (John 10:22-42).

The people seldom, if ever, reacted adversely to the miracles as the miraclesdid something for them: they reacted to the teachings because that requiredsomething from them. Now the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders did reactto the miracles as that caused the people to leave them to follow Jesus.

11-12: We should look briefly at the sequence of questions from the Jewishleaders, and the answers of Jesus.

1. “Where Is He?” (John 7:11) The answer of Jesus was by showing upduring the middle of the feast time.

2. “How did This Man Get An Education?” (John 7:15) Jesus explained tothem that His doctrine or teachings came from the God that sent Him, and thatanyone that was actually seeking God’s will they could tell whether it wasfrom God or not. If it comes from a man himself, it is for his own glory; but itis true if the doctrine seeks the glory of the One that sent Him.

3. “Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does Heintend to go t the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks” after hesaid “You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come?”

THE REACTION TO JESUS

“Why” you might ask, “spend so much time on the reactions to Jesus?”Because: (1) like the rest of the Bible these reactions are given to us as examplesof how people did and will classically react to the claims of Jesus to be theSavior of the world, the Son of God who died on the cross for the sins of theworld; (2) your own reaction to Jesus, the Risen Christ who knocks at the doorat every heart will determine your own salvation; (3) to lead momentarily toTHE REACTION that is appropriate for salvation {After all, that is the primereaction in which we are interested!}; and (4) to be somewhat thorough on ahistorical survey of the real Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of John by theApostle John, one who was perhaps closest to Jesus than anyone else on earthduring Jesus’ life on earth. {What better person to “LEARN CHRIST” from?}

Momentarily we will look at THE REACTION of the Apostle Peter to Jesus,the same one required of us for salvation and the only one that writes ournames on the church roll in heaven; but first a little putting of this chapter ofJohn on Jesus in the context of this volume of the LEARN CHRIST FROM THEAPOSTLES AND PROPHETS commentaries. This title of the set ofcommentaries. {The number is always changing and growing but the goal isto have nine of them after I rewrite and incorporate some of my ONECOMMENTARIES on the Bible written before 1995, like the one on the LIFE

AND 14 LETTERS FROM THE APOSTLE PAUL, “REMEMBER MY BONDS”,the ONE COMMENTARY ON EPHESIANS, the ONE COMMENTARY ONJOHN, and a single, complete commentary on the book of Revelation.}

Sorry you haven’t found these in the book stores, as I have chosen to make anindividual distribution of the books. The other day an acquaintance, a schoolteacher from Eastern New Mexico who heard me preach at University BaptistChurch, said she has been expecting to see a book with my name on it in thebook stores. I explained how both Dr. Charles Meister and myself had soughtfor many years to find a publisher, and finally, especially after bouts withBroadman Press over the title of my commentary on Romans, GOSPEL PRIDE.{By the way that is another one I should include in the 7 LEARN CHRISTCOMMENTARIES, provided the snows don’t rise and God is willing. Alsoby the way, Dr. Meister did find a publisher in South Carolina for his bookson Russian poetry, but I am still going the personal distribution route with apriority for my kids and grandkids, those with whom I discuss Christ and theBible, and other convenient methods as I seek to do the work of a BibleEvangelist in this day when so many churches have “heaped to themselvesteachers with itching years”, “will not endure sound doctrine”, and “haveturned away from the truth and turned into fables.” You must see that we arein the Falling Away in order to understand what is happening in our world,our country, our churches, and our denomination. It is too pervasive andwidespread to have any other explanation. Let us only pray that the HolySpirit has not yet been withdrawn as Paul predicted in II Thessalonians 2 atthe same time he said The Falling Away must take place before the SecondComing of Christ. I apologize for preaching right now, but as thesecommentaries are so personal, going first to my kids and grandkids, THEYMUST KNOW THAT AS CERTAIN AS IS THE SECOND COMING SO ALSOIS THE FALLING AWAY; AND IT IS AMONG THE CHURCHES OF THEUNITED STATES AS MUCH AS ANY PLACE IN THE WORLD. IT IS NOTA FALLING AWAY FROM THE CHURCHES.

CHURCH ATTENDANCE MAY GO UP. IT IS A FALLING AWAY FORMGOD, CHRIST, THE BIBLE, AND THE SOUND DOCTRINE OF THE BIBLE.IT CAN NOT BE BLAMED ON THE YOUNG, FOR IF THIS LAST FALLING

AWAY IS LIKE THE FIRST OF HEBREWS THEN THOSE UNDER 21 ARESAFE.}

Enough on the personal, back to the LEARN CHRIST commentaries and thisthird volume of “Christ for Individuals” to set the background and context forwhat must be your THE REACTION to Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God.

1. The purpose of the LEARN CHRIST FROM THE APOSTLES ANDPROPHETS can be summarized with three points. (Homiletics teacherswould say “three points and a poem”. Well, I don’t have the poetry, that wasDr. Meister’s specialty, along with American Studies and “science andreligion” which we discussed often before he died about a year ago.}

(1). Paul in the book of Ephesians {my favorite book} gave me the clue whenhe wrote to the church at Ephesus, a church that he had established and wherehis longest minister was centered:

“But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and havebeen taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus...” (Ephesians 4:20,21 NKJV)(1). Look carefully at these two verses and follow my exegesis. Can youimagine that Paul must tell a church he established that they have notappropriately learned Christ; and we are not talking about simply learningChrist in an intellectual manner. We are talking about them not learned Christis the way they acted and lived, and in the manner necessary for salvation.Wow, the Ephesians had the best preacher in the world, next to Jesus, and along two year minister, and yet Paul must tell them that they did not learnChrist in the proper manner. {I am sure that Paul learned this from Timothyand other messengers after he was imprisoned, and it much of the basis fromwriting to Timothy in II Timothy. {also the same subject of not enduring sounddoctrine and falling away in I Timothy}

(2). Paul then questions the salvation of the church members at Ephesus. “ifindeed you heard Christ and have been taught personally by Christ.” Wow,can you imagine sitting across from a church member or church members andpoint blank questioning their salvation. “if you are in Christ indeed?”

(3). The really great part about this point blank frankness, and concern, fromthe Apostle Paul to a church were he had labored so long and hard is that we

see in these few words the REAL way to LEARN CHRIST in the fullest senseof salvation.

a. “if indeed you have heard Christ.”; and

b. “if indeed you have been taught by Christ.”

That’s it: that is the whole plan of initial salvation. If you hear Christ like Paulis talking about here, and if you have been taught and become taught byChrist, then you are indeed saved. The inverse is true: if you have not reallyheard Christ for yourself, and if you have not personally been taught by Christyourself, then you are not saved.

Someone would say, “That is not fair.” How come we are cheated because weare not able to listen to the teachings of Jesus and be personally taught by Jesusas were the Apostles Peter and John and the others. No, that is not what isbeing discussed by Paul. You see Paul never personally met Jesus like theother Apostles were able to do, but oh yes, Paul did hear Christ and Paul wastaught by Christ in an invisible way. {Pardon the word indivisible as I don’tknow any other way to describe the way Christ spoke and taught after theAscension and the assistance of the Holy Spirit: it was and is an invisible workand method!} And now Paul in his writings of Ephesians 4:20,21 and theApostle John in his writings of John 14 want to share it with YOU.

Let me use John 14 to explain “how” we hear Christ and “how” we are taughtby Christ, centered around three questions the disciples asked Jesus, and Hisanswers, as recorded in John 14.

1. Thomas asked Jesus “how can we know the way since we do not knowwhere you are going”. {this is a paraphrase, later I will quote it} Jesus waspreparing the first disciples for His crucifixion and Ascension, and thepersonal loss they would feel from an absence of His companionship andteachings. {even a loss of security}

a. The question from Thomas.

“Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You ae going, and howcan we know the way.” (John 14:5)

b. The teachings of Jesus before the question from Thomas that provokedthe question from Thomas.

“Let not our heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. InMy Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have toldyou. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you,I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you maybe also. And where I go you know, and the way you.” (John 14:1-6)

[1]. Jesus saw the disciples felt troubled and insecure. [2]. Jesus knew thatthey believed in God, and He sought faith, similar faith from them in Himself.He had spent much time telling them and teaching them and showing themthe works that supported His claim to be the Son of God, the Savior of the sinsof the world. THAT IS WHAT THE BOOK OF JOHN IS ALL ABOUT, ANDIF YOU DON’T SEE THIS YOU MISS THE MESSAGE OF JOHN!

[3]. “in My Father’s house are many mansions”--perhaps Jesus had notpreviously made it clear in His teachings about how many vacant mansionswere left in His Fathers house. Jesus does now as He teaches there in theGarden before the Crucifixion. {Of course, it has become clear to us as we havejust finished the study of the last chapters of the book of Revelation, and weknow about the 1500 mile high side of New Jerusalem that houses all themansions.}

[4]. “if it were not so, I would have told you”--you see this is true about theFather’s house of many mansions, otherwise Jesus would have told usdifferently.

[4]. Wow, here it gets very personal: “I go to prepare a place for you”. Maybeyour mansion needs a little house warming, but Jesus Himself has been therefor almost two thousand years supervising the angels as they prepare thatmansion for you. You see, it is not just a house or a hut, but a mansion. Thereis real security!

[5]. Now Jesus says that if He is going to prepare a place for them, He willalso provide a mode of transportation for them to get there. It is not easy toget an indivisible mansion in an indivisible house in an indivisible city in anindivisible heaven where the indivisible God lives! Well, the Son of God whomediated the Creation of the world and mediated salvation and presently

mediated the confession of our sins before the Father, will come back againand provide transportation as at His Second Coming we meet Him in the airto ever be with Jesus and the Father.

[6]. We want to be where Jesus is, don’t we? We want to be where Jesus isthere with the Father, don’t we? Well, “I will come again and receive you toMyself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

[7]. “where I go you know” -- TO THE FATHER AND HEAVEN!

[8]. “the way you know” -- TO BELIEVE IN JESUS LIKE WE BELIEVE INGOD. {for us faith may come in both about the same time}

c. THE ANSWER OF JESUS TO THE QUESTION OF THOMAS.

Having considered in a the question of Thomas and having considered in bthe teachings of Jesus before the question that provoked the question fromThomas, we now have the privilege of hearing the answer from Jesus. “Jesussaid to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Fatherexcept through Me.’” (John 14:6) {You want the “way” to God the Father,eternity, and salvation, Jesus said “I am the way”; you want the truth aboutlife, salvation, and all the perplexing religious question, Jesus said, “I am thetruth”; you want LIFE, fuller life with God and Christ here on earth andcomplete eternal life in eternity, Jesus said, “I am the life.”}

2. The second question in John 14, this time asked by Philip.

“Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”(John 14:8) Philip is saying just Show us what God is like. Let us see God,and that is all we need.

THE ANSWER OF JESUS TO THE QUESTION FROM PHILIP. {Maybe youwould get the flow better just to read it for yourself in John 14:1-24, but I praythis is a guide for further understanding and reinforcement.}

“Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you have notknown Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has see the Father; so how can yousay, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, andthe Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My ownauthority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that

I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake ofthe works themselves.” (John 14:9-11)

(1). Jesus taught the disciples and showed miracles and showed His characterand loved them, and He expects that evidence, called “works”, to engenderfaith. We have engendered faith by reading about those works in John as“Signs for Believing”.

(2). When you see the visible Jesus you are looking at the invisible Father.Anyway Jesus was visible to Philip and He was visible to John as was Hevisible to Peter and Matthew, and they made Jesus’ life visible to us by writingit down in visible words in a visible book. {This is a simple introduction toChristian Evidences and Christian Apologetics, the classical and voluminousfaith enhancing books to prove that Jesus is the Son of God, that God exists,and that the Bible of 66 books that we have is the Word of God.}

(3). Jesus said that He and the Father are in each other, inseparable.

(4). God the Father is the source and authority for all the words from Jesus.

(5). The Father dwelling in Jesus did all the miracles and other works andteachings that came from Jesus while on earth. {By the way, the Fatherdwelled invisible in Jesus just as the Father and Jesus must dwell invisibly inus as we will see in the answer of Jesus to the third question.}

(6). “BELIEVE ME”, Jesus says: a. that I am in the Father and the Father inME, or b. Believe ME for the sake of the works recorded in Gospel of John.

3. The third question in John 14, this time from Judas, not Judas Iscariot.

“Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, ‘Lord, how is it that You will manifestYourself to us, and not to the world?” (John 14:22)

Isn’t that where we are today in 2004 and beyond? How can Jesus manifestHimself to us so that we can see Him and yet not be seen by the rest of theworld?

THE ANSWER OF JESUS TO THE THIRD QUESTION FROM JUDAS. {Finallywe are here, this is how to Learn Christ by hearing Him and being taught byHim.} “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep

My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and makeOur home with him.” (John 14:23)

I wish that I could make it more simple than this, for this is salvation, this ishow to learn Christ, and this is the reaction from the Apostle Peter {still to bediscussed} that we must emulate. {Many times we try to make it too simpleand Christ is not really learned. The disciples had approximately three yearsto listen to the teachings of Jesus, watch Jesus, and develop faith; and still ithad come to the point where three of the disciples had to ask the threequestions of John 14. I think Jimmy Swaggart is correct on this one subject ineffectively calling 40 DAYS OF PURPOSE mediocre and border-line itchingears, to think that you can simply have 13 mechanical steps to becoming aChristian.}

(1). You must keep in the process of loving Jesus. “If anyone loves Me...” (2).The person that loves Jesus must also keep the teachings of Jesus, and willindeed keep the teachings of Jesus as proof of that love. {Also I might say, asproof that he or she has indeed Learned Christ, or has been “born again” assome so glibly say with their little automatic formulas for salvation.}

(3). God the Father will love the person who loves Jesus and keeps the wordsof Jesus. {You see here is part of the reason that our little formulas andautomatic plans of salvation do not work. We do not control God the Father.His love comes to us as He ordains, and He will love us when we love Jesusand the teachings of Jesus. That is, if He so desires and so ordains.}

(4). Now here is the miracle of this love of God through love of Jesus Christ:

God the Father and God the Son will invisibly (This is actually the work ofthe Spirit of God and of Christ, the Holy Spirit. I wish I had space to discussit here, but read about the Holy Spirit in the chapter on “Some Sounds of aSound Faith”, and even here in John 14 where Jesus taught about the work ofthe Holy Spirit.} come and dwell in the heart of the LOVER and Practiced. Thisis sometimes called the new birth, but I think this is simpler and morepowerful. {The new birth, of course, was taught by Jesus and recorded by Johnin John 3; but the disciples had been taught that, and still they needed to hearthis teaching of Jesus. Much like we also need to hear LEARN CHRIST today.}

“...and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” (John 14:23b)Now finally THE REACTION from the Apostle Peter that we must seek toemulate. You see that all of this is a very personal and individual matter.Parents can not do it for us; a particular preacher or pastor or church ordenomination can not do it for us; a community of believers no matter howpersuasive can not do it for us; and this is at the very foundation of “Christ forIndividuals”, building on the foundation of Learning Christ and from theApostles and Prophets.

“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked hisdisciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” (Matthew16:13 KJV)

“And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; andothers, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.” (Matthew 16:14 KJV)

“He saith unto them, But whom say ye and I am?” (Matthew 16:15 KJV)

“And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of theliving God.” (Matthew 16:16 KJV)

Just remember however that this is in the sixteenth chapter of Matthew, theGarden of Gethsemane Jesus’ teachings of John 14 are in the twenty-fourthchapter of Matthew, much later than Peter’s confession of faith, supposedlyfor all the disciples. While this may have worked for Peter, you can see by thethree questions in John 14 that it did not work for Thomas, Philip, and Judas.At least it was a good starting point for teaching and after a while in theGarden from Jesus in John 14 the bottom line on salvation.

Chapter 12: Security of the Believer from the Apostles Johnand Paul.

Years ago I wrote a commentary entitled, IF TWO AGREE, A HARMONY OFJOHN AND EPHESIANS, because I thought the ultimate in a illustration ofagreement or the harmony of the Bible would be books like John andEphesians where the two Apostles never met. After all these years I am stillimpressed with the harmony of all the 14 books from Paul, the three Pauledited, and the 5 books from the Apostle John. Indeed, I am impressed withthe harmony of the Bible as a collection of 66 books from one author, the Spiritof Christ.

12-1: A PARAPHRASE OF SIX SMALL EPISTLES FROM PAUL andJOHN.

The security of the believer is taught throughout the Bible. Six books, threefrom Paul and three from John, are chosen to illustrate the security of thebeliever. Philemon:

Paul and Timothy to Philemon, to Apphia, Archippus, and to the church inyour house, grace and peace from God our Father and from the Lord JesusChrist. I thank my God that the knowledge of your faith becomes even moreeffectual as the good from your faith is acknowledged as what is in you is inChrist Jesus. Brother, all the saints are encouraged by your faith.

I, Paul the aged and a prisoner, beseech you more than enjoin you for the sakeof Onesimus that you might receive him even as me. He departed for a seasonthat you might receive him forever: receive him as myself, your partner, andreceive him as above a servant, as a brother. Any wronging of you or debt,put that on my account. Let me have joy of you in the Lord, refresh my bowelsin the Lord. I have confidence that you will do more than I say, and prepareme lodging as I trust to be delivered to you. At your house salute: Epaphras,Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christbe with your spirit. Amen. III John:

The elder to Gaius: Beloved, I wish that you may prosper and be in goodhealth directly proportional to the prospering of your soul. It was rejoicing to

listen to the brethren tell of the truth in you and of the walk in truth. That mychildren walk in the truth, there is no greater joy. What you have done forbrethren and strangers has been witnessed before the church. These brethrengo forward taking nothing of the Gentiles, by receiving such we become fellowhelpers to the truth. Diotrephes does not receive us because he wants all thepreeminence. I will remember what he does: (1) the malicious words; (2)failing to receive the brethren; (3) forbidding others to receive the brethren;and (4) casting the brethren and those that receive them out of the church.Beloved, follow not evil but good; for the good doer is of God and the evil doerhas not seen God. Demetrius has a good report and we give him a goodreference. Other things I will say when I see you face to face. Our friendssalute you. Greet the friends by name. II John:

From the elder to the elect lady and her children, grace, mercy, and peace fromGod the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Father. Truth: (1) I lovein the truth; (2) as do all those that have known the truth; and (3) for the sakeof the truth which: (a) dwells in us; and (b) shall be with us forever; and (4) ofyour children walking in the truth I rejoiced greatly. We must love oneanother. Love is to live in the commandments of Jesus as we heard from thebeginning; and I say this because many deceivers have entered into the world.These deceivers or Antichrist confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.Be careful that you are not deceived by these into losing our full reward.There is no relationship with God of those who have not the doctrine of Christ.Who abides in the doctrine of Christ: he has the Father and the Son. Don’treceive anyone into your house, or even wish them God speed that does notbring this doctrine of Christ, otherwise you become a partaker in his evildeeds. I trust to say more when I see you face to face. Philippians:

Paul and Timothy to all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi with the bishopsand deacons, grace and peace from God our Father and from the Lord JesusChrist. You are gratefully in my prayers, being confident that the God whostarted a good work in you will continue it until the day of Christ. SpecificallyI pray that: (1) that your love abounds in knowledge and judgment; (2) thatyou approve excellent things; (3) that you remain sincere and without offenceuntil the day of Christ; and (4) that you be filled with the fruits ofrighteousness.

The things that have happened to me in Rome and in prison have helped inthe spread of the gospel: (1) My bonds in Christ are shown in the palace andother places; (2) Christ is preached in pretense and in truth; (3) All this willturn to my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the “Spirit of JesusChrist”; (4) That Christ will be magnified in my body whether in life or death.Life in Christ or gain in death: (1) When I live it is really Christ living in mycircumstances; (2) I don’t know which to chose since I have the desire to departto be with Christ, but since it is better for you that I remain. Let yourconversation be as an adornment to the Gospel of Christ: (1) Stand fast in onespirit and one mind; (2) Strive together for the faith of the gospel; (3) Neverterrified by your enemies; (4) Suffer for Christ as well as believe in Him; and(5) You will have the same conflict over the gospel which you now hear that Ihave. {NOTE: We see in this “strive for the gospel” an equivalent of the“contend for the faith” of the book of Jude; but unlike the faith contending ofJude, we also see here an element of persecution for the cause of the Gospel;that is, a contending with the faith and with persecution.}

Be like-minded only if these are true; and they are: (1) consolation in Christ;(2) comfort of love; (3) fellowship of the Spirit; and (4) bowels and mercies.Then there is a preface to having the same mind as Christ: (1) like-minded; (2)same love; (3) of one accord; and (4) of one mind. The mind of Christ isessentially giving up temporarily equality with God to come to earth, and thendying on the cross. God the Father has highly exalted Jesus for what He didby: (1) Giving him the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, above every name; (2)By commanding that every knee on earth and in heaven bow to the Lord JesusChrist; and (3) By commanding that every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord,and that this gives the glory to God the Father. Salvation is to be worked withand worked out with “fear and trembling”. (Here something should beparenthetically mentioned that will become more important as we go along,and that is the balance between Security of the Believer and Cautions. Here isa caution to work with what you have in salvation already for fear ortrembling that it may not be completed in you!) How to be cautious about yoursalvation?

* Acknowledge that it must be God working in you to do His goodpleasure and will, the equivalent of Christ in you.

* Don’t murmur and dispute as that is not the sort of thing God or Christwould be doing in you.

* Seek to be blameless and harmless.

* The sons of God.

* Be without rebuke in the midst of crookedness and perverseness.

* Shine as lights in the world.* Hold forth the Word of life...

“...that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neitherlabored in vain.” (Philippians 2:16 KJV)

Rejoice in the Lord and beware of: (1) dogs; (2) evil workers; and (3) theconcision—we are of the circumcision that worship God in spirit and rejoicein the Lord Jesus Christ, having no confidence in the flesh. {NOTE: Since laterin I John it will become very important to test the spirits, we see herepreparatory to John’s epistles the three characteristics of a good spirit: (1)worship God with that spirit; (2) rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ; and (3) haveno confidence in the flesh.} Some confidences in the flesh: (1) circumcision ofthe flesh; (2) of Israel; (3) of the tribe of Benjamin; (4) a Hebrew of the Hebrews;(5) a Pharisee about the law; (6) religious enthusiasm that persecutes thechurch; and (7) blameless under the legal requirements of the law. THEEXCELLENCY OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST (still another way to talkabout the mystery of Christ in you, the hope of glory): (1) personal gains arelosses here; (2) causes the loss of all other things; (3) all other things become asdung compared to the winning of Christ; (4) to be found “in him”; (5) havingnot personal righteousness under the law; (6) having the righteousness offaith, the righteousness which is of God and by faith; (7) to know Christ; (8) toknow the power of Christ’s resurrection; (9) to know the fellowship of Christ’ssufferings; (10) the end goal in the resurrection from the dead; (11) arecognition of incomplete salvation or perfection; (12) to follow afterperfection and completed salvation; (13) to apprehend what Jesusapprehended us to have; (14) forget the past and look forward to the future;and (15) press toward the target of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

The problem children in the church are (same as the evil spirits of I John): (1)those who claim perfection but who will not listen to God letting them know

differently; (2) those who live habitually the opposite of the examples of Pauland Timothy; (3) the enemies of the cross of Christ; (4) those whose end isdestruction; (5) those whose God is their belly; (6) those who glory in theirshame (here is an opposite of the hope of glory, Christ in you with a hope ofglory built on shame); and (7) who mind earthly things.

Our conversation is in heaven.

CHANGE: (Here is a short summary of some of the hope!)

“the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may befashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he isable even to subdue all things unto himself.” (Philippians 3:20,21 KJV)

Stand fast in the Lord, be of the same mind, and rejoice in the Lord. Bemoderate since the Lord is at hand; pray about every thing to God with thepeace that will ensue; think on good and true things; and do what you haveheard and seen. Colossians:

From Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy ourbrother to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colossae. Wegive thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ since we heard ofyour faith and love, praying for the hope laid up for you in heaven: (1) thehope you heard of at first in the gospel; (2) the hope to you and all the world;(3) the hope that brings forth fruit in you; and (4) the hope after you knew thegrace of God in truth. Our prayer is that you might be filled with theknowledge of His will in wisdom and spiritual understanding: (1) to walkworthy of the Lord fruitfully (2) increasing in the knowledge of God; (3)glorious power for patience, longsuffering, and joy; and (4) giving thanks tothe Father. What the Father has done for us: (1) Made us partakers of theinheritance of saints; (2) delivered us from the power of darkness; (3)translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son; and

(4) given us redemption through the blood of the Son with forgiveness of sins.

Who is this Jesus? (1) The image of the invisible God; (2) Firstborn of allcreatures; (3) Medium of all creation; (4) Recipient of all created things; (5)Preeminent to all; (6) All things have their continuing existence by Him; (6)Head of the church; (7) The beginning of new creations as the Firstborn from

the dead; and (8) The Father’s focal point for all fullness. NOTE: Right here issomething we want to do more of since it is the Bible way, a balance betweensecurity and “if”.

12-2: Security.

“And you...yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh throughdeath, to present you holy, and blameless, and irreproachable in His sight...”(Colossians 1:21,22 NJKV)

IF

“if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are notmoved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard...” (Colossians1:23 NJKV)

Granted the conditional “if” of security is only one verse long while thesecurity is three verses long; but this is the consistent trend in the Bible, andthis is the way we must look at the Security of the Believer in order to look atit in the total context of the Bible. A special note about this hope of the Gospel“WHICH YE HAVE HEARD, AND WHICH WAS PREACHED TO EVERYCREATURE WHICH IS UNDER HEAVEN; WHEREOF I PAUL AM MADEA MINISTER”. Let this serve as preparatory to the main theme and sub-themethat we are rapidly approaching of, “Who are you listening to?” I rejoice tosuffer for you and strive to catch up on afflictions for the sake of the church,the body of Christ—the reason I am a minister, “great things you must sufferfor me”; and declare the mystery of the ages, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

You should know what great conflict I have for you at colossi and for Laodicea,even for those who have never seen me in order to have comfort and “fullassurance of understanding”. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge arehidden in Christ. I Paul am there in spirit so even as you have received Christ,walk in Him; and do not let any man spoil you through: (1) philosophy; (2)vain deceit; (3) according to the traditions of men; (4) according to therudiments of the world; and (5) not according to Christ. This Christ hasembodied in Him all the fullness of the Godhead, and therefore this means foryou: (1) completeness in Christ the head of principalities and powers; (2)circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands; (3) taking away fromthe body the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; (4) buried and

raised with Christ by baptism through faith; and (5) made alive again withyour sins forgiven. {NOTE: This “completeness in Christ” is obvious incontext. Nothing but Christ is needed, not Christ plus philosophy, not Christand circumcision, not Christ and principalities, not Christ and powers, andnot Christ and angel worship.} Christ: (1) took the ordinances against us andnailed them to the cross; and (2) made an open show of the principalities andpowers and He triumphed over them. So don’t worry about these ordinancesas meat, drink, holidays, etc. There were a shadow of things to come. Now,the real Christ is here. Don’t worship angels. {NOTE: Here in Colossians 3:1is another conditional “if” of the security of the believer that should be addedto our eventual complete list. While it is true that anyone baptized in the fullspiritual sense of risen with Christ has the security of the believer, then youmust be the kind of person who is seeking those things which are above.}

The Secure Believer: (1) is seeking things above where Christ is; (2) has settheir affections on things above rather than on things on the earth; (3) is deadto the world; (4) their life is hid with Christ in God.

The next statement by the Apostle Paul in Colossians 3:4 is closely related tothe “glory” statement of Colossians 1:27—”Christ in you, the hope of glory”.While it is a hope of glory in 1:27 by the time Paul has weeded out with theconditional if’s those not consistent with the conditions, it is in 3:4 LIFE ANDGLORY WHEN CHRIST APPEARS!

“When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear withhim in glory.” (Colossians 3:4 KJV)

Because Christ has glory at the Second Coming, and power and etc., we alsohave glory because of our identification with Him!

Some things for us to do: (1) Mortify your members on the earth ascovetousness, idolatry, etc. (it sounds almost like the members of the churchat Colosse that are doing these things are to be mortified, but it is rather thatpart of you, generally called the flesh, that is do these inordinate things); (2)Put off all these things as anger, malice; (3) Put off the old man, includinglying; (4) Put on the new man; (5) Let the peace of God rule in your hearts; (6)Let the word of Christ dwell in you; (7) Do everything in the name of Jesuswith special admonitions for wives, husbands, children, fathers, servants, and

masters; (8) Prayer continually and with thanksgiving; (9) Walk in wisdomtoward those outside the Christian faith, buying back each opportunity; and(10) Carefully answer each man.

I have sent Tychicus a beloved brother, and Onesimus. Those with me thatgreet you are Aristarchus, Marcus, Justus, Epaphras, Luke, and Demas. Salutethe brothers in Laodicea, also salute Nymphas and the church which is in hishouse. Switch this epistle with the one to Laodicea, and read them both.Archippus, fulfil your ministry. I John:

Since the discussion of I John will be much more than a paraphrase, with manycomments, notes, and a further setting forth of the prime theme of therelationship between faith contending and security, it is in the next chapterand introduced below in the next section.

12-3: I JOHN: FAITH CONTENDING AND SECURITY.

We Apostles from the very beginning hears, saw, and even handled the Wordof life. Since this life was manifested, we bear witness and testify to you ofeternal life which was with the Father. We pass on to you what we have seenand heard in order that you may have fellowship with us since our fellowshipis with the Father and His Son. These things are written for “full joy”. (NOTE:Before in Colossians we have completeness in Christ and now full joy. Ourcup is running over!)

The message that Jesus delivered and which you heard was: (1) God is light;and (2) There is no darkness of sin in God; (3) Those that have fellowship withGod live in that light of a sinless habit; (4) They have fellowship with otherChristians; and (5) The blood of Jesus cleanses from all sin. (NOTE: The bloodof Jesus takes on an even larger emphasis later on in I John as a witness toJesus.)

What to do in case of sin—and we will sin, further if any says that he does notsin, he is a liar and the truth is not in him: CONFESS OUR SINS TO GOD.

What God will do when we confess our sins to Him: (1) Forgive us our sins;and (2) Cleanse us from all unrighteousness, internally and externally.{NOTE: Here is another case of persons who may feel secure, but who can notbe among the secures as they say that they do not sin, making God and the

Word of God a liar. Since the truth can not be in them that is the same as Christcan not be in them, and therefore there is no security of the believer. The bookof I John as supplemented with II and III John is the ultimate clarification ofthe security of the believer.} Don’t sin and don’t make it a habit to sin, but ifit happens you have the Advocate with God the Father, and that Advocate isthe Righteous Jesus Christ. He Himself is the Propitiation for our sins and thesins of the whole world. Not to sin is the keep the commandments of Jesus;and we know that we know Him— the Security of the Believer—if we keepHis commandments, and the person who claims to know Him—the insecurebeliever—while not keeping his commandments is a liar. (NOTE: In order tosee how much the Apostle John is faith contending—that is, is after theelimination of contentious faith, we need only look at how often up to thispoint he has called these practitioners of contentious faith “liars”. Rather, hedoes not call them liars, only identifies the type of individual who is a liar).

The Kind of Person Who is a Liar, the same kind of person who is a practitionerof Contentious Faith—

1. Walk in darkness while claiming to have fellowship with God, I John1:6. {Also carefully note what a lie is: it is the opposite of doing the truth. Youmight say it is also the opposite of the good Christian Conscience that iswilling to live honestly in all things!}

2. To say we have no sin is self deception with the truth not in us whichis the equivalent of a lie, I John 1:8.

3. If we say that we have not sinned, worse than being a liar, we makeGod a liar, and that is the ultimate in contentious faith, I John 1:10.

4. The person who says he knows Jesus, and yet does not keep Jesus’scommandments is a liar, and once again the truth is not in him. And in orderto see how much the Apostle John under the leadership of the Holy Spirit isafter the liar, alias practitioners of Contentious faith, we briefly trace the liarsthrough the rest of I John.

5. He is a liar and an antichrist who denies that Jesus is the Christ, I John2:22.

6. The man who says that he loves God yet hates his brother is a liar, IJohn 4:20.

On the more positive side, THE PERSON WHO KEEPS THE WORD OF GODIN HIM IS THE LOVE OF GOD PERFECTED; AND EVEN AS WE HAVETRACED THE LIAR THROUGHOUT THE BOOK OF I JOHN, WE SHOULDNOW TRACE THE PERFECTING OF THE LOVE

OF GOD. How the Love of God is Perfected inside the human spirit?

1. By the keeping of the Word and words of Jesus, I John 2:5.

2. I John 3:2 does not use the word perfected, but perfection is there—

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what weshall be; but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for weshall see him as he is.” (I John 3:2 KJV) {NOTE: We will find the necessity toseparate perfection in love from perfection.}

3. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and the love of God isperfected in us, I John 4:12.

4. This is the way our love is made perfect: since God is love, those thatdwell in God dwell also in love, I John 4:16,17.

5. Perfected love has no fear of the Day of Judgment, I John 4:17,18.

12-4: Eternal Life in I John.

Surely as we would see Eternal Life in I John, we would also see the Securityof the Believer in I John; and in doing so it would become apparent from theWord of God itself the relationship between the Security of the Believer, Faith,and Faith Contending. Why is Faith Contending necessary? Because somewho claim to be Christians are liars, and the truth is not in them, not in theirspirits.

1. Eternal Life in I John 2:13.

Note where this is approximately half way in the epistle of I John as if to divideit in two parts, and that helps to stress another interesting aspect of I John in

that unlike Paul’s epistles those addressed are mentioned shortly before thisbeginning of an eternal life emphasis, in I John 2:12-14- -

“I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for hisname’s sake. I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is fromthe beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome thewicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known theFather. I have written unto you fathers, because ye have known him that isfrom the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye arestrong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wickedone.” (I John 2:12-14 KJV)

* Little children have two characteristics: (1) Their sins are forgiven inthe name of Jesus; and (2) They have known the Father.

* Young men addressed have three characteristics: (1) They haveovercome the wicked One, Satan, mentioned twice; (2) They are strong; and(3) The Word of God abides in them.

* Fathers, the elders, have the single characteristic repeated twice thatthey have “known him that is from the beginning”. We naturally take that tomean that these are first Christians that knew Jesus Himself.

So there is little doubt as to who the epistle of I John is addressed to: (1) It isaddressed to many Christians who knew Jesus at the same time that theApostles knew Jesus; (2) It is addressed to their young men that have the Wordof God abiding in themselves, being strong in the Lord and having overcomeSatan; and (3) It is addressed to little children below the age of youth who havereached the age of accountability having come to know God the Fatherpersonally and having been forgiven of their sins.

Now with this background of who John wants to feel secure about theirsalvation of eternal life, we come to the first usage in I John of Eternal Life—

“Let that therefore abide in you which ye have heard from the beginning.If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye alsoshall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that hehath promised us, even eternal life. “ (I John 2:24,13 KJV)

Also the point is made here by the Apostle John has been emphasizedpreviously from the epistles of Paul: that is, that eternal life is conditional.Notice the conditional “if”, “if that which ye have heard from the beginningshall remain in you...” See that, it must remain! What you heard from thebeginning, and this is especially to those Fathers who heard Jesus forthemselves, must remain in you, and that is when you receive security andeternal life.

2. Eternal Life in I John 3:1-3.

Here the words “eternal life” are not found; but the substance as first we findthe assurance of being “sons of God” (I John 3:1) and then those who have thishope, which also reminds us of the Apostle Paul’s “Christ in you, the hope ofglory”. Look at it closely and then a few comments will be made about it—

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that weshould be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not,because it knew him not.

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what weshall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; forwe shall see him as he is.

And every man that hath in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” (IJohn 3:1-3 KJV)

* You can see how I John comes behind the Gospel of John where theApostle has made it clear that “as many as received him to them gave hepower to become sons of God”.

* The Hope assured us by Christ being inside us is the assurance that atthe Second Coming we shall be like Him for we will see Him as He is. Theinternal image of Christ in us becomes also an external image at the SecondComing.

* Again a conditional statement about those who are secure in this hopeare also those that purify themselves. They purify themselves because Jesusis pure, and if the image is to reflect the pure Jesus, it must also be pure.


Here while only the word “life” is used instead of “eternal life”, we know it iseternal life since this life is the opposite of death—

“We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love thebrethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.” (I John 3:14 KJV)


Eternal life is negative here, letting us know that faith contending is alsoinvolved as certain practitioners of contentious faith are eliminated from thesecurity of the believer by being murderers in that they hate Christianbrothers—

“Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer; and ye know that no murdererhath eternal life abiding in him.” (I John 3:15 KJV)

* This theme of lack of respect for other Christians, the same as hate orthe lack of love for Christian brothers, is not only in I John, but is an echo ofwhat the Apostle James writes in the book of James—

“But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of thelaw as transgressors.” (James 2:9 KJV)

* It is also significant that the words before I John 3:15, and introductionto murder and to John 3:15 is a reference to Cain and Able, also acharacteristics of those of contentious faith condensed with in the prime bookon faith contending, Jude and Jude 11.

“Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedilyafter the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying ofCore.” (Jude 11 KJV)

* This is a good one verse summary of practitioners of contentious faith:(1) They commit murder by hate because of lack of love of other Christianbrothers; (2) They work greedily for personal gain in the ministry like Balaam;and (3) They like Core strive to identify themselves and their group as the realpeople of God.


Once again this is the concept but not the words “eternal life” itself, or perhapswe should say this is the Security of the Believer again—

“And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him.And hereby we know that he abideth in us, be the Spirit which he hathgiven us.” (I John 3:24 KJV) * Notice “pneuma” for “Spirit” is capitalizedhere since it refers to the Holy Spirit.

* It provides the background for the spirits to be tested in the next verse whichare human spirits and spirits of those who falsely claim to be Prophets andApostles.

6. Eternal Life in I John 5:11-13.

Three times eternal life is mentioned in these three verses as if having startedon eternal life in the second chapter, it increases in intensity, and comes to aclimax in this fifth chapter— “And this is the record, that God hath given tous eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life, and hethat hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written untoyou that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that yehave eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” (IJohn 5:11-13 KJV)

12-5: Starting an Outline of I John, “From the Beginning”.

A very good preliminary outline of I John can be made based on the places inI John where the words “From the beginning” are mentioned.

I. I John 1:1, We Apostles are declaring to you the Christ-Word which was“From the beginning” in order that we may have fellowship with us which iswith God the Father and the Son. [The Fellowship of the Apostles, God theFather, and the Son of God.]

II. I John 2:7, “From the beginning” twice, once with no newcommandment and then with a new commandment with the challenge of thepresentation of perfected love. [While sinlessness of life can not be perfected,the challenge of the fellowship of the Apostles, God the Father, and God theSon does entail the possibility of perfected love while still on earth.] (NOTE:We must realize that this is the Apostle John, the Apostle whom over a half of

a century previously Jesus had noted as the Apostle of love; the person towhom Jesus had entrusted His own mother; and who over fifty years later hadworked on perfected love to the extent that he had for himself eliminated anydread of the Day of Judgment.)

III. I John 2:12-14, John writes to them, has written to them, and continuesto write to them about what has been “from the beginning” because the fatherswere there at the beginning. [How well do you remember the Traditions ofJesus which were from the beginning?] (NOTE: It is obvious that with theclose of the First Century near at hand, approximately 94 A.D. when theApostle John writes this epistle, that John is emphasizing “from thebeginning” because the Traditions of Jesus are about to be distorted. It is timeto remind all Christians— fathers, young, and children, what the beginningtraditions of Christianity are all about.)

IV. I John 2:24, Let the same Holy Spirit abide in you that you heard “fromthe beginning, and if that same Spirit of the Son of abides in you then you haveeternal life. {Have you changed internally from the influence of the Spirit tothe influence of other spirits?]

V. I John 3:11, This is the Message that you heard “from the beginning”,that we should love one another. {The original message of love one another.]{NOTE: This being the last of the “from the beginning” statements, as wecontinue along in this book developing a thorough outline and exegesis of IJohn, we will have to find another theme besides “The Traditions of Jesus”with which to continue the outline, perhaps the theme of eternal life continuesthe outline.}

12-6: Startling Statements from I John.

In this day and time when we know we have far surpassed that time framethat Paul spoke of in II Timothy 4:3,4, the time that would come when therewould be a turning away of Christians from truth and Christians leaders withsubtle new messages, it is easy to be shocked by some of the statements fromI John if you looked at them taken out temporarily from their context. Take forexample, the statement of John about the “last times”. That alone is a shock tomost contemporary Christians because it is not being heard from their pulpits,because in spite of the clear teachings of the Bible we continue to look for “last

times” out in the future, and because of this misconception- conception notonly do we miss much truth about eschatology (last things) but just plainmuch about the Bible.

1. The “last times” are right now near the end of the First Century.

“Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shallcome, even now are there many Antichrists; whereby we know that it is thelast time.” (I John 2:18 KJV)

2. We lie if we say that we have fellowship with God and yet there aredark spots in our lives.

“If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie,and do not the truth...” (I John 1:6 KJV)

3. If we say that we have absolutely no sin in our lives, we are not onlypracticing self deception, but the absolute truth is not in us.

“if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not inus.” (I John 1:8 KJV)

4. We make God out to be a liar when we say that we have not sinned,and this indicates that the word of God is not in us.

“If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is notin us.” (I John 1:10 KJV)

5. The Apostle John is writing these things to you to get you to sin not asa goal, but knowing full well that you will sin; and that therefore you need tobe more aware of your Advocate for sin than of the sin.

“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if anyman sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous...”(I John 2:1 KJV)

6. Keep humble lest you too become practitioners of contentious faith byclaiming to be the only focus of God’s love by recalling that Jesus died not onlyfor your sins but for the sins of the whole world!

“...Jesus Christ the righteous; And he is the propitiation for our sins: andnot for oar’s only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (I John 2:1b,2KJV).

7. The person who claims to know Jesus without keeping thecommandments of Jesus is not only a liar but also the absolute truth is not inhim.

“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, andthe truth is not in him.” (I John 2:4 KJV) {NOTE: You see the Apostle Jameshardly stands alone in faith without words is dead; and while the ApostleJames may be the first faith contender, he has good company with Paul, Jude,Peter, and John. They all are fearful that the blood of others might be on theirhands, carefully declaring the whole counsel of God with the balance betweensecurity of believers and faith contending against contentious faith that iswithout security, without truth.}

8. The love of God is perfected inside the Christian who keeps the Bible.

“But whoso keepeth his word, verily is the love of God perfected; herebyknow that we are in him.” (I John 2:5 KJV) {NOTE: Although the second halfof I John, after the first half faith contends with the traditions of Jesus, thenpresents the security of the believer; and the book of I John being 5 chapterswe are not quite half way, there is a gradual overlap between the two balancedthemes of I John. We are not with the beginning of I John 2:5 in that overlapregion of I John. Rather than having two major divisions, in order to beprecise, the epistle of I John should have three divisions with the middledivision being one of overlap of the first and last theme.

I. Faith Contending with the Traditions of Jesus II. Faith Contending andSecurity of the Believer. III. Security of the Believer.}

9. If you say you abide in Jesus, you should walk or live like Jesus walkedand lived.

“He that saith he abideth in him, ought himself also so to walk, even as hewalked.” (I

John 2:6 KJV)

And see how we have a mixture of security with faith contending: the securityis in the assurance of being a Christian is that the love of God is being perfectedin us, and the faith contending is that there are some not living like Jesus, yetclaiming to be Christians. {NOTE: I John unlike the epistles of Paul is not asmuch a logical treatment and logical flow of truth. It is more like the lastteachings of Jesus to the disciples in the Garden before the Crucifixion. IndeedI believe that is the purpose of John in writing on the Traditions of Jesus, toelaborate on what Jesus taught in those last words, and in so doing to use themethod of Jesus Himself in those teachings. (In the next chapter will be a briefsummary of the traditional teachings of Jesus in John 14-17.)}

10. This truth of I John is nothing new because it is the Word you heardfrom Jesus from the beginning—alias, the beginning traditions of Jesus -but itis new in that a new day has dawned where darkness has been replaced withlight.

“Brethren, I write no new commandments unto you, but an oldcommandment which ye had rom the beginning. The old commandments isthe word which ye have heard from the beginning. Again, a newcommandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you;because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.” (I John 2:7,8KJV)

We have already noted how I John is unique in that the salutation is in thebody of the epistle rather than at the beginning, and right here with the word“Brethren” is the real beginning of that salutation which divides later in I John2:12-14 into fathers, youth, and little children. This makes us curious aboutthe words in between I John 2:8 and I John 2:12; however since with theintroduction in 2:8 shown above, you know it is going to be on the new thingof Christianity, the passing of darkness into light which by the way was alsothe way John introduced the little epistles in I John 1:5, “God is light, and inhim is no darkness at all.” {NOTE: You cannot mix God and darkness, Christand sinful habits, Christianity and worldly philosophy, and the ChristianConscience with the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.}

An Outline of the salutation of I John, I John 2:7-14.

(1). Brethren, I bring out of the treasures of the traditions of Christianitysomething both old and new.

a. The Old is the Original and traditional teachings of Jesus.

b. The New is that a New Day has dawned on humanity and on the peopleof God whereby darkness has been replaced with light.

(2). Let me talk about this light and darkness.

a. While a man may say he is in the light, he is really in the darkness if hehates his brother. {NOTE: As to the question of whether brother meansbrother by birth or Christian brother, I think we can easily answer in terms ofChristian brother since the very introduction to this salutation was“brethren”}.

b. The Christian that loves his Christian brother walks in the light, and hedoesn’t stumble in his Christian life because he is walking in the light of thelove of God.

c. The darkness of the man who does not love his Christian brother (lackof love of Christians is defined as hate):

[1]. He lives in darkness.

[2]. He walks and stumbles in darkness.

[3]. He doesn’t know where he is going or what he is doing.

[4]. He is blind, blinded by the sin of lack of love for Christians.

(3). Fathers, youth, and little children.

a. Little children.

[1]. Your sins are forgiven in the name of Jesus. [2]. You have known theFather.

b. Fathers.

[1]. You have known Jesus from at the first.

[2]. You have known Jesus from at the beginning.

c. Youth.

[1]. You have overcome Satan.

[2]. You are strong.

[3]. The Word of God abides in you.

{NOTE: Of the ones to whom this is written they have the security of abeliever as: (1) Their sins are forgiven; (2) They know God the Father; (3)They know Jesus; (4) They have overcome Satan; (5) They are strong in theLord Jesus Christ; and (6) The Word of God abides inside of them. Surelythis last is the equivalent of Paul’s and Colossians, “Christ in you, the hopeof glory...”}

11. You can not mix inside yourself love for the Father and love for theworld.

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any manlove the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (I John 2:15 KJV)

Is the equivalent of saying a man cannot be a Christian, alias a secure believer,and have love of the world inside of himself? I think so! Even as God anddarkness do not mix, even so love of God and love of the world do not mix.

12. The physical world came from God without the thorns, but the worldof lusts and pride came from Satan and sin.

“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes,and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” (I John 2:16KJV) {NOTE: Even as all of the Gospel of John, and even the previous bookof Revelation, is background for the little epistles, even so the treatment offirst the physical world in John 1, the world which was made through Christthe Word, and then the world which could not comprehend Christ, thedarkness of the world which could not comprehend Christ. You see whatJohn has done quickly is to identify darkness in practical terms, in worldterms, in terms of the world as: (1) lust of the flesh, (2) lust of the eyes, and(3) pride of life.}

This pride of life is not to be confused with the love of life as the Apostle Peterdevelops it in I Peter 3:10—

“For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue fromevil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good;let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over therighteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers; but the face of the Lordis against them that do evil.” (I Peter 3:10 12 KJV) Indeed John and Peterare talking about the same thing, one calling it darkness while the other callsit evil, the first calling it light while the second calls in righteousness and doinggood.

13. All those things of the world of lust and pride will disappear, and whatwill remain on the new earth will be those who do the will of God.

“And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth thewill of God abideth for ever.” (I John 2:17 KJV)

Certainly abiding forever is security as a believer, and the way to do that isconditional—do the will of God; and again you see how in this passage afterthe salutation of 2:7-14, John in going back to the them of light identifies thedarkness as lusts and pride, while combining faith contending again with thesecurity of the believer. WE ARE STILL IN THE OVERLAP CENTERREGION OF I JOHN WHERE THE FAITH CONTENDING IS MIXED WITHSECURITY!

14. It is the last time already, now at the end of the First Century; andalthough many of you making looking for the famous antichrist, the reality isthat many Antichrists are already in the world. IT IS THE LAST TIME!

“Little children, it is the last time; and as ye have heard that antichrist shallcome, even now are there many Antichrists; whereby we know that it is thelast time.” (I John 2:18 KJV)

John doesn’t have time now in the writing of this little epistle to discuss howthe antichrist that Paul wrote of was the Roman Emperor, and many RomanEmperors who persecuted Christians and demanded to be worshiped in theplace of Christ, the same beast and beast of Revelation about which John haspreviously written. Right now the burden of proof under the leadership of theHoly Spirit is upon John to faith contend about the traditions of Jesus and tobalance it with the security of the believer. Obviously his favorite term for thesecure believers is “little children”, and we see “little children” in the

salutation to be more a general term for the saved of the fathers and the youngthan to be little children of lesser age than the fathers and the young!

15. These Antichrists were in our assembly but they went away from usbecause they did not belong to us in the first place: alias, all in Christianassemblies are not Christians. {“TOO MANY CHRISTIANS!, at least in name.It is sort of like Baptists: as a teacher of Baptist history said, “If Baptists keepgrowing in the future as they have in the past, one of these days there will bemore Baptists than people. Could we already be there?”}

“They went out form us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us,they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that theymight be made manifest that they were not all of us.” (I John 2:19 KJV)

16. Now the security of the believer gets serious, after two groups ofChristians in assembly have been identified as first the insecure and then thesecures: those are secure who have an internal “unction”, the presence of theHoly One, and that unction gives an understanding of real things.

“But ye have an unction form the Holy One, and ye know all things.” (IJohn 2:20 KJV)

Once again we see these traditions of Jesus based largely on the teachings ofJesus as given in John 14-17 here the re-iteration in more practical terms of thegiving of the Holy Spirit to Christians whereby they come to understand thereal things of the world, the spiritual truths and realities. [NOTE: Now, it hasbecome apparent as to the three divisions of I John in terms of chapters andverses as we have found the beginning of the Security of the Believer thirdsection, thus also the end of the overlap of faith contending and the securityof the believer—

I. I John 1:1-2:2 Faith Contending with the Traditions of Jesus.

II. I John 2:3-19 Faith Contending and Security.

III. I John 3:20-5:21 The Security of the Believer.

Warning: the faith contending tapers in the third division, not disappearwith the big difference between I and III being the larger emphasis of eitherfaith contending or security.}

Chapter 13: Complete Outline of I John.

13-1: EVEN IN SECURITY A MIX OF FAITH CONTENDING.

Division Three Faith Contending Versus Security Verses

1. Faith Contending in I John 2:20-5:21.

(1). I John 2:21b.

“...and that no life is of the truth.” (I John 2:21b KJV)

(2). I John 2:22,23a

“Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist,that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the samehath not the Father...” (I John 2:22 , 23a KJV)

NOTE: You realize that where there are “a” or “b” parts the other half ofthe verse will deal with security, thus verses where security and faithcontending are mixed.

(3). I John 2:14.

“These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.” (IJohn 2:14 KJV)

Brother, that is faith contending! After two and one half verses on the securityof the believer, and after previously in the epistle having introduced theAntichrists as those who went out form them and denied Jesus, now he callsthose same ones as seducers: (1) They were trying to keep Christians awayfrom Christian assemblies and away from the Apostles, also seducing themaway from Christ, which the literal meaning of anti- or away from Christ; and(2) They had been successful in seducing some or they would not have beenseducers.

(4). I John 3:1b.

“...therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.” (I John3:1b KJV)

(5). I John 3:6b.

“...whosoever sinneth hat not seen him, neither known him.” (I John 3:6b KJV)Here it is not who sins as in I John 1:8 or even has sinned in the past as in IJohn 1:10; but rather sinneth, continuing in the habit of sin.

(6). I John 3:8.

“He that committeth (notice the continuous nature) sin is of the devil; forthe devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God wasmanifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” (I John 3:8 KJV)

NOTE: It is obvious that we missed one of the “from the beginning’s at thebeginning; and also that from the beginning has to take on more meaning thanjust the traditions that began with the life of Christ as Satan was there at thebeginning of Creation in the Garden tempting man and woman to sin. Ofcourse, again the epistles of John are based on the Gospel of John where thebeginning of the traditions of Christ were before the beginning of the world -

“In the beginning was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, andthe Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All thingswere made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth indarkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” (John 1:1-5 KJV)

Not only do we see the traditions of Jesus going all the way back to Creationand before, but also we see Jesus as the light and what came against Him inthe world as the darkness. When you combine this with what Paul says of theChrist in Colossians, that is that “through Him all things consists” or havetheir being, and that in John 1 Christ is the medium of Creation, we suspectthat there may be a much closer relationship between the means of physicallight and the Christ than can be imagined, much less the spiritual light!

(7). I John 3:10b.

“...and the children of the devil; whosoever doeth not righteousness is notof God, neither he that loveth not his brother.” (I John 3:10b KJV)

(8). I John 3:12.

“Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. Andwherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’srighteous. Marvel not, my brothers, if the world hate you.” (I John 3:12,13KJV)

Note that we definitely cannot eliminate blood brother from the discussionseven those the emphasis has to be on Christian brothers, and double in troubleis the Christian in assembly who does not love his Christian brother who isalso his blood brother. (NOTE: Hate has progressed here from a person hatinghis one brother, to the brother and brothers that are hated, those that are stillthe Christians in assembly!)

(9). I John 3:14b,15.

“He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth hisbrother is a murderer; and ye know that no murderer hath eternal lifeabiding in him.” (I John 3:14b,15 KJV)

Perhaps you forgot that we were originally looking at startling statement in IJohn that, though your assemblies are called Christian assemblies, you are notlikely to hear; and here is another: The person, calling himself Christian orotherwise who does not love his brother is a murderer. He is guilty ofMURDER. YOU SEE THAT IS THE POSITION THAT MANYFUNDAMENTALISTS LEADERS OF THE SOUTHERN BAPTISTCONVENTION ARE IN NOW AS THEY HAVE PRACTICED THE LACK OFLOVE FOR OTHER CHRISTIAN BROTHERS IN THE CONVENTION,ELIMINATING THEIR CAREERS AND JOBS AND REPUTATIONS ANDASSISTING EVEN IN THEIR REMOVAL FROM SERVICE IN THESOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION. THIS LACK OF LOVE IS NOTFOLLOWING A FUNDAMENTAL OF LOVE OF THE BIBLE, NOTPRACTICING THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE APOSTLES, AND YOU KNOWTHE REST OF THE REASON AS GIVEN IN I JOHN AND IN THE OTHERSCRIPTURES

ABOUT FAITH CONTENDING! (NOTE: With this verse we have looked ata total of 8 out of the 24 verses between where security begins in 2:20 to thepoint above in 3:15, so that while it may seem like a lot of verses on faithcontending in a division of I John on security, we do see that three times as

many verses are on security as are on faith contending; and if we check thetapering or increasing rate, we notice that only 5 out of 15 of the verses of thethird chapter of I John are faith contending, which means so far not change inrate at all, it stay constant up to this point at 3-1 for security over faithcontending.)

(10). I John 4:1.

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are ofGod; because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” (I John 4:1KJV)

Veritably here a very key to faith contending is to “TRY THE SPIRIT”? Whynot try believers or Christians? Well, for one reason if they are truly believersand truly Christians, then there is no test for them; another it is the attitudethat is being tested even more than the behavior; and thirdly there is the verypractical matter of we have to go beyond appearances where both sheep andwolves in sheep’s clothing look alike!

(11). I John 4::2,3.

Even though in the method of John, borrowed from Jesus in John 14-17, thereis a positive and then a negative opposite treatment following, we need bothto treat the full context here of faith contending. The more positive part isreally in the category of Security.

“Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that JesusChrist is come in the flesh is of God; And every spirit that confesseth notthat Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God; and this is that spirit ofantichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now alreadyis it in the world.” (I John 4:2,3 KJV)

Having already received and written the revelations of Revelation where theman of sin, the son of perdition, is the Roman Emperor and many RomanEmperors, and having read and no doubt preaching on Paul’s man of sin andperdition of II Thessalonians 2:3—considered then and still today as theultimate antichrist—John now makes it clear that what we are really upagainst is the spirit of antichrist that can have many manifestations in manypersons.

(12). I John 4:5,6.

Likewise it takes both of these verses together to see the faith contending, andalthough some of the best security of the believer is here with one of thegreatest assurance of a continuous faith in terms of who we are listening to—

“They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the worldheareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that isnot of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spiritof error.” (I John 4:5,6 KJV)

WHO IS THE WORLD LISTENING TO? TAKE NOTE ANYONE THAT THEWORLD IS LISTENING TO: IN OTHER WORDS, WHO IS POPULAR WITHTHE WORLD, BEWARE, THOSE SPEAKERS AND PREACHERS ARE ALSO“OF THE WORLD”!

(13). I John 4:20,21.

After thirteen verses of pure security, we come to two on faith contending,although the 21st verse is really more security—

“If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he thatloveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he loved God whom hehath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he wholoveth God love his brother also.” (I John 4:20,21 KJV)

(14). I John 5:12b.

After twelve and one-half magnificent verses on the Security of the Believer,then comes the opposite of another positive statement of security—

“...and he that hath not the Son of God hath no life.” (I John 5:12b KJV)

The last nine verses are on Security, and we will start with that last nine, itbeing the most secure points in the security of the believer.

2. The Security of the Believer in I John 2:20 5:21,

(1). I John 5:11,12a.

The Apostle John, well aware that he is writing Scriptures shortly to becomerespected among all Christians as Word of God, provides an objective criterion

to the previous more subjective and internal assurance of the Security of theBeliever, and that objective criterion is the Word of God—

“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this lifeis in his Son. He that hath the Son hat life...” (I John 5:11,12a KJV)

(2). I John 5:13.

Even as the Apostle John was clear in the identification of his purpose forwriting John in John 20:30,31, even so now in I John 5:13 he makes clear thepurpose of the writing of this little epistle as for security of the believer, andyou might note the similarities and differences in the purpose of the twobooks.

The Purpose of the Gospel of John—

“And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples,which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye mightbelieve that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye mighthave life through his name.” (John 20:30,31 KJV)

The Purpose of I John—

“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Sonof God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believeon the name of the Son of God.” (I John 5:13 KJV)

While both books stress the believe in Jesus for eternal life, the book of John isin order to have that life and the book of I John is in order to know that youhave that life.

(3). I John 5:14,15.

This is the external confidence of receiving answers to asked prayers!

“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thingaccording to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us,whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired ofhim.” (I John 5:14,15)

(4). I John 5:16,17.

Although this verse is on faith contending in that it tells the secures how todeal with the kind of people of contentious faith, it is written to the secures.

“If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask,and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sinunto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin:and there is a sin not unto death.” (I John 5:16,17 KJV)

The sin unto death, of course, the same as the unpardonable sin, is to reject thewooing of the Spirit of Jesus to the point of no return; and here is the one placethat John admits that some who are called and thought to be Christian brothersmay not be at all! In faith contending and in the security of the believer whenfaced with known sin in the lives of others we deal with two kinds of peopleand in two ways: (1) Brothers who are really brothers who have not sinnedunto death; and (2) And brothers who are not really brothers that have crossedover the line committing the unpardonable sin.

(5). I John 5:18.

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

Once again as in I John 3:6 this is the continuous habit of living in sin; andwhile before it was that such a person is of the devil, here it is on the morepositive and secure side of being born of God so that there is not the habit ofsin, and that on the positive side also Satan can not get to such a secure person.

(6). I John 5:19.

“And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth inwickedness.” (I John 5:19 KJV)

The positive and definite statement of contrast must be made that there is Godand then that there is the world of wickedness and surrounded by a wickedworld and wicked people, there is God and the people of God. You must feelthe minority feeling here, yet secure in the supremacy of the power of God!

(7). I John 5:20,21.

“And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us anunderstanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him thatis true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” (I John 5:20,21 KJV)

That is about as much Security of the Believer as you can have: to know thetrue God and eternal life. It is also faith contending in that it seeks to eliminateuntrue gods, or idols as in the next verse, from the true God and true andsecure everlasting life. The key again to security is the matter of“understanding”. The spirit of truth has the understanding, and the spirit oferror does not have the understanding. The true Christ must be known inorder to know the true God!

13-2: The next long section on pure security that we noted was in I John 5:1-12a.

(1). Having used the word believe in the Gospel of John more times than anyother single book of the New Testament, and having set forth in John 3 theteachings of Jesus on the necessity of the New Birth; now John ties believe andthe new birth unmistakable together with the straightforward statement thatthe person who believes that Jesus is the Christ is also the person who is bornof God, adding the connection of faith and the new birth to love—if you lovethe God who begat you also love the Begotten (I John 5:1).

(2). If we love God and keep His commandments, then we also know that welove the children of God (I John 5:2).

(3). An identification of the love of God: the love of God is to keep thecommandments of God. These are not grievous commandments (I John 5:3).

(4). Those born of God overcome the world, faith providing the victory toovercome the world (I John 5:4).

(5). Overcomers are the believers that Jesus is the Son of God (I John 5:5).

NOTE: Again you see the background of the book of Revelation for thewriting of I John. Revelation where the overcomers are introduced. Indeed, aproper Biblical terms for those who have Security would be overcomers.

(6). What we have in I John 5:6-8 is a test of spiritual understanding. John hasalready mentioned, and will mention again, the understanding that has beengiven; and now it is time to provide an objective test as to how other spirits inthe church can be tested in terms of spiritual understanding—

“...the Son of God. This is he that came by water and blood, even JesusChrist; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit thatbeareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bearrecord in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy (Spirit); and these threeare one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and thewater, and the blood; and these agree in one.” (I John 5:6-8 KJV)

(7). Even as Greater in He that is in us than he that is in the world and even asGod is greater than our conscience and knows all things, even so greater is thewitness of God to His own Son than the witness of men to the Sonship of Jesus(I John 5:9).

(8). This great witness of God, an internal witness, is the same as the greaterin us, Christ and the Spirit of Christ which are One (I John 5:10).

(9). To match the internal witness is an objective record of that witness, thewritten Word of God, and with this combined internal and external witnesscomes the Security of the Believer, alias the Overcoming and Overcomers—“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is inhis Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of Godhath not life.” (I John 5:11,12 KJV)

Then we have—still going backwards—those thirteen verses of pure securitybetween the test of error versus truth and the test of love, the thirteen versesof I John 4:7-19.

(10). Since pure love comes from God, as we love also we indicate that wehave indeed been born of God. To be born of God is the same as knowingGod. The reciprocal is true: the one who does not love also does not knowthe God who is love. How do we see and know the love of God: well, it wasshown by God the Father sending His only Son to die on the cross for our sins.We live through this act of Christ and sacrifice of the Father. You want toknow what real love is then do not think or say that we love God, but think ofthat much greater love whereby God gave His Son to be the “propitiation” for

the sins of the world. Christian brothers should love one another even as Godloved those children in order to make them brothers. Since no man has everseen God (this is a repeat of John 1:18), the way the world sees the love of Godis by God dwelling in brothers where the love of God is manifested, and wherethis love of God is constantly being perfected!

The way that we know God dwells in us is because of the Holy Spirit insidethat He has given us. Also we know that God dwells in us because we haveseen and do testify that God sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. Personswho confess this fact, God or the Spirit of God comes to dwell inside them. Todwell in God is to dwell in love since God is love. This is the way love is madeperfect. Dwelling in God promotes loves and loving promotes dwelling inGod, and it is a circle that eliminates all dread of the Day of Judgment. (Yousee here is the Security of the Believer and the feeling of the Security of theBeliever. That is, a Believer feels secure when all dread of the inevitableJudgment of God is eliminated, and that can be done only through love). Sincelove and fear can not exist together- that is perfect love and perfect fear—thenperfected love eliminates fear and well developed fear eliminates love. But goback to the Source of Love: “We love him, because he first loved us” (I John4:19 KJV)

(11). I John 4:4.

“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater ishe that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (I John 4:4 KJV)

a. How would you like to be told by an Apostle that was taught by Jesus,“Ye are of God”. That would surely be the ultimate in security; that is, theultimate except for having Jesus, or the Spirit of Jesus inside you tell you thatyou are of God. Paul had written the equivalent in Galatians 4:6 when hewrote: “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son intoyour hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” (Galatians 4:6 KJV)

b. You see in I John like in Revelation, the Secures are really theOvercomers!

c. Greater is the Spirit of Christ in you than the spirit of Satan that is inthe world!

(12). I John 3:16-24.

The love of God has to be detectable from God and from us: from God it isdetected as we comprehend that Christ gave His life for us, and from us it isperceivable as we love Christian brothers. There is no love of God perceivablewhen you see a brothers in need, have goods to meet those needs, and there isno compassion of response to those needs. Like the Apostle James has alsowritten, there is love in words and tongue, and then there is love in deed andtruth, the love that performs deeds. By the performance of these deeds of lovefor Christian brothers, our hearts are assured that:

* we are of the truth; and

* our hearts are assured before Him.

Sometimes, even often, our heart or Conscience condemns us; but we shouldknow that God is greater than our Conscience or our Concepts of God. Now,if our Conscience does not condemn us at all, then the confidence should be inthe presence of God not before men. Either way, God knows all these things!

Again like in James, the way to receive answers to prayer is by keeping thecommandments of Jesus. That is, in James we do not receive the answers toprayers for two reasons: (a) We do not ask; and (b) We ask amiss in order toconsume it on our own lusts. If we are keeping the commandments of Jesus,this will overcome the tendency of the human spirit within us to lust or to lustto envy. Or as Paul would say, “Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill thelusts of the flesh.” However, the prime thrust is to do “those things that arepleasing in his sight” (I John 3:22 KJV) PLEASE GOD AND YOU CANHAVE THE ANSWERS TO YOUR PRAYERS, RECALLING ALSO THATWITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD! This matter of faithand the commandments of Jesus is made clear in the next verse— “And this ishis commandments, That we should believe on the name of his Son JesusChrist, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.” (I John 3:23 KJV)Even as Jesus summarized all the commandments of God into two—love Godand love your neighbor as yourself—even so John now summarizes all thecommandments of God into two— believe on the name of the Son of God andlove one another, so that we quickly see that love of God is the same as

believing on the name of Jesus. That is, if we really love God, we must listento God when He commands that we believe on the name of His Son.

What happens when we keep these two commands of God to believe on Jesusand to love brothers—

* we dwell in God

* God dwells in us

* God gives us the Spirit in our human spirits

(13). I John 3:14a.

“We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love thebrethren.” (I John 3:14a KJV)

13-3: These are the Overcomers or Secures—

(a). Have already in this life on earth passed from eternal death to eternal life;and (b). They love Christian brothers.

(14). I John 3:11.

And as well as being the very foundation of security in love, we have hereanother of the major divisions of I John in the words, “from the beginning”.

(15). I John 3:7.

This is the encouragement from John not to be deceived with the tacitassumption or reality that even here in the First Century many were trying to“deceive” Christians even as later in I John we see that they were also tryingto “seduce’ Christians. The basis of being secure against deception is to faceup to the undeniable fact that: The righteous do righteously.

(16). I John 3:2-6a.

Now, we are the sons of God; and while it is not apparent at this time what weshall eventually be like since none have ever seen the fully glorified body, itshall be apparent when Christ comes again what we shall be like. We will thenbe like Christ! With this hope, the hope of Christ in you, then we purifyourselves as steps toward that total and final purification in Christ. We seek

to be blameless and without fault in this wicked and perverse generation.When we sin we transgress the laws of God become disobedient and having ameasure of impurity. We know that Jesus was made clear to the world inorder to take away the sins and transgressions of the world, and that in Jesusthen and now is no sin at all. The secures or overcomers that abide in Jesuscan not live in the habit of Sin!

(17). “from the beginning” we must decide if it was from the beginning andthe ministry of the teachings of Jesus, or “from the beginning” as Jesus, theWord, was “from the beginning” as Co Creator of the universe in thebeginning.

“For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we shouldlove one another.” (I John 3:11 KJV)

You heard it from two beginnings: (a) From the beginning of the giving of thelaws of God when the laws were summarized as love for God and love forneighbor; and (b) From the second beginning when Jesus quoted from thatsummary of the laws.

(15). I John 3:9,10a.

How can you tell the children of God from the children of the world, alias thechildren of Satan? Well, this is the way they are manifested or made clear tothe visible eye: those that do not life in the continuous habit of sin are thechildren of God because they have been born of God, and that seed of Godmakes it impossible for them to continue in a habit of sin.

(16). I John 3:1a.

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that weshould be called the sons of God...” (I John 3:1a KJV)

Once you have been called a son of God, you don’t really need either the termof overcomers or secure.

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons ofGod, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood,nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12,13KJV)

(17). I John 2:27-29.

THE ANOINTING, THAT IS THE BLESSING FROM GOD, THE GIFT OFTHE HOLY SPIRIT OR THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST IN YOU! This Anointingfrom God abides inside you, and because of this Anointing who is also theComforter and the Teacher, you do not need a human teacher. This AnointedTeacher and Comforter as Jesus taught in John 14-17 has the capability and thedesire to teach you all things. He is truth without any error or lie! As Jesustaught you when you were with Him, you like the branches to the vine are toabide in Him.

So little children, just abide in Him! That way when He appears, when we seeHim again, we can have great confidence, not be ashamed at all! You see sincewe know that Jesus is righteous and will appear righteously at the SecondComing, then we also know that those who live righteously are born of Jesus.

(18). I John 2:23b-13.

“...[but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. Let that thereforeabide in you which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye haveheard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in theSon, and in the Father. And this it the promise that he hath promised us, eveneternal life.” (I John 2:23b-13 KJV) If we understood just this, we would hardlyneed anymore on the Security of the Believer. With a repeat of “from thebeginning” twice, and obviously here it is to little children who in personheard Jesus from at the beginning of His ministry: there is the matter of abeginning with Jesus, and then there is the matter of that continuing whichwas at the beginning. All of this is based on having the Father which is to havethe Son, and having the Son which is to have the Father. “remain in you” aredefinitely the key words. It is not enough to begin in you; that is, to know onlyinitial salvation. It is necessary to know continuing salvation!

(19). I John 2:20,21a.

“But ye have an unction form the Holy One, and ye know all things. I havenot written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye knowit...” (I John 2:20,21a KJV)

Who is John writing to? The little children that: (a) Already know the truthbut need some affirmation or confidence since there are those who woulddeceive them and seduce them; (b) Those who have the Unction, theAnointing, from the Holy One, the Lord Jesus Christ.

And so we complete the third and last division of I John, the one on theSecurity of the Believer, but even so with a mix; and while at the beginning ofthis chapter we were inclined to think that so much was on faith contending,we see after this thorough look at I John 2:20-5 that while there were (19) pointson Security, and many of those very long, there were only (7) in that thirddivision on faith contending. (See page 119).

13-4: A COMPLETE OUTLINE OF I JOHN.

We are now ready to put together the third major divisions and the first sub-divisions of I John which John himself has highlighted by the usage of thewords “from the beginning”. Of course the major divisions of: (1) FaithContending; (2) Security of the Believer; and (3) A Mix of Security and FaithContending we found by a careful reading of the whole text. As a matter offact, we also found the “from the beginnings by a reading of the text!

You will recall the major divisions as developed in a previous chapter. I. IJohn 1:1-2:2 Faith Contending with the Traditions of Jesus.

II. I John 2:3-19 Faith Contending and Security.

III. I John 3:20-5:21 The Security of the Believer.

And to these we will add the major sub-divisions of the “from the beginnings.

I. Faith Contending with the Traditions of Jesus. (I John 1:1-2:2)

1. The beginning of the Traditional Jesus on Earth. (I John 1:1-2:6)

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we haveseen with our eyes, and our hands have handled of the Word of; (For the lifewas manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto youthat eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested to us...” (IJohn 1:1,2)

There is almost a double from the beginning here: (1) The “from thebeginning” when the Apostles heard, saw, and felt Jesus of Nazareth thusestablishing Christian traditions of personal experience with Jesus; and (2)Above all the “from the beginning” as Jesus, the Word of Life, was with Godthe Father. The progression of John’s writings start with the revelation tohimself of Jesus as the Word in the book of Revelation, the same allencompassing Word with which he begins the Gospel of John later; and thenafter writing all of the words of life from the Word in the Gospel of John, nowin I John it begins with “life” added to the Word to make it the “Word of life”.

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat uponhim was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge andmake war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were manycrowns; and he had a name written that no man knew, but he himself. Andhe was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood; and his name is called TheWord of God.” (Revelation 19:11-13 KJV)

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Wordwas God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were madeby him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In himwas life; and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:1-4 KJV)

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man comethunto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6 KJV)

“...of the Word of life...” (I John 1:1)

2. The Traditional commandments You Heard from Jesus. (I John 2:7-11)

“Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an oldcommandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandmentis the word which ye have heard from the beginning.” (I John 2:7 KJV)

Again double meaning is implied if not stated in the first and second usage ofthe “from the beginning”: the first going back to the giving of the TenCommandments on love; and the second the traditional teachings of Jesuswhich these Fathers had heard for themselves.

3. The Salutation to Children, Fathers, and Youth. (I John 2:12-23)

“I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for hisname’s sake. I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that isfrom the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye haveovercome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye haveknown the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have knownhim that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men,because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye haveovercome the wicked one.” (I John 2:12-14 KJV)

(1). Reasons John is presently writing I John.

(2). Reasons John had already written John to the Fathers.

(3). Reasons John had already written II and III John to the youth.

a. You are strong.

b. The Word of God abides in you.

c. You are Overcomers (you are secure).

NOTE: Later we will look for these reasons for the previous writing of II andIII John. What we will find is that the problems introduced in II John—of thosewho deny Jesus as the Christ—and of III John—those who separate themselvesfrom other brothers and have a greed in Christian leadership that desirespreeminence in all things—are those problems with which I John is dealing.Yes, it is true: II and III John were shorter epistles written before I John; andthe reason the King James Translators of 1611 chose the present sequence of I,II, and III for titles is because of the size.

“Little Children”

“Little children” is the favorite term of the elderly Apostle John for both theFathers and the youth. With the start of this usage of address in I John 2:12,we have an outline within an outline. It is almost as if John has started I Johnby addressing all the church members, saved or otherwise, little children ornot; and then after a separation based on the doctrines or faith contending ofI John 1:1-2:11, he is ready to primarily address the “little children” who willadmit that whether fathers or youth they are little children. Usages of “littlechildren” in I John—

1. I John 2:12.

“I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for hisname’s sake.” (I John 2:12 KJV)

2. I John 2:18.

“Little children, it is the last time; and as ye have heard that antichrist shallcome, even now are there many Antichrists; whereby we know that it is thelast time.” (I John 2:18 KJV)

3. I John 2:28.

“And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we mayhave confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.” (I John2:28 KJV)

4. I John 3:7.

“Little children< let no man deceive you; he that doeth righteousness isrighteous, even as he is righteous.” (I John 3:7 KJV)

5. I John 3:18.

“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed,and in truth.” (I John 3:18 KJV)

NOTE: After this usage of “little children”, John develops the habit ofaddressing these little children as “beloved”: (1) I John 3:21; (2) I John 4:1; (3)I John 4:7; (4) I John 4:11. We will utilize in terms of exegesis from I John, orthe reading out of the original meaning and outline, both the “little children”and the “beloved’s” as parts of the outline of I John.

6. I John 4:4.

“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater ishe that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (I John 4:4 KJV)

7. I John 5:21.

“Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” (I John 5:21 KJV)

Some Matters of Outline Exegesis

As we get closer to the heart and mind of the Apostle John in I John, or moreimportantly closer to the mind and heart of God, the Word of God as recordedin I John, we develop and change the outline according to what we dig out ofthe Word of God in I John. You will note that as we have gone along we havechanged the chapter and verse content of the first major division, “FaithContending with the Traditions of Jesus” to go all the way from I John 1:1 to2:23 as summarized below—

I. Faith Contending with the Traditions of Jesus, I John 1:1-2:23.

1. The Word of Life from the Beginning, 1:1-2:6.

2. Traditional Commandments of Jesus, 2:7-11.

3. The Salutation, 2:12-23.

(1). Reasons for the present writing of I John.

(2). Reasons for writing John to the Fathers.

(3). Reasons for writing II and III John to the youth.

Outline of I John Continued

We continue now with the second major division of I John, The Security of theBeliever, much of the work of the outlining having been previously done inthe gathering of the “from the beginning’s”, the “little children”, and the“beloved”. One additional note, the “beloved’s” are both deductive andinductive in that they introduce and close a section of thought.

II. The Security of the Believer. (I John 2:24-3:18)

1. Let the first words and Word Abide in You, 2:24-3:10.

(1). Blessing, little children abide in Him, 2:24-28.

(2). Beloved, you are sons of God, 2:29-3:10.

2. The Tradition of Jesus is to Love One Another,3:11-19.

(1). Love and Hate, 3:11 17.

(2). Little children, love in truth, 3:18-19.

III. Faith Contending and Security, I John 3:18-5:21.

1. Little children, truly love, 3:18-4:3.

(1). Beloved confidence before God, 3:18-21.

(2). Beloved, test the spirits, 3:22-4:3.

2. Little children, You are of God, 4:4-5:21.

(1). Beloved, love one another, 4:4-10.

(2). Beloved, Love one another, 4:11-21.

(3). Believers, 5:1-21.

NOTE: The endearing term of “beloved” becomes the more endearing termof “believers”!

So we made it we have a complete outline of the epistle of I John. Let us brieflyconsolidate it before we move on by looking at it together—

I. Faith Contending with the Traditions of Jesus, I John 1:1 2:23.

1. The Word of Life from the Beginning, 1:1-2:6.

2. Traditional Commandments of Jesus, 2:7-11.

3. The Salutation, 2:12-23.

(1). Reasons for the present writing of I John.

(2). Reasons for writing John to the Fathers.

(3). Reasons for writing II and III John to the youth.

II. The Security of the Believer, I John 2:24-3:18.

1. Let the first words and Word Abide in You, 2:24-3:10.

(1). Blessing, little children abide in Him, 2:24-28.

Chapter 14: Faith and Faith Contending in the Bible.

14-1: THE BIBLE’S OWN DEFINITION OF FAITH.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things notseen.” (Hebrews 11:1 KJV)

Even in the Bible, few things are as clearly defined as is “faith”!

“...faith is...”, we read in the Word of God as recorded in Hebrews 11:1. FAITHIS: (1). The Substance of Things Hoped For; and (2). The Evidence of ThingsNot Seen.

Substance

Our Christian faith needs substance. Faith like so many other things in lifeeven as love is intangible in that you can not see it, feel it, taste it, or hear itdirectly. You can see and hear the results of faith and love, but you can notsee or hear these intangibles within themselves. As Christians what do wehope for? Well, we hope: (1) To see God face to face and eternally; (2) To beinhabitants of the new heavens and new earth; (3) To be accepted here on earthas a child of God; and so on. Well all these hopes deal with things that can notpresently be seen— God Himself, heaven, salvation, and the new heavens andnew earth; but the encouraging word of the Bible is that our Christian faithgives “substance” to these things that are hoped for!. Actually “hoped for”being words of the King James English of 1611 does not adequately expressthe full meaning in today’s English of what was original written by the HolySpirit through the Apostle Paul in the First Century. Today’s equivalent ofthis portion of Hebrews 11:1 would be more that what we hope for is “morewhat we reasonably expect is going to happen.”

Evidence

Christian faith besides giving substance to our legitimate hopes also is withinitself an “evidence”. The Apostle Paul who wrote the book of Hebrews wasfirst a lawyer before he became an Apostle, and naturally to lawyers there islittle as important as evidence. Of course before we take the present attitudetoward Paul that most people have toward lawyers, since all the law of the

Hebrew nation was religious law except what they had to heed as being underthe Roman government, then Paul’s job as a lawyer before his conversion wasto interpret and uphold the religious laws of the Old Testament as thePharisees had come to interpret them in the First Century.

When a young man and when Christian Evidences and Christian Apologeticswere so important to me in order to provide an intellectual foundation andarguments to justify Christian faith, there were two books very important tome that provided evidence of Christian faith. One was a book by a lawyerwho had practiced law before the Supreme Court of the United States entitledA LAWYER EXAMINES THE BIBLE. Irwin Linton, the author, maintained inthe book that sufficient evidence existed in the Bible to support a prima faciecase sufficient for any modern court of law whereby Jesus Christ’s claims tobe the Son of God would be supported in those courts of law. Further Lintonstated that he had never met a lawyer who when he said that he did not believein the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God, who could also say that he had readthrough the four gospels for himself to determine the validity of the claim.Linton also tells of Simon Greenleaf, the former Dean of the Harvard LawSchool, who in writing the book THE TESTIMONY OF THE EVANGELISTS,and who being at that time an authority on the subject of “evidence”, statedthat the testimony of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John would be sufficient inany court of law to substantiate the claim that Jesus was and is the Son of God!

Another book that was good in the defense of the Christian faith was that ofMosma’s THE EVIDENCE OF GOD IN AN EXPANDING UNIVERSE. Thisbook is a compilation of articles written by over 40 scientists in government,education, and industry with evidence from their particular scientific fields asto why they believe in God. The biologists found in the details of the designof man and animals, evidence of God; the physicists found in the atomic andastronomical design of the small and large of the earth and universe theevidence of God; and mathematicians found in the logic of man and theuniverse evidence of God.

14-2: The Word “Faith” in the Bible.

When you deal with the word “faith” in the Bible, you are dealing with theBible itself. Faith is indeed the primary subject of the Bible apart from the two

major subjects of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ; and much of theBible on those two very fundamental subjects of God and Jesus are there toengender “faith” on the part of the reader or listener. If momentarily we stickwith the King James Version of the Bible—primarily because concordancessuch as YOUNG’S ANALYTICAL are more readily available for the KingJames—we will find that the word “faith” is: (1) Found in the Bible with fivedistinct Hebrew and Greek words; (2) Two of those five are Hebrew words ofthe Old Testament and naturally the other three of those words are Greekwords of the New Testament; and (3) Faith is primarily a New Testament wordwith only two usages in the Old Testament as compared to approximately 239times in the New Testament; and (4) The word “faith” is found in 24 out of 27New Testament books, faith itself is found in 27 out of 27 New Testamentbooks as we will find it is also possible to talk about faith without the usage ofthe word itself.

However since the purpose of this first chapter is a definition of “faith” fromthe Bible, we will briefly look at all 241 usages of this word “faith” in the Bible;for it is in the usages of the word faith in the context of the verses, chapters,and books of the Bible that more define the concept of faith than even theprecise definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1. In fact, as we look at the other 240out of 241 usages of “faith”, you will come to appreciate even more thedefinition of Hebrews 11:1, especially when you consider the in-contextweight of the fact that in Hebrews chapter 11 alone there are 23 other usagesof the word “faith”; and that is a good place to start our study of the definitionof faith as we find that Paul is summarizing faith in the Old Testament wherethe word faith itself has not previously been used. For example, Abraham,Isaac, Jacob, and Moses are mentioned in Hebrews 11 as practitioners of faith,and yet the word “faith” in not mentioned except twice in the Old Testament.Just before we look as the usages of faith in Hebrews 11, we will look at thetwo usages in the Old Testament.

The Word “Faith” in the Old Testament

1. Faith in Deuteronomy 32:20.

The Hebrew word translated “faith” here in the King James Version is moreliterally in modern English translated as “faithfulness” or “steadiness”.

“And he said (God said), I will hide my face from them (from the childrenof Israel), I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very frowardgeneration, children in whom is no faith.” (Deuteronomy 32:20 KJV)

2. Faith in Habakkuk 2:4.

Here the Hebrew word is more literally “faithfulness” or “stability”; but it getsredefined as do so many other Bible words when it is quoted in the NewTestament, and naturally we would have to think that in the mind and heartof God that original meaning was in the Old Testament all the time, beyondthe common usage of the Hebrew, or Greek, language in the ordinary usagesof the conversations or other documents of the times.

a. Habakkuk 2:4 in the Old Testament.

“Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shalllive by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4 KJV)

b. Habakkuk 2:4 in the New Testament.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel ; for it is the power of God for salvationto every one who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in itthe righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, `Butthe righteous man shall live by faith’.” (Romans 1:16,17 NASV)

By the way, here in Romans 1:16,17 and in Habakkuk 2:4 as quoted in Romans1:17, we see examples of both substance and evidence in faith. Here we see:(1) Gospel; (2) God’s power; (3) Salvation; (4) Believes; (5) Righteousness; and(6) God. God we have never seen!

“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in thebosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” (John 1:18 KJV) Therighteousness of God we have never seen. Fortunately the righteousness ofGod was given some substance in the Old Testament by the laws of God,particularly the Ten Commandments, and in the New Testament by the recordof the life and teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ—

“For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”(John 1:17 KJV)

“Faith” in Hebrews 11

1. Hebrews 11:1.

“And what is faith? Faith gives substance to our hopes, and makes uscertain of realities we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1 NEV)

2. Hebrews 11:2.

“It is for their faith that the men of old stand on record.” (Hebrews 11:2NEV)

The New English Version adds “faith” to 11:2 whereas the implication of theKing James Version is the same with “it” for faith, referring to the “faith” ofHebrews 11:1 as the “it” already on record. “For by it the elders obtained agood report.” (Hebrews 11:2 KJV) This also serves to remind us that we areabout to look closely at the “elders” or forefathers of the Old Testament andtheir good records or reports of faith, although the word “faith” is notmentioned in the original record.

3. Hebrews 11:3.

“By faith we perceive that the universe was fashioned by the word of God,so that the visible came forth from the invisible.” (Hebrews 11:3 NEV)

True, we can see the universe; and therefore we do not need the substance orevidence that faith gives -ah, but while we see the results, we do not see thatGod brought it into being instead of some great explosion or some other meansthat the majority of the world believes!

4. Hebrews 11:4, “by faith” Able left a memorial to faith and torighteousness by faith in that he sacrificed according to obedience, accordingto faith in the words which God spoke to him. Cain tried another way, and itdid not work in the sight of God!

5. Hebrews 11:5—Enoch pleased God, his faith in God pleased God; andthat same faith was so great that God took him straight to heaven withoutpassing through the portal of death.

6. Hebrews 11:6, Faith is the only way to please God!

“But without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to Godmust believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seekhim.” (Hebrews 11:6 KJV)

NOTE: Here is something that is apparent but still needs to be noted.“Believe” is the verb form of the noun word “faith”, so that while the bookof John does not use the word “faith” as with some other books of the NewTestament, indeed of the whole Bible, the word “believe” is found in thosebooks.

What must men believe in order to please God?

(1). That God exists. That God is!

(2). That God rewards those who diligently seek Him. Those that sought Godsincerely in the Old Testament through the Law, and those who seek Godsincerely through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ after His Advent.

7. Hebrews 11:7: Noah could not see the rain yet nor the Flood of thewhole earth that would come, yet he believed the word of God when God saidthat it was going to rain for 40 days and nights enough to Flood the wholeearth and destroy everything living; and by this believing or faith, Noah“became heir of the righteousness which is by faith” (Heb 11:7 KJV).

Right here we could discuss extensively if desired as to whether this“righteousness” of Noah, a righteousness by faith, was seen or not seen. Inother words as to whether it needed substance or evidence like faith, or as towhether the righteousness already had substance? To sufficient answer thatquestion as with all questions in the Bible related to man’s righteousness—even as with Habakkuk 2:4 and Romans 1:16,17 quoted earlier, we mustdistinguish between legal righteousness and actual righteousness.

(1). Legal righteousness is that in the sight of God which therefore can not beseen by us even as God Himself can not be seen by us. Legal righteousness issometimes called “justification” or the “atonement”. It is the legal act on thepart of God whereby when God sees our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Hedeclares our righteousness to be the same as that of Jesus.

(2). Actual righteousness is the continuation of salvation after the initialregeneration or germ of salvation. At the new birth, or regeneration, the spirit

of Christ is planted as a germ in our human spirits whereby we can grow inactual righteousness or Christlikeness. Sanctification is that process by whichthe power of the Holy Spirit continues to make us more actually righteousbased on our increased faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

8. Hebrews 11:8-19, the Faith of Abraham.

Read it for yourself in conjunction with the fact that God Himself preached theGospel to Abraham as recorded in Galatians 3:8 and Genesis 12:1-3—

“And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen throughfaith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall allnations be blessed.” (Galatians 3:8 KJV) Even as you don’t see the word“faith” when you read Genesis 12:1-3, nor do you see God justifying(justification or atonement) neither Abraham nor the Gentiles to come, youalso do not see the word “Gospel” in Genesis 12:1-3. However, although youdo not see the word Gospel or faith there, you know it is there in concept apartfrom the actual words because the New Testament says it is!

“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and fromthy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thyname great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that blessthee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of theearth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3 KJV)

9. “By faith” Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, Hebrews 11:20-22.

10. “By faith” and Moses, Hebrews 11:23 29.

11. “By faith” and Joshua and the children of Israel marching around thewalls of Jericho, Hebrews 11:30,31.

12. “By faith” a whole host of men and women of the Old Testament,Hebrews 11:32-40.

14-3: IMPACT OF THE HOPE!

In order to get the full impact of Christian faith, we must first get the fullimpact of Christian hope—”now, faith is the substance of things HOPEDFOR...” Three things are most important in the Christian life—faith, hope, and

love; and although the greatest of these is love, in order to appreciate the fullimpact of the love of God in providing Christian faith as a way of life, we mustsee also all that God has provided both in this life and the life to come. All ofthis is summarized in HOPE!

“Behold, I make all things new...” (Rev 21:5)

One word, the word new, as found in Revelation 21:5 above can make obviousthe full impact of hope upon Christian faith ! While they may seem atremendous burden to place on one word, even the word new, it helps whenwe realize that this word and with the words above in Revelation 21:5 comesfrom God Himself, from “he that sat upon the throne” (Rev 21:5). Quickly inthe book of Revelation the Almighty God the Father becomes “HE THAT SAT(AND SITS) ON THE THRONE”. In other words, God the Father reignssupreme over all the universe; and although the Father has placed all thingsunder the feet of Jesus, and by Jesus all things consists and have their being,above the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the Almighty God theFather who is sitting supreme on the great white throne. Just above the clouds,and with His feet in the clouds, sits God the Father in another dimension thatwe can not see. He sits on the “circle of the earth” so that He can see everysparrow that falls to the ground or each lily of the field that neither toils norspins, yet your heavenly Father cares for them.

This God, the God of love and power, the God of the great white throne on thecircle of the earth, and the God of the Lord Jesus Christ and full salvation, isthe God who speaks, saying, “Behold, I make all things new...” You can counton it that all things in the heavens and on earth will be new. Counting on it,counting on these words from the Great Almighty God sitting on the greatwhite throne of the universe is what faith is all about. Without faith, it isimpossible to please God. Faith believes that God is, that God is sitting upthere on the great white throne caring and watching; and that this Godrewards those who diligently seek Him!

God is making “all things” new:

1. God is making a new earth.

2. God is making new heavens.

3. God is making a new people to inhabit the new earth and under thenew heavens.

All presently in this universe is very fragile. As physicists have told us forgenerations and as stated in the second law of thermodynamics—the order ofthe universe is decreasing. It is called the “law of entropy”. Entropy isincreasing, and entropy is essentially disorder. So that the law of entropy tellsus that order is decreasing in the universe and disorder is increasing.Sometimes we might tend to think that this physical law also has a socialimplication as a few weeks ago we witnessed in the news the anarchy, riots,and destruction in the city of Los Angeles. As we realize that our Americansociety has within it the potential for self-destruction. Even as we realized alsowith the Judge Thomas affair that if America is destroyed, it must be destroyedfrom within as no foes are powerful enough to destroy it from the outside; andthat this way of destruction is to destroy each other democratically in thepublic forum as we kill reputations, careers, and respect for others. With theboomers it has become very popular to tear down without grace and withoutcompassion. No doubt these social as well as physical potentials fordestruction are what the Apostle Paul had in mind as he wrote: “For we knowthat the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.”(Romans 8:22 KJV)

The earth itself groans with earthquakes; the heavens of the universe groanswith falling stars and entropy; and society and the individuals that make upsociety groan in self destruction for something better, and to be better! Evenas the Creation of the world of the Genesis account includes the stars, themoon, the sun, man, and all the animals, fish, and birds, even so must the“whole creation (which) groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now”include man, earth, and the heavens. The obvious analogy here is of a womanin travail and groaning to give birth; and even as that pain of birth is enduredin order for the hope of bringing forth a new child, even so the groaning ofthis old earth, heavens, and man is in the hope of the new earth, new heavens,and the new man.

The Context of Romans 8:22

In order to build faith in hope, and hope in faith, we will base our faith andhope on the contest of the Word of God as given in these verse that surroundin context of Romans 8:22. In order words, we will develop moreunderstanding of Romans 8:22 by developing more understanding of thewords that surround Romans 8:22. Romans 8:18-13—

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to becompared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnestexpectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason ofhim who hath subjected the same in hope. Because the creature itself alsoshall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious libertyof the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth andtravaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also,which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan withinourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. Forwe are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope; for what man seeth,why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do wewith patience wait for it.” (Romans 8:18-13 KJV)

The contrast is obvious between the present life and the life to come—”thesufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glorywhich shall be revealed in us”. This is the contrast between “the present life”and the future life; and while some criticisms of non- Christians or of socialChristianity have been valid in that Christians have and do sometimes ignorethe applications of Christian faith to this present life while concentrating solelyon the future life, it is still true that THERE IS

NO COMPARISON BETWEEN THIS PRESENT LIFE ANDTHE FUTURE LIFE.

And that while we must heed the faith contending of the Apostle James—tobe discussed in the second half of this book—that faith is dead faith in this lifewithout words in this life, it remains a fact of the Bible, the Word of God, thatthe priority is for the future life where all things, people and universe, will bemade new!

1. Romans 8:18. We must distinguish between the three aspects ofsalvation: (1) Salvation in the past which is called “regeneration” or the newbirth which happens or happened the first time that a Christian expressed faithin the Lord Jesus Christ; (2) Salvation in the present which is a matter ofChristian growth or growth in Christlikeness which is generally called“sanctification”; and (3) Salvation in the future of which Paul is writing inRomans 8:18, “the glory which shall be revealed in us”. This last aspect offuture salvation is much greater than the past and present aspects of salvation:this last aspect of salvation in the future is the very reason that Paul at the closeof this passage in Romans 8:24 writes of “we are saved by hope”; for this is asalvation still to come. One which requires hope and requires faith!

2. Romans 8:19. Here is another way to say hope and faith: “earnestexpectation”. It is more than legitimate expectation: It is earnest expectation!What do we wait to happen in the future as we continue in earnestexpectation? The answer is here in this verse—”for the manifestation of thesons of God” These are the new creatures of the new heavens and new earth,the new sons of God. Even as Jesus Christ was and is the “firstborn of God”,so also is every Christian the second born as sons of God. As the Bible tells usin John 1:12.

“But as many as received him (Christ the Word made flesh), to them gavehe power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will ofman, but of God.” (John 1:12,13 KJV)

The Apostle John is so fearful that we are going to miss the prime purpose ofthe book of John which is to “believe” in order to have “life”, abundant life atthe present time and eternal life in the future, that here at the beginning andin the first chapter he lays out the whole plan of salvation around the LordJesus Christ as the “Word made flesh”.

3. Romans 8:20. This matter of every person on the face of the earth“being subjected to vanity” speaks also of this tendency of individuals andsocieties to self destruct. The Apostle James, quoting form the Old Testamentin Proverbs, says it this way of even the Christian spirit: “Do ye think thatthe scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?”(James 4:5 KJV) No, the Bible says nothing to vain for those who have ears

to hear and eyes to see; and the Bible, Old and New Testaments, tells us thateven after the initial faith and new birth that the old spirit stays inside us, thatspirit even of a Christian which continues to envy, to vanity, and to selfdestruct.

4. Romans 8:21.

“Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage ofcorruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” (Romans 8:21KJV)

(1). FROM: the bondage of corruption, from vanity, and from the spirit withinus which lusteth to envy.

(2). TO: glorious liberty from corruption, from vanity, and from the spiritwithin that lusteth to envy; and to being a complete and completed child ofGod, a complete new creation in Christ!

5. Romans 8:22: “FOR WE KNOW THAT THE WHOLE CREATIONGROANETH AND TRAVAILETH IN PAIN TOGETHER UNTIL NOW”.(ROMANS 8:22 KJV)

(1). Romans 8:22 in the New English Version.

“Up to this present, we know, the whole created universe groans in all itsparts as if in the pang of childbirth.” (Romans 8:22 NEV)

a. “We know”—this is a matter of faith, hope, and understanding, that wehave the confidence to know.

b. “The whole created universe groans”—this gives us obviousunderstanding that it is the whole universe of earth, heavens, and createdbeings.

c. “In the pangs of childbirth”—this gives us obvious understanding thatthe groaning and travailing of the King James Version is that of childbirth. Theearth is in the pain of child birth to bring forth the new earth; the heavens arein the pains of childbirth, or entropy, to being forth the new heavens; and menand women are in the pains of childbirth to bring forth new men and newwomen.

(2). Romans 8:22 in the New American Standard Version.

“For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains ofchildbirth together until now.” (Romans 8:22 NASV)

6. Romans 8:23.

“And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of theSpirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption,to wit, the redemption of our body.” (Romans 8:23 KJV)

(1). We wait in hope and faith as Christians for the complete body.

(2). We wait in hope and faith for the completed work of the Holy Spirit insideand outside our bodies, sanctification and glorification.

(3). We wait in hope and faith for the completed adoption as children of God.

(4). We wait in hope and faith for completed redemption; that is, for thecomplete salvation of our bodies as well as our souls and spirits.

7. Romans 8:24.

How are we saved? “For we are saved by hope...” Is it hope if we can see oursalvation already? No, “but hope that is seen is not hope...” You are out ofluck if you can see your salvation as completed already, because this is nothope! If you see your salvation then you have nothing to hope for: “For whata man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?”

8. Romans 8:13.

“But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.”(Romans 8:13 KJV)

14-4: FIRST CENTURY HISTORY OF FAITH CONTENDING.

Okay, we have the faith as set out in the first six chapters of this commentary.Now, what are we going to do with it? The Bible teachings that we are to dothree things with our Christian faith: (1) Grow in it; (2) Evangelize with it; and(3) Contend for it. While growing in the Christian faith is important for bothourselves and others with whom we evangelize and contend, the second twoare strictly for other people—to contend with the Christian faith for the benefit

of others and we evangelize for the benefit of others, the two for others aspectsof Christian faith have approximately equal priority in our Christian efforts.This is indicated by the temporal priority the Apostle Jude gave to faithcontending as he stopped writing a book on the salvation of evangelism inorder to write a book on faith contending—

“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the commonsalvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that yeshould earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto thesaints.” (Jude 3 KJV)

You see how “faith” here in Jude 3 covers the two distinct usage of faith in therest of the New Testament—as a summary and as an individual exercise—which were discussed in the first six chapters. And the way Jude writes of“the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” leads us to believe thatall the Apostles except Jude have already done their job of delivering inwritten and verbal form the summary of faith in their books of the NewTestament—first Matthew, then Paul, then James and Peter, and lastly Johnbefore the Apostle Jude comes to write about the necessity of “FaithContending”!

THE REASON THAT FAITH CONTENDING IS NECESSARY IS BECAUSETHE FAITH BECOMES DISTORTED BY THOSE WHO PRACTICECONTENTIOUS FAITH!

What Happened in First Century Christianity?

You miss the whole point of Jude, of faith contending, and of the primaryreason for faith contending if you do not realize that the problem then andnow is with certain leaders that are inside the Christian faith! “For there arecertain men crept in unawares...” (Jude 4 KJV): these men, leaders in certainchurches were inside the Christian movement; and that is the kind of men thatthe book of Jude is dealing with, the kind of problem with which faithcontending then and today must deal. FAITH CONTENDING DEALS WITHCONTENTIOUS FAITH ON THE PART OF CONTENTIOUS LEADERS INSOME CHURCHES! Let me briefly summarize what happened related toChristian faith in the First Century churches, and which simultaneouslycreated needs for increased faith and faith contending: (1) The Apostle Paul

near the end of his missionary journeys called the elders of the church atEphesus together to warn then as to how quickly men immediately after hisdeparture would come into their churches from outside and some menhomegrown that would divert from the faith; (2) About the same time Paulwas working with the Gentile churches, the Apostle James found it necessaryto explain to Jewish Christians the difference between dead faith and livingfaith, between faith with works and faith without works; (3) Likewise aboutthe same time the Apostle Peter had to also write the Christian Jews to warnof dogs that were returning to their vomit; (4) Later the Apostle John wrotefirst Revelation and then the Gospel of John to give men the proper basis forbelief, believing in the Lord Jesus Christ; (5) then in 1 John while setting forththat certain men can not be prayed for who have committed the unpardonablesin, the Apostle John urged in the spirit of faith contending to “test the spirits”because many false spirits and Antichrists were already in the world; (6) IIJohn had to deal with those false spirits and Antichrists in terms of anexclusion from the company of Christians; (7) Since those of contentious faithquickly assimilate all characteristics of the real faith by the time of III John thepractitioners of contentious faith had begin to reject a real messenger from areal Apostle from their company; and (8) The Apostle Jude reiterates about thewarnings of the Apostles Paul, James, Peter, and John concerning men thatwould crept into the First Century Christian movement unawares, leadingother Christians astray.

Above is a brief of what we will look at in more detail in this chapter. Theseconclusions and perspectives will be supported with quotations andreferences from the Scriptures. You will find that what we are talking aboutis a FIRST CENTURY HISTORY OF FAITH CONTENDING. The MiletusPastor’s Conference Paul at the end of his missionary journeys and before hewent to Jerusalem where he had been warned that imprisonment awaited him,called the Ephesian elders together at Miletus for a Pastor’s Conference. Hewarned them what would happen immediately after his departure, how that“grievous wolves” would come into the churches of Asia from two sources:(1) Some would come from outside the churches on promise of letter; and (2)Others would be home grown Christians and Christian leaders—

“Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock of which the Holy Spirithas given you charge, as shepherds of the church of the Lord, which he wonfor himself by his own blood. I know that when I am gone, savage wolveswill come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from you ownbody there will be men coming forward who will distort the truth to inducethe disciples to break away and follow them. So be on the alert; rememberhow for three years, night and day, I never ceased to consul each of you, andhow I wept over you.” (Acts 20:28 31 NEV)

How quickly the “savage wolves” can come in behind evangelistic andChristian growth work! Paul worked at Ephesus for three years, giving themthe best efforts of a loving and knowledgeable Apostle. The Bible tells us thatduring this period of time that the efforts were so extensive that all Asia heardthe Gospel with Ephesus as an evangelistic and teaching base. It is here thatwe see, no doubt, the foundation for all the seven churches of Asia Minor thatare mentioned in the first chapters of the book of Revelation, which by the wayis also an exercise in faith contending and part of the First Century History ofFaith Contending. Now, one point that I will consistently make here is that ifthe savage wolves came immediately behind the Apostle Paul himself and inthe First Century, what do you expect to happen in this Century? Ah yes, theyare here; and they are in the Christian movement; and they are as hard, if notharder, to recognize as they were in the First Century.

Paul calls them “savage wolves” or “grievous wolves”—Acts 20:29.

The Apostle James calls them “enemies of God” since they are a friend of theworld— James 4:4.

The Apostle Peter calls these “false teachers” “natural brute beasts”,comparing them to the Proverbs about dogs and vomit and pigs and mud—IIPeter 2.

The Apostle John calls them false spirits and Antichrists, warning not to prayfor them when they have crossed the boundary of the unpardonable sin—IJohn.

The Apostle Jude calls them “spots in your feasts”, clouds without water,raging waves of the sea, and wandering stars—Jude 12,13.

“Wow, these are horrible men,” you might say. “We don’t know any of themsince such would be immediately apparent if they came into our fellowship.”

NOT SO; AND THAT IS PART OF THE PROBLEM—ALSO THE REASONTHAT PAUL USES THE WORD “WOLVES” AS IN “WOLVES IN SHEEP’SCLOTHING. YOU CAN NOT RECOGNIZE THEM. IF YOU COULDRECOGNIZE THEM THERE WOULD BE NO PROBLEM!

Dead Faith versus Living Faith

The whole book of James by the Apostle James is truly an effort to “contendfor the faith” by pointing out to first century Christians and therefore also tous what is the difference between real Christian faith and simulated Christianfaith. The problem then as today was that many claimed to be Christians andChristian leaders who were not Christian at all!

“Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils alsobelieve, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith withoutworks is dead?” (James 2:19,20 KJV)

And James is much deeper than faith versus works. It is faith with a certainkind of works versus faith without a certain kind of works. All Christians andall humans have some kind of works, some sort of things which they do goodor bad and in between; and the things which we do are called our works. Wedefinitely have some kinds of works; but the Apostle James is going muchdeeper than faith versus works in defining the kind of works that are acceptedas living proofs of living faith.

1. Living faith brings tribulations which give birth to Christian patience,James 1:3,4. By the faith tribulation is faith contending itself because it testsyour own faith—

“Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” (James 1:3KJV)

2. Living faith receives wisdom from God, James 1:5.

Chapter 15: The Sound of a Sound Faith.

Christ wants to do you good. He desires the best for your life as does God theFather, the great God of this universe. God sent His Son, Christ, to earth toprove to individuals that he desires good for their life. In fact, it is recordedabout Christ while He was here on this earth that “He went about doinggood.” Isn’t that amazing? “How many people do you know that aggressivelygo about seeking to do you good.” Many people want to manage, control, andadvise you; but few, or none, want to aggressively do good for you. Christdoes! While the way of the world is to manage, control, and advise—all egobuilders and self-serving for the people of the world: the way of Christ on theother hand is to serve, minister, and do good. In this chapter and the last, wewill illustrate from John and Ephesians how God and Christ do the individualgood.

You recall how Jesus answered the question of Judas in John 14, of how theFather and the Son will dwell in the heart of anyone who loves Jesus and keepsthe teachings of Jesus. Well, the words teachings, doctrine, and faith are almostsynonymous, and that is the subject of this chapter. When we come to theSound of a Sound Faith, we will discuss the fine points of distinction betweendoctrine, faith, and teachings. Let it just be said now, before we come to thelast chapter on “What Do You Do?”, a closer look at the Christ to Individualsmessages of Revelation 2-3, that you will find how concerned Christ was withunsound doctrine in the seven churches of Asia Minor. One doctrine inparticular, Christ says “I hate it.”

15-1: THE BIBLE (I Timothy 2-4).

Even as Christ is for Individuals, so also is the Bible for Individuals. One ofthe greatest hoaxes every perpetuated on the public is that the Bible is a bookfor scholars instead of individuals. True, the Apostle Paul who wrote 14 of the27 New Testament books was a scholar, but he was also a tentmaker; and those14 New Testament books were first letters written to individuals at differentchurches. In some cases, they were not even written to churches, simply toindividuals, like the books of Philemon, Titus, and I and II Timothy. WhenPaul wrote, “brethren, you see your calling how not many wise and noble are

called...”; it implied that since the Bible is written for those of the Christ-Calling, that is, it is written to be understood by those that are not wise andnoble. And that is true!

I. The foundation and seal of approval of God Himself is Christ for theIndividual.

When it comes to matters of faith and practice, you can not build on any firmerfoundation than the foundation of the Creator and Sustainer of this earth, GodHimself. If you want approval or a seal of approval to supply to yourselfsecurity in these “perilous times” when so many in churches and out ofchurches are falling away from the faith, there is no better, I’m sure you wouldagree, seal of approval than of God Himself. According to the Word of Godas found in II Timothy 2:19 “Nevertheless, the foundation of God standscertain, having this seal: (1) The Lord knows those individuals who are Hisown; and (2) Let every one who names the name of Christ depart frominiquity.”

1. The LORD God and the Lord Jesus Christ know those individuals whobelong to them.

2. Whatever name you use to identify yourself with Christ, Christian,Christ controlled, or whatever, let those that identify with the name of Christdepart from iniquity.

3. How does the Bible define “iniquity”? It is another word for sin whichin turn is another words of lawlessness. {You see the Bible as Word of Godassumes that the laws of God have preeminence, as they do; and that all sin isagainst God and a violation of the laws of God, and so it is.}

II. Sound Doctrines or Teachings of the Bible include the eschatology of“perilous times” and “the {falling way} time”.

The “time” would be that of the days just before that Great and Notable Dayof the LORD when God wraps up all in the universe and provides ultimatejustice. The “perilous times” of II Timothy are those times when the behaviorof church members is out of Christ control. It doesn’t speak about theconditions of the churches: it speaks about the condition of members in thechurches. I don’t think it has anything to do with which denomination: it is a

matter of individual character, personality, and behavior. Just as there are thetimes of revival when spirituality is on a mountain top, so also there are timesdown in the valleys, or more appropriately down in the swamps when theopposite of revival is true. Like the Bible in II Timothy, you can call it the“perilous times”. Don’t confuse that with the end time which we will discusslater. Both the perilous times and the end time are discussed in the samechapter of II Timothy 3.

1. “Perilous times” are those periods of history, like now, when churchmembers are more wrapped up in their self-esteem and personal consciencethan that are in the sound doctrine of the Bible, of Christ-control, and of a lifeled by the Spirit of God.

2. “the time” in “the time will come” of II Timothy 4:3 is near the end ofthe last days just before the Great and Notable Day of the LORD that wrapsup time on this planet as we have come to know it. It is obviously the FallingAway Time since according to the passage church members “will no longerendure sound doctrine”.

III. The challenge for Individuals during these hard times, perilous timesor end times, or both, to borrow words from the Bible, is to be useful to theMaster.

1. The challenge is for complete, Christ-controlled Individuals.

The doctrine, correction, reproof of the Bible, and the instruction inrighteousness is to make complete persons. All Scripture, from Genesis toRevelation, is given by inspiration of God; and the end goal of this Word ofGod for Individuals is to make complete persons in Christ. Persons, if youwould, who will not be the church members of the perilous times. Churchmembers that will not have a low tolerance level for sound doctrine; that donot go about seeking teachers that will tickle their ears with something new.Church members that do not turn away from the truth. Church members, likemany we know, who do not turn into fables. The problems are the periloustimes among church members and the falling away from the faith near the endtime; and the cure is sound doctrine from the Bible, for Christ-control, andfrom the Spirit led life.

2. The challenge to the Complete Person is to be for the Master’s Use. Thecomplete person is the person that is a dedicated vessel that honors God andChrist, one that the Master can use.

15-2: Christ (Ephesians 1, 2).

“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins...”(Ephesians 2:1)

INTRODUCTION.

1. Apologetics of Christ-Faith is a circular logic rather than inductive ordeductive or any other form of 1,2,3... logic.

2. Each phrase, verse, or sentence of Ephesians is packed as the book ofEphesians is with meaning as a summary of the first 10 letters written by theApostle Paul.

I. The Apologetics of the Bible goes in circles from God to Christ to the Bibleto God, etc. The God Who made you alive although you were dead intrespasses and sins. 1. The Christ of The God of our Lord Jesus Christ A.(Ephesians 1:17,20-22).

(1). The Christ that was raised from the dead.

(2). The Christ ascended and seated at the right hand of God.

(3). Above all: principality, power, might, dominion, and every name

(4) All things under His feet.

(5). Made Him the Head over all things to the church. B. (Ephesians 2:14-18).

(1). Christ is Himself our Peace.

(2). Christ abolished in His flesh the enmity.

(3). Christ reconciled both to God.

(4). Christ came and preached peace.

(5). Through Christ we have access to the Father.

2. The Father of Glory. (Eph. 1:17)

3. The Father that Paul prays may give you: hope of His calling, riches ofHis inheritance, and the greatness of His power available to us.

4. The Father who showed His power when He raised Christ from thedead and placed Him at His right hand.

II. Man rebels against every law that God has every laid down. (Ephesians2:1-3)

1. Satan started the trend when he told the first woman that she wouldnot indeed die if she ate of the fruit of the tree of good and evil.

2. Satan is still active; but we can not blame it all on him. Men and womenare all too quick to rebel against the will or law of God.

3. Words and phrases used in Ephesians 2:1-3 to describe this rebellionagainst God and God’s laws.

(1). Dead in trespasses and sins.

(2). Walked according to the course of this world.

(3). Walked according to the prince of the power of the air.

(4). Walked according to the spirit who now words in the sons ofdisobedience.

(5). Conducted selves in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the fleshand of the mind.

(6). By nature children of wrath like the rest of the world.

III. By the mercy of God, you individually are now alive and fellow citizenswith the saints.

1. YOU ARE ALIVE! (Ephesians 2:4-10)

2. YOU ARE FELLOWCITIZENS WITH THE SAINTS AND MEMBERSOF THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD (Ephesians 2:19-22).

{This is an expansion of comments on the Ephesians 1 and 2 outline above.After all, Christ must be the prime subject of any Bible commentary even asChrist is the prime subject of the Bible.} Even as the real church or assembly

is the church of the Firstborn written and registered, and even protected inheaven, so also are the major spiritual blessings IN CHRIST. Ephesians 1:3words it this way: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places inChrist. As we look at the teachings of the Bible on Christ for the individual, itwould be good to focus on SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS IN CHRIST. Although ithas a lot to do with the individual, the focus is still on Christ and on what Goddid through Christ for the individual.

I. Spiritual Blessings IN CHRIST.

You will find in the book of Ephesians a far better description of the properrelationship between Christ, God, and the believing individual, better thanChristian, better than believer, better than born again, and on the same levelas “God knows his own”; and that is IN CHRIST.

1. God individual chose believers IN CHRIST from before the foundation ofthe earth. The same God who has the individual hairs on the head numbered;the same God who knows when the sparrow falls to the ground and assuresthat the birds have something to eat; and the same God who along with somany provisions on this earth provided the lilies of the field with beauty, alsoprovides the individual with clothing. The God saw you before you wereborn, and chose you IN CHRIST to be a believer.

2. God individually determined that those IN CHRIST would be adoptedas His sons, only through Christ. It is even as the Apostle John writes in John1:8: “But as many as received Christ to that individual God gave the right tobecome sons of God.

3. IN CHRIST the individual believer also has redemption through theblood of Christ that was shed on Calvary’s cross almost two thousand yearsago. Redemption is another word for salvation. It is the buying back from theslavery and servitude of sin on the part of God the Father through Christ.Along with the salvation of this redemption comes for the individualforgiveness of sins.

4. As you believed in Christ you were individually sealed with thepromise of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is our promise or down payment oncompleted salvation in the heavenly places.

II. Some Things About Christ from Ephesians 1.

We could get carried away with our own personal blessings and forget theprime subject of Christ. Ephesians 1, especially 1:20-23, tells us things aboutthe Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

1. The mighty power of God was at work when He raised Jesus from thedead on the third day. This is the ultimate in power on earth: the power toovercome death. Once again this is the reason the only important church orassembly is the church of the First born. Christ was the first to be born againfrom the dead, ever on earth. And as the song goes, “because he lives, we alsocan live.” We are the second borns.

2. Christ ascended back to heaven as the first eleven disciples werewatching, and the Bible tells us that Christ was seated on the right hand ofGod the Father, another blessing in heavenly places. Later in the Bible,especially in the doctrine of the Holy Spirit as given in John 14,15, we will learnthat when Christ was seated at the right hand of God, a place of honor, ofcourse, He sent the Holy Spirit on the first day of Pentecost after His ascension.There at the right hand of God Jesus is ever living to make intercession forindividual sins and preparing to come again to complete the salvation that Hestarted in us.

3. Paul wants us to know what a position of honor and power it is forChrist to be seated at the right hand on God.

(1). It is far above all governments of the earth;

(2). It is far above on power and might on earth, above all weapons and armies

and military and political might (sometimes they don’t know it and think theyare running lose in the world at their own control);

(3). It is far above all state dominions and kingdom dominions and nationaldominions and United Nations dominions;

(4). It is far above every name that can be named in government, literature,science, religion, and you name it; names now and names in the ages to come.

(5). When God seated Christ at His right hand, He put all things in heavenand earth under the feet of Christ. Other Scriptures put this same teaching ofthe Bible in different words.

“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name whichis above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, ofthose in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and thatevery tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of Godthe Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)

And one of the best descriptions of this power relationship between God,Christ, and individual man is given in II Corinthians 15:20-27:

“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the first fruits ofthose who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man alsocame the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christall shall be made alive. But each one inn his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end,when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end toall rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He as put allenemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. For‘He has put all things under His feet”. But when He says ‘all things are putunder Him,’ it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted.Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself willalso be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be allin all.”

III. Man rebels and has always rebelled against every law that God has laiddown. I like to use BIC for Before IN CHRIST to describe the condition of theperson before salvation; and AIC for After IN CHRIST to describe thecondition after initial salvation. Paul uses several colorful phrases to describethe BIC condition in the first few verses of Ephesians 2.

1. BIC all individuals are dead in trespasses and sins. There is a fine pointof distinction between sins and between lawlessness or trespasses. But either

way individuals apart from God in Christ are dead, dead to God, dead toChrist, and dead to the new life, and dead to eternal life.

2. BIC individuals walks according to “the course of this world”. This iscolorful language. Perhaps you have never thought of this world with its longhistory of many nations and persons of having a single course; however, itdoes according to the Bible, and that course is contrary to the life in Christ.This course of the world is further described in Ephesians 2:2 as beingaccording to the prince of this world which is Satan.

3. BIC individuals are also described as sons of disobedience, and I thinkwe should momentarily dwells on this rebellious aspect of BIC. Those naturalborn individuals without the second birth have a spirit at work in them that isthe inward work of Satan, according to the Bible. And like Satan himself whois the Father of the lie according to Jesus, the spirit in the natural personpromotes lying and rebellion. We can think of several examples of this fromthe Bible.

(1). When God put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, there was no sin.God gave man and woman a choice. He said of all the fruit of the tree youmay eat except this one, and if you eat of the fruit of this tree you shall surelydie. Along comes Satan to say that is a lie.

(2). When God created man to be both male and female and ordained thatthey would live together for life, saying what God has joined together let noman put asunder, man came along with rebellion and still does, saying wehave a better plan for marriage such as: several wives or husbands in onelifetime, or same sex marriage instead of a male and female.

(3). After the Flood that destroyed all humanity on the earth except for sevensouls, God and Noah instructed the three sons of Noah to carry out the originalcommission to replenish the whole earth and have dominion over it. Insteadman migrated by to the Mesopotamia valley and created the city of Babel tomake a reputation for himself, and to build a tower of Babel that would reachall the way to heaven and be higher than a flood.

(4). It is still true today as man rebels against all God has said. God sayssalvation is by grace, man says no he will do it by works; God says marriage

is for life, the courts of man say no we can make other provisions; God saysChrist is head of the church, man says no we can do a better job of churchgovernment; and on and on.

IV. You Believe in God, Jesus says, Believe also in Him (John 14:1-6)

Those that come to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder ofthose who diligently seek Him is what the famous faith chapter of Hebrews11 tells us. They that come to God and to the Word of God in the Bible mustalso believe that God has given testimony to Jesus as His Son. Part of thatdiligent seeking after God who is really one with Jesus is the believing in Jesus.

1. Jesus and the Bible says that God and Jesus are One.

2. If you see Jesus from the Bible and from the preaching of Jesus you haveseen God according to Jesus.

3. Jesus said that if you don’t believe his words that they are one to believeHim because of the miracle works that the Father gave Him to do.

4. Jesus told His disciples that He went to prepare a place in heaven andthat He would come a Second time to gather all believers to Himself.

5. Jesus said that we know the way to where He is going back to theFather, and that He is that way, that truth, and that life.

15-3: God the Father (Matthew 4,5).

I. “God Is Good”

I was asked the other day why Sunday is my day of rest. This quizzer said, “Isuppose it is a religious thing.” Well yes. Do you remember the TenCommandments and the one in particular which states, “Remember theSabbath day to keep it holy.” Like God Himself, it is still valid and up to date.The world comes along and tries to use that day of rest for its own benefit.Well, Christ enters the human scene and clarifies the matter by saying, “TheSabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.” In other words, theSabbath like so much established by God and Christ was meant to do mengood. The Sabbath is made for man in order that he might have a day of rest.

The initial Creation of the universe by God illustrates His goodness. All thefruits and flowers and birds and beasts and fish were made by God for thegood of man. He provides not only food but also the aesthetic values ofbeauty. Even the oxygen we breath on this earth as compared to the lack of iton other planets, is a provision from the goodness of God. The very air webreathe is provided out of the goodness of God. The beautiful sunrises andsunsets; the beauty of the mountains and the lush valleys all come from thegoodness of God.

And this is a good time to bring out as does John in his Gospel of John howChrist was there active during the Creation of the world.

“In the beginning was the Word (the favorite introductory word in theGospel of John for Christ is the ‘Word’); and the Word was with God andthe Word was God. All things were made through Him and without Himwas not anything made which was made.”

Notice that “through Him”, that is, through Christ all things of this universe,stars, sky, heavens and earth, were made. Nothing came into existencewithout the mediating cause of Christ. This is the reason one scholar as calledChrist as the “mediating cause”. “God the Father is the originating cause; Godthe Son is the Mediating Cause; and God the Spirit is the effecting cause.”Automatically we have a natural outline to illustrate how God is Good. Itnaturally flows as: (1). God the Father is good as the originating cause; (2)God the Son is good as the mediating cause; and (3) God the Spirit is good asthe effecting cause.

(1). God the Father is good as the originating cause.

We can safety say that nothing existed before God. The Bible in Genesis tellsus that the earth was “without form and void” before God said, “let there beland, and sea, and light and dark” and so on right up to the Creation of man.The Creation is only one illustration of the goodness of God as the originatingcause. Another is the goodness of God as the originator of the Bible. Over twoThousand years in preparation as this book of 66 books that we call the Bible,and over 40 authors all moved by the Spirit of God; but in that extensivepreparation and writing God revealed to man for once and for all what Hedesires and demands for the human race. God did not make us and leave us.

He provided through this book a way that man might know what is reallygoing on in the universe; what He expects of us; and what is the ultimatedestination of man for good. God establishes contact with man through theBible; and in the Bible, he tells man exactly how to maintain contact with Him,contact now and contact eternally.

(2). God the Son is good as the mediating cause.

Not only did God’s Son, the Word, does us good as the mediating cause inCreation; but approximately 2000 years ago Christ came to earth to show manexactly what God is like and in so showing how God is good. Christ healedthe sick, He caused the lame to walk and the blind to see; He feed themultitudes when they were hungry; He walked on water to still the waves forthe Apostles; and primarily the preached the Gospel of life and died on thecross for the sins of the world.

(3). God the Holy Spirit is good as the effecting cause.

Many people still wonder how Christ can be every where on this earth doinggood for every individual that will allow Him. Well, the answer is that theHoly Spirit of God effecting the work and way of God with His goodness onthe earth is the Spirit of Christ. The Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Christ are oneand the same. II. “God is Love.”

The goodness of God goes far beyond doing good to the extent of love. TheBible says simply that “God is Love”. And to prove the goodness of God andthe love of God, God sent His own Son to this earth to minister, and then togive His life on the cross for the sins of the world In the Sermon on the Mountpreached by Jesus Himself and recorded in Matthew 5,6, Jesus tried to makeclear to the world the things that only He knew about God the Father.

After all, Jesus came from being with God the Father in heaven when He wasborn on earth, and He went back to be with God the Father after Hisresurrection and ascension. Jesus expressed it this way to Philip when Philipsaid, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” (John 14:8)

That is a far cry for what the Church (it is the word “ecclesia”, but at MountSinai most often translated “assembly”} at Mount Sinai said. When they heardthe voice of God Himself, saw the fire and smoke and darkness, and felt the

tempest, they cried for Moses to talk to them instead of God. Philip said toJesus, just show us the Father and we will be happy. Jesus made the differencein turning the fear of God into a love of God. The difference in love and fearis also the difference in a little personal knowledge. Like the Apostle Johnwould write later after the life of Jesus on earth, and in the little epistle of IJohn, “perfect love cast out fear”. The Apostle John as one of the originaldisciples of Jesus was known as the Apostle of love, and he knew that the morepersonal experience and real love for God and Christ, the more the fear woulddisappear. God is still a consuming fire and we must know that when the Dayof the LORD finally comes that all efforts of the love of God through Christ towin and woo are over, it is a time for the righteousness judgment of God.When we come to the church of the Firstborn, the Assembly that is written andregistered in heaven, unlike the fear of the Assembly at Mount Sinai, we cometo Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant and also to God the Father the judgeof all.

Back to the answer of Jesus to the request from Philip to show us the Father.Jesus said: “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me,Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father, so how can you say, ‘Showus the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father inMe? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority, butthe Father who dwells in Me does the works.” (John 14:8-10)

1. How to Get to Heaven where the Father is?

Some of those best known words and works that God gave to Jesus arerecorded by Matthew in the Sermon on the Mount. In that Sermon, Jesuswants to impart to the listeners that will believe something of His concept ofthe Father. Of course, everyone knows that heaven is where God the Fatherdwells, so Jesus starts off with telling them what kind of people will be withGod in heaven. Notice how different this is from the concepts of the world. Itis the poor in spirit; it is those who mourn; it is the meek; it is those who hungerand thirst after righteousness; the merciful; the pure in heart that will see Godin heaven; and the peacemakers that will sit there in heaven with God andJesus and be called the sons of God.

2. Jesus taught us to pray to Our Father in heaven.

Because God is the Father of Jesus is the reason through Christ that God hasalso become our Father. Jesus was the First born in the Assembly, and becauseHe was first born we are able to follow. So Jesus taught the correct method topray, not like the religious leaders of His day, the Pharisees and Sadducees,who thought they would be heard for their much speaking in prayer, for theirvain repetitions, and their standing on the street corner while they prayed tobe seen of men. Jesus stressed that God the Father lives in a secret place andtherefore He sees in a secret place, so that when you go in a closet to prayprivately you are coming much closer to God that to be seen of other men.Pray “Our Father which art in heaven”, and show respect for the name andpresence of God, “hallowed be thy name.” (Parenthetically, may I say I don’tsee how anyone can possible say and mean, “God, hallowed by they name”when they have the same week taken God’s name in vain, and sometimes veryoften. In the definition of faith of Hebrews 11, it is told that he who comes toGod must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those that diligentlyseek Him. Showing respect for the hallowed name of God is the right way tocome to God: taking the name of God in vain is the wrong and opposite wayto come to God. There is submission to a recognition of God as the Father. Wewill want His kingdom to come—we already heard from Jesus the ones thatwill be in the kingdom of God and of heaven, peacemakers, merciful, pure inheart, etc.; and we will want to do the will of God, “thy will be done on earthas it is in heaven.”

We know that right there at the site of heaven of the Assembly of the Firstbornwith that innumerable band of angel enforcers all around, that the will of Godis being fully done in heaven: we need to want it here on earth.

Unlike the prayers of the Pharisees and Sadducees, our prays are to be simple:pray to God the Father for no more than daily bread, for forgiveness of sins,and to be lead away from temptation and from Satan. And finally some aweof God as that all kingdoms belong to Him, all power, and all glory, amen,amen, and amen, forever and ever.

3. God the Father knows all your needs and will provide.

Finally in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus shows the most tender care of theHeavenly Father as He makes clear that God knows all our needs and provides

for them. If you will seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, allthings like food and clothing will be provided. Jesus gives the birds of the airas an example of God’s knowledge of individuals and of the lilies of the field.You don’t see the birds lacking for food and you don’t see the lilies of the fieldlack for clothing. The God who knows when a sparrow falls to the groundknows about all these things.

III. God demands that His creatures also do good.

Long ago in the Old Testament God demanded that his creatures, especiallythose that call themselves the people of God, in turn do good even as He doespeople good. Much of this has been rationalized away by the philosophy andways of the world, but like God Himself who changes not with the centuriesthis requirement on the human race has not changed.

The title of the three volumes is THE LEARN CHRIST FROM THE APOSTLESAND PROPHETS, and in this next to the last chapter of volume 2, you willhear about how to learn Christ according to the Bible. For those who claim tobe Christians, it is an opportunity and obligation to learn Christ and to be likeChrist. It is unfortunate that the Apostle Paul had to write a early church, thechurch at Ephesus, to tell them that “this was not the way they learnedChrist”.

“But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and havebeen taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerningyour former conduct, the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitfullusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on thenew man which was crated according to God, in righteousness and trueholiness.” (Ephesians 4:20-24 NJKV)

In this day when Christian and church have lost so much meaning, it is evenmore mandatory that we get back to the way to Learn Christ according to thepages of the Bible. The lack from Christians of doing others good in just oneindication of Christ not having been learned. He did others good, and that isthe opportunity and obligation of those who call themselves by His name.Unfortunately, the ways of the world have been adopted by churches andChristians so that many efforts are made to manage, control, and useindividuals rather than to serve, minister, and do good.

IV. Christ sets the example for goodness.

CHRIST FOR INDIVIDUALS has accepted the challenge to illustrate to othersfrom the Bible, in particular the books of John and Ephesians, how Christ setsthe example for good deeds and for goodness of character and personality. Ittook the Apostle Peter a couple of years to really learn Christ. After he did,after he learned what Christ meant to do good by feeding the sheep of Christ,then Peter wrote: “He who would love life and see good days, Let himrefrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile; let himturn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For theeyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers;but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil.” (I Peter 3:10-12NJKV and Psalm 34:12-16). Notice Peter quoted this from the Old Testament.It originated from the mind and heart of God the Father; it was written in theOld Testament book of Psalms through the effecting cause of God the HolySpirit and then later in the New Testament by the same effecting cause of theHoly Spirit; and then it was mediated to the human race or illustrate as Christlived and did good on this earth, and in turn the Apostle Peter learned it fromChrist that he might also show and teach it.

(1). “He who would love life and see good days…”

Here God early in the history of the human race set up the challenge of“goodness” You want to see good days; you want to love life; then do good!

(2). “Let him refrain his tongue from evil…” This is just one way to do good.Prevent the tongue from evil. I think the history of American Thought willcharacterize this present generation of Americans as a generation of “windbags”. Talks is so popular; to know everything on every subject and to speakwith authority is so popular. It is seen by the proliferation of talk shows. It isseen by the abundance of advice for all know-it-alls with no experience andlittle training. With that abundant talk comes much evil: the opposite of doinggood with the tongue.

(3). “And his lips that they speak no guile”. Honesty and truthfulness is inmany circles of the world a rarity.

(4). “Let him turn away from evil and do good.” Well there it is the challengeand obligation of doing good. What will contribute to that doing good is asimultaneous turning from evil.

(5). “Let him seek peace and pursue it.” This running after peace is theultimate in the doing of good.

(6). And then we have a summary of the goodness of God. It is not a goody-goody approach as God does not throw away His total value system in thedoing and demanding of good.

“For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are open totheir prayers; but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil.” (IPeter 3:12 NKJ)

15-4: SALVATION (Ephesians 4).

We are operating now on the second plane of ESSENTIALS FROMEPHESIANS. The first plane is the faith in the essentials themselves of God,Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Bible, and salvation; and the second plane is whatmight be called the applications of those five essentials in the Christian life. Inother words how does God, Christ, the Spirit, the Bible, and Salvation changethe way we live, trying hard at each step of the way not to equate that way ofliving with churchmanship since the gap now between Christ andchurchmanship has become large and non-exemplary.

Paul deals with that very issue in what we consider today as a text fromEphesians 4:1732. For example in part of that textual section, Ephesians 4:20-21, the Word of God says to us: “But you have not so learned Christ…. (thiswas church members to whom Paul is talking in a church that he establishedand where he had the longest ministry of his missionary journeys, and he istelling them that this is not the way he taught them Christ, or moreimportantly that is not the way that they learned Christ from Christ, and thencontinues) …if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, asthe truth is in Jesus…

Recall that Paul wrote Ephesians behind 10 other books of the New Testamentand as a summary of those first ten books. Paul wanted Ephesus to have thebest of the inspiration that he received from being with Christ in Arabia, the

best from his re-study of the Old Testament during the so called seven silentyears at Tarsus, and the best of his writings under the inspiration of the Spiritof God. He therefore in this manner “if indeed you are a Christian eventhough I know you to be a church member, in order to remind them of whathe had written about the children of Israel in the book of Hebrews.

“Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest… (that rest isheaven and the completion of salvation) …, let us fear lest any of you seemto have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as wellas to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not beingmixed with faith in those who heard it. “ (Hebrews 4:1,2 NKJV)

I. Applications of the (1) Doctrine of Salvation.

It is another paradox of the Christ Way of Life that salvation is both somethingentirely by the grace of God and something what we must work out. Yes, bothare true; and figure them out in a practical way and you will have the blessingsof both that will lead you into the eternal rest that Paul wrote about asrecorded in Hebrews 4:1,2. Here in the paradox from the Word of God thatwe must practice even if we do not fully come to under it—

1. We are saved by the grace of God, past, present, and future.

That is recorded right here in Ephesians, Ephesians 2:8,9: “For by grace youhave been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift ofGod, not of works, lest anyone should boast…” (NJKV)

That’s part of the Word of God and as such it is completely true! Also true isthe following statement—

2. You must work with or work out you salvation right up until the timethat you enter, if indeed you do enter paraphrasing some of the words fromThe Apostle Paul. It would not surprise you to learn that this statement ofdoctrine comes from the last four epistles that Paul wrote, Ephesians being oneof them: from the book of Philippians, Philippians 2:12: “…work out yourown salvation with fear and trembling…” And the clue to how this seemingparadox can be true, sort of like the paradox given by Jesus that you must diein order to live. The paradox of the words is made consistent when youconsider the real meaning of the words. It was a gimmick used by Jesus to get

the attention of the hearers. It is a playing with words, or giving words adouble meaning as Jesus often did. Paul also learned that from Jesus in thedoctrinal statements that salvation, past, present, and future is by the grace ofGod; then later writing for Christians, even church members, to work out theirsalvations in fear and trembling. But much of the real meaning of the wordsgrace and work is made clear in the very context of Ephesians 2:8,9 andPhilippians 2:12. In fact, the next verse in both cases explains the meaningbehind grace and work.

(1) First, the next verse after the famous grace statement fromEphesians 2:8,9, from Ephesians 2:10.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, whichGod prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

You might want to put it another way: Since the purpose of the grace of Godin the individual life is there “for good works”, if the good works are not therethen the grace of God is not there. “IF INDEED YOU ARE IN CHRIST” Pauleffectively writes to church members!

(2). Second, the next verse after the infamous statement from Philippians 2:12,Philippians 2:13 is: “…for it is God who works in you both to will and to dofor His good pleasure.” This also in the manner of grace could be put inanother way. Let us call it the way of Learning Christ in order to decrease thegap between Christ and churchmanship: if God is indeed working inside youas a single person (or a married person) then those works will be evident withthe corresponding evidence of the grace of God. You know what I think is themost telling evidence of a real Christian, if you are being a fruit inspector andif in the words of the Apostle John you are “testing the spirits”, it is the matterof grace and graciousness. The Apostle John was the second most activepractitioner of grace and graciousness, and Jesus Himself as our PrimeExample was the first most active practitioner and advocate of grace andgraciousness. Brother, if a church member is mean and formal and obnoxious,then they do not show the grace and graciousness of Christ.

Now, since I have only a few minutes to look at the Applications of Doctrinetextually as covered in Ephesians 4:17-32, I must skim it quickly in outlineform. However, we will look again at these same four main points from the

passage that I like to call “HOW TO LEARN CHRIST”. In other words afterthis simple and doctrinal look at what the Bible has to say, we will then maketwo other approaches. First, we will look at the opposite of a “DOCTRINAL”approach, which taking the cue from Jesus we will call the opposite to be “THETEACHINGS OF MEN”. Then we will look at the same subject in terms of theopposite of salvation which I like to call the computer. Don’t get me wrong, Ilike computers. I had better since I spend about 9 hours a day at Raytheon onaround four different computers; and then my three at home, many hours. Butto me computers sort of represent, like “The Virgin and the Machine”, thesupreme efforts of man through knowledge, science, and technology andeducation to save himself apart from the salvation of God. (I will say moreabout that when we come to that section).

Okay, that leaves me one page to quickly outline Ephesians 4:17-32. (which isgood since the implications of how we should be living in Christ is so intenseand different from the way we are actually living in Christ). Remember, forgetchurch membership, that will save no one. There are approximately 2 billionpeople that call themselves Christians; there are approximately 1.2 billion thatcall on a God named “Allah” and the Prophet Mohammed; and there areapproximately 15 million Jews. Now, be realistic for a moment how many ofthose do you really think are among the “remnant” of God; how many do youreally think are going to enter into the eternal rest of God. Right, a very smallminority! Ephesians 4:17-32.

1. Don’t walk or live like the other Gentiles live if you have learned Christ(Ephesians 4:17a)

2. How do the non-Christian Gentiles walk or live? (Ephesians 4:17b-19)

(1). In the futility of the mind.

(2). With darkened understandings.

(3). Alienation from the Life of God.

(4). Emotions dominated by licentiousness.

a. Uncleanness.

b. Greediness.

3. Living like the American Gentiles around you is not healthy and is notthe way you learned Christ; if indeed you “heard Him” and “were taught byHim”. (Ephesians 4:20,21)

4. What you must put off and what you must put on. (Ephesians 4:22-24)

(1) Put off your pre-Christ conduct, what you notice I like to call in the wordsof Ephesians, BIC or Before In Christ. You will notice that old men, no matterwhat their age, will grow more corrupt each day and year apart from Christ.That is in the context of Ephesians 4:22.

(2). Look what is right in between the detail on the putting off and the detailof the putting on: it is the work of the Spirit of God in salvation.

(3). Put on the new man, characteristics and conduct of the New Creation inChrist. That is what God really created if indeed God did a work of creationin you. This is true righteousness more than churchmanship, and this is trueholiness more than churchmanship. This is Christ and Learning Christ.

5. Therefore, you know when Paul gets to a “therefore” that it is theimplications and applications. If you know a church member that has actuallyLearned Christ then they will seriously heed these seven admonitions of whatit is practically to Learn Christ. Now, I have time to only list them; but we willcome back in another presentation to re-visit them.

(1). Put away “lying” at the same time that you put off the old man and puton the new man. You don’t mean to tell me that there was lying among thechurch members at Ephesus, a the very church where Paul paltered andpreached. I guess our church is better than that, because we don’t know anychurch members that lie.

(2). Anger is okay if you don’t let the sun go down on it. In other words ifyou do not let the anger fester days, weeks, and months into wrath.Remember, wrath belongs only to God. There is no room in churchmanshipfor the well-known California saying, “I don’t get mad, I get even”. That is anexample of anger turning into wrath.

(3). Work in such a manner to earn your income, the opposite is to steal, andthe purpose of earning money is in order to have something to give to theneedy.

(4). Okay, the words of your mouth. Now, hear I really think our churches areguilty. Do any “corrupt words” come out of the mouth of your fellow churchmembers? Out of your mouth. The flip or positive side of this is to say,especially in the church building, only words that will build up or edify othermembers and that will communicate the grace and graciousness that comesfrom the grace of God.

(5). Oh, here is the key from our Comforter, and fellow worker, the “paraclete”that goes along beside us: the Holy Spirit of God. You church members canfool fellow church members and many in the community, but you can not foolthe Spirit of God. Say nothing or do nothing to grieve the Spirit of God. Doyou think unkind words grieve Him? How about the taking of the name ofGod in vain? Oh, how much that must grieve the Spirit of God.

(6). Number six in the specifics of the way to Learn Christ is the opposite ofnumber seven. Number seven is love, forgiveness, and tender-heartedness;while number six is wrath, anger, clamor, malice, and evil speaking.

6. Be kind to one another like God in Christ. You come back again to the proofof what a real Christian is, that of manifesting the grace and graciousness ofGod. I don’t know how we every came to make meanness of spiritsynonymous with doctrinal stability.

II. Next, we will consider the opposite of the Doctrine of Salvation from theBible, which for convenience I call the “computer”. By that I mean all the bestefforts of man including science and technology and culture to save himself.

We saw the ultimate in the efforts of men in a nation to save and promote theirown welfare in the Nazi Germany of World War II days. Germany lead theworld in science, technology, education, psychology, and you name it; yet allthat know-off led them down a corrupt path ultimately instead of down thepath of righteousness. The Jewish nation in spite of their monotheism andreligious knowledge, except for a remnant like the early Christians and Jesus

and Paul and the other Apostles, have not benefitted salvation wise from thatreligious knowledge. We think of such Biblical statements as:

(1). “Ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth”.and

(2). Paul speaking of the Jewish nation during his lifetime summarized thismatter of religion being an alternative to salvation by writing in Romans 10:1-3.

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may besaved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal of God, but notaccording to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness,and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to therighteousness of God.”

Since this gives us a clue about the opposite of salvation from God, and I hopeyou agreed with me that Ephesians is a summary of the first ten letters fromPaul which includes Hebrews and Romans, where in Ephesians can be findthe equivalent of this zeal of God that does not save and this knowledge thatis not the righteousness of God?

1. First of all how about the parallels between the first two chapters of thebook of Romans and what we saw in Ephesians 4:17-19 about how Gentileswere living in contrast to the way of Learning Christ. PARENTHETICALLYKEEP IN MIND BEFORE WE LOOK AT THE GENTILES SUBSTITUTE FORTHE SALVATION OF GOD IN ROMANS 1 AND THE JEWISH SUBSTITUTEFOR THE SALVATION OF GOD IN ROMANS 2, THAT CHURCHMEMBERSHIP IS ALSO ONE OF THE MOST COMMON SUBSTITUTES FORTHE SALVATION OF GOD.

At the top level of the 2 billion world citizens that call themselves Christiansbecause they are church members, how many do you think are among theremnant that did not bow the knee to Baal? The only seven thousand of the15 million Jews? And the Mormons are included in the Christians in thiscountry, how many of them do you think can really be Christian and knowand espouse such hideous doctrines. You know you can hardly top theMormons for churchmanship. They are far beyond you in evangelism, inradio and television evangelism, in door to door and community to

community work, and in church attendance, and the necessity of good works;but I hope you realize that according to one of the four Bibles which they callWord of God, that THE DOCTRINE AND THE COVENANTS, andcontemporaries in their commentaries verify it, will unashamed talk of areformed gospel that puts works back in as part of salvation.

Never forget that Paul told us in what we know to be the Word of God that,“If any one come preaching another Gospel or with another spirit, let them beaccursed.” I am being doctrinal about this, and the doctrine says that they areaccursed. They are an outstanding example of attempts at salvation apartfrom the grace of God. They like to call themselves the “Church of Jesus Christof Latter Day Saints” when instead they should be called the Assembly of theAnti-Christ of Latter Day Jews”. They are doing al l they can do to re-establishwhat Christ attempted to do away with during his life. The temple, the law,the works and burdens of the law: all this they have re-established. In yearsof talking with them at Ogden Utah, I developed a theory of who is on theTemple in Temple Square, and who is the source of those four Bibles whichthey have: it is an angle alright, but it is an angel from the other side, and Iwould not at all be surprised if it was the chief of the fallen angels.

Well, back to Romans 1 on the Gentiles and Romans 2 on the Jews. Ratherthan reading Romans 1:21-32, I know of no quicker way to look at it thanparaphrasing it. (The problem is that it is a little vulgar, and it is hard not toget indignant when paraphrasing it.) Paraphrase of Romans 1:21-32.

‘All Gentiles in the world have known something about God in several ways(we discuss those ways under 1-1a), became futile in their mind in that theyrefused to give God the glory and to be thankful to God as the Creator andGiver of life. After the futility of the mind came the darkening of the hearts.While they were in the very act of claiming to be wise, in the sight of God theywere becoming fools.

15-5: The Holy Spirit (John 14-16).

It is rather difficult to understand how such teachings of Jesus as about theHoly Spirit are so distorted and mis-applied except to consider that even withlip service to the Bible as the Word of God, church members either do notbelieve it or do not personally practice it. Like the religious leaders of the time

of Christ, we are teachings for doctrines the commandments of men. Wesimply pay more attention to either our own opinions or the opinions of menwith itching ears.

I. Today it could be considered that the end time when men would not longerendure sound doctrine got its start when the clear teachings of the Bible on theHoly Spirit were replaced with the Pentecostal movement.

It was grown out of the desire of many church attendees for a temporalemotional experience that would pass away quickly the rest of the week.Actually if we are beyond the simple perilous times of II Timothy 2 where inthe churches and denominations there is a form of godliness that denies thepower of God and into the end times, then we would have to say the transitionfrom perilous times to end times were made on the back of several doctrinesof itching ears: first and foremost would have to be the distortion of soundteachings on marriage and divorce, second would have to be the itching earstendencies toward church government and deacons, and the third would haveto be the misunderstandings of the Bible teachings on the Holy Spirit.

Let there be no misunderstand on what the Bible teaches about marriage anddivorce. The Bible teaches one man and one woman with children for life. Theoptions for divorced people are simple. All they have to do is to ask God’sforgiveness and receive that forgiveness for the committing of adulterybecause of the marriage to a divorced person. Where the problem becomes soserious is when church members fight the sound doctrine of the Bible onmarriage and divorce. They have never admitted to God that they werewrong. Instead, like on so many other sins and lawlessness, they attempt tojustify themselves in the eyes of men and God; they rebel and find forthemselves–yea more than find, they heap up for themselves teachers andpreachers that will tell them what they want to hear.

But back to the Holy Spirit as the third most distorted teaching of Christ. Letme state it very simply: when you read Acts chapter 2 about the historicalevent of the Coming of the Holy Spirit recall that it was a one time historicalevent in the same category as the birth of Jesus on earth and that when the 11apostles spoke it was in real languages.

“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit (the eleven apostles) andbegan to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts2:4)

Now, get what follows. Since it was the Day of Pentecost there were Jewsgathered in Jerusalem from EVERY NATION UNDER HEAVEN. Now, sinceall these Jews came to Jerusalem with different languages, when they heardthe Gospel preached by Peter and the other eleven apostles, they heard themspeak in their own languages. And lest you misunderstand those nations andtheir languages are mentioned:

“Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judeaand Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia. Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and theparts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews andproselytes, Cretans and Arabs.”

And if that were not enough, twice the Scripture of Acts 2 repeats that eachheard the 11 apostles speaking in their own tongue or language.

(1). Acts 2:7,8.

“Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, ‘Look, arenot all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in ourown language in which we were born?”

(2). Acts 2:11.

“...we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works ofGod.”

Instead we have a lot of Janneses and Jambres who like the originals try toduplicate the works that God gave Moses and the 11 apostles. The trouble isthat they come short just like Jannes and Jambres in trying to duplicate theworks of God. They simulate the tongues with gibberish, but the sound of therushing wind and the cloven tongues are not there. And even as Paul writesof the such men in the church with a form of godliness are impostors, thesemodern day church members impostors can not duplicate the HistoricalComing of the Holy Spirit.

II. The clear teachings of Jesus on the Holy Spirit as recorded in John 14-16.

1. Jesus stated in John 16:7 that it is to the advantage of all believers afterthis particular Day of Pentecost that they have the Helper instead of Jesus.

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; forif I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I willsend Him to you.” (John 16:7)

You see the sequence: Jesus departs at His ascension, then the Helper ofComforter or Holy Spirit comes to take His place; and believers become betteroff than even those who had the personal presence of Jesus.

2. The words of “when He has come” of John 16:8 remind us of all thepredictions about the coming of Jesus.

“And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and ofrighteousness, and of judgment.” (John 16:8).

3. While some church members might think that the reason for theComing of the Holy Spirit is in order that they might have a temporal emotionexperience on Sunday that attempts to simulate the Coming of the Holy Spirit,the reasons are quite different. This first group of reasons is to convict theworld of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. Jesus in John 14-16 hasalready mentioned some of the work the other Comforter would do withbelievers, and now He comes to the work with the world. In a moment wewill again look at the work with believers.

(1). “...of sin, because they do not believe in Me.” The real crime against Godand Jesus is not to believe in Jesus. Because of this work of the Holy Spirit ittakes real effort on the part of the individual to not believe in Jesus. It is farfrom being a simple matter of not believing, it is a matter of positive, inwardresistance to the wooing of the Holy Spirit.

(2). “...of righteousness, because I go to My Father, and you see Me no more.”(John 16:10) Jesus is the standard of all goodness and righteousness. Whenyou look at Jesus and His teachings you see God and His character; and seeingHis goodness and character you know something of the righteousrequirements of God for the individual life. It was in Jesus’ Sermon on theMount of Matthew 5,6 that Jesus taught that because God by His very natureis good that He also demands goodness from the Human Creatures that He

has made. “But I say to you, lover your enemies, bless those who curse you,do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you andpersecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makesHis sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on theunjust.” (Matthew 5:44,45) And recall as previously discussed, Jesus by Hislife showed by God is like. “He,” Jesus said, “that has seen Him has seen theFather.”

(3). The third work of the Holy Spirit with the world is to convict the worldof Judgment. “...of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” Thehead of this world is the fallen angel, Satan; and if this prince of the power ofthe air is judged–this royal king of all the world–then all in the world are alsojudged. (I might add that if we do not preach and teach to judgement of Godon the Great Day of the LORD, we only preach two-thirds of the work of theHoly Spirit. So we are certainly not His helper even though Jesus sent Him tobe the Helper of all real Christians.

4. Also in John 14-16 we come to the work of the Holy Spirit as a Helper tobelievers. John 14:14:

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name,He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things thatI said to you.”

Before we discuss this contemporary teaching function of the Holy Spirit andthe memory trigger function, let us note two facts about the historical comingof the Spirit: (1) God the Father sent the Holy Spirit; and (2) The Holy Spiritwas sent in the name of Jesus. The Apostle Peter says about the same thing inActs 2:32,33:

“This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Thereforebeing exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Fatherthe promise of the Holy Spirt, He poured out this which you now see andhear.”

Get that: you devout Jews from every nation on the earth that are assembly onthe Day of Pentecost after the Ascension of Jesus what you hear in the rushingwind and see in the clover tongues and hear in your own language is the one

time promised coming of the Holy Spirit predicted by Joel and David in thePsalms.

III. When Paul speaks in II Thessalonians 2 of the Day of the LORD and Lordof how the Holy Spirit is withdrawn, it is withdrawn from the world; becauseJesus tells in John 14:16 that the Holy Spirit will be with believers‘ETERNALLY”.

“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that Hemay abide with you forever.”

We must separate the work of the Spirit with the world and the work of theSpirit with believers. Near the end times according to II Thessalonians 2, at thesame time the man of sin, the son of perdition that works all the works of Satanis revealed, and at the same time of the general falling away of churchmembers from the faith, and at the same time as the general increase oflawlessness against God in the world, then the Holy Spirit is taken away. Thesame God and Jesus that sent the Holy Spirit in power on the first day ofPentecost after the Ascension will also remove the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spiritdoes not retreat because sin and lawlessness abounds and the love of manywax cold. While it is true, as the Bible tells us, that the Holy Spirit is grievedby sin, especially in the life of believers; there is a certain plan or Day of theLORD planned by God the Father when all life on earth will be wrapped upand a new order restored. Here it is in the words of the Bible, II Thessalonians2:3-7.

“Let no one deceive you by any means for that Day will not come unless thefalling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that isworshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himselfthat he is God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I toldyou these things? And now you know what is restraining that he may berevealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work;only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.”

“Taken out of the way” sounds like an historical event as momentous as theComing of the Holy Spirit. And this is the last work of the Holy Spirit that wedid not mention previously. It is the RESTRAINING work of the Holy Spirit.

What does He restrain against? Against the mystery of lawlessness, in otherwords against the increase in lawlessness which often seems inexplicable inwars, murders, hate, and unbelief; and against the appearing of the Son ofPerdition; and against the work of Satan with all lying wonders and signs; andagainst the delusion and great lie that denies the truth of Jesus as the Christ,the Son of God. You see, you must understand the Coming of Jesus and Hisother Helper as the chaining of Satan for a thousand years, and when thatthousand years is up, then Satan is released as the Holy Spirit is withdrawn.

15-6: THE DAY OF THE LORD.

The last section we heard from Hebrews 12 about the Assembly at MountSinai: how the mountain could not be touched, how it burned with fire, howit was covered with blackness and darkness, and how the tempest of a ragingwind surrounded it. About the sound of the trumped and the great, boomingvoice of God; and how the people of the Assembly begged that the wordswould not longer be spoken to them. Perhaps they were indignant about thepreviously spoken words from God through Moses of how if anything, animalor person, touched the mountain they would die. The sights and sounds of allthis before the Assembly even made Moses tremble. Today, by way ofintroduction, to the Day of the LORD, we look at this same historical event asrecorded in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. Actually Deuteronomy 5 is arehash by Moses of what originally happened in the Assembly at Mount Sinai.

“And Moses called all Israel, and said to them: ‘Hear, O Israel, the statutesand judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you may learnthem and be careful to observe them. The LORD our God made a covenantwith us in Horeb. The LORD did not make this covenant with our fathers,but with us, those who are here today, all of us who are alive. The LORDtalked with you face to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire.”

Recall how the program ended last time with Our God is a Consuming Fire!

“I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to declare to you the wordof the LORD; for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go upthe mountain.”

Then Moses as recorded in Deuteronomy 5:6-21 reminded them of all that Godin the Ten Commandments had spoken in His own voice. And Moses

concludes as recorded in Deuteronomy 5:22: “These words the LORD spoketo all your assembly (remember the literal translation of the Greek word“ecclesia” for church is assembly)...These words the LORD spoke to all yourassembly, in the mountain from the midst of the fire, the cloud, and thethick darkness, with a loud voice (notice the voice was loud like the blast ofthe trumpet); and He added no more. And He wrote them on two tablets ofstone and gave them to me.”

I. Look at the major ten laws of God and then decide if lawlessness isincreasing.

Last program we heard about lawlessness as crimes against God, taking God’sname being only one of those crimes; and how there is an increase inlawlessness that heralds the final Day of the LORD and the Second Coming ofChrist. Today, hear all of those words of the Ten Commandments as spokenoriginally in the voice of God Himself, from Exodus 20, This is the heart of thelaws of God. This is the law that Jesus referred to when He said that he hadnot come to destroy the law and the prophets but to fulfill them. You listen tothem; and you see if you think the violations of these laws are increasing withwhat you hear in the news and with what you see about you.

“And God spoke all these words, saying: ‘I am the LORD your God, whobrought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.’”

God did not bring American believers out of the bondage of Egypt like Israel,but He did through Christ rescue us from the bondage of sin and lawlessness.

“‘You shall have no other gods before Me.’”

Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount that you cannot serve God andmammon.

Either you will serve the one and despise the other.

The next words are warnings from God about icons.

“‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image–any likeness of anythingthat is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waterunder the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.’”

Really is it any better to create a god in our own mind, a very permissive andnon-consuming fire God, that will allow us to do all that we desire.

“‘For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of thefathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those whohate me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keepMy commandments.’”

The God of the Bible, our God is a consuming fire also in that He is not tolerantof either taking His name in vain or of allowing worship of other so calledgods. You remember a few years ago when the Presbyterians were voting onwhether to stop preaching that Christ is the only way of salvation, since itseems intolerant. Well, that is like a wife saying that she will commit adulterybecause it is intolerant of her husband to be the only one in her life. You seethat God is a jealous God, and He is intolerant of other gods which He knowsnot to be gods anyway. As stated time and time, we mix up what is to beChristian with what it is to be an American citizen. There are two greatdifferences. Citizenship in this country demands that the majority is right andtolerance. In matters of faith and practice, based on the Bible, the majority iswrong and there can be no tolerance as related to Christ and God.

1. Back to the Ten Commandments.

“‘You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORDwill not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”

You see any increase in this lawlessness. Has anybody in your churchcommitted lately this crime against God.

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” The Sabbath is now after ChristSunday, the Lord’s day; but that does not change the six and one rule. “Sixdays you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbathof the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, noryour daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor you cattle,nor you stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made theheavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventhday. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon theland which the LORD your God is giving you.”

In II Timothy we have read of how during the perilous times, church membersalong with being lovers of self, lovers of money, and having a form ofgodliness without the inward power, also are disobedient to parents; whichsince they are adults that misled the churches must mean that they aredisobedient to the heritage of their parents, the teachings of the Bible that havebeen given to them. You see the days of their churches as the days of the landof their nation can not be long when these things happen, so that slowly theways in the church of the perilous times become those of the end times wheresound doctrine is no longer endured. Preachers and teachers are made tosurround these church members in protect them from sound doctrine, and totell the people comforting words that they wish out of itching ears to hear.

On with the Ten Commandments.

“You shall not murder.”

Have you seen any increase in the world and in this nation with murder.Many thought after the collapse of Russia that was over. Since then we haveheard of murders and war in South Africa, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, andon and on. And those who thought we had socially evolved in the world tothe extent that there was no discrimination are learning otherwise.

“You shall not commit adultery.” Remember Jesus’ explanation of that law.

“You shall not steal”

Look at the increased news about large corporations where the retirementmoney of large numbers of people, including seniors, has been confiscated. Itseems that as management moves up the ladder that become more crookedand indifferent to the needs of other people. This is increase lawlessness, thatsometimes is a crime against the State and always a crime against God and thelaws of God.

“You shall not ear false witness against your neighbor.”

Honesty, the opposite, of this is almost at a premium. It is difficult to dependanymore on any person or business. Intellectual honesty as set forth by EltonTrueblood is at a premium.

“You shall not covet..”

Do you think, bottom line, these business leaders did not covet to have forthemselves the retirement money in 401k’s that belonged to seniors?

II. Acts 2 on the Day of the LORD as the end of the last days.

Acts 2 can straighten us out on much of our eschatology, or last days thinking.When the Holy Spirit came on the first day of Pentecost after the resurrectionof Christ, it was an historical event just like the first coming of Jesus Christ asHe was born in a manger. The only difference is that the Holy Spirit camehistorically full grown while Christ came as a babe.

“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accordin one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven (what does thatsound from heaven remind you of?)...there came a sound from heaven, as ofa rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they weresitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one satupon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and beganto speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1-4)

1. Peter quotes from Joel 2:28-32 to explain that this is the beginning of thelast days. You should nail down an immutable in your eschatology that thebeginning of the last days is during this historical event of the Coming of theHoly Spirit. The Apostle Peter says that the events of that day were what wasspoken of by Joel, and the Prophet Joel says that in the last days these thingswill come to pass. You know, it takes real perversion of the truth not to seethat; and perhaps on eschatology is where the drift toward unsound doctrinestarted as church members chose to believe about last things what theywanted to believe; and as they were able to find teachers that would bolstertheir itching ears and false beliefs.

2. The end of this period of last days is the Day of the Lord. In this quotefrom Joel as quoted in Acts 2:20 it is the coming of the Day of the Lord. Joelwrites about the shaking of the heavens and earth, of the blood and fire, and

the darkness of the sun and moon; but these events as part of the Day of theLORD are a common thread throughout the Old Testament.

3. Several things happen in between this beginning of the last days as theHoly Spirit comes and the Day of the LORD: (1) the Holy Spirit isdemocratically outpoured on young and old, status and non-status; (2)Salvation is widespread as whosoever calls on the name of the Lord is saved;and (3) Acts 2:47, the Lord Himself adds to the Church such as are saved.

III. Events of the Last Days Ending in the Day of the Lord as given in Acts 2.

1. The Historical Coming of the Holy Spirit to take the place of Jesus.

2. The Coming of the Spirit to convict the world of sin, of righteousness,and of judgment. By the way, many versions translate this sin as lawlessness.

3. Salvation becomes widespread as the gospel is preached to everynation.

4. God Himself adds to the Assembly of the Firstborn all those that aresaved.

IV. Some Events of the Day of the LORD that are not given in Acts 2.

1. It is Paul in II Thessalonians that must add that the Holy Spirit not onlycomes during the last days but also is withdrawn.

2. Paul adds that the Spirit restrains the lawless One, the son of perdition,and lawlessness and unsound doctrine itself until He is taken away.

15-7: THE SOUND OF A SOUND FAITH.

This is the title, “Sound of a Sound Faith” of volume 1 of LEARN CHRISTFROM THE APOSTLES AND PROPHETS. It is based on the teachings of theBible in Romans 10:17,18 and Psalm 19:14, from the Apostle Paul in Romans10:17,18 and from the Prophet David in Psalm 19:1-4. While the setting forthof the doctrine of faith in the Bible was the primary goal in volume 1, here atthe beginning of volume 2 it is to show more how that teaching or doctrine ofthe Bible relates to the individual. Likewise it sets the primary theme ofvolume 2 as “Christ for Individuals”.

I. What is the Sound of Sound Faith for Individuals.

We often think of doctrine as what stirs the pot by emphasizing the differencesbetween religions and denominations. While that could be true for those whoattempt to promote themselves, and grow their own denomination, bystressing a uniqueness; it is not true in Bible preaching. The main purpose ofsound doctrine is for the individual: to assure them that what they believe inis the Bible beliefs that will provide for themselves the hearing of Christ andthe teaching of Christ. In other words, since during perilous times and as thoseperilous times become the end times, many will fall away from sound faithand many will be impostors. Now, while it is not the job of preachers of theWord to come into the churches and try to separate the sheep from the goats,it is the job of preachers of the Word to tell people about the differences andhow to assure themselves that they have indeed heard Christ and LearnedChrist instead of some anti-Christ.

1. The Sound of Faith has gone out to all the earth in order that the soundmay fall on all individual ears. A church may have a sound system, but it doesnot have ears with the capability of hearing.

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But I say,have they not heard? Yes indeed; ‘Their sound has gone out of all the earth,and their words to the ends of the world.’” (Romans 10:17,18)

Faith comes by individual hearing, and the individual hearing of the word ofGod. The sound of faith is here spoken of by the Apostle Paul and quotingfrom the Prophet David in Psalm 19:4 in order that individuals mightindividually LEARN CHRIST FROM THE APOSTLES AND PROPHETS.

2. There are countermeasures to Sound Faith, the perilous times of IITimothy 3 and 4 when there is in the churches a form of godliness that deniesthe power of God and the end times when church members will not longerendure sound doctrine. And you must see for II Timothy 4 that churchmembers turn away from the truth and turn in fables not out of ignorance andindifference, but because they want to. What comes first is “they will notendure sound doctrine”. These are people who have known sound doctrine,and then turn away from sound doctrine. These are people who put a lot ofeffort in finding other church leaders like themselves with itching ears,

heaping them up as fortifications against sound doctrine. Leaders that willtickle their ears, comfort them, pat them on the back, and say peace, peace,when there is no peace for such church members.

Now here is the real problem for church members who have indeed heardChrist and been taught of Him when the perilous times turn into the end timesof no endurance for sound doctrine. Where are they going to go to church?After a listing in II Timothy 3 of the characteristics of church members with aform and not reality of Christ, then the advice of the Bible is to turn away fromsuch people in the church. Well, when the perilous times become end timeswhere most have fallen away from the faith, where does the real church of theFirstborn go? We will try to answer that in the conclusion. Right now, thereshould be reminder of the seal and foundation of God that comes in II Timothy2 as the preliminary problem of the falling away from sound faith isconsidered: “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having thisseal: ‘The Lord know those who are His,’ and, ‘Let every one who names thename of Christ depart from iniquity.” (II Timothy 2:19)

II. Sound Faith for the Individual must be considered in the context of thefamous “Faith” chapter of Hebrews 11.

1. First of all, there is the definition of sound faith as recorded in Hebrews11:1: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of thingsnot seen.” Faith provides substance to all the things of salvation that arehoped for, eternity with God and Christ in heaven, about God and ChristHimself who can not be seen or felt with the physical senses. But there is anevidence to faith. The Word of God provides evidence of those things whichwe be; and if you desire to go beyond that to the field of Christian Evidencesand Apologetics, there is enough evidence that would stand up before the barof reason to support both the Bible as the Word of God and Jesus as the Son ofGod.

2. Then there are the examples of the elders of faith that we can emulate.That is the nice thing about the Bible in that it provides for us many examplesof faith. The faith of Jesus, of Moses, of Paul, or James, and of Job just to namea few.

3. A specific example of faith and a good place to start with a sound faithis by faith that God created the world and all that we see in heaven and onearth.

“By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God,so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”(Hebrews 11:3)

We could talk for a long time about the evidences in creation which supportthe Bible story that God did in the beginning make heaven and earth. Thedesign of a flower, of the oxygen in the atmosphere, of the seasons; and on andon, all the characteristics of earth as compared to other planets that Godestablished to make earth a good home for man.

4. It should be added what preachers are do when church members willnot endure sound doctrine, often becoming the victim of the mass rebellionagainst sound doctrine. Paul mentions that before he tells in II Timothy 4 ofthe unsound doctrine. The admonition is to continue to “Preach the word! Bereading in season and out of season. Convince (you see in that there is somehope that some individuals in the churches will listen), rebuke (the implicationis that some individuals will accept rebuke and change their attitudes andbehavior from the love of self and the love of money, from pride andhaughtiness, etc.), exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” Pour thedoctrine on, and continue to suffer abuse from the members with itching ears.

II. The rest of Hebrews 11 is full of examples form the Bible of a soundfaith to challenge us to a similar faith.

1. The examples.

2. The challenge of the great cloud of witnesses that have provided aheritage of sound faith.

3. Always looking to Jesus as the Author, Mediator, and Finisher of theSound Faith, finding in the Bible of the Apostles and Prophets the proper wayto LEARN CHRIST.

III. The amazing facts that come together in Hebrews 12 is that the strivingagainst sin and sinners is also the means which God uses to strengthen Hisown and helps to identify those who are His own.

IV. What to do when the church members of the perilous times who onlyhave a form of godliness, and are the type believers are told to stay away fromturns into the end times of most church members have come to the point ofnot enduring sound doctrine.

The general answer is to follow the examples of the great cloud of witnessesthat have gone before you listed in Hebrews 11. The whole underlying pointof Hebrews 11 is that it has never been easy for God’s real people asdistinguished from a nation that claimed to be God’s people. In Hebrews 11it is true and it always will be true that the number of goats is greater than thenumber of sheep. What happened in Elijah’s day is more typical than atypical:God had to tell Elijah that somewhere in the mess of false worship and churchattendance were seven thousand people in the whole nation of Israel that hadnot bowed down to Baal. So it is the same in this so- called Christian nationof the United States today, somewhere there are approximately seventhousand real believers who do not bow down to serve mammon in some formor the other; and the probability of your being able to assembly on a regularbasis with them, or even find them, is very small indeed. Your only commonassembly is the spiritual blessings in heavenly places where Jesus is as theMediator of the New Covenant with the registration of the Church of theFirstborn.

But it is possible based on Hebrews 11 to get more specific.

1. First, like the cloud of witnesses of Hebrews 11, you must confess thatyou are a stranger and pilgrim here on this earth. If you are too at home in acertain community with a worldly group and with certain things that provideyou comfort, then the probability that you consider yourself a stranger andpilgrim on this earth is almost nil. If you are well established in a city and ahome and a church, you are much like the rich man in the story of Lazaruswho didn’t need heaven because he had his reward already. Of the cloud ofwitnesses that provide the real heritage for real believers, it is said in Hebrews11:13:

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seenthem afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that theywere strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”

2. If you have already received all the promises from God of salvation inyour past experiences then you are probably not among the strangers andpilgrims on this earth. Salvation is a process of past, present, and future; andif yours is complete, or you treat it as complete, then you have missed gettingon the boat of the faith of Hebrews 11.

3. You are among the strangers and pilgrims of Hebrews 11 if you haveembraced the same promises to come of the witnesses of Hebrews 11. You,like the believers of Hebrews 11, must declare plainly that you seek a betterhome country than the United States. That is, that you seek a heavenlycountry. That is the way that God will not be ashamed of you, and that is theway God will include you in the assembly for which He has prepared aheavenly city.

15-8: The Church or Assembly of the Firstborn.

I. Increased Lawlessness as Crimes Against God.

Many of the laws of God that are daily broken are not crimes against the Statebut crimes against God. Take for example the crime against God of takingGod’s name in vain. Daily at work from the most unexpected sources we hearGod’s name and the name of Jesus taken in vain. These jarring sounds ofblasphemy come from the most unexpected sources, but previously we haveheard words of faith spoken from the same voice. Besides at work, we hearthis lawlessness spoken constantly on television and read it in the popularbooks. What has really changed in the last few years is the lack of apology.No excuse for such lawlessness is acceptable to God, but at least years ago wedid hear some excuses for such blasphemy.

This increase in lawlessness leads us to believe that the Day of the LORD ofthe Bible is rapidly approaching. It was Jesus who taught us that the generalfalling away from the faith shortly before the Day of the Lord would becharacterized by an increase in lawlessness and a decrease in love for God andChrist. Here are the words of Jesus Himself as recorded in Matthew 24:12:“And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.”

Many like to call this the “great apostasy”; but like so many other words ofreligion that are misused and abused, this seems like pie in the sky, bye andbye. There is a very good chance that we are in it right now if you considerthis widespread lack of respect for God that shows itself in the taking of Hisname in vain. Well, we can still make excuses for it; and still do make excusesfor it. However, no matter what excuse you would make for blasphemy, youshould hear behind it the words of the Bible, “…for the LORD will not holdhim guiltless who takes His name in vain..” Yes, that is found in Exodus 20:7,right in the middle of the Ten Commandments; and right in the same versewhich was spoken to all the people by God Himself, “You shall not take thename of the LORD your God in vain…”

“Oh,” one might say, “it just slipped out, and I didn’t mean it.”

“…for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”

“Oh, you know how it is…you hear it so often in your daily environment thatit just slips out.”

“…for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”“Oh, everybody does it in order to place emphasis on certain words.”

“…for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”

II. The Day of the LORD of the Old Testament becomes the Day of theSecond Coming of Christ in the New Testament, a prerequisite for both beingthe increase in lawlessness.

The Day of the LORD, often spoken of in the Old Testament, becomes the Dayof the LORD, spelled with all capital letters, and of the Lord, spelled with acapital letter and then little letters in the New Testament; and what we learnmore clearly in the New Testament that the Day of the LORD is also the timeof the Second Coming of Christ. In the Old Testament it is primarily a “greatand awesome” Day when the sun is darkened and the moon stops shining,while in the New Testament it is all that but also a time of rejoicing as ChristHimself descends from heaven with a shout, a voice of an archangel and thetrump of God as all believers, dead and alive, are caught up in the air to meetChrist in the air. Two thousand years ago some of the first Christians did notunderstand that you could not possibly miss this Day of the LORD. They

thought they had missed the Second Coming of Christ! Paul in IIThessalonians chapter 2 assured this discouraged believers that the SecondComing could not happen until several prerequisites happened. In the orderthat Paul mentions them in II Thessalonians, they are: First, the falling awayfrom what has been believed must come; then the man of sin, the son ofperdition, must be revealed; and then, read it carefully, the Holy Spirit ismentioned as the one is restraining the son of perdition from appearing; andtwo thousand years ago it was said that the Son of Perdition would be revealedin His own time. (May I briefly submit to you that Osama bin Laden orsomeone just like him is this man of sin, and that he has already been revealed.Don’t judge too quickly until you read again Daniel 11, and look at the currentevents that have happened centered around this one individual.) But back toII Thessalonians and what Paul says must happen before the Second Comingand the fulfillment of the Day of the LORD and Lord. Paul says two thousandyears ago that “the mystery of lawlessness is already at work”— oh my, if itwas at work two thousand years ago, but must the mystery of lawlessness bedoing now when every day we hear of he lawlessness of the taking of God’sname in vain. Then Paul gives us in verse 2:7 more insight as he states that theHoly Spirit is restraining both the son of perdition and the mystery oflawlessness until the Holy Spirit is taken away.

What are the events we have so far just before the Second Coming and the Dayof the LORD: One, the falling away from faith on the part of church members;two, the revelation of the man of sin; three, the taking out of the way of theHoly Spirit; and the increase in lawlessness inspired by Satan and the lawlessone.

This “falling away” is not the falling away of people from the churches anddenominations. That is wishful thinking. According to the Bible, believershave never been in a majority: it is the difference between the many that gothe broad way that leads to destruction and the few that go the narrow way.No, the falling away is not from churches and denominations. It is a fallingaway of church members from sound faith. They stay right there in their localchurch or denomination being part of the perilous times of II Timothy 3:1-9and part of the end time failure to endure sound doctrine of II Timothy 4:1-4.

III. As this lawlessness, Day of the LORD, and Second Coming of Christhas come closer, where has your religious Assembly come.

In other words: where do you stand on the issues of the Day? We read inHebrews 12 of two assemblies and where they stood. One Assembly as theChurch in the wilderness, standing before Mount Sinai as God spoke the TenCommandments; and the other is the church of the firstborn, Jesus Christ,which is recorded in heaven and registered in heaven.

1. The Church in the Wilderness.

First the description of the Church in the Wilderness at the Sinai giving of theTen Commandments from Hebrews 12:18-21.

“For you have not come (by the way this tells us where your assembly hasnot come, hopefully)…For you have not come to the mountain that may betouched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness andtempest, and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that thosewho heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore.(For they could not endure what was commanded: ‘And if so much as abeast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.’ Andso terrifying was the sight that Moses said, ‘I am exceedingly afraid andtrembling.”

Notice how this assembly, and by the way the Greek word for “church” isliterally translated “assembly”…notice how this assembly was so personallyinvolved in every sense of the word. Their touch was involved: God toldMoses that any animal or person who touched the mountain would die. Theirheat sensors and eyes were involved: the mountain burned with fire. It wasmuch like being close to a volcano or to Mount Lemon burning. There wasblackness and darkness and the tempest of wind. Their hearing was affected:there was the sound of the trumpet, and if you read the original in Exodus andDeuteronomy, it was the blast of a trumpet more than simply a sound. Itactually hurt the ears. And then there was the voice of God Himself. Yes, readExodus closely and you will see that God Himself was speaking in theaudience of the whole Assembly.

2. The Assembly that is Registered in Heaven.

Next, have you come to the Assembly of Church spoken of in Hebrews 12:22-24, the Church of the Firstborn, written in heaven, and the only Assembly thatyou must be registered in for salvation.

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living of God, theheavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the generalassembly and church of the firstborn, who are registered in heaven, to Godthe Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediatorof the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better thingsthan that of Abel.”

(1). To Mount Zion instead of Mount Sinai, to grace rather than law.

(2). To the city of the Living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. This is the kind ofAssembly that you want to be in: an Assembly where the Living God is.Because He lives, we can live; but it must be in this Assembly.

(3). To an innumerable company of angels. Jesus said that He could call alegion of angels to His rescue rather than die on the cross. Well, at the sameplace where the Assembly and Church of the Firstborn is located is where aninnumerable company of angels are located. Just think of what they arecapable of doing, and will do on that Great and Final Day of the LORD andLord.

(4). To the general assembly and church of the Firstborn, who are registeredin heaven. Your church membership here on earth is not worth the piece ofpaper it is written on compared with eternity. You must be registered inheaven; and even though you pastor or priest may tell you that your churchmembership here on earth is the same as being registered in heaven; surelyyou must see the difference, and realize that this is only wishful thinking onhis part. The Firstborn is Christ. Christ was the Firstborn from the dead thatstarted a long line of succession of other believers who were born from thedead. Those only are the ones registered in heaven.

(5). To God the Judge of All. Here is where we come to all the Old Testamentteachings of lawlessness and the Day of the LORD when all the temporarytolerated unrighteousness and falsehood comes under the righting judgmentof God.

(6). To the spirits of just men make perfect. There is Abraham, and Moses,and Elijah, and Noah, and Paul, and Peter. Men who were justified by faith;men who were perfected by the inward working of the Holy Spirit.

(7). To Jesus…listen, we have a lot of loose talk about Jesus both attempts toblaspheme and to identify with Him. But the only place you can come to inorder to see Jesus is with the Assembly or Church of the Firstborn, registeredin heaven. Which Jesus is it? The Jesus that is the Mediator of the NewCovenant. By the way of the blood of Jesus and His atonement on the crossfor the sins of the world.

IV. These Seven Characteristics of the True Church are given to keep you frombeing suckered into the wrong Assembly.

You see how the Apostle Paul in Hebrews 12 wishes that no one that can reador listen will miss the message of the real Church of Hebrews 12. He throughthe Holy Spirit identifies seven characteristics of the Assembly that will helpyou to distinguish it from all other assemblies that offer you the way ofsalvation through church membership. Don’t forget the several things thatwill happen near the end time that will all attempt to lead you away from theChurch of the Firstborn and toward fake assemblies.

1. Jesus mentioned in Matthew 24 that before the increase inlawlessness with the falling away of the faith of many, there would first bemany false leaders. I know it is very personal to you, and everyone likes tobelieve that they have the right leader; however, listen…

“Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And becauselawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” (Matthew24:11,12)

2. The people around you in your own church will get where they can notlonger stand sound doctrine. It will be done so smoothly and over such aperiod of time they will not even notice the difference. However…

“…the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, butaccording to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they willheap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from thetruth, and be turned to fables.” (II Timothy 4:3,4)

2. Don’t forget also the perilous times even before the end times whenmen in the churches and denominations shall “have a form of godliness butdeny the power thereof.” Yes, right there in your local church “men will belovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers (takingGod’s name in vain), disobedient to parents (these are adult men and womenthat deny the heritage of all they have been taught on sound faith), unthankful(unthankful for their heritage), unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers,without self-control, brutal (just plain mean, do you know anybody in yourchurch or denomination that is just plain mean?), despisers of good (yes, theywill really laugh at and ridicule the good), traitors, headstrong, haughty,lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness butdenying its power.” (II Timothy 3:2-5) And what you are supposed to do isto stay away from such church members, leaders of just fellow churchmembers. The Word says, “And from such people turn away!” (II Timothy3:5b)

3. Don’t ever forget that the God of Love of thousand of years is also aGod of the Consuming Fire at the Day of the Lord. Paul discussion on thetwo assemblies ends with a admonition to Listen and heed the God whospeaks to you personally.

“See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape whorefused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turnaway from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth,but now He has promised, saying, ‘Yet once more I shake not only the earth,but also heaven.’ Now this, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of thosethings that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the thingswhich cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving akingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serveGod acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consumingfire.” (Hebrews 12:13-29)

Chapter 16: What Do You Do?

This question, “WHAT DO YOU DO?” is short for “WHAT DO YOU DOWHEN MOST OF YOUR CHURCH OR DENOMINATION IS INTOLERANTOF SOUND DOCTRINE?” Christ has already answered that in the messagesto the angels of the seven churches, and by the way of those pastors and thebook of John, in Revelation 2,3, to all church members. We previouslydiscussed how there is a “Christ for Individuals APPENDIX” at the end ofeach of the 7 messages. Well, that APPENDIX as for as being for individualsin the churches is an answer you what you can do when all about you, like allbut one of the original seven churches in Asia Minor, is intolerant of sounddoctrine. At one time I wondered why there seemed to be sort of an Appendixto the message that Christ delivered to each church; and then recently Irealized that it was a separate message to the individuals in the church.

16-1: What Do You Do If You Are in A Church Like Ephesus (Rev 2:1-7).

Well, here is the message of Christ to you as an individual church member.

“...To him (the individual church member) who overcomes I will give to eatfrom the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”(Revelation 2:7)

This message from Christ says, “Okay, your church is in trouble: it has left thelove of Christ as it’s first love; but there is still eternal salvation for you!” Whatdoes this remind you of? I hope of II Timothy 2:19.

“Nevertheless (okay, so your church is in trouble) the solid foundation ofGod stands, having this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are His, ‘and, ‘Leteveryone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.’”

The security of salvation, alias the overcoming, as has been a consistent themein this volume 3, is an individual matter. It does not depend on your church,your social context, or your political and economic context. This message fromthe Ascended Christ to you is that you could go to paradise if no one else inyour church or denomination went, although hopefully it will not come downto this. Of course you will have to remain counter cultural to your church if itis like Ephesus. You like your church can not leave Christ as your first love.

If your church or your denomination was and is your first love then you arein trouble. Recall the answer of the three questions from Thomas, Philip, andJudas that we studied in the chapter on “Signs for Believing”. THE ANSWEROF JESUS TO THE THIRD QUESTION FROM JUDAS. {This is also the way toLearn Christ by hearing Him and being taught by Him.}

“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep Myword; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Ourhome with him.” (John 14:23)

(1). You must keep in the process of loving Jesus. “If anyone loves Me...” (2).The person that loves Jesus must also keep the teachings of Jesus, and willindeed keep the teachings of Jesus as proof of that love. {Also I might say, asproof that he or she has indeed Learned Christ, or has been “born again” assome so glibly say with their little automatic formulas for salvation.}

(3). God the Father will love the person who loves Jesus and keeps the wordsof Jesus. {You see here is part of the reason that our little formulas andautomatic plans of salvation do not work. We do not control God the Father.His love comes to us as He ordains, and He will love us when we love Jesusand the teachings of Jesus. That is, if He so desires and so ordains.}

(4). Now here is the miracle of this love of God through love of Jesus Christ:God the Father and God the Son will invisibly (This is actually the work ofthe Spirit of God and of Christ, the Holy Spirit. I wish I had space to discussit here, but read about the Holy Spirit in the chapter on “Some Sounds of aSound Faith”, and even here in John 14 where Jesus taught about the work ofthe Holy Spirit.} come and dwell in the heart of the LOVER and Practiced. Thisis sometimes called the new birth, but I think this is simpler and morepowerful. {The new birth, of course, was taught by Jesus and recorded by Johnin John 3; but the disciples had been taught that, and still they needed to hearthis teaching of Jesus. Much like we also need to hear LEARN CHRIST today.}“...and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” (John 14:23b)

As how to be an overcomer (among the Seven Christian thousands duringthe Falling Away, that has been a major part of our previous complete studyof the book of Revelation

{The “overcomers” are identified as: (1) The righteous and this is consistentwith the final admonition of Revelation 22:11 where the righteous and holyare to keep on being righteous and holy; (2) Those who win souls by thetestimony of Jesus and by the Word of God, a consistent and repeating themein the book of Revelation; and (3) As the opposite of the wicked sinner wherealso in Revelation 22:11 it is admonished to let the filthy and liar keep on beingfilthy and a liar.} ...and also: {The Overcomers: (1) Inherit all these things ofthe new earth; (2) God Himself will be the God of the overcomers; (3) Andovercomers become sons to God. The Non-overcomers (21:8), or succumbs,are identified as the: (1) Cowardly; (2) Unbelieving; (3) Abominable; (4)Murderers; (5) Immoral persons; (6) Sorcerers; (7) Idolaters; and (8) Liars.}

16-2: What Do You Do If You Are in A Church Like Smyrna (Rev 2:8-11).

Actually the transition in this Christ message to the church and to individualsis better seen in listing the verses where the words “church”, “churches” arelocated, “He” and “you” are found in Revelation 2:8-11 as the message ofChrist for the Individual and for the total church and all the churches areintermixed: (1) In 8:1 it is the whole church at Smyrna that is being addressthrough the pastor. {I’m sure the pastor also has a guardian angel, and heneeds one in this day and time of the Falling Away.} ; (2) In the words fromChrist that follow in Revelation 8:9 and 10a, the “your” is obviously addressedto the whole church; (3) An individualistic theme is picked back up whenChrist tells them that the “devil is about to throw some of you into prison”(8:10b). You see the devil discriminates individually, and God allows itindividually for three reasons: (a) for a witness to the world; and (b) accordingto Hebrews it is a compliment from God because He allows only His ownSons, not the illegitimate, to be persecuted; and (c) It makes a better Christfollower. {Of course we in America are not in physical tribulation right nowas the church at Smyrna was for “ten days”, and therefore will not receive thesame reward which they receive. This no physical tribulation, I am told fromthe modern update of FOXE’S BOOK OF MARTYRS, is not true for the rest ofthe world. Foxe’s states that the physical persecution of Christians is worsenow than at any time since Christ. Likewise, we know that there is a “finaltribulation” to come on the whole world just before the Day of the LORD andthe Second Coming.}

16-3: What Do You Do If You Are in A Church Like Pergamos. (Rev 2:12-17)

The church at Pergamos is known as the compromising church. How easy itis to compromise with sound doctrine and Satan in the name of unity amongmembers, especially when those members are active, have a history of giving,and have some position of respect and service in the church. This is especiallytrue when a new generation of believers, having little experience with therichness of the inheritance in the saints and of church government, findthemselves in new leadership positions, or when they consider “the desires oftheir own heart” instead of sound doctrine. Remember Balaam, he advisedthe king that the way to beat the children of God was to make themcompromise in the worship of foreign gods. The message to the total church,from Christ, was to “repent”. How long has it been since your have heard apastor or evangelist to tell the whole church to “repent”? {Does this mean thatmodern American churches don’t need it since they are so much better thanthe church at Pergamos? I think not. It is just to call for repentance in thechurch is an unpopular move, distracts from the itching ears comforting, andmight get them run off. As far back as 30 years ago after a pastor preached atone church in Portales, New Mexico on exactly what the Bible teaches onmarriage and divorce, the next Sunday hardly any church member came tochurch. Perhaps he included repentance.} How often do you think it has beenneeded? A lot more often than it is heard! It is so easy for a new generationto consider that church government and even the doctrine of God and Christare evolving, instead of considering the warning of the Apostle Jude about“the faith once for all delivered to the saints”.

Well, if you are in a church of denomination like that, what is the individualmessage of Christ to you?

“To him (the individual church member) who overcomes I will give someof the hidden manna to eat. And I (Christ) will give him (the individualchurch member) a white stone, and on the stone a new name written whichno one knows except him who receives it.” (Revelation 2:17) {This is a goodplace to briefly insert a reminder about the differences between “church”,“churches”, and the church of the Firstborn, written in heaven, which is thebody of Christ. It is doctrinally unsound to use the word “the church” to referto any less than the full body of Christ which is written in heaven. It is far

more Scripturally sound to talk about churches, and the differences inchurches; and the number of members in those churches (or denominations)that actually belong to the Body, the church of the Firstborn, written in heavencan be any where from zero to some large number. It is again not our job toseparate them or to number the people of God. And unless somebody on thisearth has already died, gone to heaven and read the church roll up there, theycan not tell exactly which church members are on that only determinativechurch roll. Of the approximately 128 times the word “ecclesia” for church inthe total Bible, a couple of times it is translated “assembly” (as in the assemblyof the Firstborn), approximately 20 times it is church in the sense of the wholebody of Christ, but most times it is a specific local church, like at Pergamos orPhilippi, etc.} You see how individualistic Revelation 2:17 is above. This isfrom Christ: you, the overcome in that church or denomination in spite of thepath your church or denomination pursues in the Falling Away will receive:(1) a white stone; and (2) a new name on that white stone that no one knowsexcept the individual recipient. In those days a “name” expresses the characterof the person so named, so that Christ is saying that this person whoovercomes in his own church and the world will have a character, personality,and status before Christ that is known only to the person and Christ.

I know there will be complaints about the theme of this commentary being“rugged individualism” like in Frontier America; however I think it has andis being made clear that individuality is a part of the plan of Christ for thebelieving person. I know “Christ for Individuals” is counter to politicalcorrectness, group behavior, democracy, rule of the majority or any othername it can be called where the welfare of the group takes priority over theindividual, but you see individually is the way God works, especially whenconformity to the group is not possible. Don’t forget that the Bible tells usduring the ups and downs of the “perilous time” of II Timothy 3:1-9 “not tokeep company with such” church members; and when later in II Timothy 4:1-4 when the ups and downs of the perilous times turn into the steady FallingAway (the time comes when they will no longer endure sound doctrine}, thenit is even more important, if you can, to get away from such church members.There is the danger of being dragged down with them.

Don’t ever think that even if you have practiced love, that there is not also theneed for sound doctrine; and don’t ever think, as you see by Christ’s messageto the church at Pergamos, that Christ does not care about sound doctrine.There were a lot of good things Christ said about Pergamos (works, hold fastto the name of Christ, and did not deny Christ’s Faith); but Christ has severalcomplaints about their doctrines:

1. some members hold the doctrine of Balaam {Christ holds the pastorsand other church members for allowing unsound doctrine to exist in theirchurch.}.

2. some members are practicing the ways of Balaam who advised Balakthe way to damage the relationship with God was through idol worship andsexual immorality. Now, why would any fellow church member want todamage the relationship of another person with God and Christ? Mostgenerally for profit, also for control and influence, and then if they wereamong the men of the “perilous” times who are lovers of self and money, it isjust part of their character. (II Timothy 3:1-9)

3. some members hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, a doctrine that“Christ hates.” {not my words, the words of Christ and the words of the Bible;yes, Christ hates some unsound doctrines.} The Nicolaitans with their doctrineessentially said, “As long as you are a Christian, it does not matter what youdo.” Christ hates that: it does matter what you do, it matters to Christ and itmatters to your real salvation. Recall how Jesus answered Judas and the otherdisciples in John 14, that they loved Him only if they keep His teachings. Thatis also the point of LEARN CHRIST in Ephesians and this commentary: thosebad doctrines with their bad works will not be there “if indeed you learnedChrist and were taught by Him.” {You know the full meaning of that now,and if not re-read THE REACTION conclusion of chapter 34.}

16-4: What Do You Do If You Are in A Church Like Thyatira (Rev 2:18-29).

You are in trouble if you are in a church or denomination that is corrupt likeThyatira! Can a whole church be wrong? Can all their democratic votes be inthe wrong direction? Well, how do you read this. Surely in this day and timeof the “perilous times” of II Timothy when church members have a form ofgodliness and deny the power thereof, and of “the time will come” when

church members become intolerant of sound doctrine and ultimately turn intofables, you must see that this amounts to democratic votes toward anarchy,anarchy that rebels against Christ, against God, and against the overseer of thelocal church.

But what is the individual message of Christ to you? This is a long individualmessage from Christ, but the individuals in this church need it!

“Now to you (individual members), and to the rest in Thyatira, as many asdo not have this doctrine, who have not known the depths of Satan, as theysay, I will put on you no other burdens. But hold fast what you have till Icome (hold on to the sound doctrine you have until the Second Coming ofChrist). And he who (the individual church member) overcomes, and keepsMy works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations--’He shallrule them with a rod of iron; they shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’svessels’--as I also have received from My Father; and I will give him themorning star.” (Revelation 2:24-28)

Good ‘ole B.H. Carroll, founder of Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, inhis AN INTERPRETATION OF THE ENGLISH BIBLE, as always has acomment to make. {Summers and Mounce would not comment on theNicolaitans, but Carroll did.} What I call the Appendix to the message to theseven churches, or really the Individual messages from Christ, B.H. calls “thepromises to the faithful in the churches”. Also Carroll in his commentary onRevelation explains “overcometh”: “It commences with justification and endswith sanctification. ‘He that endureth unto the end shall be saved’--’Be thou faithfulunto death, and thou shalt receive a crown of life.’ John elsewhere supplies the objectof the verb. Twice he says: ‘Ye have overcome the wicked one’ (I John 2:13-14). Threetimes he declares the world as the object to be overcome (I John 5:4-5). Only those‘born of God overcome the world.’

“The means of overcoming is ‘the blood of the Lamb’; the instrumentality is faith-’andthis is the victory that hath overcome the world, even our faith’ (I john 5:4). Satan,his emissaries and the world that lieth in him, must be overcome. By faith the child ofGod goes on from victory to victory--from grace to grace--from strength to strength--from glory to glory.”

16-5: What Do You Do If You Are in A Church Like Sardis (Rev 3:1-6).

Sardis is known as the dead church. They had a good name and a goodreputation and a good history in the community, the state, and in their owneyes; but in the sight of Christ they were dead. Now, if you are in a deadchurch or denomination and you want to do better, what is the message ofChrist for you?

“You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments;and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He whoovercomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out hisname from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Fatherand before His angels.” (Revelation 3:4-6)

You see here is your problem: you can not readily admit to yourself that awhole church, except for a few, could be wrong. Why? Because the AmericanDemocratic Faith of the rightness of the majority is so engrained in yourthinking. However, I doubt until you admit it, you can find a personalsolution. What is the solution of Christ for the Individual: BE ANOVERCOMER!

16-6: What Do You Do If You Are in A Church Like Philadelphia (Rev 3:7-25).

In a way it is unfortunate that there is one of the seven churches likePhiladelphia that is considered the faithful church. Not unfortunate then butnow since with all these problems with six out of seven churches, and almosttwo thousand years ago, and considered the characteristics of individualchurch members of the “perilous times” and the falling away from the faith ofthe “time will come”, how hard will it be for a church to really in these moderntimes be like Philly. However, there is still a message from Christ to individualchurch members in Revelation 3:12.

“He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, andhe shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and thename of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out ofheaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.”

Always the same message to the individual from Christ in Revelation: BE ANOVERCOMER! What is somewhat different in Revelation is the nature of thereward to the Overcomer from Christ. And once again we will try to

paraphrase Carroll on the subject: (1) the promise of overcomers to the accessto the tree of life in the paradise of God is “incorruption, glory, power, and aspiritual body in the image of Christ; (2) the promise to overcomers not to behurt of the second death is not to be case into the lake of fire and brimstoneafter the Judgement of God at the Second Coming; (3) the promise toovercomers of hidden manna is to appropriate the body and blood of Christ{spiritually the same as baptism in Romans} for nourishment into eternal life;(4) the promise to overcomers to receive a white stone with a new name is theassurance of divine acceptance, the personal experience of the Spirit of Godbearing witness with our own human spirit that we are a child of God {ourheart naturally cries out “Abba” for Father}; (5) the promise of overcomers torule over nations comes from the identification on the side of Christ, who ishead of the church and kingdom, king of kings, and Lord of Lord; (6) thepromise to overcomers to receive the morning star is a premonition of thevictory in the Second Coming; and (7) the promise of the overcomer to bearrayed in white garments is an internal cleansing, a perfecting towardpersonal holiness, the good old doctrine of sanctification. {that third aspect ofsalvation of salvation after faith and regeneration, the process of become moreChristlike until Glorification takes place at the Second Coming, where “weshall become like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.}

16-7: What Do You Do If You Are in A Church Like Laodicea (Rev 3:14-22).This is your last chance to have your church covered in the book of Revelation,and to receive your message from Christ as an individual church member. Ifthe shoe fits, wear it! This church is known as the “lukewarm church”. Youhave to admit that with the emphasis on toleration and moderation, gettingalong with everybody and in the name of unity, contemporary churches byand large would be satisfied with the “lukewarm” connotation.

Well, if this is your church; and you need an individual message to separateyourself from the majority in your church or denomination, what is it?

“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opensthe door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To himwho overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcameand sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Revelation 3:19-21)

16-8: THE FUTURE.

The future of Southern Baptists looks bad since the takeover by thefundamentalists approximately 20 years ago. When I was growing up inSouthern Baptist work in Texas, we called the fundamentalists“feudamentalists” because you knew what they were against more than whatthey were for. When the fundamentalists broke off from the Southern BaptistConvention in approximately 1920, they started a lot of churches which by andlarge were called Bible Baptist Churches. All of us enjoyed their more famouspreachers like Lester Roloff, John R. Rice, Lee Robertson, and Jerry Falwell.

The basic difference between the major body of the SBC and thefundamentalist was more a spirit than doctrine; although the fundamentaliststried to make themselves know as 1611 King James Bible supporters, pre-mellineumnists, and verbal inspirationalists. That spirit can only be called afighting spirit. W. A. Criswell expressed it when he told Bill Moyer on TV that“we (the fundamentalists) were going to get fighting until one side or the otherone”. The other side in the SBC was called “moderates” . How then did thefundamentalists come back into the SBC and then take control. No doubt, theylooked around to see the prosperity of large SBC churches and the retirementprogram, and slowly they began to be called to large SBC churches likeCriswell to First Baptist Church, Dallas, Adrian Rogers to Bellevue BaptistChurch in Memphis, and Charles Stanley to FBC in Atlanta. The person ofintellectual honesty must admit that the people themselves had a lot to do withthe attitude that permitted the calling of fundamentalists without adequateSBC background or spirit into the SBC churches.

There were many reasons for the change in church member attitudes thatpermitted such a takeover: as the average reading level of Americans fell fromsixth grade to third grade level, those third graders looked around forpreaching at their level and there were the fundamentalists; the neglect of theBible in America and in the churches lead to a vacuum where church membersfrom experience knew no Baptists doctrine or Bible doctrine; the organizationstook the place of Bible and organizers with outgoing personalities weresought.

However, the primary reason that it was so easy for a takeover by the fightingspirit of the fundamentalists is that SBC churches like all churches anddenominations were victims of the FALLING AWAY. Yet we must recall andact accordingly that a Fighting Spirit is not consistent with the Christ of peaceon earth. A fighting “spirit” is a bad spirit; and besides the admonition of theApostle John in I John to “test every spirit”, you know what else the Bible saysabout bad spirits. The very smart thing that the fundamentalists leaders likeJerry Falwell, Adrian Rogers, Charles Stanley, and George Bush have beenable to do is to subtly and falsely identify “evangelical” and “born againbelievers” with fundamentalism and the American Democratic faith. Whatalways comes through this veil of deception is the spirit: it is a spirit minuslove, grace, graciousness. It is a spirit that is counter to the Gospel of the poor.It is a spirit of the popular majority, the majority according to the Bible havealways gone the wrong way on the major decision of faith: the way that leadsto destruction although it is broad enough to allow the majority to travel.These leaders move so quickly back and forth between the AmericanDemocratic Faith and the Faith of Christ and the Bible when they speak that itis difficult to tell where one leaves off and the other starts. Indeed the two dooverlap on many issues, but these leaders want you to think they aresynonymous; or at least they want them to be. Jerry Falwell, for example,reveals what he is really like when he publicly supports the killing of Iraqis,because it is our response to their killing Americans on September 11. You seethat fighting spirit of fundamentalism always comes out: love for our ownkind, fundamentalists, and death to all others. What it really sounds like isthe Muslim conquest of the world approximately 1200 when the choice of theconquered was “believe like us or die”. You see that this support for murderputs being an American seeking revenge or even justice before the love ofChrist. These same people are those that are willing to support the deathpenalty in this country in spite of the obvious inequity toward the poor. Richpeople just do not go to death row. Likewise they can support the moralrightness of our military killing and imprisoning Muslims all other the worldin the name of our American rights: this is the American Democratic faith, inno way can it be considered consistent with Christ and the Bible.

At this point Bush has probably killed more (Americans and Iraqis andinnocent bystanders and other nationals) than Sadam did. And if he has not

already killed more, he will get there. It is a strange kind of morality amongthe fundamentalist that claims to be a moral majority that can kill, lie, anddeceive; always considering the end which is American democracy can justifythe means which are immoral. Listen to them carefully, you will hear theDOCTRINES OF THE AMERICAN DEMOCRATIC FAITH (like listed inGabriel’s’ book and others by American Studies scholars) more than you hearthe faith of Christ and the Bible: like the mission of America to force othercountries to Democracy by killing and destroying; like the gospel of wealthwhich protects and promotes the wealthy while suppressing the poor andeven middle class; and the corollary of success to the gospel of wealth whichjustifies the trampling of the people in the land in order for them to rule. TheOld Testament Prophets constantly reminded the nation of Israel not to takeadvantage of the people in the land, foreigners and citizens: they did not heedand God withdrew His support from the nation. Do you think it would be astrange thing if the Word of God and the prophecies repeated themselves in ayoung country like the United States?

Did you know, and I learned this from Henry Steele Commager who I believesince he really had no axe to grind as an American Studies scholar {in THEAMERICAN MIND and in more contemporary lectures and writings} whenhe stated the origin of the fundamentalists movement. How it was started inCalifornia by a group of millionaires. Listen to those millionaires and thesupporters of the millionaires with the American democratic faith: what theyare saying is “help me hold on to my millions” since me and my kind areprotectors of the American way of life, and we will take care of you! Do youthink it is strange that along with the lack of jobs created and theunemployment, and almost every state in American suffering financial,Americans losing their 401K value, and corruption in big business...do youthink that along with all this it should be thought strange that the percent ofAmericans of middle class income and the poor has increased while thepercent of the rich has gone up.

“Faith without works” is dead like Jesse Jackson told Jerry Falwell on nationaltelevision. Falwell, the new “god” of the moral majority and fundamentalismsimply because he pastors a 24,000 member church, started the immoralmajority, and a school to kick out more fundamentalists like themselves,

immoral in that they always think they are right and hence confuse themselveswith the Maker, he (Falwell) always think he is right. He is moral and he isright, and anyone that disagrees with him like Jesse Jackson must be wrong.(There is more of that rotten spirit of fundamentalism.) The truth is that JerryFalwell pastors in the state of Virginia which went traditional, dogmatic, andcustom and tradition oriented long before other states. Their custom andtradition, just like what happened to the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, hasreplaced the doctrine of God with their own beliefs, primarily the beliefs ofthe American Democratic Faith.

Ah well, the important thing is to know Jesus; and perhaps Falwell and theother fundamentals know Jesus and will preach Him if they have not becomeso enamored with the American Democratic faith and the popularity that itbrings to them while they affectively substitute the American DemocraticFaith for Faith in Jesus Christ.

biblecombibleman.combiblecombibleman.com/cfifreedist.pdfii peter 1:20.21, the aspi version of the...

Documents