ISRAEL AND END TIME BIBLE PROPHECY

ISRAEL AND END TIME BIBLE PROPHECY

Hello all,

In my research into the issue of who Israel is, I have come upon some very interesting, well-written and most importantly, Biblically supported, articles and studies. As you may know, I am presenting an entire book chapter by chapter because I think it is the BEST study I have encountered and it was written in 1922, a time when dispensationalism was becoming a dangerously predominant doctrine in some denominations of the Protestant Church.

I won’t get into it here, but upon researching the Reformers views on Israel, they are in agreement with what I have been presenting. So are the great majority of the Church fathers, Not only that, most people, pastors, and churches believed that Israel ceased to be a nation of people, and the only way for their individual salvation was the same as any person; and they believed this for the better part of 1900 years! What happened?

The following article should offer some answers, as it is a nice supplement study to the material I am presenting from the book. One more important thing to keep in mind when studying all this…the latter days, and the end-times BEGAN AFTER THE CROSS!! So, in all honesty we now are living at the end of the end times…knowing this gives us a better perspective on Scriptural passages that speak about this time frame. Find out for yourself…knowing the truth about this issue CHANGES EVERYTHING!!

###############################

Israel and End Times Bible Prophecy

http://www.endtimes-bibleprophecy.com/page13.htm

Please remember as you study this subject of Israel in the end times, that God’s promises to Israel were conditional upon them keeping His commandments and accepting Christ Jesus as their Savior. Now take a look at the following Bible verse:

1 Kings 9:6-7 …’But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people.’

And everyone knows that the Jewish nation continued to disobey God and rejected Christ Jesus as their Savior!

If you type in the phrases end times or bible prophecy in a search engine, you will come across a huge number of web sites connecting end times bible prophecy with the literal nation of Israel. Bible prophecy students and teachers alike have their eyes firmly fixed on Israel, eagerly watching and waiting to see what is happening there.

These people base their end time beliefs purely on what is happening in Israel. Is this right? I don’t believe it is, and in this study, I will reveal to you why I believe that many, many sincere people have their eyes focused in the wrong direction.

Where did this line of bible prophecy teaching come from? Well, Israel end times in the 1980’s, Hal Lindsey wrote books proclaiming this belief that the nation of Israel would be the center of the end time struggle, including a literal Armageddon. In his books he predicted a secret rapture of the church, a literal temple being rebuilt, the antichrist being revealed in this temple, the battle of Armageddon and the beginning of the thousand year millennium.

According to Hal Lindsey, all this was to happen by 1988. As we can see, these events have not happened, but the unfortunate thing is, even though these teachings were shown to be in error, they are still believed by many and continue to flourish among many Christians around the world.

The big question we need to answer here is whether or not Bible prophecies concerning the end times point to the physical nation of Israel, or do they have a more spiritual deeper meaning. Before you continue with this study, I would highly recommend you take a look at the 70 weeks prophecy of Daniel.

The Roman Catholic Church WANT you to look to the Middle East for end time events and a “future” antichrist, because it takes the focus off them as being the REAL Bible antichrist.

Take a good long look at the following bible verse spoken by Jesus … Luke 17:20-21 …

‘And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.’

… Now remember that the Jews misinterpreted the prophecies concerning the first coming of Jesus. They were expecting Jesus to be this mighty warrior, who would set up a physical kingdom and crush the kingdom of Rome. Even during Jesus’ life and ministry, the Jews were still watching and waiting for this earthly kingdom that Christ would setup. But as you can see from the above verse, Jesus explained that the kingdom was a ‘spiritual’ one.

But even after all His teachings during His ministry, they were still waiting for a physical kingdom that would not appear … Luke 24:21:

…’But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel.’ …

Looking at Jesus on the cross, they were still clinging on to this physical kingdom teaching, and their hopes were crushed.

When has Jesus ever said that His kingdom would be a kingdom of war and destruction? Jesus’ whole message in the Bible was one of peace and love and doing good to one another. But there is a verse that many Bible students and teachers use in the wrong way …

Matthew 10:34 …’Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.’ …

This has been applied to a physical kingdom and a physical war. Jesus’ Word was the double edged sword that would cause division amongst people. When He said that He came not to bring peace, but a sword, He was talking about His teachings …

Ephesians 6:17 …’And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.’

I really believe that the church today is making the same mistake, by applying Israel in end time’s prophecy to literal Israel, rather than in a spiritual sense. There is going to be huge disappointment and consequences for many Christians who are holding on to this literal end time teaching.

During the reformation, the Roman Catholic Church was revealed as the antichrist by the reformers, and because of this the Jesuit priests were commissioned to invent new interpretations of Bible prophecy to take people’s eyes off the Papal Church and place them somewhere else. Sadly, many of the end time prophecies that are taught today are based on these false Jesuit interpretations.

Israel in the Old Testament

Israel :Let’s take a look at the name Israel in the Bible. How did this name come about? …

Genesis 32:28 …’And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.’ …

So the name Israel was first given to Jacob from God. God gave him this name after a long struggle with the angel. Jacob would not let the angel go until the angel blessed him. This represented Jacob’s struggle and victory over sin through God’s grace, and thus God applied the ‘spiritual’ name of Israel to him. We can see that God also applied the name of Israel to Jacob’s descendents …

Exodus 4:22-23 …’And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.’

Now note carefully the following amazing Bible truth about Israel …

Hosea 11:1 …’When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.’ …

This prophecy was spoken well after the literal nation of Israel had fallen in and out of apostasy many times. So did God have a deeper spiritual meaning to this Bible prophecy? …

Matthew 2:13-14 …’And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt.’

… So king Herod wanted baby Jesus destroyed, and God through an angel told Joseph to take them to Egypt. Now take a look at the next verse in Matthew …

Matthew 2:15 …’And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.’ …

Do you see what is being revealed here? Matthew is quoting direct from Hosea, and is confirming that Israel spoken of in Hosea was fulfilled in Christ! So we are now seeing a ‘spiritual’ application to the name Israel.

Paul also confirmed this principle of applying statements made about the nation of Israel to Jesus …

Colossians 1:13-15 …’Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature.’…

Remember in Exodus 4:22, God called literal Israel His son, and His firstborn, but now He is applying it to Jesus.

Isaiah 41:8 …’But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.’ …

Can you see that this is applied to literal Israel? Now take a look at this next Bible verse …

Galatians 3:16 …’Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.’…

Do you see this truth? Bible verses that applied to Israel in the Old Testament are now applied to Christ Jesus. Israel is no longer the ‘seed’, but Christ is. If you studied the 70 weeks of Daniel, you will have seen that the nation of Israel are no longer God’s chosen people. They are no longer the seed, but Christ is, and anyone who follows Jesus, whether Jew or Gentile, is chosen of God. Christ fulfilled and overcame where Israel failed.

God no longer looks upon the flesh, but upon the heart to see who His children are.

Now remember that God said to Israel in the Old Testament that they were His chosen people, a kingdom a priests and a holy nation? …

Exodus 19:6 …’And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.’…

And yet this is now applied to the Christian Church as seen in

1 Peter 2:9 …’But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.’…

Now some people say that this was for the Jews only, but this letter of Peter was to the church; ‘the strangers scattered abroad’. And notice that in the verse above that Peter is saying they were ‘called out of darkness’. The Jews weren’t called out of darkness; they already had been given the light, but hadn’t accepted it. It was the Gentile world, that was in darkness, and were called out. These are the Gentile converts who are now the chosen people of God.

Now notice this statement from Paul…

Galatians 3:29 …’and if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.’…

Remember in Galatians 3:16, Paul confirmed that Jesus was now the seed of Abraham? And now here he is saying that ANYONE who is in Christ is Abraham’s seed, ie, will be called Israel. That is spiritual Israel.

Notice what Paul says in Romans 2:29 …

‘But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.’ …

This is the amazing Bible truth about Israel. There is no longer a chosen literal Jew, but ANYONE who is in Christ is a spiritual Jew, and the chosen of God.

Acts 15:7-9 …’And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.’

I’m not saying that there are no more literal Jews of the flesh alive, or Jesus Israel that they are all lost. I’m saying that a Jew of the flesh is no longer the only special chosen people of God. But a Jew of the heart (including Gentiles) are God’s chosen people …

Romans 9:6-8 …’Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.’ …

Being just a Jew of the flesh counts for nothing anymore! But anyone can now become part of the TRUE spiritual nation of Israel, whether Jew or Gentile, anyone who accepts and follows Jesus and who worship God in spirit and truth. God no longer looks upon the flesh, but upon the heart to see who His children are …

Philippians 3:3 …’For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.’

Ephesians 3:5-6 …’Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel.’

We now need to look at another verse which is wrongly interpreted …

Romans 11:26 …’And so all Israel shall be saved.’ …

In light of all we have just revealed, there is only one conclusion to this Bible verse, and that is all SPIRITUAL Israel will be saved. If you take this verse to mean all physical Israel will be saved, then you contradict virtually the whole of the New Testament …

Galatians 3:28 …’There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.’ … The end times are not all about literal Israel, but spiritual Israel, and the churches of today need to be awoken to this truth.

Now that we see the truth about this, we can apply it to end times Bible prophecy. When we see words like Israel, the temple, mount Zion, Babylon, we can understand more fully that God is applying a spiritual meaning to them, not a physical one. Just remember that it says in Romans 9:6 ..

‘For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel.’ …

Christians need to stop applying Bible prophecy in Daniel and Revelation to physical Israel and start understanding the spiritual aspect of it. Jesus Christ is the center of Bible prophecy, not the nation of Israel. We need to stop focusing on the flesh and the earthly kingdom and start focusing on the Spirit and the heavenly kingdom, which the Bible confirms is IN US! (Luke 17:21). Satan wants to divert your attention from the truth to lies. This way he is able to deceive you, so that you are unprepared for what is coming on the world, and unprepared for the second coming of Jesus. Put aside man made popular teachings, and come to God’s Word in the Bible with prayer and faith, and God will be faithful and reveal His truth to you. Let’s look to spiritual Israel in the end times, NOT physical Israel.

############################

The following quote really stood out to me:

“Bible verses that applied to Israel in the Old Testament are now applied to Christ Jesus. Israel is no longer the ‘seed’, but Christ is. If you studied the 70 weeks of Daniel, you will have seen that the nation of Israel is no longer God’s chosen people. They are no longer the seed, but Christ is, and anyone who follows Jesus, whether Jew or Gentile, is chosen of God.”

What really gets to me is that people accuse me of adhering to Replacement Theology which implies that the Church replaces Israel…what I am saying is just the opposite!! I am saying that the Church, instead of replacing Israel, becomes Israel!!

What I would really like to see is someone who believes that the nation of Israel is God chosen people, present as much biblically supported proof of their position as I have been presenting. I challenge anyone to do that. And, the reason people do not do that is because in all honesty they can’t! And, if they really see Israel for what it is, they would have to throw out so many other end time delusions that they hold so dear.

We need to seriously look at where we stand on this issue, and I sincerely pray that each one who really wants the truth will do just that!

With love for all my brothers and sisters in Christ!

JESUS IS ALL AND EVERYTHING!!

Patti C.

SPIRITUAL PEACE AND SAFETY!!

SPIRITUAL PEACE AND SAFETY!!

Hello all,

I know that most of us see this phrase as pertaining only to the world and the unbeliever right before Christ comes, but I feel this relates to the spiritual condition of the modern day church because it has lost its love of the Truth.

First, it is interesting to note that there is only one verse in the whole of the Bible that uses the exact words “peace and safety”, only one!!  There is one other verse that uses both words, but not together, and I will end this post with that verse.

We must keep in mind always that the Bible was written to and for believers.

It is to BELIEVERS that these verses were written:

1Th 5:3   For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

1Th 5:4   But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.”

The lukewarm, foolish virgins are the ones thinking they have SPIRITUAL peace and safety…they are baptized, they go to church, therefore they think they are saved….adhering to man made traditions and not the Holy Word of God.  These are the in name only Christians that will be thrown into the great Tribulation because they are not born-again and indwelt with the Holy Spirit.  They are not walking with Christ; don’t have a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.  You have to walk with Him and talk with Him and follow Him wherever He goes, not where you want Him to go.

The Harlot fallen away Churches of the end-times are the foolish virgins…that is why Christ has told born-again believers to come out of her.  This is the church that believes that by its own efforts, it is saving mankind. This is blasphemy….but it plays right into the one world religion, the religion of the antichrist.

It is to them that Jesus also says:

Rev 2:22 “Behold I will cast her  into  a bed and  them that commit adultery  with  her  into  great  tribulation, except they repent  of  their  deeds.”

No one on this earth, in their right mind, is thinking that the world is a peaceful and safe place!!!  Jesus is not talking about a physical feeling of peace and safety in this world.  It is spiritual!!!   It is people who think they are saved by this false gospel, and are no longer worried about their eternal destiny.

It is ALL ABOUT THE SPIRITUAL…THE RACE WE RUN IS A SPIRITUAL RACE.  That is why I feel that worrying about what the NWO is going to do is worrying too much about the PHYSICAL.  God is always going to be in charge and we must believe His Truth and not the false doctrines of men.  Believing that He is coming in secret to take His people out of Tribulation is having faith in these false doctrines and not the Truth.  And, by doing so, think that one has peace and safety from what is about to come upon this world, when that certainly is not the case!!  Judgment starts at the House of God.  He will test and try us to see if we are truly His.

And while I am on the subject, I think people are wrong to keep asking for a signs from God….especially about what the enemy is going to do…it is limiting and distracting.  If you ask in prayer and receive what you asked for, that is good, praise the Lord with thank-you!!  If you are truly His, He anticipates your every need; therefore asking for signs seems a sign of a lack of faith and total trust in Him.

I feel there is nothing wrong with speculating and seeing the signs that appear, but date setting and gnat staining are not signs of anything spiritual, and takes away from time spent in His Word where one lets Him speak to you, PERSONALLY.  Granted, it is so exciting to be learning new things everyday about how everything fits together, and then sharing these things with other people…it is awesome and very addicting.  I am one of those addicts, so I have to keep remembering to leave some space between, to let His Spirit speak to me directly.  I am trying to become more addicted to that!

Psalms 4:8 is the only other verse in the Bible that uses the words peace and safety in the same verse.  The following verses are for the wise SPIRITUAL virgins, that KNOW that their only peace and safety is by resting in the Hand of Jesus.  And, I for one, stand it awe of that!!!!

Psa 4:4   Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

Psa 4:5   Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD

Psa 4:6   [There be] many that say, Who will shew us [any] good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us

Psa 4:7   Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time [that] their corn and their wine increased

Psa 4:8   I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.”

If we are His we have His Peace and abide in His Safety, no matter what is happening in the world.  Worldly Christians think they have the peace and safety of being raptured out of Tribulation, and this is a false peace and a false security.

JESUS IS ALL AND EVERYTHING!

Patti C.

 

 

 

IT WAS FINISHED AT THE CROSS Part 6

IT WAS FINISHED AT THE CROSS

THY KINGDOM HAS COME AND IS EVERLASTING

Hello all!

Today I want to briefly summarize the above studies by adding one more important factor, that may have been touched on in those studies, but I want to emphasis how crucial it is. And it is this:

Did Jesus, Himself, ever mention the Millennium Reign?

After Christ’s death and resurrection He appeared to His disciples and spoke with them about ‘of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God’.

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

Surely, if there was to be a future earthy kingdom where Christ would be reigning as King, He would have mentioned such to His followers! Before His ascension, and the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Christ was asked, by his Disciples, about a future kingdom being ruled by Israel.

Act 1:6 KJV When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

Act 1:7 KJV “And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.”

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

Notice here, that Jesus says nothing about Israel and the restoration of the Kingdom to Israel, but instead clearly emphasizes the sending of the Holy Spirit and what His disciples will do when this Spirit is come upon them. Right before these statements, He tells them to stay in Jerusalem, as that is where the Kingdom will begin as prophesied in the Old Testament, as covered in the studies above.

Act 1:4 KJV ” And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.”

We can see that Jesus never discussed a future 1000 year time when the Kingdom would exist, nor did He answer the question of when the Kingdom would be restored to Israel. The only mention of this is in the Book of Matthew when He states to the Jewish leaders:

Mat 21:43 KJV “Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.”

It is also interesting to note that after Pentecost, the question was never asked again, or addressed in any way in the rest of the New Testament.

Jesus received His Kingdom after His resurrection and ascension, and prior to His Second Coming. In the following verses we see that His Kingdom was not thousands of years in the future, but would come shortly, and some would see the Son of Man inherit His Kingdom. This happened at the Cross and it was fulfilled in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. If, His kingdom was in the far distant future from the time Jesus is speaking, none of those men would be around to see it!

Mat 16:28 KJV “Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom”.

Mar 9:1 KJV ” And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.”

And Jesus also tells them that when He comes again, at His Second Coming, He will be coming in great power and glory because He is already King of King and Lord of Lords, ruling over the Kingdom He established on this earth at Pentecost. He is King, now, and always will be.

Mat 26:64 KJV “Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”

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

We can see this foretold in the Old Testament, when the Lord God is speaking to Nathan about David, and the Kingdom that will be set up coming from the seed of David.

1Ch 17:11 KJV “And it shall come to pass, when thy days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom.”

1Ch 17:12 KJV “He shall build me an house, and I will stablish his throne for ever.”

What prayer did the Lord tell his disciples to pray before He went to the Cross?

Mat 6:9-13

“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. (10) Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. ( 11) Give us this day our daily bread. (12) And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

(13) And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”

Christ’s disciples were to pray for the coming of the Kingdom, which was at hand, but had not come fully until after the Cross. After the Cross, Christ’s Kingdom did come, in power and glory forever and ever!! His followers are His kings and priests here on earth, that carry forth His commands, through the power of the Holy Spirit, so they can be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Peter preached by the power of the Holy Spirit that God had fulfilled His promise to Israel in Acts 2:29-36:

Acts 2:29-36 KJV “Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day. (30) Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; (31) He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. (32) This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. (33) Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. (34) For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, (35) Until I make thy foes thy footstool. (36) Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

Evidence of the exalted Christ was manifested by the outpouring of the promised Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.

Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith!

Heb 12:2 KJV “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

The writer to the Hebrews wrote in the present tense that Jesus ‘is set down at the right hand of the throne of God’. The King was already reigning from His Heavenly Throne when this Epistle was written!

In the Book of Revelation Jesus, Himself, tells us who He is. He is already our King, and has the keys of hell and of death. His Kingdom did come and He is reigning.

Rev 1:18-19 KJV “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. 19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;”

What did Jeremiah, the Prophet, tells us about the throne of David?

Jer 22:30 KJV “Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.”

When the Kingdom of Judah lapsed into apostasy God finally removed the kings by sending Coniah, also called ‘Jeconiah’, into captivity in Babylon. God decreed ‘for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah’.

Jesus is a descendant of Jeconiah…Matthew 1:11-16 and the rightful heir to David’s throne, but He cannot reign on that throne in Judah according to Jeremiah’s prophecy.

Neither the Old nor the New Testaments ever mention a thousand years reign of Christ on Earth.

The Reign of Christ has no end!

Isa 9:7 KJV “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”

2Sa 7:13 KJV “He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.”

The Patriarchs

Heb 11:13-16 KJV “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 16 But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.”

‘strangers and pilgrims on the earth’

Abraham continued to dwell in tents and never built a permanent home in the land. They desired ‘a better country, that is, a heavenly’ home, or kingdom. Heaven is where we are headed next, not into another earthly kingdom. God has prepared for us the city of New Jerusalem. He will never reign from earthly Jerusalem, there is not one verse in the whole of the Bible that supports that.

At The Lord’s Second Coming He has on His thigh a banner proclaiming who He is. He is our King, and has been since the Cross. How can we ever doubt that He fulfilled His mission, and completed the promises and plans of His Father? Christ is the anointed King and is sitting upon the throne of David in the heavenly realm.

Rev 19:16 KJV “And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

I pray we all see this as Truth. The time is short and we must realize that we are in His Kingdom, and we have Him as our King, and He can spread the Gospel through us, even in the worse of times. He would not take us out of His Kingdom when we are needed most. We must love Him more than our own lives!! He will never leave us or forsake us, but He will use us, to His Glory.

JESUS IS ALL AND EVERYTHING!!

Patti C.

 

 

 

　

 

FINISHED AT THE CROSS 5

IT WAS FINISHED AT THE CROSS Part 5

The Binding of Satan

http://www.kingwatch.co.nz/…/False_Teachingus.

Up until the time of the cross Satan was able to dominate the nations of the earth, but he was defeated by the death of Jesus. He has no authority in heaven, and can only work by deception. He still works, but he is limited in the area of his activity. He is controlled by God, and cannot dominate the nations as he did previously. In the Old Testament all the nations except Israel loved in darkness. Satan will never be able to exercise that kind of power again.

This is not a description of some future event. The Bible teaches very clearly that we do not have to wait for Satan to be bound in the future. He was defeated by Jesus’ victory on the cross. Jesus disarmed Satan and all his powers, by making a public spectacle of them, when he triumphed on the cross (Col 2:15). He has already done everything that needs to be done to secure Satan’s downfall.

The impotence of Satan is clearly demonstrated in Job 1,2. Before Satan could touch anything belonging to Job, he had to get permission from the Lord. He has no power over a righteous man, but the unrighteous are in his power. Because Job was one of the few righteous men in the Old Testament world, Satan could exercise considerable power. In this age, all Christians have been made righteous by the blood of Jesus. Satan cannot touch them unless he gets permission from the Lord. He is an instrument that God used to fulfil his purposes. Satan only has power over those who reject the salvation of Jesus. Once the majority of people are converted, Satan’s power will be gone. He has been bound by Jesus.

The reason Satan still seems to be so active is that the church has failed to realise the full extent of what Christ has achieved. In binding Satan, Jesus works through the church. He has placed the chain that binds Satan in the hands of his people. They must restrain Satan’s power over the nations. Jesus won a judicial victory on the cross. When a decision is made in a court of law it does not become a fact until the police enforce it. The church has the police power to enforce Jesus judicial victory. Satan will not be fully bound until the church forces him to recognise the sentence that was passed against him at the cross.

The church has the power to bind Satan, but is not using the authority that has been given to it. Satan will not be bound in some future event. He will be bound when the church becomes aware of the binding power that it already has, and begins to exercise that authority in Jesus’ name. He said,

Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven (Matt 18:18).

Jesus repeated this statement to show it’s importance (Matt 16:9). Satan is already bound. Jesus is waiting for the church to tie him tight. The authority that we inherit through sharing in the ascension will become a reality. Jesus no longer works directly on the earth. He works through the Holy Spirit moving in the lives of his people. It is the church who must bind Satan tight.

Satan is bound through the proclamation of the gospel. When the seventy disciples returned from their successful preaching mission, Jesus said,

I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions, and to overcome all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:18,19).

As the church successfully proclaims the gospel of the cross, Satan and his angels lose their power over people’s lives. The extension of the gospel’s influence limits their sphere of activity. When all the world is won for Jesus, there will be no place for Satan on the earth.

The church also binds Satan through spiritual warfare (Eph 6:10-12). When Jesus ascended on high, all authority was given to him. What many Christians do not realise is that they share in that authority. The Bible teaches that,

God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus (Eph 2:6).

Not only was Christ raised to a position of authority, but those who are in Christ, have also been raised with him in the Spirit. They share in his authority. The church can use this spiritual power to bind Satan. He can only act when sinners give him authority to do so. If the church really understood the privileged place it has, Satan would be already bound. And this is why the saints are pictured as sitting on thrones.

I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshipped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years (Rev 20:4).

Those who are faithful to Jesus have been given authority to reign on his behalf. They are the ones who bind Satan.

The crucial question is this: when was Satan bound? The Bible teaches that he was bound at the cross. One last example is Matthew 12:29. Here, Jesus taught that Satan is bound. He was able to cast out evil spirits because the strongman had already been bound.

How can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man?

The fact that the early church was able to continue this deliverance ministry is proof that Satan was bound at the cross. We must accept the verdict of the Bible. We must accept the verdict of the Bible. Jesus does not have to Return to bind Satan. He has already done everything necessary to restrain him. We just have to do our part.

##########################################

May we all do our part as we come closer to His Coming. Times are getting dark, but He will be with us to the last day. May His Love, Light, and Truth surround each of us.

Agape!

Patti C.

 

 

 

FINISHED AT THE CROSS 4

 

 

 

　IT WAS FINISHED AT THE CROSS Part 4

Hello All!

The following is one of two studies that I am posting today, as promised yesterday. The second one will be posted below this one. It is so important we understand that IT WAS FINISHED AT THE CROSS, and that includes the binding of Satan, before, the Age of Grace….the 1000 years.

######################

The Binding of Satan

http://www.heart-talks.com/bindingofsatan.html

The binding of Satan during the thousand years (day of grace) is also a mystery until the Lord opens the eyes of our understanding. Certainly we do not think Satan can be bound with a chain made of material substance. Being spirits without physical embodiment or confinement neither Satan nor his demoniac host can be bound by material substance. That which is spirit only responds to and is subject to spirit.

As long as we think of the binding of Satan as being absolute instead of relative we will not be able to understand this great mystery. The binding of Satan during this period can be likened to a vicious animal securely tied to a tree with a twenty-foot chain. Although he is bound by the chain and confined to an area forty feet in diameter, he can still attack anything that comes within a twenty-foot radius of the tree.

If Satan had had unfettered access to man during this day of grace he would have banished God and his people from the earth. He would have already set up his own kingdom and openly blasphemed the God of heaven.

What Satan had done has been under divine restraint. This is the meaning of II Thessalonians 2:7 which says, “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.” Other translations of the last part of this verse translate it thusly:

“… only, he who checks it now will be able to check it, until he is removed from the enemy’s path.” Knox.

“… but its activities are restricted until what I have called the ‘restraining power’ is removed.” Phillips.

“… but the evil work is held in check and will be held back until the time when he who now restrains will be set aside.” Narlie.

It is plainly evident from these translations that Satan has been restrained and held in check during this entire day of grace. It is also evident that God will remove the restraint and permit the manifestation of Satan to come forth before the coming of Christ and our gathering together unto him.

Since Satan is not bound by a literal chain of material substance during this day of grace, we need to know how this is accomplished.

THE CROSS

Satan’s binding begins with the cross. This is where the blow was struck. Every student of the Bible knows that Calvary was the beginning of the end for Satan and his demoniac host.

Although the work of the cross provided the means of completely binding and defeating Satan, this has to be implemented by a knowledge of the truth. The destroyer can only work where there is a lack of knowledge. According to our faith be it unto us. Hosea 4:6. Matthew 9:29.

The Hebrew name “Abaddon” and the Greek name “Apollyon” both mean destroyer.

“They have over them as king the messenger of the abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon (Destroyer) and in the Greek he hath for name Destroyer.” Rotherham.

“They have as their king the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew, ‘Abaddon,’ while in Greek, his name is ‘Apollyon’ (the Destroyer).” The Twentieth Century New Testament. Revelation 9:11.

Man without a knowledge of God is preyed upon and destroyed by the adversary.

It is truth (true knowledge of God) that sets men free from the bondage of Satan. John 8:32.

Truth that sets man free also puts the chain around Satan. As man is set free Satan is bound. Needless to say, Satan’s freedom means bondage for man.

POWER OF THE CROSS

The word gospel means “good news” or “glad tidings.” It is simply the true knowledge of God with the cross at the center. The heart of the gospel is the cross. This is why Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Romans 1:16.

What is God’s power? It is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Who has it? Everyone that believeth. This is also why Paul said, “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us who are saved it is the power of God.” I Corinthians 1:18.

Hallelujah! No wonder Satan, above all things, hates the message of the cross and the shed blood. He knows what happened at Calvary whether man does or not. Take the cross out of the gospel and you have nothing.

This is what it means in Colossians 2:14-15: “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross: And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”

The fifteenth verse particularly has reference to the victory over Satan and his host at Calvary. Let’s note the translation of this passage by Conybeare.

“And he disarmed the principalities and powers (which fought against him) … and put them to open shame leading them captive in the triumph of Christ.”

Please notice the thought brought out in this passage by Conybeare. He disarmed the enemy and took him captive. If this isn’t the binding of Satan please tell me what it means.

And although this is what happened at Calvary, man’s response is necessary to implement the work of the cross. When men love not the truth that they might be saved the way is prepared for Satan to possess them through strong delusion. II Thessalonians 2:10-12.

With the cross at the center of God’s plan for the redemption of man, all truth and knowledge are related. I might add that everything in God’s universe, visible and invisible, is related to and affected by the cross. This includes angels, men, demons and all creation.

This being true, the binding and loosing of Satan is a complex work affecting all these things with much time involved. As long as we think of it as something that is done quickly or in a few moments of time we will never understand how it is accomplished.

The first advent of Christ ushered in the day of grace for mankind. It was the beginning of the gospel to all the world. Up until that time salvation was to the Jew while the rest of the world groped in darkness.

With Calvary, divine machinery was set in motion to cause the gospel to be preached to every creature. This had never happened before. John 4:20-23. Acts 1:8.

The power and influence of the gospel had far reaching effect. It was God’s power at work against the kingdom of darkness to free man. The ministry of the Church, Angels and the Holy Spirit had tremendous effect upon the world. Empires and nations recognizing the power of Christianity bowed before its influence.

Even the Bible became a textbook for the legislation of laws. Constituted authority of all nations came to recognize the Church and its right to exist.

The impact of Christ and the gospel upon the world became a mighty deterrent to the kingdom of darkness. Beyond a doubt Satan and his demoniac host were halted in their quest for complete world dominion.

This was the binding of Satan. And although the mystery of iniquity continued to operate in varying degrees, a day of grace was given for the proclamation of the gospel. After this gospel age Satan will be loosed again to deceive the nations and bring them in a final united effort against Jerusalem (the Church). Hebrews 12:22-24. Galatians 4:25:26. Revelation 20:7-9.

##########################################

JESUS IS ALL AND EVERYTHING!!

Patti C.

 

 

 

　

 

　

 

　

 

　

 

FINISHED AT THE CROSS 3

IT WAS FINISHED AT THE CROSS Part 3

WAS SATAN BOUND AT THE CROSS?

Hello all!

Today I would like to begin to cover the issue of Satan being bound for the 1000 year Age of Grace. Did this happen at the Cross, or is it something that will happen at the end of some future age? I think the answer is quite obvious, if we study the Scriptures. Yet, at the same time, I was guilty of not understanding what this all really meant, until recently, and can certainly understand why there is confusion in regards to this matter. I am going to give a rough sketch of what I see after having discovered that Satan is not the ruler of this present post Cross world. Following this letter, I will begin to post some studies by others, that support what I have found on my own.

The kingdom of heaven was divided at the Fall of man. When Adam and Eve sinned, they were banished from the direct connection that they had with God. From there, the kingdoms of this world began. We see these kingdoms represented in the statue that we find in Daniel. Yet, God preserved and protected a remnant, from the earthly seed line of Adam, to be His people and prophets throughout the time that Satan had rule of this earth. Yet, even then, anyone who worshiped in Spirit and Truth, was under God’s protection, and Satan’s activities were limited as to what God would allow him to do.

The last days refer to the time after Jesus is baptized, a whole new kingdom, ruled by God, was at hand. The great majority of the mention of the “last days” in the Old Testament refer to this time, when a new kingdom would take over the earth. At the Cross, Satan’s head was crushed, and his earthly kingdom lost it’s king. Jesus is the new King and everyone who believes enters this new kingdom. Satan is bound in the bottomless pit at the Cross….this is not some future event.

Yes, he still operates in this world because of all the millions of people who still worship him as their god. He works through his people in a spiritual way, a dark spiritual way, much like how Jesus works in a Spiritual way in and through His people. Satan cannot attack anyone, but, if they open the door to him, he can definitely work through the person, or people who do this. Satan’s kingdom was crushed, but that did not stop people from still worshiping him. Remember, anyone who is not for God is against Him, therefore if one is not worshiping God, they are worshiping Satan.

Christ is restraining Satan, and the angels that fell with him, after the Cross, in chains in the bottomless pit. He will continue to restrain Satan until the 1000 years of the Age of Grace are over, and then He will let Satan out of this pit for a short time. During this short time, Satan will be allowed to tempt mankind, even the elect.

At the end of this short time, Satan will have gathered together all who are his at the Battle of Armageddon. Actually, I see this as the gathering together of the tare, to be burned, before the gathering of the wheat into the Barn of the Lord. At His Second Coming, the Lord will burn up the tare, destroy Satan, and gather His people and all the rest of the dead to the White Throne Judgment. We, who names are written in the Book Of Life will enter the New Heaven and the New Earth, and live eternally with the Lord.

That being said, our main focus, today, is showing, Biblically, the how and when Satan’s head was crushed and when he was bound in chains of darkness, until the last 42 months of this Age. Once we understand all this, it changes our understanding of so many things. What I find interesting is, there are many Bible scholars that believe that Satan was defeated at the Cross, but go on to teach that there is another 1000 period of time after this Age, that he will be bound again. This is not what the Bible tells us.

I wrote a study and posted it on this site, about the Restrainer. In that study, I found that what was being restrained was the Second Coming of Jesus, and what was restraining this Second Coming was two events that have to happen first. One, the great falling away of Christians from the Truth, and the revealing of the Anti-Christ.

At the time, when I wrote that study, I did not know about the 1000 years, yet, and where they really come into play. But, I find that what I discovered in that study is correct, but can be put much more simply. Jesus Christ is the Restrainer, and Satan is the restrained, until Jesus lets him loose for a short time, at the end of the Age, and after that the Second Coming. Jesus is restraining His Second Coming until after Satan is let loose again, for a short time. This has nothing to do with a rapture, or the taking of the Holy Spirit from this world!! These are important issues, and we must not be lead astray by the doctrines of demons, through men.

The next letter will be the first of two studies on this subject.

Blessing to All in the Name of Our Lord and Savior!

Patti C.

 

 

 

IT WAS FINISHED AT THE CROSS Part 2

IT WAS FINISHED AT THE CROSS  Part 2

IS THE CHURCH THE KINGDOM?

Hello all,

It just dawned on me, this morning, how almost everyone that calls themselves a Christian, believes Jesus failed in His Mission to bring the Kingdom of God to this earth, and I was among them, until recently. Think about this for a moment. If we believe that it is some future Kingdom that God is telling us about, we believe Jesus failed at the Cross. If we believe that there is going to be a pre-trib rapture out of this world, before Jesus comes to establish this Kingdom, we are believing that Jesus (God) failed at the Cross. If we believe that Satan is unbound and has full reign of this world, we are believing that Jesus failed at the Cross.

I think you get my point. Would not these beliefs be the beliefs of the great majority of Christians? I had never looked at it this way before. I was blinded by what others were telling me about the Plan of God and how it all plays out. Yet, if we really examine what we are believing we are believing and preaching another Gospel. I am ashamed of myself for letting this continue for so many years!! How did I not see it? How did I not realize that by believing the Kingdom of God was somehow in the future, and this life was all about making it into the Kingdom, And all the while I was missing the Kingdom!

When I look back, to when I was born again from above, I remember knowing that the Kingdom of God was already here, and it is inside of each born again believer. I did sell everything I owned and went on the road, with a fellow believer, and lived on faith for 3 years. I was not a Bible scholar, but my connection to Jesus was strong and open and He worked through me, I had died to my “self”. What I am trying to say is, the connection was pure, not clouded by the doctrines of demons and mankind. It is in these end time lukewarm churches that we learn all these mistaken concepts, and actually believe them to the point of supporting and spreading them!!

How serious is it that most of us have been tricked into actually believing that Jesus failed at the Cross?!! This is big, this is sad, this needs to be fixed. He did not fail at anything, in anyway, shape or form, He accomplished ALL He came to do, for ALL time. And any other gospel, is saying that Jesus is still on that cross, and God’s Plan is still being worked out! How wrong is that? No wonder everyone that sees Him at His Second coming, WILL MOURN, for their continued belief, through this life, that He did not accomplish what the Bible plainly tells us He did, when He came and died for us! We continue to pierce Him, by believing this lie.

When this really sinks in, this lie that most of us have fallen for, we will findit has to be the Biggest Lie of the modern day church, and the mystery of iniquity that has been at work, since the Cross.

So today, I want to continue to prove, by using the Bible, how Jesus most definitely succeeded in all He came to do, and He did establish the Kingdom of God, and everyone who is born again, is living IN it.

Lets continue looking into the Old Testament and what prophecies were about this coming Kingdom, the Church. Keep in mind, always, that this Kingdom of God is established in His temple here on earth, our bodies, our minds and our hearts, that were given to Him when we were Born Again. This is a Spiritual Kingdom from which the Lord Jesus DOES rule this earth, and it is His Will being made manifest, in each believer.

Note that the last days are referring to the time after the Cross. It was finished at the Cross, so anything after what Jesus did, is called the latter days, or last days. Time, itself, was divided at the Cross, as the Old Covenant ended and the New Covenant began. Anything that happened before the Cross was former, and anything that happens after the Cross is now latter.

This revelation, in and of itself, should help clear up so much that has been misunderstood about these “Last Days”.

Isa 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, [that] the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

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

Mic 4:1 ¶ But in the last days it shall come to pass, [that] the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.

Mic 4:2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Now, how is this prophecy fulfilled in the New Testament? Let’s look at Acts 2, to see how this was all fulfilled at Pentecost when the Church was born.

Act 2:5 ¶ “And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.”

Act 2:14 ¶ But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all [ye] that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:

Note that this fulfills the prophecy of the House of the Lord being established in Jerusalem. But, not only that, notice who is speaking here, as the representative of the Disciples…it is Peter, whom Jesus told he would be the rock on which He would build His Church. His Church is built on the foundation of Christ being the Son of the LIVING God.

Mat 16:16 “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Here is what Jesus also says about this Church He is building, that was begun at Pentecost.

Mat 16:18 “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

The gates of hell shall not prevail against it because Satan was bound in the bottomless pit at the Cross, and the Age of Grace, the Age of the Kingdom of God on earth was at hand, being fulfilled at the formation of the Church at Pentecost.

Mat 16:19 “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”.

The keys to the Kingdom of Heaven were given to the Church, that they might spread the Good News of the Kingdom of God is right here on earth, indwelling each born again believer.

The pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost are the last days that were spoken about in the Book of Joel. In Acts, Peter quotes from Joel to explain what is happening.

Act 2:17 “And it shall come to 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 men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

Act 2:18 “And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:”

Now let’s look at several other places where this message is expounded.

Hbr 1:2 “Hath in these last days spoken unto us by [his] Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;”

Hbr 1:3 “Who being the brightness of [his] glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;”

Jesus is seated at the Right Hand of His Father, and is King over the Kingdom of God on this earth.

Eph 2:11 ¶ Wherefore remember, that ye [being] in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;

Eph 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

Eph 2:13 ” But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”

Eph 2:14 ¶ For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition [between us];

Eph 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, [even] the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, [so] making peace;

Eph 2:16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

Eph 2:17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.

Eph 2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

Eph 2:19 ¶ Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;”

Through the Holy Spirit we have access directly with God, here and now, and He rules this earth through His Church, His Body of born again believers. Oh what power we have missed if we have believed another Gospel!!!

Gal 3:27 ” For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

Gal 3:28 ” There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Gal 3:29 “And if ye [be] Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

We are to put on Christ, and live in His Kingdom, now, not some future time!

Luk 24:44 ¶ And he said unto them, These [are] the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and [in] the prophets, and [in] the psalms, concerning me.”

Luk 24:45 “Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,”

Luk 24:46 “And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:”

Luk 24:47 “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

Luk 24:48 “And ye are witnesses of these things.”

Luk 24:49 “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”

The Prophecies have been fulfilled. The Church, the House of God, began in Jerusalem, at Pentecost. What does the Risen Jesus have to say to His disciples about this Church of believers and what they are to do.

Mar 16:14 ¶ Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.”

Mar 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

Jesus being King over the Temple of the Lord, is foretold in the Old Testament, concerning the BRANCH.

Zec 6:12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name [is] The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:

Zec 6:13 Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

We, the born again believers are the temple of God, from which Christ rules and reigns through us.

1Cr 3:16 ” Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”

2Cr 6:16 “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in [them]; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

2Cr 6:17 “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you,

2Cr 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Eph 2:18 “For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

Eph 2:19 ¶ Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

Eph 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner [stone];

Eph 2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

Eph 2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

####################

That is all for today. As I write these things I am finding out about the REAL GOSPEL, as if for the very first time. I truly know now what Christ meant when He said we must have eyes to see and ears to hear, His Truth. I am learning at the same time that I am trying to teach this, and that feels good, because I know in my heart that He is directing me, and that is such an honor and privilege, that I do not want to in any way mess this up! I am as guilty as anyone, for misunderstanding this for so many years!! I am so happy to finally feel at peace, no longer searching for the answers in vain, but to truly be finding them.

Until next time.

Jesus is all and everything!!

 

 

 

Patti C.

 

 

 

IT WAS FINISHED AT THE CROSS Part 1

IT WAS FINISHED AT THE CROSS

HAS THE KINGDOM, COME?

Hello All!

If you have read my other posts, and some of the new revelation I am receiving from the Lord, I now need to start providing some Scriptures that help confirm what I was being shown. Again, this is a total turn about for me, in my understanding, as a Christian, of what the Word tells us. Yet, I believed bible scholars more than His Word, because I was too lazy, or did not have the time. That is why I think time is definitely a factor in our walk with the Lord…we choose a million other worldly things over Him, how sad is that.

First I am going to give the Scripture, in the Old Testament, that predict the setting up of The Kingdom of God, and the coming of His Son, the first time, to do just that. Jesus did not fail! How could God fail Himself? The lie that is the biggest lie, has been around since the beginning of time. It is a lie that denies the DIVINITY of Christ. He is with us right now, as He established a pure direct connection with Him at Pentecost, and it is still operating. The Kingdom did come, as His Will was done, and an Eternal Kingdom was established that can never be destroyed, just like Daniel predicted.

Daniel 2:31-45

The dream and its meaning

The king saw an image that represented four kingdoms:

1. Babylon, The head of gold: Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom.

2. Persia, the breast and arms, silver.

3. Greece, the belly and thighs, brass.

4. Rome, the legs and feet of iron, mixed in with clay.

Then Daniel saw the First Coming of Christ taking place after the Roman Empire. It was still during the reign of the Romans that Christ fulfilled and finished His mission, to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. And that kingdom will reign forever and ever.

Dan 2:34 “Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet [that were] of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.”

Dan 2:35 “Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.”

Jesus, the stone divinely made, cut without hands, would crush the head of satan, and take back the deed to this earth. Satan had bruised his heel at the Cross, but Jesus crushed His head. This is what is spoken of as the head wound that healed….it is satan’s head wound that is healed for a short time, when he is let out of the bottomless pit, and his rock falls….you think it is dark now, just wait.

God set up a Kingdom that would never end, at the Cross. It is finished. His Kingdom will go on and on. It is the time, a symbolic 1000 years that he has been given mankind to make a choice to live in His Kingdom or satan’s. He will let the king, the world has chosen, be thier king, for a short time, and gather them all up and destroy them, with the brightness of His Second Coming.

We will look into many other Bible passages that point to this being the case. It is a message that may be sweet to hear, but bitter to our stomachs, as it means that we are in the Kingdom of God, we have a responsibility to keep spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Jesus wants to find us all doing just that.

All for now.

Jesus is all and everything!!!

Patti C.

PS…finding out that the Book of Revelation has things from the past happening as future, because they were to John….but so much of this book is dedicated to telling us what really happened at the Cross!

 

 

 

　

 

　

 

love always wins

LOVE ALWAYS WINS!!

Hello all,

The last few days I have been reading about, watching about, writing about TRIBULATION….it is everywhere we look…no escaping in any one direction, it is happening in all directions and on all levels.   Our only refuge is the Lord, the only peace to be found is in His peace.  The Lord reminded me, today, to turn  my focus to the opposite  side of all this darkness, and to remember Love……His for us, and ours for each other.  I thought I would pass on that reminder by including just a few, of the many New Testament quotes about this love.

I hope we will  stop for a moment and feel His love, and rejoice in knowing He is with us always!

“Therefore doth my Father LOVE me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.”

Jhn 13:34

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also love one another.”

Jhn 13:35

“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.”

Rom 5:5

“And hope maketh not ashamed; because the LOVE of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”

Rom 8:28

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Rom 13:8

“Owe no man any thing, but to LOVE one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.”

Hbr 10:24

“And let us consider one another to provoke unto LOVE and to good works:”

Jud 1:21

“Keep yourselves in the LOVE of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”

#################################

I wrote this song for my Master’s Thesis project, thought I would share it with you as kind of an upbeat thought in these dark times.

Love Always Wins

Down the raging rivers of life

no matter what your strife,

the how, when, what, or the begin.

There is one thing you should know,

wherever you may go, remember,

love always wins!

 

Love of the Lord, love of each other,

love of all living things, have they fins, legs or wings.

For the love that we bring, through the burn, bite and sting,

unites us to the King of all creation.

Within the arms of this cruel world

the pitfalls are unfurled,

awaiting our will and our skins.

There is something we must know,

as into the darkness we go, to remember,

love always wins!

 

Love of the Lord, love of each other,

love of all living things, have they fins, legs or wings.

For the love that we bring, through the burn, bite and sting,

unites us to the King of all creation.

Into the kingdom up ahead

where His children are being led,

His love shall wash away all sins.

That’s the place we shall be

for now, and all eternity, where

Love always wins!

 

Love of the Lord, love of each other,

love of all living things, have they fins, legs or wings.

For the love that we bring, through the burn, bite and sting,

unites us to the King of all creation.

Patricia Currey

Song 8/2006

(Remain spiritually aware and active, become living water.)

#####################################

There is no STRONGER force in the Universe…there is no GREATER protection, God is Love.

JESUS IS ALL AND EVERYTHING!!

Patti C.

RELIGION= SELF AND TRUTH = GOD

RELIGION…BUT NOT AS WE’VE KNOWN IT

 Hello all, 

I had never really looked into the meaning of the word “religion” before, but when describing to my friends the difference between religion and Truth I would say; religion is a dead pinned down butterfly and Truth is a living, and freely flying, butterfly.  When I read this article and saw how the author defined and described the word, I felt good that I had come so close to its official meaning, of being tied or pinned down. 

“The etymology of the word “religion” is quite revealing. It stems from two words: re (again) and ligare (meaning to bind or tie, a bond or obligation). Religion puts people into bondage and blindness again and again. “ 

When we really think about it, Jesus never intended for his followers to form a “religion”, in fact He was very anti-religious. I always cringe a bit when people call me religious, as to me, being a follower of Christ is very far removed from such a word.  I am sure most of you understand what I mean.  The Pharisees and Scribes of Christ’s day were very religious and He called them “blind guides” “white washed tombs” and “vipers”!  Perhaps religion is what He meant about having “form” but no “power”…I think so. 

Religion becomes the traditions of man and not the power of God. 

The following article is a very good one on this subject, and the author describes it well when she says:“It is part of the curse because it separates us from God. It is something which has been part of mankind ever since Adam and Eve decided to trust themselves and their own judgments rather than trusting God and we are daily faced with this same choice: trust God or Self.” 

Here is the whole article….enjoy! 

################################ 

Religion… but not as we’ve known it

By Lynette Woods 

“The time is coming when people will not tolerate sound and wholesome instruction, but, having ears itching for something pleasing and gratifying, they will gather to themselves one teacher after another to a considerable number, chosen to satisfy their own liking and to foster the errors they hold, and will turn aside from hearing the truth and wander off into myths and man-made fictions.” 2 Tim. 4:3,4. 

If there is anything that epitomizes “myths and man-made fictions” then religion would have to be it! These verses describe exactly what we see in the world today, whether people call it “religion” or not. Religion is a word very closely associated with the church and is thought of in a positive light by many Christians. Those outside of the church typically think of someone religious as being legalistic, traditional, crusading for Christianity etc. However, what I’m wanting to focus on is a One World Religion which I believe to be at the root and foundation of every single human being, regardless of age and regardless of what belief system they have and regardless of whether they go to church or not. This One World Religion is behind every religion that is on this earth (whether “Christian” or not). This religion has only one god and this god is worshiped and served like no other. The name of this religion’s god is: Self. 

Being religious extends far beyond Pharisees, beyond Muslims, beyond Christians, to the very core of who we are: Self with a capital S. Jesus said some awful things to the religious, so if this is true, then we may find Him saying some harsh things and upsetting a few of our temple’s tables in order to reveal the god that is behind it all, releasing us from our self-made religion and revealing the freedom which can only be found in Him. 

The etymology of the word “religion” is quite revealing. It stems from two words: re (again) and ligare (meaning to bind or tie, a bond or obligation). Religion puts people into bondage and blindness again and again. It is part of the curse because it separates us from God. It is something which has been part of mankind ever since Adam and Eve decided to trust themselves and their own judgments rather than trusting God and we are daily faced with this same choice: trust God or Self. 

Even people who believe they are not religious may be part of this religion because the basis of all religions and religiosity is Self; whether it is Self doing works or doing nothing and simply “being”. Many leave their religion or church not because they heard God ask them to, but because that is what Self wanted to do; and the same can also be true for those who go back to it all. Self justifies anything and everything. This religion is quite simply a case of Self listening to Self. Self doing for Self. Self defence. Self righteousness. Self preservation. Self realization. Self help. Self enlightenment. Self justification. Self discovery. Self expression. Self governing. Self discerning and judging. Self disguised as “spiritual”. Self-ish to the core. This religion is based on us and what we think, do, and say whereas true spirituality is based upon all that Christ has done and is doing; upon all that He has said and is saying! 

This religion of Self is not particular about whether you go to a church or not, whether you are devout outwardly or not; so long as Self is served. Its creed is: do whatever you believe to be right. This religion is all about what Self likes, what feels right to Self, what Self dictates and then “crusading” towards that end. And when the message which Christ proclaims through the Bible about denying Self, dying daily and losing your life is given, it is often rejected because the god which Self has created would not ever say such things! You get a reaction because the god of Self is governing rather than the God of Jesus Christ. 

The Great Deception

The spirit of this world is not ignorant of our susceptibility to being governed by Self and makes the most of it by making what is false sound like truth; but the truth is it can be just our interpretation of what seems right to us. “But you must understand this at the outset, that no prophecy of scripture arose from an individual’s interpretation of the truth. No prophecy came because a man wanted it to: men of God spoke because they were inspired by the Holy Spirit. But even in those days there were false prophets, just as there will be false teachers among you today. They will be men who will subtly introduce dangerous heresies… With their high-sounding nonsense they use the sensual pull of the lower passions to attract those who were just on the point of cutting loose from their companions in misconduct. They promise them liberty. Liberty! – when they themselves are bound hand and foot to utter depravity. For a man is the slave of whatever masters him.” (2 Pet. 1:20-2:1,18,19). 

Many these days are bound by religion even when they have left the visible traditions of their religion. Their religion has not left them because they are still enslaved and governed by Self; they are finding “freedom” in SELF rather than in Christ. This is an absolute tragedy. It is also diabolically devious… to be tricked into leaving one form of bondage for another in the guise of “freedom” and thinking you are free and yet to still be imprisoned, is tragic.  

How could we be so deceived? Because religion is a spirit, it is spiritual. Behind all of religion are spiritual forces which are determined to deceive “if possible even the elect”. How do they attempt to do this? Through Self: what we see, hear, think, desire and even genuinely believe. When God opens our spiritual eyes to see what is real and true and what is merely an illusion of reality and truth, it is quite shocking. We wonder how we could have been duped and been so blind! Knowledge is a very powerful commodity; it can either release or bind. When we think we know something, we will stubbornly cling to that knowledge and not seek to find out more because we think we already know. But it is only when we realize we know nothing that we begin to know Everything (Christ) and receive Him as our Wisdom which sets us free from our very little world and religion of Self… We begin to discover the ever expanding Universe which is Christ in God. 

Only what is received and revealed through Him can transform us. Religion will simply conform and deceive us. We need to be born into our Father’s family and not just call Him “Father” or “Papa” because others do. We need a Revelation of Christ and not a religion about Christ. Saul of Tarsus was not released from religion by Stephen’s amazing and Holy Spirit inspired speech; all it needed was for him to personally see, experience and hear Christ for himself; a Revelation of Christ. This principle still applies to each of us today. 

We each need to see and know Christ for Who He really is rather than how we would like Him to be. My love for Him is not truly for Him if I don’t want to see Him or accept Him as He is. Both historically and today, He often reveals something of Himself and people reject Him… just because He is different to what Self/Religion expected! Listen to what He says: “Anyone who intends to come with Me has to let Me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow Me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, My way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? If anyone intends to come after Me, let him deny himself [forget, ignore, disown, and lose sight of himself and his own interests] and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life, will lose it; and whoever gives up his life for My sake and the Gospel’s will save it.” (Mark 8:34-36). 

True Freedom 

Only freedom from Self will bring true freedom from religion, obligation and bondage. This is why the message of freedom given in the Bible is Life which comes through death! The only way to be free of Self is to die to Self. Doing whatever Self wants is not freedom, but bondage; because you are bound to do what YOU want – Self is your master. Some pride themselves on what they can do within religion; others pride themselves on what they can do outside of religion. BOTH can still be religious because whether legalistic or liberal, by the book or having none, BOTH extremes may be dictated by Self and by the temperament or type of person they are naturally. BOTH extremes can be based on Self’s preferences and what Self naturally likes; it is a religion where the god of Self is worshiped, deified and obeyed without question!  

“God’s will must not be made subject to my own temperament. When we know a man’s make-up it is often all too easy to guess what ”guidance” he will get, because his natural proclivities intrude so subtly upon the leading of God. Too much so-called guidance among us is little more than personal bias. A timid brother is “guided” to take a back seat. A forward brother is “guided” to take a front seat. Each claims to be led of the Lord. Is he? Or is his temperament ruling him? The pure will of God demands of me that what I am temperamentally shall be set aside. I should be so Spirit-filled that the man beside me cannot foresee, on grounds of my temperament alone, how God will lead me. Oh let me beware of slanting the will of God in the direction of my own natural leanings! Even the Lord Jesus, whose own will was surely faultless, nevertheless set it aside in favour of the Father’s who sent Him. If He should do that, how much more must I!” (Watchman Nee, A Table in the Wilderness). 

Yes, how much more must I? Being led by the Spirit of God does not mean we are led by our natural preferences and whatever we like as some seem to believe. Religion and Self distort God, even to the point of creating a god in our own image; a god we are happy and content with, a god we can understand and identify with, a god we can worship and love. But there is nothing loving about a god who does not convict or correct you and just allows you to believe a lie and do whatever you want (see Heb. 12:5-11). That is not the God of Jesus Christ Who Himself said: “Those whom I dearly and tenderly love, I tell their faults and convict and convince and reprove and chasten them” (Rev. 3:19). 

In the same way as we confuse socializing with fellowship, licentiousness with freedom and condemnation with conviction, so too we can confuse being religious with being spiritually mature. There is a vast gap between each of these ‘dynamic duos,’ for one is earthly and the other is heavenly.  

God did not create religion, man did. At the tower of Babel man had a spiritual-sounding goal and were even united in their efforts “to reach the heavens”. But God’s verdict on all their hard work was: “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other. So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.” (Gen 11:6-8). Why did He do that? We today might think it a good thing to be as one people, all working together in unity on one thing, but God does not. Why? Because pride and Self were at the root of it and not God Himself. We still see His same judgment on religion in the world today: wherever people are like-minded and ‘speak the same language’ and work together building something here on earth, you eventually find division after division among them as they are scattered abroad. 

Leaving the Confusion of Religion 

Religion is certainly a confusion of many voices, it is a mixture of what is true and false that God must divide in order to reveal what is of Him and what is not. The very essence of Babylon and religion is mixture and confusion; in fact the name “Babylon” (which is the same Hebrew word for Babel) means: confusion by mixing. From the Garden of Eden to the end of this world, the mixing of truth with error remains a very successful means of deceiving and seducing us. In the book of Revelation in reference to Babylon is written, “by your magic spells and poisonous charm all nations were led astray, seduced and deluded. And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints…” (Rev. 18:23,24) and the cry to us all is: “Come out from her, My people, so that you may not share in her sins, neither participate in her plagues…” There are some things which God must divide and separate and which we must reject and turn away from.  

People need religion to feel good about Self and what they’re doing; but God scatters, confuses and divides in the hope that individuals will repent of their religion and turn to Him instead. His original desire was simply relationship with each and every human. In an attempt to have some form of that relationship, He set aside some as priests and prophets who would mediate between Himself and His people until His Son came to earth to completely undo the damage which had been done and to establish a personal, individual relationship with each of His children. God’s focus is always Christ, and all the meticulous details and laws of the Torah were a way of pointing to the Perfection of Christ while also highlighting the imperfections and inadequacy of man.  

Religion is basically a set of beliefs, personal beliefs… also known as mindsets and paradigms! Instead of having our beliefs formed by Self or other people, no matter how spiritual others may seem, we simply must learn to listen to only our Father and know His voice. We cannot trust ourselves but have to yield up our minds and what we think is right in order to learn Christ! “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of Him and were taught in Him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Eph. 4:17-24). 

We are new creations in Christ and as our minds are renewed we learn daily through experience to distinguish and discern between what is the new Life in us, and what is the old nature: Self. What is from God often makes no sense to Self, instead it may completely contradict what we naturally think. Not one of us is willingly deceived or duped by Religion. We will instead be sincerely deceived; we will sincerely believe that we are right! But sincerity does not mean something is true. We cannot discern right from wrong or truth from deception ourselves; at all! Discernment must come from outside of Self… it comes only from knowing the living Word of God; not a head knowledge of Him, but a genuine, experiential, intimate, heart knowledge of Christ as He really is which results in distinguishing between His voice and the many voices, including our own voice. 

Religion robs God of what is rightly His: people’s hearts! Religion is a substitute for Christ. The religious heart is absorbed and blinded by what it sees and worships – and it is the same end result whether you’re worshiping Mary, the Church, Allah or unconsciously worshiping your Self! Religion results in blindness, bondage and death – again and again; re-ligion = being bound again. We desperately need to know through personal experience the liberation and freedom which only Christ brings and the true meaning of the word “release”: to free and loosen (relax) and to have a lease again – to be given over to Another with a new lease of Life! May this be the experience and living testimony of each one of us. 

“The Spirit of the Lord… has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” Luke 4:18,19. 

 ################################

 Rather ironic that “religious people” appear so selfless when actually religion is all about “self”.  Perhaps part of what happens when mankind calls good evil and evil good. 

The Lord calls His to come out of religion and into Truth…all those who have ears to hear.  

JESUS IS ALL AND EVERYTHING!! 

Patti C.