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Spiritual War In America, the Church seems to be blinded in many ways to spiritual reality because of the cultural influence of our times. Our society is one of reason, science, and rational thought biased by humanism. As a consequence, the invisible spiritual reality is considered the stuff of myths and not worthy of consideration by a rational person. Even though Jesus spent about a third of His ministry casting out demons, it is not considered necessary in our day and age because we have learned better ways of dealing with psychological problems (this is the way that humanism thinks of demons)! We need to have our eyes opened, our understanding enlightened. Whether we recognize it or not we are in the middle of spiritual battles that are part of a spiritual war. This war has already been won by Jesus, but the enemy still sends guerrilla raids to attack key points and infiltrates the Church with terrorist tactics, deceiving and blinding the minds of many. We must fight the enemy in skirmishes and battles in order to securely occupy the territory that Jesus purchased for us with His blood. We are no different than the Children of Israel who had to take the Promised Land. God had given them the land--it was theirs, yet they had to walk on it to possess it1. Walking on it wasn't easy because it was still occupied by others who considered it theirs. To possess the land required fighting--not just individually but corporately as the people of God. It also required God-given strategy on how to proceed, where to attack first, what methods to use, and other strategic information. Notice too that the mind-set is offensive not defensive. They had to TAKE the land, not sit back passively and wait for something to happen. The tribes that wanted to settle on the wrong side of Jordan (assuming that they would not have to fight) were required by God to still go with their brothers and fight to possess the land. They couldn't return home until the fighting was done because God would not allow them to be at peace while their brothers were at war.2 How we need to learn this lesson today! Ownership in the Land Under the New Covenant we have a Land of Promises (spiritual territory) instead of a Promised Land (geographical territory). We own the land--Jesus purchased it with His blood and then gave it to us--"for all the promises of God are in Him, amen!"3 However, there are those who think (evil spiritual beings) that it is their territory. Which means that we too must fight in order to possess the land and make the promises of God reality in us. Our fighting must also be done both individually and corporately. We cannot settle down and rest while our brothers go to war. Jesus said in Matt 11:12, "...the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." (KJV). That means that we can't passively wait for the promises of God to just happen to us but we have to get "violent" about the things of God. Why violent? The scripture says that the Kingdom of God is peace, joy and righteousness in the Holy Ghost4 and that it pleases the Father to give us the Kingdom!5 If it is a gift why do we need to "take it by force"? The answer is the same for us as it was for the Children of Israel taking the Promised Land. We must understand the difference between the legal (I do give) and the experiential (wherever you put your feet).6 By grace through faith God has given us the gift of salvation.7 This qualifies us as Children of God to receive the promises of God. However, if you read the scriptures, it seems that the promises all have conditions and many of those conditions are "to him that overcometh". What are we overcoming? Is it the world system dominated by Satan? The ways of God are not the ways of the world. Could it be that one of the reasons that our lives reflect so few of the promises of God is because we are not overcoming the world system but instead are cooperating with it? Jesus is going to rule until all of His enemies have been put under His feet and then He will turn the Kingdom over to the Father.8 That means, right now, there are some enemies in the Kingdom that have to be subdued! Who is charged with subduing the enemies of Christ? WE ARE! Occupation Troops Jesus told us to "occupy till I come".9 We are the occupation troops of God's army. We are to clean up the land and remove pockets of rebellion, residual enemy troops that harass, and strongholds of the enemy. Remember, the Commander-in-Chief of the enemy has been defeated and disarmed by our Commander-in-Chief (Jesus), but he has not yet been bound. The enemy's troops don't surrender unless they are forced to through the authority of the Name of Jesus. How do we "occupy"? First, on a personal level we have to take possession of the things that belong to the Kingdom of God--the promises of God have to become the reality in which we live. Second, on a corporate level we have to determine the "spiritual geography" of the area where we live for the purpose of taking "spiritual territory" away from the enemy. Do you realize that we can take or yield territory to the enemy? In Ephesians 4:27 we are told to not "give place to the devil." The Greek word translated "place" is topos which means territory, location, office or area of jurisdiction. We get our word "topology" from this word, which is in keeping with its definition. A topological map is a good illustration of its meaning. Therefore, we can lose territory (and/or jurisdiction) to the enemy! What territory are we losing? The promises of the Kingdom of God. How do we lose it? We give up territory to the enemy whenever we allow the things listed in these scriptures to continue in our life: Eph 4:25-30 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor ... Be ye angry, and sin not ... Neither give place to the devil ... Let him that stole steal no more ... Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth ... And grieve not the holy Spirit of God ... (KJV) A Soldier's Life Timothy is a good example of one called as a soldier. 1 Tim 1:18 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; (KJV) His charge, calling, commission was to "war a good warfare". This was to be done through the prophecies that had been given to him before. 2 Tim 2:3-4 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. (KJV) From this we see that the life of a soldier is different from the life of a civilian. A soldier endures hardship. A soldier doesn't get entangled in the affairs of life but is focused on pleasing his Superior. Most of the Church treats this calling as if it doesn't involve them personally. During the Gulf War and now the Iraq War most of us did not participate. We sat on our couches and watched it on CNN. In Church, we sit on the pews and watch and listen to missionaries and others who have been on the front lines and react in about the same way that we did watching the Gulf War on CNN--do what you have to, just don't inconvenience me! I personally believe that if we are not gaining ground for the Kingdom of God then we are losing it to the kingdom of darkness. We can't sit and watch. We are participants whether we like it or not. Let's arm ourselves with the Word of God and "occupy till" He comes leading the armies of Heaven for the final battle. Spiritual Enemies Remember, we are fighting for "spiritual territory" therefore our enemies are spiritual also. Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (KJV) These enemies take the form of "principalities", "powers", "rulers of darkness", "spiritual wickedness (wicked spirits)" in high (literally, the heavenlies) places. (Places is not in the original but was added by the translators). We could, by looking at the original Greek text, say that we wrestle (fight) against principalities and the realms (jurisdiction) of their authority; against the Chiefs of the world who have used their strength to seize and retain darkness; against wicked spirits in the heavenlies. The Heavenlies The scriptures refer to the place of the Throne Room of God as the Heaven of Heavens. God made the heaven and the heaven of heavens.10 Paul spoke of a man caught up to the third heaven.11 It then stands to reason that there must be a heaven 1 and a heaven 2 or the man could not be caught up to heaven 3. Where are these heavenlies? Heaven one is probably what we see when we look at the night sky—the heaven of our universe. I believe heaven three to be the dwelling place of God—the heaven of heavens. That leaves heaven two—the mid heaven. This is the dwelling place of principalities and is the seat of their authority or jurisdiction. When Lucifer rose in rebellion against God, he took about a third of the Angels with him.12 In quelling this rebellion, these Angels (and Lucifer's seat of authority) were removed from the Heaven of Heavens. They were forced out of the presence of God and into the mid-heaven where they set up their seats of power and wickedness to prevent men from worshipping or glorifying the true God. They created a rival kingdom in opposition to God. Angels and Demons It is these fallen angels that are our enemies and, of course, Satan who is THE enemy. There is a hierarchy of authority for the kingdom of darkness that is designed to carry out the will of Satan. The fallen angels make up the chiefs and princes of this hierarchy and have areas of jurisdiction or realms of authority. They develop strategy and oversee the foot soldiers to make sure that their purposes are being carried out. The foot soldiers are demons. Demons and fallen angels are not the same. Angels never try to possess a body--they already have a spiritual body. And we know from scripture that angels can manifest themselves to us in their own body. Also, Angels tend to operate in the heavenlies. Demons, on the other hand, operate in an earthly context and are always trying to get a body (they apparently don't have their own). They desire a body so much that if they are about to be cast out of a person they would choose to go into pigs instead of having no body.13 After being cast out, a demon will return later and try to re-inhabit the body that he left. If he finds it clean and swept, he will invite seven other demons to come and live with him in his new, clean home.14 This says to me that at one time demons had bodies or they wouldn't desire one so much. We don't know for sure what happened to their bodies, but, I believe that the earth was under the jurisdiction of Lucifer before he rebelled and that the earth had living creatures on it. I believe that these creatures also rose in rebellion with Lucifer and the group of rebellious angels. When God judged the rebellion, judgment also fell on the earth and its inhabitants. The earth was utterly wiped of life. The creatures living at that time became the demons of today—dis-embodied spirits with no place to go until the final judgment and the Lake of Fire.15 Whether you agree with this scenario or not is not important to this particular study. It is still obvious that fallen angels and demons are not the same thing. From the scriptures we see that we cast out demons but we wrestle against principalities and powers. Our approach is different. We deal with demons by casting them out with the command word of the authority of the Name of Jesus. We deal with principalities by the type of prayer that causes us to contest (in the Name of Jesus) their jurisdiction—the realms of their rulership. We wrestle away from them spiritual territory over which they have control. Territorial Spirits Because the fallen angels have seats of power and realms of jurisdiction, it appears that many of them are assigned to different portions of the earth to further the purposes of Satan. This is clearly seen in Daniel. Dan 10:12-13 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. (KJV) Dan 10:20-21 Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince. (KJV) It is obvious that the Prince of the Kingdom of Persia is not a man, for what man could hold back one of God's angels for twenty-one days? This Prince, then, must be a principality with the jurisdiction of Persia as his area of control. Also mentioned in these verses is the prince of Greece--another Satanic principality responsible for Greece. This clearly establishes the fact that in the kingdom of darkness there are territories ruled over by principalities. They consider these territories theirs just like the giants considered the Promised Land as belonging to them. We must occupy these spiritual territories and ultimately rule them for Christ. Notice too, that God's angel referred to Michael as one of the chief princes (of God's angels) and also as "your prince" implying that Michael has responsibility before God for Daniel's people--the Jews. In this we can see that it is possible for angels to have jurisdiction that involves ethnic groups. That means that fallen angels can also be responsible for ethnic groups as well as territories. It is also clear in chapter 28 of Ezekiel that there are two different beings referred to as the prince of Tyrus (Tyre) and the king of Tyrus (Tyre). The scriptures explicitly state that the prince of Tyre, though he thinks of himself as God, is a man. However, the description of the king of Tyre is such that he can't be a man. No man has ever been in the mineral Garden of Eden, nor been responsible for covering, nor been on the mountain of God, nor walked up and down among the stones of fire. Most scholars believe this picture of the king of Tyre to be a description of Lucifer, himself. The prince of Tyre (a man) then obviously thought of himself as God because of the influence of the king of Tyre (Lucifer, or a powerful fallen angel). People and territories that are under Satan's principalities tend to take on the characteristics of the ruling power. You would not normally think that a place like Tyre would be important enough that the Devil himself would rule over it. However, there are some interesting parallels between Tyre (as listed here) and Babylon in Revelation 18. Could it be that the driving force behind these two cities is Satan himself? After all, Tyre had a physical ruler who thought of himself as god, Babylon will have the Antichrist who also thinks of himself as god. These are the same characteristics exhibited by Lucifer because he wanted to be god, too. We do know from Revelation 2 that the church in Pergamos was in the place where Satan's seat is and where he dwells. His seat is his place of authority. It is interesting that the Pergamos Church was full of heresies and false teaching, probably from the influence of Satan's seat of power. Again, people (even in the Church) taking on the characteristics of the ruling spiritual powers. We can see that cities are important to God when we realize that God has chosen Jerusalem as His city. And in the future even a New Jerusalem for all of us to dwell in. The enemy has also chosen his city--Babylon. One could almost say that the events of the end times are controlled by these two cities! Certainly, God's seat of power will be in New Jerusalem and Satan's seat will be in Babylon the Great. Can you see now why "spiritual geography" is important? There are territorial spirits ruling over various sections of the earth and, possibly, over ethnic groups. Their sole purpose is to further the purposes of the Devil—to steal, kill and destroy—to prevent people from glorifying or worshiping God. We are to wrestle, fight, do battle with these spirits for their territory--to bring the Kingdom of God in power,16 to set the captives free. Thy Kingdom Come We know we are bringing the Kingdom of God to an area when we begin casting out devils. Jesus said, "But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the Kingdom of God is come unto you."17 God's Kingdom is always manifested in conflict with the kingdom of darkness. Could it be that we have difficulty in stirring faith toward God in people in some areas because we didn't bring the Kingdom of God in power. After all, the scriptures say that "the Kingdom is not in word but in power"18. In other words, you don't just talk it—you show it. The Lord told us to pray, "Thy Kingdom come...in earth as it is in Heaven."19 How does it come? Through us as the ambassadors of Christ. We carry the Kingdom of God in us wherever we go. Now, the Kingdom is in mystical form in the hearts of people, but, in the fullness of time, Jesus will return and establish His Kingdom in physical form. The scriptures define the Kingdom of God as peace, joy, and righteousness in the Holy Ghost.20 These attributes are the result of our submission to the King. Any kingdom takes on the characteristics of its King. The Kingdom of God is no different. The character and power of our King is resident in His Kingdom. Every kingdom (including the Kingdom of God) has order and structure in order to function properly. There are always various levels of rulers, judges, administrators, etc. in order to accomplish the work of the King. We are even promised positions of rulership in God's Kingdom if we persevere and overcome. 21 It stands to reason that if the enemy has territorial spirits and a hierarchy of authority then certainly God has a structure of order that includes angels over territories to help the people of God. The scriptures call them "ministering spirits" that help the heirs of salvation.22 God is doing His job. The angels are doing their job. Then, why is there such resistance to the truth of the Gospel of salvation? Even in the Church there seems to be a lack of true commitment to Jesus? This is happening because we, the believers, are the ones who are failing! We are the foot soldiers of the Lord. It is our job to attack and overcome the enemy—to extend the Kingdom of God. We do this with a two fold battle plan. First, we wrestle with the principalities until victory is gained, then we carry the word of freedom to those that were held captive. Why aren't we doing it? There are three reasons: For some, it is because they don't know that we are at war. They live in ignorance of spiritual things. Others know that there is a war going on, but the front lines are a long way away and so it doesn't concern them much. After all, they are sure that someone else has been called to do that sort of stuff. Then there are those who know that we are at war and who know that they should be doing something, but don't have a clue about what they should do. As a result, a few feeble attempts are made to seek God's will, but eventually apathy sets in and they become non-productive for the Kingdom of God. According to the scriptures, the Kingdom of God is always increasing; it knows no boundaries.23 How does this happen? How can the Kingdom of God increase? Only by our efforts to extend the boundaries of the Kingdom! God has entrusted us with this—we are to disciple nations, we are to pray for His Kingdom to come. While legally Jesus is King of Kings, Lord of all, experientially not all of His enemies have been put under His feet. (We know that the last enemy, death, is still operative in the earth.) It was the same with the Children of Israel and the Promised Land. God gave them the land—they legally owned it! Yet, to possess it experientially, they had to walk on it. Walking on it was not easy because it was occupied by others that contested ownership! In practical terms, until they possessed the land by walking on it, there was no benefit to them. It was necessary to fight to get what God had already given! Why would it be any different for us? Fulfilling the promises of God in our life means spiritual battles have to be fought. JOB ONE! According to Jesus, our Kingdom is not of this world.24 Because of this, we don't fight the people of this world. Instead, we wrestle (struggle) against the spiritual powers that invisibly control the world system.25 Our primary job then is to battle the enemy in spiritual warfare. We are to pull down the strongholds of the enemy and possess the Land of Promises in the Name of Jesus.26 A stronghold is any fortification of the enemy. Enemy strongholds can be anywhere—in our personal lives, in our corporate lives, in our business, in our culture, in our society, in our government, et al. These are spiritual territories possessed, or, at least heavily influenced, by the desires and goals of the enemy. As these are torn down, the Kingdom of God is extended and we reclaim territory for God. We have helped put another enemy under the feet of Jesus. The Jericho Test The Children of Israel faced Jericho immediately after entering the land. Jericho was a fully fortified city. It was formidable. In the natural there was no way possible for Joshua and his troops to capture Jericho. The known ways wouldn't work. They needed something different. The Commander of the Lord's Army (either an angel or possibly a pre-incarnate Jesus since he received worship) appears to Joshua to inform him of a few things:27 He is on the Lord's side, i.e., only the purposes of the King matters. There are no agendas of men involved. He gives Joshua a strategy. He tells him what to do, how to do it, where to do it, and when to do it. (He doesn't tell him why—obedience is expected.) In every area of our life where we try to possess the promises of God, we will face a Jericho that will appear to be unsurmountable. (It is without God!) The Lord expects us to seek a strategy from Him for the situation and He will lend power to it to accomplish God's purpose. If we can't believe God to take our Jericho, how will we ever possess the land? By following the strategy of God, Joshua was able to capture a city that was un-capturable. In order to do the impossible we need to have the strategy of God and know how to implement it. Prepared for Battle Any army, anywhere, prepares its recruits for battle through an intensive training program. These "Boot Camps" prepare the recruit for military life: to obey orders, to be loyal to comrades, to respect the chain of command, to use their weapons effectively and maintain them. After boot camp there may be specialized training in the area in which the recruit will be functioning. No one who enters the army can bypass the boot camp training. Before he can be promoted or go into battle he must complete Basic Training. Every General, Captain, Lieutenant, Sergeant, and Private all went through the same boot camp preparation. Because of this, there is a commonality of experience, comradeship, and purpose regardless of the person's rank. When a people prepare themselves for spiritual battle, it is absolutely necessary that they bear the mark of the covenant of God. The example for us is the Children of Israel entering the promised land. Since circumcision was not performed in the desert, the children that grew up while the older generation died off did not have the covenant mark. The first order of business after crossing Jordan was to circumcise every male.28 Under the New Covenant we have to have our heart circumcised as a mark of God's covenant.29 It is up to the leadership to make sure that those who are entering spiritual warfare have exhibited a circumcised heart. Personal Preparation Your personal relationship with God must be clear and clean before entering even the most elementary level of spiritual warfare such as casting out demons. This means that you must be born-again, filled with the Holy Spirit, and moving in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, i.e., have a history of experience with spiritual things. You can't operate in the spiritual realm on the experience of someone else. There is a dramatic example of the importance of our own relationship with the Lord being correct before attempting to cast out a demon. The seven sons of Sceva had seen Paul casting out demons and thought that they could do that too. Their encounter with a demon possessed person left them naked and bleeding.30 We have to have the right to use the Name of Jesus, otherwise, there is no spiritual authority. The seven sons of Sceva thought that the Name of Jesus was like some magic incantation that could be used by anyone. They were Jewish mystics and classified what Paul was doing as something similar (but a lot easier) than what they had been doing with their magic arts. They had no knowledge of the power and authority of Jesus Christ. Another example of personal preparation to cast out demons is the requirement for fasting and prayer. A man brought his demon oppressed son to Jesus for help. He told Jesus that he had first tried with His disciples but they couldn't help him. Jesus said that this kind only goes out by prayer and fasting.31 There are some ministry situations in which we will not be successful if we haven't prepared ourselves through prayer and fasting. During this process we humble ourselves before God, draw near to Him, cleanse our hands, and purify our hearts. The moment you decide to do spiritual warfare, these functions are no longer optional. Remember, spiritual war is real; casualties are real. James tells us what we need to do to resist the devil so that he will flee from us. James 4:6-8 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. (KJV) It begins with submitting to God because God resists or opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. A prideful, arrogant, rebellious person is an easy mark for the enemy because God, Himself, is actively resisting that person! But, one who humbles himself before the Lord receives grace. While we all know that grace is the unmerited favor of God, that definition doesn't help us much in daily living. I have defined grace as "the empowering of God to do what we can't". I believe that is the essence of God's favor. Based on that definition, if we are going to fight the devil we will certainly need grace! Apart from God's sovereignty, there is only one way that we can get more grace—by humbling ourselves before the Lord. We humble ourselves through prayer and fasting. The next step is to draw near to God. When we do that He draws near to us. His nearness causes light to shine on our darkness. We recognize that we are sinners—that our hands are dirty. We also recognize that we are double-minded because of our impure hearts. His nearness motivates us to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts. Cleansing our hands deals with our actions. Purifying our hearts deals with our attitudes. We need correct actions and correct attitudes. It takes both to walk before the world with confidence in our God and His authority. If we have un-repented sins (actions) or our hearts are full of qualities (attitudes) that are contrary to the Word of God, we give the enemy an inroad into our life. These create handles on us that he can grab anytime he wants and toss us this way or that way. When you begin to resist the devil, he will look for every handle in your life—anything that will take you out of the battle. The devil will provide situations that will tempt the hidden things in your heart. James tells us in Chapter 1 verses 14 and 15 that we are enticed by temptation because of what is in our hearts. This lust of the heart conceives sin and gives birth to death. In other words, there is a progression that begins with enticement and ends with death. If there is nothing in our hearts that can be enticed by temptation then the enemy can't tempt us to sin. We MUST purify our hearts before we go into battle. The process of purifying our hearts also affects our minds. These scriptures say that we are double-minded32, i.e., we go back and forth between God and the world. James tells us that the double-minded will receive nothing from God. If we are double-minded then how can we fight the devil if we receive nothing from God? We MUST eliminate our double-mindedness if we are to be spiritually effective. We must focus our lives on fulfilling God's purpose and on seeking the Kingdom of God. Corporate Preparation Powerful, effective spiritual warfare is not done by oneself. There is an exponential increase in effectiveness as spiritual warriors come together in agreement and authority. The Scriptures tell us that one can put a thousand to flight, but two can put ten thousand to running33 and tells us again in another place that a three fold cord is not easily broken34. This means that there is multiplied strength in numbers. Not just numbers but people who are a part of each other. Jesus said wherever two or three are gathered in His Name, He is in the midst of them.35 It doesn't take many, but it takes a single purpose. We need to be of "one mind, one spirit, one accord". We gather in His Name to accomplish His work. The moment we attempt to do this, the Scriptures that deal with problems between us and our brethren come into play. To participate in spiritual warfare requires that all barriers, difficulties, walls, hurts, problems, bitterness, envy, backbiting, gossip, manipulation, and other works of the flesh be removed between us and our brethren. Our enemy is referred to in the Scriptures as the Prince of the Power of the Air—he rules over the air.36 Its no wonder then that communications are scrambled or mis-interpreted by the participants (they all pass through the air). That is why we have to apply the principles of the Kingdom of God in order to overcome the communication breakdown created by the kingdom of darkness. We have to "strive to keep the unity of the spirit".37 Unity happens. It comes by the Spirit. However, maintaining unity requires work. That's our job. Unity can only be produced by the Spirit—it is a spiritual reality. The enemy cannot produce unity—only its secular counterfeit, uniformity. In the natural it is easier for us to conform to uniformity than it is for us to live in spiritual unity. Our God likes diversity (diversity of administration but the same Spirit)38. He created a world full of diversity--animals, plants, people. He is glorified when two or three unique, diverse people come together in His Name in one accord and purpose to do the work of the King. God has said that He commands blessing where the brethren dwell together in unity39. I believe that if we do our part here, then God's blessing comes both spiritually and physically. The enemy strives to keep us from unity. He doesn't want anyone to be blessed. If he can keep us divided and isolated, he can keep us from victory. Effective spiritual warfare requires that we come into unity and be blessed of God. Spiritual Warfare Strategy God never gives us a job without equipping us, training us, and giving us a plan on how to accomplish it. The same is true of spiritual warfare. God has a standard, natural procedure for us to bring forth the work that He has for us to do. As we humble ourselves before Him in worship and fellowship, He stirs our spirits with His purpose. His purpose, idea, burden, and insight form in us a “vision”, a proceeding word to do what the Lord desires. Over a period of time, the Lord begins to purify our vision. It grows and matures and becomes clearer. Eventually, a clear, clean proceeding word comes forth and we begin to do what the Lord has called us to do. If we follow this process, all that we need in terms of training, understanding, resources, and equipping will be developed. Directions for Fighting Spiritual encounters of the military kind are not for the "carnal" Christian. Make sure that you are right with God first. You can't go to war with the Devil until you are at peace with God. It is very important that you have a good scriptural foundation in your life that it is not easily shaken. Before undertaking spiritual warfare, seek God for a Gift of Discernment and prophetic understanding. This will be a big help in determining the types of spirits that you are dealing with. Any group of warfare intercessors will need prophetic insight in order to function effectively. Remember that spiritual warfare is fought on progressive battlefields: Personal Family Local Assembly of believers (your local congregation) Church in the city (as God sees it) Regional aspects of the Kingdom National aspects of the Kingdom International aspects of the Kingdom In your zeal don't try to bypass some battles in order to get to bigger and better things. We grow, mature, and fight in an orderly, progressive manner. Mobilizing the Army There is a difference between a mobilized army and an unmobilized one. Each can be trained, prepared, and in readiness; but, it is the mobilized army that engages the enemy. Those who are called on "active" duty have some advantages. They don't have to worry about the supply line. While they are engaging the enemy the Commander-in-Chief of the army provides housing, clothes, and food. The army can focus on overcoming the enemy ("... seek first the Kingdom of God") without thought to the needs of this world. Before an army is mobilized, intelligence has analyzed the enemy positions, weapons, tactics, strategies, modes of operation, and other pertinent information. In a spiritual context this involves understanding about "spiritual geography". We must be discerning about the effect the invisible has on the visible. The story of Elisha's servant is a good example. He could see the visible--the horses, chariots, and great host of the enemy coming against them, but could not see the invisible until Elisha prayed for his eyes to be opened. Then he saw the spiritual army that surrounded Elisha and saw the results of their work when Elisha prayed. II Ki 6:15-18 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. (KJV) Remember, it is spiritual reality (the heavenlies) that is the arena of battle. This is where our warfare occurs with the outcomes of the battles manifested in natural reality (us, our assembly, our cities.) We need to ask God to open our eyes; to help us see the city the way that He does. We must discern the spiritual reality of our city. We need to see how the "spiritual geography" is laid out. Is there one “principality” or several “powers” dividing the area? If we have trouble viewing the spiritual reality, we can project or deduce it from the groupings of similar societal symptoms that are manifested in particular geographical areas. Remember, the area takes on the characteristics of its ruler. It is important that the people involved in spiritual warfare come against the strongholds that hinder working together. Strongholds are built by the Devil so that he can influence behavior without being detected. A stronghold is always built on a foundation of the flesh. As the stronghold develops, it empowers the flesh to the point that it can become uncontrollable. This is one of Satan's tactics to keep the body from unity—playing on the fleshly, carnal nature in us. The three toughest strongholds that you will have to deal with as you try to come together are 1) disunity, 2) spiritual apathy, 3) spiritual ignorance. The enemy works through these both individually and corporately. Tearing down these strongholds sets you free to come into unity with the brethren and gives you the desire to fulfill the calling of God. The strongholds mentioned above work on a corporate level. The type of stronghold changes depending on the arenas of conflict. For example, if you are beginning on the personal level the three toughest strongholds are 1) unbelief, 2) fear, and 3) lust. The family area would also produce different strongholds that would have to be dealt with. God has given us the pattern for spiritual war in Jeremiah: Jer 1:10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.(KJV) You can't build or plant until you first root out, pull down, and destroy. First root out (locate) the areas of enemy activity, then pull down the strongholds, destroy their deceptions, and throw down their influence. Afterwards, build and plant with the Word of God. Determine which areas of enemy activity are in your personal, family or church's sphere of influence and concentrate on them. There will be spiritual boundaries that can be sensed in the spirit through prayer. 2 Cor 10:13-16 We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you. We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you with the gospel of Christ. Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in another man's territory. (NIV) This type of spiritual warfare is usually a corporate function. At the personal level you will have to deal with strongholds and the flesh but corporately you will have to come against territorial spirits. That means the battle is bigger than your group of believers. While it may start as a function of your assembly or group, it will grow to encompass a bigger area. Go to battle with the authority of the Name of Jesus. The enemy has blinded the minds of people. The purpose of spiritual warfare is to give them sight and understanding, to set the captives free by tearing down enemy strongholds and opening the heavens (through prayer). For further instruction on how to deal with the principalities and powers see the teaching “Prayers and Proclamations” available on our website: www.lifestreamteaching.com . These principles will make a good guideline to follow as you move into spiritual warfare. But, remember, these are principles only and MUST be applied to your situation by the Holy Spirit to be effective. FOOTNOTES 1Joshua 1:2-6 2Joshua 1:12-15 32 Cor. 1:20 4Romans 14:17 5Luke 12:32 6Joshua 1:3 7Eph. 2:8 81 Cor. 15:25-28 9Luke 19:13 10Neh. 9:6 112 Cor. 12:2 12Rev. 12:4 13Matt. 8:31 14Matt. 12:43-45 15For further study of this topic see “Present Truth Volume 3 Issue 11-12 and Volume 4 Issue 1-2” available on the website www.lifestreamteaching.com 161 Cor. 4:20 17Luke 11:20 181 Cor. 2:20 19Matt. 6:10 20Romans 14:17 21Rev. 20:6 22Heb. 1:13-14 23Isa. 9:7 24John 18:36 25Eph. 6:12 262 Cor. 10:4 27Joshua 5:13-6:5 28Joshua 5:5-8 29Rom. 2:29 30Acts 19”13-16 31Matt. 17:19-21 32James 1:8; James 4:8 33Deut. 32:30 34Ecc. 4:12 35Matt. 18:20 36Eph. 2:2 37Eph. 4:3 381 Cor. 12:4-6 39Psalm 133:1-3 © 2000—2006 Art Nelson and Lifestream Teaching Ministries

The Fractured Kingdom

Introduction

The Kingdom of God is one of those “mysterious” subjects that get mentioned occasionally but not really discussed. There seems to be an assumption that we all know what the Kingdom of God is—that it is somehow self-evident. However, in my teaching classes, when I ask the students what they think that the Kingdom of God is I get some very strange answers, such as, “the church” or “heaven”. I even had one student that said that the Kingdom of God was “the personality of God”.

Why do we not know more about or understand the Kingdom of God? In the New Testament there are about 150 direct references to the Kingdom of God and many more indirect references. Jesus, Himself, spoke of the Kingdom about 100 times, whereas, He mentioned “church” only three times and two of those references were in the same verse. What is wrong with this picture? Throughout the New Testament the Kingdom of God is emphasized more than “church”. Have we emphasized the wrong subject?

Of course, that is not a problem if you consider the Kingdom of God and the Church to be the same thing; but, are they? It appears that the New Testament uses distinctly different terminology when referring to the Kingdom as opposed to the Church. This would not be the case if they were the same thing.

Jesus told Nicodemus that one must be born again to see the Kingdom or to enter the Kingdom.¹ We consider “being born again” as the thing that makes us a Christian and automatically a part of the Church, the Body of Christ; but Jesus said it was a pre-requisite to “seeing” the Kingdom. Paul told the disciples as he returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God."² We would never say that it is through many tribulations that we enter the Church.

Why do we understand so little about the Kingdom of God? The answer to that is like a slap in the face—because God has hidden the Kingdom from us! Why would God do that?

Mark 4:11-12 NKJV And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, (12) so that 'SEEING THEY MAY SEE AND NOT PERCEIVE, AND HEARING THEY MAY HEAR AND NOT UNDERSTAND; LEST THEY SHOULD TURN, AND THEIR SINS BE FORGIVEN THEM.' "

Jesus said that if you are outside of the Kingdom all things are in parables so that you won't know—it stays a mystery. The things of the Kingdom are only given to those who are in the Kingdom. This is an affront to our sense of fairness but the Lord has purposely done it this way. Why? Because the Kingdom can only be understood by the revelation of the Holy Spirit. The Kingdom involves the Lordship of Jesus and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.³ The carnal or natural mind cannot understand or comprehend the Kingdom of God because it is spiritual at the moment and must be discerned spiritually. (It is no less real, just not visible physically until the 1000 year reign of Christ.)

1 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV (14) But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The Holy Spirit is to teach us all things⁴, We have received the Holy Spirit “that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God”⁵, which includes the things of the Kingdom of God.

Without the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we are left as those who are “outside”. The Holy Spirit must open to us the mystery of the Kingdom. This is only done when the Kingdom becomes a priority in our lives. Jesus told us to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness”⁶. Until we begin to seek the Kingdom first, before all other things, we will never understand the Kingdom.

Working Definition

Jesus told us in the model prayer to pray “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”⁷ This gives us an immediate working definition of the Kingdom. It is where the will of God is done—completely and totally. This is absolutely the case in Heaven—the will of God is absolutely done. However, this is not the case on earth—the will of God is not done completely. There are two other wills competing for fulfillment on earth—the will of man and the will of the Devil. The Kingdom of God coming on earth eliminates all other wills that are not the will of God.⁸

If the coming of the Kingdom is directly related to the will of God being accomplished, then, our involvement with the Kingdom would relate to obedience to the will of God. Jesus made this very clear.

Matthew 7:21 NKJV "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

Disobedience will cause us not to be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.⁹ Just saying “Lord, Lord” is not sufficient—the action of obedience is required.

Another part of our working definition involves the government of God, which is under His established King—Jesus.¹⁰ It is to the King that we are obedient. As we walk in obedience to King Jesus, the government of God comes to our life and we begin to enter the Kingdom of God.¹¹

Our working definition now raises some questions. Why does the Kingdom of God have to come to the earth? Doesn't it already exist is Heaven? How does it come to the earth? Why is this important to the Lord? How does this affect us? What if we are not being obedient? How does this relate to salvation? To begin to answer these questions, we need to look at Kingdom of God from the Eternal perspective of the Throne of God.

The Eternal Kingdom

For the Kingdom to come on earth as it is in Heaven tells us that in Heaven the Kingdom exists and functions as it has always existed and functioned—the Kingdom of God, where the will of God is done, is Eternal. It has always been Eternal and will always be Eternal—the absolutely unshakable Kingdom of the Father.

So the question becomes, “What happened?” How did the earth get broken off of the Kingdom of God? How did the Kingdom become fractured? To answer this we have to go back to before God created man. The Eternal Kingdom would include all beings created by God in the heavens and the earth. The government of God functions with various beings holding governmental authority over their areas of responsibility. However, at some point the Kingdom of God was challenged by the original rebellion against God led by the Devil. We don't have very many details given to us in the Scriptures about this but we do get a few glimpses.

Rebellion began in the heart of Lucifer, a powerful archangel of God who functioned in an important role in the creation and Kingdom of God. Prior to the revelation of unrighteousness in his heart, he had oversight of part of the creation of God and had specific job functions in God's Kingdom.

Ezekiel 28:12-18 NKJV "Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. (13) You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created. (14) "You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. (15) You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you. (16) "By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones. (17) "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you. (18) "You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you.

Obviously, the words of these scriptures speak of someone greater than the physical King of Tyre. They speak of the power behind the King and the Spiritual forces that empower him. With this we have a glimpse into the fall of Lucifer. Several characteristics are revealed:

1. He had the seal of perfection.

2. He was full of wisdom.

3. He was perfect in beauty.

4. He was located in Eden, the garden of God. [I don't believe that this is the Eden of Genesis, which was Adam's habitat. The Hebrew word of Eden means “pleasure” or “paradise”. This Eden was a mineral garden that was prepared as a covering for Lucifer the day that he was created.]

5. He was placed by God as a covering.

6. He was on the Holy Mountain of God and he walked among the stones of fire [In Revelation, these seem to be in the throne room of God.]

7. He was blameless in his function from the time he was created until he fell.

There is no hint in these scriptures concerning time. Apparently, this was before the creation of our space-time continuum, in other words, in eternity past. Time, itself, as we know it, was created by God when He created our universe. It has no application to the invisible things outside of our universe. [Einstein showed that time is integrally related to our physical universe when he linked time, mass and speed together with his theory of relativity.]

At some point, things changed in the heart and mind of Lucifer:

1. His wisdom was corrupted by his splendor and his heart was lifted up because of his beauty.

2. This caused unrighteousness to be found in him.

3. Violence filled him because of the abundance of his trade. [What is his trade or merchandise? The root of one of the Hebrew words here means “whisperer”. I believe that his “merchandise” had to do with a slander campaign against God. He went up and down among the angels whispering against God.]

4. By his actions, he profaned his sanctuaries.

Let's add to these another set of scriptures that also gives us a glimpse into the fall of Lucifer.

Isaiah 14:12-14 NKJV "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! (13) For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; (14) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'

These scriptures list a series of five “I wills” that Lucifer purposed in his heart. I am going to list these in a different order to show an important point.

1. I will make myself like the Most High.

2. I will ascend above the clouds.

3. I will ascend to heaven.

4. I will raise my throne above the stars of God.

5. I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north.

When listed like this, what is the starting point from which he will ascend? It would appear to me that the starting point would be under the clouds since the first place he would ascend to is “above the heights of the clouds”. The only thing under the clouds would be the earth. This implies to me that prior to his fall, Lucifer had oversight of some portion of God's creation and that the earth was central to the area that he oversaw. Could it be possible that his sanctuary that he defiled was spiritually linked to or a part of the earth? Revelation 2:12-13 it says that the church of Pergamum dwelt in the place of Satan's throne. Could this be a reference to the location of Satan's throne prior to his fall?

We don't have definitive answers to these questions but it seems to me that we can infer that prior to Lucifer's fall he governed some portion of the Kingdom of heaven for God and performed functions associated with the purpose for which he was created. The earth existed prior to his fall and was most likely the base of operations from which Lucifer exercised dominion for God, thus making the earth a part of the domain of the Kingdom of heaven. He defiled his sanctuary by operating a whispering smear campaign against the Lord that seduced a third of God's angels into following him and now these angels are referred to as Satan's angels (Rev. 12:7-9).

Therefore, when the Devil rebelled the Kingdom of heaven was fractured. In American History we have a physical example in the natural of what happened spiritually. The South fractured the United States by seceding from the union of the United States, resulting in a Civil War. The war was fought to restore the union. Similarly, in the Kingdom of heaven, a portion of was “separated” from the Eternal Kingdom. This portion was claimed by Satan as his domain—the kingdom of darkness. The Devil established himself as the “god of this age¹²”, the “prince of the power of the air”¹³, so, we can conclude that the earth is included in the “fractured” portion of the Kingdom.

So, we have a situation wherein the Kingdom of heaven has been compromised and a portion has seceded from the will of God. This is a problem which must be dealt with fully by God in righteousness and justice. It cannot be allowed to continue.

God, being God, could have simply slapped the Devil out of existence. He could even have made it so that the Devil had never existed at all. God could have done that; but, He didn't. Why? Because He is God. A demonstration of power, no matter how provoked, is still only a demonstration of power. God has all power and doesn't need to prove it. He needs to solve the problem with all righteousness and with all justice. And being the efficient God that He is, He incorporated into His solution some of the hidden wisdom of His heart that He had purposed in Himself.

Lesson 2 of the Kingdom of God Series will continue with “The Mystery Covenant”,
which will begin to look at how God intends to restore His Kingdom.

Click here for Entire Series

FOOTNOTES

Jesus the Prophet

We so emphasize Jesus as Savior that we sometimes forget that He is also a prophet. As a matter of fact, He is The Prophet. The Lord spoke to Moses in Deuteronomy 18:18-19 that He would raise up a prophet and that His word should be heeded. Peter quoted this in his sermon on the day of Pentecost.

Acts 3:22-23 NASB

(22) "Moses said, 'THE LORD GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN; TO HIM YOU SHALL GIVE HEED to everything He says to you.

(23) 'And it will be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.'

This tells us that when Jesus functions as a prophet, we need to pay attention to His words because they are completely true. This is most important when He is speaking of future events.

Jesus elaborated on the end time events in what is sometimes called the “Olivet discourse”, which the Lord considered important enough the it is recorded three times in the Scriptures: Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. There are some differences in terms of what each writer recorded but they all concern the same event.

The three writers each give us a slightly different viewpoint concerning the discussion. I used to own a video production company and many times we would do a three camera shoot. Each camera was recording the same event but from a different perspective: one might be a closeup, another might be a long angle view and another might be a medium, head-on view. The final product would be a mixture of the various views. The same is true of the three accounts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Each recorded the words and emphases of Jesus from his perspective. All three accounts should be read to get a full picture of the event.

To me, these words of Jesus become the backbone or spine of all prophetic understanding of end time events. When an anthropologist tries to reconstruct a skeleton, the starting point is the spine if it is available. If you have the backbone, it is relatively easy to fit the others pieces to it. However, if you try to start the reconstruction from the left appendage or foot, then it is very difficult to fit the pieces together. The same is true of our understanding of end time events. There have been some that have taken a few Scriptures from various places in the Bible and then have attempted to build from these a complete end time scenario. It think that doing this will always result in things that may sound nice but actually fall far short of biblical truth.

The Context

Before we get into the details of Matthew 24, let's look at the context in which Jesus spoke. Jesus had just finished saying some hard things to the Pharisees in Chapter 23. The ending of that chapter reveals the position of the Lord concerning them.

Matthew 23:37-39 NASB

(37) "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.

(38) "Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!

(39) "For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, 'BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!'"

Verse 37 says that they were unwilling to be gathered and protected by the Lord. Because of their unwillingness, their house was left desolate and they would not see Him again until they were receptive to the One who comes in the name of the Lord. The next verse (verse one of the next chapter) says that He left the Temple.

Matthew 24:1 NASB

(1) Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him.

When Jesus left the Temple, the Glory left also. This was the last time that Jesus was in the Temple. In one sense of the word, He “shook the dust from His feet” and walked away because of their unwillingness to receive Him. As He left, the disciples pointed out temple buildings and, I am sure, commented on their beauty and majesty. And then Jesus drops the bomb on them.

Matthew 24:2 NASB

(2) And He said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down."

This rocked their world. They considered the temple to be permanent. The thought that it would be destroyed cut the very foundation out from under them.

The Questions

The disciples probably considered this as they strolled to the Mount of Olives (its about a leisurely fifteen minute walk from the temple area). Unable to comprehend this, they asked questions of Jesus.

Matthew 24:3 NASB

(3) As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"

Depending on how you read this, they asked either two or three questions. I think of it as three but two will also fit the answers. In the disciples minds, the destruction of the temple would be the end of the age so they kind of ran the thoughts of His return, the end of the age, and the temple together because they thought they were asking one question.

However, these are the three questions:

1. When will these things happen?

2. What will be the sign of your coming?

3. What will be the sign of the end of the age?

Those that see two questions combine two and three into one question, What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?

The Answers

Jesus gave detailed answers to these questions but not in the order asked. As a matter of fact, I think that He purposely mixed the answers so that spiritual discernment is required to fully understand what he was saying.

Jesus begins by answering the second question first—the sign of His coming—in verses four through fifteen. He starts with a warning about deception. It would seem that deception is rampant concerning His coming. One of the marks of the end times is the increase of deception even to the point that the very elect struggle with it.

Then Jesus moves on to wars. There is an increase of war of every type and combination of people, kingdoms, and nations. By the way, the Greek word of nation here is “ethnos” from which we get ethnic. We are seeing wars of genocide between ethnic groups today.

When you add the events that are listed in Luke 21:10-11 to these in Matthew, we have a series of events that will occur.

1. Deception (rampant)

2. Wars and war talk

3. Earthquakes

4. Plagues

5. Famines

6. Terrors

7. Great signs in Heaven

When all of these begin to occur together then it is the beginning of something.

Matthew 24:8 NASB

(8) "But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.

When these seven things begin to appear together (we have all of these happening right now) then it is the beginning of labor pains. Something is about to be born. (See also Romans 8:19-22). The question is what is being birthed?

The birthing is of the Kingdom of God with Christ on the Throne of His Glory. In First Thessalonians 5:2-3 the Day of the Lord is pictured as coming upon the world with destruction for the heathen like a woman in labor pains. I think that this is referring to the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom where Christ physically reigns on His Throne for a 1000 years. This is further supported by Matthew 19:28 where Jesus refers to the regeneration.

Matthew 19:28 NASB

(28) And Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

This says to me that the birth pains are the prelude to the birthing of the Kingdom and the regeneration.

Jesus elaborates with more birth pains that are specific to believers and not just the world in general.

Matthew 24:9-13 NASB

(9) "Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

(10) "At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.

(11) "Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.

(12) "Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold.

(13) "But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

The word for love in verse 12 is “agape”, the God kind of love. This word is only applicable to God's people. Among God's people these types of birth pains will occur:

1. Betrayal

2. Tribulation

3. Apostasy

4. Deception

5. Increase of lawlessness

6. Decrease of the love of God

7. Necessity of endurance

After this listing of more birth pains, Jesus gives us THE sign of the end.

Matthew 24:14 NASB

(14) "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Notice that the gospel preached is not a gospel of salvation, or prosperity, or healing or any of the other “gospels” were hear preached on television and from many of the pulpits; but, it is the gospel of the kingdom—the Lordship and rulership of Jesus. This gospel must be preached in the whole world and then the end comes.

Then, with the next verse, the focus changes from the world to Jerusalem and Judea. Jesus begins to answer the question, “When will these things be?”. The question was asked in the context of the destruction of the temple.

Jesus gives the the sign for the events and tells them when these are seen, there is an urgency to flee.

Matthew 24:15 NASB

(15) "Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),

Luke 21:20 NASB

(20) "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near.

NOTE: I don't think we understand all that is meant by the “abomination of desolation” that is mentioned in Daniel. It is apparent that part of what is meant in Daniel has to do with Antiochus Epiphanes but there also seems to be elements that speak of a future fulfillment, possibly the Roman emblems and idols just prior to the temple's destruction.

It is a historical fact that the Roman armies surrounded Jerusalem and due to political reasons withdrew momentarily. Then the siege was re-established and Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed. Those that believed Jesus and His prophetic words escaped the destruction and those that didn't died or went into slavery. Over two million Hebrews were killed by the Romans and another million were sold in the slave markets. Luke gives us some more details

Luke 21:24 NASB

(24) and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The result is that Jerusalem will be occupied by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. This is an important mark in the timeline of God. In Romans 2:9-10 there is a principle that is important to us—to the Jew first, then to the Greek. In God's dealings with us He deals with the Jews first and then the Gentiles. For example: just as the Jews have wandered far from their geographical inheritance, we, the church, have wandered far from our spiritual inheritance. Just as the Jews are now returning and beginning to occupy their God given physical inheritance, the church is beginning to return and occupy her God given spiritual promises and inheritance.

In Jeremiah 30:3-4 God says that the time will come when He will restore the Jews to the land of promise. After that comes a time of tribulation and distress and it is pictured like birth pangs. In verse seven, Jeremiah calls it the time of Jacob's trouble, or Jacob's distress.

We need to pay attention to this because the tribulation will be in two phases—first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. When the time of Jacob's trouble comes on Israel, it won't be long until phase two hits the Gentiles. This could easily be the Great Tribulation mentioned in the scriptures.

After mentioning the trouble that will come, Jesus then gives another warning about deception. Many will say that Messiah is in the desert or the secret room. In other words, the characteristics of this deception is that Christ is hidden or in a hidden place not visible to all. Jesus then contrasts the deception with the Truth. He says don't believe them because the reality is that all will see the Lord just like a lightning flash; nothing will be hidden.

Matthew 24:27 NASB

(27) "For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Jesus tells us that this will be immediately after the tribulation days.

Matthew 24:29-31 NASB

(29) "But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

(30) "And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.

(31) "And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

This completes the answer about the close of the age. Immediately after the days of tribulation, the Lord returns and this age closes. It is important to understand both the sequence and the types of events because it will keep us from deception.

There is a teaching (dominion theology) running through the Body of Christ that basically says that the Church will conquer society before Jesus comes back and will hand Him a subdued kingdom at His return. If this were true, then based on Jesus words above, the church would have to cause the tribulation. That is certainly not in the Scriptures. This teaching is one of the deceptions spoken of here by the Lord.

Recap

To summarize the questions and answers:

1. When will these things be? (The temple destroyed)

   1. When Jerusalem is surrounded by armies and the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel is manifested. (This occurred in AD 70)

2. What is THE sign of your coming?

   1. The gospel of the kingdom is preached to all of the world as a sign to the nations.

3. What is the sign of the close of the age?

   1. The birth pains begin, the time of Jacob's trouble. The times of the Gentiles are fulfilled (Jerusalem is again fully occupied and controlled by the Jews). And THE sign: the Great Tribulation.

If we take words of Jesus in Matthew 24 as the spine or backbone of end time prophecy, then we can begin to fit the other scriptures relating to the end to it in a way that creates a cohesive whole without doing violence to the Word and without creating some logical construct based on presumptive interpretation as some have done.

Meaning of Church

We have taken the word church and given it a religious meaning which is greater than its original usage. In order to remove from its meaning all of the tradition which has been attached to the word, we need to establish its original meaning from the Scriptures.

The Greek word translated as church is ekklesia and has a definite and specific meaning—an assembly formed by calling people out of a larger group. The Greek word is used three times in Acts chapter 19 (verses 32, 39, 41) with its secular meaning and is translated “assembly”. This assembly was called in the City of Ephesus to deal with the effects of Paul's ministry there. We can learn several things from the usage of ekklesia in this instance.

1. they went to gather in the theater; this establishes the fact that ekklesia is not a place but people.

2. not all people in Ephesus were allowed to attend, only those that met the requirements of citizenship and were freemen.

The same is true of the ekklesia of Jesus Christ.

Requirements for Participation

If we are to participate in the ekklesia of Jesus Christ then we, too, must meet the proper criteria. There are four requirements and we can find them in Matthew 16:15-18 in Peter's response to Jesus question about who He is.

Matthew 16:15-18 NASB

(15) He *said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

(16) Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

(17) And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

(18) "I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

First, there was a confrontation with Jesus over the issue of who He is. This is the first step—the issue of Jesus. Second, the Father revealed that Jesus is the Son of the Living God (this revelation does not come through people). Third, Peter acknowledged Jesus as the Son of God. And, fourth, Peter confessed Jesus as the Son of God before others.

It was this revelation of who He is that is the rock upon which the ekklesia of Jesus Christ is built

To participate in the ekklesia of Jesus, we must have a personal confrontation with Jesus for the revelation, acknowledgment, and confession of Him as the Son of the Living God. This makes us a member of the Church Universal; that is, a part of all who have become a part of Christ.

To become a part of the Local Church, we must reside in a locality. The Local Church is that part of the Church Universal which is resident in any given locality.

USAGES OF “EKKLESIA” (As translated in the KJV)
Church in a city	35 times
Church in a house	4 times
Churches in a province	36 times
Church universal	20 times
Church local, but not exactly defined	16 times
Church in the wilderness (O.T. Church)	1 time
Assembly (of the City of Ephesus)	3 times
Churches in a city	0 times
Church in a province	0 times
TOTAL	115 times

We can see from the way ekklesia is used that there are only two defining areas for a local church: 1) city; 2) house. It is unscriptural to speak of two or more churches overlapping one another in any given locality. The use of the word is never plural for a city and never singular for a province.

Scriptural Characteristics of Church

While the Scriptures present several different types or pictures of the Church to bring us into understanding, the Church is primarily compared to two types: a house or building and a body. (Another primary type is bride, but, that needs to be dealt with in a different setting.)

Church as a Building

Ephesians 2:20-22 NASB

(20) having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,

(21) in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord,

(22) in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

1 Peter 2:4-6 NASB

(4) And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God,

(5) you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

(6) For this is contained in Scripture: "BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER stone, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED."

The Church is a spiritual building with Christ as the foundation and cornerstone and the true believers are built together as living stones. In Scriptures, “church” is NEVER applied to physical buildings made of brick and mortar.

The Church has only one foundation (I Corinthians3:11) upon which we build. As a building or house, we are being built together as God's dwelling place by the Spirit of God not by human hands.

Acts 7:48 NASB

(48) "However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says:

Acts 17:24-25 NASB

(24) "The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands;

(25) nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things;

The Lord has caused Himself to dwell in His people not in a physical building. We are the building materials for His House. We are not just a pile of stones; but, instead are being built together (this implies purpose, placement and function). The Lord is building His dwelling place out of us, the living stones.

The structure in which the Church gathers is nothing special to God and neither should it be anything special to His people. In some denominations, the Church building has taken on such religious connotations that it has almost become an idol. We need to be very careful in this, lest we become guilty of idolatry.

Church as a Body

Ephesians 1:22-23 NASB

(22) And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,

(23) which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

There is only one Body (Ephesians 4:4) with its headquarters in Heaven and there is only one Head.

As a Body, the Church is the Lord's personal representative and executive agent for the Kingdom of God.

Matthew 10:40 NASB

(40) "He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.

Each believer is an individual member of the one body.

Romans 12:4-5 NASB

(4) For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function,

(5) so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

1 Corinthians 12:12-14 NASB

(12) For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.

(13) For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

(14) For the body is not one member, but many.

1 Corinthians 12:18-21 NASB

(18) But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.

(19) If they were all one member, where would the body be?

(20) But now there are many members, but one body.

(21) And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; or again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."

God has placed the members of the Body together in the way that pleases Him, but, also in such a way that all of the members need and depend on each other. It takes all of the individual members for the Body to be whole.

The Church is held together by joints and ligaments.

Colossians 2:19 NASB

(19) and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.

The “joints” are personal relationships: a) to Christ; and b) to fellow believers. We get “out of joint” when we allow a personal relationship to become stressed or broken. When body members are “out of joint” it hinders the functioning of the Body as a whole.

The “ligaments” or “bonds” are the universal attitudes necessary to hold the “joints” together; that is, to maintain unity. These are “peace” and “love”.

Ephesians 4:3 NASB

(3) being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Colossians 3:14 NASB

(14) Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

All of the joints and ligaments of the Body are invisible; that is, they are not seen with the natural senses. It is difficult for people to deal with invisible things. We want everything to be seen.

The major problem of the Old Testament was the repeated error of Israel to represent or replace the invisible God with some kind of visible image. Today, the one constantly repeated error of Christians is to replace the invisible relationships within the true Church with some kind of visible structure or organization.

The long term result of replacing the invisible relationships with visible structure is that the invisible relationships cease to be recognized and many times become completely broken. In the denominational church of today it seems that structure is more important than relationships and that structure must be maintained at all costs.

The Body is an organism not an organization. It is structured by living functions (joints and ligaments) rather than organizational charts.

Read Entire Lesson Here

Introduction

The issue of the tithe is a growing problem among the people of God. The Institutional Church is adamant about the necessity of believers tithing (when they say that they mean to the Church) and those in the House Church movement are saying that tithing is not a New Testament concept and is not required.

I, personally, think that most of the arguments come from wrong motives that attempt to justify each position. The Institutional Church has huge financial obligations that are ongoing, which include buildings, staff and programs. They feel that the Church would suffer a financial collapse if their members didn't tithe. On the other hand, many in the House Churches latch onto the “tithing not required” teaching to justify not giving since they don't have buildings, staff and programs to support.

The real questions are “What does God expect?”, “What should we be doing?”. The only proper way to answer these is to look at the Scriptures and depend on the Holy Spirit to provide insight and understanding concerning God's purpose. Please do not jump to conclusions but read this entire article because I believe that the Lord wants to adjust our thinking with a major paradigm shift concerning money and giving.

First, let's look at the current teaching from the Institutional Church.

Current Institutional Church Teaching

We have all heard the sermons on robbing God that come from Malachi. We all have experienced or know someone who has experienced such a legalistic attitude toward tithing that the finances of church members are tracked and questions are asked if enough “tithe” has not been given. Many who struggle to put food on the table for their family are condemned for not tithing “off the top” of their meager income. When they complain that they can't afford to tithe, they are told that they can't afford not to tithe. They are told that they need more faith and if they will just be obedient to tithe that God will bless their finances.

Sermons are preached about “seed faith” and “seed giving” and how that your harvest is determined by your planting and that your tithe is planted as the “first fruits” that belong to God. You are sowing into God's kingdom and you will reap a financial harvest. Many scripture verses are quoted to justify these sermons. While, in some ways, there is an element of truth in this, it is twisted to focus on the church or the ministry doing the preaching and how they are the ones that should be receiving the tithe or the financial seed.

Almost all of the churches that I have attended over the years will, at some point in the service, pass the offering plate. When this is done, usually, the scriptures in Malachi are read, either the one about robbing God or the one about bringing all of the tithe into the storehouse. In the larger churches there is even behind the scenes discussion about which offering “minister” gets the biggest offerings. If one particular person excels at “offering taking” (meaning that they can get more money out of the congregation than others can) then that person will become the “official offering minister”.

The offering time has become such a blatant manipulation of guilt and other emotions that it sickens me to see it. People feel condemned, guilty of robbing God if they don't give the tithe and beyond. Many feel that their relationship with the Lord is in jeopardy and that His favor will depart if they don't give. Because I refuse to be manipulated, whenever I am in a service where this occurs, I will not give anything to these manipulators.

So, lets examine the foundation for this type of teaching on tithing. If someone asks about tithing being part of the Law of Moses just like the dietary laws regarding pork or shrimp, they are immediately told that tithing was before the Law because Abraham paid tithe to Melchizedek, which set the precedent for all tithing since then. Is this a valid answer? I would like to point out that circumcision was before the Law also—did it set a precedent for all of the rest of us? Obviously not to anyone who reads the New Testament and what is said about circumcision.

What the Law Says

The Law formalized all aspects of life for the children of Israel. Required behavior was specified and punishment or consequences were also specified if one did not obey the requirements. This included the tithe, which means tenth.

Purpose of the Tithe

The reason for the tithe under the Law was to support the tribe of Levi, which were the priests of God. They did not have an inheritance in the land, but served God and the tabernacle.¹ Their tithe (the tithe of the tithe) went to the high priest as his portion². The tithe was their inheritance instead of the land and their work was the work of the tabernacle and not the work of plowing and herding sheep.

A little quick math will reveal that taking 10% from the other eleven tribes and then the high priest receiving 10% of the 10% provides a standard of living for the priests that is equal to the standard of living for the other tribes. By the methodology of the tithe, those who served God and the people maintained the same standard of living as the people—no more, no less.

Components of the Tithe

The tithe consisted of the produce of the fields and of the herds of the tribes.³ It is interesting to note that the tithe is never mentioned in terms of money. The only time money is used for the tithe is when, during the third year festival tithe, the place where the Lord had placed His name was too far away to carry the produce. If that was the case, then the produce could be turned into money to make the trip easier.⁴

Today, everything relating to tithe is discussed in terms of money as if there were no other way to tithe. That is because the organization of church requires money to operate—produce doesn't do it any good.

Recipients of the Tithe

Under the Law, the primary recipients of the tithe were the priests since the support of the priests was the tithe's primary purpose. However, others also participated in the benefit of the tithe. Besides the Levites, these included the widows, orphans and the strangers at the gates.⁵

There are occasions when the one who is bringing the tithe actually receives the benefit of the tithe⁶. On these occasions the tithe was taken to the place where the Lord had put His name and the tithe was eaten as a celebration before the Lord, and, if it was too far, you could convert it to money and buy whatever your heart desired including wine and strong drink.

Principle of the Tithe From the Law

While this has not been an exhaustive study on tithe from the Law (you may want to do one), enough has been said that we can see two primary principles.

1. The tithe was used to provide a standard of living for the priests that was comparable to the standard of living for the people—no more, no less.

2. The tithe always went to flesh and blood—to people. The tithe was NEVER used for brick and mortar. Offerings were used to build the furniture of the tabernacle and to build the temple, but never were tithes used for things. Things aren't important to God, people are.

Institutional Church Application

When it comes to tithing, the Institutional Church has selectively applied the Law to believers and then used the results as they have desired and not according to even the principles of the Law. However, they forget that if we depend on the Law then we have to keep the whole Law.⁷ The Institutional Church has followed in the ways of the Pharisees and tithe on the smallest of things and neglect the bigger things, straining out gnats and swallowing camels.⁸

Some Pharisaical fallacies have resulted from this type of application within the Institutional Church.

1. “The tithe comes first, before anything else including the needs of your family. There is no such thing as being too poor to tithe—you can't afford not to tithe.” To validate this fallacy, the scripture is ignored about determining the tithe of the herd. The herd was counted and every tenth animal that passed under the rod was a tithe to the Lord.⁹ This means that if the owner of the herd was poor and had fewer than ten animals, there was no tithe due.

2. “The tithe is the best of the best.” This fallacy is usually attached to the first one listed above. The same scripture is ignored in this one also. When the tenth animal was counted, it was not to be evaluated as to whether it was good or bad—it belonged to the Lord regardless.¹⁰

3. “If you fail to tithe from every dollar that you receive, you are robbing God and are cursed with a curse.” At this point Malachi 3:6-9 is usually quoted. This fallacy is a great guilt and fear manipulation; however, it is misapplied. Read Malachi chapter two and three together. The translators have added the chapter numbers, they are not in the original. When read together it becomes obvious that the prophet is addressing the priests.¹¹ Look at the series of questions that are asked of the priests. It is the priests that have robbed God!

4. “You must bring all of the tithe into the storehouse.” Again, Malachi 3:10 is quoted as a validation. As stated above, in context this applies to the priests, the tribe of Levi. Of course, when this is quoted, they mean that the church (their church) is the storehouse. However, the storehouse was a room that was a part of the temple.¹² The temple, including the storehouse, was destroyed in 70 AD. There is no longer a physical temple nor storehouse for the tithes. It has been invalidated by Jesus. The early Church understood that Jesus is building His own temple from living stones¹³ and that this temple, made without hands, will be indwelt by God.¹⁴

There are many other fallacies that could be added to this list, but these are the major ones. One of the basic rules of logic is that if you start from a wrong or invalid premise, then the results or the conclusions drawn will also be invalid no matter how reasonable the conclusion may sound.

One of the real problems of current tithe teaching is the intended use of the tithe. The Institutional Church uses the Law to validate the tithe and ignores the principles contained in the Law for how the tithe is to be used. How many of the Institutional Churches that you know actually use the tithe for flesh and blood—ministers, widows, orphans, and strangers in need? In all of them that I know, the tithe is lumped into the general fund and used to pay the building note, the building maintenance, the utilities, the staff, the program supplies, and other costs associated with the church building and its support and outreach programs. Very little is used to help people that need help.

Then, there is the other extreme, where para-church ministries, independent ministries, and even some mega-churches use the tithe for an excessive life-style for the leaders who want to live like the CEOs of multi-billion dollar corporations. Again, using the Law to validate the tithe, they ignore the principle of equal or similar life-style. The leaders should have a standard of living similar to the standard of living of the people to whom they minister.

Lessons from Abraham

Now, let's move from the Law to Abraham. God made promises to Abraham 430 years before the Law was given to his descendants.¹⁵ The fulfillment of the promise is not through the Law but through faith.¹⁶ Therefore, we need to examine the actions of Abraham, apart from the Law, as it relates to the things of God. There are two issues that are prior to the Law, which were formalized by the Law, and moved into the New Covenant with their spiritual application apart from the Law. These issues, as they relate to us are 1) circumcision and 2) tithes.

Circumcision

As part of God extending His Covenant to Abraham, it was necessary that all males associated with Abraham be circumcised.

Genesis 17:10-12 NASB

(10) "This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.

(11) "And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.

(12) "And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants.

Circumcision as a mark of the covenant was an absolute requirement. God would not allow Moses to continue his journey to Egypt to deliver God's people until his son was circumcised.¹⁷ Neither would He allow the children of Israel to enter the promised land until the generation that grew up in the wilderness was circumcised.¹⁸ However, under the New Covenant, circumcision is not a requirement and one of the reasons given is that Abraham believed while he was uncircumcised. ¹⁹

The principle of circumcision, however, was carried forward into the New Covenant and is just as valid to us as to them.

Romans 2:29 NASB

(29) But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.

Paul shows us the spiritual application of the principle of circumcision. It was a mark of the covenant as seen above; it is still a mark of the covenant, only now it is of the heart. For it is by our love for one another that the world knows that we are disciples of Jesus.²⁰ Paul gives us more details in Colossians.

Colossians 2:11-12 NASB

(11) and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;

(12) having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

Our New Covenant circumcision is done by the Spirit and it removes the body of the flesh, our old nature. We symbolize this with water baptism, which buries the old body of flesh.

So, we can see how the spiritual principle of the physical acts carry through to us under the New Covenant

Tithes

Now, lets look at the principle of tithes as done by Abraham and how the spiritual application carries through to us under the New Covenant.

Genesis 14:18-20 NASB

(18) And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High.

(19) He blessed him and said, "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;

(20) And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand." He gave him a tenth of all.

This occurred after what is called the battle or slaughter of the kings as detailed in the first few verses of Genesis chapter fourteen. During these fights, Sodom had been ransacked and Lot, who was living there, was taken captive along with all of his goods. When Abraham was told about it, he took his servants and went after Lot. Abraham defeated the kings and took back all of the booty that had been taken including Lot and his possessions. After doing this Abraham was met by the new king of Sodom and Melchizedek, the king of Salem.

Melchizedek gave Abraham bread and wine. This was real ministry to him and his servants because the land had been razed of all food. The bread and wine was a necessary refreshment to the men after the stress of the battle that was just finished. Abraham then gave a tithe, a tenth, of all of the spoils that had been captured.

This meeting is a mysterious meeting. I think that it is purposely mysterious because we are supposed to see the spiritual application. Melchizedek is mentioned again in the Psalms²¹ as a priestly order and and a messianic prophecy and then carried forward in the New Testament into the book of Hebrews where this priestly order is spoken of in connection with Jesus. The priesthood of the order of Melchizedek is what connects these scriptures, old and new testament.

Hebrews specifically tells us that God has designated Jesus as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.²² This order of priests existed prior the Law and the Levitical or Aaronic priesthood and continues to exist forever because Jesus is not a priest of the Levitical order but is a priest of the order of Melchizedek and, because of the power of His indestructible life, will remain our high priest forever.²³

So, Abraham gave a tithe to the priest, Melchizedek, who is a picture or type of Christ, with the bread and wine served to Abraham being a type of the body and blood of Jesus. This is carried forward to the New testament by this verse:

Hebrews 7:8 NASB

(8) In this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on.

Under the Levitical priesthood mortal men received tithes. Under the Melchizedek priesthood, Jesus, our high priest, receives tithe because it is witnessed that He lives on. This brings the principle of tithes forward into the New Covenant by the priesthood of Melchizedek.

Melchizedek Meets Abraham

We have in Melchizedek the pattern of priesthood that pertains to us. We as a kingdom of priests²⁴ are of the same order of priesthood as our High Priest and, therefore, should follow the same pattern.

Priestly functions as demonstrated by Melchizedek:

1. Blessing. He blessed Abraham and he blessed God.

2. Bread and wine. He served the “communion meal” to Abraham.

3. Gave of himself. Melchizedek performed his functions first by giving of himself, his time, and his resources.

Abraham responded to the priestly functions of Melchizedek by giving him the tithe of the spoils. Melchizedek performed his functions without any regard to reward or compensation. No mention was made of a tithe or even of an offering. The tithe response was entirely Abraham's prerogative.

Principles of Tithe from Abraham

We can infer some principles from the story of Abraham and Melchizedek.

1. The tithe was an event driven opportunity. The occasion presented itself as an opportunity to provide a tithe of the spoils. There is no record in the Scriptures of Abraham doing any more tithing. We can't infer that he didn't simply because it is not recorded; but, we can infer that it was either so routine that it is not mentioned anymore or that is was so non-routine that it was rare.

2. The tithe went to a Melchizedek priest. The tithe went to the one who blessed him and provided the bread and wine.

3. The priest provided his services and resources without regard for, nor mention of the tithe. The tithe was not only not demanded and not required, it was not even mentioned.

4. The tithe was given by the prerogative, the decision of Abraham without obligation or necessity.

New Testament Application

We can sum up the principles that we have discussed from the Law and from the encounter of Abraham and Melchizedek in order to bring the principles forward for spiritual application.

1. The tithe should always go to flesh and blood, especially to those who provide blessing and minister the bread and wine to us.

2. The tithe should go to the priests of the order of Melchizedek who serve the Lord and the tabernacle to provide a comparable standard of living as the people have.

3. The tithe is not a requirement that can be demanded but is, instead, given freely by the blessed one.

Even though we have reduced the tithe to these principles, which sum up our understanding, the question is, “Is the tithe even applicable to us?” So far, the only reference we have in the epistles is in Hebrews 7:8 where Jesus, our High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, ever lives to receive our tithes.

We can gain insight of this issue if we will apply the same process to this question that Jesus did with the issues of the Law during His sermon on the mount. In Matthew chapters five, six, and seven, Jesus repeatedly said “you have heard it said ... but, I say to you ...”. In each of these He stated a commandment from the Law, such as, “thou shalt not commit adultery”, and moved its application from an external observance to an internal condition of the heart, such as, “if anyone looks on a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” The “heart condition” is what becomes important not the external actions. If the heart condition is right, the external actions will also be right.

Applying this process to our tithe question yields this result: 10% was required under the old covenant; 100% is required under the new covenant. The tithe, the 10%, was an acknowledgment of God's provision and favor and was a provision for the priests. However, today, we have been bought with a price²⁵, we are not our own—100% of us and our possessions belong to God. The question is asked of us, “What do you have that you did not receive?”²⁶ We don't acknowledge God's provision by giving 10%. We acknowledge Him by being obedient to the Holy Spirit. We have to be led by the Spirit in how we handle all that God has given and this includes what we give.

Money and our Heart

Therefore, we can be assured that God works on us in areas that need to be changed and renewed. This is part of the process of renewing the mind. Before we can discuss the issue of giving, we need to look at our heart attitude toward money. Jesus had a lot to say about that.

Luke 16:10-13 NASB

(10) "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.

(11) "Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you?

(12) "And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?

(13) "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."

The way that we handle money is a test of our faithfulness. Money is a little thing to the Lord. He teaches us by His Spirit how to be faithful with wealth. This is necessary before He can trust us with true riches, which are not money.

Jesus contrasts two masters, money and God. We cannot serve both of them, but have to choose one. That is the root of our heart condition. If our motivation is money, i.e., getting more of it, then we have chosen money as our master. Once we do that, then money becomes our source for provision, protection, and security instead of the Lord.

Paul makes it clear about the dangers of this type of attitude of the heart in his letter to Timothy.

1 Timothy 6:9-11 NASB

(9) But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.

(10) For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

(11) But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.

The desire to get rich, the love of money, which is a heart condition, creates spiritual problems.

1. It is an attitude that creates temptations for us, which is a snare set by our Enemy.

2. It is an attitude that creates foolish and harmful desires in us, which bring ruin and destruction.

3. It is an attitude that creates discontent, which causes us to wander away from the faith of the Lord.

4. It is an attitude that is a root of all sorts of evil, which pierces us with many griefs.

Paul tells Timothy and by extension, us, to flee from the desire for money and instead pursue the fruits of the Spirit.

Paul continues with ministry instructions to Timothy toward those who have money.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 NASB

(17) Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.

(18) Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,

(19) storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.

This instruction specifically addresses the heart condition of the rich—a conceited attitude toward those without money and an unfounded hope in dubious riches. He contrasts the riches in this present world with the riches of God—a restatement of Jesus' words concerning two masters. He then tells us the correct heart condition.

1. Fix our hope on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy,

2. To do good, be rich in good works,

3. To be generous,

4. Be ready to share.

Doing these things from the correct heart attitude results in future treasure stored up for us in true spiritual reality—life indeed.

Before the Lord releases us into spiritual fullness, we must deal with the love of money that is in us through our old nature.

Hebrews 13:5-6 NASB

(5) Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,"

(6) so that we confidently say, "THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?"

In this is, again, the contrast between two masters, for God and money are presented as our two sources. He, Himself, never deserts us nor forsakes us, but, is our helper so that we need to have no fear of man. We, then can be content with whatever provision the Lord has made for us. Remember, Jesus told us to seek His Kingdom first and our necessities of life would be taken care of by the Father.²⁷

The requirement to be free from the love of money is necessary for us to move into the functions of the five-fold ministry. Paul instructed Timothy that this is one of the qualifying factors for the appointment of an elder—he must be free from the love of money.²⁸ Learning to be free and learning to change our heart attitude towards money begins with learning to give.

The Principle of Giving

We can now infer that the spiritual understanding of the tithe relates to our heart condition where we learn that all that we have has been received from God and belongs to God. So then, we should interpret the tithe from the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus²⁹ and not the old letter of the Law.³⁰ The tithe, then, becomes a principle of giving or a symbol and not a legalistic calculation nor a legal requirement.

New Testament giving is based on the fact that we are sons and daughters of God—His actual children rather than only being His subjects. [For further discussion of this see the teaching “Law, Life and Inheritance” available on the website.] A son can afford to be generous; whereas, a slave cannot. If we are slaves to the Law, we can legalistically apply the tithe calculation to the smallest details and still miss the purpose of God, which is one of the condemnation woes that Jesus spoke to the Pharisees.³¹

This goes back to our heart condition. Part of what we have been taught by the Institutional Church is that we tithe, give, in order to be blessed. This re-enforces the wrong attitudes of our heart for the motivation is “to get” rather than the giving.

As sons of God we are also, by faith, sons of Abraham³² and as such receive the blessing of Abraham.³³ We are already blessed in the earth.

Ephesians 1:3 NASB

(3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

We have been blessed with the blessing of Abraham, which included physical provision and increase, and we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. How, then, can we be more blessed by tithing? Therefore, our motivation cannot be “to be blessed” or “to get a blessing”. We give because the nature of our Father is to give and to give generously. We are of the same family and have inherited the same spiritual nature. We give, not to be blessed, but to be a blessing.

The Principle of Sowing and Reaping

There is a relationship between giving and receiving for it operates under the principle of sowing and reaping. Proper, correct sowing (giving) will yield an appropriate harvest (receiving). I say correct because sowing is planting and you plant in an appointed place and in properly prepared soil. You don't just scatter the seed in a haphazard manner.

Isaiah 28:24-26 NASB

(24) Does the farmer plow continually to plant seed? Does he continually turn and harrow the ground?

(25) Does he not level its surface And sow dill and scatter cummin And plant wheat in rows, Barley in its place and rye within its area?

(26) For his God instructs and teaches him properly.

We have to walk in the Spirit, be instructed and taught in order to plant correctly. This not only includes money, but all other things that are subject to the principle of sowing and reaping. As with any planting, there is a direct ratio of harvest to seed planted, i.e., the more or less that you plant, the smaller of larger the harvest.

2 Corinthians 9:6-10 NASB

(6) Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

(7) Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

(8) And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;

(9) as it is written, "HE SCATTERED ABROAD, HE GAVE TO THE POOR, HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS ENDURES FOREVER."

(10) Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness;

In these scriptures, Paul is referring to money and giving; but, we need to look at more than just verse six.

1. Giving is as one has purposed in his heart, cheerfully.

2. Giving is not done as an obligation, which is begrudged, nor as a compulsion that is required.

3. It is God that supplies the seed to be planted, multiplies it, and increases the harvest of our righteousness.

4. God makes grace abound to us, causes us to have sufficiency in everything, so that we may have an abundance for every good deed.

Notice, that the result is that we would have a sufficiency (this is not luxury), so that our abundance may go toward good works, that is, become a supply for others.

One of the frequently quoted Scriptures used to manipulate giving is this one:

Luke 6:38 NASB

(38) "Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure--pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return."

Every time that I have heard this verse quoted from the pulpit, the emphasis was money and giving and was always used to spur more giving. While this verse does relate to money, that is not its primary focus. In context of the previous verses, Jesus is emphasizing mercy, judging, loving our enemies. Our measure extends far beyond our finances and its standard is based on the condition of our heart.

The Priority of Giving

In the Old Testament is was easy to determine to whom we were to tithe and give because the first priority was the Levites, but what are our giving priorities in the New Testament? Let's remember our principles that we carried forward to the New Testament—the first one is giving is to people, flesh and blood not things. Another, is that our High Priest receives our tithes in heaven, so we give to Jesus. Now, it is hard to send a check to Heaven, so what does this mean? He is the Head and we are His Body. The Head is in Heaven at this time, but the Body is on earth and is composed of individual members—people, flesh and blood. So then, our first priority for giving is to those who are members of the Body of Christ in the earth, which fits the principles mentioned above. This is based on the leading of the Spirit and the need of the Body members. We must become sensitive to this type of giving because those in Christ are dependent upon Christ for provision, which, many times, comes through the supply of other Body members.

Another of the principles that we carried forward was that the tithe and giving should go to the Melchizedek priests that bless us and serve us bread and wine. Since we are now a kingdom of this type of priests, our giving is again prioritized to the Body, the Kingdom of Priests. But, this principle also narrows the number of recipients. All priests are potential recipients of our giving; however, with this principle, the potential recipients are restricted or limited to those who bless us and serve us bread and wine, that is, who give of themselves and their resources in their service of God to us. Who are these?

Just as Melchizedek as described in Hebrews has having no lineage, we too have not natural lineage or rights as priests. Melchizedek priests are not appointed by men; they need no man-made certification or credentials to function in their priestly capacity. So, those serving us bread and wine may be different that expected or formally recognized. The ones serving bread to us are those who are taking the bread of life (Jesus, the Word), breaking it into appropriate pieces that we are able to digest at that moment so that we might grow, be refreshed and strengthened. The ones serving wine to us are those who are taking the Blood of Jesus and serving us forgiveness and acceptance in the Beloved and in the Family of God. As we grow and mature in the Lord, it is possible that the ones who are making this provision for us may change, so, again, we must be sensitive to the Spirit. In normal practice, our Elders, those who truly function as the Lord's under shepherds, would fit into this category.

1 Timothy 5:17-18 NASB

(17) The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.

(18) For the Scripture says, "YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE IS THRESHING," and "The laborer is worthy of his wages."

Those who are devoting themselves to the service of the Lord and of His house (us as His temple) are dependent upon the Lord for their provision. Our giving to them, people—flesh and blood, as they function as Melchizedek priests to us, is the compensation that the Lord has given them for their work.

1 Corinthians 9:14 NASB

(14) So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.

This is also applicable to the others who function within the five-fold ministries—apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers. They are all supported by our giving as the Lord leads us to give. In this, we should follow the guideline of our other principle that the tithe and giving provided a comparable standard of living for those who were fully devoted to the Lord's work and service as the people themselves enjoyed.

Now, we need to summarize our giving priority list. Unless specifically directed by the Lord in another direction, our first priority would be those who are performing priestly functions toward us and our second priority would be those in need within the Body of Christ—first, those closest to us in relationship and then to others who are not as closely related. After that, we should do as Jesus said and remember the poor.

How Much to Give

How much to give becomes tricky if we are being manipulated by guilt or erroneous teaching. It can range from too little to too much. How much should be determined by the Lord and we must trust Him that He is leading us to give the proper amount.

Watchman Nee once said that “any truth taken to an extreme becomes a heresy”. This is so true in the area of giving and tithes. Some have mis-applied the words of Jesus, who, on one occasion, told the rich young ruler to sell all that he had and give it to the poor.

Matthew 19:21 NASB

(21) Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."

Jesus said this to this one person and He was focusing on the condition of his heart. His riches had a hold on him that would prevent him from serving God fully. The Lord always knows what to touch in us that hinders our walk with Him. Then, it is up to us to deal with it.

Another area of giving abuse is in the area of pledges, or vows as the Old Testament calls them. This is supposedly to be done in faith depending on God to provide the money. However, it is really done to help the receiving organization budget their expenditures. This actually has nothing to do with faith. This is what Paul says:

2 Corinthians 8:12 NASB

(12) For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.

The readiness he mentions is that they are ready to give; but, he is admonishing them not to get caught up in emotions so that they are giving what they don't have. In other words, no pledges. The only acceptable giving is based on what you have, that is, what God has already provided to you, not what He may provide in the future.

Systematic Giving

Today many, who have glimpsed a little of the difference about giving in the New Testament compared to the Old Testament, have stopped any form of regular giving and, instead, wait until they are “moved by the Spirit”. The result is a dramatic decrease in the amount that is given overall, even though some individual gifts may be large. Paul directed the churches to practice a systematic form of giving.

1 Corinthians 16:1-2 NASB

(1) Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also.

(2) On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come.

The issue addressed here is the collection for the saints, in other words, this was giving to the Body of Christ to meet individual needs of the believers. Most people received their wages on the last day of the work week, so, Paul was directing them to put aside some amount to save for giving. The idea of the first day of the week was to insure that people thought about giving before they had time to “blow” their extra money. Neither an amount nor a percentage is specified but only to save some for giving according to how one had prospered.

Not only did this method provide a means for systematic giving, it also insured that there would be no collection appeals when Paul came. He wanted them to give according to how they had purposed in their heart³⁴ previously, not give based on the emotions of the moment that result from appeals for help. Would that more offerings today could be received without the emotional appeal.

Examples of Special Giving

We do have in the New Testament examples of special giving that are above and beyond the normal. We can also expect that there will be occasions when the Holy Spirit will direct giving in a way that exceeds our expectations.

The first of these occurs early in the book of Acts:

Acts 4:32 NASB

(32) And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them.

Acts 4:34-35 NASB

(34) For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales

(35) and lay them at the apostles' feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.

This is a tremendous testimony of the working of the Holy Spirit in their lives and their bonding together as the Body of Christ. Spiritually, this is analogous to the offerings to build the Old Testament Tabernacle, which are detailed in Exodus chapters 35 and 36. The people responded to Moses' call to make a contribution to the Lord for the construction of the tent of meeting and all of its furniture. Their response was miraculously generous.

In the New Testament the tabernacle of God is being built of living stones and construction began on the day of Pentecost. Those who believed the message were being built together as a Temple of the Lord. Their giving allowed all of those who had need to be supplied, even the foreign Jews who had come to celebrate Pentecost and became believers as a result. Staying longer than they originally intended, they had need of food, clothes, shelter and, as a result, were dependent on the generosity of the other believers. The Church is built on sacrifice—first, the sacrifice of the life of the Lord and, second, the sacrifice of the money and goods of the early believers.

Another example of special giving is the grace of God that results in sacrificial giving, even beyond anything that would seem reasonable.

2 Corinthians 8:1-5 NASB

(1) Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia,

(2) that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.

(3) For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord,

(4) begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints,

(5) and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.

Notice that their giving was “of their own accord”. It was not a requirement nor a duty. I suspect that the grace to give so sacrificially was because of what they gave first—themselves to the Lord and to His servants.

How opposite this is from what goes on today. The Macedonians begged and urged for the favor of participating in the support for the saints. What we hear today is those begging and urging us to give to the support of them and their ministry.

Who Benefits from Giving?

Much of the current teaching on finances emphasizes the worldly financial benefit that comes to those who give. While there is some truth to this, the emphasis is wrong and misses the mark.

Philippians 4:10-19 NASB

(10) But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity.

(11) Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

(12) I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.

(13) I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

(14) Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction.

(15) You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone;

(16) for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs.

(17) Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account.

(18) But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.

(19) And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Paul is commending the Philippians for remembering him again with their gifts and for their previous gifts that they sent even when no other church helped. But, he emphasizes that it wasn't the gifts that he was seeking, because he had learned to be content in his circumstances whether it was prosperity or poverty. What he sought was their profit which is credited to their account.

What account is he talking about? Where is our account? We are told by the prosperity teachers that it is our personal bank accounts. Is that right? Jesus said:

Luke 12:33-34 NASB

(33) "Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys.

(34) "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Our account is in heaven. Our giving deposits to that account, which is unfailing. When our money is in our heavenly account we don't have to worry about it being stolen or of its value eroding.

Our Responsibility

There is a responsibility for us to provide for ourselves and others. In Mississippi, where I grew up, there is a saying, “every tub has to sit on its own bottom”. In other words, it is our responsibility to believe God for our provision. That provision may be a job rather than a monetary gift. All of us should be willing to work in whatever manner the Lord provides, even those who serve in the ministry gifts. Paul gave us a clear example of this.

Acts 20:33-35 NASB

(33) "I have coveted no one's silver or gold or clothes.

(34) "You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me.

(35) "In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

Not only did Paul work to provide for his own needs, he also provided for others on his ministry team. Wow! What a concept—the apostle working so that his ministry team could minister. I don't think that it is intended for this to be the norm because the Body needs to learn to care for its own; however, until some maturity is reached by today's believers as it relates to money, it may be necessary for even the primary ministries to work to provide for their needs.

Paul gave the Thessalonians a directive:

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 NASB

(11) and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you,

(12) so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.

They were to do three things:

1. lead a quiet life, if possible;

2. attend to their own business; and

3. work with their hands.

The reason that they should do these things was so that

1. they could behave properly toward outsiders, that is, pay their bills and be of benefit to the community,

2. they would not be in need, that is, they would not become a burden on the community nor the Body of Christ.

Conclusion

The characteristics of those who walk in His Kingdom involve giving, receiving and holding things in common. The characteristics of those who walk in the way of the world involve buying, selling, and accumulating things. The world's way is becoming so predominate that the Antichrist can control it by controlling the buying and selling through his mark.

We, as the people of God, need to hear the Lord in this. He has much to say about money and our attitude toward it. He has much to say about giving and receiving. We can only follow Him properly in this if we walk in the Spirit as a son.

FOOTNOTES

The Captivity of the Church Series Lesson 1: In the Beginning—the Real Thing

The Captivity of the Church

Lesson 1: In the Beginning—the Real Thing

Introduction
As I was studying the New Testament Church as presented in the Scriptures, I couldn't help but see the difference between the first century ekklesia, the Church, and the thing that we call “church” today.1 It is obvious that there is little relationship between the two except for the cliches, the lingo, the use of words that, in many cases, have their meanings changed. I thought, “where did things go wrong?”. I decided to try to determine the point or the error that caused things to diverge from the true ekklesia to a false version of “church”.


After prayer, study, research and much thinking about this, I have reached some conclusions and, I believe, some revelation from the Holy Spirit concerning this. This article will challenge you and confront many of the traditions that we have received from our fore-fathers.

True and False
To distinguish between what is true and what is false, we have to know what is true first. As I understand it, when banks train their tellers on how to recognize counterfeit bills, they handle real bills for an extended period of time first. Once they are thoroughly familiar with the look and feel of the real thing, it becomes very easy to spot a counterfeit when it is handled because it doesn't have the same look and feel.


The problem with “church” is that we have all been exposed to the false for a long period of time. This makes it very difficult for us to recognize the real thing because the “false” appears to be the “real”. This is the nature of deception—the false is accepted as the real, the lie for the truth.


Suppose for a moment that as you were growing up, you were repeatedly told that a horse was a zebra. Not only are you told that, but everyone around you also calls the horse a zebra. By the time that you are an adult, whenever someone says “zebra” you immediately picture a horse in your mind. You are fully convinced that you know exactly what a “zebra” looks like. One day you go to Africa and on safari you see a number of black and white striped animals and you ask the guide what they are. He tells you that they are zebras and you tell him “no way, I know what a zebra looks like and they don't have stripes.”


You have believed something that is not true and accepted it as true. The thing that is not true has been full accepted as being factual; therefore, any contradiction to this believed lie is obviously not true. This is exactly what has happened to the Church. We have been repeatedly told that the “church thing” that we have is the true and real thing. We have accepted horses as zebras and get very irritated with those who attempt to point out our problem. We can't see the real thing because we have become fully invested in the false thing.

The Real Thing
So, first, we need to be able to see the real thing as the Lord intended. To do this, we have to lay aside our traditions about “church” and look at the Scriptures and let the Holy Spirit bring us revelation, open our eyes so that we might see.


The very use of the word “church” is false. It is not a proper designation of what the Lord intended for His Body. Use of church as this designation was introduced by the King James translators when they used the Scottish word “kirk” as the translation for the Greek word “ekklesia”. The Scottish word means “house of the Lord”, or “house of God” and to the translators this meant the basilica, cathedral, on the street corner—a place. The Greek language has a word for “house of God” also, but it is NOT “ekklesia”. In the Greek language, “ekklesia” cannot mean a place but can only mean people.


We use “church” in our English scriptures to identify the building and the assembly of the people of God. However, this is not the meaning of the Greek word “ekklesia”. This Greek word is made up of two words, the preposition “ek”, which means “out or out of” and “klesia”, which means “to be called”. Together, “ekklesia” means “to be called out of”. So, the “ekklesia” are the ones called out by God; in other words, the New Covenant people of God.


Many times Greek words are simply transliterated into English without actual translation. An example is “baptize” which is a transliteration of the Greek word “baptizo”. When words are transliterated they will look and sound similar to the original word. We see this scenario for “ekklesia” in languages other than English. For example: “ekklesia” in Spanish is “iglesia”; “ekklesia” in French is “eglise”. Notice how similar in look and sound the words are. However, in English we have translated “ekklesia” as “church”. It doesn't look or sound like anything similar. Does it? That's because “church” doesn't come from “ekklesia” but, instead, comes from the Scottish word “kirk”. 2


So, immediately with the translation of the Scriptures into English, we have a wrong name designated for the Ekkesia. We started calling a horse a zebra and have been doing so ever since. We have to strip this error from our thinking or we will never understand the truth.


Now that we know that “ekklesia” is not a place but a people, we need to further determine what the Scriptures mean when this word is used. Jesus used this word only three times, once in Matt. 16:18 and twice in Matt. 18:17.


The first occasion when Jesus used “ekklesia” occurred when He was asking the disciples who did men think that He was and who did they say that He was. In response to His question Peter had answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”.3 Jesus told Peter that this was revelation from the Father, that it did not come from men. Then Jesus made a pun.


Matthew 16:18 NASB

(18) "I also say to you that you are Peter [petros], and upon this rock [petras] I will build My church [ekklesia]; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.


The word for Peter in Greek is “petros” and means a small rock, a pebble. The word for “rock” is “petras” and means a large rock, a boulder. Jesus used a play on words to make His point—you are a little pebble but upon this boulder (the revelation of “you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God”) He would build His ekklesia.


We see two things in this, (1) the error of those who say that Peter is the basis, the foundation for the ekklesia; and (2) the real basis or foundation of the ekklesia is the revelation of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God.


A little later in Matthew, Jesus is talking about a situation where your brother sins against you. He said to go to him and confront him with the issue and if he won't deal with it then take one or two more with you and confront him again. Then He says:


Matthew 18:17 NASB

(17) "If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church [ekkesia]; and if he refuses to listen even to the church [ekklesia], let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.


The ekkesia, in this instance, serves as a type of judicial function, judging and correcting the situation between you and your brother. If the brother doesn't heed the judicial function of the ekklesia, he is to be treated as a heathen, as if he was no longer a part of the people of God.


I think that in these two instances where Jesus spoke of the ekkesia, we have the seed of what the ekklesia is to be. First, its basis is the revelation of who Jesus is. Second, it serves a judicial, governmental function between brethren.


We sometimes forget that “ekklesia” as a word was used before Jesus used it. Would not Jesus use it with is normal meaning? If He didn't use it that way, then would He not have explained its meaning to us? It is even used in the Scriptures with its common meaning in the book of Acts, chapter 19.


The idol makers were upset with Paul and his companions because they were losing a lot of business when people heard Paul saying that “gods made with hands are no gods at all”. Demetrius, a silversmith that made silver shrines of Artemis, stirred up the other artisans to deal with this issue before they lost all of their business. They grabbed Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's Macedonian companions, and dragged them into the theater, the meeting hall where the group of people were gathering.


Acts 19:32 NASB

(32) So then, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the assembly [ekklesia] was in confusion and the majority did not know for what reason they had come together.


(Technically, if we were to follow the King James translators, assembly here should be “church”, which would make it a ridiculous translation based on our current meaning of “church” since it was a gathering of artisans who were idol makers. This alone should tell us that the way we have used this word is incorrect.)


Acts 19:38-39 NASB

(38) "So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against any man, the courts are in session and proconsuls are available; let them bring charges against one another.

(39) "But if you want anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the lawful assembly [ekklesia].

Acts 19:40-41 NASB

(40) "For indeed we are in danger of being accused of a riot in connection with today's events, since there is no real cause for it, and in this connection we will be unable to account for this disorderly gathering."

(41) After saying this he dismissed the assembly [ekklesia].


We can reach some conclusions from the normal usage of ekklesia. Many of the people that had been called out were confused because they didn't know the reason that they had been called together. Therefore, they were in danger of become a riot rather than a lawful assembly. So, before that happened they were dismissed as an assembly. This means that a gathering or meeting of a number of people does not, necessarily, constitute an ekklesia. There can be an unlawful gathering or a lawful assembly. The lawful assembly are those who have been called out to come together for a reason, a purpose that would deal with governing decisions.


This is how the Thayer Greek Dictionary defines ekklesia:


Thayer Definition:

1) a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly

1a) an assembly of the people convened at the public place of the council for the purpose of deliberating


This primary definition fits with its usage in Acts 19. The normal meaning of ekklesia can be stated as “people called out to convene for a purpose as a public council.”


This is also consistent with the way Jesus used the word ekklesia in Matthew. The basis of being called out is the revelation of who Jesus is. The function or purpose of convening is governmental. The result is the administration of the things of the Kingdom of God.


Can it be that we have created something, a church thing, that is far removed from the intention of the Lord? We only have a record of Jesus speaking the word, ekklesia, three times, yet we have a record of Him speaking of the Kingdom o f God well over a hundred times. In His last days before His ascension, He spent His time with the disciples speaking of the Kingdom.


Acts 1:3 NASB

(3) To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.


Notice what He considered important. He was not going to be with these disciples in this manner any longer; so, He used the time to speak of the Kingdom not the Church. From our perspective, knowing what was coming, He should have been telling them how to establish churches; how to structure and order them; how to conduct proper services; and all of the other aspects of church that we consider so important. However, HE DID NOT DO THAT! He, apparently, didn't speak about “church” at all, but devoted His time to “speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.”


Are we guilty of mis-placed priorities? Have we twisted the Scriptures to give a place of importance to something that is out of proportion to the Lord's intention? The Catholics have done this with Mary. There is a proper place in Scriptures for Mary and for her place in the plan of God; however, her place and purpose have been blown out of proportion by the Catholics to the point that Mary is an idol, detracting from the place and function of Jesus. It seems possible to me that we have done the same thing with “church”. We need to adjust our priorities—we are to seek first the kingdom of God.

Criteria for Ekklesia
In the secular usage of “ekklesia” that we discussed above, there were certain criteria required to participate in a lawful assembly (ekklesia). This assembly was called in the City of Ephesus to deal with the effects of Paul's ministry there. We can learn several things from the usage of ekklesia in this instance.

they went to gather in the theater; this establishes the fact that ekklesia is not a place but people.

not all people in Ephesus were allowed to attend, only those that met the requirements of citizenship and were freemen.

The same is true of the ekklesia of Jesus Christ.


If we are to participate in the ekklesia of Jesus Christ then we, too, must meet the proper criteria. There are four requirements and we can find them in Matthew 16:15-18 in Peter's response to Jesus question about who He is.


Matthew 16:15-18 NASB

(15) He *said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

(16) Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

(17) And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

(18) "I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

First, there was a confrontation with Jesus over the issue of who He is. This is the first step—the issue of Jesus. Second, the Father revealed that Jesus is the Son of the Living God (this revelation does not come through people). Third, Peter acknowledged Jesus as the Son of God. And, fourth, Peter confessed Jesus as the Son of God before others.


To qualify for participation in the ekklesia of Jesus, we must have a personal confrontation with Jesus for the revelation, acknowledgment, and confession of Him as the Son of the Living God.


Now comes the problem question. How many believers does it take to constitute an ekklesia? Is there a critical mass necessary or is there some other requirement that is required before a gathering of believers becomes an ekklesia?


Most of the current thinking on this, especially by the house church groups, is that two or three constitute an ekklesia. This is based on this verse in Matthew:


Matthew 18:20 NASB

(20) "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst."


However, this verse does not say that where two or three are gathered, there is the ekklesia. It simply says that when two or three have been led together into His name (literal meaning of the Greek), He is there too.


Regardless of the House Church interpretation of the “two or three” verse, we know that two or three do not make an ekklesia because of another verse that Jesus spoke.


Matthew 18:15-17 NASB

(15) "If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.

(16) "But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED.

(17) "If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church (ekklesia); and if he refuses to listen even to the church (ekklesia), let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.


In these verses there is your brother, yourself and one or two more with you. This meets the criteria for “two or three” gathered together. Certainly Jesus is in the midst of this gathering in order to bring reconciliation. However, if reconciliation doesn't happen, then you are to take it to the ekklesia. If your “two or three” gathering were an “ekklesia” then you would not have to take the problem to the “ekklesia”; therefore, the “two or three” gathering is NOT an ekklesia.


The only place in the Scriptures where there seems to be some documentation of becoming an ekklesia is in the book of Acts. When Paul and Barnabas were sent out from Antioch they traveled through a number of towns preaching Jesus. The believers that resulted from this are called “disciples”. On their return trip some time later, they retraced their path back through these towns and met with the disciples that had continued in the Lord. As Paul and Barnabas made these second visits, they were appointing elders. The terminology now moved from groups of disciples to ekklesia. It would appear then that the transition from groups of believers to ekklesia occurs as elders are appointed. This suggests to me that the governmental aspects of ekklesia cannot be accomplished without functioning elders.


Another interesting set of Scriptures regarding the ekklesia occurs in the book of Revelation.


Revelation 2:1-5 NASB

(1) "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this:

(2) 'I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false;

(3) and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary.

(4) 'But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

(5) 'Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place--unless you repent.


We are told at the end of chapter one of Revelation that the Lord is moving among seven golden lampstands. These lampstands are identified as seven “ekklesias”, with Ephesus being one of the seven. The Lord threatens (this is not an empty threat) to remove their lampstand if they do not repent. That means that they would cease to be an “ekklesia”.


Now, how do we understand this? The Ephesian Ekklesia is removed from its place. Does this mean that there are no believers at all in Ephesus? Or does it mean that the believers that are left in Ephesus will not longer be an ekklesia? It would seem to me to be the latter. If so, then this surely shows that you can have groups of believers without them being an “ekklesia”.


It would certainly seem that there is something about “ekklesia” that we have not understood. It would also certainly seem that our concept of “church” is completely skewed from the “ekklesia” of the Lord.


1For further explanation see “Will the Real Church Please Stand Up” available on the website.

2For further discussion of how this happened see “House of the Lord” available on the website.

3Matthew 16:16

Read Entire Series Here

© 2007 Art Nelson http://www.lifestreamteaching.com

FOUNDATION STONES

The scriptural basic for this course is:

Hebrews 6:1-3 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit.

To have a foundation implies that something will be built upon it and that is exactly what God is doing. He is in the process of building a dwelling place for Himself.

I Corinthians 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.

I Corinthians 3:10-16 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

Ephesians 2:20-22 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

I Peter 2:4-8 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

Revelation 3:12 Him that overcometh will 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 of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

Our foundation must be built upon the Rock if it is to stand the storms of life. We all face the same storms but only lives founded upon the Rock will stand when the storm has passed.

Matthew 7:24-27 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Blueprints

When one determines to build a building, the first thing needed is a set of building instructions which tell the builder all of the details needed to construct the building. These architectural instructions are called blueprints. All of the specifications, that is, instructions, are contained in the blueprints. When someone begins to work on the building, he consults the blueprints to make sure that he is doing the correct work with the appropriate materials to accomplish the desired results.

Whenever God desires for something to be built, He provides the blueprints to those whom He has called to do the building work. When God told Noah to build an ark, He gave him the instructions on size, material, etc. as explained in Genesis Chapter 6. When God told Moses to build the Tabernacle and the furniture for it, He gave him detailed instructions for the pattern he was to follow. Read the details in Exodus Chapters 25 through 27.

It was extremely important that Moses follow the instructions exactly because the earthly Tabernacle that he was building was fashioned after the pattern of the heavenly Tabernacle.

Hebrews 8:5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount.

Hebrews 9:23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

The furniture and structure of the Tabernacle also reflect spiritual truth concerning Jesus and His work. If Moses had not followed the plan, the earthly patterns would not have reflected the spiritual truth of the heavenlies.

If God had a plan, a pattern, a set of instructions, a blueprint for the Tabernacle (the dwelling place for God with His people), then he surely has a blueprint for the Temple that He is building under the New covenant.

The building materials have changed from stones of rock to living stones of people. It is these living stones which god is using to build His Temple, a place where He can dwell and people can come and worship and talk with Him, and spiritual sacrifices can be made.

Foundation Components

One of the most important aspects of a building is its foundation. Without a proper foundation the building will shift or collapse under stress or even under the weight of its own structure. The taller or larger the building the deeper and stronger the foundation must be.

The foundation of God's New Covenant Temple consists of three parts with Jesus being the primary or most important.

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

It requires all three of these foundation components to provide a complete foundation for the individual, the Church, and the Kingdom. These are also the foundation for all doctrine.

God calls others into His building work (making it even more important that everyone follows His plan and not one of their own).

I Corinthians 3:10-11 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

To lay a foundation requires a footing to be done first. In large buildings these are huge metal or concrete pylons that go deep into the earth. In smaller buildings these are trenches filled with concrete to create a stable sub-foundation to tie the foundation together with the ground.

Before we get to the six foundation stones listed in the first three verses of Hebrews Chapter 6, we need to build a footing upon which these doctrines can stand. The footing is made up of things which the Hebrew people understood but which understanding we have either lost or corrupted through pagan philosophy.

The Nature of Man

Psychology has attempted to define the nature of man in many different ways, none of which are based on the Word of God.

Our God is a trinity, that is, three in one. When He made man, He made him in His image; therefore, man is also a trinity, that is, three in one.

Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

The body was formed or fashioned from dirt and is primarily the part of man which is in contact and interaction with this world and through which we receive all of our sensory input. God then breathed into man the breath of life. In the original “life” is plural, that is, “lives”. When God breathed life it was both spiritual life and natural life. The spiritual life in man is the spirit (the breath of God) and it is the spirit which is God conscious and it is through the spirit that we interact with God. When the breath of God came into contact with the body, man became a living soul. Just like two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen combine to form a third substance called water, the spirit combined with body to produce soul. It is our soul that makes us unique, which makes us self-conscious. It is what makes me different from you and you different from the next person. It is the soul that is valuable to God for the scripture tells us that Jesus came to save souls.

Genesis 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

God then gave the man a warning--if he was disobedient and ate fruit from the tree, which God said he couldn't eat, then the man would die. We all know that Adam was disobedient and ate the fruit from the forbidden tree and as a consequence had to leave the Garden. Yet, he did not die physically for a long period of time. So, what died? The spirit within man--his God consciousness.

God knew that there would be a day when He would restore man to fellowship with Him and to do that man would need a new spirit.

Ezekiel 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

Jesus referred to this promise as being “born again”.

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

When we are “born again” we receive a new spirit, not a new soul. If we got a new soul, we wouldn't be us. Instead God expects us to have our souls renewed. We call the process of receiving a new spirit regeneration and the process of renewing our soul sanctification.

Just like Adam, our spirit puts us into union, communion, and fellowship with God.

The Nature of God

Our society has also lost perspective on the nature of God. We have become confused with the vain speculations of men and mythology. The scriptures give us a clear picture of the nature of God.

Exodus 34:14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

Psalms 116:5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.

Psalms 99:9 Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy.

Leviticus 19:2 Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.

These scriptures give us a look at the character of God from the Old Testament and we find that first God is jealous and we are not to worship anyone or anything but Him. Then we find that He is gracious, righteous, merciful, and holy.

Under the New Testament, the character of God doesn't change but we get a further revelation and understanding of Him.

John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth

I John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him

I John 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

I Corinthians 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him

We realize from these that God is Spirit, Love, Life and, foremost, Father. Because He is Father, we can trust that His dealings with us are as the dealings of a Father toward His children.

REPENTANCE FROM DEAD WORKS

The first foundation stone is Repentance From Dead Works. Let's break this down into two pieces: repentance and dead works. Once we understand the pieces, we will understand what it means when we put them together.

Repentance

First, let's define repentance. The Greek word used in the scriptures is “metanoein” and means “to change one's mind”. It is a decision; not an emotion. In military terms, repentance would be an “about face”.

John the baptist, as the forerunner of Jesus, came with a message of repentance and performing a baptism of repentance.

Mark 1:4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

As John's ministry came to a close and Jesus began His ministry, the first message of Jesus was to repent and believe the gospel.

Mark 1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

In the Scriptures, repentance always precedes true faith. Faith alone is an empty profession. Many profess faith but have never practiced true repentance. Today's Church message of “only believe” was not the message of Christ. His was “repent and believe”.

This pattern is followed throughout the New Testament: Luke 24:46-47--repentance and then remission of sins; Acts 2:38--repentance, then baptism and remission of sins; Acts 20:21--Paul preached repentance and then faith. If we want to achieve New Testament results with our conversions then we need to follow this same pattern--repent and then believe.

Repentance is a command of God.

Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

The reason that God has commanded men to repent is because He has appointed a day of judgment when the world will be judged by His righteous standards.

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

Jesus gave us only one option when it comes to repentance:

Luke 13:1-5 There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Repentance is the first great dividing line for people. If one doesn't repent, he will perish. It is as simple as that--no “ifs”, “ands”, or “buts” about it.

We tend to think of repentance as “sorrow” or “being sorry”; but, emotion is not repentance. The Scriptures make it plain that there are two types of sorrow: one that is godly and leads to repentance and another that is worldly sorrow and leads to death.

2 Corinthians 7:8-10 For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

We have both an Old Testament and a New Testament example of sorrow that doesn't produce true repentance. The Old Testament example is Esau and the story is told in Genesis chapters 25 through 27. This is interpreted for us in the book of Hebrews.

Hebrews 12:16-17 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

The New Testament example is Judas, who betrayed Jesus.

Matthew 27:3-5 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.

The King James version of the Bible says that Judas “repented himself” but, the Greek word is “metamelein” and means “remorse or anguish”. This was sorrow but not repentance.

Why could these two people not repent? We like to think that we can repent of anything at anytime. However, our hearts can be hardened to the point that God will not allow us to repent. Repentance begins in God as these Scriptures indicate:

Acts11:18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.

2 Timothy 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

God has to grant us repentance. That's why, as we saw earlier, that godly sorrow will lead to repentance. Esau and Judas both passed the point at which God was willing to grant repentance. That should be a warning for us.

Requirements for Repentance

What are the requirements for repentance? Both John the Baptist and the Apostle Paul said that people should show appropriate fruit or work of repentance.

Matthew 3:7-8 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

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

The Scriptures give us a detailed process of this:

2 Corinthians 7:11 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter

There are 7 things wrought in us by godly sorrow which leads us to repentance:

carefulness literally “haste, diligence”

clearing of yourselves clean through forgiveness

indignation over offenses allowed

fear anticipating judgment or punishment

vehement desire for correction

zeal for reformation or punishment

revenge justice/moral judgment, vindication

Dead Works

We all understand what work is--our job, what we do, etc. A “dead work” is work which doesn't have life in it. If work arises out of ourselves, that is, our flesh and not out of the Spirit of God, then it has no life in it and is, therefore, dead.

John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

God has already created work for us to do. He has crafted us as a worker to do the work that He ordained that we should do. If we substitute our work for His work, then the work that we do is dead work.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

A dead work can have the appearance of a very good work. It is easy to see our need for repentance from sin but not so easy to see our need to repent of dead works when they appear to be good and beneficial. Many of our traditions fall into this category.

Matthew 15:6 And honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition

Or we use humanitarian work to justify ourselves to God in an attempt to earn His favor. Works of the law, no matter how good and beneficial they might be to others can never justify us to God. They are dead works from which we need to repent. God will not allow us to boast of our good works . They are of no use to Him.

Galatians 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

Ephesians 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast

We must have our conscience purged or cleansed from dead works in order to serve the living God.

Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

FAITH TOWARD GOD

As God grants us repentance we turn from the world toward God. These first two foundation stones are tied together by these prepositions: “from” and “toward”. It is “repentance from” and “faith toward”.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Faith is the beginning point with God. Without it, we are unable to please Him. As a matter of fact, without faith we have no motivation to please Him because we don't see any value in it. We need to believe that there is value, a reward, in seeking God.

Definition of Faith

Sometimes, we seem to have a rather vague definition of faith, a kind of nebulous something that some people have and others don't. Usually, we confuse faith and hope, which are two different things. Many people will say that they have faith when really all that they have is hope.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith has spiritual substance, which is strong enough that we hold on to it as evidence of things that we can't see with our physical eyes. It is based on the eternal, invisible truths and realities revealed by God's Word and not on our physical senses.

Paul shows the contrast between the objects of faith and the objects of sense perception when he says, “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Our senses deal with things that are material, temporary, and changeable; whereas, faith deals with the revealed truths of God which are invisible, eternal, and unchangeable. Our faith is not based on what we see and experience but instead on God's Word. Thereafter, that which we see or experience is the outcome of that which we have already believed.

FAITH HOPE Established in the present Directed toward the future

Substance, confidence, something Expectancy of things to be

real & definite in us that we possess

here and now

Anchored in the heart Anchored in the mind

Function of the Spirit Function of the soul

Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto [literally “into”] righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

When associated with heart, believe becomes a verb of motion. The Greek word translated “unto” in this verse is “eis” and is regularly translated as “into”. Heart faith produces a definite change. The translation here is important: “unto righteousness” is more a mental agreement with an abstract theory, whereas, “into righteousness” is to believe in a way that produces a transformation of habits, character, and life.

John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in [literally “into”] God, believe also in [literally “into”] me.

The verb phrase “to believe” is associated with a process of change or motion. It is not enough to believe “in” Christ with a mental acceptance of the facts of His life or the truths of His teaching, but, we must believe “into” Christ with a heartfelt faith.

Faith is always present tense and because of present faith we have a serene hope, a sure confidence concerning the future. Hope based on this kind of faith will stand the test of death and eternity.

Faith is both a gift and a fruit. As a gift, we can receive it instantly from the Spirit of God. However, as a fruit, it must be grown, which takes time.

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Faith begins in God. He gives a measure to us. We then are responsible for growing faith from this seed which God has given. Some, however, allow the seed of faith to be lost, stolen, or otherwise become non-productive.

2 Thessalonians 3:2 And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.

Since we receive this seed faith from God, we have to make sure that it is planted in good soil and that it has an opportunity to sprout, grow and mature into full-grown fruit. This is a process that takes time. We don't have “instant” fruit in the Kingdom of God.

Colossians 2:6-8 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: (7) Rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. (8) Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

This verse also points out the things which can spoil your faith--cause it to rot on the vine: philosophy (world view), vain deceit (pride of life), traditions of men, and rudiments of the world (worldly elements and principles).

The scriptures give us the methodology to increase our faith.

Romans 10:17 so then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Jude 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

Faith and the Law

It is faith which justifies us and gives us access to the grace of God not the keeping of the law.

Romans 5:1-2 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: (2) By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Galatians 3:10-12 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. (11) But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. (12) And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

While not by the law, besides faith we are justified by grace (Rom. 3:24), by the blood of Jesus (Rom. 5:9), by the resurrection of Jesus (Rom. 4:25), and by works (James 2:24).

The law is a schoolmaster (that is, teacher) to bring us to the place of faith in Christ.

Galatians 3:22-26 But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. (23) But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. (24) Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (25) But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. (26) For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

The law had taught the Jews the elements of obedience to God, but for the Gentiles, it was not necessary that the law be observed for justification. It was decided by the Council of Jerusalem that it was necessary for the Gentiles to only observe four key elements.

Acts 15:19-20 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: (20) But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

If you will notice, each of these deals with us keeping ourselves pure.

Faith and Confession

Faith requires verbalization. We speak what we believe.

Romans 10:8-10 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; (9) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

We cannot keep our faith secret if we want it to be active.

Matthew 10:32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

1 John 4:15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

When we have active faith it naturally produces an outflow of works based on that faith.

James 2:14-18 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? (15) If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, (16) And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? (17) Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. (18) Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works.

The works of faith mature and complete faith.

James 2:22-26 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? (23) And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. (24) Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. (25) Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? (26) For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Without works, faith itself will die. It is faith expressed in works which keeps faith alive in us.

Faith is rooted in our belief in Jesus as the Son of God and should find full expression in our daily lives. God is not only our God but also our Father and Jesus is our Elder Brother. If we truly believe this then our daily walk will also express our faith in this fact. Faith will cause us to enter into His Rest.

THE DOCTRINE OF BAPTISMS

In our foundation text listed above, the Greek word for “baptisms” is plural, implying that there is more than one baptism. However, the scripture specifically says that there is one baptism.

Ephesians 4:4-6 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; (5) One Lord, one faith, one baptism, (6) One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

There are seven “ones” in these verses:

one body

one Spirit

one hope

one Lord

one faith

one baptism

one God and Father.

Since Scripture doesn't contradict itself, there is obviously something that we need to understand about baptism that is not clear when we see a singular baptism in this verse and a plural baptism in the foundation verse.

Definition of Baptism

The verb phrase “to baptize” is transliterated into English from the Greek. When something is transliterated the original word is used with the English version of the letters which make up the word. The Greek word is “baptizo” which becomes our word “baptize”. When a word is transliterated, it is not defined, just put into English.

Why was this word transliterated? In the early years of the 17th century, King James of Britain, authorized an English translation of the Bible (this is the Authorized King James version which we have today). While King James held political power as an absolute monarch yet, in matters of religion, he was answerable to the Bishops of the established Church of England. King James made it known to the translators that he did not want anything introduced into the Bible translation that would cause unnecessary offense to the Bishops or which would be too obviously contrary to the practices of the established Church. Therefore, two words were transliterated without definition: bishop and baptize. Baptize came directly from the Greek to English; bishop came from the Greek to Latin to English without real translation. Had the Greek word for bishop been translated correctly everywhere by its meaning of “overseer”, the result could have been considered a challenge to the established hierarchical order of government in the Church of England

The root of “baptizo” is “bapto”. To give a Greek verb a special, causative meaning, you insert “iz”. The creates a compound verb which always has the sense of causing something to be or to happen. The precise nature of that which is caused to be or to happen is determined by the meaning of the simple root verb out of which the causative form was built.

The root of “bapto” is used three times in the Greek text and is always translated by the English verb “to dip”:

Luke 16:24--”...dip the tip of the finger in water...”

John 13:26--”...a piece of bread when I have dipped it.”

Rev. 19:13--”...a robe dipped in blood.”

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible defines “bapto” as “to cover wholly with fluid,” hence “to dip”.

A compound version of “bapto” is made by adding the Greek preposition “en” or “em” which means “in”. “Embapto” is used three times in the Greek text:

Matthew 26:23--”...He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish...”

Mark 14:20--”...It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish.”

John 13:26--”... I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it... when he had dipped the sop...”

Therefore, there is only one meaning for “baptizo”: to cause something to be dipped into a fluid and then taken out again.

In secular Greek, the word is used for the action of dipping a cloth into dye in order to dye the cloth.

TYPES OF BAPTISM

There are a number of baptisms with different meanings in the New Testament.

1. The Baptism of John

Mark 1:4 “...baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.”

This form of baptism was a transitional baptism between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. It was not intended to be utilized after baptism in the Name of Jesus was available.

2. The Baptism of Suffering

Luke 12:50 ”I have a baptism to be baptized with...”

Mark 10:38 “Can you ... be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”

It doesn't appear that the baptism of suffering is a universal baptism that all Christians would receive but is only applicable to those that the Lord has called to it.

3. Christian Baptism (baptism into the Name of Jesus)

Matthew 28:19 “...baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Act 2:38 “be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ...”

Act 19:5 “they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

Throughout the Greek text, only two prepositions are ever used with the verb phrase “to baptize”----in and into.

4. Baptism in the Holy Spirit

Acts 1:5 “...you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Jesus told His disciples to wait until they received power, until they were baptized in the Holy Spirit before being witnesses.

5. Baptism into the Body

1 Corinthians 12:13 “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body,...”

It is the Holy Spirit who immerses us into the body; who places us according to the will of the Lord.

Out of these five baptisms, we have one which is transitional and not intended to be utilized today, one which is not considered to be universal, and three which are for everyone--christian baptism, baptism in the Holy Spirit , and baptism into the Body. So, there are three baptisms which are applicable to us , yet the Scriptures tell us that there is only one baptism. What does that mean?

I believe that we have revealed in this another of the mysteries of the Word. We believe in One God who is manifested in three persons--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He created man in His image, so man is also three in one. The one man is made up of three components--body, soul, and spirit. The One Baptism is the same way--three in one--one baptism with three parts--Christian (water) baptism, baptism in the Holy spirit, and baptism into the Body.

JOHN'S BAPTISM

Acts 19:1-6 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, (2) He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. (3) And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. (4) Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. (5) When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. (6) And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

These scriptures show the distinction in nature and significance between John's Baptism and Christian Baptism. John's baptism could not be accepted as equivalent nor could it be substituted for Christian baptism.

John's baptism indicates an outward act of being baptized as a visible confirmation that those being baptized had already passed through the experiences of repentance and forgiveness.

Mark 1:3-5 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. (4) John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. (5) And there went out unto him all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.

We are not baptized merely because we are sinners who have confessed and repented of our sins; that would be no different than John's baptism. We have passed into something fuller. Romans 5:1 tells us that we are “justified by faith”. God has imputed to us the righteousness of Christ on the basis of our faith. We are baptized as an outward act of obedience to complete the inward righteousness which we have received in our hearts by faith.

Then, why was Jesus baptized by John?

Matthew 3:13-17 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. (14) But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? (15) And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him. (16) And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: (17) And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Jesus was not baptized as outward evidence that He had repented of His sins because He had no sins for which He needed to repent. He was baptized to fulfill (that is, complete) righteousness. Jesus deliberately and consciously established a standard of behavior, thereby, setting an example and pattern of the baptism in which He desired Christians to follow Him.

CONDITIONS FOR CHRISTIAN BAPTISM

It is not by chance that the Doctrine of Baptisms is third in our foundation study list. First comes repentance, then faith (belief) and then baptism. Baptism must be built on repenting and believing.

The Philippian jailer gives us the pattern:

Acts 16:30-33 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? (31) And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (32) And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. (33) And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

The Word gives us four conditions for Christian baptism:

1. Repentance

Acts 2:37-38 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? (38) Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

2. Belief

Mark 16:15-16 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (16) He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

3. A good conscious

1 Peter 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

4. Become a disciple

Matthew 28:19-20 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (20) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

“Teach” in this verse is actually “disciple” in the original text.

In other words, the person

must have heard enough of the gospel to understand the nature of his act

must have repented of his sins

must confess his faith that Jesus Christ is the Son of God

must be able to answer God with a good conscious on the grounds that he has fulfilled all of God's requirements for salvation, and

must commit himself to a life of discipleship.

SIGNIFICANCE OF CHRISTIAN BAPTISM

Romans 6:1-7 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? (2) God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (3) Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? (4) Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (5) For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: (6) Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. (7) For he that is dead is freed from sin.

These verses present two mutually exclusive facts:

1. If we have availed ourselves of God's grace, we are dead to sin.

2. If we are not dead to sin, then we have not availed ourselves of God's grace.

The purpose of baptism is a declaration of death, burial, and resurrection in order that we might not live to sin but instead live to righteousness.

Romans 6:11-14 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. (12) Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. (13) Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. (14) For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Romans 8:10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

1 Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

The average Christian today:

has some kind of belief that their past sins can be forgiven

goes to Church to confess and obtain forgiveness for sins committed

has no thought or expectation of experiencing any inward transformation of own nature

leaves Church unchanged and continues committing the same kind of sins which was confessed.

To be dead to sin and alive to God and righteousness requires two things of us:

1. “Knowing this”--Rom. 6:6

2. “Reckon yourselves”--Rom. 6:11

If God's people do not know this truth, they can't believe it; if they can't believe it, they can't experience it. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Hosea 4:6

There are three successive stages to the ordinance of baptism:

1. We died with Jesus on the Cross.

2. We are buried with Him.

3. We are raised with Him in His resurrection.

This produces an inner transformation within the believer: 1) death to sin, 2) new life to righteousness in God.

Colossians 2:12-13 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. (13) And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

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

We have an example in the Old Testament when the children of Israel followed Moses through the Red Sea. The New Testament calls this a baptism.

1 Corinthians 10:1-2 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; (2) And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

We learn 5 lessons from this example that are applicable to us in our baptism.

1. Baptism is a memorial.

2. Baptism involves a confession

3. Baptism declares solemn determination

4. Baptism announces separation

5. Baptism means new identity.

In Acts Peter gives us the first three steps in our walk with God:

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

1. Repent;

2. Be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,

3. Receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Too many Christians stop after water baptism and don't move on to receive the Holy Ghost.

BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

As shown in Acts 2:38, receiving the Holy Spirit comes after believing and being baptized. This is what happened to the disciples on the day of Pentecost. This was important enough that Jesus told his followers to wait until they received the Holy Spirit before doing anything.

Acts 1:4-5 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. (5) For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

Jesus said wait for the promise of the Father and equated this with being baptized with the Holy Spirit. What, exactly, is the promise of the Father?

Jesus speaks of this in John.

John 14:16-17 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; (17) Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Jesus says the Father will send another Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Ghost to abide with the disciples. The Holy Spirit is not for the world because they can't receive Him because the world doesn't see Him or know Him. He is for the disciples and He dwells with them (in Jesus) but would be in them.

The purpose of the Comforter is two-fold:

John 16:7-14 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. (8) And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: (9) Of sin, because they believe not on me; (10) Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; (11) Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. (12) I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. (13) Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. (14) He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.

The Comforter will

1) reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, and judgment

2) guide believers into all truth and glorify Jesus.

Jesus adds a third purpose of the Spirit for the believer when He tells the disciples to wait to be baptized in the Holy Spirit: power.

Acts 1:8 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 Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

To do the work that we need to do requires the power of the Holy Spirit. Effective witnessing to the Truth can only be done through the power of the Holy Ghost. If it was necessary for the disciples to receive the Holy Spirit before going forth, how much more do we need to receive the Holy Spirit before we can go forth and witness of Jesus and do the works that He has called us to do in His name?

Examples of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit

When the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost, there were certain manifestations of the event. Let's see if there is a consistent occurrence each time the Baptism in the Holy Spirit occurs.

1. The Day of Pentecost (Acts Chapter 2):

1) a rushing mighty wind

2) tongues of fire over the heads

3) speaking with tongues

2. Samaria (Acts Chapter 8):

1) sign not named but was visible because Simon offered money to Peter and John for the ability to lay hands on people so that they would receive the Holy Spirit.

3. The House of Cornelius (Acts Chapter 10):

1) speaking with tongues

2) magnifying God

4. Certain disciples at Ephesus (Acts Chapter 19):

1) speaking with tongues

2) prophesy

The only commonality of these examples is ”speaking with tongues”. The only example which doesn't name ”tongues” is Samaria. However, Simon saw something different than what he had seen before. With Phillip, he had seen miracles, healing, deliverance, and great joy. Since he saw something happen different than he had seen before, it seems logical to assume (based on the other incidences given) that he saw them speak with tongues.

We can conclude that “speaking with tongues” is a consistent evidence of having been baptized with the Holy Spirit.

BAPTIZED INTO ONE BODY

The third part of the one baptism is when we are baptized into one body.

1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

This aspect of baptism is not often (if ever) discussed because its significance is not recognized. But as we begin to understand the meaning of baptism as immersion, this aspect takes on greater significance. The three-in-one baptism is progressive: 1) water baptism, 2) Holy Spirit baptism, and 3) body baptism.

We can see the progressive nature of the one baptism as we look at the one who ministers the baptism and at the element in which one is baptized (that is, immersed). This will be easier if we place these three aspects of baptism into a table format where we can see each part as it relates to the whole.

Baptism begins with water. A servant of the Lord baptizes one by “dipping” them in water. The person is buried with Christ and raised in newness of Life. Then, the Lord takes the person and “immerses” them into the Holy Spirit where they receive power. Then, the Holy Spirit takes the person and ”immerses” them into the Body where they find their place and function.

By One Baptism, we are identified with Christ, filled with power, and functioning in our place in His Body.

It is important that we complete the progressive baptism.

ONE WHO MINISTERS	ELEMENT	RESULTS
Servant of the Lord	Water	Immersed in the water, raised new
Jesus	Holy Spirit	Immersed in the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit	People	Immersed in the people of the Body

Laying on of Hands

The laying on of hands signifies one of three things:

1. transmitting blessing or authority,

2. public acknowledgment of blessing or authority already received by the one receiving laying on of hands, or,

3. publicly commit the one on whom hands are laid to God for some special task or ministry.

Old Testament Usage

In the Old Testament it was an accepted practice to lay on hands for blessing or special anointing at the direction of the Lord.

Genesis 48:14 And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.

NOTE: It was accepted practice that the right hand was for the greater blessing which normally went to the firstborn.

Numbers 27:18-20 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him; (19) And set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight. (20) And thou shalt put some of thine honor upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient.

Two things accomplished by Moses laying on of hands:

1. transmitted to Joshua a measure of spiritual wisdom and honor which he had received from God, and

2. public acknowledgment before the congregation of God's appointment of Joshua as leader to succeed Moses.

These two things were essential for Joshua to do the job that God had prepared him to do.

We can see the results or outcome of Moses laying hands on Joshua in Deuteronomy:

Deuteronomy 34:9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses.

Another example is the way that Elisha acknowledged God's appointment of Joash as God's deliverer. Joash received divine wisdom and authority needed to equip him as deliver.

2 Kings 13:15-17 And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows. (16) And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands. (17) And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORD's deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them.

This appointment by Elisha parallels Joshua's appointment by Moses:

1. each acknowledged a leader whom God had appointed for a special purpose, and

2. each received wisdom and authority needed to carry out his God appointed task.

Note: both of these were primarily military commanders.

New Testament Usage

In the New Testament there are 5 purposes for the laying on of hands:

1. Ministry of healing

2. To impart the Holy Spirit

3. Impartation of spiritual gifts

4. To commission ministers, and

5. To commission Elders and Deacons

We will look at each of these in detail.

Laying on of hands for healing

There are 5 supernatural signs appointed by Jesus that would accompany the preaching of the Gospel and those that have faith in His authority.

Mark 16:17-18 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; (18) They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

The last of these is the laying on of hands for the sick to recover. This shows that this “sign” is for the unconverted or the newly converted believer.

The Lord has made provision for the healing of the believer also.

James 5:14-15 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: (15) And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

There are several lessons for us in this scripture:

1. Every believer is associated with a church;

2. Elders are recognized by the congregation as ministers of the Lord;

3. We are in open disobedience if we don't call for the elders when we are sick; and

4. The leaders are ready to minister in faith.

The anointing with oil may or may not by accompanied by the laying on of hands; but the anointing oil is for the believer only. We don't find it used with the unconverted.

When the Elders pray over the sick (with faith) and anoint him with oil, it does 3 things:

1. the sick shall be saved (healed);

2. the Lord shall raise him up; and

3. sins committed shall be forgiven.

Laying on of hand to impart the Holy Spirit

There are 5 cases of receiving the Holy Spirit given in the scriptures:

1. Acts 2: 1-4 Day of Pentecost

2. Acts 8: 14-20 Samarian new converts

3. Acts 9: 17 Saul (Paul)

4. Acts 10: 44-46 Cornelius' house

5. Acts 19: 1-6 Disciples at Ephesus

The Holy Spirit was ministered with the laying on of hands in 3 of these 5 instances. That is more than 50% of the time. The two occasions when the Holy Spirit came without the laying on of hands was the day of Pentecost and the house of Cornelius. Both of these occurrences we special and unique by their nature. While we might have some unique or special occasions when the Holy Spirit just falls, we should expect a similar ratio today as those revealed by the scriptures when we pray for people to receive the Holy Spirit. The expected or normal procedure would be by the laying on of hands to impart the Holy Spirit to the believer.

Laying on of hands to impart spiritual gifts

The laying on of hands is frequently used to impart spiritual gifts to others. The clearest example of this is with Timothy.

1 Timothy 4:14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

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

Timothy received a gift that was given prophetically and confirmed and imparted by the laying on of hands of the presbytery (elders) and by Paul. The reason for the gift was so that Timothy could wage war with the enemy.

1 Timothy 1:18 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;

Paul also wanted to see the Roman believers because he wanted to impart a spiritual gift to them that was for the purpose of establishing them.

Romans 1:11-12 For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; (12) That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

In each of the examples, spiritual gifts were only imparted by the leadership not by the individual believers.

Laying on of hands to commission ministers

The clearest example of this occurs in Antioch when Paul and Barnabas were sent out.

Acts 13:1-4 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. (2) As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. (3) And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. (4) So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.

The Holy Spirit had called Paul and Barnabas for a special work and had, apparently, spoken to them individually prior to this meeting. The Holy Spirit now spoke publicly (probably through on of the prophets). The other leaders fasted, prayed, and laid hands on them to publicly confirm the Holy Spirit's call to the work. Then, Paul and Barnabas were sent forth to accomplish the work assigned by the Holy Spirit. After this sending forth, Paul and Barnabas are both called apostles.

After fulfilling the work that they were called to do they returned to Antioch and gave a report of all that the Lord had done.

Acts 14:26-27 And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled. (27) And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.

This reveals the results of the commissioning Paul and Barnabas:

1. the purpose for which the church leaders laid hands on them--commended them to the grace of God;

2. the outcome of the work--successfully completed without omissions or failures;

3. the impact of their ministry on the Gentiles--an open door of faith.

Laying on of hands to commission elders and deacons

The scriptures only give us two offices in the local church: elders and deacons.

The commissioning of elders could be placed under the previous purpose of the laying on of hands--commissioning ministers; however, I wanted to keep the church offices together.

While the scriptures don't specifically use the phrase “laying on of hands” in connection with elders, it is a logical assumption.

Acts 14:21-23 And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, (22) Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. (23) And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.

As Paul and Barnabas made their trip, they left groups of believers (disciples) behind as they moved on to the next town. As they made their return journey, they visited the groups of disciples and ordained (appointed) elders in each of the towns where they had left the groups of believers.

We can see several principles in these verses:

1. the transition from a group of disciples to a church was the appointment of elders;

2. elders weren't appointed until some time had passed with the group of believers;

3. elders were appointed by the apostles; and

4. when appointed as elders, there was prayer and fasting to commend them to the Lord (this was probably accompanied by the laying on of hands).

The appointment of elders was so important that when Paul couldn't do it in Crete, he left Titus to specifically set things in order and appoint elders in each city.

Titus 1:5 For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:

It would appear to me that being without elders leaves a church out of order.

The only example we have in the scriptures of the selection of deacons is in Acts.

Acts 6:2-6 Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. (3) Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. (4) But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. (5) And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: (6) Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.

The deacons were specifically selected to resolve the issue of unequal distribution of help to the different groups of widows. They were selected by the group of believers and then confirmed and appointed by the laying on of hands of the elders.

Warning about laying on of hands

The scriptures give us a warning about hastily laying hands on people.

1 Timothy 5:22 Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure.

There are 3 warnings in this verse and I believe the second two are a result of the first.

1. don't lay hands hastily on people;

2. don't be a partaker of other's sins; and

3. keep yourself pure.

Laying on of hands is not just a religious ceremony. It has real spiritual effect. For this to occur then there must be direct spiritual contact. Whenever there is contact between two spirits, there is always the possibility of spiritual harm. That is why we should not be hasty about laying on of hands.

How to Protect Against Harm

1. The ministry of laying on of hands should never be exercised lightly or carelessly but with humility and a spirit of prayer.
2. The guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit should be sought at every stage--with whom to pray, when to pray, and how to pray.
3. The one who lays on hands must know how to claim, on behalf of his own spirit, the continual purifying and protecting power of the blood of Christ.
4. The one who lays on hands must himself be so empowered of the Holy Spirit that he is able to overcome any kind of evil spiritual influence seeking to enter in or through the one on whom hands are laid.

Resurrection of the Dead

Resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment are bound together by the logic of the scriptures. Eternal judgment always follows resurrection of the dead. Resurrection always precedes eternal judgment. To properly address these we need to look first at two areas: time and eternity.

Time and Eternity

Eternity is not endless time, although that is the way that we tend to think of it. Eternity is the nature and mode of God's own being--the uncreated realm in which God Himself exists.

Isaiah 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Exodus 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

Revelation 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Isaiah 40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

Time was created by God as part of the creation of the Heavens and earth mentioned in the first verse of Genesis. We refer to it today as the space-time continuum. While we live our lives by the clock, there comes a point in our life that the clock stops ticking. At death we step out of time and into eternity. When our life ends, time stops for us.

There are two things awaiting us on the other side of time:

1. resurrection of the dead, and

2. eternal judgment.

Our faith hinges on the fact that there is a resurrection of the dead because Jesus was raised from the dead. This is a central or key point to Christianity.

1 Cor. 15:16-22 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: (17) And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. (18) Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. (19) If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. (20) But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. (21) For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. (22) For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Romans 14:9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

There is one class of exceptions to the resurrection of the dead and that is, naturally, those who never die.

1 Cor. 15:51-53 Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, (52) In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (53) For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

True Christians which are alive when Christ returns will not die but will be changed. They will skip the death process. As we can see from these scriptures, the resurrection of the dead (which means resurrection of the body) occurs at the time of Christ's return and before the judgment seat.

NOTE: There are two other people that possibly fit into the exception category: Enoch and Elijah. They were translated from Earth to Heaven without seeing death. (I personally believe that these return to Earth as the two witnesses in Revelation where, eventually, they will be killed. Enoch represents the righteous that were before the Flood and Elijah represents the righteous after the Flood.)

We can see a principle in this. Since resurrection precedes judgment in every case, man will not appear before God as disembodied souls but as a complete person--the complete human personality: spirit, soul, and body.

2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Acts 17:30-31 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: (31) Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

Romans 14:10-12 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at naught thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. (11) For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. (12) So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Man has both a material and an immaterial component. The body is material and the soul and spirit are immaterial and as a result the body decomposes while there is no decomposition with the immaterial aspect of our being.

Ecclesiastes 3:18-21 I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. (19) For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. (20) All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. (21) Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

After Death--Before Resurrection

When a person dies, the body returns to the dust from which it came and the spirit and soul return to God who gave it. I believe that this means that all, the righteous and the unrighteous, appear before God after death. However, this is not for judgment which only occurs after resurrection. The purpose of this appearing is to hear the divine sentence appointing to each the state and place each must occupy from death until resurrection and final judgment. Others believe that when a person dies his soul goes automatically to the appropriate place to await judgment and doesn't appear before God at all until that time.

Two facts are made clear in the Bible:

1. After death, there is a separation between the righteous and the wicked;

2. After death, the condition of the righteous was different before Christ's death and resurrection than afterward.

We can glean some facts about this from God's judgment on the oppressing King of Babylon in Isaiah.

Isaiah 14:9-10 Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. (10) All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us?

First, this scripture does not suggest any knowledge of events currently occurring on the earth.

Second, we can determine 5 facts from this scripture:

1. there is a definite persistence of personality

2. there is recognition of one person by another

3. there is communication between one person and another

4. there is an awareness of conditions in Hell

5. there is some correspondence in some measure between a man's state in the world and his state in the next. Kings were still recognized as Kings.

Ezekiel chapter 32 verses 17-32 present a similar picture containing these same five points.

The New Testament is in agreement with the Old but reveals or adds some additional details for us. Let's look at the scriptures about the beggar, Lazarus, and the rich man.

Luke 16:19-26 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: (20) And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, (21) And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. (22) And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; (23) And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. (24) And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. (25) But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. (26) And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

We have clearly revealed here that the destiny after death of the righteous is different from the wicked. The rich man is in a place of torment and Lazarus is in a place of rest. Between these two areas is an impassable gulf.

Sheol, Hades, Hell

Our thinking, understanding and traditions about hell are out of line with what the Scriptures present. We have seen too many movies about hell or read too many writer's articles about hell that have been based on cultural concepts taken from pagan religions.

The Hebrew word that is translated as “hell” is sheol and means “the place of departed spirits”. The Greek word for sheol is hades and the English word for hades is hell. As the word has moved through the languages it has picked up extra meanings that were not meant in the original.

Our modern concept of hell is a place in the center of the earth that is burning with fire where the Devil has his throne and rules this underworld. This is not correct. The Devil is not in hell right now. His false kingdom is in the heavenlies. This is where is throne is currently.

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (literally, the heavenlies).

The Devil hasn't even been cast out of the heavenlies and into the Earth yet. This doesn't occur until halfway through Revelation.

Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

It is only at the beginning of the Thousand Year Reign of Christ that the Devil is bound in the bottomless pit (which may or may not be hell).

Revelation 20:1-3 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. (2) And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, (3) And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

So, as you see, the Devil is not in hell and is certainly not ruling there.

Prior to the resurrection of Jesus, all departed souls went to sheol or hell. However, there were two compartments with an impassable gulf between them. One side was a place of torment for the wicked. The other side was called Paradise (literally, Garden of God) and Abraham's bosom and was a place of rest for the righteous. This changed for the righteous after the resurrection of Jesus.

The Work of Jesus in His Death and Resurrection

We all understand the work of Jesus on the Cross. He was the Lamb of God offered as a sacrifice for our sins. As the Lamb He became sin for us. He literally took on Himself our sin nature that we might be free and no longer slaves to sin. When Jesus said “It is finished”, He was referring to His work as the Sin Offering, the Lamb of God.

John 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

Under the Old Covenant, besides the blood offering that was sprinkled on the altar, there was another offering called the Scapegoat. Once each year it took both of these sacrifices to make atonement for Israel. We have similar provision through Jesus under the New covenant.

Leviticus 16:9-10 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD's lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. (10) But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.

Leviticus 16:20-22 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat: (21) And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: (22) And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

Jesus was both our sin offering and our scapegoat. When He finished the work of the sin offering (it was always performed first), He began the work of the scapegoat which took place between His death on the cross and His resurrection. There has been little teaching done on the scapegoat. As a result some of the scriptures which point to this have been misinterpreted and misapplied to create erroneous teaching because of lack of understanding. It has created quite a controversy in the Church as a whole.

Let's look at what the bible says about the time between His death and resurrection.

Two facts are clear:

1. When Jesus died, His body was laid in a tomb but it did not decompose;

2. His spirit and soul went to “sheol”.

How do we know that He went to sheol (hell)?

Ephesians 4:9-10 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? (10) He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

He descended into the lower parts of the earth before He ascended.

Psalms 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

This is quoted by Peter in Acts 2:25-28 and Paul in Acts 13:35 as prophetic of Jesus. His soul would not be left in hell and his body would not see corruption.

Jesus told the repenitent thief that He would see Him in paradise that day.

Luke 23:42-43 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. (43) And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. (literally “garden”)

We have already seen that paradise was the compartment of the righteous in sheol. Since Jesus expired before the thief, we can assume that He was there waiting to greet the thief when he arrived.

1 Peter 3:18-20 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: (19) By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; (20) Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

Jesus also apparently went to another area of sheol and preached (literally, heralded, proclaimed, declared) to the disobedient ones from the days of Noah.

But it is David, the Psalmist, that gives us the prophetic picture of Jesus suffering as the scapegoat. As I understand the atonement process with both the sin offering and the scapegoat, it was necessary for Jesus to suffer in this way to make a complete or full atonement for us.

Psalms 88:4-18 I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength: (5) Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand. (6) Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps. (7) Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah. (8) Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth. (9) Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee. (10) Wilt thou show wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah. (11) Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction? (12) Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? (13) But unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee. (14) LORD, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me? (15) I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted. (16) Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off. (17) They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together. (18) Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness.

Jesus as the scapegoat was taken into this spiritual wilderness (the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps) and there suffered complete and total separation from God. We can't imagine the suffering that went with this. But then as the scriptures say He was “quickened by the Spirit”, that is, He was made alive by the Spirit. His soul was not left in hell but was re-united with His body and He was resurrected.

In the process of resurrection, Jesus brought with Him the righteous which were in paradise awaiting the time when they could be in the presence of God. Some of these received their resurrected bodies just as Jesus did.

Matthew 27:52-53 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, (53) And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

While this is largely ignored by bible teachers, it is important because Jesus rose on the day of the First Fruits Offering, the Wave Offering. The first fruits were presented to the Lord so that the entire harvest would be holy.

Changes for the New Testament Righteous

When Jesus rose the paradise compartment of sheol was emptied and the souls of the Old Testament righteous are now with Jesus in heaven. Because we are now made acceptable to God by the blood of Jesus, we, too, are with Jesus when we die.

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (7) (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) (8) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Philippians 1:22-24 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor: yet what I shall choose I wot not. (23) For I am in a strait between two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: (24) Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

Paul makes it clear that, for him and therefore all who belong to Christ, when a person's soul is absent from the body then it will be present with the Lord.

From this we know that when we die, our souls do not go to sheol, but, instead, go into the presence of Jesus in heaven.

Resurrection Body

When we are resurrected our spirits and souls are re-united with our bodies. It is the same body we had when we died only changed. God keeps track of all of our elemental components so that they can be assembled again at the right time.

The Psalmist records the original process that occurred before birth. A record was kept so that in the resurrection the process could be duplicated in a moment.

Psalms 139:13-16 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. (14) I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. (15) My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. (16) Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

When Jesus appeared to His disciples, He had the same body that was crucified as evidenced by the wounds on the hands and feet. They at first thought that He was a spirit but He quickly set them straight on that.

1 Cor. 15:35-44 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? (36) Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: (37) And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: (38) But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. (39) All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. (40) There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. (41) There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. (42) So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: (43) It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: (44) It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

When our natural body is sown into the ground like seed, it is raised as a spiritual body.

Abilities that we can expect of our resurrected bodies (our example is Jesus):

1. appear and disappear at will

2. enter closed rooms

3. pass between heaven and earth.

The Order of Resurrection

1 Cor. 15:22-24 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. (23) But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. (24) Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

Regardless of any particular belief that you might hold about the timing of various events such as the Rapture, the order will always be the same and it is a three step process.

Christ the first fruits: As we have already seen, many old testament saints rose from their graves and walked the streets of Jerusalem before ascending to heaven with Jesus. Christ was planted as a seed and rose in newness of Life. When you plant a seed, you don't just get one seed back but instead you get many. Jesus and the old testament saints were the wave offering of the first fruits to God.

Leviticus 23:10-11 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: (11) And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.

John 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

They that are Christ's at His coming: All true Christians will be resurrected in their new immortal bodies and those still alive when He comes will receive their new bodies also. This is the next event to occur in the resurrection process.

1 Cor. 15:51-54 Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, (52) In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (53) For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (54) So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

Then comes the end: This occurs when the Kingdom is delivered to the Father. The timeline for this is after the 1000 year reign of Christ on the earth.

Revelation 20:5-6 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. (6) Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

After everything is completed at the end of the 1000 years, then the rest of the dead are raised for the Great White Throne judgment.

Five Main Purposes of Christ's Second Coming

(1) Christ will come for the Church. He will come as the Bridegroom to receive to Himself all true believers as His Bride.

John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

(2) Christ will come for the national salvation of Israel. The remnant of Israel that survives the fires of the great tribulation will acknowledge Jesus as their Messiah

Romans 11:26-27 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: (27) For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

(3) Christ will come for the overthrow of Anti-Christ and of Satan

2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

(4) Christ will come for the judgment of the gentile nations.

Matthew 25:31-32 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: (32) And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

(5) Christ will come for the establishment of His millenial kingdom upon the earth

Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

There is much argument among believers about the details of these phases of the Lord's return and the fulfillment of His purposes. Will all of these be a single event? Or, will there be definite time intervals between some of them?

1 Thes. 4:13-17 (13) But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. (14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. (15) For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. (16) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: (17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

There are 3 sounds associated with the Lord's return:

1. the shout of the Lord--only the Lord has the power to call the dead out of their graves;

2. the voice of the Archangel--possibly Gabriel (herald);

3. the trumpet of God--all through the bible, the trumpet call signaled the gathering together of God's people.

Jesus said that He would also come as a thief.

Revelation 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

Like a thief:

1. sudden, unexpected, without warning

2. culminates in a single ruthless action of snatching away earth's most valuable treasure snatched--the true Christians.

Difference from a thief: Jesus only takes His own.

Eternal Judgment

There are two aspects of Eternal Judgment:

1. General revelation of God as judge of all, and

2. The main principles which administrate God's judgment.

Hebrews 12:22-24 But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, (23) To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, (24) And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

Three main parts to these scriptures:

A) Description of God's dwelling place

1. Mount Zion

2. city of the living God

3. the heavenly Jerusalem

B) Listing of those who dwell there with God

1. innumerable company of Angels

a) Angels who kept there first estate

2. general assembly and Church of the first-born

a) new testament saints

3. spirits of just men made perfect

a) saints of previous ages

C) Presentation of God Himself

1. God, the Judge of all

2. Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant

3. the Blood of sprinkling

These scriptures reveal GOD THE JUDGE

which leads us to JESUS THE MEDIATOR

which leads us to THE BLOOD--the means and price of reconciliation.

The blood of Abel contrasted with the blood of Jesus:

Abel	Jesus
1. blood shed without his consent	1. blood freely given
2. sprinkled on the earth	2. sprinkled on the mercy seat in heaven
3. cries out for vengeance	3. pleads mercy and forgiveness

The revelation of God as judge of all is tempered by the revelation of God's mercy and grace manifested in the mediatorial office and the shed blood of Christ. This is in harmony with the total revelation of scripture on this theme.

God, the Father, as Judge

Throughout the entire Bible it is plainly stated that, by sovereign, eternal right, the office of “Judge” belongs to God Himself.

Genesis 18:25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

Psalms 58:11 So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.

Psalms 94:2 Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.

Isaiah 33:22 For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.

However, even though God is judge, His nature is to be long-sufferring.

Isaiah 28:21 For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.

There are two Hebrew words translated by the same English word “strange”. The meaning that they have in common is “alien”. The administration of wrath and judgment is alien to God's own nature.

This concept is also born out in the New Testament.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

The reluctance of God to administer judgment finds expression also in the way in which God's judgment will ultimately be carried out.

1 Peter 1:17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:

Jesus, the Son, as Judge

God, the Father is Judge; however, He has delegated judgment to the Son.

John 5:22-23 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: (23) That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which hath sent him.

John 5:26-27 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; (27) And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.

Two reasons the office of Judge is transferred from the Father to the Son:

1. because with the office of Judge goes the honor due the judge--men will be obliged to show the same honor toward God, the Son, as they would God, the Father.

2. because Christ is also the Son of man as well as the Son of God; i.e., he partakes of the human as well as the divine nature, and, therefore, in His judgments He is able to make allowance from His own experience, for all the infirmities and temptations of human flesh.

However, the Son is also unwilling to administer judgment.

The Word as Judge

The Son of God has transferred the final authority of judgment from Himself to the Word of God.

John 12:47-48 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. (48) He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

The final authority of all judgment is vested in the Word of God. This is the impartial, unchanging standard of judgment to which all men must one day answer.

Psalms 119:160 Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth forever.

God's principles and standards of judgments are contained in His Word and like the Word endure forever.

Principles of Divine Judgment

Romans 2:1-12 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. (2) But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. (3) And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? (4) Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? (5) But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; (6) Who will render to every man according to his deeds: (7) To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life: (8) But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, (9) Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; (10) But glory, honor, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: (11) For there is no respect of persons with God. (12) For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;

There are 3 principles of divine judgment in these scriptures.

“according to truth” -- has to do with those who judge others by one standard and themselves by another standard. John 17:17 says “Thy word is truth.” The revealed standard of God's word applies to the judge and the judged.

“according to deeds” -- repeated many times in the scriptures: 1 Peter 1:17, “according to every man's work”; Rev. 20:12, “according to their works”. Records are kept of each man's life, not just deeds but also thoughts and intents of the heart.

“as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law” -- each person is judged according to the measure of moral light and understanding available to him.

Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Example: Matthew 11:20-24--Jesus is comparing Tyre and Sidon and the light they had received with the cities of His day and the light they received. Judgment would be easier on Tyre and Sidon than on the current cities.

We should take note of this because we live in a time and a country when more moral knowledge is more easily available than ever before in history. We are held accountable for the light which we have received and that which is available to us. To neglect or to not receive the light which is available does not relieve us from the responsibility and the accountability that goes with the Word. Just as the cities of Jesus time did not receive the light and understanding available to them and as a consequence will receive a stricter judgment than even Sodom and Gomorrah, America will, I believe, be held even more accountable than the cities of Jesus time.

God's Judgments in History

God administers judgment to the human race in two stages:

God's judgment in time--that is, that part of God's judgment that is carried out on the scene of human history.

God's judgment in eternity--that is, that part of God's judgment that is carried out in eternity, after time and history have ceased.

Scriptures of Historical Judgments:

Exodus 20:4-6 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: (5) Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; (6) And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Jeremiah 32:18 Thou showest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is his name,

In certain cases the sins of one generation can cause the judgment of God to come upon succeeding generations even to the third or fourth and, conversely, the righteousness of one generation can cause the blessing of God to come upon many thousands of their descendants.

Scriptures on Eternal Judgment

Ezekiel 18:1-4 The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying, (2) What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? (3) As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel. (4) Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

God though the prophets rebuked Israel for their sinful and backslidden condition. The people tried to blame the previous generation for their present conditions, thereby excusing themselves.

God doesn't allow this. When one stands before Him, he can't blame his parents for his problems with morality. Although it may have been true that the national decline was due to their ancestors, God still holds each accountable for his moral condition. E