Do I Contradict Myself?

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

J____ wrote:

Mike Vinson wrote:

Hi J____,

I will make a few extended comments as I read your e- mail.

J____ wrote:

Sure J____, the outward fulfillment of scripture is always the means by which God Himself “sends evil spirits to deceive” the multitudes. For example, notice how the yet carnal apostles understood Christ’s words about “the leaven of the Pharisees”:

Mat 16:6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
Mat 16:7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.

The apostles were going into town to buy bread, and Christ counseled them to “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees”. Like all “babes in Christ” (1Co 3:1-4), the yet carnal minded apostles understood only what was said. They had no idea what Christ meant by what He had said about the “leaven of the Pharisees”. The very next event recorded here in Matthew makes this point even stronger: The prophecy that Elijah would precede the coming of the Messiah, was known to every Jew. All Israel was looking for the coming of Elijah before the coming of the Messiah. This outward prophecy was also used of God to hide the Messiah from the multitudes:

Mat 16:13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
Mat 16:14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias [ Greek- Elijah] ; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

That was the most logical thing to suppose of this extraordinary person. After all Elijah must come first:

Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

There it is. The Bible plainly says that Elijah the prophet will come “before the coming of the … day of the Lord.” How can anyone in their right mind deny this plain straightforward Biblical truth? And yet Christ says that when the scriptures talked about the coming of Elijah, they weren’t talking about Elijah at all. They were really referring to John the Baptist.

I deliberately speak as Christ spoke. Like Christ I am aware that there is both an outward and an inward application to every word of scripture. The serpent in the Garden of Eden was indeed a serpent. But that serpent typifies much more than a physical snake. It typifies Satan. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a beautiful physical tree with luscious looking bright red mangoes (or whatrever the fruit was – I like mangoes) on it . But it typifies much more than a physical tree; it typifies the law.

Rom 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

The tree of life, on the other hand was probably a small, very plain tree which was not in the least “pleasant to the eyes.” It was a tree whose fruit appeared to be worthless and lacking in any form of nourishment. We have every scriptural reason to believe that Adam and Eve probably thought that the fruit from that tree would probably kill them. We have every reason to believe that this was probably the last tree they would have chosen as a tree with fruit that was “good for food.” There was no reason whatsoever for the first Adam to ever conceive of this tree as anything “to be desired to make one wise.” No, no, no! It was clearly the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that looked appealing. It is to this very day, the keeping of the law of Moses instead of all of those impossible and deadly “But I say unto you…” statements of the New Covenant which are to be desired to make one wise. Statements like “swear not at all… don’t even look on a woman to lust after her in your heart… resist not evil… and love your enemies…” are foolish at the very best and deadly if followed. That is the real meaning of the physical symbols found in the Garden of Eden.

Isa 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: [ Christ, the ‘Tree Of Life] he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. [“to make us wise”]
Isa 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isa 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

That is a Biblical description of the ‘Tree of Life.” Is it any wonder the first Adam rejected it? We have all rejected the tree of life. We all would much rather partake of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That tree is much more logical. “Love your neighbor and hate your enemies” makes much better sense to the carnal mind than ‘love the man who is sworn to kill you and your family and destroy your country.’ You would have to be insane to buy into that kind of fruit. Consequently Adam was “dead” when he was created as in “let the dead bury their dead.” The subject in “lest he put forth his hand and take of the tree of life and live forever [ olawm]” is ‘life.’ It is not ‘olawm.’ It was Adam’s dying, marred conditions which gave him his perspective on all the things found in that garden:

Gen 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Eve is a physical woman, but she typifies the bondwoman who brings forth the seed of the serpent. But Eve is “the mother of all living,” so she also typifies the “many called” church which tells God’s elect to go in unto this bondwoman and bring forth seed to help God to get things done. Sarah thought it would be nothing less than genocide to simply “wait upon the Lord.” ‘Why without the help of the church, we would all be either communists or Moslems. So we clearly must ignore our Lords words “Love thine enemies.” We simply must go to war with our enemies or else the kingdom of God will never ever appear, without our efforts to destroy our enemies, which will necessitate ignoring the Words of our Lord.’ So thinks the carnal mind. It is, was and always will be the outward application of any word of scripture which will deceive those who are yet in the flesh. So whenever you hear me or the scriptures using the ‘outward’ application of any word, especially the words ‘aion’ and ‘aionios,’ we are discussing what will be occurring in the outward world. What you do not apparently see is that the “end of the aion” has already come upon God’s elect:

1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world [ aions] are come. (KJV)

1Co 10:11 Now all this befalls them typically. Yet it was written for our admonition, to whom the consummations of the eons have attained.” (CLV)

Yes, this is true only in down payment “earnest” form at this time. But if it is not true in “earnest” while we are yet in this flesh, then we will not be judged at this time. And if we are not now being judged, then we will not be in that “blessed and holy… first resurrection.”

1Co 11:31 For if we would judge ourselves [ at this time inwardly, during this inward aion which has attained it’s consummation within us], we should not be judged.[ At the outward “white throne judgment.”
1Co 11:32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. [ To outward judgment which will come on all men when this outward aion comes to an end. This outward judgment begins with God’s elect judging this outward world. It will end with God’s elect judging all of Satan’s spiritual angels.]

1Co 15:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body [ For most of resurrected mankind this will be the second resurrection. They will be yet in need of spiritual cleansing, just as Satan]. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

So God’s “many called” saints, even among those who understand the salvation of all which Paul preached to the “yet carnal” Corinthian “babes in Christ,” see this word ‘aion’ only in its outward application as a physical age concerned only with the outward consummation of this outward age. In God’s elect, this outward application is but typical of the inward spiritual aion which has already reached its consummation in us as we “judge ourselves” and as we “are seated with Him in the heavenlies.” Does this “Is” application of God’s Word necessitate that we deny a yet future and outward fulfillment of this word? Absolutely not. It rather necessitates that we recognize the truth that we serve a Christ who “Is, Was and Will Be.” But while it is definitely true that an outward fulfillment is coming, that part of our Lord is for the salvation of the unchosen “many called” who must endure the great white throne judgment. These are not able to see how the aions could possibly have “attained their consummation in some” [ and at the very same time be yet future]. Just look at this verse of scripture:

Rev 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was

“Is not and yet is…?” I could ask John ‘How can you say such a contradictory thing.’ But for those who see Christ as an “Is, Was and Will Be” Christ there is no contradiction. I hope this clears up for you how I can say that when Christ’s yet carnal disciples asked Christ “What shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world,” they were really asking ‘What shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the age.’ And then in the same breath I can say that “the end of this age has nothing to do with the return of Christ.” I obviously need to clarify this by adding the word ‘outward’ to that statement. “the end of this age has nothing to do with the outward return of Christ.” Thank you for allowing me to clarify that.

The blasphemers, who constitute much of what the scriptures call “Babylon The Great,” will not be forgiven until they come out of the lake of fire; “until they have paid the uttermost farthing.” (Mat 5:26) Until they have “received double for their abominations.” Then only after “the old man” has died, as I pointed out in the DVD, only then, after the next outward aion is ended, will the blasphemers be forgiven. It is the’ life‘ which “must put on immortality” and therefore “never end.” It is not the ‘ aion‘ or the ‘olawm.’

1Co 15:25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 1Co 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

This “destruction of death” comes as the aions are consumed in each person.

Yes, “IF “aion’ is the life of a man, then ‘aionian… [ would] be redundant. But it was never said that an “aion is the life of a man which never ends!” It is that ‘life’ which is acquired during the ‘aion’ in this dying flesh; it is ‘aionian life, which never ends:

1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world [ aions] are come. (KJV)

I think I have indeed answered all these questions. “here is the mind that hath wisdom… The beast was and is not and yet is…” I pray that God will give you that mind. Contrary to the doctrines of all of “historical orthodox Christianity, these “Hidden… things of the spirit” are not “so clear that even a baby can understand them.” That is without a doubt one of the most effective and yet insidious lies being told by the entire orthodox Christian community. Here is the Truth I hope God will give you the eyes to see:

1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Mike

I appreciate your enthusiasm to see the things of the spirit, and I recommend that you read the Revelation Commentary when it is put back up. If you go to Chapter 17 verse 8 you’ll get the specific answer to your question. I encourage you though to read the entire commentary because jumping to random verses will more than likely expose you to spiritual meat that you are not yet ready to consume. There is a reason why Christ reveals Himself in the manner and progression that He does, and therefore I will recommend that same manner and progression to you as you desire to know Christ in His fullness.

Other related posts