[Posted September 5, 2024]

I hope you are doing fine, Mike?

I used to think that I understood this passage until recently when it started looking fuzzy to me.

Mat 21:44 “And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder,”

At what stage of our walk did we fall and got broken and when exactly did that Stone (Christ) grind us to powder?

In other word, when do we migrate from being broken to being grounded to powder.

Your brother that is full of appreciation for what you are doing for the body of Christ.

M____

Hi, M___

Thank you for your question concerning when we fall and are broken on Christ, versus when He falls on us and crushes us to powder. The parable of the tenants of the Lord’s vineyard which precedes this verse explains when we fall on Christ and when he falls on us.

The parable begins by depicting us as the Lord’s husbandmen who have fallen on him and have been broken and entrusted with the care of the Lord’s vineyard:

Mat 21:33  Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:

Those who are given ears to hear what the spirit says to the churches will acknowledge that we all gladly serve the Lord when we first ‘fall on Christ’ and begin working in His vineyard. But we also know that the words of this parable admonish each of us that we will “lose our first love” at some point while we wait for our Lord’s appearing:

Mat 21:34  And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.

“The time of the fruit” is that period of our lives after we have made a profession of Christ and we lose our first love and begin acting like “children of disobedience… children of “our father the devil” instead of our heavenly Father.

Mat 21:35  And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
Mat 21:36  Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.
Mat 21:37  But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
Mat 21:38  But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.
Mat 21:39  And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.

As these verses apply to us they demonstrate who we are and what we are doing spiritually when we lose our first love and become a healthy beast after having received a deadly wound. There is also an application of these verses to those who have received the holy spirit, tasted the heavenly gift, and the good life to come and are still caused to blaspheme the holy spirit and teach doctrines of demons and find no place of repentance in this age:

Mat 21:40  When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?
Mat 21:41  They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.

For the elect “those husbandmen” refers to our old man who the Lord destroys with the brightness of His coming to reclaim His rightful throne on our hearts and minds. For those who are not given place for repentance in this age, the destruction of their old man will be the lake of fire.

Whether in this present time, or in the lake of fire, we will experience a time when “this Rock will fall on us and grind us to powder” because that is the only sacrifice the Lord will accept:

Lev 2:1  And when any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:

Lev 6:20  This is the offering of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer unto the LORD in the day when he is anointed; the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meat offering perpetual, half of it in the morning, and half thereof at night.

We are all ‘builders who reject Christ’ before we become builders who are ground to fine powder and accept the Lord’s correction and scourgings with gratitude.

Mat 21:42  Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
Mat 21:43  Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

The vineyard which was given to the workers signifies the kingdom of God within each of us, and we are expected to bring forth fruit meet for repentance especially after we have been ground to powder by the stone cut out of the mountain without hands:

Mat 21:44  And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

We are all the proud Pharisee before we become the repentant publican:

Mat 21:45  And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.
Mat 21:46  But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.

I hope this helps you to better understand what Christ meant by:

Mat 24:34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

In other words, these words have both an application to this present time for you and me as well as the judgment of the great white throne.

Your brother who wants to be finely ground in this present time,

Mike

Ezekiel 30:1–26 A Lament For Egypt

[Study Aired September 2, 2024]

Introduction

Today’s study continues with the prophecy against Egypt which focuses on her destruction, and that of her allies and confederate, and all her interests and concerns.  As indicated in the previous study, Egypt is a symbol of Babylon of which we were part of during our sojourn in the physical churches of this world. This is made clearer later in the chapter when the Lord mentioned that He will give the land of Egypt to the King of Babylon.

Egypt also refers to our walk when we were dominated by our flesh as we  conform to the standards of this world. The chapter gives details of the judgement of Egypt and her cities which is our judgement. This evil experience of the Lord’s judgement that we go through in this life is to drag us to know Him. We can therefore learn from this chapter that the Lord’s ways are not our ways. This is to assure us that in the midst of all that we are going through in this life as we wonder why things happen the way they do, the Lord is at work in us to bring us to an expected end!!

Isa 55:8  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 
Isa 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 

Jer 29:11  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 
Jer 29:12  Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
Jer 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

The Sword Shall Come Upon Egypt

Eze 30:1  The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, 
Eze 30:2  Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Howl ye, Woe worth the day! 
Eze 30:3  For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen. 
Eze 30:4  And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down. 
Eze 30:5 Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, and all the mingled people, and Chub, and the men of the land that is in league, shall fall with them by the sword.  

The word of the Lord coming to Ezekiel in verse 1 is the same as Christ coming to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness.

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 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: 

As indicated in 2 Thessalonians 2:8, the coming of the Lord to us is accompanied by His judgement of our old man. Verses 2 to 4 affirms to us the judgement of the Lord when He come to us with His words. The day of the Lord is the time of the Lord’s judgement. A cloudy day in verse 2 means a gloomy day and that day being the time of the heathen means that it is a time of trouble for our old man who is signified by the heathen. Why is the day of the Lord a gloomy day? It is because the Lord is taking us through an evil experience which brings us to our wits ends. During this period, it is as if our Lord is not with us or has forsaken us. That is what it means when our sun is darkened in the day of the Lord. This is what Peter has to say about the day of the Lord:

Act 2:19  And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
Act 2:20  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: 
Act 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

The moon turning into blood implies that through the Lord’s judgement, we come to see that our mother (moon), which represents the churches of this world, are rather putting us to death spiritually just as they had put to death physically, the Lord’s messengers.

Luk 11:49  Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:
Luk 11:50  That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;
Luk 11:51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.

It is during this period of our fiery trials that when we call on the name of the Lord, we are saved.

Psa 107:12  Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.
Psa 107:13  Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. 
Psa 107:14  He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder. 
Psa 107:15 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

As indicated in the previous study, we came to the conclusion that when our walk with the Lord is dominated by our flesh or old man, then we are just like the people of the world or Egyptians. In verse 4, the sword coming upon Egypt is the Lord judging us as we walk in the flesh. In this case, the Lord is using the sword as His instrument of judgement. Here in verse 4 and 5, Egypt together with Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia and Chub are all being judged. To understand why these nations are being judged together with Egypt, we are given a clue in verse 5 which says that all these nations are in league with Egypt. In other words, Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia and Chub all exhibit the traits of worldliness associated with Egypt. All these nations therefore represent our flesh which must be destroyed through the sword.  The sword on a positive note means the word of the Lord.

Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 

The negative aspect of sword used in verse 5 refers to words that are spoken which destroy us. The sword refers to the lying words and false doctrines of the adversary.

2Ti 2:17  And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
2Ti 2:18  Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

Psa 64:2  Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:
Psa 64:3  Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:

These negative words spoken is one of the tools that the Lord uses to judge us.

Eze 38:21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.

Jdg 7:22 And the three hundred [men with Gideon] blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host [of the Midianites]: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.

Eze 30:6  Thus saith the LORD; They also that uphold Egypt shall fall; and the pride of her power shall come down: from the tower of Syene shall they fall in it by the sword, saith the Lord GOD. 
Eze 30:7  And they shall be desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are wasted. 
Eze 30:8  And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have set a fire in Egypt, and when all her helpers shall be destroyed. 
Eze 30:9 In that day shall messengers go forth from me in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid, and great pain shall come upon them, as in the day of Egypt: for, lo, it cometh. 

In verse 6, we are told that they that uphold Egypt shall fall. This means that our old man which is the source of all worldliness including pride shall be destroyed through the Lord’s judgement. The towers of Syrene is a border town of Egypt on the frontier of Ethiopia. The fact that the destruction stretches up to the towers of Syrene means that the Lord will do a thorough work with our old man such that nothing of our old man shall be left untouched. In this case, the instrument of the Lord’s judgement is the sword which is the fire of the word of the Lord which brings about tribulation and persecution because of the word we have received.

Mat 13:21  Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. 

The Lord judgement shall utterly destroy our old man as revealed in verse 7 where our old man shall be desolate and wasted. It is through this evil experience that we shall come to know the Lord. As we have indicated in previous studies, cities can represent churches and in this case, Babylon.

Rev 17:18  And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

Rev 18:9  And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
Rev 18:10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

The destruction of the cities in verse 7 therefore refers to the destruction of Babylon within our hearts and minds. In verse 8, we are told that all the helpers of Egypt shall be destroyed. These helpers are the churches of this world or Babylon which strengthen our old man. The destruction of these helpers therefore refers to the ruin of Babylon within us.

The messengers coming forth in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid symbolize the false apostles in Babylon who peddle the gospel as they come with messages which make us afraid and bring pain. All of this happened to us when we were in Babylon which is symbolized here as Ethiopia.

Joe 2:3  A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
Joe 2:4  The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.
Joe 2:5  Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.
Joe 2:6  Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. 
Joe 2:7  They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march everyone on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:
Joe 2:8  Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk everyone in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.
Joe 2:9 They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.

Eze 30:10  Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease by the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon. 
Eze 30:11  He and his people with him, the terrible of the nations, shall be brought to destroy the land: and they shall draw their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with the slain. 
Eze 30:12  And I will make the rivers dry, and sell the land into the hand of the wicked: and I will make the land waste, and all that is therein, by the hand of strangers: I the LORD have spoken it. 
Eze 30:13 Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also destroy the idols, and I will cause their images to cease out of Noph; and there shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt: and I will put a fear in the land of Egypt. 

In verse 10, the Lord is saying that He will use Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, to bring an end to Egypt. That is to say that the Lord will use our time in Babylon as the occasion that He is seeking to come and judge us to destroy the source of worldliness (Egypt) within us. In verse 11, we are made aware that the evil experience that we go through in Babylon which entails being inundated with false doctrines, symbolized by Babylon drawing their sword against us, brings us to spiritual death. These false doctrines are propagated by these false teachers and prophets.

2Pe 2:1  But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 
2Pe 2:2  And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
2Pe 2:3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

In verse 12, selling the land into the hand of the wicked means our bodies become dominated by our flesh or old man. Through the Lord’s judgement, our rivers become dry, which implies that the Lord shall destroy our false doctrines. Our land being waste means that our old man or flesh shall be destroyed. Verse 13 continues to emphasize the destruction of our idols and images which represents our false doctrines, together with our old man. As the Lord takes us through this process of judgement, our old man or flesh become apprehensive or fearful, knowing his time is short.

Eze 30:14  And I will make Pathros desolate, and will set fire in Zoan, and will execute judgments in No. 
Eze 30:15  And I will pour my fury upon Sin, the strength of Egypt; and I will cut off the multitude of No. 
Eze 30:16 And I will set fire in Egypt: Sin shall have great pain, and No shall be rent asunder, and Noph shall have distresses daily. 

The names of these cities of Egypt which the Lord is dealing with through His judgement reveal the characteristics of His judgement. Pathros means part of Egypt. What this means is that the Lord’s judgement is a process which is carried out in parts. In the Book of Revelation, we see that our judgement is carried out in parts as shown in the following verses:

Rev 8:8  And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;

Rev 8:10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;

Zoan was the dwelling place of Pharoah at the time of the exodus of Israel and the city of No means disrupting. Thus, in verse 14, the Lord is telling us that the seat of our old man or flesh symbolized by Pharoah, and everything within us that disrupt the kingdom of the Lord from being established within us shall be destroyed with the fire of the word of the Lord as He carries out His judgement gradually.

Jer 5:14  Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

In verse 15, the Lord will pour out His fury upon Sin, a city in eastern Egypt which serves as the strength of Egypt. The Lord will also cut off the multitude of No. Sin means thorny or clay. We know from the scriptures that thorns spiritually represent false doctrines.

Eze 2:6  And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.

As indicated, No which is a city in Egypt means disrupting and therefore the multitude of No signify those false apostles whose message disrupt the kingdom of the Lord from being established in us. What verse 15 is telling us is that both the false doctrines in our heavens which represent the strength of our old man or flesh and these false apostles who propagate these false doctrines shall be dealt with through the Lord’s judgement or fury. In other words, we shall see who these false apostles really are and therefore, shall not influence us again.

The Lord setting fire in Egypt, in verse 16, signifies the Lord coming to us to destroy our old man with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness. The Lord’s judgement shall destroy everything including the false doctrines in our heavens. It is instructive to note that in verse 16, Noph is mentioned as being distress daily as the Lord sets fire in Egypt. Noph is another name for Memphis which was the capital city of Egypt and it means presentability. What this implies is that being presented to the Lord as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to the Lord is through the Lord’s judgement and that this work is done daily in our lives. As a result, we die daily to the things of the flesh.

1Co 15:31  I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. 

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Eze 30:17  The young men of Aven and of Pibeseth shall fall by the sword: and these cities shall go into captivity. 
Eze 30:18  At Tehaphnehes also the day shall be darkened, when I shall break there the yokes of Egypt: and the pomp of her strength shall cease in her: as for her, a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity. 
Eze 30:19 Thus will I execute judgments in Egypt: and they shall know that I am the LORD. 

The city of Aven in Egypt means trouble or sorrow. The young men of Aven therefore refer to the Lord’s elect who are going through trouble or sorrow as a result of the evil experience of the Lord’s judgement. Pibeseth signifies mouth of loathing which represents our old man or flesh who blaspheme against the Lord. We were all blasphemers but as we fall by the sword of the Lord’s judgement, we become counted as faithful.

1Ti 1:12  And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; 
1Ti 1:13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 

Tehaphnehes means “thou will fill hands with pity”. What verse 18 is telling us is that even as the Lord judges our old man and our day become darkened, He will show us pity and not tempt us to a point that we cannot bear.

1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 

Through the Lord’s judgement, the Lord shall break the yoke of our flesh as He takes his strength away.  In verse 18, we are also told that cloud shall cover Egypt as her daughters are taken into captivity. The cloud covering Egypt means that the world is shielded from the Sun who signifies Christ. We, His elect, are the cloud of witnesses which are shielding Christ from being seen by the world and Babylon. That is why the whole world and our brothers and sisters in Babylon are in captivity of the devil.

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

It is when someone recognizes us as ambassadors of Christ that the Sun or Christ is unveiled to that person.

Luk 13:35  Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

In verse 19, the Lord is assuring us that through His judgement we shall come to know the Lord.

Egypt Shall Fall to Babylon

Eze 30:20  And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month, in the seventh day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Eze 30:21  Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, lo, it shall not be bound up to be healed, to put a roller to bind it, to make it strong to hold the sword. 
Eze 30:22 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, the strong, and that which was broken; and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand. 

The number eleven signifies the ruin and disintegration of the perfection of the flesh and that of seven speaks of the completion of the perfection of the flesh. The number one shows us that everything is of God. With this in mind, the eleventh year in the first month of the seventh day of the month in which the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel in verse 20 signifies that what the Lord is coming to tell us relates what He is doing regarding the ruin and disintegration of our flesh and that this destruction only takes place after our sins are complete before Him. In this case, the sins of Pharoah the King of Egypt, who represents our flesh or old man have become complete. Our sins being complete is the same as our sins reaching the heavens. In the Book of Revelation, it is when the sins of Babylon have reached its fulness or become complete that the Lord shall come to judge her.

Rev 18:5  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
Rev 18:6  Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
Rev 18:8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.  

In verses 21 and 22, the Lord is showing us what He is doing through the judgement of our old man. As we have indicated, Pharoah, King of Egypt symbolizes our old man or flesh. Here in verse 21, the Lord is saying that the arms of Pharoah is broken and that it shall not bound up to be healed and that it shall never be strong again to hold the sword. This verse is telling us that through the Lord’s judgement, our old man or flesh is destroyed, such that he cannot come back to haunt us with the sword or his false doctrines. In verse 22, the destruction of our old man involves the demolition of the works of the flesh (his arms) and his strength which deals with His ability to influence us. The  annihilation of our old man or flesh also involves making the sword to fall out of his hands which signifies the destruction of the false doctrines in our heavens.

What is shown here about the destruction of our old man or flesh through the Lord’s judgement is the same as what is shown in the Book of Daniel about Daniel’s vision. In the vision about the four beasts which together represent the whole of our old man or flesh, we can see that it was through judgement that his dominion is taken away and given to the Lord’s elect.

Dan 7:17  These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. 
Dan 7:18  But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even for ever and ever.

Dan 7:26  But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. 
Dan 7:27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. 

Eze 30:23  And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries. 
Eze 30:24  And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword in his hand: but I will break Pharaoh’s arms, and he shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded man. 
Eze 30:25  But I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall stretch it out upon the land of Egypt. 
Eze 30:26 And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them among the countries; and they shall know that I am the LORD. 

In verse 24, the Lord is saying that it is He who strengthens the arms of the king of Babylon to make Pharoah groan of a deadly wound. Spiritually, what this verse is saying is that it is in Babylon or the physical churches of this world that the beast or our old man is given a deadly wound. However, as we see in the Book of Revelation, this deadly wound becomes healed.

Rev 13:3  And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
Rev 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

In verse 25, we are made aware that it is the Lord who has strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon as He put His sword in his hand. At the same time, the arms of Pharoah shall fall down. We can see in verse 25 that it is the Lord who has caused Babylon to be strengthened with resources and has given them false doctrines (sword) to accomplish His purpose of keeping the multitude in the world (Egypt) including Babylon from getting to know the truth and be saved in this age.

Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
Mat 13:15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.  

On the other hand, as the Lord’s elect, the Lord has given the king of Babylon to rule over us for a period of time. It is this period of our walk in Babylon that the Lord uses as the occasion to come into our lives with His judgement to destroy the works of our old man or flesh within us which is symbolized by the arms of Pharoah falling down as the king of Babylon stretches His sword against the land of Egypt in verse 25.

The Egyptians being scattered among the nations in verse 23 and 26 is the Lord breaking down the flesh or our old man such that he cannot be gathered together to become a force to reckon with in the lives of His elect. That is how we get to know the Lord as we serve Him.

Psa 107:8  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 

The Law of Moses Versus the Law of the Spirit – Part 20

[Posted May 3, 2009]

[Updated April 5, 2024]

A Harmony of James and Paul

Let’s continue Paul’s thought in Galatians 2: “For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.” “If I build again the things which I destroyed” is a reference to the law. “For I through the law am dead to the law”, is the very next verse. If we “build again the things we destroyed” then we are establishing “[our] own righteousness, which is of the law” (Php 3:9). When we “return again to the weak and beggarly elements” from which Christ has freed us we are healing the deadly wound which the Truth had begun within us. Our old man was being destroyed and turning again to the weak and beggarly elements of the law was the healing of that deadly wound:

Rev 13:2  And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Rev 13:3  And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

When we ignore what we have learned about Christ, and return to our old ways which are more acceptable to the society we live in then we are placing ourselves back under “the law [which] is not of faith” (Gal 3:12), and which is “[our] own righteousness” (Php 3:9), then we are “building again that which we had destroyed, “[and] making ourselves transgressors”. Christ is not “the minister of sin” even if “I make myself a transgressor” (vs 18).

Gal 2:16  Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Gal 2:17  But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
Gal 2:18  For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
Gal 2:19  For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.

Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Galatians 2:16-19 is consistent with Romans 3:5-7, where Paul poses the same question: “If our unrighteousness [rebuilding the “old man” whom we had destroyed] commend the righteousness of God [which of course it doesn’t, any more than our sins make Christ ‘the minister of sin’], what shall we say; is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? I speak as a man. God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world? For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?” (vs 7).

Paul is asking if our calling does not make us “free from sin.” If we are to simply continue in sin, why would we be considered sinners at all? “And not rather as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say, let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just” (vs 8). This “our unrighteousness commending the righteousness of God” and “the truth of God abounding through our lie” were both “slanderous reports” of Paul’s teachings.

What Paul did teach was the same thing James taught. While James says “faith without works [the working of Christ in us] is dead” (Jas 2:26), Paul puts the SAME TEACHING in other words: “know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1Co 6:9). Again Paul instructs: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap”

Gal 6:7  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Gal 6:8  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

It is true that Paul was given to emphasize that our good works which James acknowledges as the fruit of our faith is “[Christ’s] workmanship” and that our faith is also a gift of God and not of ourselves:

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9  Not of [our] works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 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.

That sounds pretty close to ‘faith without works is dead’; certainly much closer than the slanderous reports being circulated that Paul taught that our unrighteousness commends the righteousness of God, or the truth of God abounds through our lie. Paul says of those who say he teaches such things “their damnation is just.”

Rom 3:5  But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)
Rom 3:6  God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?
Rom 3:7  For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?
Rom 3:8  And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.

It was all a lie. Paul had never once said, “Let us do evil that good may come.” He never once said, “Let us sin that grace may abound.” Like James Paul’s doctrine was [“We were] created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph 2:10)

When James said:

Jas 2:15  If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
Jas 2:16  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?

Jas 2:18  Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

James is agreeing with Paul that our works are the result of the faith of Jesus Christ, and to claim “I have works” without faith is the same lie Paul was dealing with.

Phrase #8

We now come to the final phrase used in Hebrews in relation to this matter of the law and the covenants.

“…He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second” (Heb 10:9). The first part of this verse is “Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God.” It is followed by “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (vs 10).

Heb 10:8  Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
Heb 10:9  Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
Heb 10:10  By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

This disclaimer of the law of the physical offerings is quoted from:

Psa 40:6  Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
Psa 40:7  Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,
Psa 40:8  I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

“By which will” refers to God’s will. The scriptures declare that we are sanctified by the will of God and not our own will, but our focus here is “he taketh away the first that he may establish the second.”

What exactly is taken away? The answer is universally understood to be the old covenant which is “taken away” and replaced by the new covenant.

The depth and scope of the differences in these covenants is not universally understood. On the contrary, it seems that few indeed are willing to believe the plain and straight forward scriptures detailing the meaning of this phrase “he taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.” Many of those differences are detailed in Matthew chapters 5-7.

The many other changes which are listed in those three chapters of Mattew demonstrate the truth of Paul’s statement “…we are the circumcision, which worship God in spirit… and have no confidence in the flesh” (Php 3:3).

The flesh has been taken completely out of the equation for salvation. In reality, it has never been anything more than a necessary evil to bring us to Christ in the spirit. “…Though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more [after the flesh]” (2Co 5:16).

In Romans 3:31 Paul asks the question, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid; yea, we establish the law.” This whole paper has established that only for those in Christ is the law of Moses “made void”, “done away” and “abolished”; three different translations in the King James Version of the same Greek word katargeo.

The law itself is established by this fact. The understanding of Romans 3:31 is to be found ten verses earlier in verse 21: “But now the righteousness of God without the law [of Moses, “for the lawless” (1Ti 1:9)] is manifested, being witnessed by the law [of Moses] and the prophets.”

This verse witnesses that Christ would come and reform the law of Moses:

Deu 18:18  I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee [A reformer], and will put my words [Not the law of Moses] in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
Deu 18:19  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak [Not Moses] in my name, I will require it of him.

Had the law, the old covenant, “the ministration of death written and engraven in stones”, not been “done away” for those in Christ, the law would have proven itself a false prophet. Now, only for those in Christ, it is “abolished” (Eph 2:15) and replaced by a much higher, much more honorable and spiritual law. “The Lord is well pleased for HIS righteousness’ sake; he [Christ] will magnify the law and make it honorable” (Isa 42:21). If it were already honorable, He wouldn’t need to do that, would he? If, on the other hand, the law of Moses was a carnal commandment (Heb 7:16) used “lawfully” only for “the lawless and disobedient” (1Ti 1:8-9), then a new law along the lines of Matthew 5 would be in order.

1Ti 1:8  But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; [To bring us to Christ (Gal 3:24)]
1Ti 1:9  Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
1Ti 1:10  For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

You do not “magnify” a house during construction and expect the contractor to eat the difference in cost. A new contract must be drawn up to deal with the changes. Neither do you move from the “carnal”, “lawless” and “disobedient” to the spiritual without a completely new covenant with a “change also of the law.”

Heb 7:12  For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

It is through the new words ‘by the mouth of a prophet like Moses’, that the law is “established” and proven a true “witness”. Until ‘that Prophet and His words’ come into our lives, the law will be “established” for our “lawless and disobedient” flesh, to show our flesh its naked condition and make it aware of its decaying earthy composition. Generation by generation “the law is our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ” and generation by generation “after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster”. “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that EVERY MOUTH may be stopped and ALL THE WORLD may become guilty before God” (Rom 3:19).

The law of Moses is equated by Paul to “the elements of the world” (Gal 4:3). Notice I said ‘equated.’ Not all ‘laws’ are the ‘law of Moses’, but all law is equated with the law of Moses as far as scripture is concerned:

Rom 2:14  For when the Gentiles, which have not the law [of Moses], do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
Rom 2:15  Which shew the work of the law [of Moses] written in their [stony] hearts [Eze 36:26-27], their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

Gal 3:22-23 – “But the scripture hath concluded all [all Jews and Gentiles] under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were [all] kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed”,

Gal 4:1 – “Now I say, that the heir, as long as he is a child [G3516: nepios, an infant, “under the schoolmaster… tutors and governors, under the law], differeth nothing from a servant [slave to sin], though he be lord of all; But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.” What Paul is telling us is that “the ministration of death” is katargeo and we, in Christ only, are “free from the law of sin and death” (the ministration of death) (Rom 8:2):

Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. [the law of Moses]

2Co 3:6  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
2Co 3:7  But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
2Co 3:8  How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
2Co 3:9  For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
2Co 3:10  For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
2Co 3:11  For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.

It is hoped that this article will help someone, somewhere to take his eyes off the things of the flesh. Yes, Christ was born in the flesh, and yes, He died on the cross for our sins, and yes, God “made him sin for us, who (Christ) knew no sin” (2Co 5:21). These were but necessary evils. “Yet now henceforth know we him no more in the flesh.” We have all been born in the flesh, and we will all die in the flesh, but it is far more edifying and encouraging to know that “NOW are we the sons of God and… we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1Jn 3:2). As we see Him we “are changed into the same image from glory to glory… by the spirit of the Lord” (2Co 3:18). So while we have demonstrated the inadequacies of the law in this essay, we conclude with this reminder for any who might attempt to turn God’s disciplinary, chastening grace into lasciviousness: If we truly see him as he is, every man purifieth himself even as he is pure.”

1Jn 3:3  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Summary

What we have pointed out, in effect, is the sovereignty of God in all things. “That they may know… that there is none beside me. I am the Lord and there is none else. I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create evil: I the Lord do all these things” (Isa 45:6,7). Yes, it was God who created the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It was God Himself who placed that tree right in the middle of the garden. While He had told Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, this was done only because “the Lord… sought an occasion against” Adam (Jdg 14:1-4). God had already determined that Adam would eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and would come to see his naked, decaying, earthy condition and be brought by the law to see his need for a Savior. We know this is true because we are twice told that we were “called… in Christ, before the world began”:

2Ti 1:9  Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

Tit 1:2  In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

“All that dwell upon the earth shall worship… the lamb slain from the foundation of the world”:

Rom 14:11  For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

Rev 5:6  And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

Rev 13:8  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, [every one] whose name hath not been written in the book of the life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

In God’s all-knowing mind, Christ was slain as the sacrifice for the sins of the world before Adam was ever created. This gives the lie to the teaching that ‘God could have known what choices you will make, but because He has given us free will, He chooses not to know.’ What utter nonsense! No, God chose to know all things because “all things are of God”. “To us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things…” (1Co 8:6). God knows our very thoughts because He gives us our thoughts:

Pro 16:1  The preparations of the heart in man [our very thoughts], and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.

Has God chosen to know the very number of the hairs of your head, but not to know what you are going to do with your life? Hardly! We are plainly informed that God reveals Himself to some and deliberately blinds others. “…the election hath obtained it and the rest were blinded… God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear” (Rom 11:7, 8).

So what does understanding the total sovereignty of God have to do with a proper understanding of the function of the law? It has everything to do with it, because it is through the law, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, that God has decreed that all the world becomes guilty before Him. “What things soever the law saith, it saith to them that are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God” (Rom 3:19). “Wherefore then serveth the law?

“It was added [to the law of the spirit] because of transgressions [of the law of the spirit], till the seed should come to whom the promise was made… the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we (all of us) were kept under the law… Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ… But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster” (Gal 3:19-25).

God does not change (Mal 3:6). Christ came to reveal the Father (Mat 11:27 and Luk 10:22).

Mat 11:27  All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

This He accomplished through His sacrificial life which revealed for the first time in the history of mankind the “new covenant.” The new covenant “show[s] the work of the law [of God, not Moses] written in their hearts” (Rom 2:15). Under this new covenant Christ reveals to us the Father: “I delight in the LAW of GOD after the inward man” (Rom 7:22). “…The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the LAW OF GOD neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom 8:7, 8). The LAW OF GOD, the “least commandments”, which Christ revealed in Matthew 5 to 7 are the “LAW OF THE SPIRIT” (Rom 8:2). This is the true unchangeable character of God: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but MY WORDS shall not pass away” (Mat 24:35).

The law of Moses, on the other hand, is only “good, if a man use it lawfully… [meaning that it “brings us to Christ”. Meaning that we know that this law of Moses, written and engraven in stones, this ministration of death] …is not made for a righteous man [the man who is not carnally minded and delights in the LAW OF GOD, the new covenant, after the inward man]. [The law of Moses is] for the lawless and disobedient” (1Ti 1:8, 9).

Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh [the “carnal commandments, Heb 7:16, of the law of Moses], but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death [“The ministration of death” (2Co 3:7) the law of Moses].
Rom 8:3  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Rom 8:4  That the righteousness of the law [of the spirit] might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the [law of the] Spirit.

1Ti 1:8  But we know that the law [of Moses] is good, if a man use it lawfully;
1Ti 1:9  Knowing this, that the law [of Moses] is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
1Ti 1:10  For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine [the law of the spirit];

That is the mind of the holy spirit on this subject of the function of the law of Moses versus the law of the spirit.

Hi Mike,

Just want to know the spiritual significance of Ezekiel chapter 23.
This is how I understand it.
The two sisters: the younger one being us when we first left Babylon, newly borne into the Spirit, (with refers to Amo 5:1-6)
… and the older sister being;
… have grown in the Spirit exposed to the truth, but still participating in Babylon e. g still affiliated with them but not really do all that they do, or approve of what they are doing?
Kindly also explain to me the process of leaving Babylon. Is it a one time thing or a process that may be repeated? I know I have been called out of Babylon, went out and the Lord guided me through His word, taught me, fed me, and know one was there, no preacher or Bishop could understand what was going on so I stayed at home and the Spirit of God was just feeding me, and later He introduced me to your site. It was a painful season for me being born into the Spirit, but God was there teaching me through the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentation, Hosea, books that I never thought I would go through, but the revelations were wonderful and after that fall and drinking the cup of suffering, then my language in the things of God changed just like that. And thank God He introduced me to your site as a confirmation of what God had been feeding me with, but when I was trying to tell people what I believe, they thought I was needing deliverance for maybe a demon got into me. but now I am in a church, am not gaining anything as the preaching is so much baby milk. I don’t know why am there, maybe I just like the pastor, I think.
The other thing that I want to bring out is that I strongly believe that the most work in the Christ crucifixion was not the cross, but the Gethsemane prayer. I am not by any means undermining the cross or the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ and the physical pain He had to go through, but I think the most pain was the alignment of His will with the Will of the Father, but I find out that the Gethsemane phase is not preached in most cases. Its importance is negated and the concentration is more on the crucifixion on the cross.
I think the Gethsemane phase of those hours is what most of human nature is struggling with until today, the “Not my will but thy will be done” part.

Thanks, Mike,
N____

Hi N____,

Thank you for your question. You ask about the two sisters of Eze 23. Those sisters are Ahola, who, we are told is the northern kingdom of Israel, also called in scripture Ephraim, which was the chief tribe of that part of Israel. We are told that her capital is Samaria, where Jeroboam, their first king, set up the golden calf and commanded Israel to keep their feasts in Samaria in the eighth month instead of the seventh month, contrary to what God had instructed them to do in Jerusalem.
The second sister is Aholibah who we are plainly told is Jerusalem and the southern kingdom with its temple of God, but which we are also told committed whoredoms on an even greater scale than her elder sister.

Eze 23:1 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,
Eze 23:2 Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother:
Eze 23:3 And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity.
Eze 23:4 And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah.
Eze 23:11 And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms more than her sister in her whoredoms.

You suggest that these two sisters are both us, and in that you are exactly right. Ahola, the elder is each of us as a beast which receives a deadly wound, and Aholibah is us as an even stronger beast whose deadly wound is healed.

Rev 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
Rev 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

Now you know it is not my intent to offend you. I am very much aware that we are all very sociable creatures by our Creator’s design. Nevertheless, your return to a Babylonian church is nothing short of going from Ahola to Aholibah, expecting to find the love of Jesus Christ. Here is what that true ‘love of God’ is:

1Jn 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
1Jn 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

You asked about how we are to come out of Babylon?

Kindly also explain to me the process of leaving Babylon…

I appreciate this question because it affords me the opportunity to give the scriptures which answer this question which we all have in our own order (1Co 15:23).
It is clear that we are not intended to just quietly stop attending so as to avoid being persecuted for Christ’s name’s sake. This leaves our minister and all our friends in Babylon to wonder what became of us. Instead we are to “live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Mat 4:4 and Luk 4:4). That is the principle of scripture which reveals to us that we are both Aholah and Aholibah. But that is also the principle which reveals to us that we are to leave Babylon only after we have been spiritually “scourged in their synagogues” for bearing witness to the Truth, which is Jesus Christ.

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

When we attempt to avoid allowing others to discover what we have come to see as the Truth, we are doing nothing less than hiding the Jesus we have come to know from those in Babylon who, sadly, we put before our love of Him as we live out Aholibah within ourselves. That is what you are doing in going back into the church after having left. Now since you are there, do not just leave without being a witness in the streets of that ‘great city’. If you are a true witness for Christ and His Truth, then you will be “scourged in their synagogues”, and left for dead in the streets of that great city.

Mat 10:17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;

Do not attempt to avoid this. Perhaps this is why the Lord has you back there. You must bear witness to Him, and they will indeed ‘cast you out of the synagogue’.

Joh 9:32 Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.
Joh 9:33 If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.
Joh 9:34 They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.
Joh 9:35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
Joh 9:36 He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?
Joh 9:37 And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.

You and I are this man who was born blind from his mother’s womb. Christ has healed us of that blindness, and the least we can do is to acknowledge who He is and suffer the persecution that we are intended and designed to bear to try our faith.

You say:

… no one was there, no preacher or Bishop could understand what was going on, so I stayed at home and the Spirit of God was just feeding me, and later He introduced me to your site.

You are so right. It is God who has brought you to iswasandwillbe. com and while He has indeed been feeding you without the benefit of fellowship, for a time, that is not where He commands us to stay. We are commanded to assemble together by whatever means we can and to be nourished one of another.

Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

“Ourselves together” is not us and Aholibah. It is others of like mind, who have had the very same experience because they are of the very same body, which we are plainly told desperately needs and is nourished by all of its various parts.

1Co 12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
1Co 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.
1Co 12:14 For the body is not one member, but many.
1Co 12:15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
1Co 12:16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
1Co 12:17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
1Co 12:18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
1Co 12:19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?
1Co 12:20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.
1Co 12:21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
1Co 12:22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
1Co 12:23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
1Co 12:24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
1Co 12:25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
1Co 12:26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
1Co 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

“The eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of thee”, and you and I cannot say to the other members of Christ’s body that we do not need them. They are what sharpens us, and they are what nourishes us, and helps to keep us spiritually healthy according to our Creator:

Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Eph 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Eph 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Do not ignore these verses of scripture. What they tell us, for those who have been given eyes that see and ears that hear, is that if we think we do not need each other, then we are saying we do not need Christ and thus we will be tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, whereas we could be being sharpened by our other brothers and sisters in the body of Christ, and building ourselves up in love, which is obedience to God.

1Jn 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
1Jn 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

‘Keeping His commandments’ includes the commandment to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together when possible to do so. There are many who are seeking fellowship and who understand all of this, and want to be ‘sharpened and supplied and built up in love’ by the other members in particular’ of this “body of Christ”. I encourage you to sign up on the ‘body letter’ mentioned on the home page of iswasandwillbe to partake of the wonderful fellowship this service provides.
In concluding, you mentioned Christ’s trial being mostly in the garden of Gethsemane. The holy spirit is definitely dealing with you, but I keep referring to this verse of scripture so I need to quote it right here as we sharpen each other concerning this subject you raise here.

Pro 27:17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

That is just the Old Testament way of saying that the body needs all of its members and that it is nourished by what every joint supplies and that it builds itself up in love.
So let’s put those verses into action by allowing me to point out that Christ considered Himself to be on the cross from the temptation in the wilderness immediately following His baptism by John, and immediately preceding the beginning of His ministry. We know this is so because before He ever went to the cross, He told his disciples to ‘take up their cross and follow Him’.

Mat 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Mar 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Mar 10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
Luk 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

The temptation to avoid the suffering of the cross was just as strong at the beginning of His ministry as it was at the end in the Garden of Gethsemane. In both cases the trial was so great that His Father saw the need to send angels to minister to Him.

Mat 4:11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
Luk 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
Luk 22:43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

You are so right in the principle you are applying here. Christ had considered all of this in advance and had already fought this battle in the spiritual realm before it ever arrived in the natural realm.
I hope you are granted to receive all of this in the spirit of love and obedience to our Lord in which it is intended.
Your brother in Christ,

Mike

Hi Mike

The question I have is on the churches that specialize in deliverance. What’s your take on that?  Apparently these Pastors are called to do deliverance; their ministry is fighting with demons every day, in terms of taking out demonic/evil Spirits out of people, and when this happens these Demons would speak out from the mouths of these people with strange voices; others will cry out loud, throw themselves on the floor. It becomes a chaos. Sometimes the Pastor will say that he sees a big python in a belly of a person or similar things, and he will call that demon out, or as he prays for the person the person will sometimes fall on the floor and start to move like a snake. Very scary and strange things happen in a Deliverance ministry. There’s a lot of these churches here, and it attracts a lot of people because of witchcraft and other things. But in terms of the Spiritual side these Pastors are still drinking milk from the bottle.

Is this still relevant, Spiritually or what is happening here????

N____

Hi N____,

In this email you are asking “What is your take” on what you call “deliverance ministries” which purport to “cast out demons”.

I think you know that if I simply give you ‘my take’, it will be absolutely worthless. However, if I show you what the scriptures say, you will be edified in your understanding of the mind of God concerning this question of casting out demons.

To answer your question directly, the power to cast out demons and to perform miracles, in and of itself, have very little to do with a man’s standing with God.

Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

The first thing we need to acknowledge is that there is fraud in virtually everything to which mankind puts his hand. As surely as money has always been counterfeited, so, too, have the miracles of Christ and of His apostles.

Mat 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Mat 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

A couple of the easiest things to counterfeit are tongues-speaking and the casting out of demons, and this is done routinely for the sake of “filthy lucre”.

Why are not these same people healing people who were born blind or who were born lame? There are many, many videos of people speaking in “unknown tongues” and there are many videos of exorcisms and casting out of demons.

Let it never be said that I, or anyone connected with this web site, have ever told anyone that God cannot and does not heal, even in the churches of Babylon. God does heal some who are still in Babylon. I have personal knowledge of God’s healing power still being manifested in this age. What I am saying is that miracles, healings and exorcisms do not a man of God make. Just look at what our Lord had to say on this subject:

Mat 12:27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.

Demons do not willingly leave those they possess. They are “cast out” only by the power of God and His Christ.

Mar 9:38 And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.
Mar 9:39 But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.
Mar 9:40 For he that is not against us is on our part.

So clearly there are those who “follow not us” who are yet empowered to cast out demons. It is the fact that the beast himself is empowered to perform miracles, and yet “do not the things that I say” which make the deception and the delusion so strong.

2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

It is “a love of the Truth” which will, by God’s mercy upon us, keep us from being deceived by the miracles which even the beast is given power to perform.

Rev 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

The one miracle which is specified as being performed by the beast “in the sight of them that dwell upon the earth” is that of casting out demons. Again, just look at what the “wolves in sheep’s clothing” have to say “in that day”.

Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

So it is granted to some of the ministers of the churches of Babylon to “cast out devils… and in Christ’s name to do many wonderful works”. They still do not “love the Truth”, and that is so easily detected by simply waiting for the request for money. Whenever you hear that request, then know that you are dealing with either a “carnal… babe in Christ” (1Co 3:1-4) or an out and out ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’ (Mat 7:15).

You mentioned a minister saying ” he sees a big python in a belly of a person”. If that minister has not confessed that python was first in himself, then rest assured that, as you put it, “in terms of the Spiritual side, these Pastors are still drinking milk from the bottle.”

I hope these verses of scripture have helped you to keep this all in perspective. Above all I hope that the verses in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 demonstrate for you that “the love of the truth” is far more important than the power to cast out demons. That “love of the Truth” is a love of Christ and His words. If you cast out a demon and do not fill that void with a love of the truth, then you have in reality done that person a disservice in casting out that demon. Here is why that is so:

Mat 12:43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
Mat 12:44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
Mat 12:45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

These words are not for that minister who is casting out demons while not loving the Truth. These words are for you and for me. We all live by the spirit of these words (Mat 4:4), and we all go from being delivered from one false doctrine, which is an evil spirit, and we all go to even worse false doctrines, before we are delivered of both the one demon and the ‘seven other spirits more wicked than… the first’ .

If we are God’s elect, then at some point, via some “fiery trial which is to try us” (1Pe 4:12), we are granted to see the strong delusion we were under. We are granted to see that the deadly wound we once had has been healed, and that we are, at that point, worse off than before we received that wound or had that demon cast out of us. It is at this point that we are given to “receive a love of the Truth” and to receive a deadly wound upon the beast within us, which will not be healed, and it is at this point that we begin to be judged and to learn righteousness.

Isa 26:9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Your brother in “a love of The Truth”,

Mike

Thanks, Mike, that opened my eyes alot. We, the angels (messengers), are seated in heavenly places, but the tail (false prophets) draws a third part of the stars, (that’s us) of heaven and did cast them to the earth. We are to be seated in heavenly places with Christ, but the Devil (tail) cast a third of us down to the earth. (earthly stuff). That’s what I get… is that right?

That is right. When we ‘lose our first love,’ when we succumb to the doctrines of the Nicolaitans, defile our garments, etc., etc., we, God’s elect, have a “deadly wound… healed.” The solution is to “repent… [ and] come out of her my people.” When we do this, there is no turning back. The deadly wound will never again be healed. These are those who will now begin to have the seven seals stripped from this book, so they can see what is their “part in this book.” “… But the rest were blinded.”

I believe God is giving you “eyes to see…” what  things you must suffer for his sake. It is not ‘coffee and doughnuts.’ It is a life of “filling up in our bodies that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ.” This is because “as He is so are we in this world.” We, those who are God’s elect, are the ‘christ’ (anointed) of Christ.

Joh 20:21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

So rest assured that “He that hath begun a good work in you will finish it…”

Mike