Matthew 26:31–75 Peter’s Denial of Jesus

[Study Aired December 8, 2025]

Our study for today deals with Jesus praying in Gethsemane, His apprehension and being presented before Caiaphas and the Council. The study also highlights Peter’s denial of Jesus.     

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

Mat 26:36  Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. 
Mat 26:37  And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. 
Mat 26:38  Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. 
Mat 26:39  And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. 

The name “Gethsemane” means an oil press, which is a device that uses high pressure to squeeze oil from seeds and nuts. At this point in Jesus’ life, He was pressured with the weight of offering Himself as sacrifice for the sins of the world. It is through this pressure that oil which symbolizes the Holy Spirt is produced. That is to say that it is through the Lord’s sacrifice that the Holy Spirit will come to dwell within His elect to show them all things.

Joh 16:7  Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 

Joh 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 

Jesus taking the three disciples (Peter, John and James) to the garden of Gethsemane is to let His elect of every generation know that His sorrowful state and heaviness of heart is all part of the process we have to go through to become spiritually mature through His judgment (the significance of the number three).   

If there is one thing we have to learn from our Lord Jesus’ life here on earth, we can see that He was very prayerful. Jesus always separated Himself to pray to His Father. If we are to lead an overcoming life like Christ, then we must find time to pray. 

Mar 1:35  And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.  

Luk 5:15  But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. 
Luk 5:16 And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed. 

This time of Jesus’ life on earth was very critical in the sense that He had to offer His life as a sacrifice to reconcile the whole of the human race to God. As Jesus said to His disciples in verses 37 and 38, this was the time that His soul was exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. He needed to be strengthened, comforted and delivered from His anxiety of what awaited Him. Through the word of the Lord, we know that it is through prayer that we are strengthened, comforted and delivered from anxiety. He therefore came to the garden of Gethsemane to pray so that God will intervene in His circumstance. 

Php 4:6  do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 
Php 4:7  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (ESV)

2Co 1:3  Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 
2Co 1:4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. 

Eph 3:14  For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
Eph 3:15  Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 
Eph 3:16  That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

These things are written for our admonition so that when we are overwhelmed with fear and anxiety, we will follow the example of our Lord and pray. It is also instructive to note that in spite of what Jesus was going through, His sole aim was to do the will of His Father, as shown in verse 39. This was the driving force of His life here on earth. As He is, so are we. We must make it our aim to do His will, no matter the circumstance. In Matthew 7:21, Jesus stated that entering the kingdom of heaven is not for those who simply say “Lord, Lord,” but for those who “do the will of His Father which is in heaven.” 

Mat 7:21  Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 

Joh 4:34  Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. 

Mat 26:40  And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? 
Mat 26:41  Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 
Mat 26:42  He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. 
Mat 26:43  And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. 
Mat 26:44  And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 

Jesus coming back to find the disciples sleeping reveals the spiritual state of the disciples at that time of their walk with Christ. They were carnal or babies in Christ. We all start our walk with Christ as carnal before the Lord comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness. 

1Co 3:1  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 
1Co 3:2  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
1Co 3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 

The Lord saying that the disciples could not watch with Him for one hour is to let us know that at that time, the disciples were not united in purpose with the Lord since the number one signifies unity. Here we find Jesus in an agonizing state, and the disciples were not agonizing with Him. In verse 41, Jesus gave the reason for this. That is, although the disciples were willing to support Him, the weakness of the flesh makes it impossible to do so. These disciples represent us, and when we are overwhelmed by the flesh, there is no way that we can please the Lord even though in the spirit, we are willing. That is why we must be judged so that the flesh influence is destroyed.  

Gal 5:16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 
Gal 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 

The fact that Jesus came the second time to find the disciples sleeping serves as a witness to the fact that we must fall away before we are given to be faithful to Christ. 

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 

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: 

This falling away is to give the Lord the occasion that He is seeking to come and judge us. 

Jdg 14:1  And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.
Jdg 14:2  And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. 
Jdg 14:3  Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. 
Jdg 14:4 But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel. 

Mat 26:45  Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 
Mat 26:46  Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me. 

It is important to note that when the Lord comes back to the disciples the third time, he tells them that they can sleep from now on. As indicated in verse 45, sleeping here means that we can now rest in Him because He was ready to offer Himself as a sacrificial offering to takes away our sins. Our rest in Christ is based on the work that He has done for us.  

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

Mat 11:28  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 
Mat 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

Mat 26:47  And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people. 
Mat 26:48  Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. 
Mat 26:49  And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him. 
Mat 26:50  And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. 

This betrayal by Judas was prophesied in the scriptures as follows:

Psa 41:9  Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me. 
Psa 41:10  But you, O LORD, be gracious to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them! 
Psa 41:11 By this I know that you delight in me: my enemy will not shout in triumph over me. 

We can see from the Psalm above the raising of Christ from the dead silenced the shouting of triumph from the enemy, the devil. As He is, so are we. Our being raised from death to life in Him in this age, is what gives us victory over the devil. It is insightful to note that the multitude who arrested Jesus, through the instigation by the chief priests and elders of the people, came with swords and staves. This reveal the strategy of the devil when He comes like a flood to attack us. The sword here represents the false doctrines propagated by the devil through his agents. According to Strong, the staves can be defined as a branch of a tree or part of the body. This implies that sometimes our trials come from our brothers and sisters in the body who spew false doctrines to us through the instigation of the devil.

Psa 55:12  For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: 
Psa 55:13  But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. 
Psa 55:14 We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company. 

On a positive note, a kiss signifies our love for one another as shown below:

Son 1:2  Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.

1Pe 5:14  Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

The negative application of a kiss has to do with betrayal of a brother as seen in Judas’ betrayal of Jesus. 

Mat 26:51  And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest’s, and smote off his ear. 
Mat 26:52  Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. 
Mat 26:53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? 
Mat 26:54  But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? 
Mat 26:55  In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. 
Mat 26:56 But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.  

The one who stretched out his hand with a sword and smote off the ear of the servant of the high priest was Peter.

Joh 18:10  Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus. 
Joh 18:11  Then said Jesus unto Peter, put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it? 

Jesus’ response to Peter was that if we take up the sword, we shall perish by the sword. Spiritually, what the Lord is telling us is that when we use violence to achieve a means, we shall be visited or destroyed by violence. 

Psa 7:15  He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. 
Psa 7:16 His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate. 

The Lord also told Peter that His purpose was for the scriptures to be fulfilled concerning Him and not to demonstrate His ability to call on twelve legions of angels to come to His aid. There are times in our walk with Christ that injustice is meted out to us, and our natural reaction was to call fire from heaven to consume those responsible. However, to what end will this achieve? We will just be like the people of this world. What makes us different is that we know that vengeance belongs to our Lord and therefore in our patience we must possess our souls.

Rom 12:19  Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 
Rom 12:20  Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 
Rom 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. 

Luk 21:17  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. 
Luk 21:18  But there shall not an hair of your head perish. 
Luk 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls. 

The disciples forsaking Jesus and fleeing is to let us know that we must first fall away before we are given to be faithful to our Lord. As indicated in 2 Thessalonians, our falling away is for the purpose of the revelation of the man of sin or our flesh, who sits in our hearts and minds thinking himself to be God because of the false doctrine of man making his own decisions just like God. As we are aware, even Jesus did not make His own decisions.

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Joh 5:19  Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. 

Jesus Before Caiaphas and the Council

Mat 26:57  And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. 
Mat 26:58  But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest’s palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end. 
Mat 26:59  Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; 
Mat 26:60  But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, 

It is instructive to note that on the day of atonement, Aaron the high priest, shall take two goats and casts lots upon the two goats. The one on which the lot fell shall be offered for a sin offering. Jesus being brought before the high priest Caiaphas after His arrest is therefore significant in the sense that He represents the goat upon whom the lot fell to be offered for the sin offering. It is also important to note that Peter followed Jesus afar off into the high priest’s palace. Peter, who is a symbol of the Lord’s elect, represents the scapegoat which was set free into the wilderness of this life. We, His elect, are therefore like Peter who also came to the High priest’s palace but was set free.    

Lev 16:6  And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house. 
Lev 16:7  And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 
Lev 16:8  And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. 
Lev 16:9  And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. 
Lev 16:10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. 

As we are aware, the lamb to be offered for sacrifice must be without spot or blemish. Because Jesus lived a blameless life here on earth, He was the perfect sacrifice, prepared by God for our sins. That was why they could not find a false witness against Him.  

1Pe 1:19  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 
1Pe 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 

Mat 26:61  And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days. 
Mat 26:62  And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? 
Mat 26:63  But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. 

What this false witness said about Jesus was true as Jesus stated in one of His discourse with the Jews that the temple will be destroyed and built in three days. However, the temple He was referring to was our bodies, which is the temple of God. 

Joh 2:18  Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? 
Joh 2:19  Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 
Joh 2:20  Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? 
Joh 2:21 But he spake of the temple of his body. 

The three days for the building of the temple signifies the process of spiritual maturity (building our temple) through the Lord’s judgment of our flesh. Jesus could have responded to the high priest but remained silent to fulfil scripture as follows:

Isa 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 
Isa 53:7  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 

Mat 26:64  Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. 
Mat 26:65  Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. 

What Jesus said about the son of man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the cloud of heaven refers to His physical appearing at the end of this age. That is when the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. We can see that in spite of the ominous situation where Jesus found Himself, He was eagerly looking forward to the reward which was to sit on the right side of His Father and to rule the world with His elect.  

Psa 110:1  A Psalm of David. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
Psa 110:2 The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. 

Just as Jesus was determined to endure the cross because of the reward, we must also do the same. As we go through the sufferings marked out for us in this life, we must also focus on the reward of sitting on thrones with the Lord and ruling the world with our Lord Jesus.  

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

Heb 11:24  By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; 
Heb 11:25  Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; 
Heb 11:26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. 

According to the custom of the Jews, when they heard or saw anything done or said, which they looked upon to be a reproach to God, they rent their clothes. The high priest therefore rent his clothes because he thought Jesus had blasphemed. 

Isa 36:20  Who are they among all the gods of these lands, that have delivered their land out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?
Isa 36:21  But they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king’s commandment was, saying, Answer him not. 
Isa 36:22 Then came Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, that was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh. 

However, while Caiaphas would be thought of by the people as extremely zealous for the Lord, he was himself the greatest blasphemer for renting his clothes, since a high priest is not required by the law to do so. 

Lev 21:10  And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes; 

Caiaphas here represents the leaders of the church system of this world, who outwardly, seem to have the zeal of the Lord, but are actually the greatest blasphemers or wolves in sheep clothing. We were also blasphemers until Christ came to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness. 

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. 

Mat 7:15  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 
Mat 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 

It is also important to note that Caiaphas renting his clothes implies that he has rejected the righteousness that comes with Christ. It is as we are judged by the Lord that we learn of this righteousness. 

2Co 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

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.  

Caiaphas also represents the church system of this world or Babylon. It is therefore not strange to see that the church system of this world has rejected the righteousness of Christ through the judgment of our old man, in favor of the righteousness which comes from the law, which no man can attain.

Rom 3:20  Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 
Rom 3:21  But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 
Rom 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:  

Mat 26:66  What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death. 
Mat 26:67  Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands, 
Mat 26:68  Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee? 

Our Lord Jesus did not sin but was condemned for our iniquity. 

Isa 53:4  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 
Isa 53:5  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 
Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 

The people spitting on Jesus’ face was a severe cultural insult, symbolizing ultimate shame, rejection, and condemnation of Jesus. This humiliation of Jesus was all for our sake and was prophesied in Isaiah as follows:

Job 30:10  They abhor me, they flee far from me, and spare not to spit in my face.

Isa 50:6  I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
Isa 50:7  For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. 

Peter Denies Jesus

Mat 26:69  Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. 
Mat 26:70  But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. 
Mat 26:71  And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. 
Mat 26:72  And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.
Mat 26:73  And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech betrayed thee. 
Mat 26:74  Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. 
Mat 26:75  And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly. 

As we indicated, there is the need to fall away first before we can become His sons and daughters. Peter denying the Lord three times is to let us know that falling away is part of the process of spiritual maturity through the Lord’s judgment (significance of the number three). When Peter remembered the word of the Jesus concerning his betrayal, he went out and wept bitterly. This means that Peter repented of his actions.

1Jn 1:8  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 
1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 
1Jn 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 

The steadfast love of the Lord never fails or comes to an end. It is renewed every morning. Great is the Lord’s faithfulness! Amen!!

Mike,

When Paul speaks of the church, is he always referring to Babylon? Particularly in this verse? Or am I way off?

Colossians 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

Thanks,

J____

Hi J____,

Thank you for this question.

You asked:

“When Paul speaks of the church, is he always referring to Babylon? Particularly in this verse? Or am I way off?

Col 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

The answer is that yes, in time, these words will encompass even those who are now Babylon, but no, Babylon is not “His body… which is the church”.

I know that sounds confusing and it will take quite a few verses of scripture to clear this up, so please be patient with me.

You will never understand the answer to this question you ask until you understand that God tells us that He, as Abraham in type and shadow, has “two sons” by two wives, who typify two covenants.The first son is of a bondwoman, and the last son is of a free woman:

Gal 4:22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
Gal 4:23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
Gal 4:24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
Gal 4:25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Gal 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Not one Christian in a thousand can grasp how “Jerusalem that now is” equates to “this Agar… mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children”.

Revelation 12 gives us insight into the meaning of both, Gal 4 and Col 1:24. In Rev 12 we have a woman and a manchild. Both belong to God, but both are different stages of God’s church. The woman and the manchild are the same as the “two sons” of the two wives. It is “the dream is one” principle that we see throughout the scriptures.

The ‘woman’ of Revelation 12 is God’s first church out of whom the manchild comes. But while we are told the woman flees into the wilderness, we are also told that her ‘manchild’ son is caught up to heaven and to God’s throne.

Rev 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
Rev 12:2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
Rev 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
Rev 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
Rev 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
Rev 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
It is right at this point that we are told that a mighty war takes place “in heaven” :
Rev 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
Rev 12:8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Now we have the manchild in heaven, and the great red dragon, the devil, is cast out into the earth where this woman is. Notice that she is not “caught up to heaven with her “manchild” son. This all makes perfect sense to those who are granted to know that ‘heaven’ in scripture is not a geographical location, but is rather the realm of the spirit, “the kingdom of God… within [us]”, in which the judgment of our old, rebellious, first man Adam, takes place. We are “seated with [Christ] in the heavens”, even as “judgment is now on the house of God”, within us:

Eph 2:6 God raised us from death to life with Christ Jesus, and he has given us a place beside Christ in heaven.

Like our Lord, all who are in Him are “in heaven” even while we are yet here on this “earth”.

Joh 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

This manchild is not speaking of our head, Christ. Rather this manchild is that part of God’s church which has “come out of” that woman (Rev 18:4). This ‘manchild’ is those who are promised to rule the nations (Rev 2:26-27). This ‘manchild’ is ‘the body of Christ’ which is seated with Him “in the heavens”(Eph 2:6) and is no longer in “the wilderness” with the woman out of whom he has come.

Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Rev 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
Rev 12:13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

We are this wife, this woman, when we are in Babylon. Babylon is this woman of Rev 12, and we are not yet seated in the heavens with our head, Christ (Eph 2:6) while we are yet in this woman. We spend a symbolic three and a half years in Babylon resisting the witness of God’s elect, and then we spend three and a half years witnessing against Babylon.

Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time [three and a half years], from the face of the serpent.

Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days [three and a half years], clothed in sackcloth.

We read the first verses of Revelation 12 like we read the first verses of Job, and we are blinded to what is said later about the woman going into the wilderness while her son is caught up to God and to His throne. After being told that Job was a good man who feared God and hated evil, we are blinded to the greater truth which informs us that Job’s righteousness was self-righteousness which led him to “contend with, reprove and condemn” his own Maker (Job 40:1-8).

Job 40:1 Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said,
Job 40:2 Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it.
Job 40:3 Then Job answered the LORD, and said,
Job 40:4 Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.
Job 40:5 Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.
Job 40:6 Then answered the LORD unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
Job 40:7 Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
Job 40:8 Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?

The ally of this ‘woman’ who is clothed with the sun and who has a crown of 12 stars and who has the moon under her feet, is not the God of the heavens. Her ally who keeps her from being swallowed up by the flood which comes out of the mouth of the dragon, is “the earth”:

Rev 12:15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
Rev 12:16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

While the dragon is very much upset with the woman, he does not make war with her; rather he “make[s] war with the remnant of her seed who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

In other words the dragon makes war with those who are ‘caught up unto God and to His throne’ while the woman is at peace with “the earth” which is taking in all the deadly lies that come out of the mouth of the dragon.

The woman of Revelation 12 is Babylon, and the ‘Babylon’ of Paul’s day was the synagogue. It was out of the synagogues of that day that God’s church was called. Just look at what Paul did even after affirming that his focus was no longer on his own kin the Jews:

Act 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

But where did they then go to “turn to the Gentiles”? The answer to that question is revealed in the very next chapter:

Act 14:1 And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed.

So when Paul tells us that he is filling up in his body what is behind of the sufferings of Christ for His body’s sake which is the church, he is speaking primarily of those like you and me who are being called out of Babylon, which is the church of God of “the bondwoman”.

Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

So the Truth is just as Paul explains it in Galatians 3 and 4. There is a physical “seed of Abraham”, and there is a spiritual “seed of Abraham”. Both are “the seed of Abraham”. Both are His ‘called out ones’, His church, and both belong to God who is clear in proclaiming to us that “all things… are… of Him”, and that as Abraham had “two wives” and two sons, one by each wife, each wife typifies a separate covenant.

Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

Gal 4:22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
Gal 4:23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

“Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid ant the other by a freewoman” is just as true today as it was when Paul wrote those words, because, according to Paul here in this same book, being “in Abraham” is a matter of “be[ing in] Christ”.

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

As little as this truth is accepted, and as much as it is hated and labeled as “replacement theology”, this is still the Truth. God no longer considers physical birth to be of any spiritual significance, and a physical Jew, to Christ, is “not a Jew” at all unless he is “in Christ”.

Rom 2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Those who will tell you ‘the spirit is the letter’, utterly despise that word “not” and go to great mental exercises to explain it away, but it is still right there staring them in the face. God does not see things in the same way the natural man sees them. Physical Jerusalem is no longer to be considered the capital of God’s Kingdom, and is now no more than Hagar and her “son of a bondmaid” from God’s perspective.

Gal 4:24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
Gal 4:25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem.

The holy spirit tells us that physical “Jerusalem which now is” is Hagar, and her son is called “the son of the bondmaid”. He too, is also called “the seed of Abraham”, but only in an outward, carnal manner, which is of no value to God.

Christ acknowledged this same Truth which simply cannot be received by “the natural man”:

Joh 8:37 I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

Joh 8:39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.

So there it is. There are those who are Christ’s church by the bondmaid, who want to kill Christ, and there are also those who are Christ’s church by the freewoman, who are willing to die with Christ at the hands of the seven churches of Asia, who have forsaken Christ and His Christ.

2Ti 1:15 This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.

These are the same “churches of Asia” to whom the book of Revelation is addressed. Why is John on Patmos writing to the people who had forsaken the apostle Paul? It is because they had turned against the apostle John also:

3Jn 1:9 I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.
3Jn 1:10 Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.
3Jn 1:11 Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.

That is why the book of Revelation is addressed “to the seven churches of Asia.” Those seven churches of Asia, are the symbol of all the church, which turned away from the doctrines of the apostles, and apostatized before the death of the apostles.

2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

Yes, of course that is primarily an inward and spiritual statement. But when I say primarily, I am not denying that it first had a physical, outward manifestation by which we are made to understand it’s primary inward application:

Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive
1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.

1Co 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
1Co 15:46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

So we are made to understand that Christ died for all men, and that “each in his own order” will receive that salvation. So to answer your question concerning Col 1:24, Paul is speaking of “the church which is his body”.

Col 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

This is not ‘the son of the bondwoman’ stage of God’s church. That stage of God’s church will in time also “come out of Babylon”, and will die to the flesh. But “Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children… will not be made heir with the son of the freewoman”.

Gal 4:30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
Gal 4:31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

But the son of the freewoman must be the son of the bondwoman first. That is how we are able to “live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, [and] keep the things written therein” (Mat 4:4 and Rev 1:3)

Your brother in Christ,

Mike

Marriage in Scripture – Part 7

You Shall Not Follow A Multitude To Do Evil

[Study Aired April 20, 2014]

How often have we all given in to the beast within, or to the pressures from the world without, and denied our Lord. Is there anyone who has never done so?

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 13:8  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship [the beast], whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Rev 13:9  If any man have an ear, let him hear.

God has blessed us to know that this ‘beast’ is not a man who doesn’t even exist until the very last generation of mankind before the beginning of the millennial reign of Christ. We have been blessed to understand that this ‘beast’ is, was and will be sitting on the throne of God, in the temple of God, in every generation of mankind. We have also been given eyes that see and ears to hear what “the temple of God” means:

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

When we put these verses together with those verses in Revelation 13, only then are we able to understand how universal is the application of these verses to all men of all time:

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day [“the day of the Lord… judgment upon the house of God”] shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 
2Th 2:4  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 

Just as Christ’s original apostles denied their own Savior and “fell away” before “the day of the Lord” came to them, so also every man who will ever live will do the same and experience “a falling away first, [before] that man of sin… the son of perdition [is] revealed to [to be] sitting in the temple of God… which temple [we all] are… showing himself that he is God”. Even so our children will also succumb to the same pressures, which will be exerted upon them through the pressures of society without, which so appeal to the beast, the man of sin, the son of perdition within, and they will deny what they have been taught, and they will disappoint us, just as we and Christ’s apostles have all disappointed Him, before they are granted to remain faithful to the doctrine of Christ.

This “day of the Lord” is only delayed if we raise our children up to believe that being different is not good for their psyche. That is a lie! It is good for a child to be different from a multitude when that multitude is wanting to do evil:

Exo 23:2  Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:

The whole world has “decline[d] after many to wrest [the] judgment” of those words, and most people prefer their children go along with the multitude. This world, for example, considers anyone who thinks it is a sin to dress your child up as a little devil and go from door to door threatening your neighbors to inflict a ‘trick’ if not given a ‘treat’ is an extremist who just doesn’t want children to have any fun.

Yes, ‘following a multitude to do evil’ is exactly what we are doing when we bow to the pressure of the what the scriptures specifically refer to as “the traditions of men, [and] the elements of the world”. When, meaning at what stage of our spiritual walk, are we told we will “follow a multitude to do evil”? Here is what we are told:

Gal 4:3  Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: 

To what exactly is Paul referring? The Greek word translated as ‘children’ here in Gal 4:3 is ‘nepios’, which must never be confused with the Greek word ‘uihos’ which is also carelessly translated with the same English word, ‘children’.

Here is a much better translation of that Greek word ‘nepios’:

1Co 3:1  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes [Greek, nepios] in Christ.
1Co 3:2  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
1Co 3:3  For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
1Co 3:4  For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

The fact these Corinthian Christians were divided over personalities indicated to the apostle Paul that they were yet “carnal… babes in Christ. Our children, even when they hear our words and receive them with joy, are “yet carnal… babes in Christ… and [will] walk as men” before they will become the mature ‘uihos’ of these verses:

Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons Ele of God. 
Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption [Greek – uihosthesia, mature sonship], to wit, the redemption of our body.

Here is Galatians 4:3 as it is stated in the book of Proverbs:

Pro 22:6  Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

“When he is old, he will not depart from it” is just another way of telling us that “a child [will] depart from… the way he should go” some time before “he is old[er]”. The sad truth is that we all must live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Mat 4:4 and Luk 4:4), and we will all be “children… in bondage under the elements of the world” before we become “the manifestation of the sons [Greek – uihos, mature sons] of God, [who are not] in bondage under the elements of the world”.

Gal 4:3  Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:

These “elements of this world” that keep us in bondage while we are children are clearly defined for us:

Gal 4:9  But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
Gal 4:10  Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. 
Gal 4:11  I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

The esteeming of one day above another is one of the most effective pressures to teach our children that we need to conform to the traditions of men, and “follow a multitude to do evil;”

Exo 23:2  Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:

“The traditions of men” expressed in the “day’s, months, seasons, and years” observed by men are made to sound so innocent to the multitudes of mankind that we ignore Christ’s example, and rather than be made to appear different from the rest of society, as our Lord did, we “decline after many to wrest [our Lord’s] judgment [and] esteem every day alike” as He did.

Our children are pressured by our godless society to dress up as little demons on one day of the year, then we even lie to them about rabbits laying eggs, and we lie again and tell them that a fat man dressed in a red suit knows everything they do and will withhold gifts from them if they are naughty. Is it harmful to the psyche of our children to abstain from these “traditions of men”? Absolutely not!

What is it the scriptures specifically warn us:

Col 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Col 2:9  For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 

It is instructive to know that the phrase in these verses, “the rudiments of this world” is the exact same Greek phrase translated as “the elements of the world” in Gal 4:3. Both referring to “the traditions of men [specifically the] observ[ing of] days, months, seasons, and years”.

Just to demonstrate the incredible pressure these pagan traditions of men have upon us and upon our children, after pointing out these verses of scripture to people within our fellowship, I have had parents ask me, ‘Are you telling me that I am supposed to tell the teachers at school that my child cannot take part in drawing names for Christmas gifts, Valentine’s Day cards, and Easter gifts?’ The answer is “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”

What you as a parent do with your children is between you and God, but what the scriptures say is what I must teach, and those verses tell us to follow the philosophy and traditions of Christ as opposed to the philosophy and traditions of men.

Here is what Christ did as it pertains to the observance of days, months, seasons and years:

Joh 5:16  And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.
Joh 5:17  But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
Joh 5:18  Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

What are the two main reasons we are told the Jews wanted Christ dead? The two reasons we are given in these verses is that “He had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making Himself equal with God.” A child that is encouraged by his parents to conform to the traditions of men will be at a disadvantage when it comes to standing with our Lord who “esteemed every day alike”.

Rom 14:1  Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
Rom 14:2  For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.
Rom 14:3  Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not [is weak in the faith] judge him that eateth [is strong in the faith]: for God hath received him.
Rom 14:4  Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
Rom 14:5  One man esteemeth one day above another [those who are not able to follow in Christ’s steps]: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

Who is it that “judges another man’s servant”? It is the whole Christian world who “esteems one day above another”. And what are we told of those who are weak in the faith and “esteem one day above another”? We are told is that they are “in bondage to… the weak and beggarly elements [of] observ[ing] days, month, seasons, and years”, and they cannot yet follow Christ’s example and “esteem every day alike”.

“Weak in the faith” means that a brother or sister has heard of Christ and has received Him as best he or she is able, but has no concept of being “crucified with Christ… because He broke the sabbath and claimed to be the Son of God”.

Our little children have no concept of “dying daily” and being “crucified with Christ” either, but to teach them to conform to “the traditions of men is no way to prepare them for being “persecuted [and] hated of all men” which is guaranteed to “all who will live godly in Christ Jesus”.

Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

Christ’s “name’s sake” is His doctrine and His footsteps and His example. All who follow His example are promised persecution from the established Christian world:

2Ti 3:12  Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

No child who is sheltered from this persecution will know what it means to “live godly in Christ Jesus”, and the parents who are more concerned with their children being accepted by the other children in the school than they are with teaching their child to expect to be hated of all men and to expect to be persecuted by the religious establishment, are not teaching their children what is the Biblical “love of God”, which love is the enemy of the carnal mind of every man who has ever been born:

Rom 8:7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

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.

It is nothing less than offering our children to the fires of Moloch when we encourage them to conform to society and observes society’s days, months, times and years, whether those traditions are Jewish or pagan.

Deu 18:10  There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,

2Ki 21:6  And he [Manesseh] made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

Gal 4:9  But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
Gal 4:10  Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. 
Gal 4:11  I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

But the esteeming of days is just one of so many temptations which our society and our culture place upon our children. Any child who is not dressed in style is again made to feel different and an outcast from society. This is especially hard on young girls and our sisters in Christ who are expected, when the fashion dictates, to show cleavage and midriff and to dress as a harlot. If we place no boundaries on our daughters when it comes to following dress fashions, and we let them follow a multitude to do evil and dress like a harlot, then we need not be surprised if they become harlots.

A brother just this past week told me his grandson had brought home a paper from his school which his grandson was expected to sign, proclaiming a day of silence for the homosexual life style. His teenage grandson was expected to sign the paper and make it known to the school officials that he was on board with school officials, and he accepts their values as his values. It doesn’t seem possible that this is taking place in this country, but that is the trial the Lord has given us (Eph 1:11), and that is what our children are facing. Are you going to teach your children that they ought to conform to society, or will you teach your children that following Christ will cause them to be hated of all men? Will you relinquish your child’s values to the state? If you are willing to do that, then you have forfeited your position of  headship in your home to the principle of your school in direct contradiction to the commandments of God:

Psa 40:10  I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation. 

1Ti 3:4  One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
1Ti 3:5  (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

1Ti 5:8  But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. 

Heb 3:6  But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

“I have declared thy salvation”, God’s salvation, is salvation from sin. A godly man does not relinquish headship of “his house” to anyone. His head is Christ, and he will not let Christ be replaced by a corrupt, spineless, school principal, who very likely agrees with, or else is afraid of losing his job if he stands up to such perversion on a national level. As parents we must “be of the same mind”, father with mother, and be prepared to stand with Christ when we are ordered to disobey God and “follow a multitude to do evil [and] wrest judgment”. Do not think that  “traditions of men” are the end. Neither think that homosexual rights is the end. I have seen the declaration of the European Union that they intend to teach children the benefits of same sex unions and of masturbation. If you thought homosexuality would never be approved of by governments, you and I were both wrong. The adversary is not interested in just ‘tolerating’ all this perversion. The adversary will insist that we ‘celebrate’ these godless actions which historically have preceded the downfall of all great nations.

Another insidious trial that is so effectively robbing us of our children, is video games. All too often this scourge robs us of any claim of being a godly leader. Allowing children to live on a phone or an i-pad while playing video games teaches that child to be self-centered, and antisocial. Adults too, are just as susceptible to this weakness. It seems incredible that we could be ruled by such a habit which robs us of time to be godly fathers and mothers to our own precious children. Worthless video games rob us of  time that ought to be spent with our spouse or our children or our Lord or His body. That is what video games have the power to do to some of us. This is a curse to which some of us have confessed on our body e-mails. Our prayers are with any who are suffering under this burden. The adversary has been given dust for his nourishment, and that is the composition of all men. Satan has been commissioned to “try… my servant Job”, and you and I are Job. God has given Satan the commission of showing each of us what is our own ‘wood, hay, and stubble’, and God is in the process of burning out of each of us any wood, hay or stubble which is still within us. It is not called ‘fire’ for no reason. The purging of our spiritually combustible hearts is an excruciatingly painful experience, but it is a battle that must be fought diligently and consistently and daily.

2Co 4:16  For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 

When we do the best we can with our children, we will still experience the heartache of watching them do exactly what we have done. The story of the prodigal son has proceeded directly from the mouth of our Lord Himself. Therefore it is a simple truth that we are all prodigal in our own time and in our own way (Luk 15:11-32). Our children simply cannot skip their own prodigal experience.

Peter’s denial of his Lord is common to all of us. Our children are no exception to that experience either.

The book of Revelation tells us ‘blessed is he that reads, hears, and keeps those things which are written therein, for the time is at hand’ to do so:

Rev 1:3  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. 

Here is part of “those things which are written therein” in the very next chapter:

Rev 2:4  Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

So we all “leave [our] first love”. That is what the prodigal son did, but “when we are old[er] we will not depart from it”.

So what is it that is so powerful that it causes us all to “leave [our] first love”, become a prodigal son, and have to come back to our Lord “when we are old[er]”?

This is the answer to that question:

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

It is “all that is in the world” that causes us all to deny Christ, leave our first love, and waste our substance on riotous living.

God does not call His people ‘sheep’ for no particular reason. He calls us His sheep, because mankind, whether in rebellion to Him and His ways or in obedience to Him and His ways, are like sheep who are so easily led by their hireling shepherds to do ‘follow a multitude to do evil and to wrest judgment’.

Summary

The natural man is predestined to precede the new spiritual man. That is why we are admonished:

Mat 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

It is because “the flesh is weak that we are reminded:

Gal 4:8  Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
Gal 4:9  But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? 
Gal 4:10  Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. 
Gal 4:11  I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

Col 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 

We are the example of Christ to our children, and how we act under the pressures of society will determine in large part how our children will respond when placed under the pressures of the weak, evil beast within, who just naturally craves the approbation and the acceptance of the world without.

It is a rare parent indeed who sees the value of teaching their children from their youth the value of being different from their peers. The way this is often first experienced by all who are granted the spiritual strength to follow in the footsteps of Christ is to show your children how our Lord Himself set us the example of “esteeming every day alike”, by treating the weekly sabbath as just another work day. Christ did that in obedience to His Father’s commandment:

Joh 8:28  Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. 

That is the example and the principle by which we are to approach any and everything we do. If “in all [our] ways [we] acknowledge [Him], then we will follow His example and walk in His steps:

1Pe 2:21  For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

Here is what that willingness to be obedient to His Father brought upon Christ:

Joh 5:16  And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. 
Joh 5:17  But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
Joh 5:18  Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

Christ could have avoided much persecution by simply keeping the weekly sabbath, but that was not what His Father had commanded Him, and that was not the example He gave us. Instead He was willing to die to obey His Father instead of following the traditions which He Himself had given to Israel before His own “times of reformation”.

Heb 9:10  Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances [including “esteeming one day above another”], imposed on them until the time of reformation. 

As Christ’s example demonstrates for us, it is good to be different when that difference is something that makes us more like Christ. It is very difficult for children to overcome the natural sheep instinct within all men to conform to the ways of this world. It is hard enough to be different when your parents set you a good example. It is very unlikely any child will be willing to follow Christ when his parents don’t. That is why we are told:

Exo 23:2  Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:

Pro 24:10  If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.

Ecc 7:14  In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.

There is no “day of adversity” when we fit in with the customs and traditions of man and never have to know any real adversity, such as our Lord experienced by “esteeming every day alike” instead of bowing to the pressure to conform to the ways of this world.

Women and girls who are pressured to keep up with what is the very latest style must seek first the kingdom of God and have faith that God will reward them for being willing to resist and reject the pressures of society to conform to the immodest styles of this age. The styles of this age just naturally demand that we abandon all modesty and give ourselves and our children over to the current fashions in entertainment and in apparel. For all who are given to receive it, this is the mind of the spirit on this subject. These are His words which will not pass away:

1Ti 2:9  In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;
1Ti 2:10  But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.

When it comes to entertainment and movies, what used to be considered X-rated is now considered to be PG, or simply in need of parental guidance. What used to be considered risque is now considered to be modest apparel. It is the style in our modern society for women to show ever more cleavage and ever more skin. So mothers must set an example for their daughters, and not cave in to the demands of society and dress their little innocent girls to look like hookers.

No one has ever heard me say one word about the exact length of a woman’s dress or her hair, and Lord willing, you never will. Nevertheless we all know what is and what is not “modest apparel”, and exposing yours or your daughter’s midriff, and half of yours or your daughters breasts, is definitely not “adorning [your]selves in modest apparel with shamefacedness and sobriety”. Many church-going people today have absolutely no use for 1Ti 2:9. It just sounds completely obsolete to many. We have allowed ourselves to see so much perversion on TV and in movies and on our computers, that we have forgotten the truth that is this verse of scripture:

Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

So Truth is not relevant to the time in which it is spoken. Truth is always true and it does not change with the times.

Here is what the scriptures teach us concerning our eyes in every age:

Pro 27:20  Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied. 

Ecc 1:8  All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

Mat 6:22  The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
Mat 6:23  But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

We must guard what we allow to enter into our eyes. “The light of the body is the eye”.

Let no one “who is called a brother” or a sister, ever be guilty of offering his son or his daughter upon the altar of conforming to the ways of this world to avoid the adversity known as “the offense of the cross”.

Luk 6:46  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? 

1Co 1:18  For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

Gal 5:11  And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased. 

“The offence of the cross” certainly includes “do[ing] the things [our Lord] says” in all the admonitions we have seen in this study today.