“Journey Through the Kingdom to God’s Throne” – Part 5

Beyond the Veil: Entering the Most Holy Place

[Study Aired Dec 3, 2024]

In our progressive journey through God’s spiritual temple, we now approach its innermost sanctuary – the Most Holy Place. “In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:22). This truth transforms our understanding from mere physical description to spiritual reality, “For the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). God reveals His truth directly: “With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold” (Numbers 12:8). This reference to speaking “mouth to mouth” and beholding the “similitude of the LORD” indicates that God reveals spiritual truth clearly and directly to those He chooses, not through parables or unclear visions, but through direct spiritual understanding and revelation of the parables and visions. “And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables” (Mark 4:11).

The Most Holy Place lay behind a thick veil in the temple, representing the ultimate place of God’s presence. However, this physical arrangement served as a pattern revealing spiritual truth, which “serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things” (Hebrews 8:5), Understanding this spiritual reality requires divine illumination, as Paul explains “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). As we approach this most sacred space, we must first understand what separated man from God’s presence – the veil itself.

The Veil: Barrier and Access

The veil itself holds profound spiritual significance. God specified its construction precisely: “And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made” (Exodus 26:31). Each element carries spiritual meaning that Scripture reveals to us.

The blue represents heaven and God’s throne, as seen when Moses and the elders “saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness” (Exodus 24:10). This heavenly connection is reinforced in Ezekiel’s vision: “And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone” (Ezekiel 1:26), and further shown when “there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne” (Ezekiel 10:1). God Himself linked blue to heavenly mindedness when He commanded Israel: “bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart” (Numbers 15:38-39). These fringes with blue ribbands represented divine authority, as demonstrated when people sought healing by touching the fringe of Christ’s garment (Matthew 14:36), recognizing the heavenly power of Him who “is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens” (Hebrews 8:1).

The purple speaks of royalty, as seen when Mordecai went out from the king’s presence “in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple” (Esther 8:15). This royal meaning is confirmed when the soldiers mocked Christ’s kingship by putting “on him a purple robe” (John 19:2), unknowingly declaring the truth that He is indeed the one “ordained to be a King” (2 Chronicles 11:22), who has now “on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:16).

The scarlet carries dual spiritual meaning – representing both the flesh with its sins and the blood sacrifice that cleanses sin. The negative meaning is shown when God states “though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18). Yet this same scarlet also points to blood and purifying sacrifice, as demonstrated in the cleansing of leprosy: “And the priest shall command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop” (Leviticus 14:4). This dual nature of scarlet – representing both sin and its cleansing – shows how Christ takes our sins upon Himself to purify us, for He “was made sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). This truth is further revealed in the veil of the temple, which contained scarlet and represented Christ’s flesh: “By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh” (Hebrews 10:20). Through His sacrifice, “without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22), our scarlet sins are made white as snow. The rending of the temple veil at Christ’s death demonstrated that through Him, this meeting place with God is now accessible to all believers in their proper order: “And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom” (Matthew 27:51). The rending came from above, showing God’s action in providing access through Christ’s sacrifice, for “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.” (1 Corinthians 15:22-23)

The fine twined linen represents righteousness, as directly stated in Revelation: “And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints” (Revelation 19:8). This righteousness must be pure and without mixture, as pictured in the priests’ garments: “And thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen” (Exodus 28:39), for they must be holy as “he that is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners” (Hebrews 7:26).

The cherubim woven into the veil remind us of those who first guarded the way to God’s presence in Eden: “So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life” (Genesis 3:24). Their presence on the veil shows that access to God’s presence requires meeting His holy requirements, now fulfilled in Christ who is “made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30).

Before Christ’s death, the veil restricted access to God’s presence. Only the high priest could enter, and that just once yearly, “the Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing” (Hebrews 9:8). God commanded Moses: “Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not” (Leviticus 16:2). Even this limited access required extensive preparation, for “thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering” (Leviticus 16:3).

This limitation served a spiritual purpose, teaching the impossibility of approaching God through human effort or righteousness. “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). The yearly repetition of sacrifices demonstrated their inadequacy, for “in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (Hebrews 10:3-4). The high priest’s need to offer sacrifices for himself before entering showed human imperfection, which contrasts with the true sacrifice, “ For such an high priest became us, … Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s” (Hebrews 7:26- 27).

The restrictions and repeated sacrifices pointed to humanity’s sinful condition, for “by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20). The very presence of the veil declared that “your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). This separation required a perfect mediator, for “there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). While the veil marked the boundary between holy and most holy, what lay beyond it would reveal the ultimate purpose of God’s dwelling place.

The Most Holy Place: God’s Dwelling

The Most Holy Place formed a perfect cube – twenty cubits in each dimension (1 Kings 6:20), matching the pattern of the heavenly city John saw: “And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth… the length and the breadth and the height of it are equal” (Revelation 21:16). This perfect symmetry speaks to the perfection of God’s presence and the complete provision in Christ. As Paul declares, “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him” (Colossians 2:9-10). “What agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (2 Corinthians 6:16). This indwelling fulfills God’s eternal purpose: “Being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:20-22).

Within stood the ark of God’s covenant with the mercy seat of pure gold placed above it. The mercy seat with its cherubim was fashioned as one piece: “And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold… And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat… even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof” (Exodus 25:17-19). God also commanded “And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee” (Exodus 25:21).

The ark contained three items as Scripture records: “Wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant” (Hebrews 9:4). Each item testified of Christ: The tables of the covenant served as a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ: “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24). While “the law was given by Moses, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17), showing that Christ brings us beyond the shadow to fulfill “the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). The golden pot of manna pointed to Christ as the true bread, for He declared “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger” (John 6:35). Aaron’s rod that budded, which God used to confirm His chosen priesthood (Numbers 17:5,8), pointed to Christ’s resurrection which confirmed His eternal priesthood, for He is “made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life” (Hebrews 7:16) and is “declared to be the Son of God with power… by the resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4).

Above the ark, God established His meeting place: “And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims” (Exodus 25:22). This communion required blood atonement: “And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times” (Leviticus 16:14).

The cherubim on the mercy seat, with faces looking toward it (Exodus 25:20), present a striking contrast to Eden’s cherubim. In Eden, they guarded “the way of the tree of life” (Genesis 3:24), blocking access to life after sin entered, for God said, “lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” (Genesis 3:22). While those cherubim with flaming sword kept man from the tree of life, these cherubim on the mercy seat face toward the place of atonement where blood would provide access to life through Christ, who declares “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). This shows how God’s mercy meets His holiness through blood sacrifice, restoring access to life, for “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life” (Revelation 22:14). As the Word reveals, God “hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins” (Romans 3:25).

This mercy seat, where atonement was made through blood, foreshadowed Christ’s sacrifice. The very word ‘propitiation’ (hilasterion – Strong’s G2435) used in Romans 3:25 is the same word used for ‘mercy seat’ in Hebrews 9:5: “And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat [hilasterion].” This same Greek word was used in the Septuagint to translate God’s instructions about the mercy seat in Exodus 25:17: “And thou shalt make a mercy seat [hilasterion] of pure gold” and in Leviticus 16:2: “for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat [hilasterion].” “For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself” (Colossians 1:19-20). “And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement” (Romans 5:11). Thus Christ became our mercy seat, the place where God’s justice and mercy meet, for “He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).

Just as the high priest entered with blood once yearly, Christ entered the true holy place: “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Hebrews 9:12). Unlike the repeated sacrifices of animals, His one offering perfects forever: “For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14). Yet all these patterns and shadows find their fulfillment in One who would provide permanent access to God’s presence.

Christ: Our Access to the Holiest

Christ’s death transformed our approach to God. “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh” (Hebrews 10:19-20). “But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:24-25). This access comes not through our worthiness but through His sacrifice.

The word “boldness” (parrhesia in Greek) means freedom of speech or confidence. This contrasts sharply with the Old Testament high priest’s fearful approach once yearly. Through Christ, we have continuous access with confidence: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

Yet this boldness must be balanced with reverence. The high priest’s careful preparation – washing, special garments, blood sacrifice – teaches us to approach God’s presence with holy fear while trusting Christ’s provision. As Isaiah experienced: “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple… Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 6:1,5). As scripture warns, “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29). With such privileged access granted, we must understand how to walk worthy of this calling.

Spiritual Reality: Living in His Presence

Understanding these patterns transforms our spiritual experience. The Most Holy Place represents the deepest communion with God available to believers through Christ. Paul reveals this mystery as “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). Peter adds to this, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Peter 2:9). The physical holy of holies pictured what we now experience spiritually – God dwelling in us through His Spirit.

This indwelling makes us God’s temple: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). The progression from outer court to holy place to most holy place reveals stages of spiritual experience as we “are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

These Old Testament patterns find fulfillment through Christ. As Paul declares, “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us” (2 Corinthians 1:20). We press into deeper communion, as David expressed, “I will go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy” (Psalm 43:4), experiencing what John described: “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3).

Just as the high priest brought blood into the Most Holy Place, we must always approach through Christ’s blood: “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus” (Hebrews 10:19). This blood gives us standing before God, for Christ “by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Hebrews 9:12).

The mercy seat’s position above the law teaches us that just as “my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9), His mercy through Christ transcends the law’s limitations. This indwelling transforms us as His spirit works within, for He declared “I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27). Yet this present experience is but a foretaste of the glory to be revealed.

 Practical Application

Understanding these patterns should transform our daily walk. Like the high priest maintaining the incense altar before the veil, we must persist in prayer: “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). As he needed proper garments, we must “put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:24).

The high priest’s careful approach teaches us to examine ourselves: “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2 Corinthians 13:5). “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully” (Psalm 24:3-4). Yet this examination rests on Christ’s work, not our perfection, for “by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).

The progression aligns perfectly with Christ’s requirement that we “must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). This preparation flows not from our own strength but through His enabling power, for “it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

We maintain this communion first through regular prayer and meditation on God’s Word, for David declared “O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97). This meditation transforms our minds as we “receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21).

Walking in obedience to revealed truth must follow, for Jesus taught “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). This obedience flows from love, not legalism, as “the love of Christ constraineth us” (2 Corinthians 5:14). When we fail, quick confession restores fellowship, for “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Essential to this walk is maintaining the Spirit’s filling, as Paul commands “be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). This filling produces fruit, for “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22-23).

Above all, we must live in conscious dependence on Christ, acknowledging “without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). This dependence manifests in moment-by-moment yielding to His lordship, for “ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

Future Glory

While we now experience God’s presence spiritually, we anticipate even fuller communion. Paul describes our current state: “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). This present partial knowledge gives way to complete understanding, for “when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away” (1 Corinthians 13:10). “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself” (Philippians 3:20-21).

John’s vision reveals this future reality where physical patterns give way to direct presence: “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it” (Revelation 21:22). In this new Jerusalem, “the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God” (Revelation 21:3). The types and shadows dissolve in the perfect reality they foreshadowed.

This hope purifies us: “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:2-3).

The promise of seeing Him face to face surpasses even the high priest’s annual entry into the Most Holy Place. For while he entered with fear and ritual preparation, we shall enter with joy, for “in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Psalm 16:11). As David anticipated, “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness” (Psalm 17:15).

This glory exceeds our current comprehension, for “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Yet through His Spirit, we receive glimpses that kindle our anticipation, “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God” (Romans 8:19).

Conclusion

The Most Holy Place reveals profound truths about accessing God’s presence through Christ. These patterns find fulfillment as we live in continuous communion with God, transformed by His presence. As Paul declares, “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17).

Let us therefore press into this spiritual reality, remembering that “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21). Through Christ, we have unlimited access to God’s presence, not just as duty but as delight. May we live daily in this most holy place, being transformed into His image as we behold His glory.

Next Study

Next week, we’ll explore the throne above the Mercy Seat, where God declared, “I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims” (Exodus 25:22). Join us as we discover how this divine presence manifested in the Old Testament patterns reveals our current privilege of communion with God. We’ll examine how Christ, “the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person” (Hebrews 1:3), now grants us access to the very throne of God.

Psa 84:1 To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts!
Psa 84:2 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.
Psa 84:3 Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God.
Psa 84:4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.
Psa 84:5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.
Psa 84:6 Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.
Psa 84:7 They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.
Psa 84:8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.
Psa 84:9 Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed.
Psa 84:10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Psa 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
Psa 84:12 O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.

I recently heard a story about a young boy who told his father that he loved the fish he was eating, to which his father replied somewhat jokingly “is that why you caught the fish and killed it and are now eating it?” “You love the taste of the fish and what it provides for you?”, the father went on to gently explain to his son.

This is somewhat akin to Christ saying these words to His disciples:

Joh 6:26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.

The man who told this story used it as a backdrop to explain that real love gives of our own life to others as we invest ourselves in them, not for what we can get out of the relationship, but for what we can give to the other person. He went on to say that we are blessed to give our life to others because with that investment comes the rich reward of coming to know that other person and seeing that part of your life manifest in theirs, and I would add and their life in you.

This thought conveniently follows the pattern of the very next verse in:

Joh 6:27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

The story teller went on to explain that, like this child, we have a misconstrued understanding of what love is, even when we first find the love of our life, that person who fills our emotional needs and provides many things for us (as Babylon does), as we do for them, and this is what he deemed “fish love” referring back to the young boy who loved fish for what it could do for him.

From a physical perspective, I thought how aptly that story makes clear how much higher our Father’s love is for us, and how it was and is manifest through the life of Christ that was given to us. His actions of investing His life in us would ultimately lead to our being able to have their Life manifest within us, so that we in turn could become fishers of men who would go out and be as He was and is in this earth (1Jn 4:17), loving to fish, but not fishing for love. The only way that will happen is to have that first self-centered nature burnt out of us by filling up what is behind of the afflictions of Christ, that is what will give us great reason to rejoice and again I say rejoice.

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Joh 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

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:

Php 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

God does not need our love and praise, and He is not fishing for it, and he knows how blessed we will be if we grow in that nature and mind of His, so He gives us His only begotten son and establishes a means for us to be reconciled to Him through Christ. It is with the mind of Christ that we can praise and love our Father and cry out like the lively stones that we become through him (Rom 5:10, Joh 15:9, Luk 19:40, 1Pe 2:5).

That same bridge that Christ is for us unto the Father is what we are becoming through Christ for the rest of the world.

1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Eph 5:30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

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:

God also uses humanity’s (our) most base carnal instincts to accomplish His purpose of reconciling us to Him, and Christ is that fish who is captured and killed and eaten so we can have true life, which is demonstrated in these parables found in John 6:56, John 21:9-12 and John 12:24.

God does fish for us (Joh 4:23), however, from our carnal perspective, we think He is fishing for our love, when in truth the catch and the calling, the line, the hook and the sinker so to speak have all been predestined by our Father (Joh 21:6).

When we know and believe this, we also believe that all of the casting that did not catch any fish were equally working according to the counsel of God’s will, as was the moment when the fish were caught with a cast on the “right side of the ship”, which symbolizes the power of God that gives the increase at the appointed time (Eph 1:11, 1Co 3:16).

Joh 21:9 As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.
Joh 21:10 Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.
Joh 21:11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.
Joh 21:12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.

In time, and only by the grace and faith of Christ, do we as God’s children come to learn and understand the true love of God as we’re fed by our Lord the fish and bread He prepares in John 21:9, which represents the fleshly trials that this life presents through all our interactions that are fiery by design (he prepares them). Like the hot coals that are needed to cook that fish and bread, this occurs so it can be nourishing to our souls that are maturing in Him as we go through the consuming fire that purifies His words within us (Heb 5:8<, Rom 5:6-8, Heb 12:29, 1Pe 1:7).

It is important to note that it is fish and bread, and that they work together because the bread is tried on the fire like the word of God, and it is needed to strengthen our hearts (Luk 22:19, Psa 104:15) as we come up against the multitudes in this life who will be against us, the many fish of the sea, the whole world whom Christ has promised would be against us (Mat 10:22).

It is God’s love being shed abroad in our hearts (Rom 5:5) that makes it possible for us to love our enemies and love the world while they are yet sinners whom we now love as God loves us and loved us (Rom 5:8). It is God’s love which enables us to fill up what is behind of the afflictions of Christ as we present ourselves a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1) who are blessed to learn that it is more blessed to give than to receive, and that to be a lamb for the slaughter, as our Lord was, is a great blessing as it will provide the food which this world needs and is unknowingly starving for (Isa 53:7, Rom 8:36, Act 20:35, Isa 3:1, Hos 4:6).

I recently saw a video that was heart wrenching to watch, but I can see now how the Lord had me watch this to remember that we are not laying down our lives for ourselves only, as I’m sure we know. At first that is all we can see and understand because of all the wounds that we need to have healed in our own broken down prodigal experiences, but ultimately this experience of evil that we experience (is, was and will be) comes to be better understood through the healing and strength we receive in the inn which represents the body of Christ, the church, in the parable of the Samaritan (Luk 10:34-35, Col 1:24).

Eventually our perception of what has happened becomes something that is not for ourselves but for the lives of others who will come after us, and for each of us who have come into the midst of the garden of paradise today where we “now rejoice” in ‘My suffering for you’ and see that the conclusion of that parable Christ was teaching cannot be reached until we are all the different characters represented in it. That is the narrow road which enables us to become a neighbourly neighbour or good Samaritan as we call it (Eph 2:4-6, Rev 2:7).

The story I watched was simple: the child was on a talk show and his mother was one of many single mothers on the stage who were trying to raise their children without a father. Consequently the children had all sorts of disciplinarian issues that they were going to set straight right in front of the entire world on national television by having a man dressed as a sergeant come out and give some hard advice to the children who were going to go to some kind of children’s’ boot camp. I began to think “why am I watching this?”, and then remembered the title of the short video was about ‘a heart warming experience’, so I trusted that it was going to end well, which it did.

The Lord gave that one particular little boy, who was being drilled by the sergeant, to answer to his question that had the whole audience cheering. He said to the troubled child who would have to spend the next four months with him unless he changed his tune “do you want me to be your father for the next four months son?” to which the scared little child said, “yes, sir, I would like that” to the surprise of the sergeant who then asked “why do you want that, son?”, (and this is the part that is heart-wrenching for us as God’s children who have the spirit of God, which is the spirit that is typified in Elijah who wants to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers (Mal 4:6)) to which he replied “I have no father”.

That is why we are here today, that is why we write emails and do studies and phone each other and build each other up, because this world needs and wants to be loved by a real father, a strong father who will be there for them. After that little lad said what he said, the sergeant bent down and gave him a big hug and walked off the stage with him. It was amazing how the producers had the tables turned on them by a little child, and it makes me think of Christ’s words in Matthew 19:14. God made a way for this little one to say what he had to say, and He is going to make a way for us as the bride of Christ to let the stones cry out, so that reconciliation and healing can begin to take place in the land of all the fathers and children and mothers and daughters (Luk 19:40). Of course we know that age (being older) is not what we are talking about here because we can be hundred years old from the point that we die and be raised as a babe in Christ who has yet to grow into a mature son who must come through judgment (Oba 1:21).

When Christ said “If these should hold their peace”, it reminds me of last week’s title “Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace^H2790, and be not still, O God”. In other words, it is going to happen and the gates of hell will not prevail against God’s purpose for the church (Mat 16:18).

This week’s study will hopefully have the Lord directing our hearts to see why it is that we are to become as little children (Mat 18:3) who trust God as our strong Abba Father who we want to turn to, even as we give up our life and lose everything so that we can gain eternal life (Mat 16:25).

The verses we are about to study reminded me of how we are adopted children of God, grafted into His family, unlike Christ who was the only begotten of the Father (Joh 1:14) who never had to have his heart turned to His Father or His Father turned to Him, in the sense that Christ could not and would not rebel and never did anything against His Father because He had the spirit without measure and was learning obedience by the things which He suffered in His sinful flesh, which never manifested as an act of sinning even through the most severe and diverse temptations. He truly cleaved to His Father and is our example of how we ought to cleave unto Him as our refuge (Joh 17:5, Joh 3:34, Heb 5:8, Heb 4:15, Deu 13:4, Deu 4:4).

Usually when physical parents adopt children they take their time, and they plan, and they have to consider many details to know for sure that this is a right and loving decision for the child they are hoping to graft into their life. However, God’s love is manifest in that process while we were yet sinners and he had already determined instantly that we would be His children that He would love; and so we read:

1Jn 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

We are called to be fishers of men, to love fish who we will graft into the body as God grafted us in, and ultimately, with the mind of Christ, we will not fish for love for selfish motives (Mat 23:15) but rather love to fish.

Mat 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

When someone loves you with the love that God loves us, and your heart has been prepared to receive that love, you cannot help but want to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the father (Mal 4:6), and that’s a good thing and the starting point that God is using within those in the body of Christ who have many fathers and sons being reconciled today in the spirit, so that we can be the fishers of men who will be used to reconcile the rest of the world in His perfect time (Mat 4:19).

Psa 84:1 To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. How amiable are thy tabernaclesH4908, O LORD of hosts!

“How amiable are all thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts”?

This is our prayer, to grow to love those tabernacles who don’t love us back (Mat 5:44, Luk 14:14), because those tabernacles are God’s, and He loves them, and Christ loves them. It’s just that he has not yet actively set his loving work of chastening and scourging them to receive them as sons today (Joh 3:16, Joh 10:16, Rom 9:13, Heb 12:6).

If we are truly to be considered His sons today, we must love those whom we see, which gives evidence that we love God who we don’t see, and demonstrates that His love is being shed abroad in our hearts (1Jn 4:20, Rom 5:5).

If we are God’s “Gittith” (harp) today, then that song that He is playing on our heart strings will be for the sons of Korah^H7141, which word demonstrates the process of ‘three Israelites’ and ‘two Edomites’ – a witness of our flesh that will be destroyed by the combination of the names, just like the fish and the bread we read about earlier on the fiery coals of John 21:9: ‘three Israelites’ and ‘two Edomites’ which equals five (5), which number symbolizes grace and faith.

Psa 84:2 My soul longeth^H3700, yea, even fainteth^H3615 for the courts^H2691 of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.

This longing and fainting “for the courts^H2691 of the LORD” occurs within our heart and our flesh that cries out for the living God. With the mind of Christ, we long to be judged within those courts, to be cleansed by abiding in the word even when that chastening ‘smarts’. We learn not to despise it because we know that it is for our good.

Heb 5:7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

Psa 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
Psa 139:24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Rev 11:1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
Rev 11:2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

Pro 3:11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:

This is the longing that Christ spoke of to his disciples to drink within the temple which we are. It is that longing to be with the living God that is going to purify the temple, and that longing is a gift from God that drags us unto Christ who in turn satisfies our thirst and hunger to walk in these courts “in the way everlasting” that is pleasing before our Father.

Mat 26:29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.

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

Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Joh 7:37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

Joh 6:68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
Joh 6:69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.

Psa 84:3 Yea, the sparrow^H6833 hath found an house, and the swallow^H1866 a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God.

The sparrow which finds its house is the elect who find their rest in the Lord (Heb 4:11), and the swallow likewise witnesses to the fact that in His courts there is a haven where we, she, the church, can “lay her young” at God’s altar which is the cross, “O LORD of hosts^H6635” “and my God”.

The context of Matthew 10:28-32 also bears witness to God’s provision that helps us see why the word “hosts”^H6635 is connected to war and an army, which we are part of (Eph 6:12), and fighting together with God as our helper (Heb 13:6), my King, and my God.

Mat 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Mat 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
Mat 10:30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Mat 10:31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
Mat 10:32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

What God is doing within his “two sparrows“, which represent the witness of Christ within us today, is of more value than what is happening within the world, the “many sparrows“. Christ does not say that the Father loves these sparrows more than the “many sparrows” (Joh 3:16), but rather is telling us that our experience of being sacrificed at the altar is for them. This section of the parable “and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father” is a reference to the one seed that we are which must die in order to bring forth fruit, which is what God has called us to do for the benefit of all those who will come after us (Joh 12:24, Gal 3:16) and that is why those “two sparrows” that represent Christ in us are more valuable than the “many sparrows” who are yet to be saved and who don’t have Christ in them yet (Rom 8:9).

(Sparrow^H6833 (of this verse) = “bird”(s) in Leviticus 14) speaking of leprosy in the house (our tabernacle of verse 1, our dwelling place) and it being cleansed with the blood of this bird:

Lev 14:48 And if the priest shall come in, and look upon it, and, behold, the plague hath not spread in the house, after the house was plaistered: then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, because the plague is healed.
Lev 14:49 And he shall take to cleanse the house two birds^H6833, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:
Lev 14:50 And he shall kill the one of the birds^H6833 in an earthen vessel over running water:
Lev 14:51 And he shall take the cedar wood, and the hyssop, and the scarlet, and the living bird^H6833, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird^H6833, and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times:
Lev 14:52 And he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird^H6833, and with the running water, and with the living bird^H6833, and with the cedar wood, and with the hyssop, and with the scarlet:
Lev 14:53 But he shall let go the living bird^H6833 out of the city into the open fields, and make an atonement for the house: and it shall be clean. (This is what will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the father)

Swallow^H1866 is only used once in this Psalm and once in Proverbs 26:2. Interestingly, that number is related to H1865 which is used in the old testament as “liberty” and “pure” which only confirms that sound pattern of what God is doing with his “two sparrows“. Every sacrifice is made pure with fire, and it’s important to note that the sparrow is a small but significant sacrifice, just as we are the weak of the world, but nevertheless blessed to be the kind of first-fruits who first offer our lives as a living sacrifice (Mar 9:49).

Swallow A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: the same as H1865
H1865 derôr   Total KJV Occurrences: 8
liberty, 7
Lev_25:10; Isa_61:1; Jer_34:8; Jer_34:15; Jer_34:17(2); Eze_46:17
pure, 1
Exo_30:23

This Psalm is really a comfort to our souls, and this verse in particular reminds us that we have been blessed to find refuge in the house of the Lord because God has made a way for us in the wilderness to keep His words through Christ so that they can abide with us in liberty and purity.

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.

Joh 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

Joh 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

2Co 3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Psa 84:4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.
Psa 84:5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.
Psa 84:6 Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.
Psa 84:7 They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.

These verses Psalms 84:4-7 witness to the fruit that comes about as a result of abiding in the (pure/purified) house of God.

Joh 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Joh 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
Joh 15:9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
Joh 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

The fruit of “praising thee” is on our lips with songs of thankgiving.

Heb 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

Psa 95:2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
Psa 95:3 For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

We are told that when the Lord is our strength, the one through whom we can endure all things (Php 4:13), that our hearts are set on “the ways” of “the way” (Joh 14:6) and we will find ourselves “passing through the valley of Baca (weeping^H1056) make it a well”, which is a beautiful reminder for God’s elect that our weeping, our sorrow in this life, will be turned to joy (Psa 126:5-6).

God will fill our lives with “the rain” that “filleth the pools^H1293” which symbolize the spirit of God that makes it possible for us, who are blessed to go from “strength to strength” or “glory to glory” (2Co 3:18) appearing in heavenly places before God “in Zion” (Eph 2:6, Eph 4:6) and ultimately coming up on mount Zion to provide living waters for the rest of the world from the “well”^H4599 which is Christ who is the fountain of life, the source of life, the vine (Oba 1:21, Rev 22:2, Joh 15:5).

Pools^H1293 berâkâh Total KJV Occurrences: 69

[64 times mentioned as some form of blessing/blessed]

– Strong’s: From H1288; benediction; by implication prosperity: – blessing liberal pool present

Oba 1:21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.

Rev 22:2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

Psa 84:8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.
Psa 84:9 Behold, O God our shield^H4043, and look upon the face of thine anointed.

Give ear and behold “O LORD God of hosts” is our prayer and we need to “Selah” [pause] for a moment to consider the magnitude of the promises that have been given to us, and to remember that God is “our shield” and He is looking “upon the face of thine anointed”, those two sparrows that He is working with in this age, as the apple of His eye.

Zec 2:8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.
Zec 2:9 For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me.
Zec 2:10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD.

Gal 6:16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

We are called unto this blessing to know God and Jesus Christ (Joh 17:3) so that one day we can bless the multitudes with those living waters that will come forth from the fountain of life, or well of life, Jesus Christ and his Christ.

Psa 84:10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Psa 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield^H4043: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
Psa 84:12 O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.

“For a day in thy courts” is a reference to the day of the Lord where we are being measured against the measuring rod or plummet, Jesus Christ, so that we can show the house to the house (Rev 11:1, Eze 43:10).

God has called the weak of the world to inherit this greatest inheritance and honour (1Co 1:26) to be in the midst of the true body of Christ, raised in heavenly places together right now. We are blessed to be broken by the Lord so that we have a contrite and broken spirit as the weak of the world, who now want to take the lower seat, and to only be a doorkeeper (Isa 66:2, Luk 14:10).

Luk 15:17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
Luk 15:18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
Luk 15:19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

Luk 17:10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

God is also in the process of making our face like a stone in the positive sense (Isa 50:7, Mal 3:6) – or like a impenetrable shield^H4043 – and it is that quality of changing not and appreciating the day of the Lord that we are experiencing within the house of God that is spoken of in this Psalm as “the LORD will give grace and glory”.

We need to confidently standing fast against the enemies within and without (Heb 10:35, Php 1:28-29) and know that it will be through the chastening and scourging that every son receives that we will be dragged to Christ (Heb 12:6, Joh 6:44) who blesses us so that we can trust in Him even to drink the cup that our flesh could never drink without His life within us making that possible (Mat 20:23, Col 1:27, Mat 19:26).

God will not “withhold from them that walk uprightly”. He will not withhold from accomplishing the process of making it possible for us to drink the cup indeed, and go through a lifetime of pruning (Act 14:22) so we can bring forth much fruit and lay up store, or treasure in heaven, through this life (Mat 6:20). God has called us to be blessed (1Pe 3:9, 1Pe 2:21, 2Th 2:14, Rom 12:14) and again will not “withhold from them that walk uprightly”.

We are blessed today to understand that our commission as the body of Christ is to “turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers” which is something that is going to take a long period of time, but ultimately every heart will be turned to God when He is “all in all”, and that is our hope which we labour and suffer reproach for together.

Gen 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing^H1293: [that word translated “pool” in verse 6]
Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

1Co 15:28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

1Ti 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.

1Jn 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Dear Body,

I wish to understand how the blood of Jesus works in our lives

– How it speaks better things than of Abel
– How it purges our consciences
– How it cleanses us from sin

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7 KJV)

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

Heb 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

Your brother willing to learn,

M____

Hi M____,

Thank you for your question. What exactly is “the blood of Christ in our lives”?

The very fact that “the blood of Christ… speaks…” is a powerful hint as to what this “blood of Christ” is.

It always helps to know the Biblical definition of the word or phrase under discussion, and in this instance we have the blood of Christ, which works so powerfully in our lives, defined for us by none other than Christ Himself. Once we come to know what ‘the blood of Christ” is, then we will be able to understand how His blood works in our lives to cleanse, sanctify, atone and reconcile us to God.

Here is what Christ defines as His blood which was shed for all of us:

Luk 22:20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

1Co 11:25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

There it is in plain language which anyone can understand. The blood of Christ which works so powerfully in our lives is “the New Testament in my blood”.

Your question gives us the opportunity to come to understand the meaning of the word ‘blood’ in all of these verses, and how the “blood” of Christ is demonstrated by Christ to be in complete contrast to the “blood of Abel”.

To clarify that contrast I will add just a few scriptures which I hope will answer your three questions:

“I wish to understand how the blood of Jesus works in our lives,

– How it speaks better things than of Abel
– How it purges our consciences
– How it cleanes us from sin

Your first question is:

“How it (the blood of Christ) speaks better things than of Abel”

“Abel to Zecharias” are the words which our Lord used to express the things of the Old Testament dispensation. For example:

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.

So the “things… of Abel” are the things of the Old Testament and the law of Moses, which we are plainly told “[are] not for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient…”

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;
1Ti 1:11 According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.

So, there it is, “according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God… My blood in the New Testament… speaks better things than of Abel, [because] the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient…”

We are told that those commandments were “carnal commandments” for a carnal nation:

Heb 7:16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.

Those verses are just a couple of the “better things than of Abel”. In Matthew chapters 5-7 every “You have heard it said by them of old… but I say unto you…” is Christ’s blood in the New Testament speaking better things than of Abel.

It is the blood of Christ which He Himself tells us “is My blood in the New Testament”, which Christ is contrasting with “the blood of Abel [and the] things… of Abel” in the Old Testament and in the law of Moses which were “carnal commandment[s]” for a carnal nation.

That should answer your first question, “How it is better than of Abel.”

Your second question was:

“How it purges our conscience”

A ‘purged conscience’ is a ‘clear conscience’. We say, “My conscience is clear” only when we know that we are not guilty of the things of which we are accused by our accusers. Our chief accuser is “the adversary”:

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.

When we quit glorifying ourselves and the adversary and we start believing “the New Testament in My blood”, the Truth of the scriptures, then our conscience is ‘purged’ because we will then accept the truth of these words of scripture:

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

Rom 7:17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.

Your third question was:

How it [the blood of Christ] cleanses us from sin

This, too, is a powerful work of the spirit, which ‘spirit’ is also defined as “the word”:

Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

When the words of Christ, “[His] blood in the New Testament”, dwell within us, they burn out and purge from within our hearts and minds all the “wood, hay, and stubble” that is there to burn, and in doing so those words, His blood, wash our robes white and cleanse us of our sins:

1Co 3:12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
1Co 3:13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

The ‘burning’ and the ‘washing’ are one and the same thing in the scriptures because:

Rev 7:14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

There it is. It is the fiery word of God, which is the blood of Christ, which works in us to purge us of our sins “by [His chastening] grace through faith”.

If the blood of Christ is understood by the things that are made, then we need to note that it is the blood which nourishes every cell in the body.

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:

Your brother and fellow servant,

Mike

Hi M____,

I will give my two cents according to the scriptures. It is blood that was decreed by God to make atonement for the soul.

Lev 17:11 for the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar, to make atonement for your souls; for it [is] the blood which maketh atonement for the soul.

So the key there is “atonement”, what it is does and how that works, because that is what blood does. The Hebrew there is:

h3722. כָּפַר ḵâp̱ar

primitive root; to cover (specifically with bitumen); figuratively, to expiate or condone, to placate or cancel

And of course, as revealed in Hebrews, the “blood” of bulls of goats was not possible to actually take away sins. Jesus Christ “shed his blood” for the atonement of our sins, not just for ours but the sins of the whole world, and he takes away our sins via the “atonement” of the blood, and that brings reconciliation, or an easier way to say it – change.

Heb 10:3 But in them (those sacrifices) there is a recollection of sins year by year;
Heb 10:4 for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and of he-goats to be eliminating sins…(CLV) .(Hebrews 10:10 YLT) in the which will, we are having been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once)

Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled (G2644), we shall be saved by his life.
Rom 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (reconciliation – G2643).

G2644 καταλλάσσω – katallassō (kat-al-las’-so)

From G2596 and G236; to change mutually, that is, (figuratively) to compound a difference: – reconcile.

I like Thayer’s Definition — to change, exchange, as coins for others of equivalent value

G2643 καταλλαγή – katallagēn (kat-al-lag-ay’)

From G2644; exchange (figuratively adjustment), that is, restoration to (the divine) favor: – atonement, reconciliation (-ing).

1Jn 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
1Jn 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

That word, propitiation, actually means atonement –

ἱλασμός hilasmos (hil-as-mos)

atonement, that is, (concretely) an expiator: – propitiation.

So, to sum it up; the Blood of Jesus is what covers, redeems changes, reconciles, and sanctifies us spiritually.

Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Rom 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood (the atonement, covering, reconciliation), to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.

I hope that helps,

Shelton

When Christ told Martha:

Joh 11:24  Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
Joh 11:25  Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
Joh 11:26  And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

I’m sure that you, with Martha, would say “Yes, Lord, I believe.” But what is it one believes if one says:

 “ALL Adam don’t get to be made alive in Christ, just all the Church…?”

Do you believe that Christ was telling Martha ‘I am the first but not the second resurrection?’

I think we all know better than that. It is not worded ‘As in Adam all die even so all who are in Christ shall be made alive.’ Here is what we are told is the power behind all resurrected bodies of all time:

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all  [same all who are in Adam. We are all, at one time ‘in Adam] be made alive.

The ‘all in Adam” is the same “all” who will be in Christ. If this is not so, then there would be no need for the next few verses:

1Co 15:23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
1Co 15:24  Then [cometh] the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
1Co 15:25  For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
1Co 15:26  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

The destruction of death necessitates the salvation of all men of all time. But Christ is both resurrections: “As in Adam… SO in Christ… I am the resurrection”

There is a “first fruit” which is regenerated now and there is “the lump” which will come in with Sodom and Samaria through the purifying lake of fire. When all is said and done God “will have all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the Truth.”

Rom 11:16  For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. ***** Christ and His Church (“I am the vine and you are the branches”)…

The “evil reward” for not doing the Lord’s will” is the second judgment, the white (not black) throne judgment which will chasten  and judge those who refused to “judge themselves” now while still in this “vessel of clay.”

Here are but a very few of the hundreds of verses of God’s word which tell us plainly what God is doing with mankind:

1Ti 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. ***** this is the little all or the Church only…

1Ti 4:10  For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all ***** this is ALL ADAM …   men, specially [ not exclusively] of those that believe ***** He is special to the Church here in time but ALL ADAM will be changed in the last resurrection…

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us- ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. ***** Again the Church

1Jn 2:2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.  ***** Yes, this covers both resurrections…

And we also have this assurance from the book of Romans:

Rom 11:15  For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world [Even Sodom and Samaria], what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?

***** I pray almost daily “Bring them Home Lord bring them Home !!!

Rom 11:16  For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy : and if the root be holy, so are the branches.

All of the admonitions to avoid hell and the lake of fire are very urgent admonitions. However they have nothing whatsoever to do with avoiding eternal death or eternal punishment. what they are concerned with is “loss” of reward.

1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by [ the lake of] fire.

Some wonder if 1 Thess. 5:9 is the elect. Read Rom 9 and then read 1 Thess. chapters 4 and five together and you will see that mankind as a whole is not cast away and consigned to God’s wrath. Who is consigned to God’s wrath, be they elect or not are those who “know to do good and do it not:

I am at a loss to understand why some would have ‘all’ to mean anything less than all of God’s creatures who are in Adam. The advantage of being first is explained in Revelation and all the rest of the New Testament. The firstfruit overcomers are given rulership in the kingdom. All others are ruled over in the kingdom. But in the end God is all in all and not one soul is left out of Christ.

There are those who point to Joh 17 as if I would find there that

“ALL Adam don’t get to be made alive in Christ, just, all the Church…?”

Do you think that the fact that we enjoy eonian life necessitates that all others will not receive life? Do you believe that there is no life other than eonian life? Do you think that because “the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eonian life” that therefore those who receive eonian life can avoid death? This is not what Rom 6:23 is saying. Rom 6:23 says:

Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

This verse in Romans does not contradict these verses in Hebrews:

Heb 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Heb 9:28  So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Judgment cannot be administered until after death: “… After this the judgment.”

Now since judgment is NOW on the house of God:

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God:

… and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

… and yet we are told that it is appointed unto man once to die and after this [ death] the judgment,’ it is therefore needful that all who are being judged now have died or are dying daily to this flesh. Life comes only “through death:”

Col 1:22  In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

So we see that the fact that the gift of God is eonian life, in no way excludes anyone from having to die first in order to obtain that life. We enjoy the kingdom now only in “earnest of the spirit” and not in “the fulness of the inheritance.” Is this joy we have now the kingdom? It certainly is. But is it the “redemption of the purchased possession?” Absolutely not! The best is yet to come.

2Co 1:22  Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
2Co 5:5  Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us

Here is how The Good News Bible words this:

(GNB)  “who has placed his mark of ownership upon us, and who has given us the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the guarantee of all that he has in store for us.”

And here is how the International Standard Version puts this:

(ISV)  “who has placed his seal on us and has given us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment.”

These verses are in sharp contrast to these verses:

Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Eph 1:18  The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

This is indeed a glorious promise for all who partake of that blessed and holy first resurrection:

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Being in that blessed and holy first resurrection is not an end in itself. The very purpose for being “priests of God and of Christ and reigning with Him” is to show mercy to all mankind who are not in the first resurrection. But that mercy is not shown to mankind during the thousand years. It is rather shown to mankind in the lake of fire after the second resurrection. It is then that we “shall judge angels” because the lake of fire is prepared for the devil and his angels. At that time there will be nothing but spirits to be judged:

Eze 16:55  When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.

The dominance of an outward Jew during the millennium is not in the scriptures. It is those who are in that “blessed and holy first resurrection who will dominate at that time. It will be” He is a Jew who is one inwardly. He is NOT a Jew which is one outwardly.” All who have slain Christ and have not yet repented of doing so will be spirits in this lake of fire. They will be judged by those who are that fire:

Isa 33:14  The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
Isa 33:15  He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;

It is here that Satan himself will be judged and purged of his own carnal, rebellious mind. It is here that God will use his elect to judge angels:

Mat 25:41  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

Without the “sum of God’s word” one would conclude that the sheep and the goats are all there standing before God and Christ to be judged at the same time. It is with what is later revealed in Paul’s and John’s writings in 1Co.15 and Rev 20 that we see that these are two separate judgments; one occurring now while we are in this flesh, the other occurring “after the thousand years are finished.”

It is then that the elect will be used by God to bring to God all who are yet in unbelief:

1Co 6:2  Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
1Co 6:3  Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

So those saints in that blessed and holy first resurrection will rule the world for 1000 years and then they “shall judge angels:” This is the reason for having a “blessed and holy first resurrection.” Here is how Paul summarizes this function of God’s elect:

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

It is through those who are in the first resurrection that God will bring in all the rest of mankind – “through your mercy.”

This same message is repeated by Paul in Galatians, Ephesians and Colossians.

So Paul concludes this incredibly revealing revelation with these words:

Rom 11:33  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are] his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Rom 11:34  For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
Rom 11:35  Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
Rom 11:36  For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

While the word ‘all’ is not always intended to mean virtually every human in Judea coming out to be baptized of John or coming to hear Christ preach, when it comes to salvation, it is all inclusive.

I hope that you see who is in view when Paul uses the words ‘in Adam, and in Christ’ and I hope you see that we are only in God’s kingdom now ” in earnest… until the redemption of the purchased possession.”

When God has accomplished what he has chosen his firstfruits to accomplish, He will then be all in all. That is the goal of the universe. And God’s channel to achieve that goal is those who are in that blessed and holy first resurrection.

Does evil exist?

Does evil exist? The university professor challenged his students with this question. Did God create everything that exists?

A student bravely replied “Yes, he did!”

“God created everything?” the professor asked.

“Yes sir,” the student replied.

The student became quiet before such an answer. The professor was quite pleased with himself and boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.

Another student raised his hand and said, “Can I ask you a question professor?”

“Of course”, replied the professor.

The student stood up and asked, “Professor, does cold exist?”

“What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold? The students snickered at the young man’s question.

The young man replied, “In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Everybody or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (- 460 degrees F) is the total absence of heat; all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat.” The student continued, “Professor, does darkness exist?”

The professor responded, “Of course it does”. The student replied, “Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact we can use Newton’s prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn’t this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present.”

Finally the young man asked the professor. “Sir, does evil exist?”

Now uncertain, the professor responded, “Of course as I have already said. We see it every day. It is in the daily example of man’s inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.”

To this the student replied, “Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is not like faith, or love that exist just as does light and heat. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God’s love present in his heart. It’s like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.”

The professor sat down.

The young man’s name — Albert Einstein

Hi M____,

It is good to hear from you again.

Look at what this poor ignorant professor has to say as He attempts to judge the creator of the universe:

The professor answered, “If God created everything, then God created evil since evil exists, and according to the principal that our works define who we are then God is evil”.

In this story, both the professor and Einstein are “answering a matter before they hear it.” Neither is aware that the scriptures teach that God is makING man in His image. The first Adam is simply the beginning of this process. God did not send Christ to this earth as ‘plan B,’ to try to salvage a few from the mess that man made of God’s good intentions. Christ IS the “Savior of the world!

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 15:24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
1Co 15:25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
1Co 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

‘As in Adam, so in Christ.’ ‘In Adam’ we are but corruptible clay. Why were we made that way?

Isa 64:7 And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.
Isa 64:8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
Isa 64:9 Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.
Isa 64:10 Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
Isa 64:11 Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste.
Isa 64:12 Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O LORD? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?

Yes, evil Israel as well as ‘the first Adam’ are “all the work of thy hand.” But what is the answer to Isaiah’s question? Will God afflict us very sore? When will He do so? Will it last forever? Here are the answers to all these questions right from the scriptures. These scriptures have always been right there in the Bible, but God has shown them to very few indeed:

Eze 16:1 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Eze 16:2 Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,
Eze 16:3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite.
Eze 16:53 When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them:
Eze 16:54 That thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto them.
Eze 16:55 When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.

As the scriptures warn:

Pro 18:13 He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.

I have no doubt that neither Einstein nor his professor have ever had their eyes opened to see either 1Co 15:22 or Eze 16:55. I read right over those verses for most of my life myself and never saw what I was reading.

The ‘Potter’ is God. While He may make “marred vessels,” it is not a mistake on His part. It is by design.

Jer 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
Jer 18:5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Jer 18:6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
Jer 18:7 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it;

The clay, Adam, was marred by design. It is through this marred vessel that God is bringing a new and unmarred vessel.

1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Here is the Truth:

Isa 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
Amo 3:6 … Shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?
Pro 16:4 The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

These verses may not agree with Einstein or his professor, but let us not judge a matter before we hear it.

1Ti 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially [ not exclusively] of those that believe.
1Jn 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

“Few are chosen” out of the “many called” at this particular time. “But each in his own order” means what it says. Death will be ‘robbed of its sting’. Death will not have victory over so much as one of God’s creation.

Mike

Mike,

If everyone is going to heaven or be saved anyhow, then why did Christ have to die?

Thanks,

D____

Hello D____,

Christ had to die so that everyone could be saved. If a fireman has to go into a burning building to save one person, and then finds there are ten in there, don’t you think he should go back and get them all? Are you suggesting that he just save the first one that he takes down the ladder? The fireman has to ‘ go into the building‘ to save them all. Christ had to come into this burning decaying world to save His elect first. It was Christ through whom God “created all things.” That is how we all ended up “in Adam.” We did not ‘freely choose’ to be “in Adam.” So Christ did not come to save only those who are “special’ to Him. He will “also” save ” all… in Adam.” Even those who have reject Him.

1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Do you see what it says there? “ All in Adam… die.” That exact same “all… shall be made alive… in Christ.”

That is why Christ had to die. So that “all in Adam” could be “made alive… in Christ.”

1Ti 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially [ not exclusively] of those that believe.
1Jn 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

As clear as this all is, the carnal mind in it’s pride and in the darkness of the lies of orthodox Christian teaching, clings to an eternal hell in which men are tormented forever with no end ever in sight. And the purpose for that torment is for the torment’s sake only. It has no other purpose. It is not to chasten or to reprove or to save. It is solely for the purpose of inflicting excruciating pain for all eternity! This demonic, depraved doctrine is easier for the carnal, orthodox Christian mind to comprehend than to admit that Christ would naturally go back into that burning, decaying building and save all who are in need of His saving power. In effect they all ask the same insane question, ‘If Christ is going to save every one in the burning building, why did he have to go into the burning building?’ The answer is always the same…

1Jn 2:2 He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Mike