[Posted November 12, 2024]

Hey Mike,

Hope all is well. Did God create time through Jesus? (assuming time is even a thing that is created or might be simply a consequence or by-product of creation itself.)

Heb 1:2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world (greek: Aions).

Could the creation of Jesus have triggered the creation of the Ages? I can continue to seek this out, but I am hoping this is something you’ve thought about before and have a few verses I can look to for an answer. Didn’t find anything on the website on this topic.

Thanks!

YBITC,
R___

Hi R___,

Thank you for this question. You ask, “Did God create time through Jesus?”

The answer is, Absolutely! We are twice told that “We were called in Christ before the world began”:

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

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

The English words, “world began”, in both verses are translated from the Greek words “chronos aionios”, which literally translated is ‘times eonian’, and as the verse you referenced make clear, the eons were created by Christ:

Heb 1:2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world (greek: Aions).

Time itself is nothing more than the calculation of the revolutions of the earth as it revolves around the sun. One revolution of the earth on its axis is one day. Three hundred and sixty five revolutions of the earth is one year, which is the time it takes for the earth to revolve around the sun. That one year is broken down into 12 months, of 30 days each in the Hebrew calendar. An extra month was added 7 times every 19 years to keep the seasons adjusted because there are really 365.25 days in a year. Here is a link that gives those details if you are interested: https://amyisroelchai.org/original/iseasons.html

The only point I am making is that we are plainly told that Christ created the heavens and the earth, and therefore He is obviously the Creator of ‘time’:

Exo 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

The Father made Christ “both Lord and Christ” and John tells us that there is nothing that was not created by Christ:

Act 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Christ calls Himself “the beginning of the creation” by which the Father created all other things:

Rev 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

Since “all things were made by Him, Christ Himself was therefore created outside of time, which gives Him preeminence above all mankind.

It all serves to demonstrate that just as the Father created Christ first and then used Him to create everything else, we also are Christ’s creation, by which He will save all others.

I hope this is of some help to you, R___.

Your fellow student,

Mike

Isa 30:1-9 Our Rebellion Leads to Our Shame - Discussion

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Isa 30:1-9 Our Rebellion Leads To Our Shame

Isa 30:1  Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:
Isa 30:2  That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!
Isa 30:3  Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.
Isa 30:4  For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came to Hanes.
Isa 30:5  They were all ashamed of a people that could not profit them, nor be an help nor profit, but a shame, and also a reproach.
Isa 30:6  The burden of the beasts of the south: into the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they will carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures upon the bunches of camels, to a people that shall not profit them.
Isa 30:7  For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still.
Isa 30:8  Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever:
Isa 30:9  That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD:

The first part of this chapter concerns our naturally rebellious nature. Paul calls this rebellious nature "the carnal mind [which] is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be":

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.

Romans 8:7 is just a short summation of the message of Romans 7, where our natural carnal mind is said to be dominated by what the spirit informs us is "the law of sin... which is in [our] members [our flesh]":

Rom 7:17  Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:18  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:19  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Rom 7:20  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:21  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
Rom 7:22  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Rom 7:23  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

The flesh cannot trust in the things of the spirit. To do so requires faith, and faith is a gift from God which He gives only to those few whom He chooses in this age. All of us are brought to shame because we are made in a shameful, rebellious condition by our Creator:

Gen 2:25  And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

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.

We are all born with a self-centered carnal mind. Every parent knows the sound of a hungry baby with a dirty diaper, but the Lord has also given us eyes which cannot see that we are brought into this world in a shamefully naked and rebellious spiritual condition before Him, and until we become aware that we are spiritually naked and rebellious toward Him and His law, He will not come and dwell within us. We are born under the curse of the law, which 'law' is typified by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil:

Gen 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Gen 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

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

The law tells us what we are to do, but the law does not strengthen us to do what it says. The carnal mind, with which Adam and Eve and each of us were made, "is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be" subject to the Lord. So we are told:

Isa 30:1  Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:

Notice that when the Lord confronted Adam and Eve they did not beg for forgiveness for their disobedience. Instead, they did what come naturally for any carnal mind. They excused themselves and passed the buck to someone else. In other words, our own ignorance of who we are, by the nature which the Lord first gives us, is what restrains Christ's coming to live within His own temple, which 'temple' is our physical bodies:

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.

It is "the day of the Lord" which is under discussion here in 2Thessalonians 2:

2Th 2:1  Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2Th 2:2  That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

Paul is not saying that the day of Christ is not at hand. Paul knew very well what Christ taught on that subject:

Mat 24:32  Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
Mat 24:33  So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
Mat 24:34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

Here are just a few verses from the writings of the apostle Paul concerning the day of the Lord:

1Co 5:5  To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

2Co 1:14  As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus.

1Th 5:2  For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

Paul and Peter were on the same page in what they were teaching to those under their charge about what should be their mindset concerning "the day of the Lord".

2Pe 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

"All these things" of Matthew 24:34 included the man of sin standing in the holy place in the temple of God, just as Paul told the Thessalonians. Paul understood that "all these things" must be fulfilled in every generation hearing the words of the Lord:

Mat 24:15  When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

When the Lord appears and our spiritual eyes see our own "man of sin... sitting in the temple of God", it is at that moment the Lord begins judging and destroying the son of perdition with "the brightness of His coming" into His temple, meaning into our bodies and into our lives.

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?

The Lord's judgments do not end with us. Our judgment in this age is merely the "begin[ning] of His judgments", and those judgments will not be completed until Adam himself is purified of his rebellious carnal mind.

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.

"The day of Christ" and "the day of the Lord" are the same thing, and Paul is telling us that as long as "the man of sin... the son of perdition [is still] sitting in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God, that day shall not come "except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed [as] the son of perdition".

Now let's go back to 2Thessalonians 2 and notice how Paul continues explaining what he means by "the day of the Lord" and 'the temple of God':

2Th 2:5  Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
2Th 2:6  And now ye know what withholdeth [G2722: katecho - withhold, restrain] that he might be revealed in his time.
2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [G2722: katecho - withhold, restrain] will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

If we can remember what Paul has "told [us] before", then we will know exactly that what restrains the revealing of the man of sin, the son of perdition, from being revealed is the fact our eyes have not been opened to see that it is our own beast sitting on the throne of Christ in our hearts.

What was it Paul had told these Thessalonians "while [he] was yet with [them]"? He told them the same thing he had told the Corinthians and all of us about what is "the temple of God" and what God Himself considers to be "the temple of God". It is knowing what and where that 'temple' is which reveals for us who is the true "man of sin the son of perdition... sitting in the temple of God showing himself that he is God".

Here is what Paul had told these Thessalonians about what is the true "temple of God" and where this "man of sin" truly resides until he is taken out of the way and is destroyed by the appearing of the Lord to evict the "son of perdition" from His 'temple':

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.

2Co 6:16  And 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.

That 'man of sin' has a set time to be revealed in every man, and when that time comes he will be revealed, but until that time he continues to sit in the temple of God proclaiming that it is he, by the strength of his own free, who occupies the true 'temple of God'.

That has been the lie which has kept mankind, "the man of sin", blinded from the Truth of who it is that constitutes "the abomination of desolation" from the creation of Adam until this very day. We tell ourselves, "I have never claimed to be God," but what we obsequiously and subserviently do in the worship and pleasing and obedience to the desires of our flesh speaks so loudly that God will not hear what we say.

2Th 2:9  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Taken by itself we might conclude that it is our own fault we "received not the love of the Truth", but once again the sum of the Lord's word proves that the Lord is "working all things after the counsel of His own will" and that the doctrine of mankind's fabled "free will" is itself nothing less than rebellion against the clearly defined sovereignty of God:

Psa 119:160 The sum of thy word is truth; And every one of thy righteous ordinances endureth for ever.

Egypt typifies our flesh, and it typifies our rebellious carnal mind and the rebellious carnal mind of all mankind. Isaiah tell us this about ourselves:

Isa 30:2  That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!
Isa 30:3  Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.

Egypt is not speaking of the physical nation of Egypt in scripture. It is true that Israel sought an alliance with the nation of Egypt, to withstand Nebuchadnezzar, but that is just a history lesson. The spiritual lesson for us is that we look to our flesh and to the things of this world, and we seek the approval of this world instead of seeking to please our Lord. We "go down to Egypt" when we seek to protect ourselves by means of personal arms, or on the national level, we depend on our military to keep us safe as a nation. We "go down to Egypt" when we allow ourselves to get involved in the political affairs of this age, seeking to save our own country and our own families and our own flesh. We "go down to Egypt" when we depend on Godless, "science, falsely so-called", and when we put all of these things ahead of our trust in our Lord for our direction in life. When we do any of these things, we are "the rebellious children... that take counsel, but not of me... that cover with a covering, but not of [the Lord's] spirit [and in doing so we] add sin to sin".

Isa 30:1  Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:

"But not of My spirit..." Why do we need the covering of the Lord's spirit? We need the covering of the spirit of the Lord, which 'spirit' is His Words:

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.

Why must we be covered by the Lord's words? There is a very good reason, and "the things that are made" as well as the scriptures reveal why we must be covered by the spirit. The word of our Lord is we want to overcome our rebellion which leads to our shame.

I have told the story many years ago of responding to an ad in a newspaper which simply stated "The cure for cancer was discovered". I think it said 'in 1945'. The claim was that Hitler allowed his Jewish doctor to continue his studies into a cure for cancer because Hitler had lost a family member to cancer. There was an 800 number to call, so I figured, "What do I have to lose?" I, too, have lost friends and family members to cancer, and would love to know how to cure cancer, so I called the number.

The person who answered the phone explained to me that the discovery which was made all those years ago was that all cancer cells lacked being covered with lymph from the lymphatic system. Our lymphatic system parallels our circulatory system capillary for capillary. The lymph, I was told, gives every cell which is bathed with lymph the ability to receive the nourishment from the blood into all the capillaries throughout our bodies. The man talking with me explained that since there is no pump for our lymphatic system, our Creator gave us lymph nodes at every joint placed throughout our bodies. For that reason a healthy body requires a certain amount of daily exercise to keep all the cells of our bodies covered with the lymph which serves as the catalyst which gives our cells the ability to receive the nourishment which the blood of our circulatory system brings to every cell in our bodies. The largest lymph gland in our body is located between our lungs and is activated by the deep breaths we take while exercising. The advice I was given was that if I could not do daily exercising on a consistent basis, then the thing to do was deep breathing exercises which would squeeze that lymph node and get the lymph circulating out to the cells of my body.

I thanked the man profusely for taking his time to explain all of this to me. I did not know if what the man had told me was really true. However, it all had a 'ring of truth' to it, and as the Lord would have it, I watch a 60 Minutes show one week later which featured a lady who in her early 50's started having back pains which got worse and worse until she ended up in great pain and in a wheelchair unable to walk at all. Her children had chronicled her steady decline over several year on videos. This lady had spent thousands of dollars on doctors and medicines over that time, and nothing made one bit of difference in her condition. She continued her downward spiral until she could no longer work in her garden, and she was wheelchair bound.

One day she was attending a community function when another lady, who heard of what was happening in the life of this woman, told her that she knew a Chinese doctor who could cure her of her affliction. The afflicted lady was so desperate she decided to visit that Chinese doctor. What that doctor told the lady was that if she would faithfully and diligently follow his instructions, he guaranteed her that she would be out of her wheelchair and back to good health within two years. The doctors instructions were incredibly simple: Take very deep breaths, as deep as you possibly can, and do this just 20 minutes every day, and he promised her she would be out of her wheelchair within two years. This woman take that doctor seriously, but instead of doing her deep breathing exercises just 20 minutes a day, she did them 2 hours a day, and she was out of her wheelchair and free of all of her pain in just six months instead of two years.

The Chinese doctor never once mentioned the lymphatic system. The 60 Minutes moderator never once mentioned the lymphatic system. It was all presented simply as the good results of this lady listening to and following the instructions of a sage old Chinese doctor.

To me it all typified our need to take in the life-giving Word of God into our lives and be nourished by "every joint" as the scriptures actually teach us:

Eph 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Eph 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

The lymphatic system works together with the circulatory system to get the nourishment in our blood to every cell in our bodies, just as Christ and His Father's words work together within us to prepare us to receive "the [life giving] truth... building up [ourselves] in love".

Egypt and Babylon, and all the doctors and leaders and ministers of those systems, are the doctors who took this woman's money with the promise and hope of a cure but to no avail and only having her condition worsen by the day. That is what typifies our rebellion against our True Healer, and that is what leads us to our shame.

As any rebellious child with Godly parents soon learns:

Pro 29:15  The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.

But Proverbs 29:15 and Isaiah 30:1 have proceeded out of the mouth of God, and we do rebel against our Lord and seek counsel from the leaders of this age from the prominent people of this world, from Egypt:

Isa 30:4  For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came to Hanes.
Isa 30:5  They were all ashamed of a people that could not profit them, nor be an help nor profit, but a shame, and also a reproach.

Zoan and Hanes are prominent cities of Egypt. It is we who send ambassadors to Egypt when we seek the counsels of Babylon during the time of our trials. Babylon is but a later, more mature type of Egypt. God's people first come out of Egypt, and then at a later stage in their walk they must also come out of Babylon:

First we are told:

Hos 11:1  When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.

Later, after coming out of Egypt after coming out of the godless world, we are then seduced by a harlot, and then we are also told:

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

Egypt and this world and Babylon, with all of their great leaders and Biblical scholars, appear so very powerful to our natural man and so willing to help us in our time of need, but:

Jas 4:17  Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

We know better than to depend upon our own flesh, and we know this world does not have what we need to satisfy us spiritually, but we do not at first seek to walk in the spirit. Instead we "go down to Egypt" and actually give our lives over to a harlot who is nothing more than a huge burden upon us for many dark years:

Isa 30:6  The burden of the beasts of the south: into the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they will carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures upon the bunches of camels, to a people that shall not profit them.

Egypt, this world, our own flesh, is "the beast of the south... the land of trouble and anguish from which come the young and old lion, the viper and the fiery flying serpent" all of which are types of the adversary himself. It is we who carry our riches on the shoulders of young asses and our treasures upon the bunches of camels to a people that shall not profit us no matter how faithfully we pay our tithes and regardless of how big a check we place in the offering plate, or how hard we try to save this world and our country. This world and its churches are "a people that shall not profit" us. In time we will be ashamed of our actions, and we will come to see:

Isa 30:7  For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still.

"Their strength is to sit still" means that we only receive our strength when we finally learn to trust in the Lord and we quit depending upon ourselves and upon this world and the ministers of the churches of this world, who are actually nothing more than those whom the Lord has given to Satan to afflict and destroy us. "Their strength is to sit still" is the same as what God spoke to Israel through Moses, when Israel was accusing Moses of bringing them out into the wilderness to kill them:

Exo 14:9  But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon.
Exo 14:10  And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD.
Exo 14:11  And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?
Exo 14:12  Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

It is miraculous how the Lord has given us to slavishly serve our own flesh and the churches of the great harlot, but we accuse Him of wanting to destroy us when we face our first fiery trials. We have great faith in Egypt and in Babylon, and our flesh wants to return there, but notice what God tells Israel both here in Isaiah and again in Hosea 11:

Exo 14:13  And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
Exo 14:14  The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

We will never "see the salvation of the Lord" as long as we continue to complain about the afflictions the Lord has placed upon us. We will begin to see His salvation when we "bring to Him the sacrifice of thanksgiving". Our sister Bettie shared a completely secular and scientific yet Biblical article which demonstrated the physical benefits of "bringing to [the Lord] the sacrifice of thanksgiving" and living with an attitude of gratitude:

Psa 107:21  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his [chastening] goodness, and for his wonderful [fiery] works to the children of men!
Psa 107:22  And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.

Our flesh cannot praise the Lord while He is chastening us. Our flesh cannot express gratitude for the Lord's loving discipline upon us. It takes "Christ in [us]" to do such a thing, and for Christ to grow to that point takes time. In the meantime we are told:

Isa 30:8  Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever:
Isa 30:9  That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD:

"...For the time to come and for ever and ever" should read 'for the last day untill the end of the ages'. The phrase "for the time to come" is taken from the two Hebrew words 'yom acharon'.

H3117
יוֹם
yôm
yome
From an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm hours), whether literally (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figuratively (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverbially): - age, + always, + chronicles, continually (-ance), daily, ([birth-], each, to) day, (now a, two) days (agone), + elder, X end, + evening, + (for) ever (-lasting, -more), X full, life, as (so) long as (. . . live), (even) now, + old, + outlived, + perpetually, presently, + remaineth, X required, season, X since, space, then, (process of) time, + as at other times, + in trouble, weather, (as) when, (a, the, within a) while (that), X whole (+ age), (full) year (-ly), + younger.

Here is where this Hebrew word first appears in the scriptures:

Gen 1:5  And God called the light Day [H314 yom], and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

The Hebrew word, 'acharon' is defined as, and means, "late or last":

H314
אַחֲרֹן    אַחֲריֹן
'achăryôn    'achărôn
akh-ar-one', akh-ar-one'
From H309; hinder; generally late or last; specifically (as facing the east) western: - after (-ward), to come, following, hind (-er, -ermost, -most), last, latter, rereward, ut(ter)most.

The message for us is that God's people will be rebelling against Him until the ends of the ages come upon them, as Paul tells us:

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world [G165: aion - ages] are come.

The 'last days' are "the ends of the world", and the "ends of the world", according to the apostle Paul and the holy spirit, "are come" upon us at this very moment because:

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?

The Greek word translated 'world' in 1 Corinthians 10:11 is the word G165 'aion'. We are all well aware of the proper translation of this Greek word:

From the same as G104; properly an age; by extension perpetuity (also past); by implication the world; specifically (Jewish) a Messianic period (present or future): - age, course, eternal, (for) ever (-more), [n-]ever, (beginning of the, while the) world (began, without end). Compare G5550.

Notice carefully that Strong admits the definition of this Greek word is "properly an age". Of course, because James Strong is one of the great men of Egypt and one of the merchants of Babylon, he goes on to add to the Lord's words: "by extension perpetuity (also past)..."

Now I want you to notice how Mr. Strong, an agent of the great whore of Revelation 17 and 18, contradicts himself to cling to his false doctrine that the Greek word aion means "by extension perpetuity". He reveals to us that he actually knows that this Greek work aion means only "an age" when he tells us to compare G165 with G5550. When we do so, this is what Mr. Strong tells us:

G5550
χρόνος
chronos
khron'-os
Of uncertain derivation; a space of time (in genitive case, and thus properly distinguished from G2540, which designates a fixed or special occasion; and from G165, which denotes a particular period) or interval; by extension an individual opportunity; by implication delay: - + years old, season, space, (X often-) time (-s), (a) while.

"G165... denotes a particular period..." What happened to "by extension perpetuity"? Mr. Strong twice admits that G165, the Greek noun 'aion', means "properly and age... denot[ing] a particular period". But doctrine always trumps The Truth of the scriptures while we are the great rebellious men of Babylon and Egypt.

In our next study we will be told by the Lord Himself what is the fruit of our naturally rebellious nature:

Isa 30:10  Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
Isa 30:11  Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.
Isa 30:12  Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon:
Isa 30:13  Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant.
Isa 30:14  And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters' vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire from the hearth, or to take water withal out of the pit.
Isa 30:15  For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.
Isa 30:16  But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.
Isa 30:17  One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on an hill.
The Lord Will Be Gracious
Isa 30:18  And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.

by Steve Crook

I feel led to share with you all a few points that stuck out in my mind as I was reading emails recently, and I hope what is said can be used to edify, exhort and comfort where needed and as the Lord wills it.

Everything I am going to say it something we all experience A LOT. Some of us are able to express various parts of the experience, but we all assuredly experience this same process.

You all know I love words and study them in-depth. I love the individual words because they collectively, one by one, add up to the “Word of God”. Many “words” become One and that’s a VERY fascinating thing to me since that’s what we ALL are in …as being a part of His body…many members making up His One body.

If you find fault with anything I write, please let me know. I write this all out in hopes that we are all sharpened more and more each day.

I hope to expound a little bit more on the English words “perfect” and “perfected” so that we can see how this topic ties into us ALL being the “sons” and “Sons” of God.

There are several different English words used for “perfect” but they have root in different things.

G2675
katartizō
Total KJV Occurrences: 17

perfect, 5
Luk_6:40, 2Co_13:11, 1Th_3:10, Heb_13:21, 1Pe_5:10

make, 2
Heb_13:21, 1Pe_5:10

mending, 2
Mat_4:21, Mar_1:19

fitted, 1
Rom_9:22

framed, 1
Heb_11:3

joined, 1
1Co_1:10

perfected, 1
Mat_21:16

perfectly, 1
1Co_1:10

prepared, 1
Heb_10:5

restore, 1
Gal_6:1

together, 1
1Co_1:10

When reading these words, it can seem like “perfect” might be applicable if we didn’t know to take the ‘sum of thy Word’ in order to “establish a thing”.

2Th 2:16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,
2Th 2:17 Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.

1Pe 5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

When we set out to “stablish” a matter or a “word”, it simply means to “strengthen”, “set fast”, and “make stable” whatever it is we are trying to establish.

Not coincidentally, inspired in the verse above, Peter tells us that AFTER we have suffered, we are to “make you perfect” and “establish”…you.

There are two main Greek words used in English for perfect … G2675 and G5046.

The first one you see above doesn’t mean perfect in the way we might think and the scripture themselves reveal this.

G4741
stērizō

Thayer Definition:

1) to make stable, place firmly, set fast, fix
2) to strengthen, make firm
3) to render constant, confirm, one’s mind

Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from a presumed derivative of G2476 (like G4731)
Citing in TDNT: 7:653, 1085

The Greek word G2476 should not be translated as perfect, but as “mended” or “mend”, to make whole … to be repaired. I am listing all the times this word is used as perfect. I know that Strong’s also defines this as “complete thoroughly”, but that is a bit misleading when you look at how scripture defines this word, UNLESS you see what “complete thoroughly” means here.

For example, if I have a TEAR in my NET, I need to MEND it to make it WHOLE/COMPLETE AGAINand I need to do a thorough job or else the REPAIR is not a good repair/mend. So, let’s contrast “perfect” with “mended/mend”.

Perfect:

Luk 6:40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.

2Co 13:11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

1Th 3:10 Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?

Heb 13:21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

1Pe 5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

Mat 21:16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

1Co 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

As you can see above, the English word “perfect” could be seen as a possible translation.

However, when we take the other times this word is used, it gives a completely different “word picture” of what the Holy Spirit inspired to be penned.

Mending/mended/mend:

Mat 4:21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.

Mar 1:19 And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.

Rom 9:22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:

Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Heb 10:5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:

Gal 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

If this word meant “perfect”, then we would have to conclude that Galatians would be saying that we could “perfect” each other after someone was found in a fault. However, a fault itself dictates that we need a “mending” or restoration. We would also have to conclude that the “worlds/aions” in Heb 11:3 were “perfect” by the word of God, but if they were “perfect” that would directly contradict other scripture speaking about this “aion” we live in.

Just for the sake of clarification, let’s exchange “perfect” for “mended” or “mend” in the verses above.

Luk 6:40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is mended shall be as his master.

2Co 13:11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be mended, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

1Th 3:10 Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might mend that which is lacking in your faith?

Heb 13:21 Make you mended in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

1Pe 5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, mend you, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

Mat 21:16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast mended praise?

1Co 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be mended together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

This understanding is much more in line with what we know in scripture regarding the Potter’s hands. He is the one that has willed things to need mending.

This word is defined in Thayers as:

G2675
katartizō

Thayer Definition:

1) to render, i.e. to fit, sound, complete
1a) to mend (what has been broken or rent), to repair
1a1) to complete
1b) to fit out, equip, put in order, arrange, adjust
1b1) to fit or frame for one’s self, prepare
1c) ethically: to strengthen, perfect, complete, make one what he ought to be

Part of Speech: verb

A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from G2596 and a derivative of G739 Citing in TDNT: 1:475, 80

This is an ACTION, mend is a VERB… something we DO.

It takes more work to be clear on which word “perfect” we are talking about, but when we come across G2675 we now can see more clearly what this word intends for us to understand.

Now, let’s look at the other Greek word G5046.

G5046
teleios
Total KJV Occurrences: 20

perfect, 17
Mat_5:48 (2), Mat_19:21, Rom_12:2, 1Co_2:6, 1Co_13:10, Eph_4:13, Phi_3:15, Col_1:28, Col_4:12, Heb_9:11, Jam_1:4 (2), Jam_1:17, Jam_1:25, Jam_3:2, 1Jo_4:18

age, 1
Heb_5:14

full, 1
Heb_5:14 (2)

men, 1
1Co_14:20

“Teleios” is used the majority of the time as perfect. As Ayo mentioned in his article, this word is more accurately “complete” or minimally the concept of completion. However, the “completion” is rooted in a concept in the Greek. There is also G5048 (perfected), but G5046 is the root of it.

G5046

teleios
Thayer Definition:

1) brought to its end, finished
2) wanting nothing necessary to completeness
3) perfect
4) that which is perfect
4a) consummate human integrity and virtue
4b) of men
4b1) full grown, adult, of full age, mature

Part of Speech: adjective
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from G5056 Citing in TDNT: 8:67, 1161

The root of G5046 is G5056.

G5056
telos
Thayer Definition:

1) end
1a) termination, the limit at which a thing ceases to be (always of the end of some act or state, but not of the end of a period of time)
1b) the end
1b1) the last in any succession or series
1b2) eternal
1c) that by which a thing is finished, its close, issue
1d) the end to which all things relate, the aim, purpose
2) toll, custom (i.e. indirect tax on goods)

Part of Speech: noun neuter
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from a primary tello (to set out for a definite point or goal) Citing in TDNT: 8:49, 1161

The word G5046 is rooted in “the end”, but why does that matter in the context of completion? The reason we are running the race is to endure to the end. The reason we are fighting the good fight of Faith is to overcome to the end.

“Completeness” is about realizing what the END is we are RACING towards and accepting that the Lord WILL FINISH what He alone has STARTED us towards.

Jesus Christ said He has NOT yet gone on to PERFECTION

So, if we must endure and overcome to the end we MUST have things that PULL and TUG on our flesh. We must have temptations. We must have the adversary telling us we CANNOT endure.

Luk 4:1 And Jesus being FULL OF THE HOLY GHOST returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
Luk 4:2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.

Joh 3:32 And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.
Joh 3:33 He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.
Joh 3:34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth NOT the Spirit by measure unto him.

“Command this stone that it be made bread”, “here are the kingdoms of this world…all this power I will give to thee and the glory of them”, and “cast thyself down from the pinnacle of the temple of God” are all things we can learn a great deal from; yet, when we PRACTICE and WORK OUT these DEEDS, we will find that Jesus Christ was able to resist the devil in all of these WITHOUT FAIL because He had the Holy Ghost/Spirit without measure.

We have everything in measure as the Sons of God in down payment and at times we want to COMMAND stone to be bread for us because we want to force our understanding of the Word of God = bread.

We WANT the KINGDOMS within us to simply just be under our control, to have power over them and to have that glory placed on ourselves by being able to claim some part of it. This is deceiving because we can say all day “the Lord gave ME the power to do this” without realizing we are interjecting ourselves in the process without saying it is ALL of the Lord.

At times, we want to somehow BELIEVE we can’t possibly be the Sons of God by throwing ourselves down from the very PINNACLE of the TEMPLE where the Lord has placed us. Yes, it was the DEVIL who took Jesus to see these places and to TEMPT Him while He was there, but that is simply because the TRADUCER knows how to TEMPT our MINDS!

One of the great differences in being a son of God and a Son of God is obedience, as Ayo stated. However, NOTHING can separate us from the love of God, so I ask you all, who do you believe is the “US”?

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.
1Jn 3:2 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.
1Jn 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

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.

Jud 1:18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
Jud 1:19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
Jud 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
Jud 1:21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

Are you looking to WALK/WORK/DO ungodly lusts or are you with the mind serving the spirit KNOWING that your flesh is in control of you unless the Lord shows you mercy?

Do you have HOPE that you are indeed a Son of God NOW and not just in the future?

Have you been given the desire to LOVE GOD which is to keep His commandments, even if a “just man falls seven times”?

The reason I’ve taken the time to point out what “mending” is instead of being “perfect” is that you’ll notice that MENDING one ANOTHER is needed by each of us! We need each other in order to be reminded from time to time that we are THE SONS OF GOD, and we just have to keep on keeping on.

2Co 13:9 For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection (G2676).

The root of G2676, “perfection” in the verse above, is the focus of MENDING (G2675).

“We wish” for your MENDING.

Your mending leads and enables you to ENDURE what you are needing to OVERCOME so that you can go onto COMPLETENESS (G5046).

Heb 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,

This happens because you need HEALING/MENDING/RESTORATION. We all have this need and it happens seasonally throughout our entire AION/AGE/LIFE.

1Th 3:10 Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might mend(G2675) that which is lacking in your faith?

Heb 13:18 Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.
Heb 13:19 But I beseech you the rather to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner.
Heb 13:20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
Heb 13:21 Make you mended in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Heb 13:22 And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation: for I have written a letter unto you in few words.

1Pe 5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, mend you, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

It says in Hebrews that the God of peace MENDS us in every good work to do His will … THROUGH Jesus Christ. We are His body so we have a part in helping each other…by GIVING words of EXHORTATION, but that does NOT mean one is not a Son of God because they need words which tells them what is EXPEDIENT.

When you have SUFFERED awhile, whether in the flesh due to what the world throws at you, or by what the Lord does internally in your heavens, know that it is the LORD who works all things after His counsel.

The “perfection” we are to have is to be COMPLETE in Him. We are to know, to have a KNOWLEDGE of Him that in this AGE…. in our AION, He will be with us and working in us, burning what can be burned out so that it can be purged from us. However, it is on His time-table alone!

I will end with this last set of verses.

Rom 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors THROUGH HIM that loved us.
Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

NOTHING can keep is from the OBEDIENCE of God if He has concluded and willed that we are the Sons of God. If you can answer my questions above positively then you can be confident in your “adoption process” as the Sons of God.

There are other ways for me to say the same thing using the Word of God to say them, but I suppose this will be sufficient for now.

Your brother in the Christ,

Steven

[questions or comments may be directed to Steven at swcrook@gmail.com]

Sir,

I’ve just come across this idea when searching for alternative interpretation of the afterlife for those who did not accept God because, to me, it just didn’t seem just that God should punish those who choose not to serve him since they had no choice in their existence. It is not like we signed a contract before our creation that required us to use our life for him or suffer, and now we are going against that contract. That doesn’t seem right to me, if you understand what I’m saying. So I’m trying to understand what it means.

What does it mean if the elect are the Lake of Fire? How does that work? Surely this isn’t literal, so what is it symbolizing? The Bible describes wailing and gnashing of teeth in several places. What is the purpose of this lake of fire (elect) that it causes such pain?

A____

Hi A____,

Thank you for your question. You are certainly on the right track when you are given to notice that we were not asked if we wanted to be created in these “marred” vessels of clay.

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.

The apostle Paul explains what it means to be “marred in the hand of the Potter” in these verses:

Rom 7:17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Rom 7:20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
Rom 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Rom 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Rom 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

How did this “law of sin” get “in my members”? Here is who is responsible for that “marred condition:

Jas 4:12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

So God has created us in a marred condition and of a marred composition. We are born with a carnal mind which cannot be subject to Him or His laws:

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.
Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

What has God done? Has He made us in this marred condition for the purpose of watching us writhe for all eternity in literal flames of literal fire because we “are not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be”?

No, that is not what the scriptures teach. The words translated as forever, or eternity, or forever and ever, are always without exception either the Greek word aion or its adjective form aionios or the word ‘ad‘ which has the same ‘a’ root. They are all dealing with a period of time having a definite beginning and a definite end, and those Greek words have nothing to do with eternity, which has no beginning and no end.

We are indeed promised “immortality” which means we will not ever be subject to death, but the scriptures nowhere teach anything about endless torment, as we have all heard in the churches of ‘Babylon’, a Biblical word for the church system which hates the true doctrines of scripture.

1Co 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1Co 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

This “immortality” is, via “fiery trials”, promised to all who are in Adam and not just to some:

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

1Pe 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

So there is the Biblical definition of fiery trials. It is Christ’s sufferings which is just another way of saying His Words, because Christ suffered because of His words and His doctrines, as God’s true prophets always have:

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

You asked me:

What does it mean if the elect are the Lake of Fire? How does that work? Surely this isn’t literal, so what is it symbolizing? The Bible describes wailing and gnashing of teeth in several places. What is the purpose of this lake of fire (elect) that it causes such pain?

Here is what the Word of God is, and what it does when it is in the mouth of God’s elect:

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.

“… Saved, yet so as by fire”. There it is! Oh yes, there is “wailing and gnashing of teeth”, but through that painful experience of being judged by the words of God, we will in the end, be “saved, yet so as by fire”.

Now who is it with those fiery words in their mouths? Who is it who is comfortable in those spiritual ‘flames’ which “try every man’s works [and] yet so as by fire… saves… every man”?

Here are the only people who are not hurt of the flames that come out of their own mouths:

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;

The Hebrew word translated ‘everlasting’ here is ‘olawn‘, and it is then translated as ‘aion‘ when the Old Testament is quoted in the New Testament:

Psa 105:10 And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting [Hebrew: olawm] covenant:

Heb 13:20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting [Greek: aionios] covenant,

We are plainly told that the Potter, God Himself, created all men in a marred, carnal-minded condition, by which we are by nature banished from our own Creator.

King David put this condition in which we find ourselves in these words:

Psa 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Then we are also plainly told that God has devised a means by which His banished be not expelled from Him:

2Sa 14:14 For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.

We are also plainly told that even though our works are “wood, hay and stubble,” we will be “saved, yet so as by fire”.

To answer your questions, God’s words are the fire of the lake of fire, which is those in whose mouths those fiery words are. The story of Joseph’s brothers being caused by God to bow before him and being judged by him is the Old Testament type and shadow of how that works. They are the type of those who sold Christ for thirty pieces of silver (Joseph was sold by his brothers for twenty pieces of silver), and who will come up in the second resurrection to be judged of God by His words, which are the “fire” of the “the lake of fire” and of “Gehenna fire”.

It is the fact that we are all “saved, yet so as by fire”, that makes this “lake of fire” also a “white throne… judgment”.

Here is what judges those who are in that “blessed and holy… first resurrection”, as well as those who are judged at the “white throne… judgment”:

Joh 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
Joh 12:49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

Joseph’s brothers were in “outer darkness… [experiencing] weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth”. It was through Joseph’s words that they were made aware that nothing they did was of themselves, but it was all a work of God:

Gen 45:4 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
Gen 45:5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.
Gen 45:6 For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.
Gen 45:7 And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
Gen 45:8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

So it is with all men. Yes, we do sell our Lord and crucify Him, and yet “It is not I that do it… but God” (Rom 7:17 and 20).

God has devised fiery trials to save those who are “first… the house of God” (1Pe 4: 12 and 17) who will be in the first resurrection and will rule with Him over the nations of this world for a thousand years, and then He will use those few whom He calls a “lake of fire” as the means to deliver His banished at an event which He calls the “great white throne… judgment”.

This ‘judgment’ will be the destruction of death, and this is what is accomplished at any judgment of God:

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.

Here is a link which will help you to better understand the words ‘olawm‘ and ‘aion‘.

Your brother in Christ,
Mike

D____ wrote:
I just bought the New Testament Englishman’s Greek Concordance coded with Strong’s numbers. When Strong lists several entires of what Aionios means, how do I know which entry was meant for Aionios?

Mat 18:8  Wherefore1161 if1487 thy4675 hand5495 or2228 thy4675 foot4228 offend4624 thee,4571 cut them off,1581, 846 and2532 cast906 them from575 thee:4675 it is2076 better2570 for thee4671 to enter1525 into1519 life2222 halt5560 or2228 maimed,2948 rather than2228 having2192 two1417 hands5495 or2228 two1417 feet4228 to be cast906 into1519 everlasting166 fire.4442

In the verse above, what is “everlasting fire?” Is it a physical fire that has an end?

Mat 25:46  And2532 these3778 shall go away565 into1519 everlasting166 punishment:2851 but1161 the3588 righteous1342 into1519 life2222 eternal.166

In the verse above, everlasting and eternal are coded the same – 166. If taken the view that Aionios is an age; beginning and end, then life eternal will also have an end. Can you help clear up my misunderstanding? Thanks from D____.

Hi D____,
Thank you for your question.
James Strong admits that the words aion means “properly an age.” But then he, like all orthodox Christianity, brazenly adds to the Words of God and says “by extension, perpetuity.”
That “extension” comes straight from the false doctrines of Babylon. It never comes from the word of God which declares from Genesis to Revelation, that  in the end God will conquer sin in the lives of all of His creation:

Gen 4:6  And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
Gen 4:7  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee [ shall be] his desire, and thou shalt rule over him [ sin].
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.

Rev 20:13  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

The “lake of fire” is judgment. Nowhere in God’s word is judgment ever said to be eternal torment. Here is what the scriptures teach about what is judgment, everywhere from Genesis to Revelation:

1Co 11:31  For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
1Co 11:32  But when we are judged , we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

“When we are judged we are chastened of the Lord.” Chastening has a purpose. “Grace chastens us to forsake ungodliness”  (Tit 2:11-12). Read What Is Grace on iswasandwillbe. com. There are two chastening judgments mentioned in scripture. The first is “now on the house of God.” All others are “condemned” to the second chastening, fiery baptism where they will ‘suffer the loss’ of being in that blessed and holy first resurrection, but they themselves will be saved yet so as by the lake of fire.’

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

And in this same chapter we are told what this “fiery trial” really is:

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?
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.

“Second” is a matter of order, not two deaths. We are “dying daily,” but it is all one death.’

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

The answer to Peter’s rhetorical question is that those who “obey not the gospel of God” at this time will “yet by fire” obey the gospel of God at a later time through another, later if need be, even more “fiery trial.”
Here is the rule of thumb for all judgment as laid down by our Lord Himself. We were just told that those in the lake of fire will be “judged according to their works.” Here is how that principle works:

Luk 12:47  And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

Luk 12:48  But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes . For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

It is a terrible price to pay for knowing and not doing, but it is never, ever said to be everlasting or eternal. It is always ‘aionios.’
Of course Cain and all of us will have to go through that “fiery sword… [ which] guards the way of the tree of life,” but it was Christ Himself and all of His apostles who said that all men must go through that fire:

Mar 9:48  Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
Mar 9:49  For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.

“Every one and every sacrifice” is “salted with fire.” this is the doctrine of Christ, John the baptist, Paul and Peter:

Mat 3:11  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

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 lake of fire]

You ask:
“When Strong lists several entries of what Aionios means, how do I know which entry was meant for Aionios ?
The answer is, you read every single entry for yourself. Then you ask God to show you if aion should be translated as “age… world… course of time… everlasting… eternal…” etc., etc. there are 18 different and conflicting entries for this one small Greek word. One of those entries is ‘never.’ It is absurd the lengths to which learned men are willing to go to make God’s Word fit into their false, blasphemous doctrines. God is a loving father who is quite well equipped to be our savior “and not only ours, but for the sins of the whole world.”
Your last question was:
“If taken the view that Aionios is an age; beginning and end, then life eternal will also have an end. Can you help clear up my misunderstanding?”
Yes, I can. The fact that life aionios comes to an end does not necessitate that immortal life, or “immortality” comes to an end.

1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality .
1Co 15:54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 

Christ and His Father, “created the aions.” They do not need the aions to live. They, and we in them, will live long “after the aions are consummated.”

1Co 15:24  Then cometh the end [ Greek – consummation], when he [ Christ] shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he [ Christ] shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

And what happens at this point? Are we about to be told that most of mankind will be tormented for all eternity? How absolutely absurd!

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.
1Co 15:27  For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
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.

In the end God will be in us all and in Satan himself. Nothing in heaven or in earth will be left out of God’s salvation:

Col 1:20  And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

This last question about the end of the aions not being the end of life is answered in much greater detail in What Is Life Aionios on iswasandwillbe. com. Read that article, and if you still have questions then get back to me.
I hope this does “clear this up” for you.
Mike

Hi Mike,

1) In one of your Internet posts, you say that the “END of this AION” IS the “coming of Christ“. Then in your latest DVD, you state the opposite. You say it has nothing to do with the coming of Christ. Can you please explain that to me?

2) If “this OLAM/ AION” is the natural life of a man (as you stated in the DVD), then Adam did NOT need to eat of the Tree of Life (Gen 3:22) to “live for the OLAM” (live out his natural life), since “this OLAM” (according to you?) IS His natural life. Do you see my point? How do you resolve this? Maybe I simply misunderstood what you were saying? Or perhaps it came out of your mouth wrong?

3) Finally, Jesus says that if any man blasphemes the Holy Spirit, then he won’t receive forgiveness in “ THIS AION(natural life of a man, which ENDS?), NOR the COMING AION“ (resurrected life of a man, which NEVER ENDS?).

If “THIS AION” means the natural life of a man and the “COMING AION” is the resurrected life of a man (which NEVER ENDS), then this seems to fly in the face of everything I have learned regarding what an AION is. From my studies, the Greek word for “LIFE” is either “Psuche (soul/ mind)” or “ZOE (life)”, not “AION”. If AION is the life of a man, then wouldn’t “AIONIAN (pertaining to a man’s life?) ZOE(life)” be redundant?

Perhaps you have logical answers to all of these questions?

Sincerely,

J____

Mike Vinson wrote:

Hi J____,

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

J____ wrote:

Hi Mike,

1) In one of your Internet posts, you say that the “END of this AION” IS the “coming of Christ“. Then in your latest DVD, you state the opposite. You say it has nothing to do with the coming of Christ. Can you please explain that to me?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2) If “this OLAM/ AION” is the natural life of a man (as you stated in the DVD), then Adam did NOT need to eat of the Tree of Life (Gen 3:22) to “live for the OLAM” (live out his natural life), since “this OLAM” (according to you?) IS His natural life. Do you see my point? How do you resolve this? Maybe I simply misunderstood what you were saying? Or perhaps it came out of your mouth wrong?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3) Finally, Jesus says that if any man blasphemes the Holy Spirit, then he won’t receive forgiveness in “ THIS AION(natural life of a man, which ENDS?), NOR the COMING AION“ (resurrected life of a man, which NEVER ENDS?).

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

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

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

If “THIS AION” means the natural life of a man and the “COMING AION” is the resurrected life of a man (which NEVER ENDS), then this seems to fly in the face of everything I have learned regarding what an AION is. From my studies, the Greek word for “LIFE” is either “Psuche (soul/ mind)” or “ZOE (life)”, not “AION”. If AION is the life of a man, then wouldn’t “AIONIAN (pertaining to a man’s life?) ZOE(life)” be redundant?

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

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

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

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

Mike

Hi Mike,

Thank you for your response. WOW! It’s amazing what one word (“OUTWARD”) can do. Thank you!

When you mentioned 1Co 10:11 it seemed to make sense instantly! Am I right when I say that the spiritual “RESULT” (if you will) of these “outward” aions have already been spiritually accomplished (being accomplished) in US? Is that what this passage is saying?

There is one thing that still confuses me and that is “beast was and is not and yet is…”

Is this saying: “beast was [ WAS ruling US] and is not [ no longer ruling US] and yet is [ still alive and ruling OTHERS]…”

Is that what it is basically saying? Maybe I will understand it more with a little more explanation, cause this is a duse!

God Bless,

J____

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