Acts 5:1-42 The Angel of the Lord by Night Opened the Prison Doors

[Study Aired January 8, 2023]

Act 5:1  But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,
Act 5:2  And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Act 5:3  But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
Act 5:4  Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
Act 5:5  And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
Act 5:6  And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.
Act 5:7  And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.
Act 5:8  And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.
Act 5:9  Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.
Act 5:10  Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.
Act 5:11  And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.
Act 5:12  And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch.
Act 5:13  And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them.
Act 5:14  And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.)
Act 5:15  Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.
Act 5:16  There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.
Act 5:17  Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation,
Act 5:18  And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.
Act 5:19  But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said,
Act 5:20  Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.
Act 5:21  And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.
Act 5:22  But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned, and told,
Act 5:23  Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within.
Act 5:24  Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow.
Act 5:25  Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people.
Act 5:26  Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned.
Act 5:27  And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,
Act 5:28  Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.
Act 5:29  Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
Act 5:30  The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
Act 5:31  Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
Act 5:32  And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.
Act 5:33  When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.
Act 5:34  Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space;
Act 5:35  And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men.
Act 5:36  For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought.
Act 5:37  After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.
Act 5:38  And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:
Act 5:39  But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.
Act 5:40  And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
Act 5:41  And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.
Act 5:42  And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

We are not told how long it was between the time the apostles were commanded that they were not to preach or speak in the name of Jesus, and this, their second imprisonment, but we are given the story of the death of Ananias and his wife Sapphira for lying to the holy spirit and the affect the Lord’s judgment of that lying couple had upon the rest of the church:

Act 5:1  But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,
Act 5:2  And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Act 5:3  But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
Act 5:4  Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

Any time we lie we are “not lying to men but unto God”. Notice that Peter did not condemn Ananias for owning property. Neither did he deny that the proceeds from the sale of the property belonged to Ananias to do with as he saw fit. The only thing Ananias did that was wrong was that he was seeking to please and gain the recognition of men and not God, and he was willing to lie to the Lord to gain that recognition and approbation from the apostles and the people. Ananias and Sapphira had no fear of God at all. They only wanted to appear to want to please Him, just as any of us who do things only to be seen of men. If we really feared God, we would act accordingly and let the chips fall where the Lord has ordained.

Act 5:5  And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
Act 5:6  And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.
Act 5:7  And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.
Act 5:8  And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.
Act 5:9  Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.
Act 5:10  Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.

That is how the Lord doles out judgment and justice and punishment when it is needed. He simply eliminates the opposition by withdrawing the spirit giving the opposition life. It was needed at this time to establish His resurrection and His apostles as His spokesmen and to begin to build His church. We have no record of this scenario being repeated later in this book of Acts. This event with Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, dying for lying to the holy spirit, like all the signs and wonders we are reading about at that time, were essential for the founding of the church. Those outward miracles and healings are no longer taking place as they did at the beginning of the church era because as Christ told Thomas:

Joh 20:29  Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen [outward physical miracles nor heard the audible voice of Christ], and yet have believed.

That blessing is not to be despised. It is to be respected for the recompense of its reward:

Heb 11:26  Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the [physically invisible] reward.

There is a blessing for us if we are given the faith to believe in Christ as our Savior even though we did not personally witness His resurrection or any of His miracles.

Act 5:11  And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.

Ananias and Sapphira were two hypocrites whose sudden deaths placed a healthy fear of the apostles and their doctrines “upon all the church”.

Act 5:12  And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch.

“They were all with one accord” refers to the apostles by whose hands many signs and wonders were wrought. It is not referring to the entire eight thousand one hundred and twenty people we are told had been added to the church so far. It was the twelve apostles who were all there in Solomon’s porch teaching the people about the resurrected Messiah, Christ. These “many signs and wonders [were] wrought among the [common] people “by the hands of the apostles.” The Jewish leaders had made it very clear that they did not appreciate being labeled as the murderers of the Messiah, and they despised the message of a risen Christ though they had no other explanation for what Christ was doing through His apostles. The death of Ananias and Sapphira caused “great fear to come upon all the church, and as many as heard these things.” This event not only deterred hypocrisy, but it elevated the apostles in the eyes of “all the church.” Add to the judgment of Ananias and Sapphira the fact that “by the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were wrought among the people,” and the foundation is set for the church to begin to grow. It was not yet time for universal persecution nor for the trying of the faith of these eight thousand new converts. The persecution by Saul of Tarsus is just around the corner, but for the moment the church is being shown “many signs and wonders,” and all their sick are being healed, and they are learning to “be persuaded by their leader and to defer to them”:

Heb 13:17 Be persuaded by your leaders, and be deferring to them, for they are vigilant for the sake of your souls, as having to render an account, that they may be doing this with joy, and not with groaning, for this is disadvantageous for you. (CLV)

The trial of their faith must come, but this is not yet the time for the Lord to try the faith of these spiritual “babes in Christ” (1Co 3:1-4).

1Co 3:1  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
1Co 3:2  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

Solomon’s porch is the same place Jesus had walked and had taught the people. It was in Solomon’s porch where He was once confronted by the Jews. John includes Solomon’s porch as part of the temple complex:

Joh 10:22  And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.
Joh 10:23  And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch.
Joh 10:24  Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.

The phrase, “…in the temple in Solomon’s porch” does not mean that Christ was walking in the temple proper. Christ was of the tribe of Judah, and was not a son of Aaron, who was a Levite. Only the descendants of Aaron were allowed in the temple proper. Christ was rather walking in Solomon’s porch, which Josephus tells us was outside the temple.

Here is what Josephus says about this porch:

“There was a porch without the temple, overlooking a deep valley, supported by walls of four hundred cubits, [six hundred feet] made of four square stone, very white; the length of each stone was twenty cubits, and the breadth six; the work of king Solomon, who first founded the whole temple.” Antiqu. l. 20. c. 8. sect. 7.

The temple of Solomon had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, but this porch was in the same location as the one Solomon had built, and it bore his name. What is important here is that the apostles, in speaking to the people in Solomon’s porch, were disregarding the orders of the Sanhedrin which had “commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus” (Act 4:18).

Act 5:13  And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them.

Verse 12 is speaking of the 12 apostles being “magnified” by the people who heard their preaching and saw all the healings and miracles they were performing in the name of Jesus. The phrase “and of the rest” in verse 13 is speaking of others like Ananias and Sapphira who were more interested in the praise and recognition of men than the praise and recognition of God. Such a person would not “join himself to [the apostles]” for fear of death. The point Luke is making is that the people “magnified [the apostles]” because of the work Christ was doing through them, and that the fate of Ananias had this affect upon “all the people.” No more hypocrites were willing to risk their lives by lying to the holy spirit or to the apostles of Christ.

Act 5:14  And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.)
Act 5:15  Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.
Act 5:16  There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.

The fact that “multitudes both of men and women… were… added” and ‘a multitude came out of the cities round about Jerusalem bringing sick folks… and they were healed every one’ indicates clearly that some time had passed since the apostles Peter and John had been arrested for healing the man who had been born lame. The Lord was truly building [His] church, and in the process He was rubbing the noses of the priests and captain of the temple in the fact that He was alive and well and had been raised up from the dead, and they were about to have their noses rubbed in their own rebellious ways again in a most humiliating and public way as a witness against them:

Act 5:17  Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation,

According to the apostle John, the high priest “that year” was Caiaphas, the same high priest who had presided over Christ’s trial, condemnation, and crucifixion just a couple of months earlier:

Joh 11:49  And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all,
Joh 11:50  Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
Joh 11:51  And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;

Caiaphas typifies our own self-righteous old man who simply is not yet given the humility to acknowledge the Truth which is right there before his own eyes and proceeding from his own mouth:

Luk 19:22  And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:

“The pride of life” is the most insidious beast we must face and overcome, and only Christ within us is up to the task. Caiaphas grows weary of watching the growth of the early church upon the message that he and his company had slain their own Messiah. After all Peter and John had been ordered to refrain from speaking in the name of Jesus:

Act 5:18  And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.
Act 5:19  But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said,
Act 5:20  Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.

The Lord comes to us all “by night” while we are in our most helpless, vulnerable situation:

Eph 2:1  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Eph 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Eph 2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Eph 2:4  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

It is our “walk” that reveals who we are. That is why the Lord washed His disciples’ feet only. If our walk demonstrates that we tremble at the Lord’s words, then our “conversation”, our way of life, our conduct will also glorify Him.

This is the second visit to the prison for Peter and John. Their first imprisonment was for healing a forty-year-old man who was lame from his birth, and for telling the people that the risen Christ had healed this man. This time we are told the authorities who were “the higher power… laid hands on the apostles.” This time all twelve apostles were teaching the people in Solomon’s porch, and they were all apprehended and placed in prison. “But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors and brought them forth and told them Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.”

Act 5:21  And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.

‘The priests, the great council’ – meaning the Sanhedrin – ‘and the senate’ – meaning the elders – of the children of Israel were as excited at the prospect of placing the apostles on trial as they were when they had tried and crucified Christ just a few weeks earlier. They had to condemn those who were exposing them as the murderers of the Messiah. All Jerusalem had witnessed the events surrounding Christ’s crucifixion just a couple of months earlier. Darkness had come over the earth for the entire three hours that Christ was on the cross. The veil of the temple had been “rent in the midst”, and an earthquake accompanied the tearing of the veil. Then soon after His resurrection, many of the saints came out of their graves and went into Jerusalem and “appeared unto many.” All of this had happened just a couple of months before the day of Pentecost:

Mat 27:46  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Mat 27:47  Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias.
Mat 27:48  And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.
Mat 27:49  The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.
Mat 27:50  Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
Mat 27:51  And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
Mat 27:52  And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
Mat 27:53  And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
Mat 27:54  Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

Christ, first and foremost, is demonstrating beyond any doubt that He has been resurrected from the dead. In doing so, He is revealing them to be the unrepentant murderers they are. After all the undeniable miraculous events surrounding the death and resurrection of Christ, we then have the miraculous events on the day of Pentecost. One hundred and twenty Galileans are all speaking the wonderful works of God in languages they had never spoken before that day. Then just a few days later Peter and John heal a man who is “above forty years of age” and who had been begging for decades at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. Everyone in Jerusalem who went up to the temple knew this man. The apostles Peter and John had credited his healing to the resurrected Christ. With this message they convinced five thousand people that day that Jesus was their Messiah. It had been the members of the Sanhedrin who had led the people to demand that Christ be crucified. These people were tired of being called murderers so they arrested Peter and John and the man who had been healed and kept them overnight, only to realize how hypocritical it was of them to do any harm to two men who had performed a miracle which they could not hide. So, they simply threatened them and ordered them not to speak a word in the name of Jesus.

This was Peter’s and John’s response:

Act 4:19  But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.
Act 4:20  For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
Act 4:21  So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done.
Act 4:22  For the man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was shewed.

The Sanhedrin with the priests and the captain of the temple are all doing the same thing again. Multitudes are being healed, and here they are again arresting the apostles for healing people. However, this time they have arrested all the apostles, and have convened all the Sanhedrin and ‘the senate of the people,’ and they are now ready for the trial to begin:

Act 5:22  But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned, and told,
Act 5:23  Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within.
Act 5:24  Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow.
Act 5:25  Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people.
Act 5:26  Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned.
Act 5:27  And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,
Act 5:28  Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.
Act 5:29  Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
Act 5:30  The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
Act 5:31  Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
Act 5:32  And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

This is the same Caiaphas and the same Sanhedrin which had Christ crucified just a few months earlier. They knew that every word “Peter and the other apostles” spoke was true, and they knew that it was they who should be on trial and not the disciples of the man they had crucified. What were they to do in such a miserable guilt-ridden position???

Act 5:33  When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.

The beast within us is a two-phased beast. In the first phase of that beast, we are in our natural, carnal mind. The second phase of the beast we are a self-righteous, religious beast which causes us to worship the first beast and give him and his ‘free will’ the power and the glory for our supposed salvation through our own faith. This is the beast that comes up out of the earth having two horns like a lamb but speaking as a dragon, espousing all the false doctrine of the great red dragon.

Rev 13:11  And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
Rev 13:12  And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

This second self-righteous beast is a hypocrite who is loath to have his hypocrisy made known to all men as Christ did to them repeatedly:

Mat 6:2  Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Mat 6:5  And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Mat 6:16  Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

This beast thinks very little of murdering anyone who is so foolish as to make his hypocrisy known to the public with words like “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree” (Act 5:30). This is the beast in this Sanhedrin which is taking counsel to slay all the apostles of Christ.

Act 5:34  Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space;

The Lord prepared Gamaliel for this very moment. This is the same ‘Gamaliel’ at whose feet Saul of Tarsus was brought up.  We will meet Saul of Tarsus, who later becomes Paul the apostle, in chapters 7 and 9 presiding over the stoning of Stephen, the first martyr, in chapter 7, and his conversion on the road to Damascus in chapter 9. Gamaliel gave this Sanhedrin some very wise counsel which must have been missed by Saul of Tarsus while at the feet of Gamaliel.

Act 5:35  And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men.
Act 5:36  For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought.
Act 5:37  After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.
Act 5:38  And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:
Act 5:39  But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.

All who come up against Christ will soon enough be “brought to nought” and will in time bow down to the Lord and His Christ, just as Joseph’s brothers bowed down to him. It may be years before it comes to pass, but it will happen at the appointed time:

Gen 43:26  And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth.

Christ, the man who brought them by night out of the prison, wants us to know and believe these words:

Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter [Greek: petros, a small stone], and upon this rock [Greek: petra, a massive immovable stone] I will build my church; and the gates of hell [Greek: hades, the grave] shall not prevail against it.

Act 5:40  And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

The law of Moses limited a beating to “forty stripes”:

Deu 25:2  And it shall be, if the wicked man be worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to his fault, by a certain number.
Deu 25:3  Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed: lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee.

The apostle Paul tells us he was beaten five times:

2Co 11:24  Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.

There is no reason to believe the Sanhedrin would give the twelve apostles any less of a beating than the apostle Paul. The holy spirit through the words of Gamaliel saved their lives and the words of Christ were fulfilled:

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

The established church in the time of Christ typifies the established church in every generation since Christ. The church had apostatized before the death of the apostles, and the established church in every generation since Christ has indeed delivered up those who have been faithful to the doctrine of Christ to their counsels and have scourged and murdered those who resisted their false doctrines of a triune God who will torment His creatures in eternal flames of literal fire for all eternity.

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

The apostasy of the church was so well established that the apostates were casting the followers of the apostles out of the very churches the apostles had established:

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

Catholics did not “love their enemies” – the Protestants. They persecuted and murdered them by the tens of thousands. Protestants did the same to those who opposed them. It all brings these words of Christ to mind:

Luk 6:46  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
Luk 6:47  Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
Luk 6:48  He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock [G4073: ‘petra’, Christ, not ‘petros’, Peter]: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
Luk 6:49  But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

All the established churches which do not do the things Christ says to do, and instead teach their parishioners to hate their enemies and go forth and fight for God and country, have one and all built their houses on sinking, shifting sand. Their spiritual house will fall ‘immediately when the storms and streams of life beat vehemently against their house, and the ruin of that house will be great’, as we have all witnessed when our own Babylonian house was destroyed by the brightness of the coming of Christ into His temple, “which temple [we] are”:

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.

Just as the apostles were all beaten and scourged by the church of their day, we, too, are spiritually beaten and scourged by the established churches of today for our convictions and for our faith in the words of our Lord.

Act 5:41  And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

The “disciples indeed”, those who “continue in His Words” in the face of the persecutions of the established churches, will not cease to speak in His name at every opportunity to be His witnesses of these things.

Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

Act 5:42  And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

Introduction

Recently I saw a bumper sticker on a car which read “Eden was vegan”. The thought which came to my mind which I will share with you is ‘yes, and so were the “carnal” Corinthians’.

1Co 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
1Co 3:2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

Spiritual “babes in Christ… are yet carnal [and] cannot receive… the things of the spirit”.

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.

While we naturally want to get back to Eden and what we often refer to as “the good old days”, this is what the scriptures teach us:

Hos 11:1 When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.
Hos 11:2 As they called them, so they went from them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images.
Hos 11:3 I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms; but they knew not that I healed them.
Hos 11:4 I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.
Hos 11:5 He shall not return into the land of Egypt, but the Assyrian shall be his king, because they refused to return.
Hos 11:6 And the sword shall abide on his cities, and shall consume his branches, and devour them, because of their own counsels.
Hos 11:7 And my people are bent to backsliding from me: though they called them to the most High, none at all would exalt him.

Israel simply would not repent and return to God. They would not exalt God because the exalting of God requires the death of our old man. It is God Himself who has made Israel and us all to be “wicked”, and He has done so for the very purpose of bringing us to bitter repentance.

Pro 16:4 The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

What is “Godly sorrow [which] works repentance”?

Repentance from dead works is one of the milk doctrines mentioned in Hebrews six:

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,
Heb 6:2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
Heb 6:3 And this will we do, if God permit.

We are admonished to “leave the principles of the doctrine of Christ [and] go on unto perfection”. But as I have been made painfully aware, going on unto perfection is for those who are ready to do that. Leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ and going on unto perfection is not an admonition to forget about those who are not yet ready to “leave the principles of the doctrine of Christ”. The Truth is that this verse in Peter complements these verses in Hebrews six:

1Pe 2:1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
1Pe 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
1Pe 2:3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

How do “new born babes… taste the Lord [and know] that the Lord is gracious”? They do so only through “tast[ing] the Lord” who we are:

Act 22:7 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Act 22:8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

So you and I are not only a “spiritual house” for God, we are also the physical flesh and bone of the Christ until this very day:

1Pe 2:4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
1Pe 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
Eph 5:30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bone.

Part of going on unto perfection is to be very careful to demonstrate for new born babes that the Lord is gracious, by realizing that we are not all at the same level of maturity, and that we must, with a very loving heart, bear with those who are desiring the sincere milk of the word, and never belittle them or do anything unloving which would ever make them feel any less a part of the body of Christ.

It was God’s mercy, as shown to each of us via His body, which in great patience has brought each of us to be where we are, so it behooves us to show that same patience and love to those who are coming along as “newborn babes in Christ”.

What Is The Spirit of A New Born Babe In Christ?

Here is what our Lord Himself tells us:

Mat 18:1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
Mat 18:2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
Mat 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 18:5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
Mat 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Mat 18:7 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!

“Woe unto that man by whom the offence comes” is speaking of someone who offends “this little child” in Christ. “This little child” is anyone who has been dragged by the spirit to repent of his sins and comes to Christ with a humble and teachable spirit.
Here is how “this little child” presents himself to Christ:

Jas 3:13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
Jas 3:14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

As Pilate asked Christ, “What is the Truth?” This is the answer to that very important question:

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him [Philip], I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Continuing in James 3:

Jas 3:15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
Jas 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
Jas 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
Jas 3:18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

“Woe unto that man by whom offence comes” is not speaking of how we are to deal with the spirit of the scribes and Pharisees, or those who come to Christ and His doctrine with a belligerent and stubborn spirit. You and I, as our Lord Himself, can have a spirit which is “gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy” and still be able to stand with our Lord, firm on the truth of the Lord’s Words. Here is how we should come across when we as humble, teachable children, before our Lord and His Word, encounter the belligerent spirit of the scribes and the Pharisees:

Mat 7:28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
Mat 7:29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

Christ taught His doctrine with authority, because He had the same mind His Father had. There was no “tolerance of the non-essentials” in His doctrine, because His doctrine has no non-essentials, and He taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes, who obviously did not come across to the people “as one having authority.
Christ has not changed. If indeed we are “Jesus of Nazareth” as Christ says we are, then we will speak His words with His same authority and with “the meekness of wisdom” with which He spoke His words.

Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

We must conclude that the doctrine of Christ is to be spoken with “the wisdom that is from above [which] is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy”, and is at the very same time spoken with authority. We are told that meekness is inherent in wisdom, but it is manifest by Christ speaking as one having authority, and that meekness is never to be confused with weakness.

The Different Types of Sorrow

Repentance is the fruit of being sorry for having made a mistake. There are two totally different types of sorrow which are mentioned in the scriptures, and they are both mentioned for our admonition. Both are ours to know and to experience. Both types of sorrow are contrasted in these verses of 2Corinthians:

2Co 7:9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
2Co 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
2Co 7:11 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

The Sorrow of The World

“The sorrow of th[is] world” is the sorrow we feel when we are caught red-handed, and we are forced to publicly acknowledge our sin. The apology is always the same. It is always something like, ‘I am sorry for anyone who has been hurt by my indiscretions’, which we generally read as ‘I am sorry that I got caught’, and then, as soon as the spotlight is off for a few hours, we go right back to repeating the exact same indiscretions for which we had just apologized. There is no Godly sorrow or real repentance involved, and we go right back to our wallow in the mire. To speak with “the meekness of wisdom” we must never belittle any apology before we see the “fruits, meet for repentance”, or the returning to the wallow in the mire, which we all do before we are brought kicking and screaming against our own will to true Godly sorrow which works repentance. God alone knows whether any apology is heartfelt and sincere, but “the sorrow of this world works death”.

We have many Biblical examples of ‘the sorrow of this world’, like that of Balaam the prophet and that of King Saul. Both of these men are types of what is within the flesh of our own old, first man Adam, but I will reference only the example and type of King Saul.

Through Samuel, the last judge over Israel, God had sent King Saul to destroy the Amalekites; men, women, and even their cattle and herds. The Amalekites had ambushed Israel while they were wandering in the wilderness, and God is telling us that He wants us to completely and utterly destroy anything that hates Him and His within us. As King Saul our old man is given the opportunity to die to his own lusts and be a Godly leader by diligently adhering to God’s directions and instructions which were very clear, just as God’s instructions are very clear to us. But like King Saul, we all think it will be just fine if we take it upon ourselves to parse God’s words and decide for ourselves that God’s words are just simply too strict and completely unreasonable, cruel and wasteful. If we obey God, we know fully well everyone is going to call us a calloused, unreasonable, cold-hearted fanatic, So we do what we think is right and reasonable, and we cannot understand why God is so upset with us for simply doing what the whole world considers to be a better way of serving God.

Here is what we are told about our own natural mind and how it conflicts with the mind of God. This is how and why we find Godly sorrow which works repentance to be so very elusive:

1Sa 15:12 And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place [Hebrew: yâd – a monument], and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.
1Sa 15:13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.
1Sa 15:14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
1Sa 15:15 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.
1Sa 15:16 Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.
1Sa 15:17 And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?
1Sa 15:18 And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.
1Sa 15:19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?
1Sa 15:20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
1Sa 15:21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.
1Sa 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
1Sa 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
1Sa 15:24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.
1Sa 15:25 Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD.
1Sa 15:26 And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.
1Sa 15:27 And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.
1Sa 15:28 And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.
1Sa 15:29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.
1Sa 15:30 Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God.
1Sa 15:31 So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the LORD. 1Sa 15:32 Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.
1Sa 15:33 And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.
1Sa 15:34 Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul.
1Sa 15:35 And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.

Our faults and weaknesses which we consider to be great mountains, are to God mere molehills, but what we consider to be mere molehills, are really spiritual mountains which we don’t even see as such while as we ignoring and reinterpreting our Lord’s words more to our liking. Our Lord has given us His commandments and His statutes, which He has designed to keep us, His church, which is His body, a united, healthy functioning body, with but one mind, His mind, free of any spiritual diseases. If we obey His words and His doctrine in the verses we will be reading, we will, as His body, be united, be of one mind, and be of one spirit, and thus we will remain protected from the spiritual diseases of spiritual Egypt, and from the corrupting power of the leavening doctrines of the Pharisees and of the outside world.
Here is the promise we have been given:

Exo 15:26 And [the Lord] said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.
Mat 16:5 And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.
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.
Mat 16:8 Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?
Mat 16:9 Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
Mat 16:10 Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
Mat 16:11 How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?
Mat 16:12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. [The doctrines of Babylon].
Mar 8:15 And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.

If we will “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod” and we will “diligently listen to the voice of the Lord [our] God, and will do that which is right in His sight, and will give ear to His commandments, and keep all of His statutes, [we have been promised that He would] put none of [the spiritual] diseases upon [us]” with which He has afflicted all of “that great city which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, wherein… our Lord was crucified”.

Rev 11:8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city [the Babylonian religions of this world], which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

That is simply asking too much, and if you or I even reference those verses, it doesn’t matter that we teach that we can do nothing, we cannot even sin of ourselves, we will still be accused of teaching salvation by works and not of faith. Nevertheless we must listen diligently to our Lord and this is what He tells us:

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.

Here now are the commandments and statutes “which are right in His sight” which we are instructed to do and obey in order to remain spiritually healthy and avoid the spiritual diseases of spiritual Sodom and Egypt. Here is what our Lord has given us to assure our spiritual heath and well being and unity. These are His commandments and His statutes which He has given us to keep us all of one mind and one spirit, and keep us from becoming but one more daughter of spiritual Babylon:

Mat 18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
Mat 18:16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Mat 18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

Is Christ serious about ‘let him be to you as a heathen man, and a tax collector’? Are those loving words coming from the mouth of our Lord?

Are we free, like King Saul and the people, to reason for ourselves that those are harsh, cold, divisive words which are simply unreasonable and offensive?

It is argued by those who have “the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod”, that anyone who actually takes it upon themselves to apply these words in the body of Christ is not acting in a forgiving and loving way. Besides, it is argued, “‘thy brother trespass[ing] against thee’ has nothing to do with doctrine, and has only to do with an offense which is committed against you personally.” Is that true? Do our Lord’s words here in Mat 18:15-17 refer only to trespasses which have nothing to do with doctrine?

If that is so, then why are we told to “take with thee one or two more that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word will be established”? This is speaking specifically of doctrine. How is it possible to offend a brother personally without disobeying the doctrine of Christ?

Here is what we are told about what trespass and transgression includes:

2Jn 1:9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
2Jn 1:10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
2Jn 1:11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

Any transgression is a deviation from “the doctrine of Christ” in Matthew 5-7 which begins to establish the words of His New Covenant. It is absurd to assert that you can trespass against your brother and not offend in doctrine. Exactly how is that accomplished?

So should we even expect Godly sorrow and repentance when we confront a brother who has trespassed against us? Listen diligently to what we are told:

2Co 7:9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
2Co 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

And what does “Godly sorrow unto repentance” look like when we are sincerely sorry and repentant for “transgressing and abiding not in the doctrine of Christ”:

2Co 7:11 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

Godly sorrow unto repentance is never a cavalier matter. It is deep and heartfelt. “What carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! That is “Godly sorrow unto repentance”!

And why do we go to our brother with His fault? Is it to humiliate him? Is it to belittle and make him feel that he is less that we are?

2Co 7:12 Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you.
2Co 7:13 Therefore we were comforted in your comfort: yea, and exceedingly the more joyed we for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all.

Here is another way of say the same thing Paul just told these Corinthians was his reason for his admonitions to them:

1Jn 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

So when we see Godly sorrow which works repentance, we are witnessing the fruit of true Godly love of our brothers, which is demonstrated only by our obedience to His doctrine and His commandments which drag us to that repentance.
I will close with this foundational Truth:

2Jn 1:9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

It is the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod which would have us believe that love and doctrine are at odds with each other. “He that abides in the doctrine of Christ, he [is the one who] has both the Father and the Son.” All who do not are nothing more than daughters of the great harlot Babylon the great.

Dallas, TX. Conference Video – February 5-6, 2007

Study Topic: The Revelation Of Jesus Christ As The Christ by Mike Vinson

Mike,

This occurred to me and I have to ask. How do you explain this scripture in Revelation?

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

Notice Mike, there is a very clear distinction between the testimony of Jesus and the Commandments of God.

T____

Hi T____,

Remember Christ’s warning that many are called but few are chosen? Now read this verse in Revelation.

Rev 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

Being ‘called’ is necessary, but not sufficient. Being ‘chosen’ is also absolutely necessary, but we also must be ‘faithful’

Joh 6:70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?

The “testimony of Jesus Christ” is not the testimony of Moses or else “what need would there be for another priesthood not after Aaron but Melchisedek?”

“There being a change of priesthood there is also a change of the law.”

Heb 7:11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (f or under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron?
Heb 7:12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

That ‘testimony’ and that ‘change also of the law’ is found in Mat 5-7. It is a “changed law.” It is the “testimony of Jesus Christ,” and even a “piece of the new agrees not with the old.”

Luk 5:36 And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was [ taken] out of the new agreeth not with the old.
Luk 5:37 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. Luk 5:38 But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. [ Gal. 3:23-4:1- The “schoolmaster,” the “tutors and governors will always be need to “bring us to Christ,” right through the millenium. ” But after that faith is come…” and 1Ti 1:9]]
Luk 5:39 No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.

But you can’t see that difference or “change” and so, sure enough, you “having drunk the old wine” along with the rest of the world, still say “the old is better.”

So Christ rests his case.

Mike

Good Morning Mike,

I would like to just say I truly appreciate the love and wisdom the Father and His Son Jesus Christ is doing in your life and the lives of the members of iswasandwillbe. I was currently listening to Do You Want the Reality or the Shadow I think in Pe 2. You mentioned Luk 4:49, and I can’t find it in my bible. The scripture was relating to how the blood of all the prophets will be required upon this generation.
I told you about these Jewish friends of mine who want me to convert. Would you kindly just explain these scriptures they want me to read: Isaiah24:1-22. They also gave me Rev 18:1-9, Dan 7:23-27, Luk 21:19-24, Rev 12:1-17 and then they put their Hebrew spelling for LORD and JESUS. They say I do not understand what I am reading, and truly I came to see that they do not understand the scriptures. For your teachings the only things that seem to make sense to me even as I listen every morning from 4am till 6am I have realized that they burden themselves with rituals and customs of which I once admired and was ready to convert before I came across your website.
They gave me scriptures to emphasize how many shabbats Yahshua and Shaul attended in total 78 and 0 Sundays. Then they gave me the last chap of 1Ti 4:1-2. And I have not received the wisdom you have been given, though listening to you daily is opening a lot of loops and I do feel the Spirit of the Father moving in my members. I have enjoyed every word about the tabernacle and the shadows of which I will keep my mouth closed for now till I have better understanding on the subjects. Living among a Jewish populated environment I am thankful to have come across your site.
It’s been a blessing to have also realized how wonderful it is to know that all that is happening is because the Father wills it to happen after the counsel of His own will. Thank you for showing that it’s not easy, but I believe He will provide sufficient grace to embrace the workings on His creation. May He bless you and your team and may you never stop discovering the beauty of His nature and His Son daily. I don’t feel guilty any more for not including the Holy Spirit like the trinity because I thank God it does not exist. God bless and hope to hear from you soon.
Kind Regards,
J____

Hi J____,

Thank you for your questions, and thank you for standing firm on the Word of God in the face of all this pressure you are facing from the modern day Judaizers there.
O. K., that verse I said was Luk 4:49 concerning the blood of all the prophets from Abel to Zacharias being required of this generation is actually Luk 11:49-51. Forgive me for making that mistake.

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

You have asked me to comment on whole chapters which your Jewish friends have given you, and I cannot do that verse by verse simply because I do not have the time to do that. But I did read the various scriptures you listed, and I think I see what their point is. If I have missed the point, please let me know. Here in Isa 24 we have the scriptural basis for the judgment of the great harlot of Rev 17-18.
“Spiritual Sodom” is “that great city where our Lord was crucified. Isa 1 is “concerning Judah and Jerusalem” (verse 1), and this is what the spirit calls Judah and Jerusalem there in Isa 1:

Isa 1:10 Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.
Isa 1:21 How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.

So it is the spirit of “Judah and Jerusalem” which to this very day constitutes the “great harlot” and “that great city wherein our Lord was crucified.
Now what I saw in both Isa 24 and in Dan 7 which I understand to be the point your Jewish friends are making is:

Isa 24:5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.

and…

Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

Here is that section of Dan 7:

Dan 7:23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
Dan 7:24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
Dan 7:26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.
Dan 7:27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

Your Jewish friends are confusing orthodox Christianity, in which we have all had our part, with the doctrine of Christ. Christ did not come to change the sabbath from Saturday to Sunday as the Catholics have done and as the Protestants have continued doing. He came instead to fulfill every jot and tittle of the law.

Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law,

But Christ is the fulfilling of every type and shadow of the law:

Heb 10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

Christ is our passover, and He has fulfilled the passover so that we need never again offer a calf or a lamb for our sins.

Heb 9:19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,
Heb 9:20 Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
Heb 9:21 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.
Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Heb 9:23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves [ you and me] with better sacrifices than these.

Christ is our ‘blood and water’:

Joh 19:34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.

So He is also fulfilling the days of unleavened bread in our lives by living His life within us and granting that we can now purge out the sin that was dominating our lives and granting us that we die daily to that sin by destroying the man of sin within us. In Christ we now keep that feast of unleavened bread “with the unleavened bread of sincerity and Truth”.

1Co 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
1Co 5:8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

That is the bread, and Christ is that passover, and the days of unleavened bread are now kept with “the unleavened bread of sincerity and Truth 24/7, 365 days a year.
In the same way Christ has fulfilled the day of Pentecost by founding His church and coming to us via His Father’s spirit as that day portended in the law of Moses.

Act 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Act 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
Act 2:3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

He has fulfilled the feast of trumpets by blowing the seven trumpets within our lives and beginning judgment at His own house with the fire from the altar of God in heaven. All who are the temple of God will keep the things written in the revelation of Jesus Christ, including the seven trumpets of that revelation:

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.
Rev 8:1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
Rev 8:2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
Rev 8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
Rev 8:4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.
Rev 8:5 A nd the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
Rev 8:6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

Trumpets warn of the fiery judgment of God’s word, which is now on the house of God:

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.
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?

Christ has fulfilled the day of atonement by reconciling us to God and atoning for our sins once and for all time:

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.

Finally, Christ is also our feast of tabernacles and our last great day, because it is through Him and His anointed that rivers of living waters of mercy will flow to all men of all time:

Joh 7:37 I n 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 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
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.

So it is true, Christ did not come to change times or seasons, but He did come to fulfill them all. And He also come to change the priesthood and the law and to hold both to a far higher bar than either had ever been before. Both are now spiritual, and that had never been so before. We are plainly told of this reformation, and it was this reformation that the Judaizers of Paul’s day and of today refuse to acknowledge:

Heb 9:10 Which [ Old Testament offerings, according to the law] stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

Christ is that great reformer, and He has fulfilled every Old Testament type and shadow by dying for our sins and by fulfilling every jot and tittle of the law of Moses in doing so:

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

“The law of Christ” (Gal 6:2), also called “the law of the spirit” (Rom 8:2), is now far superior to the law of Moses, which was a “carnal commandment” for a very carnal nation. The good that comes of “the law of Christ” and “the law of the spirit” is much better than anything that could come of the “carnal commandment” law which Christ had given to Moses:

Heb 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Heb 10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

“Good things” must not be confused with ‘easy things’. Every “but I say unto you” word or reformation which Christ uttered in Matthew chapters 5 and 6 is not easy to do. It is not easy to love one’s enemies. It is not easy to turn the other cheek, and it is not easy to refrain from fornication in one’s heart.
Neither is it easy to acknowledge and live a life which acknowledges that Christ came and fulfilled every jot and tittle of the law of Moses, including the weekly sabbath. It is one of the very hardest things we are confronted with in following in His footsteps:

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

Your Jewish friends point out all the verses which mention the sabbath as if Christ were observing the sabbath when nothing could be further from the Truth.

Luk 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

There is no denying that Christ was “made of a woman, made under the law” until the day of His baptism and the beginning of His reforming ministry. So of course it was ‘His custom” to go “into the synagogue on the sabbath day”. But being “under the law” was before His ministry began. Until that time He submitted Himself to His very Jewish parents:

Luk 2:51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
Luk 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

Just like each of us, Christ was first “under the law” when He was a child.

Gal 4:3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
Gal 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
Gal 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

But Christ had not come to this earth to remain “under the law… under the elements of the world… keeping days, months, times, and years”:

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

When Christ was baptized by John, He was no longer a child. In Mat 12 Christ, who was of the tribe of Judah and was neither a priest nor a Levite, openly confessed to “doing that which was unlawful for him to do” and “profaning the sabbath” simply because “In this place is one greater than the temple, [ and] the Son of Man is Lord even of the sabbath day”. Christ made no appeal to the law of Moses to justify the actions of His disciples. There is not one word about properly obeying the commandments concerning the sabbath here at all:

Mat 12:1 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.
Mat 12:2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.
Mat 12:3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
Mat 12:4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?
Mat 12:5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?
Mat 12:6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.
Mat 12:7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
Mat 12:8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

Then just for all of us who, at our own appointed time are where your Jewish friends still are, we are plainly told by the holy spirit that Christ “had broken the sabbath [ and] said that God was His Father”:

Joh 5:17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work [ on the sabbath].
Joh 5:18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

The holy spirit did not inspire the apostle to tell us ‘they thought He had broken the sabbath’. We are rather told that His Father works on the sabbath, and Christ did too, and therefore the Jews sought to kill Him.
Those who are given ‘eyes that see’ will notice that the apostle John never refers to the Jewish festivals as the festivals of God. He actually goes to great lengths to distance himself from that entire economy by calling them “a feast of the Jews” or “the Jews feast…”

Joh 5:1 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
Joh 6:4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.
Joh 7:2 Now the Jews’ feast of tabernacles was at hand.

Christ’s law is impossible for the flesh, but if Christ is living within us, He will strengthen us to do all things:

Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

But one thing Christ will not strengthen you to do is to “observe days, months, times, and years”.
“The ends of the world” have been upon God’s people ever since the days of Christ:

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 are come.

That being the case, we can expect the whole orthodox Christian world to “depart from the faith” in which our Lord walked.

1Ti 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
1Ti 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

It is not easy to follow in the steps of our Lord, but if He is in you, that is what you will do.
It is my prayer that these verses will give you the clarity you are seeking. The paper The Law of Moses Versus The Law of The Spirit deals with all of this in great depth. I hope you will be edified by all these verses. If you still need anything clarified please feel free to write back.
I will take this opportunity to encourage you to watch our weekly Sunday 11 A. M. ET Bible studies on ustream, and to join us in the review of those studies at 12:30, right after the studies are completed.
Your brother who seeks only to be a “helper of your joy”

2Co 1:24 Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.

Mike

Dear Mr. Vinson,

On three separate occasions, my wife and I have asked another website minister why he “skipped” the most important tithing verse in the New Testament (Heb 7:8) when he quoted most of Heb 7 in his “tithing” paper. I just find it to be a little unacceptable and odd to skip right over this verse. He told me that it would be too dificult to explain it in an email and never even responded to my wife’s two inquiries (which were more direct).

Mike, I am a man after the truth, so I feel that there needs to be an honest explanation given to truth seekers as to WHY this verse was skipped. Can you please help me by explaining what Heb 7:8 means? This verse says that Jesus receives tithes, even when this passage was penned (long after Christ’s ressurrection).

Thank you!

J____

Hi J____,

Thank you for your question.

You say that Christ received tithes “long after Christ’s resurrection.” I will take you at your word that you are simply a truth seeker, but I would like to know if you have taken the time to read thoroughly the paper on my site entitled The Law of Moses Versus The Law of The Spirit?

Both Paul and James inform us that if one is going to keep the law one is “a debtor to keep the whole law”.

Gal 5:3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.

The point of Heb 7:8 is to demonstrate that this new priesthood is vastly superior to the old covenant with it’s fleshly dying priesthood. To take Heb 7:8 and draw from it that Christ should still be receiving only 10% of one’s paycheck is equivalent to saying that the parable of the unjust steward demonstrates that Christ wants us to be unjust stewards. That, of course is not true. Christ Himself interpreted this parable and tells us that the point of the parable is that we are to be “wise as serpents, yet harmless as doves.” The purpose of holding a child in His lap was not to encourage us to remain immature but to encourage us to remain humble and teachable “as this little child.” He did this when the disciples were arguing about who would be greatest in the kingdom.

Even so, the purpose for…

Heb 7:8 And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.

… is simply to demonstrate that…

Heb 7:7 And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.

It is this very chapter that equates the priesthood with the law that came with it:

Heb 7:11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?

And here is what we are told of both, right here in this same chapter:

Heb 7:12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.
Heb 7:13 For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar.
Heb 7:14 For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.
Heb 7:15 And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,
Heb 7:16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.
Heb 7:17 For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Heb 7:18 For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.
Heb 7:19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.

This is in complete accord with everything else Paul wrote on this subject, like:

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,

This is really very basic to Christ’s “but I say unto you” doctrines, contradicting the law of Moses in Mat 5-7. Yet it is more ‘meat’ than most “carnal… babes in Christ” [1Co 3:1-4] can even now receive. “The law [ including tithing laws] is not made for a righteous man.”

I hope this is of some help to you as you seek the truth of God’s Word.

Again I encourage you to read The Law Of Moses Versus The Law Of The Spirit. It is an in- depth treatment of this entire subject of the law. It will answer many questions on this subject that seem like contradictions to many.

Your brother in Christ,

Mike

Hi Mike,

I have been reading from your site off and on for a while now, and really enjoy your views and understandings of the Word. The institutional “church”, in my opinion, seems to be lacking in understanding of what “Christianity” is. If the whole world lies in deceit, it would behoove each of us then to implore the Spirit to show us where we are deceived. It is troubling, in a sense, not to believe the things that most of “Christendom” believes and to believe things which makes me, in their words, a “non- Christian”. ‘If you don’t believe this and that way, Brother, you are not His.’ Well, I don’t think so.
It seems that the apostle Paul, the only apostle taught by the resurrected Christ, didn’t have an understanding of the ‘Blessed Holy Trinity’, as virtually all of his greetings in his epistles and letters refer only to “God” and to the Lord Jesus. Also, if the Holy Spirit as a separate individual descended onto Mary, wouldn’t the child be the Son of ‘The Third Person of The Most Holy Blessed Trinity’ instead of God? There is only One God and His Son, The Lord.
For the last couple of years I’ve been doing study and research on what “In Christ” means. I have a thought that I would like your opinion on. Act 17:28 tells us ‘In Him we live and move and have our being’. In Revelation we find that Christ is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. In the book of Genesis we find that in the Beginning “God” created the heaven and earth. In Ephesians we find that we were placed in Christ before the foundation of the world. My thought is: The Beginning is not only a reference to time, but also a place, i. e. Christ in which everything was created! The Alpha then is Christ, and everything then indeed exists in Him, and He is the Beginning of the creation of “God” . Everything is about Christ, Christ is all and in all! Amazing, wonderful Christ! Awaiting your thoughts.

Thanks Mike,
E____

Hi E____,

Thank you for your question and I am pleased to know you enjoy reading iswasandwillbe. com.
You certainly are right about the “institutional church”. The fact is that just as the church of Christ’s day delivered him up to the secular powers for treason, saying “We have no king but Caesar” so too, today it would be the orthodox Christian church who would lead the mob to deliver “our Lord and His Christ” up to be crucified for simply speaking and following the words of our Lord.
You are very observant to note that no New Testament writer ever speaks of the holy spirit as a person, but rather as “the holy spirit of God… the Father, of whom are all things”.

1Co 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Your last question concerns the doctrine of “the Christ”, which is who we are in Christ.
It is nothing less than the holy spirit which has caused you to note that God created the heavens and the earth “in the beginning”. This word here in Gen 1:1 happens to be the same word which is translated ‘firstfruits’ in all these verses:

Lev_2:12, Lev_23:10, Num_18:12, Deu_26:10, 2Ch_31:5, Neh_10:37, Neh_12:44, Pro_3:9, Jer_2:3, Eze_20:40, Eze_48:14

Since Christ is “the firstfruits”, then it follows that it was ‘in Him’ that God did all of His creating, and lo and behold, that is exactly what we are told:

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.
Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Col 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

There are many writings on iswasandwillbe. com on this doctrine. Here are a couple of them. Please read these, and then if you still have a question, feel free to get back to me.
http:// www. iswasandwillbe. com/ Lacking_ of_ His_ Afflictions. php
http:// www. iswasandwillbe. com/ Just_ How_ Christ_ Centric_ Is_ Scripture. php

Your brother in Christ,
Mike

Hi Mike,

I don’t know if you will get this message, but I have a question. There is a scripture that says Abraham rejoiced to see my day and was glad (Joh 8:56). How can he rejoice when he is dead in the grave? Please explain. Your website has been a blessing to me in ways you may not ever know. God bless you and keep you until he is finished with you.

M____

Hi M____,

Thank you for your question. You ask how Abraham could rejoice to see Christ’s day when Abraham is dead in the grave?

The first thing to notice is that Christ did not say ‘Abraham is rejoicing’. He said, “Abraham rejoiced to see my day.” Notice also that Christ said this right after saying, “If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.”

Joh 8:51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
Joh 8:52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death.
Joh 8:53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?
Joh 8:54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:
Joh 8:55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.
Joh 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.
Joh 8:57  Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?
Joh 8:58  Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
Joh 8:59  Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

“I Am” is the name of the God of the Old Testament. Christ is I Am, and therefore He knew Abraham intimately. He knew Abraham would rejoice to see what He would do when He came in the flesh.

Exo 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

Now you and I could do what these “Jews which believed on Christ” (vs 30-31) did and call Christ a liar for saying that He is ‘I Am’ and that anyone who kept His saying would never see death. After all, Christ Himself died, and all of His apostles are dead. Nevertheless, just as Abraham saw Christ’s day and rejoiced in it, in the same spiritual manner, those who keep Christ’s sayings will never see death for this reason.

Luk 20:37  Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
Luk 20:38  For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.

That is why physical ‘death’ is referred to as sleep throughout the New Testament.

Joh 11:11  These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.
Joh 11:12  Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
Joh 11:13  Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
Joh 11:14  Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

So yes, Abraham is physically dead, but he is alive to God, and just as Jesus rejoiced to see what He would be doing in His apostles and in all of His saints down through the generations. What He is now doing in you and in me, long before you and I were born, so too, in that same manner of faith, Abraham rejoiced to know that Christ would come to save all men and to make His seed “as the sand of the sea”.

Joh 17:20  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

As Heb 11 also points out, Abraham died having the faith that someday he would see Christ.

Heb 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

Heb 11:16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

I hope this all helps you to see how Abraham, “the father of the faithful”, was able to “see Christ’s day and rejoice in it” while he was yet alive, long before Christ came into this world. I hope it also helps you to see that Christ was the God of the Old Testament, and knew Abraham much better than Abraham knew himself.

Your brother in Christ,
Mike

Mike,

So how would you respond to Christ’s command, Do this in remembrance of me?

Thanks,
W____

Hi again W____,
You asked me:

… how would you respond to Christ’s command, Do this in remembrance of me?

“This do” is quoted from this section of scripture:

Luk 22:19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
Luk 22:20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

This is the same “my body” and “my blood” Christ refers to in these verses:

Joh 6:53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
Joh 6:54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

Washing the feet of His disciples is just as much a spiritual symbol as the fish and honey He ate after His resurrection, symbolizing ” the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you”.

Notice, He sits down to dine twice in the same evening, not because He is hungry, but simply to make the point that His Word is our food.

Luk 24:13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.
Luk 24:14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
Luk 24:15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
Luk 24:16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.
Luk 24:17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?
Luk 24:18 And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?
Luk 24:19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:
Luk 24:20 And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.
Luk 24:21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.
Luk 24:22 Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;
Luk 24:23 And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.
Luk 24:24 And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.
Luk 24:25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
Luk 24:26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
Luk 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
Luk 24:28 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.
Luk 24:29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.
Luk 24:30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.
Luk 24:31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.
Luk 24:32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
Luk 24:33 And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them,
Luk 24:34 Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.
Luk 24:35 And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.
Luk 24:36 And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

Later that same evening it all happens again:

Luk 24:41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?
Luk 24:42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.
Luk 24:43 And he took it, and did eat before them.
Luk 24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

It is “as [we] speak” of Christ, that He is ‘standing in our midst’. It is in “the breaking of bread… fish and honeycomb” that Christ is “made known” to us all, because those things all symbolize “the words I spake unto you”. It is according to Christ Himself, that “the breaking of bread” is “the words I spake unto you”. It is the same with the breaking of bread at the so-called ‘Lord’s supper’. Christ did not wash their feet just to create a new ritual to replace an old ritual. Everything Christ did, even the healings and miracles He performed, were types and shadows of “greater works than these”.

Joh 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

It is a much greater act of love to give a person spiritual insight than it is to give him physical sight. It is much better to have Christ healing us of our lame walk in this life of service to sin and giving us the strength to walk as Christ walked than it is to physically heal any man’s physically lame legs.

It is also a much greater act of love and obedience to our Lord to “break bread” in the way Christ meant us to do so. What Christ was telling His disciples and is telling us, is to live our lives as He lived His life. It was a life of service to all men. That is the only way we can share Christ’s body and blood with our brothers and sisters in Christ. That is incomparably more beneficial than physically washing their already clean feet, as a dead ritual practiced by millions of Christians whose lives show no sign of being of service to their brothers. If we give to our brothers and sisters the knowledge of how Christ lives His life within us, then we have truly ‘washed their feet’, and we will then have truly ‘eaten His body and then we will have drunken of His blood’.

Joh 6:53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
Joh 6:54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Joh 6:55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
Joh 6:56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
Joh 6:57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

“Dwelling in Christ” and “living by Christ” is “eating His flesh and drinking His blood”. Those are Christ’s Words. Outward rituals accomplish nothing according to our Lord. Living lives of service one to another is what Christ meant by “My flesh is meat indeed and My blood is drink indeed”. “Do this as oft as you do it in remembrance of Me” has everything to do with what is within each of us, and it has nothing at all to do with dead outward rituals, which may appear to be spiritual but are nothing more than an opportunity to glory in appearances and not in changed hearts.

2Co 5:12 For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart.

Mar 7:15 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.

As certainly as ‘nothing from without a man can defile him’, it is equally true that nothing from outside of a man can cleanse him spiritually:

Mat 23:26 Thou blind Pharisee [You, me, or anyone who depends on outward rituals], cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

If our hearts are clean, our feet will also be clean.

I hope this helps you to see that “as oft as we do this we do it in remembrance of Christ” has much more to do with how we live our lives as servants to our brothers and sisters than it has to do with instituting a new outward ritual that makes a man feel good and clean outwardly, while, like water baptism, changing nothing within that man. Here is what cleanses both our ‘feet’ and our way of life. Here is what the bread, the wine and Christ washing His disciples feet symbolized:

Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

Your brother in Christ,
Mike

P. S. Here is a URL to an e-mail I wrote several years ago on this subject of the spiritual significance of the Lord’s supper:
http://www. iswasandwillbe.com/lordssupper.php

Hi Mike,

I have three questions:
1) The annual “Easter celebration” in the Christian church now looks to me like the worship of Tammuz, referred to in Eze 8:14 which the Ampl Bible says was a Babylonian god who supposedly died and was resurrected yearly. Am I right in thinking this?
2) I have removed all crosses in my home, but what is your opinion on a stone with “Jehovah Jireh” printed on it? Is that also an image and therefore violating the 2nd command? Also, is it OK to have scriptures on one’s wall?
3) I have been wondering about all this true knowledge of the scripture; has it just always been passed on as people have been illuminated by the Spirit ever since the apostles or has the knowledge ever been “lost” and then somehow regained over time. Although I understand everything, I would never have figured it out myself without reading the teachings of others. Does the fact that I heard it from another person(s) make it less of a revelation, or is this how it’s always worked, one person with the spirit of Christ revealing it to the next?

Yours in Christ,
U____

Hi U____,

Thank you for your questions. Your first question concerns the observing of the Pagan holiday known as Easter. Your understanding that Easter is the worship of Tammuz is exactly right. Here is a link to the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia which explains the origins of this Pagan holiday.
http:// www. searchgodsword. org/ enc/ isb/ view. cgi? number= T8597
Orthodox Christianity has appropriated this pagan holiday to worship Christ, in direct opposition to what God tells us He hates.

Deu 12:30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them [ Pagans], after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
Deu 12:31 Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.

When we teach the lies of paganism to our children, like telling them that rabbits lay eggs, we are doing nothing short of sacrificing our children to these “idols of our hearts” (Eze 14:1-9), and ‘burning our children in the fire to our own false gods’.
It seems so harmless and innocent as we tell lies to our children and defile our own consciences in doing so. There is no such thing as ‘gray areas’ or ‘white lies’. All lies are lies, and you and I are considered to be bad for standing with our Lord for the Truth of His Word.
Your second question asks if it is alright to have the name Jehovah Jireh printed on a stone? Having Jehovah Jireh printed on a stone is no different than having it printed on the paper in your Bible. The same is true for scriptures printed and displayed on the walls of your home.
Here is the second commandment:

Exo 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Exo 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

Verse four is not “the sum of God’s Word in this commandment. Verse five is also there giving us the point of this commandment. There is nothing wrong with any statue in the world, as long as you and I do not “bow down thyself to them, nor serve them”. I don’t know where they are now, but for many years I had a set of onyx horse head book ends. The thought of bowing down to worship those onyx book ends never once crossed my mind.
So no, it is not a violation of the second commandment to have scripture verses framed on your wall or have the name Jehovah Jireh written on a stone in your home.
Let me make it clear that the ‘sacred name’ doctrine has nothing to do with what the scriptures call “the name of God”. What blasphemes the true ‘name of God’ is for you and me to live lives in hypocrisy, while speaking and spreading lies and false doctrines, all the while claiming to be the disciples of Christ.
A man whose central doctrine is to make it known that there is no ‘J’ in the Hebrew or Greek alphabets, while living an immoral life and speaking and spreading false doctrines is just as capable of “blaspheming the name of God among the Gentiles” as any orthodox Christian who calls Yahweh, ‘God’ and Iesous, ‘Jesus’.

Rom 2:24 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.

So how we verbally voice the name of God is of absolutely no consequence. We can call Him God, Theos, or Dios, according to the language we speak. The name Yahweh is not in the Greek. The Greek word for God is ‘Theos’, and God Himself has seen fit to preserve the gospel in that language. What is of great consequence is whether our lives are lived by the words of our Lord. That is how we exalt the name of God. That is how we love both God and our brothers. We obey God and keep His commandments. When we do that we will not be blaspheming His name among the Gentiles.

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.

Your last question is:

Has [ this knowledge] just always been passed on as people have been illuminated by the Spirit ever since the apostles or has the knowledge ever been “lost” and then somehow regained over time.
Does the fact that I heard it from another person(s) make it less of a revelation, or is this how it’s always worked, one person with the spirit of Christ revealing it to the next?

Here is the Biblical answer to that question:

Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

The word ‘hell’ here is the Greek word ‘Hades’ or the grave. It is not ‘gehenna’, the lake of fire. In other words, the Words of Christ have never died out. It is, and always has been, rejected by the entire Babylonian church system “wherein our Lord was crucified” and wherein our own bodies ‘lie dead in the street of that great city’ in every generation since Christ.

Rev 11:8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

But all those “with ears to hear” have heard and known the voice of the true shepherd in every generation since Christ. So no, it has not died out; it has always been granted to God’s few elect in every generation since Christ to know the mind and the voice of the true shepherd and the true God, and ‘the gates of Hades have never prevailed against Christ’s church’.
It is not necessary to be able to trace the history of those who have known Christ in every generation, all that is necessary is to have faith in Christ’s words that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against His church”.
So yes, these words are communicated “by the church” in every generation”, and no, it is no less a revelation to have the Truths of God’s word explained to you. That is the very function of the body of Christ.

Act 8:30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
Act 8:31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
2Co 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:
Eph 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

Never allow any false prophet to quote this verse to you and tell you that you do not need teachers in the church:

1Jn 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

The word ‘man’ here in 1Jn 2:27 has the connotation of a man of this world and of Babylon, whereas the word ‘man’ in Act 8:30 is speaking of a man of God. Always defer to “the sum of thy word” which declares that it is God who has placed teachers in His church:

1Co 12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

Having said that, let me make it clear that if your relationship with Christ is not a personal relationship based on knowing Him and His voice, then you do not know Christ. I tell everyone that if iswasandwillbe. com is their gospel and they are not “searching the scriptures to see whether these things are so”, then they do not know Christ.

Act 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

On the other hand, if you do “search the scriptures”, the revelations you receive are directly from Christ via “His body which is the church.”

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:
Col 1:25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
Col 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Col 1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
Col 1:29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

I hope this has answered your questions.
Your brother in Christ,
Mike