Hi Mike,

I was getting some revelation, and I wanted to submit it to you to see if you thought it was sound, as you are to me a trustworthy brother. What do you think regarding this line that I am following:

“seven death blows (plege) for seven heads”
God’s plan for the carnal man in the elect
a beast with seven heads
first one blow (plege) for one head (part of the process ordained of God)

Rev 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound (plege) was healed: and all the world (that Christ will overcome in me) wondered after the beast.

last seven blows (plege) for seven heads

Rev 15:1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues (plege) ; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

Rev 15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues (plege) of the seven angels were fulfilled.

So is all this witnessed to here in these verses from Psalms?

Psa 37:10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
Psa 37:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

Rev 21:9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.

So the Bride can only be revealed in us after the seven last ‘plege‘ are fulfilled in us else we would not be faithful to all the Word of God and would not be the Bride?

I hope you have a great day and in all things you sense His effective working whether abased or abounding.

F____

 

Good morning F____,

Thank you for your kind words. I hope what I say is of some help. What you say here certainly is very revealing to me. Of course there is a connection with the seven heads and the seven plagues.

I will only add that virtually everything in God’s Word; the good we experience and the evil we endure, is all part of the revelation of Jesus Christ:

Psa 119:160 The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.

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

So the warning below concerns all of “the sayings of the prophecy of this book”, and “this book” is “the sum of thy word.”

Rev 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
Rev 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

‘The book of life… the holy city… and… the things… written in this book’ are all of the same thing. They are all inseparable parts of the revelation of Jesus Christ. That revelation does not begin at Revelation chapter one. It begins at Gen 1:1, and it ends at Rev 22:21.

I know that you know all of this. I mention all of this just to add that it all, like He who is “the Word”, is all ‘Is, Was and Will Be’. And that includes the word ’till’ (until).

Rev 15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

Notice that the word ‘last’ isn’t even used in this verse. So as I am dying, the beast within me with his seven heads is dying and Christ within is being revealed. Now Christ within me is that bride. As I die, He is being revealed daily. So the bride, too, is being revealed daily. It is all Is, Was and Will Be.

The answer to this idea that since we are a bride right now, then there must be neither male nor female right now, is that ‘neither male nor female’ has nothing to do with being Christ’s bride. Being neither male nor female has only to do with being one body. And in Christ there is only one body, and that one body is the body of Christ.

Look at these two verses:

Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:29 And if ye [ be] Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

“Ye are all one in Christ… And if you be Christ’s then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Paul is dealing with two things when he wrote this verse. Under the Old Testament, Gentiles and women were excluded from entering into the rituals of worship:

Exo 23:14 Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.
Exo 23:15 Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:)
Exo 23:16 And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, [which is] in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.
Exo 23:17 Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD.
Exo 23:18 Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of my sacrifice remain until the morning.

“None shall appear before me empty… [of] all thy males” means that only the Israelite men were to partake in the sacrificial rituals of the tabernacle and later the temple. Of course, all Gentiles were excluded:

Ex. 12:43 And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof:

And a bondservant was simply a Gentile:

Lev 25:39 And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant:
Lev 25:40 But as an hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee, and shall serve thee unto the year of jubile:

Lev 25:43 Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour; but shalt fear thy God.
Lev 25:44 Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids.

So when Paul tells us…

Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:29 And if ye [be] Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

…he is not saying that in Christ and under the New Testament both men and women are now part of the priesthood which was charged with teaching the people the law.

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?

Paul’s point in Gal 3:28 is that through Christ, the father is now accessible to all. But all having access to God is not to be construed as all having the same place in His body. The fact that all have equal access is not to be construed as all being equal in receiving rewards for works:

Mat 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

Luk 19:16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.
Luk 19:17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
Luk 19:18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.
Luk 19:19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.

Neither is it to be construed as all having the same office or function in the body of Christ:

1Co 12:4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
1Co 12:5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
1Co 12:6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
1Co 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

There are many instructions on how each office is to be fulfilled. There are instructions to bishops, to deacons, to teachers, to husbands, to wives and to children. In Greek the word for man and husband are the same word (aner).

Mat 1:16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband [aner] of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

Mat 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man [aner], which built his house upon a rock:

And the word for woman and wife are the same (gune).

Mat 1:20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife [gune]: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

Mat 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman [gune] to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

There are very few men who have been placed into the body of Christ as teachers.

Jas 3:1 My brethren, be not many masters [didaskalos], knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

Joh 1:38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master [didaskalos],) where dwellest thou?
Joh 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
Joh 3:2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher [didaskalos] come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

There are no women teaching there:

1Ti 2:12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.

1Co 14:34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but [they are commanded] to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
1Co 14:35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
1Co 14:36 What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?
1Co 14:37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.

Of course, there are many teachers in the body of Christ, and they are all there for the purpose of bringing “strong delusion” to those who are “the children of the bondwoman”.

So we, as Isaac, are the children of promise. And also ‘as Isaac’ we have brothers and sisters who are also “Abraham’s seed” by a bondwoman wife. These are our brothers and sisters in Christ who are indeed Abraham’s seed. But like Christ said with His ‘Is, Was and Will Be’ Words:

Mat 8:12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Remember, it wasn’t just unbelieving Jews who wanted Christ dead. It was “those Jews which believed on Him:”

Joh 8:30 As he spake these words, many believed on him.
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;
Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Joh 8:33 They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
Joh 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
Joh 8:35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
Joh 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Joh 8:37 I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

“Ye seek to kill me… because my word hath no place in you… you are of your father the devil…” all words spoken to “those Jews which believed on Him,” who came by the multitudes to hear Christ’s words. It is exactly the same today.

This is what Ishmael, the son of Abraham, born of a bondwoman, represents. He represents all of the multitudes of Christians who come to Christ and like some of what they hear but simply cannot go all the way with Christ to the cross. They simply cannot accept that Christ really means that we are to love our enemies, and for many Christian women, they simply cannot accept “I suffer not a woman to teach” as a “commandment of the Lord.”

These people actually think that because they have taken of their time to go and sit at Christ’s feet that the very least Christ can do for them is to feed them with His loaves and fishes. To these Christians, much of what Christ teaches is very good, but there are some things that are also very bad. Here are Paul’s words concerning this group of Christians:

Gal 4:28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
Gal 4:29 But as then he that was [spiritually] born after the flesh [carnal minded brothers] persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
Gal 4:30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
Gal 4:31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.
[But we still have a brother who persecutes us]

I know you already know this, but we have spiritual brothers who are “born after the flesh.” This is all being spoken of in the spiritual realm. That “son of the bondwoman” is just another spiritual term for “Babylon The Great, The Mother of Harlots and of Abominations of the earth (church).”

The answer to this twisting of the scriptures to use the word ‘bride’ as a means of nullifying God’s words regarding the function of women in His body, is answered with your excellent treatise on ‘the fullness now’ doctrine. We are all the things we are promised in Christ. We are all of those things right now. Whether we are speaking of being a son, a priest, a king, a ruler, an angel, a house on a rock, a pillar in the temple, etc. etc. We are all of these things now:

1Jn 3:2 (a) Beloved, now are we the sons of God…

But it is only in earnest, in down payment form:

Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

So we are given the rest of 1Jn 3:2:

1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

It is the resurrection of the dead which is “the redemption of the purchased possession” and this ‘fullness now’ doctrine which you dealt with so well is really nothing more or less than a slight twist on the old “the resurrection is past” doctrine which Paul was struggling with in his day:

2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2Ti 2:16 But shun profane [and] vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.

Have you ever thought of “profane and vain babblings” as false doctrines?

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

So instead of “the resurrections is past,” ‘fullness now’ doctrines, we are given the same assurance we were given in Eph 1:13, the assurance of being sealed and known of God:

2Ti 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

And we are also reminded that there is still “the son of the bondwoman” in our Father’s house:

2Ti 2:20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
2Ti 2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, [and] prepared unto every good work.

It should not take a spiritual rocket scientist to see that Ishmael and Esau are “Abraham’s children” who have been placed in his house as “vessels of dishonor.” They are there in the “great man’s house” for that very reason; to “persecute the son of the forewoman”.

Gal 4:29 But as then he that was born after the flesh [carnal-minded brothers] persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.

So again, just remember that even the bride is being revealed in a process of which we must say:

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.

I hope I’ve said something which you will find edifying. I know that I am always edified and encouraged every time I hear from you. I was especially edified by that scripture in Psalms:

Psa 37:10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
Psa 37:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

It brings this verse to mind:

Mat 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

I appreciate your input, too, so let me know what you think. I’ve learned much since I’ve come to know you.

Mike