Hello Mike,

Only recently have I been “being” given “eyes to see and ears to hear” to the Glory of God! I am reading the study notes from The Types and Shadows of the New Testament. I’m presently reading the healing of the blind man in John 9. I believe God has opened my eyes to a Truth, and I was just wondering if you have seen this. It seems the parents of the once blind man typify those of us that refuse to go on into maturity.

Joh 9:22 These things said his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man should confess him to be Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.
Joh 9:23 Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him.

Is that the way you see it? I thank God that he has brought me out of her! Please pray that God will continue to open my eyes to his wonderful Truths.

God bless and thank you.

J____

Wow! God really is opening your eyes. I could not agree more, and no, I had not seen that before. But I have no doubt that what you have been shown is true because of this verse:

1Jn 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

We are being judged now, and we are the ‘christ’ of Christ:

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?

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

Now look at the prayer of those who were hiding from the Jews while Peter was in prison:

Act 4:26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.

The word ‘christ’ means anointed. God’s elect are Christ’s anointed. And for anyone to claims to be chosen out of Babylon as God’s anointed and “chosen… few” is today felt by ‘historical orthodox Christianity’ to be worthy of stoning in a spiritual sense. In fact, that is exactly what we are told is done to these people.

God’s elect are typified as “two witnesses.” Two is the number of witness. (Read the study notes and listen to the audio on the subject of the spiritual significance of the number ‘two.’)

Now what happens to these ‘two witnesses’ once they have “finished their testimony” to someone who rejects that testimony:

Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Rev 11:4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
Rev 11:5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
Rev 11:6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
Rev 11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
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.

In the commentary on Revelation, which we are going through now verse by verse [Ed: 2008], we will scripturally prove to you that this is a book of signs and symbols. We will also prove scripturally that you are to “keep the sayings of the prophecy of this book… for the time is at hand.”

So whatever is happening to God’s witnesses has been happening to God’s witnesses for the past two thousand years.

Now you and I, as His witnesses, do not physically spit fire out of our mouths as that ridiculous piece of fiction called ‘Left Behind’ portrayed. Here is scriptural proof of what ‘fire in your mouth’ really means:

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

There is your “fire proceeding out of their mouth.” No one is physically killed in verse five:

Rev 11:5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

And no one is physically killed in verse 7:

Rev 11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

The “beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit” is those who withstand God’s witnesses who “keep the sayings of the prophecy of this book:”

Rev 22:9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

This angel has just identified himself as the ‘two witnesses” the “manchild which is to rule all nations with a rod of iron,” the “four beasts and the four and twenty elders,” the “one hundred and forty and four thousand” the “kind of firstfruits” “the bride the Lamb’s wife” the “New Jerusalem” and any other title which is attached to those who will be ruling and reigning with Christ. They are all “thy brethren… which keep the sayings of the prophecy of this book.”

Now the beast which ascends out of the bottomless pit doesn’t physically kill God’s witnesses any more than God’s witness physically “kill… any man that [will] hurt them.” The ‘killing’ in verse seven is just as figurative and symbolic and “signified” as the ‘killing’ in verse five. The ‘killing in both cases is “in heaven.” (Read the paper What and Where Is Heaven?) Heaven is where God dwells. And God dwells in His people. So all of the warring and conflict taking place in this book is in the hearts and minds of God’s people.

God’s witnesses “after the first and second admonition” consider their detractors to be dead.

Tit 3:10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;

This is a very unpopular verse of scripture and is seldom ever quoted “in the streets of that great city”. But it too, “is for our admonition.” This verse is the “killed” of verse five. But the rejection of the admonition of God’s witnesses is the “kill them” which “the beast which comes up out of the bottomless pit” perpetrates upon God’s witnesses. No one physically dies in either case. But Paul Crouch and Benny Hinn and the entire orthodox Christian church considers God’s elect as “dead in the streets of that great city wherein our Lord was crucified.” Christ was crucified by His own people, “those Jews which believed on Him [who were] of their father the devil.”

Very few people indeed realize that the people who wanted Christ dead were the exact same people who ate of His loaves and fishes and who proclaimed him “the kingdom of our father David…”

Mar 11:10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.

They were “those Jews which believed on Him… [who were] of their father the devil.”

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 [Greek: μένω, meno – abide] 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 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
Joh 8:44 Ye [Jews which believe on Me] are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Those who withstand God’s Truth “cannot hear His Word.” Let us all beg God that we can all say “I am your fellowservant and of those who keep the sayings of the prophecy of this book” just as Christ told us to do:

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

Luk 8:15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

Luk 11:28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed [are] they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

Joh 8:51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying [“of the prophecy of this book”], he shall never see death.

There are seventy other examples of this word ‘keep’ which demonstrate that we are to “keep the sayings of the prophecy of this book” as we would ‘guard’ our very lives. We keep God’s word when we observe and do it:

Mat 23:3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe [Greek: τηρέω, tereo – keep], that observe [Greek: τηρέω, tereo keep] and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

Thank you for your insight. I hope that you too, have been edified as I have been.

Mike