Mike,

I think I have learned a some helpful truth regarding the question I sent you a few days ago.

Rev 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

As you know there is a physical sword, and there is a spiritual sword (the word of God), which is clearly a spiritual sword coming out of his mouth. When we compare what happened under Moses at Mount Sinai with what happened in Act 2, we start to see the difference in swords.
When we look at the people in Exodus chapter 20 when God gave the ten commandments to the people, the day that later became known as Pentecost, God came down and spoke the commandments to the people, and they all ran away and didn’t want to hear his voice. But in Act 2 there were 120 who were willing to hear.

Exo 32:1 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
Exo 32:7 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:
Exo 32:26 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD’s side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.
Exo 32:27. And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.
Exo 32:28. And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.

But in the NT in Act 2 things were different. In the NT the ones who were representing Levi, on the Lord’s side, accepted the word, unlike the Levites under Moses. In Act 2 when they came off the mount (the upper room), they had a sharp sword from their mouth. And what happened? Act 2:41 says, “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”
The effect of their sword was the death of the flesh (the body of sin), rather than the physical body. This sword made them repent. So we see that God’s true mind in Exo 20 was to add 3000 unto the church, but because they refused to hear, all they were left with was a physical sword, Son 3000 were subtracted. The sword of the word is the true sword of Pentecost. So we see His Plan and Will.

Hos 6:4 O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away.
Hos 6:5 Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth.
Hos 6:6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

J____

Hi J____,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me.

When we come to see the law as a negative to produce a positive, just like the negatives of a film, then we will understand that life comes only through death.

Joh 12:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
Joh 12:25  He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
Col 1:22  In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

Those who have been given “eyes to see” know that we are “the body of His flesh”, and those with eyes to see will acknowledge that even the flesh of Christ was unfit to inherit the kingdom of God, simply because it really was Adamic flesh both 2,000 years ago and to this very day.

Eph 5:30  For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
1Co 15:50  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
Mat 19:17  And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
Luk 13:32  And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

Any and all who deny this truth “are that spirit of antichrist.”

1Jn 4:2  Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
1Jn 4:3  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh [ within us] is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

This verse concerns Christ’s body while He was in a body of flesh, and it also concerns the risen Christ who “is in you” (Col 1:27).
I pray God will continue to open your eyes to the things of the spirit, “comparing spiritual things with spiritual”, which is given to so few to understand.

1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Your brother in Christ,
Mike