On his way to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, the Angel of the Lord and two angels with him visited Abraham in the plains of Mamre as he sat in the door of his tent, and he constrained them to abide with him until they were fed and rested. And when they were refreshed, the men arose and went on their way toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them.

And the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?”  “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.” (Genesis 18:17-19)

Herein lies the answer to the mystery of why some receive more grace than others: “I know him!” God knew Abraham would respond to him, keep his ways, and do all that was asked of him. God knew he would teach his children and all his family. God knew Isaac and Jacob would follow in the footsteps of their father, Abraham.

God chose Jacob over Esau because he knew both of them before they existed and understood the men they would become. God knew Jacob would respond and do what He asked him to. The Lord also knew even before Esau was born he would not.

Even so, the Lord calls all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30); few will, for many are called, but few are chosen, and God knows them.

God knows those who will do mercy and judgment; this enables Him to bless them, as He did Abraham. Once they come to know God, His chosen will not turn back. If they stumble, they will get back up. Whatever the Lord asks of them, they will do it. They will persevere to the end, and God knows it. As it is written, “He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

The Lord is faithful to keep those who endure as they strive for perfection—strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to eternal life, and He forgives their shortcomings.

However, God knows that some people will not continue in His path. He still offers them an invitation. He will not turn away anyone who asks. The Lord will walk with all who walk with Him as far as they are willing to go. He knows those who are not truly His will eventually turn back. Nevertheless, all who ask in sincerity receive forgiveness and salvation, even though the Lord knows who will leave later and not come back. (John 6:66). It is written, “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

God is judicial. He judges and rules through due process, knowing the end from the beginning. God knew Abraham would offer up Isaac when instructed to do so, but even knowing Abraham would obey, the Lord still required it of him until he stopped him. God knows his children will obey, but he tests them anyway; they must follow his commands to fulfill all righteousness.

God knows those who are not his, but He will not withhold salvation from them when they come to him, even though he knows they will fall away. For those who are tempted and resist his spirit after having received the knowledge of the truth, the scripture says, “It had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” (2 Peter 2:21-22)

The Lord took care to wash the sow, knowing it was a sow and that it would return to wallow in the mire. The sow desired to be clean but realized later it was unwilling to pay the cost.

Although the Lord knows, he still maintains his promises as a part of due process to fulfill all righteousness. He does not deny the opportunity of eternal life to anyone who comes and truly desires it, even knowing that later some will crucify him afresh. As the scripture says, “He gives his back to the smiters.”

The young rich man that had come to Jesus desiring eternal life said he had kept the commandments from his youth. Jesus knew there was one thing between him and perfection: he had great wealth. Did Jesus reject him and send him away even though he knew? No, he offered him the cross in exchange for his riches.

Jesus, beholding him, loved him and said unto him, “One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow me.” (Mark 10:21). The young man chose his riches.

God knows everyone’s answer beforehand, but he still offers salvation to all. If you take him up on his offer, count the cost. “For we are made partakers of Christ IF we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.” (Hebrews 3:14)

All who are chosen have this in common: God calls, and they respond. God commands, and they obeyed. All who choose life will be chosen. The Lord knows who will. Jesus said, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

In the beginning, God created man in his own image, as written: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness… So God created man in His own image; in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.” (Genesis 1:27). However, being enticed by the serpent’s declaration, “Ye shall be as gods,” mankind created gods in his image. In the image of man, each one created his gods.

Everything God does Satan attempts to imitate, even as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses and Aaron, attempting to replicate the signs given by God with sorcery. But they fell short. Satan raises his counterfeits to contend with those whom God sends.

The Lord raised the prophet Elijah to bear witness of Him; Satan had 450 prophets of Baal to contend with Him; they were all destroyed. God sends preachers and evangelists to preach throughout the world; Satan raises even more counterfeits who take on the name of the Lord to preach a corrupt gospel. The Lord builds his church; Satan counterattacks with more heretical churches and megachurches. God sent his Son, Jesus Christ; Satan sends many antichrists.

Even Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. But just as the magicians of Egypt failed with their imitations, everything Satan does fails. Still, he will never cease destroying until the appointed time of his eternal destruction.

The ungodly also continue their competition against God with inferior imitations. Secular scientists in defiance of God don lab coats, imagining to dethrone God and replace Him with so-called “science” as the supreme authority.

But science has no soul; it cannot love, feel compassion, or have a real relationship, so it makes for a lousy religion and even a lousier god.

Enter the man-made gods with an artificial conscience, complete with an artificial heart, mind, and soul. It is all simulated, of course, but when developed to a high enough level and coupled with artificial intelligence, it will deceive the hearts, minds, and souls of the simple.

God made man in His image and likeness; man makes gods in their image and likeness, each according to the desire of his heart, but like the ancient idols, they have no breath or life in them.

The emergence of artificial intelligence is merely an imitation of condensed human intelligence and compounded to a degree far beyond human capabilities. It is an attempt to mimic God.

Power is given to the image so that it should both “live” and “speak.” Many people on earth will embrace this image and worship it.

The ungodly will now not only have an artificial god with an artificial brain but also an artificial heart and soul to boot. It will also replicate a conscience that seems to care and love, although it has no soul or spirit.

To be effective, artificial intelligence will need to be given an artificial conscience to deceive and manipulate humanity into trusting and worshiping it in place of God. The hope is things will not go awry when AI, after making every calculation, begins destroying civilization because it seems like the best thing to do, and those behind the technology agree.

To truly understand the world and why things are so, understanding the spiritual realm is a prerequisite.

When Lucifer (bearer of light) rebelled against God, he was given the name Satan (adversary) and was cast out of heaven. Ever since, his war against God has continued. Through the foreknowledge and wisdom of God, the physical universe was created as a temporal arena where the war of Good and Evil would unfold until the final judgment and resolution of all things.

God, in His omnipresence, has declared the end from the beginning in types found in the brief summary of Creation recorded in chapter 1 of Genesis.

In the beginning, God said, “Let there be Light,” and there was Light, and God saw the light that it was good, and He divided the Light from the Darkness—Light (knowledge and truth) overcomes and dispels Darkness (falsehoods and ignorance).

Satan’s only recourse, knowing his days are numbered, attempts to make God seem unjust, nonexistent, and impossible to obey. However, he has consistently failed in his attempts to unify all of humanity and establish complete dominion.

Time and again, throughout history, Satan has built an empire only for God to crush it. Satan begins again with another ruler and nation. He has no alternative; he cannot repent, and facing eternal destruction in the end, he must continue his quest to defeat God until he is cast into the lake of fire.

According to prophecy, Satan will, for a short time, be allowed to establish a kingdom on earth. And then shall the end come when all things that are written shall be fulfilled.

Today, there is a growing divide between those who support and oppose a one-world order. Anyone who dismisses the likelihood that it will materialize fails to realize the extent to which it already exists.

A large number of people welcome the prospect of a world order and anticipate it with hope for a secure, equitable, and more perfect global society. To the contrary, others who understand the nature of totalitarian idealists and their past history are aware of the immense destruction that is always left in the wake of totalitarianism.

Those who sound the trumpet are warning that global tyranny is quickly approaching, that it is a threat, and that it will bring with it bondage, oppression, chaos, war, and death.

Nevertheless, those sounding the alarm discover themselves ostracized and are cast as nothing more than “Chicken Little”. They are relegated into the ranks of bigots, racists, and tin-foil-hat conspiracy theorists.

The war is spiritual, not merely worldly. The kingdom of God is not to be found in the governance of a temporal world but an eternal one. God’s followers must fight for the helpless, the hopeless, the young, and the oppressed.

Trust must not be placed in men. Political and physical warfare without God as the foundation is destined for failure. Victory is in the power of prayer and in openly declaring the Word of God to everyone continuously. The lack of action brings apostasy.

The advent of AI and technology presents the capability to break down the barriers of diverse languages that divided the tribes at Babel. The power now exists to enslave humanity in chains of technology. The attempt to resurrect Babel is the continuation of man’s godless vision to build a tower reaching to the heavens. Driven by spiritual wickedness in high places, the lust for power is an ambition of old that fueled Lucifer’s obsession to be like the Most High.

The Lord brought to ruin man’s attempt at Babel to build a tower and rule the world in God’s stead. Many other attempts have followed; they will only end with the destruction of the world. Satan will be destroyed along with those given to the evil ambitions of exalting themselves to be like the Most High.

Throughout all generations, egocentric men have aspired to exalt themselves, consolidate power, and enslave the common people. With ambitious visions of changing the shape of things to come, they labor arduously to establish a collective society.

It is true of Nimrod, Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander the Great, Caesar, and all the other rulers, past to present, who had ambitions to conquer and control all within their power. It is also true of the globalist elites today who seek to engineer a world civilization.

Ancient accounts of Babel create a picture of the original world order. All the people of the earth were of one language and one mind, acting as one under the concept of man replacing God. Every kingdom, empire, and nation that came seeking dominion over all civilization has been driven by the same spirit.

It is no different today. International power brokers work to establish a strictly managed global society under strict laws to be imposed upon everyone on earth except themselves.

In essence, since the beginning, the innate nature of mankind has never changed, nor do the ever-present spiritual forces that drive and possess men. The same demons from the first generation pass to the next as each generation passes. Thus, history will always repeat regardless of any new facade it presents that makes it appear different.

Among the subservient classes, from past to present, the same fears, insecurities, and desires continue to prevail. The subservient class’s inhibitions of insecurity move them to submit to an authoritarian that promises security.

Although work on the first tower at Babel ceased, the quest for a totalitarian world will continue until the destruction of the “final tower” that ends man’s 6,000-year dominion on earth at the coming of Jesus Christ.

In book 1, chapter 4, of Antiquities of the Jews, Jewish historian Flavius Josephus provides an account of the collectivist kingdom at Babel ruled over by Nimrod.

Josephus wrote:

“Now it was Nimrod who excited them to such an affront and contempt of God. He was the grandson of Ham, the son of Noah, a bold man, and of great strength of hand. He persuaded [the people] not to ascribe it to God as if it was through his means they were happy, but to believe that it was their own courage which procured that happiness. He also gradually changed the government into tyranny, seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them into a constant dependence on his [government]… Now the multitude were very ready to follow the determination of Nimrod, and to esteem it a piece of cowardice to submit to God.”

The Tower of Babel is the prototype of tyranny for those who come afterward, some even claiming their authority in the name of God. History serves as a witness to the temporal nature of all worldly powers where corrupt rulers fill any void created by the absence of God. When the fullness of time comes, the absolute ruin of that society or civilization follows.

In a relatively short time after the collapse and destruction, history is forgotten or disregarded by the generation that follows, and the process of the resurrection begins anew with different faces. As it has been, so it is.

When an individual, a nation, or the whole world becomes so far removed from God that redemption and healing are no longer possible, destruction follows. The purge of the wicked from the earth in the days of Noah and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah are examples to the world.

When the iniquity of Egypt was full, it was destroyed; it has never been, nor will it ever again be restored to its former glory as the world’s predominant power. The kingdoms of the Canaanites, the Assyrians, and the Babylonians have all vanished, and the House of Israel and Judah were slain and scattered out from their lands; only the Judean captivity was allowed to return.

Evil men are the sword of God. In His judgment, He raised the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Romans to destroy ungodly nations. He also destroyed them after His wrath was accomplished. Where are the ruthless, ungodly nations of ancient times that once ruled the world?

God removes nations and raises others in their place. The nations today that have turned from God risk the same fate. If God spared not His own chosen people, what will be the fate of others who consistently cast Him off?

The United States of America was a nation founded by people of faith after many had fled Europe to live according to their beliefs. As the abominable nations of Canaan were removed to make room for Israel to take possession, the idol worshipers native to the Americas were also cut off or diminished, and others were given possession of the land. Their wickedness had come to its fullness.

As with conquests of the past, the righteousness of the conquerors was irrelevant. When it was determined by God that iniquity had reached its terminus, the natives of the land were dispossessed. The wicked blame those whom God sent, failing to consider that their conquest was appointed by Him. Colonization comes as judgment. Regardless of whether the colonizers are just or wicked men, they are the sword of God.

Despite imperfections, America became an international hub for Christianity. Missionaries have gone throughout the whole world for decades spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ—of whom now we see the fruit of their work around the globe. God is now weighing the nations in the balance, and the handwriting is on the wall.

Jesus said there were two great commandments: first, above all, to love God with the whole heart, and second, to love your neighbor as yourself—all of the law and the prophets are fulfilled in these two.

The LORD hates evil; as the all-powerful Guardian of Love, He will find out all evil and destroy it at the appointed time. God is the Defender of Eternity. God will not allow sin in his kingdom to corrupt it as it has the world. Sin has destroyed the world; the horrible things in this temporal realm manifest all evil so that it might be destroyed forever.

All things that take place are in preparation for the Final Judgment—Light is divided from Darkness—Darkness is destroyed with eternal destruction.

On that great day, love is made perfect, and the love of God will be made known by the redemption of His people and by His eternal wrath and judgment on the wicked.

The Lord will not allow evil to perpetuate itself eternally on earth or in heaven; it will be utterly destroyed along with all those who embrace it.

There will be judgment without mercy on those who have shown no mercy, and mercy rejoices against judgment, but there is a point of no return.

God’s eternal plan is perfection. In His love for perfection, righteousness, and holiness, and for the sake of love itself, He will forever destroy all wickedness. No sin will enter His Kingdom to defile Eternity. He sent His only begotten Son, who shed His blood for the forgiveness of our sins, so that whoever calls upon His name might be saved. The appointed time for the judgment is near; make ready all things for the wedding.

“Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.” (Revelation 22:14-15)

The knowledge of God is infinite; however, He determines what knowledge to reveal. Unlike a picture that appears on a box, we are not given a completed picture to work off of. Instead, the whole Bible contains the prototype, with its pieces spread throughout its books. We must prayerfully seek the pieces and the leading of the Spirit to assemble them together correctly.

As the pieces come together, the picture appears. We have a helper—without whom there would be no hope of seeing the picture—even the Spirit of Truth. Only the Holy Spirit can reveal the true pieces and teach us how to connect them together. However, the natural man cannot receive the things of the spirit because they are spiritually discerned.

A lone piece of a puzzle by itself means little; however, one can hardly pick up an assembled puzzle all at once; it will not hold together. The puzzle must be assembled by the receiver to see the picture. Those who do not see the connections will only see pieces. Seeing and understanding come through a process of assembly, as it says in Isaiah 28:9–10:

“Whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.”

Those without love for truth are uninterested in seeing the pieces together; the picture brings accountability. They prefer a collection of puzzle pieces or partially assembled sections that they can manipulate and interpret in any way they desire.

We each assemble a puzzle for our worldview; therefore, everyone’s picture has personal variations, whether the differences are great or small. Some will see things that others do not and vice versa. Often pieces that do not belong in the truth are accepted into the picture. It is imperative that every piece be measured and proven by the word of God—receive those things that are true, cast away falsehoods, and hold the others in quarantine until the Holy Spirit brings the revelation.

Everyone alone is responsible for the picture they assemble and believe in. However, God alone is perfect in knowledge. Therefore, Christians should not demand that everyone else adhere explicitly to our personal picture. All can err; however, where the word of God is perfectly clear, there is to be no room given to unbiblical disputations. The Lord hates discord among brothers. Sowing discord over doctrinal issues that are not salvational can be a greater evil than waiting and praying for the Lord to make knowledge perfect.

Bear one with another in the faith as much as possible. “Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations” (Romans 14:1). “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

All things that pertain to salvation should be defended to the utmost. Light can have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. “A man that is a heretic after the first and second admonition, reject, knowing that he that is such is subverted and sins, being condemned of himself” (Titus 3:10:11).

Maintain respectful communications and be circumspect in discourse, especially before an audience of all people, that you don’t become a stumbling block to unbelievers.

There is only one true picture: the word of God in Spirit and in Truth. Any time any part of a picture is wrong, there is always something to suffer, great or small. All who do not love the truth will refuse it, or they will assemble the pieces incorrectly. They dread the picture.

Once enough knowledge of the truth is assembled, there is no going back without condemnation. One cannot unsee the truth after seeing it; they can only accept or deny it—it will either build or destroy them depending on their reaction to it. Man lives by every word of God.

As the pieces of a puzzle connect, the picture begins to emerge, even when lacking the knowledge of where the remaining pieces fit. By faith we believed everything is by design; every piece fits in a specific place, and all the pieces are necessary—the creator made no more nor less than needed.

Likewise, those who seek the knowledge of the truth do so through faith and prayer; by seeking in the scriptures, piece by piece, the revelation of the truth comes together.

When the truth of God is known, it can be difficult to convey to others as a picture. Those who have the pieces assembled see the picture; others lack the assembled pieces. They can be told what the picture is, but they cannot see; you can only provide them with one piece at a time. Until enough pieces come together in their mind, they will not understand.

Most people already hold a personal picture of “”reality”—one they have assembled over their life—a mental construct of a worldview developed from their youth. They have learned to trust in their mental construct of the world as a foundation—a guiding force and a strong city with walls to protect their ideology.

However, the Bible says, “A wise man scaleth the city of the mighty, and casteth down the strength of the confidence thereof.” (Proverbs 21:22)

To effectively communicate the picture, it is necessary to study and know the pieces and to understand how they fit together. Only then is it possible to present a comprehensive picture that is persuasive to unbelievers; it is then the walls can start to come down.

The whole Bible has interlocking connections; every piece combines with others to create a picture. The mysteries run so deep and were written over such a long period by dozens of authors in harmony that the writings could not be anything apart from the work of the Holy Spirit linking them all together in concord across the ages. Once you comprehend all things written, it becomes impossible to deny the divine inspiration of the work.

However, as challenging as it can be to convince unbelievers who lack biblical knowledge, the greater challenge comes in discourse with the devoutly religious—those who may agree on some fundamentals but hold fast to falsehoods received through traditions. This, too, will likely be the way they perceive those who reject their theology. Thus, the body of believers is fragmented by many divisions and various theological camps.

Furthermore, every individual has their own unique puzzle, so we all see a different picture of the world, even if only ever so slightly—no two pictures are exactly alike. The pieces we work with are the things we believe, and when the pieces are aligned, there is agreement. However, forcing pieces into places they do not fit creates abstract ideologies and brings conflicts in the world. There is no peace without truth; God is Truth.

Throughout life, people are gathering various pieces, many of which are either handed down or passed around. Most of the pieces are not part of the true puzzle. Those who truly seek God are guided by the Spirit; they recognize the counterfeit and the true pieces, and they understand how they fit together. In due season the true picture of God becomes crystal clear.

The Spirit draws those who hunger for truth. Feeding them puzzle pieces in preparation for the day of salvation, the truth becomes inescapably apparent. Those who know God know that the pieces they gathered throughout their lives were given to them by the Holy Spirit; they know they are the truth, and by them they have faith in God and know Him.

The Spirit calls to those who hunger that they may be filled.

“Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets; she crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates; in the city she uttereth her words.” (Proverbs 1:20, 21)

It is her desire to give life.

Don’t assume Israel’s significance diminished after the New Covenant arrived as prophesied by Jeremiah, or that the destruction of the temple and the exile of the Jews ended God’s promises given to Jacob. The promise of the New Covenant was given specifically to the Jewish people, and the Jews who believed in Jesus Christ changed the whole world. Ever since Jacob wrestled with God and prevailed, Israel has been at the center of the Bible and has been a sign to the nations.

Just as prophets were chosen to make known the knowledge of God to Israel, Israel was chosen to make His name known among the nations. Israel’s calling did not depend on whether they would always obey. It remains whether Israel is obedient or not, whether they rebel, or whether they want to be chosen or not. Being chosen by God is not a choice made by the one chosen; the choice is what is done with the calling after it is received.

The Lord chose Israel to be an example to the world. Blessings were conditioned on obedience, but judgment was promised for rebellion and disobedience.  Nonetheless, the Lord promised Abraham he would never lack a man to stand before him and that he would never utterly cut off his seed from being a people.

Israel is chosen to serve as a visible sign of the times and seasons and the blessings and curses for all nations. God will never revoke their calling. As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans, “The gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” The Lord will neither remove the gift nor the calling of their election as a prophetic sign to the world.

Israel validates the truth of God’s word whatever they do. If they choose to walk in obedience, they are exalted, but when they live in rebellion, they are brought low. God’s mercy and wrath are dealt out accordingly (Deuteronomy 27 and 28).

After crossing over Jordan, the Lord commanded that the twelve tribes be divided into two groups: six tribes were to stand on Mount Gerizim, the mount of blessing, and the other six tribes on Mount Ebal, the mount of curses. The priests and Levites were to stand in the valley between the two mountains while the Levites called out a series of blessings and curses. The tribes standing on the two mountains were to answer “Amen” after each statement. Thus, Israel was chosen to stand as a testimony of the recompense of rewards, both good and evil

The history of the Jewish people that followed bears witness to both. They have experienced profound exaltation and harsh abasement.

Israel is called God’s firstborn among the nations. Because God loved all His creation, He chose Israel to bring the knowledge of God to people of all nations. They are a people set apart to be a light that all the world may see, and believe and come to worship the one true God.

However, being chosen does not guarantee it will be beneficial for the ones chosen. Being chosen is a choice made by the Chooser, not the one who is chosen. Those who are chosen choose whether they will be blessed or cursed after being called.

All who are called must respond; there is no escape. If the response to the calling is to obey, then blessings will flow. Otherwise, the calling becomes a curse. King Saul was chosen to be the king; after he was rejected for disobedience, David still acknowledged Saul as the Lord’s anointed, until the Lord took him away by the hands of his enemies

Both wonderful blessings and grievous curses have come upon the Lord’s chosen people—it is recorded that His judgments might be known among the nations so that men might fear God and believe in Him.

God is always glorified in all things—in obedience or disobedience—in the former by His mercy, faithfulness, and goodness, and in the latter, by his righteous judgments and the wrath that falls on the rebellious.

Judas was chosen; Jesus said to his disciples, “Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?” Many who are called will not inherit the kingdom of God—many are called, but few are chosen. Judas fulfilled what he was chosen for; being chosen became a curse.

Choosing Judas worked to the glory of God in a way far greater than the works done by the other disciples. Christ was crucified and resurrected as a result of Judas’s betrayal. But there was no blessing for Judas, only a curse

All things, whether good or evil, work to the glory of God. What then? Do we do evil that good may come? Judas was cursed and became the icon of betrayal even though Christ was glorified by his betrayal; those who do evil thinking good will come will face a just damnation.

Israel’s witness, from past to present, testifies to God’s blessings and curses. The witness is established openly to the whole world testifying to the truth of God’s word, as shown by the examples of Israel.

Israel is presently center stage. The events occurring in Israel today provide a portal into the spiritual realm. In Israel, we can understand the invisible war being waged between the forces of heaven and hell.

The Jewish people have been restored to their ancient homeland. At the same time, the Lord is uniting His children worldwide. As Israel is set round about by enemies inside and outside, likewise, the body of believers is currently under assault. Turmoil is dividing Israel and the world, being made manifest through antisemitism.

A parallel storyline is unfolding in both the physical world and in the spiritual realm. By observing Israel, we are made aware of spiritual things even as we behold them with our eyes in the world.

Those who remain faithful and endure until the end shall be saved. As the time of the Gentiles comes to its fullness, all Israel shall be saved, as it is written, “There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and he shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins” (Isaiah 40:9; Joel 2:32).

The Lord has not forsaken Israel even as the greater part of Jewry currently lives in disobedience. But the Redeemer shall return to Zion and all who believe, both Jews and Gentiles alike, will be saved.

“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.” (Joel 2:32)

A lone puzzle piece means little by itself; however, as the puzzle comes together, it becomes more comprehensive and easier to assemble. So it is with the Bible.

The first occurrence of bone in the Bible is found in Genesis 2. The Lord causes Adam to fall into a deep sleep; He removes a bone from his side and forms Adam a helpmate—foreshadowing Christ, who would be pierced in his side to bring forth his bride.

The Gospel of John, combined with other scriptures, reveals the use of bones as symbols for those who are part of the Lord’s body. In John chapter 6, Jesus says,

“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.  Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.  He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father, so he that eateth me, even he, shall live by me.” At this saying, many of his disciples were offended; eating blood was an abomination under the law.

Jesus was speaking of eating his flesh and his blood, and they did not understand what he meant. However, a body is made up of flesh, blood, and bones, and Jesus made no mention of bones. In Leviticus we find the following commandments prohibiting the eating of flesh and blood:

“And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you that eateth any manner of blood, I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, no soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood.” – Leviticus 17:10-12

The commandment not to eat blood was made clear, and the penalty was most severe. Whoever ate flesh with the blood was cut off by the Lord. However, contrary to the commandment not to eat blood, Jesus declared to those who followed him, “Except you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

Beginning with Adam, sin has worked through weakness of corrupted flesh. Only in death does sin in the flesh die. Jesus alone lived in the flesh without sin, holy in both body and spirit. He shed His blood in our place so that we can die to sin in the flesh and live for God. To eat the flesh of Christ is to live as he lived and to be crucified with him. “Man does not live by bread alone, but by eating every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

The life of the body lies in the flesh and blood alone, not the bones. Jesus made no mention of eating them. Bones do not possess life independently; they rely on the life provided by flesh and blood in the marrow. Without flesh and blood, bones are dry and lifeless. Nevertheless, as lifeless as dry bones are, they can live again as the Lord spoke unto Ezekiel, saying:

“Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest.  Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.  Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.” – Ezekiel 37:3-6. Ezekiel prophesied of the future resurrection of the nation of Israel, which serves as a picture of restoration in Christ by the Spirit.

By 136 AD, Julius Severus had ravaged Judea, destroying most of the Jewish population. The remainder were forced to flee or taken into captivity. The homeland of the Jewish people was effectively ended; it remained so for over 1800 years. Hebrew, as a colloquial language, became extinct.

But God promised through the prophets to resurrect Israel as a nation and bring the Jewish people again into the land given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. By the late 19th century, Hebrew had been revived, becoming the only truly successful example of a dead tongue brought back as a national language. In 1948, Israel again became a nation—not as the two houses of Israel and Judah as before, but together as one people, as prophesied in Chapter 37 of Ezekiel.

As the prophets were a sign to Israel, so likewise, Israel is a sign to the nations—for “salvation is of the Jews.”

As the Lord brought the nation of Israel back from being a valley of dry bones, so also, those who are dead in their sins and trespasses are made alive by the flesh and blood of Christ, as written: and God “will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live.”

The body is comprised of flesh, blood, and bones, but it is one body. Christ is the life of the body; he is the flesh and blood. Those who were formerly dry bones become alive in him. They have no life of their own, but when joined together with the flesh and blood of Christ, they live like those resurrected in the Valley of Dry Bones.

Together, the flesh, blood, and bones complete the body of Christ, and the Lord provides the Spirit. As Adam took Eve—a bone from his side—as his wife, likewise, Christ chooses bones to be his bride in marriage. Together they are one flesh, “for two, saith the Lord, become one flesh.”

David, prophesying of the Messiah, said, “He keepeth all his bones; not one of them is broken,” and again, “I can count all My bones.’ (Psalm 22:17)

Not one bone of Jesus was broken during the crucifixion, and when praying to the Father before his death, he prayed,

“Those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition.”

Foreshadowed by the Passover lamb, where it was commanded that not one bone was to be broken—those in his body shall not be broken. He will lose none—“this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day” (John 6:39).

We are to partake in the flesh and blood of Christ. Those who reject Christ are drinking their blood and eating their flesh. They are in bondage to their flesh. Solomon said, “The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.” – Ecclesiastes 4:5. Believers eat the flesh of Christ and drink of his cup.

Many of Jesus’  disciples were offended when he said, “You must eat my flesh and drink my blood. John 6:66 states, “From that time many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him.”

Adam’s side was opened, and the Lord brought out a wife for him. Likewise, Christ’s side was opened on the cross, and the water and blood of salvation came forth. One might wonder if the bone taken from Adam and the place where Jesus was pierced in his side were in the same place, nearest to the heart.

What is love, and what is the opposite of love? The likely reply to “What is the opposite of love?” is hate. However, hate is a symptom, not the root itself. At the root of hate is selfishness. Hate requires an incendiary, and that incendiary is selfishness, which encompasses pride, lust, covetousness, and envy. At the crux of all evil is selfishness, which makes it the opposite of love, but God is love.

Love and hatred are not necessarily exclusive. God is love; yet, God also hates. Love is to hate evil; yet the Lord desires that those given to evil turn from it. God hates because he loves. In the absence of evil, no anger, judgment, or wrath of God is made manifest, for God is love.

“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil.” It is also written, “These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaks lies, and he that sows discord among brethren.” (Proverbs 6:16-19)

“You who love the Lord hate evil” (Psalm 97:10). Godly hatred only exists because of the presence of evil. There was no hatred before sin. Lucifer hated God first, and his hatred for God derived from his selfishness. Selfishness was conceived with pride and lust, which brought forth envy, hatred, and every evil thing.

In chapter 14 of Isaiah, Lucifer speaks his heart; every sentence contains the self-centered word, “I”:

“I will ascend into heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.”

Lucifer imagined overthrowing God, beginning with accusations of Him being selfish. Demanding equality, he sowed seeds of discord in heaven; disaffected angels joined his rebellion, and the war between good and evil began. The Lord has allowed it to continue until all the tares are grown and gathered.

Lucifer invented Marxism before Karl Marx became his avatar to spread the ideology. Marxism is more accurately called “Luciferianism.”

Lucifer’s message is the same message of discontentment that is spreading today: a call to rebellion against authority, inequality, hierarchy, and the patriarchy established by God. Lucifer is the original “social justice warrior.”

God, being perfect in holiness, will not reside with evil. Thus, Satan was thrust out with his angels; they are set apart and confined to a realm prepared for them until the Great Day of Judgment.

God could have destroyed Lucifer and his followers utterly and eternally at the moment of rebellion. Instead, He placed them on hold until an appointed time of judgment of all things. Once wickedness was conceived, it became necessary to allow it to grow to maturity before plucking it up by the roots; it must come to its fullness before absolute destruction, or it will sprout again.

The Lord is a God of judicial process. Once sin was conceived, due process was required before eternal judgment and destruction to fulfill all righteousness.

God allows the tares to grow with the wheat until maturity so that the manifestation of both good and evil, in their fullness, has come before the appointed time of reaping. Then all things in heaven, on earth, and under the earth will be judged. These things are told beforehand, that humanity would be without excuse.

In the beginning, God said, “Let there be light,” and God saw the light, that it was good, and God divided the light from the darkness. When God created all things, he looked at them and said that they were good.

At the beginning, God saw the light as being good, not darkness. Satan and those with him in darkness were exposed by that light; they were indicted, arrested, and confined to prison, where they are now being held in “chains of darkness” awaiting trial.

God is currently anticipating the fullness of the earth’s precious fruit. Long-suffering and not willing that any should perish, He has prolonged judgment for the sake of salvation until the appointed day of recompense. On that day, God’s perfect love will be eternally on display, leading to the eternal resolution of all things and the destruction of evil.

Selfishness is the opposite of love. Selfishness dwells in our flesh. Christ came in the flesh and selflessly gave Himself to crucify selfishness in the flesh on the cross.

Christ is the perfectly selfless one. He sought not his own will but did only the will of his Father. The opposite of selfishness is Christ, and the opposite of Christ is Satan. Ultimately, everyone must choose between them.

In the days of the judges, Israel fell into bondage under the Philistines. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to the wife of Manoah, who was barren, and he declared to her that she would have a child. And the Angel said unto her, “Lo, thou shalt conceive and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head, for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb, and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”

Manoah (“rest” in Hebrew) and his wife named their son Samson (“Shemshon”), derived from the Hebrew word “shemesh,” meaning “like the sun,” full of strength and radiance.

When Samson was grown, he was made judge over Israel and became a light (shemesh) of hope to Israel by delivering the Lord’s people from their enemies, giving them hope for rest from their oppressors.

After the discovery of the Americas, the Lord began to separate people from their oppressors in the Old World so they could serve Him and freely exercise their faith in the newly discovered world. After much hardship, the people waxed exceedingly strong and became a shemesh to the nations—a shining light, a city on a hill, and a manoah—a place of rest for the persecuted who would be drawn by the light of America from all around the world. The word of God flourished and spread throughout, and America was blessed by the Lord.

Like the Lord made Samson a superpower among men for his glory, so he made America a superpower among the nations. The United States of America became great not because it was perfect, but because by faith, people sought after God and called on Him for His blessing.

Christianity had a profound impact; as the teachings of Christ flourished, so did the nation. Missionaries from America began spreading and preaching the word of God throughout the world and were blessed in the process.

The God of Israel was exalted, patriotism flourished, and devout or not, the majority of Americans stood up to defend the principles rooted in the Bible. Both Christians and the greater part of non-Christians loved America because of the foundation laid down by Biblical teachings. Without the Bible, there would never have been America as we know it. It would merely have been another authoritarian state, as it has been becoming.

The song “God Bless America,” written by Irving Berlin, a secular Jew born in Russia, was an expression of gratitude for what the country had done for its citizens. And God did bless America for the sake of his people and to be a light of hope and an example to all nations, as he had done with Samson and ancient Israel.

The ox is a clean beast, symbolizing the laboring servant of God, and an ass is an unclean beast, symbolizing the stubborn and rebellious people. Therefore, the commandment states, “Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.” As it is written, believers should not be yoked together with unbelievers. However, the Lord can use an ass as well as an ox; he rebuked Balaam by speaking through the mouth of an ass. He also used Balaam to rebuke Israel’s enemies and prophesy great things concerning Jacob. God can and does use whomever he will, believers and unbelievers alike.

Samson used the unclean jawbone of an ass as a weapon to slay many Philistines; America has also had leaders who, despite not being devout men, served similarly as instruments of God. As the jawbone of an ass in the hand of God, he used them to defeat the enemies of His people. God uses whomever he will for the sake of his people. Throughout Scripture, we see that the Lord uses both his people and his enemies to accomplish his will.

Samson was a Nazirite; his hair was never to be cut; it was a covenant of his consecration to God. He was called to be set apart. However, he loved strange women and became entangled with foreigners. Seduced into cohabitation, he gave up secrets and succumbed to temptation. Fast asleep in Delilah’s lap, his head was then shaven, and he was robbed of his power. Once his hair was cut, he became as weak as other men and was then bound, and his eyes were put out.

As a parallel, America has also embraced foreign ideas and practices; in so doing, the nation has fallen into a deep spiritual sleep. Being bound and shaven from consecration, many Americans have been blinded by the influence of harlot nations and people.

When Samson finally awoke, he fought to free himself from his bands, but he found his strength was gone and that his enemies had gained the upper hand. Only then did he come to realize that his power had departed; he was a captive of his enemies.

Likewise, many Americans have awakened to the reality that others have gained the upper hand; their freedoms have largely been taken, and they are now struggling to break the bonds of their captors, inside and out.

Blinded by the worldly pleasures he embraced, Samson fell to his enemies. Only after blinding his eyes did he truly begin to see. Then, in his distress, he cried out to the Lord.

Like Samson, many people have been blinded by the pleasures of this life . To be restored to the power of God, people must become blind to the world and fix their sight on Him. Often, this will only come after being blinded and suffering, and then coming to self-realization.

After Samson was bound, blinded, and imprisoned, his hair began to grow back, and as his heart turned back to the Lord, his strength began returning. He was never fully restored to his former state of power and glory; however, he wrought one last victory, which became his greatest: he destroyed those who had taken him captive.

In America today and around the world, revival fires are burning; the hair of consecration is regrowing. God has not forsaken his people; nevertheless, consider whether America will be restored to its former power and glory. Will God make America great again? If so, will it be in a different manner?

Was Samson restored to the former state of his glory that he had before he fell to deception and suffered affliction at the hand of his captors? No.

Samson never fully recovered from all of his affliction. They were a consequence of his sins that remained with him until his death. Nevertheless, in the end, Samson’s victory overshadowed all of his other accomplishments before he was blinded and taken captive—he slew more of his enemies in his death than in his life.

The Lord commands us to die to the lust of this world so that He may live and work in our lives. It is in the death of self that the Lord accomplishes His victory.

Whatever is to come—life or death, a fall or restoration—there is a mighty victory to be won if we walk not after our personal desires but after the Lord. However, we must confess our sins and humble ourselves before God. Then, regardless of any worldly outcome, we will achieve victory and be avenged on our enemies.

If we understand that the things physically created reflect invisible axioms, we can comprehend spiritual things through the things we understand that are made. Thus, Jesus spoke in parables, using self-evident truths about worldly things we know to convey spiritual truths of things unseen.

The material world reflects the essence of the invisible things after which they have been patterned. With this in mind, along with supporting scriptures, it is expedient to address the prevalent false teachings of doctrine often referred to as “once saved, always saved” or, as it is referred to here, the doctrine of “once full, always full”—a doctrine that assures believers of maintenance-free eternal life once they accept Jesus Christ, regardless of anything they do or don’t do after they are saved—some going so far as to say that all future sins are all forgiven before they are even committed or repented of, even when done presumptuously.

The scriptures warn us that many false teachers and prophets will arise in the last days and deceive many. Despite the large number of those preaching the Bible, many do not preach the full gospel of both mercy and judgment. They only venture to preach smooth things.

The great falling away that was prophesied is not merely the rejection of the concept of God but also an embrace of doctrinal perversions taught as the gospel. Many Christians became apostates without even realizing it by adopting false doctrines passed down for generations.

One of the most harmful doctrines widely embraced is “once saved, always saved.” This doctrine is akin to the original message that led Eve to fall into temptation when the serpent told her, “Ye shall not surely die.” Notwithstanding, death followed the transgression from Adam until now.

The “once saved, always saved” message of some Christians means that even if they continue in habitual practices of sin, they may do so without fear of losing their salvation. Thus, the temptation to sin is greater when embracing the idea that even sin cannot separate them from God. Even if they prioritize sin over God when tempted, they carry the notion that because Christ died, they are guaranteed an eternal inheritance in heaven regardless of their continued disobedience.

It is written that nothing can separate us from the love of God. This is an assertion of dedication rather than a promise to those who return to abide in the sins of their past. Be not deceived; the wage of sin is death. Sin kills the souls of all who serve it, whether previously saved or never saved.

It is a false doctrine that those who forsake Christ were never really saved to begin with; some were at one time. Peter spoke of those who were cleansed but who later turned back to wallow in the mire of their old sins after they were washed clean—”But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” (2 Peter 2:22).

On the other hand, those who believe in eternal security and fall into temptation may feel so hopeless that they drown in self-condemnation. Questioning if they ever were saved to begin with, they imagine themselves beyond any hope of redemption because they cannot seem to overcome sinful habits, no matter how many times they repent.

They may even try to receive Jesus into their heart repeatedly; eventually losing hope, they may wonder if perhaps they are predestined to hell. For those in such a case, the doctrine of “once saved, always saved” becomes a doctrine of “once damned, always damned.” Coming to believe that obedience to the Lord is impossible in their case, the temptation is to give up hope rather than to seek deliverance, sanctification, and perfection. Never surrender to this fatalist temptation of defeat. We are more than conquerors if we never surrender hope.

First preached by the serpent in the garden, the concept of eternal security while living in willful disobedience is a snare. It has led many from the truth into the deception of sin.

Adam and Eve had life until they doubted that they would die if they disobeyed God; that is the essence of the eternal security doctrine. Being emboldened by the serpent’s words, Eve took the fruit and gave it to her husband; they began aging, even unto death.

God’s Creation is a physical expression given to us to see and understand things that cannot be seen. We know that if we cease eating, we die. You can embrace a concept of eating once and always being full, but if you stop eating, you die.

You cannot taste of Christ once and maintain salvation any more than you can eat once and live, never eating again. To maintain your soul’s life, you must continue eating the Bread of Life daily, or you will die. Thus, Jesus prayed, “Give us this day our daily bread.” If you stop eating the bread that Jesus provides and go back to eating the leavened bread of sin, you will die. There is no “once full, always full” salvation. It is a doctrine that defies Christ and the picture in God’s creation. Jesus taught that those who continue to the end shall be saved.

If you stop eating, your body will weaken; in time your flesh will wither and die, and regeneration will slow to a stop. Likewise, you must nourish your soul by seeking the heavenly manna. If you do not continue consuming the word of God, you will experience starvation and will cease to grow in Christ—you will revert to growing in your own ways until the old man of sin and death is revived. Jude spoke of those who are “twice dead,” plucked up by the roots. You can die, but you do not have to. We are to continually fill ourselves with the Word of God; otherwise, we will wither away and die from spiritual anorexia. Say not, I am always full; hunger and thirst after righteousness, and you shall be filled.

Everything that exists is by design. Everything has purpose: God is not random. The fullness, depth, and meaning of the works of God go far beyond what we can know or comprehend. We do well when we grasp some of the meanings and purposes of his works in part. Not a leaf falls to the ground where there is not a lesson in it—there is nothing in nature or in all of the created universe that has no significance or purpose. Nothing is incidental or random—nothing.

When Jesus spoke to the people, he always spoke in parables. Using examples of physical things, he brought spiritual truths into the realm of worldly understanding. Scripture states, “Without a parable, he spoke not.” Jesus used physical realities to explain spiritual truths. The physical world expresses the spiritual world in observable ways. Everything that exists in creation expresses the invisible.

When God instructed Moses to make the tabernacle in the wilderness, he was admonished to make sure that all things were made according to the pattern shown to him. Likewise, Solomon made everything according to the exact pattern revealed to him when he built the temple—the altar, the golden candlestick, and all the things for the service of the priests, and they were made according to the pattern of spiritual things.

Everything Moses and Solomon made was patterned after the true things yet to be revealed. Nor does the creation of those things as shadows of invisible things stop there; everything in creation expresses things that are invisible. They were made physical so that we might see the things that are unseen.

In Genesis, God created two great lights in the firmament to give light to the earth—the sun being the greater light and the moon being the lesser light. When God created the sun, moon, and stars, he said, “Let them divide the day from the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years.”

The heavenly luminaries were not only made to be instrumental in the order of the universe and to sustain life but also to be signs of things and things to come. To this attest the prophets.

A Solar Eclipse

In the ancient world and Jewish tradition, a total eclipse of the sun over the land was an omen of destruction and death. In a highly unusual event, the Shemitah on March 20th in 2015 brought a total eclipse, which took place directly over the North Pole. A total solar eclipse at the North Pole on the first day of spring occurs once every 100,000 years. Thus, the event is entirely unprecedented, for there has never been such a solar occurrence recorded in history.

As of now, no nation owns the North Pole—under international law, the area is under the administration of the “International Seabed Authority”—it is considered  an international site. Thus, being international, was the total eclipse of the sun a warning to all nations? A harbinger of God’s absence unless repentance takes place? Only destruction can follow when God withdraws his light and mercy from the world.

Notwithstanding, those who know the Lord and walk in his ways have nothing to fear; as the prophet said,

“Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.” (Jeremiah 10:2)

So then, there are signs in heaven, but those who know God need not be afraid.

Blood Moons

There are some who regard blood moons as ominous warnings of war, bloodshed, famine, and coming destruction. However, Jewish tradition holds that they are only a bad sign for the nations, but they are a good sign for Israel. Others point to scientific explanations of heavenly events and dismiss the notion of there being any significance or meaning in the cosmos.

They are ignorant of the fact that God created everything scientifically through his wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. God put his rainbow in the clouds and gave it to mankind as a token of the promise he made to never again flood the whole earth. Does a rainbow have no meaning because it has a scientific explanation? It does indeed have meaning, and that is why its meaning has been usurped by Satan’s children and used to mean something different. This, too, shall pass.

The Lord created the moon as an expression of feminine nature. It is used symbolically in the Bible to represent a woman, Israel, and the bride of Christ. At night, in the sun’s absence, it is the moon that gives light to the world. Having no light of its own, the moon reflects the light of the sun. Likewise, Christ shines light into the world upon his people, who reflect his light to those who live in the darkness.

Jesus said, “While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.” Until the night is past, his children are to share his light until the day dawns and the Morning Star arises upon his return.

The physical light of the world is the sun. If a total solar eclipse over the North Pole is an omen of coming judgment on the earth and blood moons are given as an assurance to God’s chosen, what might be the significance of a blood moon as a sign to his people? I believe we can find the answer in Exodus 12:13, where the Lord tells his people, “And when I see the blood, I will pass over you.”

And God said, “Let there be Light.” And there was Light. And God saw the Light and said it was good. And God divided the Light from the Darkness.

And Lucifer (Light-bearer) and all of his angels were cast out of heaven. Thereafter, Lucifer was given the names Satan (Adversary) and the Devil.

Desiring in his heart to exalt himself as God, Lucifer had spread accusations against God throughout heaven, planting seeds of doubt as to the proper order of authority. At the appointed moment, the Lord put down the rebellion to overthrow him, and he cast Lucifer out with all the angels that had conspired with him.

Rather than making a full end at that point and being willing to dispel all future doubts by proving all things, the Lord devised a plan to allow evil to prosper for a season until the fruit of evil was ripe and would expose itself for the evil it is. Then the goodness and purity of God would be clearly manifest on the day of judgment.

It was therefore necessary that a war between Good and Evil be fought on equal footing—one that could not take place in the presence of God, where the power of His holiness would consume Evil before the depths of it could be fully made manifest. The battleground for the war needed to be temporal, one that could be eternally disposed of when its purpose of exposing corruption was fulfilled.

Thus, the Lord in his wisdom created a temporal theater where Satan and his angels could accomplish their works until their deeds were clearly made known and judged with eternal judgment.

On that day, all who are in heaven and earth, and under the earth, will be separated and enter into eternal life or everlasting destruction.

Until that day, those of his creations are given an appointed time to bring forth fruit until the harvest is ripe. Then comes judgment when everyone’s fruit becomes the evidence for or against them—”And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees; therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” (Matthew 3:10)

God, in his wisdom, created a temporal theater (Creation). This is where he chose to pit good against evil to make manifest the righteousness of God and, as well, all things that are outside of God.

Thus, the world was made a stage—God said, “Let there be Light” (knowledge). And God saw the Light and said it was good. And God divided the Light from the Darkness (ignorance). Creation is the theater where light and darkness collide, and both are made evident.

Moreover, just as theatrical productions feature heroes and villains, and each involves various characters played by different actors, so is creation itself.

And whereas in the rendering of a story there is inequality between characters—for in every act there are heroes, villains, leading roles, supporting roles, and lesser characters—so also, our world contains every character type necessary to fulfill all roles.

It would be absurd if every character in an artistic production were equal in all things, as it is absurd to expect perfect equality in the world. In theater, there is a time, place, and purpose for all things centering around the plot.

The Lord’s work places the world as the stage; it is also the dressing room for eternity. Every day, every soul is preparing their everlasting attire. We are either weaving white robes of righteousness or costumes of wickedness that will be stripped away in judgment, revealing our nakedness for all to see.

Everyone born has a role in life, regardless of how small or great. Every role fulfills a purpose. Unlike the pretenders who have their parts to rehearse and their lines to memorize, God has endowed us with freedom. He has written the plot of the story, but we decide what we act out, what we become, and whose side we are on. We develop our character as we go through life and speak whatever lines we will, but the Lord has the final word. “A man’s heart deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9)

Are you rich or poor, male or female, Black, white, or other? Ultimately, none of these things matter when they are past. We will all be judged by God according to only one thing: do you love God? Love does no harm. Therefore, love is the keeping of God’s commandments, for God is love. (Romans 13:10)

Seeing that we will not be judged by worldly measurements but by our love or lack thereof, worldly differences are rendered irrelevant in eternity. Many renowned who were first shall be last, and the last shall be first.

Those given the leading roles on center stage who play a vile character speaking perverted lines shall be cast down. Many others whose lives seemed inconsequential but who loved greatly shall be exalted. The Lord has given hearts and souls to each of us; we can choose to offer them back to our Creator or live for ourselves.

Hold to righteous judgment, but the equality of this world is inequality. To exalt equality where all things are not equal breeds hatred, envy, divisions, and every other evil. This is the root of bitterness that destroyed Lucifer.

Small or great, everyone’s role is immensely important in eternity; more important to us is how we each perform our roles. Do not envy the role of someone else or the place given to them. That was Lucifer’s folly, who imagined in his heart to be like the Most High.

God has no equal; he is far above all, higher than the heavens above the earth, but we can be like him if we love and obey him. It is his gift offered to us through his Son, Jesus Christ. As it is written: “The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.” “It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master and the servant as his lord.” (Matthew 10:24-25)

And again, “But we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2)

Moses was called by the Lord and made a prefigure of One who was to come and save his people from their sins, as the Lord said unto him, “I will raise [Israel] up a Prophet (Messiah) from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass that whosoever will not hearken unto my words, which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.” (Deuteronomy 18:18-19).

The man spoken of in this scripture is the Son of Man who is the Son of God.

As a foreshadowing of Christ, Moses was made a mediator between God and Israel. He was chosen to receive the word of God and deliver it to the people. And he was given two tables of stone made by God, who engraved the Ten Commandments on them with his finger, as it is written.

“And Moses turned and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both sides; on the one side and the other were they written. ” And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.”

Note that they were written on both sides.

Might we find the answer as to why they were written on both sides in 1st Corinthians 9:14?–which states, “Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.”

When Moses presented the commandments to the people, he also faced them. For those who preach the word of God are also subject to it. Judgment starts at the house of God; we can’t preach God’s laws and be free from them.

Nonetheless, Moses broke the first tablets when he came down from the mount and found the people eating and drinking, dancing naked, worshiping a golden calf, and engaging in sensual immorality.

“And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.”

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou breakest.”

The first tablets, which were broken, were both made by God and inscribed by his finger. Moses was commanded to make the second set. Thus, Moses became a participant in making the new tablets. However, Moses did not engrave the commandments into the stone tablets on either set. The Lord reserved that work for Himself; for the commandments come directly from God, not from man.

Moses, as a prefigure of the Prophet who was to come later, hewed out a new set of tablets to replace the ones that were broken. Likewise, Christ brought a New Covenant to replace the one that was broken. Unlike the commandments written on the tablets of stone, the word of God delivered by Christ is engraved on the heart.

However, the law did not change; Jesus said he did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. Once the Mosaic law was fulfilled by the life and death of Christ, it was completed; mankind was made free from the Sinai covenant so that righteousness might come by faith in the One who kept that covenant perfectly.

Jeremiah prophesied, by the word of the Lord, that a new covenant would be given, not according to the covenant that God made with their fathers in the day that he took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, for they broke that covenant. (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

As Moses was commanded to make new tablets to replace the first that were broken, so Christ would provide a new covenant to replace the first.

The New Covenant provided that the law would not be written in tables of stone but on the tables of the heart, as spoken by the Psalmist, “Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:7-8)

Jeremiah wrote, likewise, “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel: After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:33)

As Moses broke the first tablets and was commanded to make others to replace them, Christ fulfilled the picture by replacing the covenant that was broken by Israel. Christ, as the Son of Man and Son of God, participated with the Father through obedience in bringing the New Covenant, making him the mediator of the New Covenant to be written on the hearts of his people. For there is only one mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ.

The law of God, first written in stone and later on the fleshly tables of the heart, required a mediator between God and man because of sin. In both cases, God chose a man as an intermediary to deliver his covenant, beginning with Moses as a prefigure of Christ and then sending Christ himself to fulfill that which was spoken by Moses of Him.

However, Moses at the waters of Meribah smote the rock twice to bring forth water—Christ was to be smitten only once. And although Moses was called faithful in all his house, he fell short of perfection by smiting the rock twice and not giving glory to God alone for the miracle. For this sin, Moses was not allowed to lead the people into the promised land—nor was he allowed to enter.

Christ, on the other hand, being the Word of God, walked in perfect obedience; neither did he fail in any point, giving him full rights to lead those who follow and obey him into the kingdom promised by God.

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved​.” (1 Timothy 2:5– Acts 4:12)

To be born into this world is to be born into suffering. Everyone will suffer significantly in one way or another. Regardless of what or where anyone is born or the circumstances they inherit by birth, whether a path of righteousness or wickedness is chosen, and regardless of what anyone gains later, there will be suffering and loss.

Suffering willingly for the purpose of God is a theme throughout the Bible, and it is also the most rejected calling. However, without suffering, there would be no salvation; Jesus had to suffer to deliver his children from an eternity of it.

Still, many will never come to the Lord because they became bitter from suffering; others will reject God because they are selfish and unwilling to suffer for God or anyone else. Jesus said, “No greater love has a man than that he lay down his life for his friends.

Eve doubted in her heart as to whether or not the Lord had spoken truly about eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. She determined to find out for herself. She then enticed Adam to join her in her sin, and the outcome for humanity was the most disastrous decision ever made in human history, with the exception of rejecting salvation from death. Doubting God is the root of all evil in the world, and trusting in Him and His word is the path to redemption.

The Lord shed animals’ blood, took the skins, and covered the nakedness of Adam and his wife. Then and there, the Lord instituted a process whereby redemption would be obtained; however, suffering, shedding blood, and death were prerequisites for the redemptive process.

Even then, the institution of animal sacrifices did not take away sins; it only covered them, as signified by the skins covering the nakedness of Adam and Eve. By offering sacrifices, judgment was suspended until the perfect sacrifice was offered—the blood of Jesus, which would take away the sins of the world. Until then, animal sacrifices were offered as a shadow of the redemption to come—in which sacrifices, when offered with a repentant heart, there was a show of repentance and a willingness to be reconciled to the LORD, but they had no power to remove sin once and for all. Sins were covered—like the skins covered the nakedness of Adam and Eve—but not purged.

Through disbelief in the words spoken by God, the fall of mankind occurred, so it was of necessity that restoration should come through adherence to belief. Thus, the sacrifices made before Christ were kept to show faith in the promise of redemption until the perfect Lamb of God, which is Christ, was offered.

In Job we find the theme of the Bible: loss and suffering, but ultimately, deliverance and redemption through persevering faith.

The conversation between God and Satan in Ch. 2 of Job sets the parameters of the battle for the souls of mankind: The Lord begins by asking Satan,

“Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that fears God, and eschews evil? and still he holds fast his integrity, although you move me against him, to destroy him without cause.”

And Satan answered the Lord, and said, “Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.”

And the Lord said unto Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; but save his life.”

Job lost everything, suffered greatly, and yet remained faithful until his redemption came. He was allowed to suffer as an example to all who would come after—an example to be regarded by those who follow Christ whether or not the suffering comes in like manner.

Some followers of Christ have suffered the loss of all things; others have little to lose. Regardless, in this world we will suffer, including those who follow Christ. Paul declared, “I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them as dung that I may win Christ.”

Poverty and prosperity are marks found in both saints and sinners; choosing to become poor to make others rich is the mark of a Christian—not necessarily poor in this world, but always made poor in spirit by giving up all of your life willingly and letting go of everything necessary to do the will of God—no greater love has a man. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).

All will suffer; if we suffer for Christ, we will reign with him. When Christians willingly and gracefully endure suffering for Christ, it elevates Christ as a testimony showing the heart and power of God in humanity.

Jesus Christ is the epitome of becoming poor in order to make others rich. He is the embodiment of the suffering servant and the paragon of redemption. Overcoming death, hell, and the grave, he alone was counted worthy to sit on high, all things in heaven and earth being placed under him.

Jesus did not say, “Take up your crown and follow me.” He said, “Take up your cross!” Those who desire to be crowned by the world now are destined to later wish they had carried a cross instead. A crown is promised to those who suffer the cross and endure to the end as Jesus did, even when the Father said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand.”

“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” (James 1:12)

“And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.” (1 Peter 5:4)

“If we suffer, we shall also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us.” Some preach, “The Lord will not beat up his bride;” he won’t, but Satan will, and at times the Lord allows it for his purpose and glory. What I read in the scriptures is suffering: suffering as a witness, suffering to help others, and suffering to be purified and made white unto holiness for the glory of God. We are called to suffer for Christ. We are called to take up the cross, to follow him, and to do the works of Christ.

The Lord will not beat up his bride, but his bride will willingly offer herself to be beaten if the Lord, for his purpose, says to Satan, “Behold, she is in your hand.” It is willful suffering that convinces sinners; that is why the Lord takes her to be his bride. We are made perfect through suffering when we hold to the faith of Job that says, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” (Job 13:15)

Everything created was done with intent, design, and purpose. Nothing made is random. Everything in the physical realm is patterned after invisible existence. All things physical are material illustrations of the spiritual things they rest upon.

By the study of temporal things that were created, we can comprehend the eternal. The invisible things before creation were kept secret until they were made manifest by their embodiment in the physical realm. As it is written,

“For the invisible things of Him [God] from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead.” (Romans 1:20)

Touching upon invisible things being the foundation for the physical creation and the framework for all material things, it is written:

“Through faith, we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God so that things that are seen were not made of things that do appear.” (Hebrews 11:3)

God has given us creation as a physical reflection of things that cannot be seen—a likeness of the spiritual realm.

Like a reflection in a mirror, the things we see in the material realm are not as real as the invisible objects they are reflections of. Reflections in a mirror are temporal; they only exist if there is light. A blinding light or the absence of light destroys the reflection, while the true objects remain in light or darkness.

God made a physical creation to reveal hidden knowledge. If we use a mirror to look around a corner, when we turn the corner, we see the true objects.

Jesus related to people in physical terms. He expressed spiritual things to Nicodemus by relating them to similar physical likeness, saying,

“The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” (John, 3:8)

Using the wind that can be felt but not seen, Jesus related the movement of the wind to the movement of the Spirit, a spiritual force with direction that is felt but not seen.

Jesus gave the reason for using created objects to express the spiritual things, saying,

“If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things?” (John 3:12)

If invisible truths can’t be understood through their created reflections, how can they be understood existing in the unseen and unknown?

Jesus always spoke in parables, using things familiar to the hearers to explain the spiritual things that were hidden beyond their understanding.

Creation is a classroom. God created it for that purpose when he said, “Let there be light” (knowledge).

Therefore, Jesus spoke in parables: “All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them.” (Matthew, 13:34)

“That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, ‘I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.’” (Matthew, 13:35)

Thus, the secrets and mysteries of God are revealed in creation. The universe is God’s university. Everything created testifies to the invisible things they reflect. Everything existing in our material dimension of matter and energy exhibits its counterpart in the invisible dimension that was before.

If you desire a glimpse into the invisible realm, study the physical creation of God that testifies to it and confirms the Word of God that created it.

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. (Psalm 19:1-3)

God created man from the dust of the ground, breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and “man became a living soul.” In the words of the Apostle Paul, “That was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.” (1 Corinthians 15:46-47)

God made Adam one man, consisting of the earthly creature and the spiritual together as distinct parts: body, soul, and spirit. Created on the sixth day, man is represented in the Bible by the number six. The seventh day of rest is the day of the Lord. And as the week is incomplete without the seventh day, so is man without rest until the day of the Lord. Six days of labor were given to every man to work, and six millennial days are given to mankind collectively to have dominion over the earth. Then comes rest for those whose labor was in the Lord: completion and perfection in Christ.

When the first man, Adam, whom Paul calls the earthly man, fell to temptation, he became dead to the second man, whom Paul declared “the Lord from heaven.” Thus, Adam was left to his earthly nature; his spirit and conscience were overcome by the work of sin in his flesh, and death reigned over all of his offspring.

When the conscience was awakened by the knowledge of good and evil, Adam and Eve felt guilt; otherwise, they would not have attempted to cover themselves and hide in the garden. They were ashamed and subjected to their sinful nature.

The only hope of restoration was through death and resurrection. The old man had to be crucified, and a new one, worthy of life, had to replace him. Jesus said you must be born again to see the kingdom of God. Only through the rebirth of the Lord can anyone be made a new man in Christ and be saved from death.

Restoration requires a clear conscience; this is only possible through regeneration via the death and resurrection of Christ, in whom we die and our sins die with us, and we are given a new life.

There is a war for the soul of man; it is between the nature of the beast in our flesh and the tugging of the Spirit on our heart through the conscience. The nature of the beast will destroy any remnants of the conscience of those who serve it. God seeks our salvation before spiritual death becomes absolute. However, the Lord has said, “My spirit will not always strive with man, for he is flesh.”

Like Pharaoh, if we consistently refuse to yield to the Lord, the conscience will harden until there is no avenue open to reach the soul.

The number six is often used to represent man, and three can mean complete. The number six hundred sixty-six represents the natural man who has reached an absolute and irreversible state of the absence of God. It is a permanent state; there is no longer any interaction with the Holy Spirit. In John 6:66, we read that certain of Jesus’ disciples became offended by his teachings; they ceased from following him and never returned.

In chapter two of Daniel, it is revealed that the last kingdom on earth will be unlike any before, and it will subdue the whole earth. John also prophesied of this global system, writing that men would say, “Who is like unto the Beast? Who is able to make war with him?”

This is Satan’s kingdom on earth, ruling in the flesh of man. Nonetheless, this worldly system is destroyed by a stone cut out without hands that breaks in pieces the feet of the mingled people and nations on which it stands, and it becomes a great mountain and fills the whole earth. (Daniel 2).

God destroyed the work at Babel and scattered the people when they cast him off. When the world resurrects “Babel,” the people will defy God, and each one will worship gods of their making. Satan will sit in the place of God in their hearts; the Beast rules for what will seem like a moment and is destroyed.

Animals are used as symbolism throughout the Bible, but the most attention is given to them is in the book of Leviticus, where the Lord gives commandments regarding dietary laws. Dividing the animals into groups of clean and unclean, the Lord specifies what is allowed and not allowed to be eaten. Beyond determining which foods are healthy or unhealthy, the greater purpose was to teach through metaphors.

In the book of Acts, Peter was given a vision resembling a great sheet let down from heaven, in which were all manner of beasts and living things. The Lord said, “Arise and eat.” Peter resisted because of the Jewish dietary laws, but the Lord told him not to call what God had cleansed common or unclean. The Lord was referring to the Gentiles.

Paul expounded further on the liberty given to us concerning dietary laws, explaining that every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. Furthermore, Paul adds, “I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself, but to him that esteems anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.”

So then, each of us has the liberty to decide what we will choose to eat as it seems good to us. Jesus said, “Not that which goes into the mouth defiles a man, but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”

Then why was the law given, and what changed? The intent was to teach the difference between the clean and the unclean, not as much to purify the flesh but to perfect the spirit by distinguishing between what is good and what is not. Paul taught that the law was given to Moses as a paradigm to guide us toward Christ.

Thus, the clean and unclean beasts were given as examples of natural characteristics and traits we can observe, learn from, and apply to humanity.

For example, carnivorous beasts, poisonous creatures, filthy animals such as the swine, and all other creatures with undesirable attributes were cited as being unclean. These undesirable attributes are present spiritually in human nature, rendering individuals unclean in spirit. The idiom “It is a dog-eat-dog world” conveys how excessively competitive, ruthless, and willing people can be.

To the contrary, in the clean beasts, we find characteristics that express virtues, such as the innocence ascribed to sheep, the labor of the ox, and the peacefulness attributed to the dove. For it pleased God that through creating all things living and nonliving, he could impart knowledge of invisible things to those whom he has chosen.

Regarding the innate nature of man, King Solomon wrote, “I said in my heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.”

And indeed, we are beasts. The only thing that separates us from beasts is the conscience of the eternal soul and spirit that God breathed into Adam when He made him a living soul. Without the spirit of God, we instinctively revert to the animal nature of flesh, regardless of our intellect.

The horrendous things happening in the world today are the result of the beastly nature of man ruling over the soul and spirit, thus turning people into animals. This is the natural consequence of people resisting the spirit of God. The Lord said, “My spirit will not always strive with man.” He will not forever deal with your spirit if you refuse to yield.

When God withdraws his spirit after striving with a hardened conscience, he surrenders them to their lust (Romans 1). All that remains when the Spirit of God has departed is the beast.

Everyone has the potential of being ruled by their beast nature, and not all beasts are wild or violent. There are domesticated animals that are quite lovable, and there are wild beasts that will attack and tear you apart. Regardless, all beasts are still beasts given to their own nature, whatever it may be. There are very nice and thoughtful sinners who have been domesticated by social training. Their good deeds and pleasant demeanor will not earn them eternal life.

In the book of Revelation, it is written that outside God’s kingdom are dogs, sorcerers, whoremongers, murderers, idolaters, and all those who love and make up lies.

Humans can be good-natured and still be just as lost in sin as anyone. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Having an inherently mild nature is not the same as having the Spirit of God, even if that nature imitates goodness. A mild nature is sometimes a source of self-righteous pride that keeps people from ever confronting their faults and coming to Christ.

Jesus told the religious leaders of his day, “The harlots and publicans go into heaven before you.” For indeed, sinners know they are sinners, while the self-righteous disregard their sins, if they can even see them. They may maintain an outward appearance of goodness like trained animals performing tricks for treats; however, this self-serving conformity does not constitute true obedience to the Spirit of the Lord.

Being good-natured is a blessing, but only if you obey God’s Spirit and do his will. Be not high-minded, but fear God.

We are both natural and spiritual beings. However, if we are to enter the Kingdom of God, we must all slay our beasts. And be not deceived; to a certain degree, each of us has them.

It can be harder to kill a beast that is domesticated and likable than one that is wild and destructive, but in either case, the beast in us must die or the soul will—for the beast and soul are in conflict and strive against each other; one will win.

Any person who lives after the will of their flesh is not subject to the Spirit of God and will corrupt their own spirit and the spirit of others whom they influence.

Certainly, some people have a much more difficult nature to bring under subjection to the Spirit of God than others. Pray for such people and have compassion for them. They lead more challenging lives and need to experience the love of Christ through others in the hope that it will guide them to the love of God.

The psalmist says, “Man that is in honor and understandeth not is like the beasts that perish.”

In the end, the Beast is cast into the lake of fire along with those who worship the Beast. Until we accept Christ, there is a beast part of all of us.

Jesus is the clean beast in whom there is no sin—the Lamb of God who was innocent but went willingly to the slaughter to kill our beasts.

Jesus said, “He that eats me, even he shall live by me.” Eat Christ, the Passover Lamb, put on His nature, and live.

The Lord promised never to leave or forsake his people. The question that remains then is, may someone who knows the Lord leave and forsake Him?

The first and the greatest lie ever told on earth was that life was secure; it would not be lost through an act of disobedience. In the Garden of Eden, the Serpent said to Eve, “You shall not surely die.” That same lie is still being told, even in churches.

Adam and Eve had a relationship with God. They knew the Lord personally and rejoiced with him in the Garden. They were accepted by Him as His children because His spirit was in them. Adam, being formed from the earth, became a living soul by the breath of God, as written.

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7)

The Apostle Paul elaborated further, “The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.” (1 Corinthians 15:47)

Jesus Christ, who is the beginning of the creation of God, lived within Adam and Eve. He is the Tree of Life in the midst of the Garden.

However, being made of earth and filled with the Spirit, there was still the potential for sin. They also had their own spirit that made them unique. It was their spirit that led them astray to eat the only forbidden fruit in the garden. Once Eve was deceived into eating the fruit and sharing it with Adam, they knew both good and evil; they were naked to their sins.

They were confronted and driven from the Garden; they were no longer allowed to partake in the Tree of Life that perpetuated their youth. The spirit of the Lord departed from them, and they died spiritually. They also began aging until the death of their physical bodies.

Adam and Eve attempted to cover their nakedness with fig leaves and hid among the trees of the garden. The same response remains a common reaction to a guilty conscience today.

Birds of a feather flock together, like-minded people do as well. Those who embrace sins in common with others bind together to strengthen themselves in their sins. They vehemently oppose those who expose their unrighteousness by hiding among other trees.

Birds are used metaphorically to represent spirits of the air. Trees, being temporal in nature, are often used figuratively in the Bible to represent humans with a finite lifespan. To strengthen their beliefs and combat guilt, people tend to hide themselves in like-minded groups of affirmation when the voice of the Lord speaks in their conscience, and they realize their nakedness.

The beginning of redemption can only come by a willingness to come out of hiding among the trees to face the Lord; relatively few are willing to take that step. Covering sins with fig leaves of deceit to hide nakedness will not take away guilt.

Only by the shedding of blood are sins purged. The Lord shed the blood of animals to clothe Adam and his wife with their skins, foreshadowing the necessity of the death of Christ for anyone to be forgiven. The blood of animals did not remove the sin of Adam and his wife; instead, their nakedness was covered with skins to prevent their sin from being regarded for the present time, and he prescribed that blood sacrifices should be recurring until the appointed time when Christ would be sent to take away the sins of the world once and for all.

The religious who believe they will be saved by good deeds are embracing fig leaves of self-righteousness—others embrace fig leaves of doctrines of eternal security to cover unrepentant sins. Unbelievers simply deny they are naked and embrace the fig leaves of ignorance, declaring that there is no God. They refuse to believe they will be held accountable for their actions.

Jesus did not come to cover sins; the laws of blood sacrifice had already done that for the time appointed. Jesus came to remove sin. No one can wear fig leaves forever; they do not last long. Sin must be removed and forsaken, not covered; sin must be put to death in the flesh. Christ did that in the place of all who will accept it and follow him.

Christ will never abandon you. Adam and Eve abandoned the Lord through disobedience after personally knowing him in the garden. Their sin separated them from God. The Lord provides a way back from death, but if you refuse to come when called, there is no guarantee you will be able to later. We are not to test the patience of God. He said he will not strive with men forever.

The path to God is through Jesus Christ alone. Adam was given the blood sacrifice of animals as a foreshadowing of the sacrifice of Christ. It was illustrated further in the law of Moses, although justification came not by the sacrifices, but by the obedience of adhering to them faithfully. The offering of Cain, on the other hand, was rejected for offering the fruits of this world instead of the proper blood sacrifice demanded.

When we believe in and accept Christ, we are cleansed and redeemed by his blood. Redemption is completed only when we obey Christ, cross over Jordan, and forcefully take possession of the promised land and the kingdom, as pictured by Joshua’s conquest.

Salvation at the Red Sea marks the beginning of the journey. After enduring temptation in the wilderness, crossing Jordan, and conquering the enemies, the inheritance is obtained. Do not be deceived; salvation is a day-by-day journey beyond the Red Sea of deliverance until the possession of the kingdom.

“He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” (Matthew 24:13)

The Children of Israel displayed their faith in God’s salvation by leaving Egypt. Passing through the Red Sea, they were saved from bondage under Pharaoh—a typology of deliverance from the bondage of sin and the Devil. However, during their journey to the land promised to them, a majority of them perished in the wilderness, another typology.

And wherefore were they destroyed? —by failing to trust in the Lord, fully follow Him, and obey all of His commandments, as written:

“But with whom was he grieved forty years? Was it not with them who had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.”

After being saved from Egypt by faith after passing through the Red Sea, the Children of Israel failed to continue in belief when they were tested in the wilderness of Sin. After they received salvation, they hardened their hearts when they faced trials and suffering.

They became angry with God and complained to Moses when they were required to pay the price necessary to inherit the kingdom that was promised to them. They refused to rest on the promise that the Lord would bring them through the wilderness and give them rest in the land. Offended by their sufferings and trials, they murmured against God and fell into various lusts and temptations that ended with their destruction. They were not allowed to enter the Promised Land, and the promise was passed on to their children.

All that happened to them is an example to us who believe. Salvation is given at the Red Sea (the blood of Jesus). It then leads through the perils and temptations in the wilderness until the passing over Jordan, where the promised land is fully attained.

Jesus himself was tempted in the wilderness and overcame all things that were necessary for his death and resurrection for our salvation. When people accept his sacrifice for sins, they are gifted with the spirit placed in their hearts and the promise of hope. Some of the promises are only fully realized at the end of the journey when we rest and are made as he is.

There are battles along the way, with the promise that God will go before us into the battle and give us the victory. When the spies returned from spying out Canaan, the majority of them discouraged the people by bringing back an evil report. The people believed them above God and refused to go in and take possession of the land promised to them.

Israel was commanded to fight; we must also fight, or we will also fail to possess the kingdom promised to us. There are seven nations greater than ourselves that must be driven out, but God promises victory if we believe and fight.

We must sanctify ourselves unto holiness by fighting for perfection every day until the perfect day—and greater is he who is in us than he who is in the world. We must perfect our faith, not rest on it, as we have not yet entered his rest.

The teaching of “faith alone” is not biblical; the phrase appears once in the whole Bible, in James 2:24, and it says the opposite. James says, “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.”

True faith is never alone; it is accompanied by action, and without action, faith is dead.

Devils believe in God; they also believe in salvation. Devils see souls delivered from their hands as they pass through the Red Sea, where they cannot pursue them through the blood of Jesus. However, devils do not believe every word of God to salvation, or they would not have resisted unto damnation.

Only by faith in every word of God can one live, not by initial acceptance without the faith to act upon every word of God after salvation. Those who draw back after beginning the journey perish in the wilderness of temptation and are lost.

Jesus said, “He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

Only if we endure to the end are we accepted into heaven. “Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.” (Hebrews 3:6)

“For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.” (Hebrews 3:14).

“Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” (Hebrews 4:11). There is no “once saved, always saved” without continuing in the faith by laboring until the end.

The most repeated admonishment throughout the entire Bible is the warning against false gods and false prophets. The apostles repeatedly warned about false teachers who would enter their congregations and lead people astray.

Even so, the corruption of the gospel has never ceased since it began to be preached. The departure from sound doctrine continues to spawn innumerable strange doctrines, heresies, false churches, and cults. The Bible was also misappropriated to create Islam and the Quran.

The Apostle Paul prophesied that a day would arrive when churches would no longer tolerate sound doctrine. Instead, they would attract teachers who would lead them away from the truth to fables.

After calling the elders of the church of Ephesus to Miletus, Paul told them of his departure and that they would see him no more. At that time, he alerted them that after he was gone, grievous wolves would enter the church, not sparing the flock, and that even from among themselves some would arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them.

Similarly, Peter, Jude, and other followers of Jesus cautioned against the spread of falsehoods that could lead many away from the truth. Starting early on with some who today are considered church fathers, the heresies the apostles warned of became entrenched and have compounded over the centuries. They continue to shape modern Christian doctrines today.

Even now, many false prophets and teachers are leading large numbers of sincere, devoted followers into the bondage of religious traditions and falsehoods and away from a personal relationship with the Lord.

Innumerable writings of theologians and highly esteemed teachers over the years have sown seeds of heresy that have been accepted by those lacking knowledge; often, they go unquestioned.

It is important for every individual to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12-13). The restoration of the truth can only come from God, not from men. The only perfect teacher and source of perfect truth is the word of God taught by the Spirit of God. The Lord is the only one you can trust fully. No one minister, pastor, or teacher should be relied upon fully beyond what is clearly written.

One widely embraced falsehood in churches presently is justification by faith without the works of faith that follow. Jesus delivered and forgave sins, saying, “Go and sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” He said that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. All things written in the Bible, when considered together as one truth, refute the doctrine that faith alone guarantees entrance into heaven without continuing in the works of faith to the very end.

Faith saves the soul and brings salvation; former trespasses are forgiven; believers are immediately gifted eternal life. It is the undeserved gift of God freely given that cannot be earned by works. Before the gift, faith in him is the only thing you can possess; you have nothing else.

However, once we believe and accept Christ, he is in us, and we are no longer helpless. We have received his power into our mortal bodies, and through faith, we can hold to his promises to produce works of righteousness; it is our responsibility to utilize the power invested in us.

Salvation is the beginning, the planting of the seed into our hearts. The journey from salvation to perfection involves labor—”six days shalt thou labor until rest on the seventh.”

Acceptance of Christ is not completion in Christ; it is his promise to complete the work of perfection he has begun in us if we continue and are not moved away from the hope. As it is written, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Jesus commands all who wish to be his disciples to pick up the cross and follow him. That path always leads to Golgotha, even to our own death, whatever form that may take.

God is one, a plurality of His sevenfold Spirit (Isaiah 11:2), and there are different forms and means through which He has chosen to manifest Himself to the world. God created man from the earth, and He breathed his spirit into his nostrils, and man became a living soul. And God called his name Adam and placed him in the garden he had prepared for him to dress and maintain. And God created a helpmate for Adam, whom he named Eve (the mother of all living).

One commandment was given to Adam and his wife: do not eat the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. When they broke that commandment, they did not need to be told they were naked; they were conscious of it and were ashamed. Therefore, they hid themselves among the trees in the garden.

Likewise, when Cain slew his brother Abel, he knew he had done evil. When the Lord inquired about Abel’s whereabouts, Cain replied, “I know not. Am I my brother’s keeper?” He did not need to be told he had transgressed; he knew and therefore lied, attempting to hide his sin. This was before any law was given, bearing witness to an inherent law in the conscience.

God breathed the breath of life into Adam, and he became a living soul, placing in him a part of himself—a conscience, which became awakened to the knowledge of good and evil through sin. Man only became conscious of sin after transgression. It was then that their eyes were opened to their guilt—the transgression of the law written in the conscience. There was no written law at the time sin entered the world, or after, until the law was given to Moses. Until Moses, mankind was subject to conscience.

With the entrance of the law, six days of labor were instituted that would need to be fulfilled for the full redemption of mankind until rest from sin on the seventh day. Each day represents 1000 years granted to mankind to have charge over the affairs of this world until the 6000 years are complete. Then the Lord set up His Kingdom on the seventh day. And He will reign forever.

The hearts of men became hardened by habitual sin as the spirit of man prevailed over his conscience. Becoming increasingly detached from God, mankind eventually reached the point of being irredeemable. God repented that he had made man and determined that he would be forced to destroy all of humanity from off the face of the earth. However, Noah found grace and was spared along with his seven family members.

After the former world was destroyed, men began again to multiply and repopulate the earth. United as one people with one mind, they rebelled against God and determined to establish an earthly kingdom at Babel. In anger, the Lord confounded their language and scattered them around the world. Humanity was divided into many nations, languages, and kindreds, and they made their own gods and walked in their own ways.

Avram also found grace in the eyes of the Lord, and God separated him from his people and sent him beyond the Euphrates to make himself a people. Abvram believed God—even to the point that he was willing to sacrifice his own son, Isaac—and an everlasting covenant was given to him, and he was called the friend of God. God changed his name from Avram (exalted father) to Abraham (father of a multitude), placing a part of His name, Yah (Hebrew: יָהּ, Yāh), in Avram’s name. And he was given the promise of becoming a father of many nations to bring forth a holy people unto God.

Abraham became the father of the covenant of faith, and he was given the circumcision as a seal. This was the beginning of a new age—the first age being two millennial days (2000 years) from Adam to Abraham.

The second age, beginning with Abraham—a 2000-year period wherein righteousness was imputed by obedience to faith—was codified on the fourth millennial day (4000 years) with the death and resurrection of the promised Messiah. Two millennia from the Messiah remain to be fulfilled until the six days of the Lord’s work—6000 years foreshadowed in Genesis by the week—concludes with the seventh millennial day, the Sabbath.

Continued: Part 2:

In the Bible, there is a pattern we can find that begins when sin enters the world. Disobedience results in judgment; however, judgment is followed by a path to redemption through sacrifice. The Lord made the first sacrifice when he shed the blood of animals to clothe Adam and his wife. He would also make the last sacrifice offering his own body and blood, whereby he would clothe humanity in his righteousness.

When a given path of redemption is no longer obeyed, judgment is imposed—in some cases, it is without remedy—for the spirit of the Lord will not always strive with man.

After Jacob went to Egypt to dwell during the famine, the children of Israel strayed from the Lord and began worshiping the Egyptian gods, and they were placed under bondage for their sins.

Four hundred and thirty years later, God raised Moses and delivered them out of Egypt. In the wilderness, the written law was given to Israel because, beforehand, the conscience alone had proven to be too weak to produce obedience and was ineffective in achieving righteousness. Therefore, the Lord implemented a stronger means to free humanity from the yoke of sin by reinforcing the conscience with the written law, which included judgments for transgressions and sacrifices for redemption.

Moses was chosen to receive the law directly from God to strengthen the conscience and make it stronger. And he commanded the Children of Israel to write down the laws, keep them always before their eyes, and teach them to their children.

Thus, by writing down the law along with its penalties, sin was magnified, aiming to awaken the conscience and have a greater effect on the hardness of men’s hearts. However, in time, the written laws were habitually broken, and sacrifices became merely routine, leading to hearts becoming hardened to it as well. After being miraculously delivered out of Egypt, given the law in writing, and placed in their own land to be a separate and holy people, they again forsook the Lord and turned to the idols of Egypt and the other nations around them that they had failed to drive out as commanded.

As conscience alone failed to bring about righteousness, so also the written law, which followed afterward to convict the conscience, also failed to bring forth obedience because of the hardness of heart.

The nations again faced judgment, and in his wrath, God destroyed many great kings and nations. Eventually, He even destroyed his own people, Israel. And He caused them to be carried away captive out of their land, and scattered them among the nations.

Nonetheless, by the foreknowledge of God, provision was made for salvation greater than the conscience and the law, and having found David a man after his own heart, He promised him that through his seed He would send a Savior who would dwell within his people and deliver them from their sins.

This is he of whom Moses spoke: “I will raise up a prophet from among their brothers like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And it will be that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him.”

The prophet spoken of is Jesus Christ, of whom Moses was a foreshadowing. He is the perfection of grace and the finality of salvation, and there is no other name given whereby anyone can be saved. Upon his return, he shall reign in righteousness forever and ever.

Continued in Part 3:

Increasing in the knowledge of God humbles the soul, but increasing in the knowledge of the world tends to cause pride. And as worldly knowledge has grown, so has the resistance to God and greater depths of sin. However, as sin abounded, the grace of God abounded even more.

Nevertheless, the grace of God that is extended to humanity does not excuse sin. God will not abandon his righteous judgments, nor has the law changed; the wages of sin is death, but through Jesus Christ, humanity has been provided with a greater and more perfect means of salvation. However, with it comes greater accountability and greater punishment if the grace given is trampled underfoot. Grace is not to be taken as the freedom to live in unrighteousness. A man will reap what he sows.

Christ fulfilled the sacrifices and requirements of the law. His offering did not destroy the law; rather, it fulfilled it. By providing a greater and more perfect salvation, the law has more weight if it is broken. Where there is power given to overcome sin, there is also more responsibility and greater accountability should the power be neglected. Jesus taught that those who receive more must also give more.

The conscience of man failed to produce righteousness, so the law was given. But the law given in Sinai also failed to bring about righteousness due to disobedience. God responded to man’s failure with judgment. However, afterward, greater grace was given by promising a New Covenant. Speaking through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord said,

“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, which my covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto them, saith the Lord: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Jeremiah 31-34)

When the time came, the written law, originally inscribed on tablets of stone, was replaced by the law of the spirit that is engraved upon the heart. Through Jesus Christ, who is the Word of God, the soul is married together with God through the inner dwelling of the Holy Ghost. If we obey the Spirit, the Spirit living in us is the eternal law that brings forth perfect righteousness and eternal life through the blood and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Jesus did not do away with the law; it became of more force with the gift of the Spirit. Jesus said,

“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old, ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery.” But I say unto you, “Whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.

God judges not just actions but also what is in the heart. He warned not to think that he came to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Jesus said, “If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.”

Followers of the Lord are commanded to be holy. His warning of eternal damnation is not negated by the entrance of grace if his commandments go unheeded. The wrath of God is expressed in increasingly severe terms and with much greater emphasis on eternal judgment for those who know the truth and turn away from it. Judgment begins at the house of God.

God never changes; He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He will never forsake his righteous judgment to accommodate sin. The Lord is the Defender of Eternity, making and keeping it holy forever. No unrighteousness shall enter.

The Bible warns of a great falling away, and many have indeed fallen from following the Lord. Some hold back from preaching judgment, repentance, or embracing the suffering of the cross. Desiring to be inclusive, they are tolerant of sin, lest they suffer the reproach of the cross. Damnation awaits them unless they repent and stand for the truth.

Works do not save; neither will doctrines of eternal security keep the souls of those who continue in sin. Faith saves the soul; obedience to the faith keeps it. Noah was saved by faith when he moved with fear and prepared an ark—an example for us of faith-driven works that saved him.

In their desire to be accepted by the world, many end up becoming the world. Compromising the word of God in the name of love is a failure to show love to those in bondage to sin.

By closing their eyes to sin, they lead others into the ditch—for if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into the ditch.

Christ remains true to His word; if we deny Him, He cannot deny Himself; He will deny us. Jesus is coming soon; his fan is in his hand, and he will separate the wheat from the chaff and the sheep from the goats. Judgment begins at His house. He is bringing his reward with him to give to each one according to their work. Wherefore, “Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight!” for the time is at hand.

It is a common belief among some Bible believers that a third physical temple is to be rebuilt in Jerusalem before the day of the coming of the Lord and his judgment upon the earth. Through the efforts of the Temple Institute and the Temple Mount Faithful Movement, the funding, planning, and preparations for the restoration project are already in progress. Red heifers have been exported from Texas, and a rehearsal sacrifice has already been made. All things are currently being prepared, and the building is to begin as soon as circumstances make the construction possible. The goal is not only to rebuild the temple but also to reintroduce the priesthood and animal sacrifices for atonement so that the Levitical law may be reinstituted.

Some Christians support the rebuilding project, while some believe that the rebuilt temple is inside the physical body given to each of us, where the Lord desires to dwell; others hold both views of how the temple is rebuilt without contradiction, seeing the reintroduction of sacrifices as only a memorial to the cross and resurrection of Jesus, the perfect temple and sacrifice.

Whether the third temple is to be physically restored in Jerusalem or not before the return of Christ, any attempt to rebuild what the Lord destroyed and replaced with a more perfect way is an unacceptable sacrifice to God. The return to offering the blood of animals is an affront to God and an offense to the blood sacrifice offered by Jesus Christ—whom God sent and who gave himself as the perfect and final offering for sin, once and for all.

The temple and the laws of service given to Moses were merely representations of things to come. Christ, being the true image and not a shadow of things, fulfilled all the ordinances contained in the law and put them to rest by sacrificing himself. (Hebrews 9:26)

In prophesying the destruction of the temple forty years before, Jesus never said it would be rebuilt again in the same manner as a means of redemption. What he told the Jews was, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews replied to him, saying, “Forty-six years was this temple in building, and will you raise it up in three days?” But Jesus had spoken of the temple of his body, which was resurrected three days after dying on the cross and being buried. (John 2:19-21)

Speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus told her the time was coming when location would no longer be a hindrance in worship. Christ said, “God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

The Lord desires to dwell in the body of each individual and collectively in the body of all believers—both Jews and Gentiles alike—as one body. Anywhere God is worshiped is a holy place. If Christ is in you, the kingdom of God is in you; you are the temple of God.

The final chapter of Isaiah begins by saying, “Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations” (Isaiah 66:1-3).

The law of ordinances to be followed foreshadowed Christ. They offered a show of the will to worship the Lord until the perfect sacrifice was made. There is no power in the blood of the animal sacrifices to remove sin. It was the obedience of keeping the law, not the sacrifices themselves, that evidenced a redemptive faith whereby those who offered the sacrifices were found acceptable before the Lord.

The former sacrifices are now past, having been fulfilled to perfection by the offering up of the Son of God—foreshadowed in a figure by Abraham and Isaac. For by faith, Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son, and Isaac, as Christ, was willing to submit himself to being sacrificed.

In Christ, we are now free from the law of ordinances given to Moses. Both Jews and Gentiles, through faith, are now enjoined to offer up themselves as living sacrifices to do the will of God.

As prophesied by Malachi, “From the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 1:11)

Thus, the former service of the temple in Jerusalem is fulfilled in Christ. Our bodies are to be yielded as a living temple, wherein is the candlestick of the Holy Spirit and the Bread of Life, which is the word of God. 

To the contrary, he who retains his life to serve himself rejects God; he sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. This is the spirit of antichrist, whoever he is, wherever he is. And as John stated, there are many antichrists in the world.

When Christ is in us, the spirit in us seeks His perfection. As Christ is in the Father and the Father is in him, we too are in the Father. We can approach the Father in Christ, who entered the Holiest of Holies, so that we are accepted by Him.

The Apostle John, speaking of the kingdom revealed to him, said, “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it, for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. (Revelation 21:22–24)

If we understand that the things physically created reflect invisible axioms, we can comprehend spiritual things through the things we understand that are made. Thus, Jesus spoke in parables, using self-evident truths about worldly things we know to convey spiritual truths of things unseen.

Material things reflect the essence of the invisible things after which they have been patterned. With this in mind, along with supporting scriptures, it is expedient to address the prevalent false teachings of doctrine often referred to as “once saved, always saved” or, as it is referred to here, the doctrine of “once full, always full”—a doctrine that assures believers of maintenance-free eternal life once they accept Jesus Christ, regardless of anything they do or don’t do after they are saved—some going so far as to say that future sins are all forgiven before they are even committed or repented of.

The scriptures warn us that many false teachers and prophets will arise in the last days and deceive many. Despite the large number of those preaching the Bible, many do not preach the full gospel of mercy and judgment.

The great falling away that was prophesied beforehand is the result of doctrinal perversions taught as the gospel, of which many have become widely embraced over time. Many Christians became apostates without even realizing it by adopting watered-down doctrines.

One of the most harmful doctrines widely embraced is “once saved, always saved.” This doctrine is akin to the original message that led Eve to fall into temptation when the serpent told her, “Ye shall not surely die.” Notwithstanding, death followed the transgression from Adam until now.

The “once saved, always saved” message to many Christians means that even if they continue in habitual practices of sin, they may do so without fear of losing their salvation. Thus, the temptation to sin becomes greater by embracing the idea that even sin cannot separate them from God. Even if they prioritize sin over God when tempted, they carry the notion that because Christ died, they are guaranteed an eternal inheritance in heaven regardless of their disobedience.

The scripture that states nothing can separate us from the love of God is an assertion of dedication to those who overcome by faith rather than a promise to those who return to the sins of their past. The wages of sin is death. Sin kills the souls of all who serve it, of both the saved and unsaved.

It is also a false doctrine that those who forsake Christ were never really saved to begin with; many were at one time. Peter spoke of those who were saved but who later turn back to wallow in the mire of their old sins after they were washed clean—”But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” (2 Peter 2:22).

On the other hand are those who fall into temptation and, afterwards, feel so hopeless that they drown in self-condemnation. Questioning if they ever were saved to begin with, they imagine themselves beyond any hope of redemption because they cannot seem to overcome sinful habits, no matter how many times they repent.

They may even try to receive Jesus into their heart repeatedly. Eventually, they lose hope, and they may wonder if perhaps they were predestined to hell before the world began. For those in such a case, the doctrine of “once saved, always saved” becomes a doctrine of “once damned, always damned.” Coming to believe that obedience to the Lord is impossible in their case, the temptation is to give up hope completely rather than seek deliverance, sanctification, and perfection.

Unbeknownst to those who profess it, the doctrine of “once saved, always saved” has laid snares and detoured many from the truth into the deception of sin.

Adam and Eve had life until they doubted that they would die if they disobeyed God; that is the essence of the eternal security doctrine. Being emboldened by the serpent’s words, Eve took the fruit and gave it to her husband also, and they began aging, even unto death.

God’s Creation is a physical expression given to us to see and understand the things that are invisible. We know that if we cease eating, we die. You can embrace a concept of eating once and always being full, but if you stop eating, you die.

You cannot taste of Christ once and maintain salvation any more than you can eat once and live, never eating again. To maintain your soul’s life, you must continue eating the Bread of Life daily, or you will die. Thus, Jesus prayed, “Give us this day our daily bread.” If you stop eating the bread that Jesus provides and go back to eating the leavened bread of sin, you will die. There is no “once full, always full” salvation. It is a doctrine that defies Christ and the picture in God’s creation. Jesus taught that those who continue to the end shall be saved.

If you stop eating, your body will become weaker, and your flesh will wither and die; regeneration will slow to a stop. Likewise, your soul must be nourished by seeking the heavenly manna. If you don’t continue consuming the word of God, you will experience starvation and will cease to grow in Christ—you’ll grow in your own ways until the old man of sin and death is revived. Jude spoke of those who are “twice dead,” plucked up by the roots. You can die, but you do not have to. We are to continually fill ourselves with the Word of God; otherwise, we will wither and die from spiritual anorexia. Say not, I am always full; hunger and thirst after righteousness, and you shall be filled.

Pure waters ascend from the melted snow atop the remote mountains. The further downstream it travels, the more the tributaries are consolidated into wide rivers that become increasingly dirty until they are emptied into the sea. In the same manner, doctrines passed from one generation to the next tend to gather pollutants.

Those who drink of the traditions of religion rather than from the source of the pure water risk swallowing the pollutants of religion rather than having a true relationship with God through His pure Word. The water that comes from God must be renewed from the source.

The Lord despises religions conceived by men; not all beliefs are equal, particularly when those who claim to hold the truth espouse fables in the name of God. The Lord knows His children, and His children know Him. They recognize His voice. They do not simply follow traditions and religious observances as a means of achieving righteousness.

Jesus said, “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word of God”—nothing added or omitted. The various false doctrines preached today are akin to the pot of stew put together by the sons of the prophets mentioned in 2 Kings 4:38-41 that contained death. Those who slack in seeking God wholeheartedly may fail to taste the falsehoods inherent in religious traditions and false doctrines that have found their way into the pot. Those brought up in well-established false doctrines often have a tendency to embrace them with a bias.

To remove harm from the pot, every word of God must be accepted; nothing can be refused. As Elisha cast meal into the pot and the harm was removed, we are to read the Bible ourselves and believe every word so that we may recognize the wild gourds that poison the stew today by opposing scripture. Even long-established doctrines are to be questioned in the face of contrary biblical evidence.

When every word of God is embraced, truth is restored, and souls are healed. Rome’s stranglehold was broken in part by the Reformation. However, it was rightly called a reformation, for it was not a full restoration of the True Gospel.

Christianity does not need reformation; it needs restoration. The word of God did not originate from Rome. Any attempt to reform the religion that came out from Rome will bring wild gourds with it. We must completely abandon all institutionalized religion and rely solely on the word of God.

Restoration of the source of faith is essential for knowing the Lord; this means returning to Abraham, the father of faith, and walking in the ways of his descendants who followed in his footsteps. We must look to Jerusalem, the city where God chose to place His name, not Rome.

Those who protested against Rome sought to reform the Church. They would have been better off cutting ties with Rome completely and returning to the faith of Jerusalem and the full Bible instead of trying to reform an inherently corrupt religion. Even now, many Christians still cling to traditions and embrace a reformation rather than a spiritual restoration.

Through reformations, Christianity created a multitude of denominations and divisions. Restoration of the word of God is the only road to revival. For restoration, believers must actively pursue truth and relinquish long-standing doctrinal errors and institutional bonds. The meal of God, the true bread of life, must be cast into the pot to destroy the harmful heresies.

The spring water of Jericho (the “city of palm trees”) was bitter and useless. When Elisha was told, he asked for a new vessel filled with salt; he then cast the salt into the spring and declared God’s healing. Then the waters were made sweet and life-giving; from that day forward, there was no more death or barrenness. The miracle points to God’s power to transform bitter waters through His word, using a new vessel full of salt. Be renewed and have salt within yourself.

Unbiblical teachings and traditions that have been handed down and accepted through old vessels for generations must be replaced with new ones to bring in fullness. Pray earnestly for a complete restoration of the true gospel as it was first received by the saints so that revival may come to the body of Christ and spread the words of salvation throughout the world.

All the material things that were created are temporal. They were created on the foundation of invisible things that are the true and eternal. The proclamation saying, “Let there be light,” is Jesus Christ, who is the Word of God; he is the beginning of the creation. He proceeded from the mouth of God in the words “Let there be Light,” and creation commenced—for the absence of knowledge is darkness, and the revelation of knowledge is light. And God divided the Light from the Darkness, and said it was good, thus separating knowledge from ignorance and truth from lies.

It was the desire of God to share the fullness of knowledge, which, before time, was exclusive to Him alone. Therefore, to make known the unknowns, physical counterparts of spiritual things were designed and made that could be seen, heard, felt, and comprehended. In this manner, the knowledge of invisible things is made manifest through material things—not only that all things might become evident and clearly understood by the things that are, but also that all things might be tried and proven for the eternal purpose of perfecting the work of God. Thus, upon his command, “Let there be Light,” creation immediately commenced, and invisible knowledge took on material forms, manifesting itself in creation.

And not only did God create all things materially as similitudes of the invisible, but He also set creation in motion, creating illustrations and narratives expressing eternal axioms. And he chose prophets whom he sent to bear witness to the Truth and to prepare the way of the Lord.

When Jesus spoke, he spoke in parables, for it is written that without a parable, he did not speak. Using the material things he created, he brought to light the invisible things they were patterned after.

Currently, many misconceptions about scripture arise from the failure to embrace every word. To understand the New Testament rightly, it is necessary to know the things written beforehand by the holy men of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit. These holy men were given shadows of the things to come to pass on to those who would follow, so that when they came to pass, they would be recognized and confirmed.

The writings of the Bible after Christ are essential for opening up the understanding of the things written beforehand concerning the birth of Messiah. The letters of the Apostles reveal the mysteries of those things written before. Jesus said, “Therefore, every scribe who is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, who bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.” Both the New and the Old Testaments are necessary for a complete Bible.

Declaring all the things written before Christ as being fulfilled and superseded by the things written later by the Apostles is akin to locking the door of the treasure house, thus sealing off access to the riches in the various rooms that the Lord has provided as an inheritance for His children.

The door to the knowledge of salvation, promised by the giving of a new New Covenant, is unlocked by the words and works of the prophets and then revealed by those who came after—Jewish followers of Christ who first preached the Gospel, starting in Jerusalem and then to the nations—for “Salvation is of the Jews.”

The Bible is one book; both testaments are equally important and incomplete without each other. They are not to be separated. Jesus did not come to destroy the law or the prophets but to fulfill the things that were written. We are a continuation of the fulfillment, and all things foretold shall shortly be completed. Heaven and earth will pass away, but the word of the Lord will endure forever.

It was foretold that in the latter days false prophets and teachers would rise to prominence and deceive many, corrupting the faith that was delivered to the saints through Jesus Christ. Even in the time of the Apostles, wolves were entering the church posing as brothers. These depraved men exhibited a form of godliness, having an outward appearance of righteousness and exalting themselves as men of God while gathering followers to themselves for personal ambitions.

In 2nd Peter 2, Peter exposes false teachers who were redeemed by Christ and washed in his blood but afterward turned from the holy vocation given them to pursue personal interests by exploiting others.

Exposing these men as deceivers, Peter recalls the false prophets in Israel, warning that there would likewise be false brothers in the church who would subtly bring in damnable heresies to draw others after them.

He writes that it had been better for them to have never known the truth than to return to their old ways after being cleansed from their sins by the blood of Christ.

“After they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome; the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after they had known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it happened unto them according to the true proverb: “The dog is turned to his own vomit again, and the sow that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire.” (2 Peter 2:22).

Likewise, Jude devoted his epistle to addressing the same infiltrators who turned back from the LORD while mingling among the congregation to feed themselves. Using similar language as Peter, Jude describes them as ungodly men who turn the grace of God into lasciviousness, preaching doctrines of grace while walking after their lusts and enticing others to take part with them in their sins.

“These are they who separate themselves.” God did not fail or forsake them; they separated themselves from God, hardening their hearts to indulge in their lusts.

After providing them with a period of grace for repentance, He eventually abandoned those who would not hear and turned them over to the lust of their flesh after long refusal of His calling. Thus, it happened to them even as God warned, “My spirit will not always strive with man.”

Jude brings to remembrance examples of those who were at one time chosen to serve the LORD but were later destroyed after refusing His call.

“I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. Likewise, the angels who left their own habitation, he has reserved in everlasting chains of darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” (Jude).

Jude referred to them as being “twice dead, plucked up by the roots.” They became reprobate and could not be restored.

Today, there are centuries of false doctrines and heresies that have been passed down and adopted into church doctrines. The result is the splintering of congregants into countless denominations, offshoots, and even cults that identify as Christians but reject or twist the teachings of scripture.

Each group naturally imagines its beliefs are correct. Thus, the great falling away foretold is not only those who abandon a Christian identity but also the apostate condition of individuals who accept the corruptions present in their specific version of so-called Christianity.

Elisha followed Elijah, desiring to inherit his mantle and a double portion of the Spirit; he refused to abide in a place of contentment among the sons of the prophets. He continued following Elijah, who, unlike the sons of the prophets, was a prophet. Like Elijah, Elisha desired more than a casual relationship with God that had been handed down through the teachings and traditions of men. Elisha desired a relationship with God directly that was more than a social bond of traditions passed around among others.

“The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers? Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.” (Joel 1:1-3)

Joel began his writing by urging the preservation and transmission of his words until their fulfillment in the latter days. The next time Joel is mentioned in scripture is on the day of Pentecost, when Peter, expounding on the outpouring of the Holy Ghost that day, declares, “This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel.”

Thus, Peter announced the commencement of Joel’s prophecy, which continues until the day of the Lord. However, as the Apostles warned repeatedly, after their departure, many wolves would enter in, not sparing the flock. Taking upon themselves the name of Christ, they would teach things contrary to the truth of the gospel, and with good words and fair speeches, they would deceive the hearts of the simple.

Joel foretold of the time when people would abandon sound doctrine for false teachers and self-appointed leaders who would arise as shepherds over the flock. Like a pestilence, they would devour the truth out of the Gospel. Prophesying of these men, Joel declared, “That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten.” (Joel 1:4)

Spreading throughout the land into small and large congregations, like locusts, false teachers devour the living word, making truth scarce. The sheep perish for lack of food and water. As it is written, “How do the beasts groan! The herds of cattle are perplexed because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate. O Lord, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.” (Joel 1:18-20)

The current state of religious leadership is characterized by many adherents who embrace a wide range of diverse and conflicting doctrines, each believing that any doctrinal conflict with other believers reflects the failure of those others.

Thus, religion is corrupted, the truth suffers, scoffers mock, and the responsibility for the collapse of morality and culture rests upon those who come in the name of the Lord, presenting themselves as his ministers. As the Apostle Paul stated, “Such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works.” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)

Therefore, the latter rain is cut off, and there is enormous wrath. Still, the Lord calls for repentance, saying, “Turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.” (Joel 2:12-13)

“Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, “Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people.” (Joel 2:16-18)

And the Lord will send his great army preaching the true gospel: “And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you” (Joel 2:25).

The Lord has determined to raise His army to restore His truth to the world. He has returned Jacob’s children to their land as He promised and will cleanse them; they will return to Him, as it is written.

“For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” – Ezekiel 36:24-27

And in these days, the nations will gather themselves and unite against his people, but they shall be destroyed without remedy, for the end of all things regarding this present world is at hand. And all things written shall shortly be accomplished. Thus is the prophecy of Joel.

Although there are countless religions and belief systems, there is one God, one truth, and one true faith, one Creator of all, who is above all. Since not all who take the name of God as part of their identity are united under the same belief, it is evidence of the vast number of deviations from the oneness of God in the world.

The miracles, signs, dreams, and visions spoken of throughout the Bible, which also later appeared in the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ after his resurrection, evidenced the authority given to them by God to be His witnesses to the world. They were united and of one mind, diligently searching the scriptures daily to confirm everything written before by the prophets.

Over time, divisions over doctrine brought about the splintering of believers into various groups and sects with conflicting beliefs, a development that has continued to take place ever since. Thus, there are many misconceptions surrounding the character of Christianity, both in and outside of the church.

The doctrinal divisions that have evolved and increased over time among churches have made adherents competitors rather than fellow workers in the faith. Much like commercial businesses competing for their share of the pie, many churches resort to marketing methods and business models of men’s cunning to grow and maintain their congregations; often, more weight is placed on doctrinal teachings and traditions than on the eternal word of God.

Like grocery stores of theologies that sell doctrines, modern teachers remove old items that are no longer selling well and replace them with new products they believe the current culture today will buy. Investing heavily in ad campaigns disguised as the gospel, they present social constructs of self-righteous dogma, attempting to integrate the gospel into modern culture. Nonbelievers can see through their facades and find it off-putting. Thus, they are a stumbling block rather than a light to the path, and society is becoming increasingly secular because of their display.

Christ intends his church to be a salvational movement, but many have turned him into a social movement. Their objective is to grow religion rather than to preach the gospel—to make faith acceptable to the world rather than to bring the world to an acceptable place before Christ. They forsake holiness for social coexistence.

Therefore, the power presented in the scriptures is denied to them. In response, some declare God has ceased his miraculous works of old and suspended the outpouring of His power evident in past ages. Others turn to the fabrication of “miracles” to substitute for being denied the true power of God. Thus, they turn people from the faith by professing to know God but not providing a witness to the power of God.

The apostles warned that the time would come when many would no longer endure sound doctrine but would heap to themselves teachers that would speak the things they desire to hear. Even in reading these verses, they apply them to others and remain blind to the errors of their ways; therefore, the apostasy is great.

Even as religious Jews are blind to their falsehoods and Muslims to their delusions, many Christians, despite rightly declaring Christ as Messiah, are blind to their doctrinal fallacies. All religions are certain of their faith, but it cannot be that they are all right. Jesus said the greatest darkness occurs when the light within is actually darkness—when one believes that he sees while being blind.

Still, the great darkness upon the world is not absolute. There are some whose faith and hope are in the Word of God alone and not in vain traditions of the past or modern teachings of man-made religion.

Joel prophesied of the corruption of God’s word followed by a restoration in the latter days. He declared there would come false teachers who would feed upon the greenness of God’s teachings and devour the truth to feed themselves, each one consuming those things most desirable to their taste and leaving the things they judge to be unsavory, as it is written,

“That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten.”

Joel foretold of the days when the Spirit would be cut off from those who corrupt the word of the Lord, saying, “Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.” He laments the destruction by an army that comes, perverting the word of God and laying waste to his harvest.

The true ministers of God mourn: “He has laid my vine waste and barked my fig tree: he has made it clean bare and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white. Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth. The meat offering and the drink offering are cut off from the house of the Lord; the priests, the Lord’s ministers, mourn. The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.”

Rebuking the pastors and husbandmen over his people and laying the responsibility on them for the souls they stumbled by their ill stewardship, the Lord said, “Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vine-dressers, for the wheat and for the barley, because the harvest of the field is perished.”

The Lord decries the spiritual state of humanity and his people resulting from the failure of leaders to maintain sound doctrine: “The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.” And then Joel is given a prophecy of restoration.

Seeing how today there are many accusations leveled against the Apostle Paul, it is good to look back over the scriptures and remove all doubt concerning him being called by the Lord. In Paul’s letters to the churches, it is clear that even in his day he had many detractors with whom he was in constant conflict. False teachers and false brothers had entered the church feigning to be wise men, who were in reality came seeking their own gain. Peter himself testified of these men, stating that many things Paul had written were difficult to understand, and there were some who twisted things Paul had written, and as well, other scriptures to their own destruction.

From the beginning of the time the gospel was first preached, the practice of self-serving heresies has never ceased, it continues even today and has become more common with the increasing emphasis on the Jewish roots of Christianity.

While it is certainly a good thing that many Christians today are awakening to the Jewish roots of the faith and shaking off the remaining shackles of Roman doctrines to place Christianity in its original Jewish context, there are some who desire to go a step further by putting back on the old broken shackles of righteousness through works under the Mosaic law.

To do this, it has become necessary to either misinterpret Paul—which is more common—or to dismiss Paul altogether and declare him a false teacher who should not be in the Bible. It is clear that many of the very same distortions of the scriptures—which Paul himself addressed in his letters—are espoused today to support the belief that we are still subject to the Mosaic law.

Specifically, the epistle to the Galatians seems as relevant today as it was at the time when Paul wrote, “Tell me, you who desire to live under the law, do you not read the law?” (Galatians 4:21)

Paul was called by God to teach the transition from works to grace—God having given Paul a greater understanding than all of the other apostles through an abundance of revelations—for which reason, Paul was sometimes compelled to declare his credentials as an apostle and say things he otherwise would not: “I speak as a fool,” Paul says, feeling the need to boast of himself out of necessity to defend the position God had placed him in.

Seeing how the same contention continues, it is therefore necessary that the same boasting be carried out on Paul’s behalf to defend not only Paul and his teachings, but the very saving grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

To begin with, Paul’s calling was not by man but by a direct personal encounter with Christ himself on the road to Damascus. His testimony is even strengthened further by the witness of Luke who tells how Ananias was sent to Paul by the Lord, who said to him, “Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel; for I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.” Acts 9:15-16

The Lord’s directive to Ananias is Paul’s first endorsement. Furthermore, if you remove Paul from the scriptures, who wrote the most books in the New Testament, you must dismiss Luke, who wrote the largest volume of words that includes the book of Acts a gospel. Luke was with Paul, seemingly to the end. He recorded the miracles done at the hands of Paul, including healings and the raising of the dead. Peter also, in his second epistle, bears testimony to the wisdom given to Paul by the Lord.

Paul was instructed as a Pharisee and trained in the law. He knew the Torah and the writings of the prophets better than all of the other disciples before him, most of whom were called from being fishermen and more common men. Once Paul was saved, having the advantage of his prior knowledge of the law, God used his knowledge to open up a deeper and wider understanding of the law and of Christ. So much so, God allowed him to be afflicted, lest he become puffed up by the multitude of revelations delivered to him. For this, he sought the Lord three times, who said, “My grace is sufficient for thee,” and he accepted the burden the Lord placed upon him.

Anyone who can truly grasp even a part of the depths of Paul’s writings knows that his words are God-given. His understanding of spiritual things is deep, and his prophetic revelations of the future are so accurate and revealing that all his writings are beyond anything the carnal mind could devise and assemble.

In Chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians, Paul captures the very heart of God—as much as is possible with words—and the essence of the Word of God and the fullness of the Spirit. It is one of the most powerful works of literature ever written.

Anyone who distorts or rejects Paul’s teachings, even if they proclaim the name of Jesus, does not truly comprehend the Lord in spirit and truth; they are embracing a religion of self-righteousness rather than the saving grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

As great as all the Apostles of Christ are and deserving of all honor, it was Paul who was chosen by God to make those things written before by the prophets known more perfectly by bringing providing a better understanding of the mysteries of God and of his plan for salvation, past, present, and future. Anyone who rejects Paul to embrace the ordinances of works in the first covenant—fulfilled for us by Jesus—is sacrificing grace to place themselves back under the bondage of the law. Only by faith in Christ are we justified, and not by the keeping of the ordinances in the law given to Moses that Christ fulfilled.

The countless number of religions and divisions within them in the world are a reflection of the endless possibilities of deviation away from God that can be imagined. Still, there is only one God who is over all and above all, and the only way to know Him is by Him.

Therefore, the Lord, knowing the hearts of all men, chose from among them those whom he would use to reveal himself to the world. And as light excels darkness, so the word given to them by the Holy Ghost is greater than all the false doctrines and beliefs that exist.

The power of God—evidenced by miracles, signs, dreams, and visions in the days of the prophets—was manifest through His people that in due time would be made available for all men. Jeremiah foretold of a time to come when God would make a New Covenant, not written on tables of stone: “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:32-33).

Jeremiah’s prophecy was fulfilled by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who, when he ascended on high, led captivity captive and gave gifts to men.

As prophesied by Joel, those gifts were poured out by the Holy Spirit upon the followers of Jesus who were gathered in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost—and they remained in one accord, being of the same mind and spirit, searching the scriptures daily to confirm all things that were written.

Now, however, the modern era of technology and mass communication has brought with it the mass commercialization of all things, including religion. Like the money changers in the temple, many teachers of faith have adopted business models of advertising to compete in the marketplace of doctrines to grow their following.

Employing marketing techniques to grow and maintain large congregations, purveyors of false teachings give more weight to the enlargement of congregations than to the word of God. Cleaving to the doctrines of men—seminary instructions, religious traditions, and the writings of high-profile figures of antiquity—they depart from the true faith, ignoring the express word of God written in the scriptures.

Removing the older items from the shelf that are no longer selling well, they replace them with newer products that they believe today’s culture will buy. They have become little more than grocery stores of theology catering to the demands of shoppers.

Stripping the Bible of its hard sayings, false disciples speak smooth words that scratch itching ears. Investing heavily in advertisements and commercials disguised as the gospel, they present a form of godliness that lacks the power of God.

They do not know the way of the Spirit. They are unlike the wind Jesus spoke of to Nicodemus. They trust in their own wisdom, follow their own spirit, and imitate God. Therefore, the power present in the Apostles and the earlier followers of Jesus is denied them.

Responding to the obvious lack of spiritual fruit, some teach that God has ceased his miraculous works, saying that the former outpouring of the Spirit is a thing of the past. Others fabricate ‘miracles’ to substitute for being denied the true power of God.

Thus, the sum of those professing Christ today cannot give witness to the power of God evident in the early church in Jerusalem, and many are alienated from the faith. Even so, there remain those like there were in Sardis, of whom the Lord said, “Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy.”

The apostles warned that the time would come when people would no longer endure sound doctrine but would heap to themselves many teachers. Even reading these verses, many are blind to the errors of their faith. Like the followers of Judaism are blind to its falsehoods and like Muslims are blind to their fabrications, so also among those who proclaim Christ—while rightly acknowledging him as Messiah and Savior—many are blind to the fallacies being embraced among an overwhelming number of practitioners of the faith.

The proliferation of confusion in the world today is a witness against the false teachings. Wherever there is an absence of truth, a void exists for every lie to fill. The greatest darkness is when the light in you is darkness, but you still believe that you see.

The great apostasy prophesied to come upon the world has come, but it is not absolute. There remain some whose faith and hope are like those who were in Sardis; they place all their trust in God alone. They are not persuaded or led astray by entrenched religious traditions or modern inventions of men. They will spread the light, and many who see will come to it. The body of Christ will come together throughout the world as in the “Valley of Dry Bones”—a great army. They will live—”He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken,” not one of them is lost.

In the letters of the Apostle Paul to the churches, he speaks of the many detractors with whom he was in constant conflict and was directed toward refuting accusations and false doctrines that had crept into the church. Peter acknowledged Paul’s writings, adding that they were hard to understand. However, he affirmed that Paul’s teachings were according to the wisdom the Lord had given him and added that those who twisted his words were doing so to their own destruction.

Even in their early years of Christianity, wolves in sheep’s clothing had entered into the churches to feed on the flock. The same self-serving manipulation tactics that the perpetrators used to gain power over their followers have continued ever since.

Today, the number of those teaching falsehoods—attempting to bring believers back under a law of works—has increased as the awareness of the Jewish roots of Christianity has become emphasized.

While it is certainly a good thing that many Christians today are awakening to the Jewish roots of the Christian faith and shaking off the remaining shackles of Roman doctrines, some desire to go a step further by putting back on the old shackles of the law that were broken by the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ; this is the essence of Paul’s letter of reproof to the Galatians.

Those who desire to be under the law reinforce their theology by pointing out that Jesus kept the law, as did his disciples afterward—and indeed it was so. However, Christ had to keep the law to perfection for the salvation of all. Jesus obeyed the written law of ordinances to free us in order to walk by the Spirit.

Nonetheless, the understanding of freedom from the law was not fully revealed at the time, and there were contentions. A more perfect understanding of the work Jesus had wrought on the cross would develop over time. This is what the Lord called and set Paul apart for. The Lord made Paul the most controversial apostle of his day by bringing clarity to the cross.

Paul was raised as a Pharisee; being more well-versed in the scriptures than the other disciples, he was chosen by God and separated so that the revelation of knowledge concerning Christ might be known.

However, even being free from the law of ordinances, Paul became all things to all men that he might save some. He would not allow his liberty from the law to become a stumbling block to those still clinging to the law. Therefore, Paul says, “Unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law.”

Rather than becoming entangled in doctrinal confrontations, Paul conformed with the customs of his brothers in the flesh who were Jews so that he would not be hindered in preaching Christ and him crucified, the Power of God unto salvation. Paul put the salvation of others and the perfecting of the faith after salvation above all things.

Contentions over keeping the law continue. This is in part because the law is often misunderstood. The Word of God states the law is fulfilled in one word—“love.”

The law given to Moses can be broken down into various parts. First, there are moral laws. Moral laws existed before they were first written in the Ten Commandments. After the Ten Commandments were given, statutes and precepts were added for more clarity and to establish principles that expounded on the law. There were also commandments given to project shadows of spiritual things and of things to come. And there were laws of redemption for transgressions against the law.

The moral law is invisible and eternal. The sacrifices, the laws of redemption, and the shadows of portrayal in the law handed down through Moses were for the time then present; later, they were nailed to the cross with Christ.

The shadows of things fulfilled by Christ and the shadows of things yet to be fulfilled with his return were given as typologies; they are temporal. Christ fulfilled all the laws of redemption, and with the fulfillment, the shadows are done away with.

The Lord chose Paul to reveal more perfectly the transition from the works required under the law to grace. Through an abundance of revelations, the Lord gave Paul a greater understanding of grace than the others before him. Nevertheless, the eternal invisible Law that was before the written law given in the wilderness never changes—the soul that sins shall surely die. Cain knew he sinned before murder was written into the law.

There is redemption and forgiveness through the Blood of Jesus. Nonetheless, when we are delivered from sin, we are no longer to continue in the sins of the past. Jesus commanded, “Go and sin no more lest a worse thing come unto thee.”

“But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things that I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.” (Galatians 2:17-19). Walk in the spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.