Studies

The Eternal City of God

Peter
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Coming Out of Spiritual Babylon

Peter and Rohnel, servants of God, feeding the Gospel to the scattered saints to bring them into the holy city. Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

There are many Scriptures that speak about the city of the Lord, a spiritual realm, and a holy city wherein righteousness dwells.  The Lord is found here, that is also in the mountain of His holiness.

Psa 48:1  Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. 

The chosen of God are pilgrims in this carnal world, being in the world but not being of it.  We are passing through as sojourners seeking the eternal city of God. We abide our days pursuing the Living Christ, by believing and obeying the Gospel that is the Commandments.  As a consequence, we bear the reproach and persecution from those of the world who the Lord blinds and are not given to hear our words.  Abiding in clay vessels, we do not yet abide in a continuing eternal city, but we seek the one promised to come.   We follow the example of the Lord, being sent as He was, in seeking the lost sheep of Israel.  As the small remnant separated from our brethren, we preach Christ and seek the continuing city of God where the elect saints are being gathered.

Heb 13:13  Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. 

Heb 13:14  For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. 

The Lord, through Christ, who are His angels, builds the true Jerusalem and gathers the chosen outcasts into His city.

Psa 147:2  The LORD doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. 

Eze 34:13  And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 

Flesh and blood that we now abide does not inherit the kingdom of God, and thus the eternal city of God is a spiritual place, not an outward or physical one.  The eternal city of God comes down out of our heaven, meaning our mind, in our day of the Lord, when the revelation of Jesus Christ in us is being revealed.

Rev 21:10  And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God

We are connected to Christ and one another [His Christ], being one Spirit and one mind.  The Spirit of Christ that is the Living Word of the Commandments that defines our faith and baptisms, is how we are all connected, being One Spirit, One Mind, and One Church by the Promise that lives in all of us.

1Co 6:17  But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

Eph 2:22  In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. 

Eph 4:4  There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

Eph 4:5  One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

Eph 4:6  One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

We are connected in Spirit to the little flock we gather with now, but also to all the elect who have walked the walk before us.  The original Apostles speak to us today; their letters and epistles, like Christ’s words, are alive, and the Spirit of Christ that is in them edifies us to this day.  Those who are baptized into Christ, receiving the Promise, are the true Jews who are One with all who are in Christ.  We walk in lockstep, following and obeying the Commandments, not looking to the right or the left as we are Jesus Christ in the world.

Gal 3:27  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Gal 3:28  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Eze 1:12  And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.

The Living Christ that is the Word of God, “ is, was, and will be”,  as Christ comes little by little to us as we grow from newborn babes into the fullness and stature of the mature man.  This is why it can be said that we are coming into the holy city of Heavenly Jerusalem, yet we also seek the continuing city to come.  Both are true in the mystery of God, who speaks of things that are not as if they already were established in full.  Having received the Gospel and the Promise, we are entering into the Mt. Zion [Sion], the city of the Living God, little by little as we are being perfected.

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,

Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

Heb 12:24  And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

Our entering into the city “is, was, and will be” means the more we mature, the further we enter into the spiritual realm as we near the end of our race in these clay vessels.    All those who went before us, who never tasted of physical death, live today, and are gathered with the Lord and His Christ, who are the innumerable company of angels we are promised to see at the end of the age.  We are united with them in the fullness of the Spirit at the end of the age to judge the world and the nations.

Jud 1:14  And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints

To preach and obey the Gospel is the work of Jesus Christ in us, who builds His church and the city of God, ready to be revealed in the last days.  We joyfully suffer the reproach of the world, knowing the enduring substance reserved for us in heaven and the manifestation of all of God’s elect who are the sons of God and firstfruits.  As the children of God, we have an earnest deposit and connection to the city of God, but the fullness awaits the redemption of our bodies, when we are transformed fully into spirit, when our race in the clay is done.

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

Our understanding of the various cities and gatherings we experience on the journey has grown as the Lord continues to show mercy. Clarity on these cities strengthens our faith as we see ourselves fulfilling Scriptures and being transformed into the sons of the Living God.  When Christ is revealed in us, we see new Jerusalem coming down out of our heaven, which is the congregation of the saints, the bride of Christ, the elect, the firstfruits unto salvation.  John saw visions of the fullness, where there is no more sea, symbolizing the end of flesh and its carnal mindset.

Rev 21:1  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

Rev 21:2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

The everlasting city of God is built on the Wisdom of God, Christ, who is the Living Commandments, which are also called the holy mountains.  The Lord loves us as the apple of His eye, as we are the entry way, the gates into the Holy city.

Psa 87:1  His foundation is in the holy mountains.

Psa 87:2  The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

Psa 87:3  Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.

When the Promise comes, we are raised with Christ and grow to become a pillar through which all others come to Christ and approach the holy city.  By the laying on of hands, those who hear the Gospel receive the Holy Spirit, their baptism of fire, and thus their escape from spiritual Babylon begins.  The Gospel is thus spread and the Lord builds His church one saint at a time.

Gen 3:24  So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Rev 3:12  Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

Joh 10:2  But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

Entering new Jerusalem is the opposite side of the two-edged sword of leaving spiritual Jerusalem, also known as spiritual Babylon.  The eternal city of God is established in us as we are coming out of Babylon, the harlot city, which hears the Gospel and claims His name but does not obey and continues to fornicate with other gods, hating and killing Christ spiritually in their hearts.  Spiritual Babylon is a very convincing deception that has all who come out of her in amazement at the Lord’s ways.

Rev 17:4  The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.

Rev 17:5  And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Rev 17:6  I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.

All first err in believing our gatherings with the many called is the true Israel of God and the Lord’s Body until the Lord reveals greater truth by the brightness of His coming.  The false prophets, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Scribes, within ourselves and without, having a form of godliness but deny the power to overcome sins and eventually turn and crucify Christ and part His garments.

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

Jer 23:14  I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem a horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.

Only a tiny remnant is ordained to escape from spiritual Babylon, that is, spiritual Jerusalem, in every generation, and become the elect of God.

Isa 10:20  And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

Isa 10:21  The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.

Rom 11:5  Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

Joe 2:32  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. 

The Lord’s harvest comes by the application of an agricultural process known as winnowing.  This means by way of division, separation, and purging the clean from the unclean of those that claim the Lord’s name “Israel”.

Luk 3:17  His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.”

The criterion used to separate the people of God is the Commandments, also known as the plumbline.  When the Commandments are placed in the middle of us, the separation, the harvest has begun within ourselves and without.

Amo 7:8  And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more:

The angels of God are the resurrected Christ in the world, who preach the Gospel, and are the instruments by which the wheat is separated from the tares and the sheep from the goats.

Mat 13:40  As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

Mat 13:41  The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

Mat 25:31  When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

Mat 25:32  And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

We are entering into the Holy City of New Jerusalem simultaneously to our coming out of the harlot city, when one hears the angels preach the everlasting Gospel.  We tarry in spiritual Jerusalem until we are born again, meaning when the Promises come, and then we enter new Jerusalem.

Rev 18:1  And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.

Rev 18:2  And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

Rev 18:3  For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

The names of Jerusalem and Zion in the Scriptures symbolize the gathering and assemblies of the many called to be saints who claim the Lord’s name.  These spiritual cities are only a shadow of the true city of God, as we learn by living them and looking behind ourselves.  We come to see there are many things that defile and are unclean in these cities and gatherings, as the Lord reveals His Gospel to us in the last days.  It is through the mercy of the Lord that we are given to escape.  Two angels rescuing Lot from Sodom is a type and example of how those ordained of God are led out of spiritual Babylon and born again in the Spirit.  We depart and do not look back from whence the Lord has delivered us.  Remember Lot’s wife.

Gen 19:15  And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.

Gen 19:17  And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.

All come through Babylon to find our wife, the true Christ, and enter into marriage with our Husband.  There is no other way.  We are caused to go into spiritual Babylon that is likened unto Sodom, and we are caused to come out of her in the appointed time.

Jer 29:10  For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.

Jer 29:11  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

The Lord commands us to tarry in spiritual Jerusalem, having John’s baptism and wait for the power on high, the Promise of the Living Spirit of the Father and the Son to come.  While we tarry, we are in the womb, the woman in childbirth waiting to be born again.

Luk 24:49  And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

Isaiah spoke of our pregnancy period, where we now know the Commandments, yet struggle to overcome, lacking the power of the indwelling Spirit of Grace.

Isa 26:17  Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD.

Isa 26:18  We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.

The remnant of Israel coming out of Babylon is also known as the daughters of Jerusalem, Zion, and/or Judah.  All of our time trying to overcome without the Promise, still being under the schoolmaster, waiting for our promised deliverance and overcoming of sin.  The Promise coming is the Kingdom of God coming to us.  It is through much tribulation that we come out of Babylon and enter into the Kingdom.

Mic 4:7  And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.

Mic 4:8  And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.

Mic 4:9  Now why dost thou cry out aloud? is there no king in thee? is thy counsellor perished? for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail.

Mic 4:10  Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.

The Lord builds His church and establishes the true city of God by severing and separating those chosen for salvation from their brethren, who are the many called.  The enemies of the Gospel are those of our own household.   The wicked and unjust are severed from those chosen to be faithful and do not continue with Christ and are cut off from the city of the living.

Psa 101:8  I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the LORD.

Nothing unclean remains or is allowed to enter the holy city of God that is known as new Jerusalem and heavenly Jerusalem.  Only those written in the Lamb’s book of life before the worlds were formed enter in, as they have been made righteous through the work of the Living Christ.

Rev 21:27  And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

All the spiritual dogs, and sorcerers, whoremongers, and idolaters, who corrupt the Commandments are kept outside and do not enter in.

Rev 22:14  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.

Rev 22:15  For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

Those who despised Christ, His Christ, and the Commandments, within and without, come bow before our feet, knowing we are the city of the Lord and that He loves us. The Lord does not release these brethren from the carnal law that binds them, and while they worship with their lips, their hearts remain far from the Gospel.  We pray the Father to forgive them, who reject and crucify us, as they know not what they are doing.

Isa 60:14  The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

Rev 3:9  Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

The chosen few ordained to be faithful come out of the many called who are the professing Israel of God.  We dwell together, the wheat and the tares,  in Jerusalem and in Mt. Zion, fulfilling the prophecies and living by every Word God spoke.  Here are some more examples of the remnant, the daughters of these cities being separated for salvation.

Isa 62:11  Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

Isa 62:12  And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.

Psa 48:11  Let mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of thy judgments. [chastening thru the Commandments]

We come to understand this and grasp its relevance to our journey only after we have lived it out and fulfilled the prophecies.  We look behind ourselves and see the Lord’s hand in orchestrating every jot and title of our life experience.  All things were for our sakes, the elect of God, chosen before the world was formed.

2Co 4:15  For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

Christ told those who followed and bewailed Him to weep for themselves and for our children who would be raised in Christ from our preaching.  At the appointed time, all chosen for salvation follow the Lord, carrying their cross, laying down their lives for the brethren.

Luk 23:27  And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.

Luk 23:28  But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.

The daughters of Zion and the daughters of Jerusalem come out of the daughters of Babylon.  It is a miracle if the Lord has mercy and one is given to see the hand of the Lord of the Universe working His purposes in election and blinding everyone else. Here is a great promise given to the precious few.

Zec 2:7  Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.

Zec 2:8  For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.

Zep 3:14  Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

Zep 3:15  The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.

Zep 3:17  The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

A remnant escapes the deception and allure of spiritual Babylon and bears the fruits unto God when they leave the harlot city that deceived them, and which is not the true continuing city of the Lord.

2Ki 19:30  And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall yet again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.

2Ki 19:31  For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this.

The escaped remnant finishes their race and fully enter into the Holy City of new Jerusalem when they leave these clay vessels, never tasting of death anymore.  By the mercy and will of God, we are coming out of spiritual Babylon, leaving the great harlot and all her carnal merchandising behind. Those not given to come out of her are destroyed by the flood of lies from the evil one, which is spiritual violence marked by carnal reasoning, and the accusing and excusing thoughts of the wicked one.  Those who did not know the day of their visitation are drowned in their fleshly reasonings.

Rev 18:21  And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

Unlike the true Holy City, in spiritual Jerusalem, which is actually spiritual Babylon, there are many things that are unclean and that defile us, which we are blind to when we abide there.  The two-edged sword contains both a positive Jerusalem and a negative one, and we live and fulfill both.

Jos 15:63  As for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out: but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day.

2Ki 21:4  And he [Manasseh] built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD said, In Jerusalem will I put my name.

2Ki 21:6  And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

We know we have found the eternal city of new Jerusalem in earnest when we have learned to discern between the holy and the profane and are drinking only the pure water of life, the Commandments devoid of all carnal reasonings.

Rev 22:1  And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

The coming of the Promise is the coming into the city of new Jerusalem.  The throne of grace is established in our hearts and minds, and the indwelling Spirit of Christ is now judging us and reproving us in all things.  There is no more darkness; we have been set free from it and now dwell and walk in the eternal light of the Living Commandments.

Rev 22:3  And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

Rev 22:4  And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

Rev 22:5  And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

We are now singing the new song that only those chosen for salvation and receiving the Promise can sing.  We are coming out of spiritual Babylon and are dwelling in the Holy City, waiting for the fullness to come.

Isa 52:9  Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.

Isa 52:11  Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD.

The inhabitants of heavenly Jerusalem come to the wedding feast when called and leave the harlot city behind.

Isa 62:1  For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.

Isa 62:4  Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.

The Lord returns to the true Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, and there He dwells and establishes His Holy mountain.  This is the city of Truth, the eternal city wherein the Commandments of the Lord are known and obeyed.  We are entering the Holy City by the mercy of the Lord.

Zec 8:3  Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.

Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

All of us are born and raised unto maturity in heavenly Jerusalem, as even the cities of God are made new when the Living Christ comes to us.

Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Rev 21:5  And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

We are entering into the true Sion, the city of Truth, the dwelling place of the Living God, little by little, as we are coming out of spiritual Babylon. All those who went before us, who never died, are alive, and gathered with the Lord and His Christ, having been married in Spirit.  We partake of our deposit yearning for the fullness to come and the redemption of our clay bodies.

Remember that the knowledge about these cities and seeing ourselves fulfilling the Scriptures is useful, to expand our understanding and even strengthen our faith, but this knowledge itself means nothing unless we obey the Commandments and love God. Praise ye the Lord.

1Co 13:8  Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 

Ecc 12:13  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

 

 

Commandments

Go and Learn What This Means

Peter
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 Mercy and Not Sacrifice

The Lord desires mercy and not sacrifice, and tells us as Pharisees, who focus on our outward works of righteousness, to go and learn what this means.

Mat 9:11  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?

Mat 9:12  But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

Mat 9:13  But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance

The righteous in God’s eyes are those who are doing righteousness, which means obeying the Father’s Commandments.  Seeing and obeying the Commandments is the desire of the Lord, as they work the work of salvation for which the Father sent Christ to perform.  Mercy opens our eyes to see the Commandments, the Gospel, which then shines a light upon our earth and our walk.  The Lord’s mercy is also called the goodness of God that leads us to take the first step and repent of our sins, which begins the process of being delivered from those sins.  By mercy, we come to see our need for Christ to save us from our sinful nature.  We praise the Lord for His wonderful works, which show us mercy and lead us away from sin into righteousness.

Tit 3:5  not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 

Psa 107:7  And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation. 

Psa 107:8  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness [Mercy], and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 

The Commandments wake us up by shining a bright light into our earth, brightening all the dark places.  This is how we are raised from a state of spiritual death and, in time, bring forth the obedience that is salvation and the glory of the Lord.  Christ is come, the day star has arisen.

Isa 60:1  Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 

The Lord’s will for His people is our sanctification, which begins with open eyes to the true knowledge of God, the Commandments.  Our outward sacrifices mean nothing to the Lord and are vanity that occupy us until the Gospel is heard, and faith is given.  With open eyes and ears to the Commandments, we are drawn to the Lord by the Gospel in Spirit and in Truth.  Our sacrifices to the Lord now come from our heart and a desire to please our maker and love God by obeying Him.

Hos 6:6  For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. 

Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 

Knowledge of the Commandments [mercy] is far more important than our outward forms of righteousness, which are the sacrifices of carnal men to justify themselves before the Lord.  The first great Commandment teaches us that the Lord wants obedience from our whole heart.  The Lord despises us when we honor Him in the letter, meaning with our lips and in outward forms, but remain disobedient to the Commandments.

Through mercy, when we see and hear the Commandments, then judgment has come to our earth, that is, the Temple of the Living God.  The fire of the Commandments, the Word of God,  the Living Christ, is now kindled in our hearts and minds.

Luk 12:49  I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? 

Christ commands us to go and learn what having mercy, and not sacrifice, means.  Only those chosen for salvation hear the Commandment and are being taught of the Lord and learning the new song.  The grace of God, the Living Commandments, the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, guides us into all Truth and teaches us about mercy and the only sacrifice that pleases the Lord.

Joh 6:45  It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. 

Rev 14:3  And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. 

Joh 16:8  And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 

The Lord despises the sacrifices of carnal men who claim His name but are far from Him, meaning the Commandments.  Spiritual Jerusalem, which is Sodom and Egypt, also known as Spiritual Babylon, is where we hear the everlasting Gospel of the Lord and the call to come out and be the set-apart peculiar and holy people of God.  The righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees is not enough to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  To whom much is given, hearing the Gospel, a much higher attainment of righteousness is required.

Isa 1:10  Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. 

Isa 1:11  To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. 

Isa 1:13  Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. 

The only sacrifice the Lord desires and demands is a life submitted to His Commandments.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 

Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

When David sinned, he confessed his sin, acknowledging that the only sacrifice the Lord desires is a life laid down to Him in service.  It is a broken spirit, a contrite heart, where we lose the old life, submit ourselves to the Commandments, who is Christ,  and thereby arise to newness of life.

Psa 51:16  For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. 

Psa 51:17  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. 

Pharisees back then and today observe Christ and His disciples doing what is forbidden under their law for the carnally minded. This is a parable, speaking to always doing the Father’s work and ceasing from our carnal reasonings. Pharisees do not recognize Christ nor understand the Commandments, which place the showing of mercy, the [opening eyes to the Commandments], far above the outward sacrifices that are for the pride of man and the esteem of men.  We do not condemn those whom the Lord has blinded.  We show all men mercy by doing and speaking the Commandments in everything.  At the appointed time, the Lord opens eyes and ears who receive our witness.    The coming of Jesus Christ, the Living God of the universe, is the end of the law of Moses/Gentiles to all given to believe.

Mat 12:5  Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? 

Mat 12:6  But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. 

Mat 12:7  But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. 

Mat 12:8  For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

The Lord looks to the heart to see who loves Him with all their heart, mind, and soul.  Most who claim the name Christ do many great works, but do not bring the offerings or sacrifice the Lord desires. They are cast out and the door shut in this age, being saved and coming to Christ in the age to come.

Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 

Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 

In Matthew 9, Christ speaks words previously spoken in a pivotal Old Testament story about the fall of King Saul and his rejection and being cut off by the Lord.  Saul was commanded by the Lord through the Prophet Samuel to utterly slay all the Amalekites and all their possessions, leaving nothing.  There was no room for ambiguity in the Commandments.  We obey all the Lord’s Commandments and do not add to them nor take away from them.  We just do them. The natural man in all of us is led by their carnal mind, the father of lies, and cannot help but corrupt the Lord’s Commandments.  Saul, the rejected king of Israel, is the example of that, and a shadow of the Lord rejecting those who have heard the Gospel, but do not obey the Gospel.

1Sa 15:1  Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD. 

1Sa 15:2  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. 

1Sa 15:3  Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. 

1Sa 15:5  And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.

Yet Saul did not obey and failed to slay the King of Amalek and kept back the best sheep and oxen so Israel could sacrifice them to the Lord. Saul placed sacrifice above showing mercy and obedience to the Lord, thus corrupting the Commandments by adding to and taking away from them.  In his corruption, which is called rebellion and witchcraft, Saul falsely believed he had obeyed the Commandment when Samuel came.

1Sa 15:13  And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD. 

Samuel rebuked King Saul and pronounced the judgment of God upon him for the witchcraft.  It is better to obey than sacrifice to the Lord, as obedience is the Commandments is the only sacrifice the Lord desires.

1Sa 15:14  And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? 

1Sa 15:22  And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 

1Sa 15:23  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king. 

Spiritually, the Amalekites are descendants of Esau, the rejected son of Isaac, and are not the seed of Jesus Christ.  Israel is to remain separated from them and always destroy such a spirit in their midst.  Despite confessing his sin, King Saul was cut off from Israel and soon died.  David, a type of Christ, began to reign in his stead.

1Sa 15:26  And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel. 

The Lord wants our obedience in all ways and not feigned works of righteousness that we offer unto the Lord. Corrupting the Commandments, we are robbers and spiritual whores, and Israel within and any who hear us is defiled.  The true disciples of Christ seek to do good at every turn, meaning obeying all the Commandments, which is the sacrifice of praise in which the Lord is well pleased.

Heb 13:15  By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. 

Heb 13:16  But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. 

The Lord is our helper who now lives in our hearts and minds, quickening us to do righteousness.  We freely sacrifice to Him, meaning we are dead and our life belongs to the Lord.  We desire mercy and are merciful to all, showing them the Gospel, knowing that those who show mercy are given mercy.

Mat 5:7  Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 

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Articles

Shutting the Door to Christ

Peter
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Knowing Not the Time of their Visitation

Peter and Rohnel, servants and apostles by the will of the Lord Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained a like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God the Father and our Saviour Jesus Christ:   Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord

The Scriptures are written for and are about Jesus Christ and His Christ, the firstfruits of salvation in this age. While all humanity is saved in the end, in this age, it is the chosen few, the elect, who are the firstfruits; they are Jesus Christ in the world.  All Scriptures are a parable spoken in dark sayings that only those given ears to hear and eyes to see can understand. The Scriptures begin with the Lord creating us as His firstfruits and making in us a heaven and an earth in which His light shall shine forth.

Gen 1:1  In the firstfruits [Strong H7225 ראשׁית, beginning] God created the heaven and the earth. 

Gen 1:2  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 

Gen 1:3  And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 

Gen 1:4  And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 

Few understand these spiritual words, yet those appointed to understand do so as they are marked by the Lord for salvation in this age. The manifestation of the sons of God comes about in the time of the end, which is now for this generation and continues until the end of the physical age.

Dan 12:9  And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 

Dan 12:10  Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. 

We are fulfilling the prophecies of the end times written in the Prophets, the Gospels, the Epistles, and the book of Acts. All things are indeed ours to fulfill as Christ fulfilled the Scriptures, and so do we as His Christ in this world. As with Christ, events happen so that the Scriptures are fulfilled in our lives. We endure the same rejection and hatred from our own people as the Lord. The city that welcomes us with great joy, and then, as is appointed and declared from the beginning, turns against Christ. These brethren also fulfill the Scriptures and do not know the day of their visitation, the coming of Jesus Christ to them in this age for salvation.

Luk 19:41  And when Christ was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 

Luk 19:42  Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 

Luk 19:43  For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, 

Luk 19:44  And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. 

To fulfill the Scriptures, we briefly sorrow as Christ over the rejection from the fallen brethren who know not the time of their visitation. They are not given to discern the signs of the time, nor recognize Jesus Christ in their midst, and, in time, turn against Christ. It is all written to be fulfilled by the Christ, the Lord’s anointed, whom He raises to do His greater works in this age. Our recent experience fulfilled many prophecies regarding Christ and His dealings with the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes, who are the chiefs and rulers of the house of Israel, to which we go through to find the lost sheep of Israel.  These chiefs took away the key, the Commandments, corrupting them by adding to and taking away, and thus are not entering in and hindering those who heed their counsel. They kill Christ in their hearts as they have done to the prophets before.

Luk 11:49  Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and of them they shall slay and persecute: 

Luk 11:50  That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; 

Luk 11:51  From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation. 

Luk 11:52  Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered. 

Speaking truth in boldness and standing firmly on the Commandments, Christ, the Apostles, and all born again of the Spirit are rejected by our brethren in living by every Word.

1Co 3:21  Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; 

1Co 3:22  Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; 

1Co 3:23  And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.

The Lord brings a trial and a heresy against the Commandments. The warnings of the watchmen who blow the trumpet [the rule and order the Lord sets over the flock] go unheeded, and the result is the division the Lord orchestrates. Thus, our warnings about the sin unto death and remaining separated from one the Lord has cut off are ignored, spoken evil about, and thus the Lord’s will in winnowing the flock is accomplished.  The Lord did it.

Amo 3:6  Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it? 

Amo 3:7  Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. 

In New Testament language, the Gospel we preached was heard yet not obeyed, as their foolish hearts are darkened by the Lord. The fallen of Israel worship the creation, meaning men, themselves, and not the creator [the Commandments], preferring to return to Sodom, which the angels of God previously delivered them from.

Rom 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 

Rom 1:22  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 

2Co 4:3  But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 

2Co 4:4  In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 

We boast not against these branches whom the Lord has cut off, but fear, knowing we too can be cut off if we make the same error and do not continue in the Gospel we have heard and preach. We obey God and fulfill the remaining prophecies for the work of God to be finished. Those who reject Christ and refuse to come to the wedding feast when given the choice to choose today whom they shall serve are cut off, and Christ moves on from them. The call to come out and meet the bridegroom is rejected, and the foolish virgins who have no oil in their lamps, who had merely warmed themselves by the fire, doing no work, were not ready when Christ came.  The door is thus shut and not reopened in this age.

Mat 25:10  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 

Mat 25:11  Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 

Mat 25:12  But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 

Mat 25:13  Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. 

The Lord rules with a rod of iron, and when judgment has come upon the house of God, after the Gospel has been preached, there is no more ignorance, and thus the separation of the sheep and the goats, the wheat and the tares, is taking place quickly.   Many are called, and only a few are chosen to be saved in every generation, and we are witnessing this in our day of the Lord. The door to Christ is shut for those who refused the call and did not recognize the day of Jesus Christ.

Luk 13:24  Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. 

Luk 13:25  When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: 

Luk 13:26  Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. 

Luk 13:27  But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. 

Luk 13:28  There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. 

The door is shut to those who cut off their Messiah, and the wicked one has now entered their city, and they are being swept away by a flood of lies.

Mat 24:37  But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 

Mat 24:38  For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 

Mat 24:39  And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 

Dan 9:26  And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 

To fulfill the Scriptures, some who did not come when called to choose whom they serve and at what table they eat, return asking to be let in through the door that is now closed. It seems unloving to flesh, but the rejection of Christ and the Gospel once one has tasted of it is not forgiven in this age. It is the sin unto death. We are commanded not to pray for these brethren; we do not even wish them Godspeed. We move on as commanded.

1Jn 5:16  If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. 

1Jn 5:17  All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death. 

Mar 3:29  But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit hath no forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: 

John tells us what walking in love is all about, and the very next words remind us that loving God and all men includes doing things that some may seem offensive and harsh, as they judge by their flesh and emotions, not by the Commandments. Here is the Commandment again.

2Jn 1:6  And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. 

2Jn 1:7  For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 

2Jn 1:8  Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. 

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

2Jn 1:10  If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 

2Jn 1:11  For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds. 

Christ and His Christ do not open the door as Commanded; we do not even wish them Godspeed; we cut off all communication with those who spoke evil against the Commandment and/or against the Lord’s anointed in their day of visitation. Speaking evil is saying our words were lies and the Commandment was not true, thus attributing them to Satan. Anyone who did not hear the voice of the true shepherd and follows the voice of strangers instead is not of God; they are being identified in the times of the harvest, as the time of separation is now.

Joh 10:3  To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 

Joh 10:4  And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 

Joh 10:5  And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. 

Luk 10:16  He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me. 

1Jn 4:6  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. 

Now is the harvest, and the sheep and goats are being divided by judgment that has fallen on the house of God in this generation.

Mat 25:31  When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 

Mat 25:32  And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 

Mat 25:33  And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 

The ways of God in dividing a remnant and moving them onwards to salvation are the mysteries being revealed in the last days. Those who reject our Gospel and us who preach it, are separated from Christ.  When they seek to come back, they learn that repentance is not granted in this age for those who sinned the sin unto death. Those who fail are caused to fail of the grace of God, receiving it in vain and thus are not renewed to repentance in this age.

Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 

Heb 12:17  For ye know how that afterward, when he [Esau] would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. 

Those being saved, the elect, build their spiritual house on the Rock that is the Commandments and nothing else. Those not chosen build their house on a mixed multitude of shifting sand, esteeming flesh, respecting persons, and not loving God with all their heart, mind, and soul. When the flood of apostasy comes in the last days, to try the faith of Israel, they are swept away and taken away only to be restored in the age to come. This is the fall of Spiritual Babylon within every man not given to heed the call of the angels to come out of her.

Mat 7:26  And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 

Mat 7:27  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Apostles receive their revelation, the Promise and baptism of Christ, directly from the Lord. All others receive their baptism of Christ through the laying on of hands by the Apostles and others who have in turn been raised in Christ. When preachers of the Gospel are sent out, they are Christ, and the day of visitation of Jesus Christ has come to all that the Lord puts in our path. Christ and His Christ first go into the synagogues of the spiritual Jews who profess His name, and there we preach the Gospel [Act 13:46]. Yet most Jews reject it, trusting instead in their knowledge and desiring to continue to reign and sit in the high seats they appointed themselves to take. We thus fulfill these Scriptures as Christ in the world.

Mat 23:2  Christ saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: 

Mat 23:3  All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. 

Mat 23:4  For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 

Mat 23:5  But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 

Mat 23:6  And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,

Those who exalted themselves are abased, and when the Commandments and Christ are evil spoken about, the Lord brings his fury and destroys the leaders of Israel and all who follow their pernicious ways. Scriptures speak of this in many places, including here in Ezekiel speaking of Egypt, that is, really, Spiritual Jerusalem, likened unto Sodom and Egypt [Rev 11:8]. The dragon, the prince of the world, runs the show here as they remain bound to the law of sin and death in their members. The leaders of the house claim the river that fed the flock as their own and boast in themselves, bringing the wrath of God upon that house. The fowls of heaven, the carnal lies and reasonings of men, are set to devour them, as this is the great supper of God that is the same as being swept away by a flood of lies [fowls of heaven].

Eze 29:3  Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself. 

Eze 29:4  But I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales. 

Eze 29:5  And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: thou shalt fall upon the open fields; thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered: I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven. 

These cut off brethren marked for destruction are not the true shepherds, as they did not come through the door that is Christ. They are the deceivers, the false apostles, whom the Scriptures prophesy appear to us in the last days. They beguile many by their outward form of righteousness and swelling words of vanity.

2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 

2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 

These are also known as false brethren, unawares, and are among the perils that the apostles of every generation face in preaching the Gospel and defending the ministry of the Gospel.

2Co 11:26  In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 

As the angels of the Lord, the Cherubims, the apostles by the will of God, we zealously guard the gate/door and entryway into the Holy City of New Jerusalem, where the tree of life grows and feeds the inhabitants.  Nothing unclean enters in as the watchmen and shepherds are commanded to guard the sheep and allow no dogs, wolves, sorcerers, or heretics whom the Lord has already rejected into the Holy City.

Rev 21:27  And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life. 

Rev 22:14  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. 

Rev 22:15  For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. 

The Fate of the Fallen

Those deceived by the hand of the Lord, not marked for salvation in this age, think they are doing God a service by killing us in spirit and cutting off the Messiah from their city. Yet they are the blind leading the blind who have not known the Father nor the Son, and thus fulfill many prophecies in our lives, including this one.

Joh 16:2  They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. 

Joh 16:3  And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. 

Rather than Christ, the Jews in the city chose Barabbas, a murderer and a man who previously stirred up sedition against the Lord’s anointed and was rightly put into prison and excluded from the city. They were given a choice, and they chose Barabbas, proving they know not the Lord who had visited them.

Luk 23:18  And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas: 

Luk 23:19  Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison. 

Joh 18:40  Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber. 

We sorrow for our fallen brethren; we tried to save them as Paul wrote about in Romans 10 and 11. Yet the will of God has been made manifest, and thus we move on, dying to our fleshly emotions and knowing no man in the flesh anymore. Many have observed these things from afar, following what the Lord is doing in His flock and reading what the Lord has given us to post on this website. Some of them following us are rising from their graves and awakening from their sleep.

Mat 27:50  Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 

Mat 27:51  And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; 

Mat 27:52  And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 

Mat 27:53  And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. 

Mat 27:54  Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. 

Our spiritual clothing, meaning our writings and doctrine that we taught them and preached, are parted from us, and they have cast lots for them, thus fulfilling even more Scriptures.

Joh 19:23  Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. 

Joh 19:24  They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did. 

They broke none of Christ’s doctrine, as the legs of the crucified Christ were not broken. The doctrine of Christ is only heard and is not obeyed.

Joh 19:32  Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. 

Joh 19:33  But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: 

A day comes when those who were cut off look upon him who was pierced.  While they seek repentance in tears, it is not granted, for the door remains shut in this age. All these things, the killing of Christ and His Christ in spirit in every generation is about fulfilling the Scriptures.

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

Joh 19:36  For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. 

Joh 19:37  And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced. 

False apostles and deceivers are cut off from the true Israel of God. They are not to be found in the true city of God, Heavenly Jerusalem, also known as New Jerusalem. They remain in Spiritual Jerusalem, which is Babylon, and the cage for every evil bird [carnal thoughts and reasonings].

Rev 2:2  I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: 

Rev 2:9  I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. 

It is obedience to the Commandments to deny and separate from those who commit the sin unto death, blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, that immediately shuts the door.  We are not letting anyone aligned with them back into our spiritual house.  This is the Commandment of the Lord, and the door remains shut as we love God more than we love men.  Saying otherwise is another gospel.

Gal 1:10  For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. 

With lessons learned, as the appointed shepherds, we carefully guard the gates of who comes into the Heavenly Jerusalem that the Lord is building, the true everlasting city of God. Anyone coming to our fellowships must be let in by the Apostles, who oversee the flock as shepherds and are diligent watchmen. We are careful as commanded to whom we cast our pearls of truth and the meat of this Gospel. We do not give our holy things to those the Lord has cut off who are the heretics, antichrists, deceivers, false apostles, and deceitful workers the Lord raises to try our faith.  Time is short, and we do not waste any time in disobedience with those whom the Lord has cut off. Our ministry is to go only to the lost house of Israel, and they are those who hear and receive the words of Christ we preach.

Mat 7:6  Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. 

As the Lord’s witnesses, we have the power to shut heaven and to make it rain or not in the Spirit. We are given this power by the Lord and are commanded to use it in obedience to the Commandments. By retaining their sin, we shut the rain off in this age.

Rev 11:6  These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. 

We know the fallen did not choose of their own free will to do the evil they have done. All was appointed and declared from the beginning. Thus, we have asked our heavenly Father to forgive their sin as we cannot forgive it ourselves in obedience. Our Father hears us, and the fallen cut off brethren are saved in the age to come.

Luk 23:34  Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. 

We have not yet attained, and we press onward for the high calling of God, striving to finish our race. We follow Christ, the Commandments, our eyes always looking to them, and we groan, waiting for the fullness of the adoption as the Sons of God.

 

 

Commandments

Love thy Neighbour as Thyself

Peter
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Fulfilling the Royal Law of Christ

Loving thy neighbour as thyself is being Jesus Christ to everyone the Lord puts into our path. God is love, and that love is doing the Commandments, all of them in everything we speak and do.  We live to do our heavenly Father’s will and not our own will.  We belong to the Lord, being redeemed from among men and thus are in bonds, being servants to all He sends.

Heb 10:9  Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God

Chosen of God, our implanted desire is to be remade into His image, and we impart that desire upon others by obeying all the Commandments in our interactions with all mankind, who in time become the children of God.

Mat 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 

Mat 22:38  This is the first and great commandment. 

Mat 22:39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

Mat 22:40  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

The so-called “golden rule” is the Commandment to do unto others as we desire men to do unto us. Loving our neighbors is likened unto the first great Commandment because the love we desire from others, their obeying the Lord to prosper and nourish us in our trials, is the same love we give them. We edifiy one another and wash each other’s feet as disciples of Christ by loving the Father and the Son.  The love spoken of is the love of God, which is the obeying of all His Commandments.

Mat 7:12  Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. 

James called the Commandment “to love thy neighbor as thyself,” the royal law, meaning this is the pinnacle, the epitome of what loving God means. We do unto others as we ourselves seek intimacy with the Lord, the Living Commandments, that is Christ, who is the Word of God.

Jas 2:8  If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: 

The new Commandment of Christ, which has its own study [CLICK HERE], brings the first two great Commandments together into one.

Joh 13:34  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 

The Commandment is new in the sense that it combines the first great Commandment with the one likened unto it that has us loving every man with godly love, which is always obeying the Commandments.

2Jn 1:5  And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. 

2Jn 1:6  And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, that, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. 

Loving one another does not mean we disobey the Commandments to cut off and separate from those marked by God and by retaining the sin unto death that is known as blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.  Loving God with all our heart, the first great Commandment, has us obeying all the Commandments.  We are warned to be on the lookout for these deceivers in the last days who speak evil against the Living Christ and His Christ.

2Jn 1:7  For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 

We love one another by serving them the Gospel, the Commandments, which are a cup of water, some living bread of life, that also provides clothing to cover their nakedness, and we are visiting them in their carnal prisons to set them free. When we do these things for the least of them, we are doing it for Jesus Christ and thus are loving the Lord thy God with all our heart, mind, and soul.

Mat 25:34  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 

Mat 25:35  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 

Mat 25:36  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 

Mat 25:37  Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 

Mat 25:38  When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 

Mat 25:39  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 

Mat 25:40  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 

Loving your neighbor as thyself is the fulfillment of the law of Christ. We have been set free from the bondage of the carnal law, and we do not abuse our freedom to feed our own lusts but instead use it to serve one another.

Gal 5:13  For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 

Gal 5:14  For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

We owe nobody anything except to love them by obeying the Commandments. This is loving our neighbor as ourselves and the fulfillment of the law of liberty.

Rom 13:8  Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 

Rom 13:9  For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

Rom 13:10  Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 

The Lord is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. The great Commandment to love thy neighbor was all foretold and shadowed in the Old Testament. We feed the poor; we do not steal by taking away what we are commanded to leave for them. We do not swear falsely by the Lord’s Name, meaning we do not have a false Gospel and we do not swear by obeying the Commandments. Everything we do is done for the glory of God, and the Commandments are never changing. Here are the deeds of loving your neighbor spoken of in the types and shadows of the Old Testament.

Lev 19:9  And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. 

Lev 19:10  And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God. 

Lev 19:11  Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another. 

Lev 19:12  And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD. 

Lev 19:13  Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning. 

Lev 19:14  Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD. 

Lev 19:15  Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour. 

Lev 19:16  Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD. 

Lev 19:17  Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. 

Lev 19:18  Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

As the Lord’s servants, we care about the wealth of others above our own needs. We reap what we sow, and the more we love others, the more the Father pours out the blessings upon us. It is therefore more blessed to give than to receive. These phrases are all saying the same thing. All that we do is done to manifest the glory of God [obedience to the Commandments] in ourselves and all to whom we are sent. As servants, we love as Christ loved us, laying down our lives for the brethren, looking up to the needs of others above our own.

1Co 10:23  All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. 

1Co 10:24  Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth. 

Php 2:4  Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 

Php 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 

Joh 10:11  I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

Mar 10:44  And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.

The story of the Good Samaritan is a parable that often comes up when the Commandments are discussed.  In this story, the example of loving our neighbor as ourselves shows that we love God with all of our hearts.  We certainly help our neighbor with physical things, but these are all spiritual words for those given eyes to see. We give the meat and wine of the Gospel, that is, the oil, which heals and gives rest to the weary.

Luk 10:33  But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 

Luk 10:34  And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 

Luk 10:35  And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 

Luk 10:36  Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 

Luk 10:37  And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

We are loving our neighbor, which is going and doing likewise as the Lord commands us as His faithful witnesses in this dark world.

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