Commandments

Be Patient in Tribulation

In Patience We Possess Our Souls

Peter and Rohnel, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus gathered with us and those scattered in the world, grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank our Lord for His enduring mercy, which continually opens our eyes to see our sin and to bring correction.

Father, we confess our lack of patience and striving against your work in our lives and ask for strength to overcome and walk as your faithful witnesses.  We are the most blessed who delight in your ways, who are prospering, being planted by the rivers of life that are your Commandments.

Psa 1:1  Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 

Psa 1:2  But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 

Psa 1:3  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 

The Lord commands us to be patient in our lives and to look towards and wait upon Him to provide what we need, knowing the Lord works all things for the counsel of His will.  The Lord chose us to bear spiritual fruit that remains even in the midst of many temptations to do otherwise.  This includes abiding in patience, which is the focus of this study on the Commandment to be patient.  Being patient also means being long-suffering and retaining self control or temperance.  This study came about as a rebuke and admonition to my impatience, hastiness and lack of self control which kept the fruit of the Spirit from budding forth.

Gal 5:22  NKJV But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 
Gal 5:23  gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 
Gal 5:24  And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 
Gal 5:25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 

Impatience is an affection of the flesh; it is not the fruit of the Spirit.  Patience is far more important than we realize because without it, we do not bear the downstream fruits of the spirit, and also are not obedient to the Commandments to be gentle and kind.

1Ti 6:11  But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

2Ti 2:24  And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,

The fruits of the Spirit are the products of our walking in faith and come forth when we obey the one great Commandment to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, and soul.  An impatient spirit is not a spirit submitted to what the Lord is working in the moment and is disobedience. In the day of the Lord, our impatience is brought into the light and fire that is the Living Commandments.  Progression onward to maturity is stalled, bearing little fruit, when we do not overcome and continue through much patience to show godliness and kindness in all our behavior. Adding to our faith is growing in the faith unto the mature man in Christ.  Patience needs to be added to yield godliness in all our behavior.

2Pe 1:5  And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 

2Pe 1:6  And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 

2Pe 1:7  And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 

2Pe 1:8  For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Not being patient is one being impatient, and it’s a sign that one is still a beast.  Impatience comes forth from the pride of life that is being burned away in the Commandments as we lay down our lives in obedience.

Ecc 3:18  I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. 

Ecc 7:8  Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

If not patient, we are not possessing our souls as the Lord demands.  We remain and abide in conflict with what the Lord is doing to reshape and remold us into holy vessels in which He and the Father dwell forever.  In our day of the Lord, we suffer great tribulation, and the Lord tells us to patiently endure and wait for Him to finish His work.

Luk 21:19  In your patience possess ye your souls. 

Mat 24:13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 

If our lives are defined by haste and angst, we are not at rest or being patient. These are signs we are striving against what the Lord is doing at this moment of our lives.  This behavior and thought life are kicking against the pricks. The Lord says it is hard to kick against His pricks; we just make our trials worse.  Far better to just obey the Lord.

Act 9:5  And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

Act 9:6  And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

Pricks in the natural are known as goads and are designed to keep cattle moving in the direction [in submission] to what the herdsman or shepherd demands.  Pricks in the spiritual is the grace of God, our trials, the exact situation we are in that is part of all things the Lord works, to keep us in submission to Christ, the Living Commandments, and do what our Maker demands.  The word translated pricks is also translated as stings, as the pricks or stings, being the Lord’s grace, move us towards Christ and His righteousness.  If we do not obey, more stings and more pricks follow to bring us into subjection and be content and patient.  The Lord does not fail to prosper His Word in His elect.  When we push back, resist, and are impatient, more pricks are added until we submit.

Num 33:55  But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell. 

Rom 5:20  Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 

We are learning to put down the sword, our carnal mind, and rest in the Living Christ, the Commandments of the Father that live in us.  The tribulations and grace continue until our beast is subdued.

Rev 13:9  If any man have an ear, let him hear. 

Rev 13:10  He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. 

Our rebellious actions are futile and do nothing to change the Lord’s heavy arm pressing upon us.  Any resistance puts us deeper into torment and distress.   Far better to take heed of the Lord and obey His commandments.  We rest in peace and learn to be patient.

Jas 1:3  Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 

Jas 1:4  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. 

The sacrifices and offerings the Lord desires and accepts are those of a contrite and meek spirit.  Impatience and hastiness are the antithesis of a broken spirit, and thus the Lord sends fiery trials in the appointed time to burn this beastly character out of us.

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

John describes the great tribulation that all brethren endure as being the patience of Jesus Christ.  All things we endure require patience to stay the course and walk the narrow road to the end.  Paul shares the same message.

Rev 1:9  I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 

2Co 6:4  But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, 

Moving through life fast, at the world’s pace, without consideration and forethought, brings out the wrath of man and works not the righteousness of Jesus Christ. We are learning to slow down in life, tarry for others, wait on the Lord to lead us, and not be easily provoked in our flesh.

Jas 1:19  Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 

Jas 1:20  For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 

In our day of judgment, the Lord frustrates our impatience and our attempts to avoid being patient.  We cannot escape the judgment of God and retain our impatience.  When we think we have escaped the lion, a bear then meets us, or a serpent bites us.  The grace of God is not failing to have its way in the whirlwind of our judgment.  The Lord, the Commandments, are passing through us once more to remake all things.

Amo 5:17  And in all vineyards shall be wailing: for I will pass through thee, saith the LORD.

Amo 5:18  Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light.

Amo 5:19  As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God, who accomplishes His will in remaking our heavens and our earth in the appointed time.  All our contention is brought into subjection through much tribulation and anguish.

Rom 2:6  Who will render to every man according to his deeds: 

Rom 2:7  To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: 

Rom 2:8  But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, 

Rom 2:9  Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; 

We trust the Lord through our faith, knowing all things work together for the greater good.  The example of Job and the blessings that come at the end gives us hope and strength to endure the moment and remain patient, bearing the anguish that is making our spirit of flesh poor.

Jas 5:11  Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. 

We learn to glory in our tribulations, knowing that they are teaching us patience, a key fruit of the Spirit that makes us faithful witnesses to the Lord. Learning patience comes with much experience in trials and builds our hope in the Lord and the promises yet to be revealed in us.

Rom 5:3  And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 

Rom 5:4  And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 

We learn contentment in our patience and stop kicking against the pricks.

Jas 1:3  Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 

Jas 1:4  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. 

Being patient is one of the marks of a true Christian.  As the Lord’s witnesses in this world, we are called to be patient and control our fleshly emotions at all times.

Rom 12:10  Be affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another; 

Rom 12:11  Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; 

Rom 12:12  Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; 

Patience is long suffering, which requires endurance, which is also a Commandment.  The patient and long-suffering with others define the nature of those marked by Christ.

Eph 4:2  With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 

Eph 4:3  Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

We are being made into His likeness and image. Be patient in all circumstances, as that is the nature of our God.

Rom 15:5  Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: 

We are no longer brawlers nor run in the same dissipations as the world, which by nature is impatient and striving with one another.  Shepherds of the sheep are patient and follow the many examples of the Apostles.

1Ti 3:3  Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

Tit 2:2  That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.

2Ti 3:10  But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,

Be patient in the hope of the Lord Jesus Christ and in our dealings with all men. We are lights unto the world and are commanded to run our race with patience.

1Th 5:14  Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

Heb 6:12  That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Entering the Kingdom of God is only done through many tribulations.  These trials require great patience to endure, grow in maturity, and overcome our sin.  We are keeping the Commandment to be patient at the forefront of our thoughts and minds every day as we endure the fiery trials in our day of the Lord.

2Th 1:4  So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:

Rev 14:12  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

The Lord is our helper in our trials with impatience and all the Commandments.  Seek Him, the Commandments, and we shall live in His sight.

 

Studies

Christ, a Man of Many Sorrows

Enduring our Cross 

Peter and Rohnel, servants of the Most High, to the scattered pilgrims who share our precious faith in the Living Christ, peace and grace to you in the name of the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May these words, in their appointed time, bring comfort to those who are afflicted and suffering many sorrows in life.

The life of Jesus Christ in a clay vessel is a life of enduring many sorrows. Our Lord Jesus Christ and we as His chosen ones, Christ’s Christ, willingly endure the sorrows the Father appoints us to for our love of the Father that is put into our hearts.   We go and do as our heavenly Father directs us, knowing full well the journey comes with many tribulations and sorrows. Christ’s death was no surprise to Him, and our death to the old life and our sufferings is no surprise either.  Christ teaches this to His disciples continually to enable us to endure the sufferings and sorrows.

Mar 8:31  And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 

We ask for relief when desired, but put all things in subjection to the will of God.

Luk 22:42  Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. 

We, as Christ in the world, follow the Lord and also endure much sorrow in the process of being remade in the hands of the Potter.  These sorrows and afflictions are humbling us and making us poor in spirit [of our flesh].

Isa 66:2  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. 

The Scriptures, speaking of Christ, speak not only of our Lord’s coming in the body of flesh, but also His coming into our bodies of flesh. We are His Holy Temple in which He comes to dwell. We are raised as Christ in the world for His purposes to be His witnesses and perform the greater works. Through the Living Word of the Father that dwells in our hearts and minds, we are no longer of this world, yet are sent into the world in the same manner as the Lord was sent. We continue to grow in understanding the scope and magnitude of this heavenly appointment as the chosen of God.

Joh 17:14  I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 

Joh 17:16  They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 

Joh 17:18  As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world

The carnal world judges us in the flesh like they did Christ back then, seeing Him only as Joseph’s son, a mere carpenter. Thus, our report of the Gospel and the revealing of the mysteries of God are not believed. Our preaching is rejected, and understanding is given only to a precious few who make up the little flock, the remnant being saved in this generation. The Gospel remains hidden from the eyes that do not see us as Christ.

Isa 53:1  Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? 

Those who believe and those to whom Christ is revealed are those given to suffer many sorrows from the arm of the Lord.  When our troubles and sorrows begin in our day of the Lord, those outside the faith see it and want nothing to do with us. The great gulf continues to widen as we walk in the Spirit, preach, and obey the Gospel. To the carnal world, what we believe and do is foolishness. Our life is defined by increasing sorrows and much grief that only adds to the rejection of our life focus, actions, and the words of truth we speak. Christ is not esteemed and rather despised.

Isa 53:2  For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 

Isa 53:3  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 

The Lord’s Christ in every generation bears the griefs and carries the sorrows for the whole of the Lord’s church. The carnally minded see those smitten and afflicted of God, but do not understand the purposes of the afflictions and sorrows, until the Lord opens our eyes to the Gospel.

Isa 53:4  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 

Isa 53:5  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 

Our sufferings are both physical and spiritual, and come in many shapes and forms, as the Scriptures describe. The Lord uses everything at His disposal [all things] to bring trials, including those of health, money, spiritual and physical family, property, worldly relationships, and many more, to bring the necessary sorrows to crush our fleshly spirit. The Lord even uses the tribulations of others whom we love dearly to bring us sorrow. Jesus wept over Lazarus and the sorrow of the disciples, and we also weep over the sorrows of those we love. The Body of Christ is one spirit and body with Christ, and we all partake of the same bread that is the Commandments.  We have all things in common including our sorrows.

Rom 12:15  Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. 

Our tribulations separate us for the Lord’s purposes and humble us by continually trying and proving our faith. This time is known as a day of trouble, and it is our day of the Lord when we are being perfected from our sin. The yoke, our bondage to the whims of our flesh, is being destroyed so we serve only Christ. It is known as the great tribulation in the New Testament and by many other names and phrases, including Jacob’s trouble.

Jer 30:7  Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. 

Jer 30:8  For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him: 

Jer 30:9  But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them. 

Those suffering afflictions are often reproached and scornfully treated by the carnally minded world, who look down upon those who suffer and are weak in the flesh. Some are born with physical afflictions that bring great hardship and sorrow, and some carry these burdens for many years. The stories and examples of God-given physical afflictions in the Scriptures apply both spiritually and outwardly. The Lord is working all things and is the father of all spirits, even those that cause sorrowful and painful infirmities. Here is a sampling of those biblical stories.

  • Jacob wrestles with God and injures his hip, taking away the strength of his flesh [no thigh] – Gen 32:25
  • Job loses everything but his life and is afflicted with boils over his body to humble him – Job chapters 1-2
  • Issac and Jacob lose their eyesight later in life, so they walk only by faith – Gen 27 and Gen 48
  • Man crippled 38 years before Christ healed him at the pool – Joh 5:5
  • Woman bowed over for 18 years healed by Christ – Luke 13:11-16
  • Paul’s thorn in the flesh to keep him humble – 2Co 12:7-9
  • Man born blind from birth healed – Joh 9:1-3
  • Woman with menstrual blood for 12 years – Mat 9:20-22

Let us also remember our Lord and the suffering and anguish Jesus Christ endured, a Roman crucifixion, in losing his physical life.   The Lord knows how to comfort us in our suffering as He has endured more than we ever are asked to endure. Our chastening with both physical and spiritual afflictions is all for the purpose of being perfected as our heavenly Father is perfect.

Heb 12:3  For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. 

Heb 12:4  Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. 

Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

The Lord wastes nothing, and all of our sorrow is used for good and transforms us into the likeness and image of Christ, being made a son of God. We are not suffering for suffering’s sake but for righteousness’ sake. We come to see and understand this principle and thus lay down our lives for the sake of the Body that is the church. Having received the Gospel, the Living Word, we see and know all of our suffering as a righteous servant is bearing the inequities of all.

Isa 53:10  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him [us, the elect, His righteous servants]; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

Isa 53:11  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

It pleases the Lord to bruise His Christ in this world. Not that the Lord enjoys our suffering, but because He knows the way of learning righteousness, the very reason He comes, is found through suffering and loss.

Heb 2:10  For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 

Our chastening by these afflictions is not always meant to correct us for a sin or wrongdoing. To those given much, much is expected, and the Lord afflicts those He raises as shepherds of His sheep to keep them/us from being exalted. Paul shared his testimony with us.

2Co 12:7  And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 

Solomon, the king, preacher, and wisest man on earth, learned as we do of the direct relationship between wisdom and knowledge of God and the resulting sorrow.

Ecc 1:18  For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. 

Solomon’s words bear powerful witness to the Lord’s use of sorrow and mourning to remake us in His image and likeness. The sadder our fleshly hearts are made, the despairing of life in this world, the closer we are coming to the kingdom of God.

Ecc 7:2  It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. 

Ecc 7:3  Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. 

Sicknesses, diseases, and pain, known as spirits of infirmity, are under the control of the Father of all Spirits [Heb 12:9], who is the Lord. They are part of all things being worked for the counsel of His will. Many suffer for long periods, and it is all used for the glory of God in due time.

Besides the Lord’s death on the cross, the most comprehensive suffering and loss may be foretold in the Book of Job. All things must be fulfilled, including our Job experience.  The Lord sent satan to try Job and take everything from him: his house, his livelihood, his family, his servants, as written in Job 1:14-19.  Even still, the Lord added physical pain and affliction to Job’s sorrow and suffering.

Job 2:7  So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. 

All of these afflictions, called evil by the Scriptures, are used for good to humble us as they did for Job and thereby drain our fleshly spirit.

Ecc 1:18 CLV I applied my heart to inquiring and exploring by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens:it is an experience of evil Elohim has given to the sons of humanity to humble them by it. 

The Lord blessed the latter end of Job much more than in the beginning, and so it shall be with all of us suffering sorrow today.

Job 42:10  And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. 

Job 42:11  Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold. 

Job 42:12  So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. 

The disciples taught us to rejoice in our sufferings, knowing they serve a purpose for the sake of the entire body of Christ. Suffering is the calling for all who Christ brings through the door in this age, who become living sacrifices and ministers of the Gospel.

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church: 
Col 1:25  Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; 

Following our Lord’s example, we lay down our lives for the brethren, embracing the suffering and reproach that come with our heavenly calling.

1Jn 3:16  Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Our treasure is Christ in us, the Promise, the Living Commandments, that is the Holy Spirit now dwelling in us. We learn to stand on our hope and faith in the promises of God, trusting that the work He began is being finished.

2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 

2Co 4:8  We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 

2Co 4:9  Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 

2Co 4:10  Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 

Only a faithful few continue to walk, bear their cross, and pay the costs all the way to the end. The Lord makes a way for us to endure to the end, even through periods of despair of life.

2Co 1:8  For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: 

2Co 1:9  But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: 

Our fleshly spirit, the carnal mind and its lusts that is our old man, is decreased for Christ in us to be revealed. When our fleshly spirit is crushed and made poor, we are the most blessed people on the earth. Those who mourn through their sorrow are likewise blessed and comforted by God. The crushing of our old spirit is making us meek, causing us to stop striving with our Maker and thus to inherit the earth. The result is overcoming our sin and having dominion over our earth, ruling and reigning with Christ.

Mat 5:3  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Mat 5:4  Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 

Mat 5:5  Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 

Being crucified with Christ, we reach the point of giving up our spirit, which is submitting ourselves fully unto the Lord. The same is losing our life to save it. New life comes by way of the death of the old.

Rom 6:4  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 

The sacrifices that are acceptable to God are those of a crushed or broken spirit who looks to God alone for their sufficiency.

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

Sorrows break our fleshly spirit and are thus integral to preparing us for use in the Master’s kingdom.

Pro 15:13  A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. 

Psa 107:39  Again, they are minished and brought low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow. 

We are being humbled [made meek], before the Lord raises us back up in the power of His resurrection. The NT version says it in these words from James.

Jas 4:9  Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 

Jas 4:10  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. 

Godly sorrow brings salvation, and the sorrow of the world brings forth death, meaning sin. The former has us forsaking all to obey God; worldly sorrow is feigned humility designed to keep the spirit of flesh alive.

2Co 7:10  For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death [sin].

The Lord knows what we can take and what is needed to perfect us and prepare us for His use in bringing forth judgment to the Gentiles. While the Lord bruises us, He does not break us or completely destroy us. It is through these many tribulations that is our day of judgment, that we are brought forth into the Truth.

Isa 42:1  Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. 

Isa 42:3  A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. 

Knowing these truths, we often remind ourselves of the suffering, the trials, the sorrow that is necessary to enter into the kingdom of God and be perfected in our day of the Lord. It was prophesied long ago, and the Lord changes not in His ways.

Gen 3:16  Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

Act 14:22  Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. 

Christ often spoke to His disciples about his impending death and suffering on the cross. Yet they brushed it off and did not understand what was being said until they lived it. Later, they did remember, and it helped them, as it helps all of us to endure our suffering and sorrows as we follow the Lord’s example. We understand it when we fulfill times of great sorrows in our appointed seasons and fulfill the Scriptures.

Luk 18:31  Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. 

Luk 18:32  For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: 

Luk 18:33  And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. 

Luk 18:34  And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. 

Carnal minds tell us this cannot possibly be true, yet the Lord rebuked Peter for his unbelief.

Mat 16:21  From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 
Mat 16:22  Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.

All who come through the door of the Living Christ, the Commandments [Joh 10:20], are Christ in the world and have become a shepherd of the sheep. Shepherds of the sheep give their lives for the sheep. As Christ in the world, we are giving our lives as the Lord did His.

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

Our many sorrows are not pleasant in the moment, but they yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness in the end. Our suffering is for a short season as the Lord makes a quick work on the earth. For the elect’s sake, He promises to shorten the days. Our hope in the promises of God not yet revealed sustains us through.

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. 

Joh 16:33  These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Our sorrow is turned into joy right on time, as was written in our book from the very beginning. Joy comes in the morning when Christ arises in us.

Joh 16:20  Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. 

Joh 16:21  A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. 

Our time of sorrows has a beginning and an end. It is in the last days, once we have heard the Gospel, that our day of the Lord begins, which is also the beginning of our sorrows. The chastening grace of God tries us with the Commandments, and the Lord brings various afflictions and the resulting loss and suffering. Once the Gospel has been preached, the time of the end is at hand, the conflicts in our life begin, as such is the beginning of our sorrows.

Mat 24:6  And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 

Mat 24:7  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 

Mat 24:8  All these are the beginning of sorrows. 

The redeemed of the Lord are learning to walk on the highway to holiness. On this narrow highway, nothing can harm us, and we obtain joy and gladness, and all our sorrows flee away.

Isa 35:8  And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. 

Isa 35:9  No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there: 

Isa 35:10  And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 

When the work of God is done, there is no more sorrow and no more tears. All things have been made new. We are free from death, sorrow, and all pain and suffering. This promise is our hope and what helps us to endure just a little longer. Our hope is in the Lord, not in our current state of suffering.

Rev 21:4  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 

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. 

Rev 21:6  And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 

We are entering into the true holy city, of Zion, that is heavenly Jerusalem, where there is no longer any sorrow or mourning.

Isa 51:11  Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away. 

When we feel helpless and overcome with sorrow and suffering that we cannot bear any longer, we need to remind ourselves of the Lord’s promises. The Scriptures bring comfort and hope of better times ahead. In times of need, we go to the throne of mercy and grace, the Living Commandments, the Holy Spirit, and seek wisdom from above.

Rev 7:17  For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. 

The examples of Jesus Christ and the OT types of Christ, such as King David, give us instruction. Seek the Lord and fervently pray and bring praises to His name, that is His Commandments. Only the Lord can lead us out of the pit of sorrow and suffering.

Psa 18:2  The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. 

Psa 18:3  I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. 

Psa 18:4  The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. 

Psa 18:5  The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me. 

Psa 18:6  In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears. 

Christ commands us not to fall asleep in our sorrow as did the unconverted disciples before Christ was taken and crucified. Stay alert, sober, and focused on the Commandments. Our times of weakness become the devil’s opportune times to tempt us. Prayer is seeking God, and we are to do this without ceasing.

Luk 22:45  And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, 

Luk 22:46  And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. 

The more we suffer, the more we grow from babes in Christ onward to maturity. With greater knowledge and understanding of His grace, we become willing and able to lay down our lives as a living sacrifice as commanded. We endure our cross as the joy of the Lord is our strength.

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

We are unworthy servants of the Most High God who have been redeemed from the earth. In this, we can rejoice even in the midst of great sorrows and suffering. We have been prepared for the marriage of the Lamb through many sufferings. Let us be glad and rejoice in the day.

Articles

A Young Man Flees Persecution

Keeping Our Linen Cloth

Peter and Rohnel, servants of God, to the elect of God who share our precious faith; grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

We have conducted several studies on the cost of following Jesus Christ. A recent comprehensive study on these costs can be found by clicking HERE. Many who start the walk are unable to bear the increasing costs and stop following Christ.  This means they stop obeying the Commandments when the cost is too high.  They slip back into their carnal reasoning about what is right versus wrong in the trials the Lord brings.

Ultimately, all things must be forsaken. “Disciples indeed” are those made willing to pay the price and continue to pay it every day as they grow in the grace and knowledge of God.  The rich young ruler who knew the truth had not the faith to follow Christ when given the opportunity to choose.

Mat 19:24  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 

Mat 19:25  When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 

Mat 19:26  But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

Mat 19:27  Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? 

To be saved in this age, we are continuing to the end and finishing our race.

Mat 24:13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 

Joh 6:66  From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. 

Our journey is one of patience and is an ongoing war with many battles.  It is a fight not to be pulled off the course of faith that leads to the finish line.

2Ti 4:7  I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

Anything that weighs us down and distracts us from Christ needs to go from our lives. We learn patience in overcoming, and we are caused by the Lord to leave behind many things we once enjoyed and loved.

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us

Lord willing, we endure, persevere, and continue no matter the costs. It is all up to God, who determines all things, to drag us to Christ and enable us to continue all the way to the finish line. We of ourselves can do nothing.

Joh 6:65  And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. 

This introduction brings us to the story and parable that is our focus in this short study. When Christ was being arrested and persecuted, which led to His crucifixion, the yet carnal disciples all forsook Christ and fled away. In Mark’s Gospel, we have the added detail of a man who had followed Christ and His disciples at a distance, observing, who encountered the same persecutors and likewise fled.

Mar 14:50  And they all forsook him, and fled. 

Mar 14:51  And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him: 

Mar 14:52  And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked. 

This story is a parable that reflects that many, in fact, most, fall away and do not continue with Christ.  When hard trials come, they lose their covering and flee naked.  Obeying the Commandments [Christ] comes with a price and many worldly troubles.

Joh 16:33  These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

The linen cloth spoken of here that had covered the young man is also our burial cloth. It is the righteousness of the saints that comes by the faith of Jesus Christ that is given to us. By His faith, we are imputed as righteous, which covers our nakedness even before we are matured and overcome our sin. Those who strive to obey the Gospel are being baptized into Christ’s death. The Lord’s fleshly body was likewise laid to rest with a burial cloth.

Mat 27:59  And when Joseph had taken the body [of Christ], he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth

The burial cloth is the fine linen of the saints, symbolizing death to our carnal minds and sin. The result of walking by faith is our obeying the Lord and bearing fruit unto righteousness.  We do this in spite of enduring the hatred and rejection of the carnal world that is promised to be experienced. We are entering into the true Sabbath rest for the people of God. We no longer run in the same dissipations as the world, being dead to it, its lust and ways of thinking. Wearing the linen cloth is walking in Christ’s doctrine, the Commandments, which we only do by the Lord’s mercy and gifts and calling of God.

Rom 6:3  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 

Rom 6:4  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 

Rom 6:5  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 

Our affection is now on the things above. We are dead, and our life is hid with Christ.

Col 3:2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 

Col 3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 

Being young in the true faith, when persecutors first arise, we flee Christ and drop the linen cloth and run away naked in spirit. We are not ready to bear the cost or take the heat that comes with standing for all of the Commandments.   The Living Christ, the Commandments, are thus forsaken, symbolized by dropping the linen cloth.  We do not abide in the spiritual fire that is the Living Christ.

Mat 13:20  But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 

Mat 13:21  Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. 

Yet Christ comes again in the power of the Spirit and gives us the Promise when the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts. The soil in due time is properly prepared for every man, and Christ comes again, the second time for salvation. We are thus able to bear the reproach and rejection of the world, pay the costs, and follow Christ.

1Pe 5:10  But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 

Carnal minds readily try to talk us out of laying it all down in obedience to Christ and trusting fully in God’s provision. A carnal Peter was rebuked as we all are in our time and reminded of what following Christ entails.

Mat 16:21  From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 

Mat 16:22  Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. 

Mat 16:23  But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. 

Mat 16:24  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 

Many follow Christ for a while, then begin making excuses for why they are unable to continue and desire to take a break. Even seemingly good reasons, like saying goodbye to those we once knew and are very fond of in the flesh, are carnal reasonings that have us dropping our linen cloth, leaving Christ’s Commandments, which is our covering.   We do not go back to bury the dead, meaning those of the world. We do not cease following Christ to bid them farewell. We follow the Lord here and now, paying the price and suffering the loss and rejection that come along with it. If we turn back after having begun well, we are not fit for the kingdom of God.

Luk 9:57  And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 

Luk 9:58  And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 

Luk 9:59  And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 

Luk 9:60  Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. 

Luk 9:61  And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. 

Luk 9:62  And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. 

Our old life is completely lost to follow Christ. Nothing is standing in the way of following Him completely in faith, trusting in His promises and Commandments. Those marked to remain faithful in this age are separated from those who are not. The faithful to the end overcome the enemies of God, all of the world’s and our own carnal thoughts and reasonings about what is good.

Rev 17:14  These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

The Commandments become the divider, the instrument, the sword that separates us into a holy people set apart from everyone else. Few there be shall find the way.

Mat 10:34  Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 

Mat 10:35  For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 

Mat 10:36  And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. 

Mat 10:37  He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 

Mat 10:38  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 

Mat 10:39  He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. 

When persecutors come to test our faith, the Lord uses our own house, our family, our loved ones, and our physical and spiritual brethren. We remain watchful for the Lord to come with these heavy trials so we are found obedient and do not flee when the going gets tough. Do we love Christ more than anything?  This is a trial and a test we are given many times.

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

Those who endure to the end are separated for the Lord’s purposes. Our salvation and anointing in this age come with great costs and sacrifice. If we are marked for salvation in this age, our initial reaction of fleeing and dropping our linen cloth as a young person in the faith when persecution comes is replaced with our standing in obedience and bearing the cost. We are dead to the world and willingly suffer the reproach, the loneliness, the loss of relationships we once valued.   The Commandments comfort and strengthen us not the things of the flesh.

Psa 23:4  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

The Lord is in charge, and anything we leave behind remains in His hands, and we need not reason in our minds about the future. We just obey the Lord today.

Isa 46:9  Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, 

Isa 46:10  Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: 

Standing in faith has us believing that all things, even things that seem unloving to the flesh, are in the hands of the Lord. Those marked to be faithful to the end, accept these sufferings and keep looking forward, and do not turn back in unbelief. All aspects of our old life are being lost and left behind. We remember Lot’s wife and do not turn back, keeping our linen cloth, our faith in the Gospel, and remaining followers of Christ. We do not take the old life or anything from it into the new life.

Luk 17:31  In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. 

Luk 17:32  Remember Lot’s wife. 

Our everlasting treasure is our knowledge of Jesus Christ, which we continue to grow into as we mature in the faith. We do mourn when we lose many things, but our mourning will turn into joy.

We do what God commands even if it gets us thrown into a lion’s den or a fiery furnace. We expect these trials and know they are what is perfecting us and remaking us.  They are necessary for the work of God to be completed in us.

Mal 3:3  And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.  

Isa 48:10  Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

The fire does not harm the new man coming forth and we are trusting the Lord and learning to rejoice in what He is doing.

Rev 2:11  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. 

Studies

The False Doctrine of the Millennium Reign

A Temptation of the Devil

This paper is a rewrite of a prior study that exposes the lies on which a false doctrine, previously taught to many, is based. This study focuses on what the reign with Jesus Christ is not, exposing the lies and false doctrines that carnal minds have created, which go beyond what is written. A newer study focused on what our reign with Christ is here: The 1,000-Year Reign With Jesus Christ

The term Millennium Reign is not found in the Scriptures. The false doctrine holds that Jesus Christ returns outwardly to the physical earth and rules and reigns with His Elect for a symbolic 1,000-year period before the end of the physical world. This doctrine is a lie that takes our focus away from the trouble of today and our striving to obey the Commandments. The doctrine is an invention of the carnal mind and relates back to the lie that the elect receive greater rewards and lesser punishments from the Lord. If we are chosen to be saved in this age, we are given to see through the twisting of the Scriptures by those who perform great wonders yet know not the Gospel.

Mat 24:24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 

Within secular Christianity, there are many versions of the one-thousand-year [1,000] doctrine, called “the Millennium,” that have generally been classified into three main groups: premillennialists, postmillennialists, or amillennialists.  The pre and post refer to whether the group believes this outward literal event occurs before or after an outward “great tribulation”.  Of course, even this great tribulation is an inward event, applicable to every man in their appointed time, signifying the coming of Christ a second time to them for salvation.

Mat 24:29  Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 

Mat 24:30  And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 

The words of Scripture are all Spirit, profiting not the flesh, and the truth of any matter is only found following sound principles to those the Lord has given the ability. If one has received the Promise after first receiving the baptism of John and then waiting on the Lord to come with their baptism of fire, they are ruling with Christ now in this age. Jesus Christ is come and dawns a new day, as the day star or morning star, the Living Christ, the Commandments have arisen in our hearts.

2Pe 1:19  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 

Rev 22:16  I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

The coming of Christ marks the start of Christ’s reign, when sin no longer rules. It takes the third day to bring an end to sin and death that dwell in our members. Our third day [a thousand years], the day in which we are being perfected by many tribulations and manifest trials that test our obedience to the Commandments is come. We now judge within ourselves and within the household of God, in whom the Lord has set us with His little flock. We are being raised from our spiritual graves into newness of life in the Spirit.

Mat 19:28  And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 

The firstfruits, Christ and His Christ, are raised first, now, in this generation, and the rest of the dead are, all of humanity, are raised in the age to come, that is, the consummation of the Lord’s work. There is both an inward and an outward application. Blessed and made holy are those who are saved from sin and death now and made partakers of the first resurrection.

Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 

Outwardly, the rest of the dead, being the rest of humanity, are raised to newness of life and given the Spirit of Christ in the age to come. Those not saved in this age are saved in the next, and that by the same method and process of enduring judgment and many tribulations brought on by the Commandments that take root in their hearts and minds. It is by receiving the gift of the faith of Jesus Christ, that is the Promise and the Spirit of Christ, that all humanity is saved in their appointed time.

Act 15:11  But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. 

Ecc 9:2  All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath. 

As the elect of God, before we depart these clay vessels we occupy, never dying, being translated into spirit, Satan and all that defiles us is going to be destroyed in the fire of the Living Commandments that fall from our heaven [mind], which completes the work of God and remakes us into the image of the Son.

Luk 6:40  The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. 

It is done, says the Alpha and Omega. We are the sons of God, we have been perfected in our third day. We are entering into Heavenly Jerusalem as we progress in overcoming our sin.

Rev 21:6  And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 


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

The Scriptures are speaking of what is going on in the Kingdom of God within us and every man in their time. Those things are always shortly to come to pass when one is given to understand. Today is the day of salvation; it is not out there in the future. Christ is come to us for salvation.

Rev 1:1  The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: 

Rev 1:3  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. 

When Christ comes for salvation, He rules and reigns with His people, which expands to all mankind in their appointed time.  Christ is the Word, the Living Commandments that now dwell in our hearts and minds. Christ’s rulership is never said to be outward but always in His Kingdom.  And where is that kingdom?

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 

Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Our Lord, who changes not, has no plan in ruling the carnal world outwardly through His people.  He is in the process of destroying that world, one man at a time, as He chooses them for salvation.

Joh 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

Let’s read the key verses and the only passage in the Bible from which the false doctrine is erroneously extrapolated.

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 

Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. 

Rev 20:7  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 

Rev 20:8  And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 

Rev 20:9  And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 

Rev 20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

These spiritual words are consistent with the sum of the Scriptures, which speak to the process by which all men are saved in their appointed time. Death and the father of death, Satan, our carnal mind, is always being destroyed by fire falling from our heaven. Just as Christ spoke in parables, speaking about the end of the age, here John was given to write in signified words that are also in a parable.

The only purpose given for the outward millennium reign in our former teaching forum was so the Lord could destroy all physical flesh of men so that no more flesh babies could be born, and so death could be destroyed. Like all forms of deception, the error here is subtle yet significant.  While death is the last enemy to be destroyed, this outward thinking about death misses the mark entirely.  The death that the Lord is reigning over until He destroys it is the carnal mind, which is naturally an enemy of God.

Rom 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace

Rom 8:7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 

It is no big deal, requiring no process, nor a 1,000-year outward reign for the Lord to speak physical flesh out of existence. The Lord spoke flesh into existence, and He speaks it out of existence in the appointed time. Yet we are not told specifically how the physical world ends; it is not written, and we are commanded not even to think above what is written, much less to concoct entire doctrines about what the Scriptures do not declare.

1Co 4:6  And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.

The Lord is not found in what He does not reveal to His children. The Lord reveals to us what we need to know in order that we may obey His Commandments, that is, His purpose.

Deu 29:29  The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. 

The lake of fire is the Commandments; it is the Living Word of God, the Promise that is Jesus Christ, who comes to dwell in our hearts and minds when we are given the Holy Spirit. It is our great white throne judgment that completes God’s plan of saving every man. We are given our robes of righteousness by coming through the great tribulation that the Commandments bring to remake us.

Rev 7:14  And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 

This is the fire that torments, silences, and destroys all the lies [the false prophet] and our innate beast [the beast] that lives in all flesh. The last enemy to be destroyed is death, and that begins by destroying the father of death, who is the devil, Satan, and is represented by our carnal mind that is by nature always at enmity with the Commandments.

1Co 15:24  Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 

1Co 15:25  For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

1Co 15:26  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 

The end of death is the end of the carnal mind and the end of Satan. That is the Second Death that only happens in the Lake of Fire, which many deny as having any application to God’s Elect. Unwinding these errors and removing the leaven helps refocus our attention on overcoming and on the rest of the dead within us coming alive to Christ.

Rom 6:7  For he that is dead [dead to death and the carnal mind, which is the Second Death] is freed from sin. 

Rom 6:8  Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 

Reigning with Christ is also judging with Christ, and this is within ourselves and the house of God. The Commandments we now see and believe through faith reveal our sins and bring the fiery grace, which makes us righteous and holy. The resurrection to damnation [our judgment] is very much needed and precedes the Lord’s coming for salvation.

Heb 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die [be found dead in sin, see ourselves as chief of sinners], but after this the judgment: 

Heb 9:28  So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time [in our day of the Lord in the Lake of Fire] without sin unto salvation.

These events in Revelation 20 are signified by words that describe the transition from abiding in the resurrection of damnation, knowing the truth, yet lightly esteeming the Commandments, to the fire that brings overcoming and defines salvation from sin.   A new heaven and earth are being made, and our prayers are being answered.

Rev 6:9  And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 

Rev 6:10  And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 

No Scripture is of its own private interpretation, and that is how Revelation 20 must also be interpreted.  It is only in two or three witnesses that every truth and doctrine is established. The Millennium Reign doctrine was taught without any confirming witnesses and is now shown to be another facet of the bigger lie that the elect are given greater rewards and lesser punishment for our sin. The Lord never mentions an outward rule for the disciples on earth throughout His walk with them in the Gospels.  Likewise, none of the Apostles makes any mention of this supposed gigantic event in any of their writings.

Psa 119:160  The sum of thy word is truth; And every one of thy righteous ordinances endureth for ever. 

Christ is Lord of heaven and the earth, and He reigns in both places when He comes for salvation.  But those places are within you, and that is where the Lord is working right now to establish His dominion by way of the Commandments that abide and work righteousness from within.

Act 7:49  Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool … 

Isa 1:2  Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. 

2Pe 3:13  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 

A close inspection of the signified words of Rev 20 shows that it nowhere says our reign with Christ is taking place on the outward or physical earth. All those words in Revelation are signified words meaning what they mean, not what they literally say.  It is only by transcribing them by the letter and not the Spirit that such a doctrine is twisted into existence.

Rulership is over our own bodies and emotions, in the kingdom of God that is within us.

Rom 6:13  Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 

Rom 6:14  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 

Christ comes to make us into kings, reigning over our earth, which is to have dominion over sin and to minister the Gospel to those still spiritually dead, not having heard or believed the one true Gospel.

Rev 5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth [have dominion over sin, be dead to death]

Nowhere are we promised ruling over other men in any way, shape, or form.  In fact, we have the exact opposite witness, a witness that tells us those in Christ are doing no such thing in ruling and lording over any man.  It is the Commandments, the Living Christ, that rule over men.

Mat 20:25  But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 

Mat 20:26  But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 

We minister the Gospel, feeding the sheep the Lord brings us the Commandments, the living bread of life.

1Pe 5:2  Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 

1Pe 5:3  Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples [ministers] to the flock.

It is the spirit of Satan who lies to us and tempts us and appeals to our flesh to be made chief among the people and be given the promise to rule over men and the entire world.  It is a key temptation that only the true ones of Christ resist and overcome.

Luk 4:5  And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 

Luk 4:6  And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 

Luk 4:7  If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. 

Luk 4:8  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 

Those seeking to rule others in the gatherings of men [Jerusalem in type] have made a covenant with the devil, who has been given the power of death by the Lord. Thankfully, our covenant with death, that is, our carnal mind, Satan, is disannulled in the appointed time. But it first deceives all of us until the Lord has mercy.

Isa 28:14  Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.

Isa 28:15  Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:

Some point to the story of Joseph and his brothers to say the elect will rule over men.  Yet an important truth is omitted to arrive at such a conclusion.

Gen 37:5  And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.

Gen 37:6  And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:

Gen 37:7  For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.

Notice it was the sheaves [of grain], not the brothers, that bowed down to Joseph’s sheave of grain.  This story in no way speaks of the elect ruling over men; it shows the Word of God, the Living Commandments, which is the grain we gather, ruling over the carnal words that the world, our eleven brothers walking after the flesh, gather.  The obeisance was to the grain, which is symbolic of the Commandments. Joseph’s brothers, like our carnal brothers [the rest of mankind and the world within us], hate us for standing on truth and falsely accuse us of exalting ourselves and claiming dominion over them for preaching the Gospel of the Commandments.

Gen 37:8  And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.

The carnal mind, every man’s flesh, does not want to bow to Christ, who is the Word. Flesh does not want to be reigned over.

Luk 19:14  But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. 

The bowing down of men is always to be to the Commandments, that is the Living Word and never to the messenger who brings the Word.

Rev 19:10  And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. 

Joseph had a second dream about the sun, moon, and stars bowing down. That dream, like the first, was about our carnal thoughts or beliefs symbolized by the sun, moon, and stars in our heavens, bowing down to the Truth.  When our day of the Lord starts, and our conversion begins, the lights that guide us all bow to Christ, who is the Truth.

The rulership of Christ is always about Truth [The Commandments, the Wisdom of God] ruling over the lies and carnal reasoning, and not the physical rulership of any man over another. Our old man [Esau] hates Christ in us, and the world also hates us for standing on truth and rejecting their way of thinking.  To be spiritually nourished, all bow and come to Joseph [Christ] for the bread of life that brings and sustains eternal life.

Gen 41:55  And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for [spiritual] bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph [a type for Christ]; what he saith to you, do. 

Those yet carnal parts within us, the rest of the dead within us, all come to bow down to the new man, Christ in us. Did Christ in the gospels teach of an outward rule and reigning over men before the end comes by His church?  No, He did not.  His coming to every man is within; it is in the kingdom of God.

Mat 24:14  And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all [inward] nations; and then shall the end come [inwardly in the hearts/minds of every man in their time]

The Commandments are the riches of God that perform the greater works when put to work in the Kingdom. If we need motivation to strive to obey the Gospel [be faithful], we find some in the parable of the Talents.  We are all three of these men, as we mature, given talents who first squander them in sloth and then, by the grace of God, begin to work in the kingdom within us and multiply those talents as we gain dominion over our sins.  Entering into the joy of the Lord is pressing further into the Living Commandments of the Father, that is, the joy of the Lord, and thereby gaining complete dominion over our sins. This is the rulership, the reigning, the Lord is working in His Elect in this age and in all men in due time. We prove faithful, He gives us more.

Mat 25:21  His Lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. 

When we are given His talents, His Truths, we are learning to put them to use so we can receive even more and hasten the rulership and dominion over our earth, meaning being holy in all of our behavior.

Mat 25:29  For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. 

Ruling over “many things” are the things that defile and the creeping things in our earth that are contrary to faith.  Our bodies are the temple of God, His very House in which Christ dwells as the Promise. It is in our house where the new man, Christ in us, is being established as the Ruler.  His inward revealing, the second coming without sin, is when every man is judged and eventually given to rule and reign over their promised land.

Mat 24:45  Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? 

Mat 24:46  Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 

Mat 24:47  Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. 

The ruling and reigning of Christ coincide with the ruling and reigning of chastening, scourging grace within us.  They are one and the same event. Here is Paul speaking of these 1,000 symbolic years (one day), another way. The Commandments is Jesus Christ, the root of Jesse who rises in His Kingdom and rules from within.

Rom 5:21  That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rom 15:12  And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.

The latter portions of the original study have been condensed into a much-abbreviated version. The primary purpose in the remaining pages is to point to the numerous inconsistencies of the false doctrine with other Scriptures. May the Lord have mercy upon those He has chosen and remove all doubt, and let the reader discern between the truth and the lies.

“Fire From Heaven Destroys All Flesh”

We look within and not without, seeing what the Lord is doing and where He is focused.  The Lord had mercy on us and opened our spiritual eyes to see the carnal lust we so easily ran after, being deceived by false doctrines about the end times, including the 1,000-year reign on the physical earth.  We learn spiritual truths by our first erring in truth, being seduced by false Christs who bring false doctrine to tell our flesh what it likes to hear.

2Ti 4:3  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 

2Ti 4:4  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 

Flesh desires to profit and be blessed for our walk with Christ.  Yet we are learning more every day that this is not the Lord’s plan.  His kingdom is not of this world, and His truths, the Living Commandments that come to save us, do not profit our flesh or the pride of man. Removing the false doctrine of an outward Millennium Reign removes a giant plank from our spiritual eyes.  Our discipleship for Christ comes not with greater rewards other than being the first group, a kind of firstfruits unto the Lord. Our flesh is readily attracted to the idea of an outward world that bows down before us and has us being exalted over the entire human race. This verse has never been brighter as it plainly tells us that our flesh and carnal lusts profit us nothing by the Words of Jesus Christ that are the Commandments.

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

We are losing our old life, the life in the flesh, to enter into a new spiritual life in Christ.  We work and toil because we love God as the Holy Spirit, the Living Commandments are shed abroad in our hearts. Our reasonable service is to lay down our lives, being unprofitable servants, being saved, and showing the same mercy to all whom the Lord puts before us.

Luk 17:10  So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. 

Our blessings are spiritual, benefiting the new man being saved, and the fruits of that are evident in salvation from sin and bearing the fruits of the Spirit.   Drinking the wine of the New Testament is both a blessing and an event that destroys our flesh as we partake of His death inwardly, as we become living sacrifices for one another.

1Co 10:16  The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 

All first follow Christ for the carnal benefits, being fed of the fishes and loaves, pursuing and being filled with knowledge, but not having His faith, the Living Commandments that are the Gospel of Promise abiding in us.   All of us, being carnal, first pursue Christ for the gains that profit our old man.

Joh 6:26  Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. 

Learning that there are no carnal benefits, and the elect in this age do not lord over any man today or in the physical world or tomorrow, causes some to depart and walk no more with the Lord.  Many are offended by hearing the truth that their flesh is not being blessed, and there is no carnal profit to our walking with Christ and following Him to death.  These truths quickly winnow the flock, separating the true disciples of Christ from the false, as only a few endure to the end.  It is a hard saying, offending all carnal to know there is no profit in this walk for flesh.

Joh 6:53  Then Jesus said unto them, 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. 

Joh 6:61  When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? 

Joh 6:66  From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. 

The Scriptures distinguish between the outward world, or earth, also known as the Kosmos, and the inner earth, the Promised Land, which is the earth we, as Christ, are set to rule over. When the Scriptures speak about the outward, physical earth, the Greek word Kosmos (G2889) is most used, which is often translated as “world”.

G2889, κόσμος, kosmos

Total KJV Occurrences: 188

It is the outward world [G2889 – kosmos] that Satan promises us we are given to rule over if only we will bow and serve him,

Mat 4:8  Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world [G2889 Kosmos], and the glory of them; 

Mat 4:9  And saith unto him, All these things [the world, the Kosmos] will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

We are not of the world but are merely passing through it as pilgrims and sojourners. Seeking to gain the whole world [Kosmos] is the work of the carnal mind and is a huge deception we have mercifully been delivered from.

Luk 9:25  For what is a man advantaged [profited], if he gain [rule over] the whole world [G2889 – outward “kosmos”], and lose himself, or be cast away? 

Desiring the world and to rule over it is loving the world, which is following Satan and his temptations.

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world [Kosmos], the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world [Kosmos].

The elect do judge the world or the Kosmos, but this is refers to all of mankind when in the age to come. It is for this very purpose that we are being saved now and made into the Lord’s army and instruments by which all men are saved in time to come.

1Co 6:2  Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 

The word G1093 or “GE”, on the other hand, represents “the earth” and is also spoken of as “the land”, representing the promised land that is given to spiritual Israel.

G1093, γῆ, gē

Total KJV Occurrences: 243

earth, 188

land, 33

ground, 18

Having dominion over “our earth” is inheriting the “promised land”, it means salvation, the Living Christ is come to us. This is the three-day process by which the Lord draws us to Himself and saves us from our sins.

Mat 12:40  For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth [G1093]

The Lord comes to save men by destroying their first earth, not the outer world of kosmos, but their carnal existence with fire.

Luk 12:49  I am come to send fire on the earth [G1093]; and what will I, if it be already kindled? 

Our Lord’s appearing in our hearts and minds … IN HEAVEN …, brings the spiritual fire that destroys and consumes our carnal mind.  That is what the signified words for fire consistently represent in the Bible, and it changes not when we get to Revelation 20.  Fire is the Spirit of God; it is His Word, specifically, THE COMMANDMENTS, which is, was, and will be burning up all things that defile us in the day we are given to hear those words.

Heb 12:29  For our God is a consuming fire. 

Eze 22:31  Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord GOD. 

The profit to our new man is the death and destruction of our beast and false prophet in the lake of fire, the Living Commandments that is Christ, in which we now dwell after we receive the Promise.

Rev 19:20  And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Fire being poured out on the earth in Rev 20:9 is spiritual speak for judgment being poured out upon our carnal existence that is the earth.   Our salvation comes by way of the destruction of the first Temple [the land, the earth] and that by fire, the Living Commandments that dwell in our heaven.

1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 

1Co 3:17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy [with spiritual fire] for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. 

Spiritual fire from our heaven remakes a new earth wherein dwells righteousness, which is our obedience to Christ.  The new earth is the result of our reigning with Christ in Spirit for one day, which is the same as 1,000 signified years, which ushers in our day of the Lord, bringing the spiritual fire and heat that destroys death [the carnal mind] in us and remakes a new heaven [mind] and a new earth [walk/deeds].  Peter spoke of the same remaking process by the fire that is the Commandments.  It is a new you, not a new outward world.

2Pe 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 

2Pe 3:11  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

2Pe 3:12  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 

2Pe 3:13  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth [the promised land, our earth, not the Kosmos], wherein dwelleth righteousness.

The Lord is not a liar nor a hypocrite.  He strongly rebuked the disciples when they wanted to call literal fire to consume the adversaries.

Luk 9:54  And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? 

Luk 9:55  But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. 

Luk 9:56  For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them …

Literal fire “killing” [also smiting] all of humanity would make the Lord’s covenant with Noah to all mankind a false promise.  The Lord spoke to Noah and said He would never again smite all living on the physical earth.

Gen 8:21  And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more everything living, as I have done. 

It is from such an exalted place that men concoct all kinds of abominations, including burning God’s creation with literal fire.

Jer 32:35 And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.

Any doctrine that makes God a liar and contradicts His example is coming from the evil one who roams our earth seeking whom he may devour. The Lord burning His creation with literal fire has never come into His heart.

Jer 7:30 For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the Lord: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it. 

Jer 7:31 And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart.

Any teaching that takes Revelation 20 literally is a false doctrine, as it turns our Lord into a monster doing the very abominable acts He forbids.  Literal fireballs killing all mankind on the physical earth [Kosmos] is a strong rebuke to the false teaching of an outward Millennium Reign. This false doctrine is just a repackaging of the Babylonian false doctrine of eternal hellfire that the more blessed elect get to avoid.

Walking by faith means accepting that we don’t know all the details about the end of the world or how humanity will cease to exist.  Our focus needs to be returned to things of the Spirit within the Kingdom of God.  The new man is reigning over our earth [the promised land], and as a result, we gain dominion over sin as our carnality is being destroyed by fire.

Rev 5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth [G1093 GE, not the kosmos]

Our time to reign over the earth is now, as we die with Him to death, which is the Second Death.  To do so, we suffer the destruction of our old way of life and thinking.

2Ti 2:11  It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: 

2Ti 2:12  If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: 

Lord willing, spiritual fire, the Commandments is falling from our heaven right now.  This fire is also the light that guides us on the right path. This fire is destroying the old man, the first man Adam, the flesh in all of us.  The fire makes way for the second Adam, the Lord from heaven, to emerge.

1Co 15:47  The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. 

This fire from heaven is putting to death our carnal mind and devouring the spirit of Satan within that is roaming our earth.  The result of this fire falling is a remaking of a new heaven and a new earth, and the consuming up of the spiritual sea that is our flesh.

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 [the carnal mind, flesh, the deep where Leviathan, who is Satan, dwells]

We are not told specifically how the outward physical earth, the Kosmos, comes to an end.  That was never the intent or subject of Revelation 20.

“The Destruction of Satan”

Satan is not a single being that can only be in one place at one time, as many of us have been taught and may believe to this day.   Satan represents collectively all the evil spirits created by the Lord, who is the Father of all spirits. Satan is an instrument the Lord created and controls and directs in bringing salvation to all men.  All was created for God’s good purposes and is used by Him to bring salvation in the appointed time.

Col 1:16  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 

Col 1:17  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 


Job 2:6  And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. 

Job 2:7  So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

Living out our lake of fire experience, the spiritual event that is God’s judgment, is for the destruction of the devil and his millions of messengers [angels], which are the carnal thoughts and lies of men and all the world.  The very purpose of the lake of fire is for the destruction of the adversarial spirit and the lies [carnal thoughts] contrary to faith.

Mat 25:41  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels [messengers, thoughts and reasonings]

Rev 21:8  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. 

The spirit of Satan is the spirit of the world and is integral to the Lord’s plans in creating all men and then remaking those same men [pieces of clay] by way of destruction. An adversary and tempter was needed to try the faith of the saints and teach us obedience through an experience of evil.

Gen 3:1  Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 

Job 26:13  By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent. 

The heaven and the earth that begin the Bible at the Lord’s creation in Genesis 1:1 is within all men.  That is where Satan is operating in the kingdom of God within every man.  The parable of the sower shows us Satan at work within our hearts and minds, deceiving and being a liar to our minds from the very beginning.

Mar 4:15  And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.

Satan is “in there”, in your heaven [mind] and earth [heart/walk], and he is put there purposefully by the Lord to be used for our good and be an adversary and tempter, through which the Lord brings salvation and destroys our flesh and carnal mindedness.

Isa 54:16  Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. 

The good fight of faith requires God’s people to do battle against Satan and all offspring of the father of all lies.  The battle rages in heaven first and subsequently on our earth, as the sum of the word tells us. It is all used for good, showing us our sin and bringing the fire that consumes it.

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in heaven

Rev 12:17  And the dragon [Satan] was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. 

Until the Lord’s work is finished in us, Satan always remains roaming our earth seeking whom he may devour, which is why we need to stay on guard always.

1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 

All demons [lying spirits] are considered to be Satan. You can see that in the story of Christ being accused of being under the power of Beelzebub when casting out devils.

Mat 12:24  But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. 

Mat 12:26  And if Satan cast out Satan [evil spirit casting out an evil spirit], he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? 

Satan is the prince of the power of the air and the god of the world or Kosmos. The spirit of Satan is destroyed in every man, only in the lake of fire in the appointed time. Getting this spirit and enmity against God removed is the last milestone of our salvation. The destruction of death, and the father of it from our heavens and earth, is the last enemy of the Lord, as we saw from 1 Corinthians 15.

The one holding the power of death in us must be destroyed, and that is what the Lord is doing when spiritual fire falls from heaven onto our earth, bringing truth and righteousness that burns up the adversary.

Rev 20:9  And they [Satan and his army] went up on the breadth of the earth [G1093], and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 

Rev 20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 

The end of Satan in our members is the end of sin and death in our members. No more devil equals no more sin. It is the consummation of why Christ comes to us.

1Jn 3:8  He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 

As we cited earlier in the study, after Satan is no more, the Lord says “It is done.”  The work of God is complete when Satan, the father of death, is no more. It is then that we see the Holy city of Jerusalem descending down out of our heaven as we have been remade into the sons of the Living

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. 

Rev 21:6  And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 

The defeat of Satan within every man is essential for death to be destroyed in every man.

Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil. 

Heb 2:15  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 

Satan lives in all flesh, which is the sea in spirit and known as the deep. The sea is going to be no more; there is no more playground for Satan.

Isa 27:1  In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea. 

Psa 104:26  There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.

Satan being cast into the lake of fire, where our beast and false prophet already have been cast, takes away death and the torment and inner struggles we have endured our whole life.

Rev 20:13  And the sea gave up the dead [Satan, Leviathan operate in the deep] which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 

Rev 20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 

The events of Revelation 20 are not to be avoided but instead are hastened unto. All things are being made new by the Lord’s fire.  The end of our carnal way of life is the second death which is the other side of the same coin that is being resurrected into new life.

The Is, Was and Is to Come Coming

The whole Millennium Reign lie has even deeper roots and tentacles that continue to be weeded out and burned up in the fire as the Lord leads us to a greater understanding.  Jesus is not coming to reign on the outward earth, yet our correction of that false doctrine is even larger. He is not coming back to the outward physical earth whatsoever. We see Christ’s, the Living Commandments, return to us in the same way He departed from the physical world. He appears from heaven in those in which He dwells as the Promise. Christ is resurrected in each of His saints.

Act 1:11  Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Christ is made known, revealed in our heavens, when we break bread with His Christ. This is our studying, preaching, and obeying the Gospel that is the Commandments. The parable of the walk to Emmaus reveals this truth.

Luk 24:31  And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. 

Luk 24:32  And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? 

Luk 24:33  And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, 

Luk 24:34  Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. 

Luk 24:35  And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread. 

Those given the gift of faith and eyes to see, having an earnest deposit of the same Spirit,  know He has already come back to them and that Christ continues coming in every generation as men are judged and translated from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light.

Col 1:13  Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 

Christ is the firstborn from the dead in every man in their time of judgment in the lake of fire.  He is come in the flesh of His Body by way of the Promise. The elect of God who are Christ, the little flock redeemed from among men continues to grow as the Lord adds to the church and brings in the Gentiles in every age.

Joh 10:16  And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. 

Act 2:47  … the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. 

This error of men has led to all kinds of twisting and perverting the simplicity of the Gospel into different rewards, two events, and experiences. We as God’s elect who have received the mercy of the Lord are merely the first workers in the Lord’s vineyard. We have no greater rewards or lesser punishments than what the Lord gives to every man. We worship God, and to Him goes all the honor and the glory.

Rev 5:13  And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. 

Our only boast is that we know the Lord in Spirit and in Truth, all because of His mercy and none of ourselves. Desiring to be used of God in spreading the Gospel, a bishop or a deacon is a good work we can pursue. This begins by walking circumspectly in the Gospel of the Living Commandments.

1Ti 3:1  This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 
1Ti 3:2  A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 
1Ti 3:3  Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 

We trust the Lord to open the spiritual eyes and ears of those in whom He is making Himself known in this age.

Draw near to Christ, the Gospel, the Living Commandments, and He draws near to us. Receive ye the Gospel.