Articles

Called, Chosen and Made Faithful

Pete
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The Progression of the Faithful

There is a time destined for every man that is known as their day of the Lord. This “day” is our unique designated time of reformation and remaking into a new vessel.  It is the formation and revelation of Jesus Christ within us when we see ourselves fulfilling the Scriptures.  What a blessing indeed!

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.  

The plan of God is for us [every man in their appointed time] to fulfill the prophecies written in the book. It is the ultimate blessing when we are given to live those sayings, as keeping them is completing the plan of God.  This is the same as the revelation of Jesus Christ within us.

Rev 22:7  Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. 

When we begin to understand the Lord coming quickly upon us; the time is indeed “at hand” and life will never be the same.  Today as in every generation since Christ walked the physical earth, the Lord is separating those being matured in Christ from their brethren. Those so chosen and so blessed are bearing the reproach of Christ outside the camp of Israel.

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

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

Our prior time being nurtured and taught by prophets, pastors, and teachers in the church, is a necessary experience to prepare us for what comes afterward. To come out of Babylon, we first need to go into Babylon and thus we all wait there until called out by our Lord.

What comes afterward is our day of the Lord, the third and final day of the Lord’s three-day plan to remake us. When the Lord separates us and we enter into the last phase of His plan, this distinction begins to be revealed in greater clarity.  It is a tiny audience that can receive what is written here, and only those prepared by the Lord. As babes, we are not ready for the truth of the sufferings and isolation yet to come, and that is why we are not given to know these details until we have been prepared to bear the experience.

Joh 16:12  I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 

 The work of God in our lives to remake and reshape us into Christ is a work that we are told we cannot believe even if it is declared unto us. Only the Lord can open our eyes to see it and only when we are ready.

Act 13:40  Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets; 

Act 13:41  Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you. 

What is spoken throughout the prophets is indeed ours to fulfill on our appointed day. In our day of the Lord, we are being given to understand the progression of moving from babes in Christ to mature sons of God.

The Called, Chosen, and Faithful

God’s three-day plan for all mankind is amazingly simple once we are given eyes to see His divine providence in all things. We are the temple in which God dwells. The Lord is continually working to rebuild His temple in three days which represents our experience being transformed into the image of God. The Lord’s disciples will remember this truth when Christ in them is raised from the dead.

Joh 2:19  Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 
Joh 2:20  Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? 
Joh 2:21  But he spake of the temple of his body. 
Joh 2:22  When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they [you, me, those being made faithful in the day] believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said. 

We, too will be given great faith and believe the Scriptures in that day.  Seeing ourselves living these three days is the only sign that the Lord is giving those being saved in every generation.

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. 

Every man, like Christ, begins their journey by being called out of Egypt.   This prophecy applied to Christ and applies to those He chooses in their appointed times. We all start in Egypt, meaning the carnal-minded world, the seat of power, and the lust of the flesh.

Hos 11:1  When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. 

Our spiritual journey and progression of faith are these three days.  This includes our time being nurtured in fellowship with others who share our faith and passion for the Lord;  and also later when we separated from the camp of Israel.  Seeing ourselves experiencing these three days is the confirmation the Lord is giving us that we belong to Him.

All the Lord’s people come through the church age to find the truth and subsequently be led by the Lord into even greater understanding. Our time gathered in the camp of Israel represents the second of our three-day transformation.  From the many called, fewer are chosen out, and even far fewer are subsequently called to be faithful in this age.

It is a big revelation when we realize all our time in organized churches and fellowships was our time in Spiritual Babylon. We are taught many things there yet are still under the law for the carnally minded doing the same things as those still in the world. Yet the day Christ comes the second time to us is the day we are set free and can be matured in the faith of the saints.

Gal 3:23  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 

Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 

Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 

From the first generation to the last, all Christians track the same journey of being called, chosen, and made faithful in their day of the Lord. We live by every word God spoke and fulfill the Scriptures in our appointed times. The early church experiences become our experiences if we are part of the faithful remnant [the escaped remnant] the Lord is saving in this generation.  The Lord has not stopped coming to those He chooses to fulfill the Scriptures in them. When we read things like this passage, it is not history but rather active and living experiences we are fulfilling.

Mat 5:17  Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. 

Mat 5:18  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 

The sacrifice of Christ in us, the newborn in the Spirit, is always taking place on the third day. It is how and when we are perfected like Christ.

Hos 6:2  After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. 

Luk 13:32  And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. 

Luk 24:46  And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day

Each stage of this progression, including our being under the guidance of the church “offices,” plays a big part in preparing us for what lies ahead. Nothing of the Lord is ever wasted. The three staged progression of called, chosen, and faithful is what makes us mature, which every man is experiencing in due time.   It is a three spiritual day process that we must live out to become the faithful remnant the Lord saves in every generation.

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. 

Whether we are moved onward from the second day is up to the Lord, who has appointed all things  To move us onward, a time comes when we are rejected by our people and become the isolated and scattered pilgrims being led and taught by the Spirit. We must be forsaken by our spiritual father and mother, the elders who raised us and taught us basic truths where we remain under the law.

Psa 27:10  When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD take me up. 

Our time in active churches and fellowships is when we are fed milk and grow, being prepared for greater things that come later.

Psa 22:9  But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts. 

Psa 22:10  I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly. 

Elijah, Paul, and the Patriarchs experienced the isolation and rejection of the Gentiles and their spiritual people in Israel. This experience is ours, as our all things written;  if we are part of the remnant, the Lord is saving in this generation.

Rom 11:4  But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. 

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

The early church we read about in the Scriptures is not an example of a “mature church” and the end state of where we end up in the Body of Christ. We need to see the early church as an IMMATURE church, still needing structure to teach and prepare them for what lies ahead. Several examples in our Bibles cite this immaturity, which is the destiny of every church generation. For instance, Paul was still bowing to the law (taking the Nazarite Vow), Timothy did the same in cutting his hair, and Peter feared offending the Jews if he ate with the Gentiles. We, like them, are going through the same experiences and need to be first raised as babies and toddlers, eventually becoming teenagers in the faith awaiting the day the Lord ordained for us.

 The ReGathering of Spiritual Israel to the Lord

Those made faithful in every age are taken from Israel and delivered from the tutors and governors where they have been held. All the prophets speak of how the Lord causes us to enter into His true rest. Here is a sampling from the major prophets that is our experience to fulfill.

Eze 34:12  As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. 

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

Eze 34:14  I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. 

Eze 34:15  I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. 

Living out this separation is the Lording bringing us His reward, that is, obtaining the mind of Christ.

Isa 40:10  Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

Isa 40:11  He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

It is the fulfillment of the new covenant. The process requires we be scattered and regathered after we have suffered outside the camp.

Jer 31:10  “Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, And declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.’ 

Jer 32:37  Behold, I will gather them out of all countries where I have driven them in My anger, in My fury, and in great wrath; I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely. 

The Lord has not cast away His people. The escaped remnant is the first to be led by the Spirit of the Lord into the way of righteousness.

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

We earnestly seek our final resting place in our day of the Lord, knowing the Lord is faithful. We sojourn outside the camp awaiting the regathering.

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

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

Surviving alone requires a level of maturity not found in babes and young ones in the faith. Thus the purpose of our Day 2 in preparing us for the Day of the Lord, Day 3, becomes evident.

Destined to be Rejected

To fulfill the Scriptures, we are destined to be rejected by our brethren, like our Lord, Paul, John, and all those who walked before us. Israel rejected Christ, and this, too, is our experience. We should embrace it boldly, standing firm in the faith.  The Apostles were not exempted. Notwithstanding all the good Paul did in establishing churches and filling church offices,  ALL later forsook Paul.

2Ti 1:15  This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes. 

The same happened with the Apostle John, who was exiled to Patmos for His testimony of the truth by His own people. You, me, and everyone is exiled by our own people on an island that is spiritually called Patmos. This is because we defended the Word and testified of the Gospel but were rejected. Thus the Lord creates events that cause us to enter into the Lord’s day, the day of the Lord.  Then we begin to understand what the Lord has been doing.

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. 

Thus our Day 2 experience segues into our Day 3, where the plan of God is being completed.  All the Apostle’s last letters are written to Israel’s scattered tribes, pilgrims, and strangers. The church was indeed scattered throughout the world by the time the New Testament was completed. Thus again fulfilling Scripture.

Zec 13:7  Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. 

This scattering is the beginning of our inward transformation. It is His means to begin our third day, the day of the Lord for His “little ones”. We are now firmly in the hands of the living God. The prophet Zechariah tells us that this means enduring our day of the Lord. Clay in the Potter’s hands, being molded and reshaped by the fire that is the Lord.

Zec 13:8  And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. 

Zec 13:9  And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God. 

The Lord quotes this prophecy from Zechariah as events and experiences we, like Him, are destined to experience to fulfill the Scriptures.

Mat 26:31  Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. 

The second sacrificed goat is Christ’s Christ, who is sent out into the wilderness and henceforth led by the Spirit of Christ (the fit man).

Lev 16:21  And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: 

Lev 16:22  And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness

The goat in the wilderness is a shadow of our experiences as a living sacrifice in our Day 3.

Our becoming the Lord’s priests by these experiences is further confirmation of our separation and isolation from our brethren Israel. Our inheritance is not with Israel, but instead, we partake of offerings made by the consuming fire that is the Lord in our day of the Lord.

Deu 18:1  The priests the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel: they shall eat the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and his inheritance. 

Deu 18:2  Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren: the LORD is their inheritance, as he hath said unto them. 

The New Testament confirmation of this truth is in Hebrews. We are destined to suffer for the Lord’s sake outside the camp of Israel as we have no continuing city yet seek the one to come.  It is worth repeating often the amazing blessing we are receiving as we sojourn by faith.

Heb 13:10  We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. 

Heb 13:11  For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. 

Heb 13:12  Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. 

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

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

Our journey has many seasons, and those offices and church gatherings do not apply to all of them. When He comes unto us for salvation (the second time), we need no man to teach or lead us. We are henceforth led by the Spirit of God, who us teaching us everything.

Heb 8:11  And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

The Lord is teaching us and quickening our spirits through everything He is doing in our lives. He is speaking thru events and experiences, not just the written word. The Lord is not limited to the words in the Bible as, indeed, all the things Christ did would fulfill more books than the world can hold.

We are thankful for our experiences with prophets, evangelists, teachers, and pastors. All have served to further our advancement in the Lord’s kingdom. All mankind comes through these experiences to fulfill the Scriptures and complete the plan of God. We are merely doing it sooner than most; it is all the Lord’s doing and none of ourselves.

No man knows what tomorrow brings explicitly. Yet we do know and trust in the plan of God to save every man by rebuilding His temple within them over the three progressive days described in the Scriptures.

May these words edify and bless those the Lord has prepared to hear them.

 

Pete

 

 

Articles

We Are Not Forsaken

Pete
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Not Forsaken

To our fellow sojourner’s in the faith of Christ,

The Lord does not lie and will be faithful to fulfill all of His promises.  His faithfulness ensures that the Lord absolutely and positively will finish the good work He starts.  The result will be salvation as Christ is formed within us.

Php 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Psa 94:14 For the LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.

This promise to finish the work and not abandon it is more than just a verse of Scripture; it is the heart of the Gospel and a most precious promise given to His people.  Being faithful is who He is, and He has never changed.

Deu 7:9  Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations

Heb 10:23  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised; 

It matters not how shaky our faith may be in a moment or how much or far we have fallen.  The Lord is the one doing the work and cannot fail for His name’s sake.

2Ti 2:13  If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself. 

1Sa 12:22  For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.

Holding dear to His promise and character sees us through the tough times necessary for salvation.

Psa 91:2  I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust  

Psa 91:4  He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 

Like our Lord, we all are being perfected on this third day, which is our appointed day of the Lord.  Losing one’s life in the carnally minded world is difficult to endure but necessary to be remade into the image of God.  Times do come upon us when we feel forsaken by the Lord and cry out to Him.  As He is, so are we.

 Mat 27:46  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?  that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 

Being crucified for Christ brings these feelings of being forsaken, albeit only for a short moment.  Lord willing, during these seemingly unbearable times, we can hold tight to the precious promises of the Lord.  The mercy of the Lord triumphs over judgment, and in due time peaceable fruit of righteousness shoots forth.

Isa 54:7  For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. 

Isa 54:8  In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer. 

Peter admonishes us to hasten the coming of the Lord within by striving to be holy as our heavenly Father is holy.  The Lord is manifesting our every thought, including any feelings of abandonment.  These acts of God are for the greater good of our salvation, specifically to turn our hearts and focus back on Him and His voice.

Deu 4:30  When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; 

Deu 4:31  (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them. 

“Being Forsaken” For Correction: 

The absolute truth is that the Lord never forsakes us.  The Lord does, however, seemingly abandon us to regain our attention when we forsake Him.   There is always a purpose for good in the ways of the Lord.

2Ch 15:2  The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. 

Jos 24:20  If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good. 

Israel (you and me) is taught this lesson many times to establish the Lord in our hearts.  Experiencing a temporary “separation” from the Lord is part of maturing and the salvation journey.  The Lord uses this for correction, to teach us obedience by things we are given to suffer.  But through all of this, His faithfulness to His people remains steadfast.

Psa 89:30  If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; 

Psa 89:31  If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; 

Psa 89:32  Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. 

Psa 89:33  Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. 

Through all our experiences, even our lamentations, the Lord is working righteousness within us on His schedule.  We are not cast off or forsaken by the Lord.  He is working our sufferings for good in the end as He is always merciful.

Lam 3:31 For the Lord will not cast off for ever:

Lam 3:32 But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.

Despite verses that by themselves say the Lord forsakes the disobedient, the sum of the Word promises us that this shall never happen.  The Lord never leaves us, even in our times of sin and rebellion.  As clay in His hands, we are never far from the Lord; He is always right there.

Psa 139:7  Whither shall I go from thy spirit?  or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 

Psa 139:8  If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. 

If we feel abandoned or forsaken by the Lord, we should know that the Lord has given us this trial to turn our hearts back to Him.  We are promised to find Him and live if we seek Him.

Psa 34:4  I sought the LORD, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. 

Mat 7:8  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 

Psa 9:10  And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. 

The Lord promises to give us anything we genuinely need (not want) if we seek Him first, which means putting our trust in Him.  Nothing will be withheld from what we need.

Mat 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 

Psa 84:11  For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

When weaker in faith, we think the Lord has forsaken us and forgotten all about us and His promises.  Nothing seems to be in our favor.  Everything we do or are involved with is problem-plagued and frustrates our very existence.   This may revolve around anything: our health, finances, job, family, house, neighbors, and acquaintances; the list is endless.    We, as Zion, cry out to the Lord.

Isa 49:14  But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. 

The Lord is always working in our lives, including every minute detail for the counsel of His will.  In due time, we will learn to trust in Him and be assured that He has not and will not forget His own children and creation.

Isa 49:15  Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?  yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. 

Isa 49:16  Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. 

While the world and carnally minded are definitely rejecting us, the Lord will not leave us except for those moments needed to correct.  No matter how hot the fire [living hell] becomes in our day of the Lord, trust in the Lord and know the Lord is faithful to His children.

Act 2:27  Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Whatever place we find ourselves ultimately gives way to a time of peace as we enter into His rest.   We endure many struggles and wait for the Lord to complete His work and find peace.  The trouble we face can come from many sides, yet all of it works for good in the end.  We are being saved by our hope in the promises of the Faithful One.

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. 

We are learning to take comfort and solace in whatever the Lord is working in our heavens and earth as we walk only by faith and not sight.  By seeking Him, we know the Lord is with us and is providing everything we need for holiness and righteousness.

Heb 13:5  Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 

The true Israel is the apple of God’s eyes.  We are the Lord’s people, created and now being remade into His own image.  He will not fail and is right on schedule with His plan in your life.

May these words bring comfort and encouragement to those who can hear them.

 

Pete & Ronel

Articles

The Purpose and Application of God’s Wrath

Pete
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Who Avoids the Wrath of God?

As the Lord’s chosen people, we are the first to fulfill the Scriptures and live by every word God spoke.  It is a blessing when we can read with God-given eyes to see and also hear with God-given ears to hear.  Then a time comes when we reap the ultimate blessing of the Lord when we begin to actually live out or keep the prophecy of the sayings written about in the Bible.

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

Prophecy is mostly understood in the here and now. The time is at hand and it is at that time that we will be given to comprehend we are fulfilling the Scriptures.  This blessing is our salvation and the making of the new man.  To fulfill the Scriptures, we will endure many trials including bearing the wrath of our holy Father as he accomplishes His purposes in us.

This article will address a specific error that many believe that says God’s people (i.e. the Elect) do not experience the wrath of God.  It is important to get this right as a day will come when one’s faith will be tested from the pressure and intensity of being in the winepress of God’s judgments.  In this day of the Lord’s wrath, we will be tried mightily, and our lives and carnal mind will endure the fiery wrath of the Lord.  Lest we forget, we must die this death to our carnal mind to come alive with Christ.  This necessary destruction of our carnal mind and old man must take place and happens by going through this appointed season of wrath.  Enduring this process is the faith and patience of His saints.

Rev 14:13  And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. 

The Lord won’t try us beyond what we can bear and we will have been prepared to stand and give thanks for all the Lord is doing in our life.  If we are Christ’s we will be gathered to Christ in our appointed times.

Rev 14:19  And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 

Rev 14:20  And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs. 

The Process of Reformation

The first step in our being reformed is coming to see our sins.  The way problem fixing works in the natural is the same as it works in the Spirit.  Awareness is the start of our walk with the Lord and that is the purpose of the law in bringing us to Christ.  As we are given to see our sins His sword will never depart our house.  It will be there to accomplish salvation in us.  David learned this and we too in our appointed time.

2Sa 12:10  Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. 

What is the sword of the Lord?  Sure, it’s the word of God but it is even bigger than that.  The Lord is not limited to words in a book, His sword includes even the wicked within and without us.  The Lord stirs up other people and causes events to happen in our lives to bring hardship and ultimately correction as a result of His wrath.

Psa 17:13  Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword: 

Seeing salvation for us and salvation for everyone else as two processes, with two sets of rewards and punishments between the Elect and the others is an error.  The two rewards and punishments doctrine is another variation of the eternal hell doctrine or even the rapture doctrine.  Both false doctrines have God’s Elect bypassing His wrath and all the others being burned in hell forever or enduring the great tribulation.  All men, including the very Elect, must go thru it and that tribulation very much includes the wrath of God.

Rev 7:14  And I say unto him, My lord, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they that come out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 

The sum of the word shows us that this great tribulation is the same as our enduring the wrath of God against our rebellious and disobedient ways.

All who DO NOT BELIEVE, which is all of us for a very long time, shall have the wrath of God abiding upon us. Our faith/belief only grows as we endure the trials that include God’s wrath.  As that wrath accomplishes its purposes, more of the promised land within is subjected to the Lord in faith and the fiery trials goes out on that portion.

Joh 3:36  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. 

Every part of us will be made a believer thru the process.  It is how we are being saved, it is the way of salvation.

Everyone’s ungodliness and unrighteousness is addressed in due time.  The Elect don’t get a pass, they just experience in this age if they are so blessed.

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 

We are being made holy and blameless by being judged by a vengeful, jealous and wrathful God that is thankfully merciful as well.  King David earlier had called for the Lord’s wrath to come deliver him from his enemies within and without which comes only by the judgment of God.

Psa 7:6  Arise, O LORD, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded. 

God makes His power known to us and mankind only comes to know He is the Lord by experiencing His wrath in the whirlwind of His judgments.  This learning is what causes us to obey Him in due time.  This is the process by which the potter destroys the old man (marred clay in His hand) and reforms us into the new man in His image.   A key passage of truth.

Rom 9:22  What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:

Without experiencing His wrath, we will not know the true power of the Lord and won’t know Him nor will we have learned the fear of the Lord.

Psa 90:11  Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. 

Pro 16:6  By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil. 

We all are by nature children of wrath, that is our destiny, and are going to have to go thru it.  That indeed is the only way to be quickened with Christ and raised in newness of life (dying to death, having our carnal way of life destroyed).

Eph 2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 

Our spiritual day of wrath is also our day of the Lord which is our time of judgment that comes first to the household of God.

Rom 2:5  But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; 

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

When Christ comes to us for salvation apart from sin, He is smiting the inward nations and ruling us with a rod of iron that is saving us.  This is how Christ is “revealed” to us.

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

 Eze 7:9  And mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will recompense thee according to thy ways and thine abominations that are in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I am the LORD that smiteth. 

But this wrath, the smiting, the judgment, however it is described is the best blessing we can ever get.  It is the very thing that is saving us and for that, we are taught to give thanks for all things the Lord works, even His wrath.

Eph 5:20  Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 

These experiences are also the wonderful works of men to God’s children as Psalm 107 describes which bring us to our wits end and usher in salvation.  All the fury and storms that bring us to our wits end are good as they are part of God’s favor and mercy.  This is redeeming us from our bondage to the enemies of God within.

 Psa 107:2  Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; 

There is no other way to be saved and find Christ.  No man enters into Christ ANY OTHER WAY.  Every man, must fulfill the seven plagues of wrath… all God’s judgment to enter into Christ and be at rest.   Here is a powerful testimony to never forget.

Rev 15:7  And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. 

Rev 15:8  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled. 

Appointed to Salvation not Wrath

It will help to address a specific verse that confuses many as almost all professing Christians are taught the lie.  By itself this one verse seems to say we don’t experience the wrath of the Lord.  But that is not what this verse actually means.

1Th 5:9  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 

It is true, we are not appointed to wrath but rather to salvation.  So Paul’s words here do not contradict the scores of other witnesses that say we do go thru His wrath to be saved.  They harmonize it.  Enduring our Father’s wrath is for a purpose, which is to bring salvation and the resulting overcoming/obedience.   That is the purpose of God’s wrath, it is not to kill us or discourage us.  That is why Paul adds in the verse reminding us to encourage one another during these very difficult times.

1Th 5:11  Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. 

When we know the Lord’s purpose and our part in the Book, with the requisite faith we will be able to stand. This is how the gold and fine jewels in the temple of God that we are, are being made.  With this problem verse now clear we can look at further details of the Lord’s methods.

The Rod of The Lord

We have a whole set of verses that speak to this using another symbol, the rod of God our Father.  Thankfully the Lord does not spare us of His rod, we endure all of it and that is what teaches us righteousness.  These Proverbs are true in the natural to our physical sons but also to us as the sons of God.

Pro 13:24  He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes. 

Pro 23:13  Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die [in fact it bring newness of life!]

Pro 23:14  Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell. 

The Elect don’t get a pass on this.  They are the first to experience the chastening and disciplining of our Father.  This will bring us to lament of our sins and wickedness which in the end accomplishes the Lord’s work in us.

Lam 3:1  I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. 

The purpose of the “rod of His wrath” is to save us and separate us into a people holy and undefiled.  All things that defile need to be removed to enter into the Holy City and thus our sanctification is the purpose of God’s wrath.  This is how we are brought into the new covenant [saved] with the Lord.

Eze 20:37  And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: 

Eze 20:38  And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 

We outwardly can see what happens when the rod is withheld by looking at the children of today and how the carnal world has changed with its “modern thinking”.  The world with its false definition of love has in the name of “love” demonized disciplining of children and even the punishing of criminal lawbreakers.   The result is more rebellion, lawlessness, and dysfunction in the nations.  The Lord knows what He is doing and enduring wrath and punishment for our mistakes is the way we are learning to be like Him.

Psa 119:71  It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. 

The Lessons of Wrath Upon Israel

And we have many witnesses showing God’s wrath very much applies to His Chosen people of Israel.  Flesh Israel symbolizes God’s Elect and all those things written were examples for us to learn thereby.  Many a carnal man has argued that the OT prophecies have no application to those that walk by faith today.  That is an error as all of these OT prophecies were experienced and written down in the Bible for our edification today as God’s Elect.  These words remain examples for us to live and learn by and are very applicable to us today.

1Co 10:6  Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. 

Let’s be reminded of some of these events, events that we will live by in our time.  The Lord gets angry and wrathful with His people when we disobey Him.  Yet that wrath stops and the Lord repents of that evil when the discipline accomplishes its purpose.  That is the function of fiery grace and when we are living in that day, the grace will always prevail.

We see in the OT what happens when we take the things of God and make our own image of God and worship that instead of the true God. Here is the consequence of disobedience to the law by making a golden calf in the Lord’s name.  We all do this at first which requires God’s wrath to correct.

Exo 32:10  Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. 

Exo 32:11  And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?

Notice the good that comes about from the wrath.  God works the evil in us but the purpose is to make a great holy nation in the end.

The Lord’s wrath is not forever and does not deny that He is merciful in His judgments.  Still, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God and you will know it when it happens to you.  We should take such experiences as a token sign of our salvation as the work of God will not be in vain for those that believe.

His wrath is not kindled against those unbelieving Philistines out there as the false doctrines of Babylon teach.  No, God’s wrath is poured out against His own house and is part of the righteous judgment of God necessary to be saved.  Some more examples of things we live out in fulfilling the Scriptures.

Num 11:33  And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague. 

Num 16:46  And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun. 

The grace of God (His favor) includes both the blessing and the curses.  His wrath is used to discipline us and bring us back into subjection.    It accomplishes His purposes in precise proportions.

Deu 11:16  Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; 

Deu 11:17  And then the LORD’S wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you. 

We provoke the Lord to wrath by our disobedience.  It is the same as any physical father would get angry and wrathful to disobedient children.  Don’t make the mistake of trying to wordsmith words to make wrath different from anger and chastening; they are one and the same. Here are just some examples showing they are interconnected.

2Ki 23:26  Notwithstanding the LORD turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal.

2Ch 34:25  Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched.

Jer 32:37  Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath, and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely:  Jer 32:38  And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: 

Isa 13:9  Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. 

In simpler New Testament speak this is the scourging and chastening of a loving Father wanting to correct His sons and teach them righteousness.

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

The purpose of this wrath on Israel is always the same, it is for the salvation of Israel.  This is how sin is destroyed and the chosen and faithful are made into a great and holy nation.  Those in the truth know the Lord causes even our disobedience as He seeks provocations to bring judgment to His people and thus advance them towards salvation.

Until we begin to live through the Lord’s wrath, we won’t really understand.  We are not given to know the details ahead of time as the thunders are sealed and not written about [Rev 10:4].

When our time has come, the Lord removes the hedge of protection and sends forth evil [fire from heaven within and without] to wreak havoc.  Then we will begin to understand as we live in our day of the Lord.  Many things in our lives will seemingly go wrong and the Lord will spoil our pursuits and separate us from brethren and acquaintances. Job’s experience is ours!

Job 19:11  He hath also kindled his wrath against me, and he counteth me unto him as one of his enemies. 

Job 19:12  His troops come together [The Lord’s Sword – Psa 17:13], and raise up their way against me, and encamp round about my tabernacle. 

Job 19:13  He hath put my brethren far from me, and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me. 

God is no respecter of persons and has ordained ONE process that will come alike to every man in their appointed time.

Act 15:11  But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we [the Elect, chosen of God now] shall be saved, even as they. 

Now knowing the truth about the wrath of God makes us no better than anyone else.  What it should do, is humble us and awaken us to what is going on in our lives.  The Lord is not slack, He is doing nothing by happenstance.  Through all things, He is speaking with us but we have been dull of hearing.  We should take heed of the Lord’s voice thru these events so we may learn our lessons and hasten His coming within us.

Psa 2:11  Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling. 

Psa 2:12  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. 

It is far better to suffer for righteousness’ sake and doing Christ’s commands than for any of our unrighteousness.  Our goal is always to be holy and obedient people as our Lord and Father is holy [1Pe 1:16].  The sooner the better is our aim and struggle.  Lord willing, with this truth on the wrath of God clearer in our heavens; our attitude and thanksgiving to the Lord will be markedly improved.  Believing in Him and His promises can give us the strength to endure difficult periods of suffering.

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 

Sincere questions are always welcome.  if we can be helpers of your joy, please let us know.

Pete

 

Articles

Dying to Death – The Second Death

Pete
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The issues of life and death, like all Scriptures and truths of the Lord, are hidden from those not yet given the gift of faith and the accompanying eyes to see and ears to hear.  Becoming grounded on some basic principles, such as the topic of death,  is essential to growing in understanding.  May these words help those few the Lord may lead to read them.

Pete & Ronel

Dying to Death

All men are PURPOSEFULLY born in marred vessels of clay so the Lord can remake us into a new mold in His image on His timeline.   Nothing we experience is wasted, it is all the work of the potter.

Jer 18:3  Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. 

Jer 18:4  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. 

Jer 18:5  Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 

Jer 18:6  O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. 

We are born into sin and thus begin the lives of every man.  As clay in the potter’s hand, the false doctrine of free will is readily destroyed by the truth.

Psa 51:5  Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. 

Rom 3:12  They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 

We will naturally remain this way until our time of reformation comes and we begin our transformation into the image of God.  This is the process of salvation and the same said as being “our journey from death unto life”.  Paul’s words of the helplessness of Romans 7, expressing every man’s journey to be righteous under their own strength (i.e the law) segues into the freedom and new life described in Romans 8.  Abiding in death, stuck in a prison, and bound to the law we first await Christ.

Rom 7:5  For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. 

When Christ comes He delivers us and sets us free from the law and the death that the law of sin and death (carnal mindedness) brings.

Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 

The law of sin and death is the same as the law of Moses and also the same as the law of the Gentiles.  Simply put, this law is what all carnally minded people are under.  Yet do not despair because all mankind is ignorant and oblivious to their plight until the Lord comes and sets them free from the resulting bondage that is also spiritual death.

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. 

We begin to be transformed from death and having the mind of our father the devil, unto newness of life, having the mind of Christ.  This is our salvation and takes a three-day spiritual journey to complete.  The last enemy to be destroyed to complete the transformation is death.  This is the death of our carnal mind that has kept us in bondage all our lives.

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

1Co 15:25-26  For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

The Lord who holds the keys to life and death, considers physical death to be the same as sleeping [Joh 11:11, Dan 12:2, etc].  The Lord’s words are Spirit and life and speak to great mysteries that only few are given to understand.

1Co 2:10  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 

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. 

Our dying to the Lord is our dying to death.  This is subjecting our carnal mind to the will of God and following the Spirit by the law of faith.  That is how newness of life is found and how we are being raised with Christ in the resurrection.  Christ speaks and acts in parables but most like Martha are only able to see the physical or outward application.

Joh 11:25  Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 

Joh 11:26  And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? 

Dying to death is also known as the “second death” which every man will fulfill in their appointed time.  We experience and fulfill all the Scriptures, living by every word.  All those experiences are indeed ours [1Cor 3:21] to fulfill and many err by taking things out of the book as not applicable to them.  Dying to death comes to a head in our day of the Lord, when the Lord comes a second time for judgment and salvation.

Heb 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, 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 without sin unto salvation.

The consummation of salvation is our being given our crowns which is the mind of Christ that is peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.  When the Lord first comes to us, we will be found dead in our sins and trespasses. This is the fate of all men naturally born in marred bodies of flesh that cannot help but sin.  The Lord has His ways to correct us and remake us through the fiery experience of His judgments.

Exo 32:33  And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. 

In our day of the Lord, the new man is brought forth as the old man and our carnal way of thinking dies under the fire of God’s jealousies.  All men have sinned without exceptions and thus are blotted out from spiritual life until their appointed time comes.    The time comes for our day of the Lord when we find ourselves in the lake of fire, experience the second death, and thus are being saved!

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

Rev 20:15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life[i.e. all who sin who have been blotted out at first] was cast into the lake of fire. 

The second death and our resurrection are one in the same event we experience.  Think of a two-sided coin and know that the Scriptures are speaking about His two witnesses which are the old man and the new man.  Both the carnal old man and the spiritual new man are clay in the potter’s hands.  He is molding and shaping us on His schedule and by this process, we die to death at the same time newness of life is brought forth.

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: 

In this consuming fire [Heb 12:29] that is the Lord, we are being quickened and in due time are overcoming our flesh.  As we progress, we are able to look behind ourselves and see our deliverance from the ways of the world which is ruled by the spirit of Satan or said another way carnal mindedness.

Eph 2:1  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 

Eph 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 

Our flesh does not go willingly to its death.  It resists the ways of the Spirit until it is brought into subjection.  The Lord prevails when our time has come and we are freed from the law of sin and death and separated from the carnally minded by our faith.

Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 

Gal 5:18  But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 

We should earnestly pray that we grow in the faith.  The challenges of living in this carnal world but not being of it, get bigger the further we walk, yet the Lord will equip us with the faith and temperament to bear it.