Tag: baptism

Commandments

Possessing Our Vessels in Sanctification

Peter

Honoring the Father and the Son

We are commanded to possess our bodies in sanctification, which honors our Lord and our God. These Commandments from the Lord were passed down to the Apostles and to each succeeding remnant in every generation, including ours. Part of all things being made new is the dramatic changes in how we live and in how we possess these clay vessels for the remainder of our time in the flesh.

1Th 4:2  for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 

1Th 4:3  For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from fornication

1Th 4:4  that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 

1Th 4:5  not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 

Fleeing sexual immorality, or what is more properly translated as “fornication,” means not engaging in any relations outside of marriage, in the physical sense outside of our spouse, and in the spiritual sense apart from the Lord, meaning apart from His Commandments.  Any other behavior, apart from obeying the Commandments, is known as spiritual fornication, which we are to refrain from.  This is the essence of one being sanctified and honoring the Lord.

We are putting to death all the various lusts that live in our flesh.  Doing so is impossible, but through the indwelling Spirit of Christ, it is accomplished in making all things perfect. If we belong to the Lord, the Living Word fails not; thus, we are being sanctified after we receive the Promise through the outpouring of His Spirit.

Gal 5:24  And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 

Rom 6:11  Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Rom 6:12  Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 

We learn to be diligent and vigilant in the fight of our faith, as the enemies, these fleshly lusts and carnal thoughts, are always seeking an opportunity.  Our mind and Spirit are willing, but our flesh remains weak.  We are truly strangers in this dark world, always reminding one another of the Commandments to abstain from the worldly lusts that war against our souls.

1Pe 2:11  Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 

1Pe 2:12  Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. 

Our victory in Christ does not happen in an instant; however, meaningful progress is evident unless we receive the grace of God in vain.  We do not reason within ourselves about what is right or wrong, since we now know the Commandments.  Thus, we can no longer justify ourselves by the carnal law of sin and death.  It is only our obedience to the Commandments that justifies us.

Gal 5:4  Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. 

We are admonished not to receive the grace of God in vain, but put it to use by separating from the ungodly things within and without ourselves.  We are learning not to come anywhere near the unclean and to separate from the wicked world.

2Co 6:1  We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 

2Co 6:15  And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 

Our obedience and remaining set apart from the unclean bring honor to the Lord and show our reverence for His Commandments.  Thus, the purposes of judgment, to save us and cause us to obey the Lord, are being realized and manifest today in our lives.

Joh 5:22  For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: 

Joh 5:23  That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. 

Pro 3:9  Honor the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 

The Lord received honor and glory from the Father, and so shall we in our appointed time.  We are the beloved Sons of God in whom the Father is well pleased (speaking of things that are not yet as if they already were).  When we serve the Lord first by our obedience, the Father honors us as His sons.

Joh 12:26  If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor.

2Pe 1:17  For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 

Formerly being brute beasts in the flesh, we overcome our sin and, by doing so, bring glory and honor to the Lord our God.  There is no boasting except that we now know the Lord in Spirit and in Truth.  There is no more pride, no more rebellion; all is submitted to the Lord, and we sing praises with our tongues for the great salvation He has wrought in our lives.  We earnestly pray for this day to fully come and come through the great tribulation that is saving us.

Rev 19:1  And after these things I heard a great voice of many people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God:

Holiness is the by-product or the result of our being sanctified.  To sanctify is a verb; it is an action, and we likewise are proactive in choosing and striving to speak or act congruently with our faith. Doing so, we thus wash ourselves and one another’s feet [symbolizing our walk] daily with the Commandments.

2Co 7:1  Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 

Joh 13:14  If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. 

Once we hear the Gospel, we tarry and wait for the Lord to come with the Spirit and the fire.  He comes with the power of salvation, the Promise. We are thus washed and purified in the fire of the Commandments as Christ, the Promise of God, has come to us. The Lord works quickly and is a swift witness against our fleshly lusts that defile us.  Our man of sin is being exposed by the light.  The Living Christ is come to sanctify us and make our offerings righteous and pleasant to the Lord.  The promised Savior has now come; today, we are being visited.

Mal 3:1  Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. 

Mal 3:2  But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: 

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. 

The living Word of God, the Commandments, are washing us clean and purifying our evil consciousness, that is, the carnal mind.  A new way, the Living Christ, the bread of life, has been made available to us.  We draw near to the Living Christ in full assurance that God is able to deliver.  The Lord is preparing us to be His chaste virgin Bride and is coming when we are made ready.

Heb 10:20  By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 

Heb 10:21  And having a high priest over the house of God; 

Heb 10:22  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 

All of our unrighteousness is being washed away; this is our sanctification, which is salvation.

1Co 6:11  And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Both our heaven and our earth are cleansed by the Living Christ, beginning with our mind.  In due time, the fire of God works its way across our entire earth, purifying all our behavior.  This is accomplished by truth and by grace, which is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  First comes truth, the Commandments, and then comes the grace, the fiery trials that transform and change us into holy vessels.

Psa 76:8  Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still, 

Mat 6:10  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 

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

We are not departing from these clay vessels, passing into the spiritual realm, before all this is fulfilled in our lives. Today is the day, and the fervent heat of our trials, the great tribulation, is making all things new.

Mat 24:34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 

Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth [your old ones] shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 

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 sooner we engage the fight, earnestly contending for our faith, the sooner we are hastening the appearing of the Lord and the remaking of a new you.  If we do not fight for the faith, contending against our sins, we are overcome and do not grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord.  The battle for purity and sanctification starts in our heaven, and the Commandments are the weapons of warfare.

Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 

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 

We flee from all evil, which includes our lusts, and strive to obey the Commandments, taking every contrary thought captive in obedience.

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

1Ti 6:12  Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. 

We are reaping what we are sowing.  The Lord brings and gives rewards, meaning overcoming, to those who diligently seek Him in their prayers and fasts.  If we are slothful and at ease in Zion, little advancement is seen.  We walk in faith, we are blessed with even more faith, and thus we advance into the kingdom more and more.  We grow in our understanding that the Holy Spirit is given to those who obey the Lord.  Our sanctification is by the Spirit not by our flesh.

1Pe 1:2  Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. 

Luk 11:28  But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it

Psa 128:1   Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways.

Psa 128:2  For thou shalt eat the labor of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.

Seek the Lord and eternal life.  Seek the Lord’s reward, the overcoming, and growth in the Spirit by walking in His Commandments.  The Lord wants to bless us and grow us in the faith.  Glory and honor to God are reaped, meaning they come to all who conduct themselves in God’s will and are sanctified and purified from the world’s evil. We are learning how to possess our bodies with sanctification and honor to the Lord.

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; 

Rom 2:10  But glory, honor, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: 

Being redeemed through the blood of Jesus Christ, we are now bondservants to our Lord and Master.  Bondservants live in subjection to their Master and strive to obey the Commandments. We are losing our lives, shedding blood in the Spirit, to overcome our sins.  Without the shedding of blood in spirit, there is no suffering, and thus there is no remission.  We resist all our fleshly temptations at great cost, enduring much suffering to please and honor God.

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 12:5  And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 

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

When we resist the devil until he flees, and we overcome the thoughts and temptations that live in our flesh.  One who is sanctified is dead to sin, and thus we no longer live in those sins or routinely practice them.  We are to examine ourselves to see if we are living in the faith or fooling ourselves.

Rom 6:1  What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

Rom 6:2  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 

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. 

One who is dead to sin is bearing the fruit of righteousness.  A tree is known by its fruit, and we know we are on the right track when we see fruit budding forth in increasing volume.

Rom 6:6  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 

All who used to know us know us no more, as we are changed, and all things have been made anew.  The life we now live is radically different from the life that defined us before Christ came to us.

1Pe 4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 

1Pe 4:2  That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

The coming of the Promise, the quickening Spirit, raises us up from our spiritual graves, from which we have been abiding in death, enslaved to the carnal mind.  All men are in bondage to the devil, who is the prince of the world, before Christ comes and quickens us to new life.

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: 

When Christ comes, judgment is come, and we are henceforth crucifying, meaning putting to death, the lusts that live in our flesh.  We are taking heed and following the truth that we know now and hear in our heavens speaking to us the right way to walk. The Scriptures tell us what these various lusts include that we are putting to death in our process of being sanctified. The light of Christ is revealing them in us, so we can be washed of them.

Before we are sanctified of heart, we honor the Lord with our lips, but our hearts and minds are far from obeying the Commandments.  Being washed and purified in the fire is being cleaned on the inside, that is, our hearts and minds. What is on the inside works its way to the outside. Flesh prioritizes the outward appearance, and in our self-righteousness, we first clean the outside of the cup, paying no heed to the inside.

Mat 23:27  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. 

Mat 23:28  Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 

Flesh concerns itself with the outside, but the Lord looks to the inside of our hearts.  It is there that He finds His chosen ones to be faithful, who are the apple of His eye.  The outward appearance means nothing to God if the inward is full of death and sin.

We live by every word, including being Pharisees and faking it for a time, appearing righteous on the outside.  But we are not fooling the Lord with our lips and the appearance of righteousness. He sees everything; our hearts and thoughts are all open to Him. Bondservants of the Lord, do not fake it or play games to look good. We serve the Lord with sincerity and truth, having the fear of God in our hearts.

Col 3:22  Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 

In our day of judgment, the Lord is bringing these hypocrisies and insincerities to light so we can repent and turn back to the Commandments.  The Lord makes all vessels, those of honor and those of dishonor, according to His will for every man. The first vessel is always the vessel of dishonor, so it can be destroyed and remade in His hands, thereby making known the riches of His glory to those precious few who are being saved in this age [See Romans 9:20-23, Jer 18:1-4].

In these last days, our focus is always on doing the Commandments.  The Living Christ, who is the indwelling Commandments, is the Spirit and the Truth, and what is, was, and will be sanctifying us through many fiery trials.  It is through these pure words, purified in the furnace of our many fiery trials and tribulations, that our hearts and minds are being cleansed of the fleshly lusts that wage war against the Lord.  The Lord prays for the truth to come to us and sends ministers of the Gospel to build His church, and, in time, brings the Holy Spirit to every man who cleanses us of all our sins.

Joh 17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 

Psa 12:6  The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 

Knowing these truths, Peter asks what kind of man or woman we should be.  Those of faith are pressing into the Commandments, embracing the cross, the suffering, and thus hastening to the Lord and the remaking of their heaven and earth into one of righteousness.

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? 

We thank our Lord for His great mercy in opening our eyes to His Commandments and giving us the zeal to be cleansed and purified of all our sin.

Articles

Go and Preach the Gospel

Rohnel

Destroying the Wisdom of the Wise

Rohnel and Peter, the servants of Jesus Christ, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called: Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.

Php 4:20 Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 

Psa 16:7  I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. 

Keep My Commandments and Live  

Jer 7:23  But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. 

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

1Jn 3:24  And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. 

1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light [Commandments]: 

1Pe 2:10  Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. 

Go and Preach the Gospel

As Christ’s chosen people, we are being blessed with the innumerable blessings of preaching the Gospel. The time of the end [our carnal age] IS come as we heard and are hearing the Gospel being preached to us. Christ commands us to preach the Gospel. The Kingdom of God is the Gospel, which is Christ in us, the Hope of Glory.

Mrk 16:15  And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Luk 4:18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach  the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach  deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

Luk 9:2  And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

Rom 10:15  And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

1Co 9:16  For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!

2Co 4:5  For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.

After the Comforter IS come to us, we immediately preach the Gospel. We are young and being reborn. Paul writes this to Timothy, which is a parable telling us that, although just being born, we immediately preach the Gospel:

1Ti 4:12  Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 

Here is the witness Paul leaves us as he immediately preaches the Son of God, that is to say, Paul immediately preaches the true Gospel, which is Christ’s Commandments.

Act 9:17  And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. 

Act 9:18  And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized. 

Act 9:19  And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus. 

Act 9:20  And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. 

The mystery of the true Gospel of Christ Jesus is being revealed. The Scriptures are being opened before our eyes as the Lord sifts His people in the time of harvest and brings the remnant out and onward to maturity in the Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord is the end of the age of the natural man within us.

Dan 12:4  “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

Rev 10:7  But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

Many Scriptures confirm that the true Gospel is a mystery until the time of the Lord’s spiritual harvest in our Day of the Lord. Only a few in this age and in every age since Christ understand this mystery being revealed to them. Here are a few witnesses below about the secret that was kept secret from us, but now is being made manifest:

Mrk 4:11  And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

Rom 16:25  Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

1Co 2:7  But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

Eph 3:3  How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; as I wrote afore in few words,

Eph 3:4  Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ

Col 4:3  Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:

Spiritual Gentiles, those whom the Father through Christ IS chosen in this age and every age since Christ, are fellow heirs with the true spiritual Jews who are circumcised in heart. Spiritual Gentiles have the Commandments of Christ in their hearts and minds. This is part of the mystery being revealed.

Eph 3:9  And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

Col 1:26  Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Spiritual Jews and spiritual Gentiles now grow in Grace and Knowledge of God, the Father, through Christ, being one, being knit together in love. Love is the Commandments.

Col 2:2  That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;

2Pe 3:17  Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

2Pe 3:18  but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

As the children of God, we are being quickened by the Power of His Commandments. From now on, Grace is upon us as we die to death, the second death on the tree with Christ. The tree is the cross [Acts 13:29]. This is our new way of life, and the only way to partake of the blessed and holy resurrection.

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? 

Act 4:33  And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.

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:   

We are entering into a New Covenant with the Lord via the law of faith [the Law of Liberty], which is the faith of Christ, that is being worked in us by the fiery trials [grace] that are bringing about death to death within us, which is the second death.

Heb 8:10  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

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.

Php 1:21  For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 

This is the true Gospel of Christ that is being preached unto all the inward nations and cities, as well as the outward nations, that is to say, preached to those who have Christ’s Name in their foreheads. Christ’s Name is His Commandments, the Words of Spirit and Life. The preaching of the Gospel divides the city. Christ comes to bring division when the Gospel is preached, heard, and understood.

Joh 7:43  So there was a division among the people because of him. 

Joh 7:44  And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him. 

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

Luk 12:50  But I have a baptism to be baptized with [lake of fire] and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!

Luk 12:51  Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:

Luk 12:52  For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.

The Gospel and the sons of God preaching it separate us from brethren who can only walk so far with us. This is by the Lord’s design. Joseph is an Old Testament type and shadow of this separation.

Deu 33:16  And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren. 

Rom 1:1  Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.

Being told we have to eat His flesh and drink His blood by dying on the cross with the Lord is not desirable to flesh and hence many walk no more with Christ and His Christ. Unless God, the Father, gives us the understanding to eat His flesh and drink His blood, we are not able to receive Christ.

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. 

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

Joh 6:67  Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? 

Joh 6:68  Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 

Joh 6:52  The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 

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 6:54  Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 

Carrying our cross results in the loss of many people and things we once knew. There is a remnant coming out of the chosen, and they are those who are being made faithful in this age. The greatest blessing is to be made like Christ. We do not fully comprehend what it means, but we see Him as He is, the further Christ causes us to walk with Him. All our lovers are now forsaken. Who are our lovers? Our lovers are the idols of our hearts; it is none other than mystery Babylon where we trade a great trade, making us rich and increased with goods, not knowing we are poor, wretched, blind, and miserable. Our great spiritual riches do not save us in the Day of the Lord. Only His Commandments change the inside of the cup.

Luk 18:25  For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a [spiritually] rich man [with knowledge that does not profit] to enter into the kingdom of God.

Luk 18:26  And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?

Luk 18:27  And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

Luk 18:28  Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee.

Luk 18:29  And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left [spiritual] house, or [spiritual] parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake,

Luk 18:30  Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.

The way to live Christ is to die daily with Him. Hence, we are in the fiery furnace of Christ’s Commandments, knowing it is the end of our faith, saving our souls in the great Day of the Lord. Sons of God are the slain lambs of God, shadowed in the Book of Revelation. Think within and discern spiritually.

2Ti 2:11  It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him [dead to death Heb 2:14], we shall also live with him: 

Col 2:12  Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. 

Col 2:13  And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 

Col 2:14  Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 

Rev 5:6  And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. 

We joy knowing that our sins are forgiven and the Lord showed mercy to us and is showing mercy to us every day by opening our ears and our eyes to hear and see. This is abiding in age-abiding life that is also called life eternal [John 17:3].

Mat 13:16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

Mat 13:17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

We grieve, yet we rejoice as we take hold of the Promise of age-abiding life that has been given to us. We live all these experiences as Paul writes about. We live this spiritually.

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

2Co 6:5  In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; 

2Co 6:6  By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, 

2Co 6:7  By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 

2Co 6:8  By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; 

2Co 6:9  As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; 

2Co 6:10  As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. 

Knowing what the second death means and that the new man, Christ in us, the Hope of Glory, is the result of going through the Lake of Fire brings great clarity to what the Lord and the Apostles meant when they said, ” Go and preach the Gospel”. The second death is the Lake of Fire [LOF], and the new man is not hurt by it.

Mar 16:16  He that believeth and is baptized [with the fire in LOF] shall be saved; but he that believeth not [no LOF for me or you] shall be damned.

2Ti 4:2  Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 

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; 

We have the Baptism of John, where we are given the water of the Word, the Commandments, and the true knowledge of God, that washes us and causes us to seek repentance. Paul and all of Christ’s disciples in every age are now being sent to preach the Gospel after the Comforter comes to them.

1Co 1:17  For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

1Co 1:18  For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

1Co 2:2  For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

We receive the Baptism of John and give birth to the man-child in us. The man-child is the mind of Christ. The Commandments of Christ is the mind of Christ. One greater than John, the Lord from heaven, IS come and now quickens our Spirits and opens up the revelation of His Word. The Comforter coming to us is the revelation of Christ Jesus, which was a mystery but is now made known to the sons of God in this age and in every age since Christ.

Rev 12:5  And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

Rom 16:25  Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, 

Rom 16:26  But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: 

Christ’s second coming spiritually is the Lake of Fire coming, which is the event that henceforth saves and raises us with Christ.

Mat 3:11  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

Mat 3:12  Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

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 [spiritually] unto salvation. 

The coming of Christ the second time to open our eyes to see and ears to hear brings the fire that is, was, and will be, saving us from now on.

1Co 1:23  But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

1Co 15:31  I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. 

The Gospel is the fire of God’s Living Word, operating within us. It is Christ in us, the Hope of Glory, performing His Work in us. Such is how our minds are being renewed day by day, and we put on the mind of Christ. The natural man, the first Adam, is being destroyed in order for us to become like the wind, that is to say, to be born again. The Gospel, Christ the Lord from heaven that we preach, is tidings of great joy.

Luk 2:10  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

Nah 1:15  Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.

The preaching of the cross, that is to say, the preaching to die daily with Christ, is the preaching of the true Gospel. There are many false gospels in the world.

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.

Gal 1:6  I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 

Gal 1:7  Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 

Gal 1:8  But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. Gal 1:9  As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. 

It is dying to self, dying to our carnal minds, abiding in the Lake of Fire that is the judgment necessary to destroy the man of sin within us and raise up Christ in his stead. Preachers of the Gospel are the angels of the Lord who receive the rain ordained for them, who now faithfully preach the Commandments, the Good News. Life through the second death [dying daily] is the heart of the Good News that the angels bring. The angels pull people out of the strange fire that is spiritual Babylon within, preaching life through the second death message, which torments and ultimately kills the first Adam within, that is to say, the carnal reasoning of accusing and excusing within ourselves [Jude 1:21-23].

Rev 14:6  And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,

Rev 14:7  Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

Rev 14:8  And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 

2Co 6:14  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 

2Co 6:15  And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 

2Co 6:16  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 

2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them [Babylon], and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 

2Co 6:18  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 

We are beyond blessed in this age when we hear His Voice, His Commandments, from heaven and follow Him to death on the cross, which is the second death, which is the Lake of Fire.

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.

Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 

Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 

We are drinking from the cup of the wrath of God on the first Adam and die to death. This is the everlasting Gospel. Now hearing the Gospel of Life through death, we hunker down, knowing what has already come upon our earth as we abide in the Lake of Fire in this age.

1Pe 4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

1Pe 4:2  That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

1Pe 4:5  Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.

1Pe 4:6  For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are (spiritually) dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

1Pe 4:7  But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

It is a lonely road, and few travel on it. The Gospel we preach is the same unchangeable Gospel that always brings much contention from carnal men [the lies within] and the outwardly religious.

1Th 2:1  For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain:

1Th 2:2  But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention.

1Th 2:3  For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile:

1Th 2:4  But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.

1Th 2:5  For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness:

1Th 2:6  Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.

The Apostles’ authority to preach the Gospel is always challenged and rejected by the chief priests of Jerusalem, who reject those who speak truth in love and, in turn, persecute those who bring the Gospel.

Luk 20:1  And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders,

3Jn 1:9  I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. 

3Jn 1:10  Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church. 

Like our Lord, Christ Jesus, sons of God are being rejected even by those who are near and dear. The natural man within every man cannot receive the things of the Spirit. The Psalmist writing in Ps 41 is a shadow of what the sons of God are experiencing to this day, being rejected by all men [by the lies within] and by carnal men without.

Psa 41:9  Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. 

Psa 41:10  But thou, O LORD, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite them. 

Mar 10:33  Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles:

Mar 10:34  And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.

Those who have not been given eyes to see and ears to hear reject the true message of the Gospel of Christ that is being preached to them. Christ experiences it in His day:

Mat 23:37  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

Mat 23:38  Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

Mat 23:39  For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Heb 4:2  For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. 

Sons of God no longer walk by sight and no longer know any man after the flesh. They are about doing the Lord’s work and striving to obey all of His Commandments and to preach the Gospel of Life through death to our inward nations and to all who receive us without.

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

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

2Co 4:5  For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.

2Co 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 

We pray that we stay faithful to preach the Gospel to every living creature under the sun, within ourselves and those without. Like our Lord, children of God are being sent; you, the reader, if you have eyes to see and ears to hear, are being sent.

Luk 4:43  And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent. 

Luk 4:44  And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee. 

Mar 16:20  And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

Go to the www.truthinscripture.com website and to the heading: Commandments. Do not forget to know and do the Commandments of Christ Jesus. It is life aionios.

Receive ye the Gospel, receive ye the Holy Spirit.

Studies

The Former and Latter Rain Is Come

Peter

The Lord’s Rain Brings Truth and Grace

The unseen spiritual things of the Lord are understood by the physical things seen in creation. The Lord shows us these truths in the physical creation to those who look to the Lord.

Rom 1:19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 

Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead

When our eyes are opened to see the hidden wisdom and the mystery of God in the Scriptures, we see that physical rain shows the workings of the power unto salvation and the Godhead, meaning the relationship between Christ, the Father, and us.  The common denominator in all of this is the Gospel and coming to know that Jesus Christ, the Living Word, is the Holy Commandments given to Him by the Father.  Rain falling from heaven onto the earth and bringing forth life is the Godhead being made manifest to us.

Joh 14:10  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own; but the Father who dwells in Me [the commandments] does the works. 

Rain is the Spirit of God, which is His eternal words that never pass away.  Understanding spiritual rain confirms the mystery of the Gospel and expands our understanding of God’s hidden wisdom.  Spiritual rain is the Father’s eternal commandments given to Christ, now being sent [spoken] to us.

Joh 12:49  For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. 

God loved us when we were yet sinners, which means He sends the rain that nourishes us to both the just and the unjust.  We do the same.

Mat 5:44  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 

Mat 5:45  That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 

The Scriptures speaking of rain reveal how the Spirit of Christ,  the living commandments, is either poured out or withheld from us in various seasons to mold and to shape us.  Earthen clay and rain are needed to make an earthen vessel in the hands of the Potter.  Hearing His Word is hearing His doctrine that the Lord speaks to both our heaven and our earth within.  This rain of the commandments first comes softly to us as we are first drawn to the Lord.

Deu 32:1  Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. 

Deu 32:2  My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass: 

Jer 22:29  O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD. 

Rain is the power upon high [the living commands] that we are told to patiently wait on and trust the Lord to bring to us as we gather in fellowship.

Jas 5:7  Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

Jas 5:8  Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. 

Natural rain comes in many seasons; it can rain hard or softly.  Rain replenishes the various earthly reservoirs, such as rivers, lakes, and groundwater, that are needed for life and to produce food.  In the spiritual, rain is needed to replenish our earthly reservoirs and satisfy our thirst for righteousness in the same way the bread of life satisfies our hunger.

Mat 5:6  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 

Rain, like all Scriptures, can be positive or negative.  Rain and floods can also represent the lies of the evil one, Satan, who is our carnal mind and the father of death.  Yet even the negative all works for the greater good of our salvation.  Rain also brings destruction and can come in the form of storms, including thunder and lightning, which are the tribulations the Lord brings us to remake us in the image of the Son.  The Lord’s rain, the Word of God, is a two-edged sword and is both positive and negative. Rain, the commandments are used to test our faith, and the rain is used to bring judgment and destroy the wicked from our earth.

Trials of Faith:  Mat 7:25  And the rain [Satan’s lies] descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock [The Commandments]

Judgment on Sin:  Luk 17:29  But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 

Spiritual rain, the commandments of Christ, His Spirit, does not come to us all at once, as we are not able to bear it.  The rain comes in seasons, little by little, as we are being prepared for the latter rain.

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

Joh 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 

The power of God unto salvation, the living commandments within, is essential to run the race and not grow weary as the flesh is weak.  We wait for the rain that renews us and strengthens us, enabling us to rise above the worldly distractions and not tire of the race.

Isa 40:31  But they that wait upon the LORD [The Rain] shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. 

The commandments of rain are the holy gift and the manifestation of God’s love.  We are to do what Christ did and are commanded to love our enemies by obeying His commandments at every turn.  On our journey to the promised land [salvation], the Lord sends us lots of rain to confirm and strengthen us when we are weak and to confirm us as His people.

Psa 68:9  Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary. 

We are blessed when the Lord gives us the measure of His faith, as then [the earth] can receive His rain and blessing.

Heb 6:7  For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: 

Without rain, the seed of Christ in all of us does not germinate; it takes the living waters that are the commandments.   When we receive this Gospel of commandments, we now have these living waters flowing back out of our bellies as we preach the Gospel, sending rain to every ear that hears.

Joh 7:38  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

The ways of the Lord are higher than our ways.  The Lord’s rain is inseparable from the life-giving bread that gives seed to those who sow it [preach the Gospel] and becomes life-giving food to those who receive the Gospel and thereby eat it.  The Lord’s rain, His Word, is sent to those being saved and successfully prospers those in whom it dwells.

Isa 55:9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 

Isa 55:10  For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 

Isa 55:11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 

The Former and Latter Rain

While rain comes in all seasons, there are two primary “spiritual seasons of rain”, the autumn and the spring, where we get the blessing of rain.    These seasons of our lives are the two comings of Jesus Christ to every man.  They are known in the Scriptures as the former (early) and the latter rain in symbol.  They are the first baptism of John and also the second baptism by fire.  Being first drawn to Christ, we are given a measure of rain to prepare us for the latter planting in the spring.

Deu 11:13  And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, 

Deu 11:14  That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. 

Deu 11:15  And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full. [The living bread] 

We first get the rain when drawn to Christ and learn of Him and the commandments.  Being washed with truth, we do not yet possess the power unto salvation, being hearers of the Word only.  These are the living commandments put into our hearts that begin to turn us into doers of the Word.  This is the latter rain that precedes the summer, where the fruit of the Spirit grows in abundance. Christ comes as the rain on our earth twice by bringing the Father’s commandments.

Joh 14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 

The Lord returns to all in our appointed time, in our day of the Lord, with the latter rain to finish the work He has started. Here we know Him no longer in the flesh.  The first coming, the Lord, the Word comes unto us softly [meekly] sitting on a yet carnal beast.

Mat 21:5  Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 

The second coming or the latter rain is when the fire comes that begins our day of the Lord and coincides with the power of the Gospel, the living commandments taking root in our hearts.  Henceforth, the rain of God turns into a burning fire that saves us from our sins and makes us doers of the Word.  Zion is now being redeemed with judgment by the living Word.  The faith of Christ, the commandments, is the rain that comes by hearing from His mighty angels.

2Th 1:7  And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 

2Th 1:8  In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 

The prophet Joel prophesied to us, the elect of God, who followed centuries later, of the latter rain [Jesus Christ Words] that should come.

Joe 2:23  Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month

Joe 2:24  And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil. 

The moderate [meek] former rain softens the earth and prepares us for the latter rain coming in the spiritual spring that initiates our day of the Lord. This ensures the farmer’s harvest of spiritual wheat, wine, and oil is bountiful.  The former rain washes [baptizes] us in truth, the latter rains bring the power that is the fiery grace that washes our feet.

Being alive in the Spirit by the rain, we now receive the promise of the Father and are reaping the promise of eternal life.  We are commanded to wait for the latter rain, trusting the Lord, learning patience by tarrying together in the upper room in spiritual Jerusalem.  We have the former rain having already been washed with truth, but we now wait for the power on high that is the Father’s eternal commandments living inside of us.

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

Truth and grace come by way of Jesus Christ, with the former rain bringing the truth and the latter rain the grace that changes our hearts.  The living Christ is both the first and the last rain. The time is at hand as the Lord’s rain is now pouring upon the earth, and to all who hear and receive the Gospel.  Now are the sons of God being made manifest.

Joh 14:21  He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. 

When the time of reformation has come, Christ brings the latter rain upon our earth.  Asking for rain is praying for rain, which we are to do when we struggle to produce fruit of the Spirit, and the promised land within us is parched, devoid of the Spirit.

Zec 10:1  Ask the LORD for rain in the time of the latter rain. The LORD will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, Grass in the field for everyone. 

1Jn 3:22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

Praying for rain is the same as praying for the heavenly bread of Jesus Christ.  The Lord taught us His prayer asking for daily bread. We know the Lord abides in us when we are given even more of His Spirit by prayer.

1Jn 3:24  And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit [living commands] which he hath given us. 

Hosea spoke of Israel’s revival on the third day.  This is our resurrection into newness of life as the Lord comes and brings the latter and former rain [the commandments] into our earth.  We are awakened by the commandment “to arise and come forth”  to new life in the Spirit of the commandments.

Hos 6:2  After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight. 

Hos 6:3  Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain to the earth. 

The latter rain is likened to the early rain, as Christ changes not. The eternal commandments, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore.  A new day has dawned, the day of the Lord, as the day star has risen upon us.

Christ Comes as in the Days of Noah

The coming of the living commandments [The Lord] at His second coming at the end of the age is likened unto the days of Noah.  Noah’s story was the first time rain ever fell on the physical earth, and it rained for 40 days, bringing the great flood.   The earth had waxed wicked and it is the Lord’s purpose to make a new earth and thus rain, lots of it was needed.

Gen 6:5  And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

The first time it rains on “our earth”, is the first time we receive of the Gospel and believe in the Lord’s commandments.  The purpose of the heavy rain and resulting flood was to take the wicked away and create a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Gen 7:23  And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. 

So it is today when Christ, the living commandments, come the second time with great power upon our earth.

Mat 24:37  But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 

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

Mat 24:39  and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 

The wicked are all of us in our time, and the entire world is feasting on knowledge [eating and drinking at the wrong table], being one [married] to the world.  We don’t heed the preaching of the commandments as Noah preached for 120 years.  Christ eventually came as the flood, and the wicked were swept away.  Only the new man in symbol is being saved, represented by the eight members of Noah’s family.

2Pe 2:5  And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness [Christ], bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; 

The latter rain coming to us sweeps the wicked away from our earth [same as the lake of fire], leaving behind only the righteous who are the Christ who were in the ark, meaning they abided in the commandments, the ark of His testimony.  The Lord’s rain is the blessing of God, and we get more of it as we obey.  All our work is blessed when we obey.

Deu 28:12  The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations and borrow from none

In our abundance, we give to others, multiplying the talents the Lord has given.  We are given more faith and blessed even more as the parable of the talents shows.

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. 

If we are faithful to the commands,  we are always given even more of the Spirit, more of the faith of Christ, to be even more productive.

Lev 26:3  If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; 

Lev 26:4  Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. 

Famine and Droughts of Rain

When we willfully disobey the Lord, He can shut off the rain.  This is the Lord’s strange work to bring us to repentance and turn us back to the commandments [Him], and then He restores the rain.  The Lord spoke to Solomon at the dedication of the first temple in Jerusalem [you are the temple of God], and here was His deal that is with us today.

2Ch 6:26  When the heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; yet if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them; 

2Ch 6:27  Then hear thou from heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou hast taught them the good way, wherein they should walk; and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given unto thy people for an inheritance. 

When we know the truth and continue to sin willfully, the rain stops, and our land becomes parched as the Lord seeks repentance.  Thus, we see the purposes of God in the seasons of spiritual famine [Amo 8, 1Ki 17] of the Word that are used to return us to our first love, the holy commandments.

2Ch 7:13  If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; 

2Ch 7:14  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 

David in OT type knew the Lord gives and takes away the Spirit of the living commandments needed to guide us into righteousness.  After being confronted with a major sin, David repents and prays fervently, asking the Lord not to take away His Spirit, that is, the rain.

Psa 51:10  Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 

Psa 51:11  Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 

 We come to the Lord’s feast, and eat at His table and partake of the Lord’s supper by eating His Body and drinking of His cup.  If we do not go to this feast and remain in the world [Egypt], our earth becomes parched.

Zec 14:17  And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain. 

Zec 14:18  If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 

The Lord’s Witnesses Call Down Rain or Shut Up the Heavens

As the sons of God, we have the power to open the heavens to rain and to shut them off.

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

We open or shut heaven through our prayers and forgiveness, or in some cases, a temporary unforgiveness of sin. 

Like physical rain that evaporates back to heaven and falls again, spiritual rain is likened to incense [Psa 141:2] that ascends up to heaven and falls back to our earth when requested.

Rev 8:3  And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 

Rev 8:4  And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. 

Rev 8:5  And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. 

The prayers, the incense is cast back to the earth in the form of spiritual rain and smites the earth and works the work of righteousness by bringing the tribulations [grace] moving us further into the kingdom of God.  When we confess our sins and ask for strength, the Lord is faithful to forgive us and send more rain, a strengthening of the living commandments in us.

1Ki 8:35  When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou afflictest them: 

1Ki 8:36  Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, that thou teach them the good way wherein they should walk, and give rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance. 

Our confessions and prayers for one another also cause the rain to fall from heaven and on those who hear us and receive the Gospel.

Jas 5:16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man [i.e. doing the commands] availeth much. 

Joh 14:13  And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name [by obeying the commands], that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 
Joh 14:14  If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. 

As sons of God, we have the power of Christ in us to forgive or to not forgive sins.   When we retain sins the heavens are shut on those impacted.

Joh 20:23  Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. 

With one exception, we always forgive those who trespass against us, yet we rebuke them with the Word and wait for the Lord to give them repentance.

Luk 17:3  Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. 

All the stories of Israel, leaving Egypt and sojourning in the promised land we see the withholding of rain by way of prayer as the means to shut the heavens and bring the subject unto repentance.  King Ahab did evil in the sight of the Lord and Elias was sent to rebuke him and shut off the rain.

Jas 5:17  Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. 

The eventual famine of the Word comes and brought Israel back to repentance and the heavens were reopened.

Jas 5:18  And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. 

We pray for rain for all sins of our brethren that are not the sin unto death.  But we do not pray for the rain if one has blasphemed the Holy commandments of the Lord.  The heavens are shut instead.  A recent study HERE explains this grievous sin of speaking evil against the commandments  in detail.

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

The Latter Rain Bears Fruit in Due Season

When the rain falls hard upon us, sweeping the wickedness away, it is not pleasant or joyous to our flesh.  But the Lord has His plan, and our chastening by our heavenly Father through His living commandments yields the fruit of righteousness.

Heb 12:11  Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. 

Once the rain comes, our earth begins to bear the fruits of the Spirit and the Word accomplishes the purposes for which it was sent.

Son 2:10  My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. 

Son 2:11  For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; 

Son 2:12  The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; 

If we seek Him by spiritual prayer and spiritual fasting, we are finding Him.  It is time to ask the Lord for this latter rain, which is also the living bread of life.  If we ask in faith, we receive.

Hos 10:12  Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.

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

Mat 7:9  Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 

The Lord’s new covenant spoken by Ezekiel promises us these rain showers of blessing that yield the fruits and medicine that are the leaves of the trees. .

Eze 34:26  And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing. 

Eze 34:27  And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them. 

Hearing and receiving the Gospel is a blessing.  It is the blessing of spiritual rain that is the living commandments falling upon our earth.

Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 

May the Lord open the ears of His chosen ones to receive this Gospel.