old man

Abandoning Principles Leads to Error

November 3, 2018May 28, 2019 Pete

The true church of Jesus Christ is not divided (1Co 1:13). Christ is ONE with the Father and with His Christ.

Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one.

Joh 17:21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

Christ being One with His Father and His people means the TRUE church cannot be divided and will be of one mind in matters of the Spirit and of Doctrine.

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

The divide of Christ’s church is really a separating and a sifting of the wheat from the chaff as only a remnant shall escape from Jerusalem in this age.

Our fallen brothers and sisters have erred in vision and stumbled in their judgment all the Lords doing of course. In love, we have tried and will continue to try as Lord allows us to win them back.

Denying the Lake of Fire is a subtle way of denying the cross and creating a different process (less punishment, more rewards) for the Jew vs the Gentiles in being saved. But the truth is all men are saved the exact same way and given the exact same reward – THE MIND OF CHRIST. The Elect just receives it first. It is the carnal mind that has led our fallen away (the error of the wicked) elders into believing we deserve special rewards and prizes. The Bible teaches otherwise when rightfully divided. Here are five witnesses that more than establishing the truth of the true doctrine.

Act 15:8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;

Act 15:9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

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

Jud 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

Eph 3:6 That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

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

Mat 20:14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. SAME REWARD

Our living the Second Death which is the Lake of Fire is how we overcome and how we are saved. It is not something to be avoided.

Rev 12:11 And they overcame him [Satan and his messengers] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the [second] death.

1Co 1:18 For the message of the cross (lake of fire) is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

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 (second death, death to death) he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

Heb 2:15 And deliver them (SAVE US) who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage

“Come Lord Jesus Come” is what we should be saying rather than the Lake of Fire is not for me. We must be baptized by His fire in the lake of fire.

Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

Rev 22:18 For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book;

Rev 22:19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Foundational Principles Abandoned

The origin on the errors is an abandonment of the foundational principles of how Truth is established. Those errors extent deeper into other areas such as rightly dividing the First Resurrection and understanding what the Reward and the prize of the higher calling in Christ represent.

The Word IS, WAS and WILL BE (present, past and future fulfillment) – Rev 1:8, Rev 4:8
The Word is a two-edged sword speaking about the old man and new man in every word and every verse – Heb 4:12
The sum of the word is true – Psa 119:160
No scripture is of its own private explanation – 2Pe 1:20
Man shall live (the IS/inwardly) by every Word God spoke – Mat 4:4, 1Co 3:21
God speaks of things that ARE NOT as if they already are – Rom 4:17
His words are Spirit and not to be taken by the letter – Joh 6:63
Truth is found by comparing spiritual to spiritual – 1Col 2:13
All things come alike to all, one event to all men – Ecc 9:2
All things are done in parables to hide the meaning in the letter (Mar 4:11, Hos 12:10)

As we teach, we must always watch and prove all things, being vigalent in trying the spirits and testing the doctrines.

1Ti 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

2Co 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity [living by every word, one event, etc] that is in Christ.

We Live Every Word Inwardly

One distinction that will help clear the smoke of confusion is to remember that “living by every word God spoke” is speaking about living them ALL INWARDLY. Where is the kingdom of God and where is the Lord working to bring about Christ in us?

Luk 17:20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation;

Luk 17:21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

We live all words INWARDLY, fulfilling the IS part of “is, was and will be” because now is judgment upon the house of God (1Pe 4:17). Problems and quarrelsome questions come up on this subject when we forget to emphasize the inward and living part of that is what every man lives.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword

It has never been said that this means applying them in the WAS or the WILL BE sense to every man. For example, we did not go thru the flood of Noah outwardly, but we did inwardly. The same is to be applied for all events in the historical past, but we will live them all out in their INWARD application. As a further example, we all come out of the world (Egypt) and then go through a wilderness experience after first coming to the knowledge of the Truth before we enter the promised land and begin to conquer sin (the giants) in our land.

Future events for us also cannot be lived by everyone outwardly. Only the very Elect who are completed in Christ in this age, will be the administrators and outward ruling with Christ in the next age. For example, anyone already physically dead that was not Elect cannot be ruled over in the outward Millennium. Yet all men in their order of harvest will live those words out INWARDLY even for those in resurrected spirit bodies as the kingdom of God is still WITHIN those men.

Lake of Fire and Second Death

The Lake of Fire is where salvation is found and the new man formed and completed by the wrath of God against our old man. The revealing (revelation) of Jesus Christ in the hearts and minds of every man is the greatest gift and reward imaginable. As this church has rightfully taught in the past, it is our living out those words that bring this greatest blessing and gives every man the mind of Christ.

Rev 1:3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things (lives them) which are written in it; for the time is near.

The new man is brought forth in this fire and Christ in us, the overcomer, is raised when the dead old man dies. It’s not us overcoming, again it is Christ in us doing the work and ushering in righteousness in the kingdom of God.

1Jn 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you (CHRIST – the new man), than he that is in the world.

The Second Death is a functional living event like all words of Scripture. Those dead to death (the Second Death) are blessed indeed because at that point, it is finished and they have put on the mind of Christ and are at rest. It is a blessing to die to death and live the Second Death.

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 old man is destroyed and the new man (Christ in us) raised up in power by going through the wrath of God. That is the gospel and how one is blessed and made holy.

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

As an overcomer, the fire of God’s word has already burned out all the wood, hay and stubble and we are complete in Christ in need of nothing. Thus we see Christ and His Christ in the fire administering the Lake of Fire and the fire cannot hurt us. Christ and His Christ can walk in this fire without hurt. They had already overcome by the same fire.

Dan 3:25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

Dan 3:26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.

There it is. The new man in us, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, overcome and come forth from the fire. The new man in us is THE RESULT of going into the fire in faith and losing our life in the flesh. Avoiding the lake of fire means no overcoming in this age.

Christ in us is the overcomer and only He can dwell in the everlasting fire and not be hurt.

Isa 33:14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites: “Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?”

The answer is the NEW MAN in us, the overcomer…..

Isa 33:15 He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, He who despises the gain of oppressions, Who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, And shuts his eyes from seeing evil:

The new man is not appointed to wrath but to salvation. Double witness right here.

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

Rev 2:11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh (Christ in us, the new man only) shall not be hurt of the second death.

The new man in us is not appointed to wrath!!!. The Second Death experience will not hurt the new man. The new man is being raised up in the same proportion as the old man is being destroyed in the fire whether it be called Lake of Fire or fiery trials. We are following in our Lord’s footsteps.

Rom 6:5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death (second death), certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, (the First Resurrection, the mind of Christ)

Rom 6:6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

Rom 6:7 For he who has died (the second death) has been freed from sin. (Holiness, the blessing of the new man, Christ in us the hope of glory)

Studies

Jeroboam Causes Israel to Sin

September 20, 2018May 28, 2019 Pete

Kings of Israel #5

“Jeroboam Causes Israel to Sin”

Key Verses: 1Ki 12:25-33

Our old man will make us sin if he is not brought under the subjection of Jesus Christ within us. That is such a simple yet powerful truth and one our story of King Jeroboam will bear out today and, in the weeks ahead as we begin studying the kingship of Jeroboam, the first king over the Northern Kingdom in a divided nation of Israel. We should always be reminded that the kingdom of God is not outside of us somewhere but instead is within you (Luk 17:21) as are all of these events that God’s Elect are living out. Jeroboam represents our naturally rebellious and contentious flesh that wars against the doctrines of Christ (Judah).

Before the division of Israel, Jeroboam was a servant of Solomon (1Ki 11:26) meaning Solomon had dominion over his carnal mind and fleshly lusts. Yet Solomon apostatized, and Israel reaped (and we reap what we have sowed).

1Ki 11:9 And the LORD was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice,

1Ki 11:11 Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.

The result of our apostasy is our becoming servants of the old man which consumes us in carnal and lustful passions.

Joh 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

As God’s Elect, we will live through a divided Kingdom fighting wars as our flesh (Israel) wages war against the Word (Judah). These wars will continue until we are given the fullness when we receive our spiritual bodies.

1Ki 14:30 And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days.

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.

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

Rebellious flesh is naturally SELF-serving and always seeking to enlarge its borders and make a name for itself. Out from the dominion of Christ’s doctrines, it does not take long for us to begin worshipping our own gods and perverting judgment. Jeroboam went right to work doing what flesh does best in using his own hands in building idols and strongholds to expand and protect his kingdom and kingship.

1Ki 12:25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel.

1Ki 12:26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:

1Ki 12:27 If these people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.

1Ki 12:28 Whereupon the king (Jeroboam) took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

1Ki 12:29 And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.

1Ki 12:30 And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.

1Ki 12:31 And he made a house of high places and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.

1Ki 12:32 And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.

1Ki 12:33 So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.

Jeroboam’s focus instantly turned to retain power and control. It is the opposite of faith when we fear men and do not trust the Lord nor submit to Him working all things in our life. The laws of warfare are written about our war against our own flesh and lusts that wage war against the ways of God in our hearts and mind.

Deu 20:4 For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.

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.

Jeroboam, as our old man, is made to be destroyed and will resist dying and submitting every step of the way.

Rom 13:2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

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

While these Scriptures say Jeroboam did these things after the “devising of his own heart”, we know that truth is subject to a much greater absolute truth which is this.

Pro 21:1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water (your thought life): he turneth it whithersoever he will.

Pro 16:9 A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.

It is the Lord who is doing all the causing, even causing Jeroboam and us in our day to commit these besetting sins (Isa 63:17).

Php 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Jeroboam life and actions are innate to all flesh. His deeds live on in Bible infamy being cited at least 21 times and in 15 of the 18 successor Northern Kingdom kings here being just one example.

2Ki 13:6 Nevertheless they [Israel during Jehoahaz’s reign] did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who had made [is making] Israel sin, but walked in them; and the wooden image also remained in Samaria.

The life of Jeroboam and his evil deeds are an example of our evil deeds and have been written down for us to learn from and help in our process of overcoming.

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 come.

It is impossible for flesh to please God (Rom 8:8) and the Jeroboam spirit will continue to plague Israel all the days in our flesh. The sins of Jeroboam are our sins that we all are struggling with until we are matured in our judgment and trials. Now we look some more into what is called “the sins of Jeroboam” for wisdom in identifying these sins and finding ways to overcome them.

Worshipping a false god and creating graven images: Jeroboam quickly sins against the Lord in violating both the first and second commandments (and others).

Deu 5:6 I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

Deu 5:7 Thou shalt have none other gods before me.

Deu 5:8 Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:

Our flesh will seek to share the glory with the Lord but He is having none of it (1Co 1:29). Jeroboam will soon be rebuked by a prophet speaking words of fire and his kingdom will not be long-lasting as the next study will cover.

These besetting (persistent) sins are ingrained in all flesh and lead to other sins against the Lord’s commandments. The old man aka man of sin, cannot subject himself to the ordinances of God and will persistently create a god unto himself until that man of sin is destroyed. Only then will Israel be reunited as One with God.

2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

2Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

Jeroboam was a friend of Egypt’s King Shishak (1Ki 11) and these false gods are given birth from our spiritual fornication and adultery with the mindset and ways of this wicked world. The new man within us cannot commit this sin. If we see this within ourselves we can know it is a manifestation of our old man who is to be reckoned dead instead.

1Jn 5:18 We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.

1Jn 5:19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.

1Jn 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.

Calves are nearly full grown cows and in Scripture signify a sacrificed life being laid down in service to the Lord which is the reasonable divine service of God’s people (Rom 12:1). Jeroboam like all flesh is SELF FOCUSED whose thought life is about preserving his life and kingdom. This is what leads us to worship our own ideas and self-exaltation (our god, the image to our beast)

Rev 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

Rev 13:12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

Thankfully, we know our beastly nature will be destroyed and our attempts to preserve the way of the old man will come to naught in due time. Believe these words of the Lord!

Luk 17:33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.

Isa 42:17 They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye are our gods.

The history of Jeroboam also tells us where he placed these golden calves in Israel.

1Ki 12:29 And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.

1Ki 12:30 And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.

Jeroboam wanted dominion over Israel and their exercise of faith which we are commanded not to have over anyone (Rom 14:4, 2Co 1:20). His plot to keep his subject from going to Jerusalem including placing these two idols in two strategic locations. Bethel, meaning House of God refers to our worship and was in the southernmost part of Israel. Dan which means “judge”, is in the far north which is the spiritual direction from which judgment always comes. How we worship and how we judge are both essential and we have many Scriptures and studies that reveal to us how to worship in truth and how to judge righteously. If we are in the flesh as is the mind of Jeroboam here is the result.

Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Before Christ comes we are worshipping a false god and making a graven image in our self-absorbed delusion that we are in control of our own free will. Such is the STRONG DELUSION that all men are given which causes us to reject the true love of God as we persist in unrighteous behavior.

2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

Continuing with Jeroboam’s action in prescribing worship for Israel we read this.

1Ki 12:31 And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.

While we are not told specifically with whom Jeroboam took counsel with to devise the worship plan for Israel, we do know he was an ally of Shishak the King of Egypt (1Ki 11:40) which tells us Jeroboam is a friend of the world as Egypt symbolizes the world. We also know there were no longer any true priests left in Israel.

2Ch 11:14 For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest’s office unto the LORD:

Jeroboam kicks out the true priests and replaces them with idolatrous priests not of the tribe of Levi as commanded of the Lord (Num 3:1-6). Without the priests to be the multitude of counselors, there is no safety (Pro 11:14) and our old man can easily lead us astray and corrupt the pure food and service at the Lord’s table.

Heb 13:16 (JUB) Do not forget to do good and to fellowship (communicate KJV); for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

1Co 10:21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.

This act of our old man is another besetting sin that will keep us from worshipping in truth and being saved from our sins. We are saved from our sins as we are able to walk in the light that is the Body of Christ (Mat 5:14) who are also the kings and priests of the Lord in the making (Rev 5:10). The light of Christ is also the same as the fire that is saving us and burning up the false images of God we make as carnal men.

1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Jer 5:14 Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

We have many Scriptures in the Old and New Testaments warning us about whom we keep company with and with whom we eat and digest spiritual food. We are to be watchful for those that have not the Truth nor obey the Truth and not be partakers with them.

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

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

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

On the same vein, we are not to idly bring strange priests and those teaching false doctrines into our fellowship and communion.

Heb 13:9 Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.

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

Jeroboam in our exalted strong delusion thinks he is doing God a service by ordaining a feast that appears to closely mimic the Feast of Tabernacles (15^th day of 7^th month). This was no doubt done to further the motive in preventing Israel from going up to Jerusalem as the Law of Moses commanded.

Exo 23:14 Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.

Exo 23:17 Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD (in Jerusalem)

Our old man is much more comfortable being isolated from the fiery fire and bright light that is exposing our deeds of darkness in the house of God where judgment now dwells. Forsaking the assembly and merely warming ourselves by the fire is not enough to burn out our besetting sins. We need to be directly in the fire.

Isa 33:14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?

Isa 33:15 He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;

The taking of the true communion often in Jerusalem (a type of New Jerusalem, aka the Body of Christ) is how we die daily and Christ grows within us.

1Co 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

But like orthodox Christianity and carnal men everywhere, Jeroboam is taking the things of God and perverting them; adding too and taking away from the Word; even making up holy days on his own devising. The three feasts of the Lord in the Old Testament are all shadows of the Lord savings us by the process of judgment (the number three). The Elect live this out in Spirit now, in our day of the Lord, and all mankind will fulfill those feast days in the Lake of Fire.

The false gods, the perverted priesthood and even the man-made feast days are all an abomination to the Lord and only invite the Lord’s wrath to destroy Jeroboam.

Amo 5:21 I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.

Amo 5:22 Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.

Outwardly there is to be no keeping of days, times or seasons. It takes judgment to come to be able to approach the Lord in truth and in spirit. Before then we will be serving up false gods with our keeping of days, times and years as the world does.

Gal 4:8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.

Gal 4:9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

Gal 4:10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.

The Lord is getting our obedience (LOVE) by destroying the Jeroboam mindset that keeps us separated from our brethren and the true doctrines of Christ.

Luk 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

Mat 22:36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love (obey is love – 1Jo 5:3) the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

As we look at the remaining 18 kings of the Northern Kingdom, Jeroboam always seems to be in the picture (2Ki 17:22-23). That is true because it is these besetting deeply ingrained sins that only our overcome as we are able to lay down our life in service and humility.

Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

In the next study, we will continue with Jeroboam’s reign as a man of God is sent to rebuke the disobedient king and prophesy of the impending doom and rejection of his idolatrous worship.

1Ki 13:1 And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.

1Ki 13:2 And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee.

1Ki 13:3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the LORD hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.

Studies

Book of Esther Part 2 – Favor Given the King’s Wife

December 25, 2017January 4, 2019 Ronel

Book of Esther Part 2 – Favor Given the King’s Wife

We have seen that Esther coming before the king contrary to the law, is a type of Christ laying down His life for us. Esther, is faithful in her calling and willing to lay down her life for her people. She is a type of Church, the truly elect. How do we know we are God’s elect and have indeed “passed from death unto life”? Here is the way to know we love our brethren, and at the same time know we are passing from death unto life.

1Jn 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

1Jn 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Many say they are the elect (Esther) of Christ, but it becomes clear that few know what the love of God is. Here is one of Christ’s commandments which very few men who claim they come in Christ’s Name is teaching or keeping.

Mat 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

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;

Esther, as type of God’s elect, is only doing so, is only accomplished by Christ Himself living His life of resisting the devil within her. When we love our brothers in accord with the scriptural definition of love, then we lay down our lives for our brethren.

1Jn 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

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

Joh 10:14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

Esther appears before the king

Est 5:1 Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king’s house, over against the king’s house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house.

Esther puts on her royal apparel, our royal apparel, which is the anointing we receive from Christ. It is upon Aaron (type of Christ) and upon his sons, types of the sons of Christ. It is the faith given us by Christ, a gift.

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

1Jn 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

1Jn 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

Exo 29:21 And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him.

The king saw Esther standing as a type of us, standing not adding or taking away from the Word of God. We tarry in Jerusalem …. until endued with power from on High … Luke 24:49

Rev 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

Rev 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

We obtain favour in Christ’s sight, here shadowed by Ahasuerus, the king. The king extend his hand (H3027 meaning an open hand indicating power), extend the sceptre, a rod of empire, drawing her near.

Est 5:2 And it wasH1961 so, when the kingH4428 sawH7200 (H853) EstherH635 the queenH4436 standingH5975 in the court,H2691 that she obtainedH5375 favourH2580 in his sight:H5869 and the kingH4428 held outH3447 to EstherH635 (H853) the goldenH2091 sceptreH8275 thatH834 was in his hand.H3027 So EstherH635 drew near,H7126 and touchedH5060 the topH7218 of the sceptre.H8275

Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

The King gives Esther (His Bride) Half of my kingdom

Est 5:3 Then said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom.

Psa 21:2 Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.

Half of my kingdom means only in the throne will I be greater …… Esther is replacing Vashti and rules over Egypt. Remember the story of Pharaoh and Joseph as another shadow of this principle, comparing spiritual with spiritual (1 Co 2:13).

Gen 41:40 Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.

Gen 41:41 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.

Esther devises her plan to act upon the destruction of the Jews by petitioning a banquet for the king and Haman, the enemy of the Jews. Christ, Shiloh, and His angels has to come so that Haman is being destroyed.

Est 5:4 And Esther answered, If it seem good unto the king, let the king and Haman come this day unto the banquet that I have prepared for him.

Luk 17:33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.

Gen 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come;

A thief in the night

Haman has to make haste. Christ comes as a thief in the night. Haman has no idea what is going to befall him.

Mat 24:43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

Est 5:5 Then the king said, Cause Haman to make haste, that he may do as Esther hath said. So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared.

Est 5:6 And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed.

Est 5:7 Then answered Esther, and said, My petition and my request is;

Est 5:8 If I have found favour in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do tomorrow as the king hath said.

At the banquet of wine, we think of Christ turning the water into wine, read John 2:2- 10). We hear what we have heard from the beginning ……

1Jn 2:7 Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.

1Jn 2:8 Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.

1Jn 2:9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.

1Jn 2:10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.

1Jn 2:11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

It is an old commandment (love your enemies, turn the other cheek …… etc.) which we are hearing from the beginning. We have to obey Christ in order for Haman, our man of sin, to being destroyed.

2Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

In the meantime ……… Haman thinks he is the one

Est 5:9 Then went Haman forth that day joyful and with a glad heart: but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, that he stood not up, nor moved for him, he was full of indignation against Mordecai.

Est 5:10 Nevertheless Haman refrained himself: and when he came home, he sent and called for his friends, and Zeresh his wife.

Est 5:11 And Haman told them of the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, and all the things wherein the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king.

Est 5:12 Haman said moreover, Yea, Esther the queen did let no man come in with the king unto the banquet that she had prepared but myself; and tomorrow am I invited unto her also with the king.

Est 5:13 Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.

Est 5:14 Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits, high, and tomorrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made.

Babylon in us does not know that it is Babylon. We perceive ourselves as God’s elect. Knowledge puffs up. We read earlier on in this OT shadow:

Est 3:8 And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king’s laws: therefore, it is not for the king’s profit to suffer them.

It is almost as if …… The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil (Prov 16:4).

Haman in us, the self-righteous Pharisee, thinks he is making it and this is the great deception…… Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 2 Th 2:3

Luk 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

Luk 12:16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:

Luk 12:17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?

Luk 12:18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.

Luk 12:19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

Luk 12:20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

Luk 12:21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

Haman the Pharisee in us, does not know the times ………

Mar 13:33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.

Mat 16:2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.

Mat 16:3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?

Haman prepares a gallows and the king is troubled

Haman, as the type of the ten horns of the beast, prepares a gallows on which he intends to ask the king to hang Mordecai (Est 5), and at this point, the king’s sleep is taken from him, resulting in a late-night reading of the chronicles revealing that Mordecai, has not been given His due reward for having saved the life of King Ahasuerus.

Est 6:1 On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king.

Est 6:2 And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus.

Est 6:3 And the king said, What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king’s servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him.

This is we hear again what we have heard from the beginning. Faith comes by hearing, we now delight to worship/obey what we hear. Remember Mordecai saved the king from death earlier on in type. Mordecai saving the king typifying the spirit of Elias (John) as we have seen earlier on.

Luk 7:26 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet.

Luk 7:27 This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

Luk 7:28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

In a moment

Est 6:4 And the king said, Who is in the court? Now Haman was come into the outward court of the king’s house, to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him.

Est 6:5 And the king’s servants said unto him, Behold, Haman standeth in the court. And the king said, Let him come in.

Est 6:6 So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?

Est 6:7 And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king delighteth to honour,

Est 6:8 Let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head:

Est 6:9 And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour.

Est 6:10 Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, and take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king’s gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken.

Est 6:11 Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour.

This story is a type of this NT prophecy:

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

The problem with Haman is his pride. Haman within is under the law which is not the law of Christ.

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

Haman within, is the daughter of Zion, walking with an outstretched neck with wanton eyes and mincing as we go.

Isa 3:16 Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:

Jas 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

But even the Pharisee within us all, is beautiful in its time “is, was and will be”, it has to be for the kingdom of God to be ushered in.

Ecc 3:11 He hath made everything beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

The Lord sets up, the Lord removes

Haman is shamed and Mordecai is honoured typifying the old being replaced by the new. The Law of Christ is replacing the law of Moses (Ten Commandments) and the law of the gentiles (Rom 2:15) which are one and the same thing. The carnal mind are not subject to Christ (the poor) but only Christ is able to bring us out of death/disobedience.

Jud 1:13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

Psa 14:6 Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.

Psa 14:7 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

Continuing…. Haman has his head covered, he is hasting to his house.

Est 6:12 And Mordecai came again to the king’s gate. But Haman hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered.

Est 6:13 And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.

Est 6:14 And while they were yet talking with him, came the king’s chamberlains, and hasted to bring Haman unto the banquet that Esther had prepared.

1Co 11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

1Co 11:4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.

Haman does not acknowledge Christ as His Head and therefore great shame comes to him. This is us in our seasons.

Job 8:22 They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.

Isa 33:10 Now will I rise, saith the LORD; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself.

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

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.

Mat 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

To recap

In the book of Esther, we have thus far see the spiritual realities of the OT shadows:

Ahasuerus, the king, makes a feast, all the kingdoms of this world (Vashti, a type of Egypt) does not satisfy……… to be carnally minded is death.

Rom 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

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

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

Lev 18:20 Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour’s wife, to defile thyself with her.

We are not able to serve God and Mammon, we have to come out of her My people.

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

Mat 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

We, though rich in knowledge (Egypt) think we can escape the judgments of God not knowing that we are and will live by every Word proceeding out of the mouth of God.

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

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

Mat 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Ahasuerus, the king marries Esther, a virgin……called unto the marriage Supper of the Lamb.

Rev 19:9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

Ahasuerus loses his first love and falls away, setting up Haman, the abomination of desolation in the Temple of God which Temple we are……

Eze 28:13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

Eze 28:14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

Eze 28:15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

1Co 4:19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.

1Co 4:20 For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

Esther, as types of us, has to lose and is losing her life, appearing before the king, she, through fiery trials and judgements, is coming to see that faith without works is dead.

Jas 2:14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

Jas 2:15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

Jas 2:16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

Jas 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

Esther requires Ahasuerus and Haman to come this day to a banquet of wine (Est 5:4), Christ is resurrected in us again, what we have heard from the beginning at the banquet of wine typifying the first resurrection………Ahasuerus sleep is taken and he remembers Mordecai and delights to honour him.

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.

Esther petitioned the king and Haman to attend the banquet the next day that she is preparing which is going and is destroying the man of sin…… with the brightness of Christ’s coming typifying our Day of the Lord is, was and will be.

Isa 34:8 For it is the day of the LORD’S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.

Joe 2:11 And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?

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

In our next study, we will see how the mystery of the kingdom of heaven within us is revealed when the kingdoms of this world becomes the kingdom of Christ and His Christ within first and at the appointed time for all humanity.

Joh 17:3 And this is life eternal (age abiding life), that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Articles

What Prayers Are Answered?

April 3, 2016December 9, 2018 Pete

I was asked recently if God answers my prayers. The questioner has been greatly afflicted with physical ailments and it appears the Lord is working with this brother and using this trial to do it. Yet the brother was troubled because it appeared his prayers were not being answered. Besides asking me for prayer, the question was asked does God answer my prayers. This is a worthy question and worthy of sharing the answer as a post in hopes of edifying the family of God.

First, we should never lose sight of the Sovereignty of God in ALL THINGS. This includes evil things as well as the good.

Isa 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

The Lord is the one who wounds us and He is also the one who heal us, all according to His will and purposes.

Deu 32:39 See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.

Evil includes the afflictions and the trials the Lord gives us beyond our sins. Here the same word for EVIL [H7451 in Strong’s or spelled “RA”] translated as afflictions. They are one and the same yet the Lord will in due time deliver us out of them all.

Psa 34:19 Many are the afflictions [H7451 Evil] of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.

The short answer is that yes, the Lord answers my prayers. But He only answers them according to His will. We must remember the ways of the Lord are different than that of the natural man aka the carnal mind.

Isa 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

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.

Prayers are answered according to the Lord’s will not the will of any man. The Lord’s will is always being done and that truth includes prayers but also ALL THINGS.

Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

Another key point is the aspect of time and when the Lord answers prayers. A day to the Lord is like 1,000 years and vice versa. So the Lord marches to a different time factor than the natural man. In fact, the way we are supposed to possess these bodies of clay is with patience and of course, none of us have any until the Lord gives it to us and we learn it as we mature in the faith.

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

So let’s look more at the Scriptures, our only source for truth to see if we can add some more definition to the basic answer to your question on prayer. We see lots of Scriptures, some saying He answers prayers and some saying He does not answer prayers.

He does not answer these prayers

Prayers of the old man made seeking to have his flesh blessed and prospered, contrary to the will of God are not answered in our day of the Lord, in our day of judgment. The Lord does prosper the wicked and the righteous for a season and this does help keep the entire world deceived to the truth I am sharing here in answering you. But when judgment has come on our house, then those carnal prayers will not be answered.

Jer 11:14 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble.

The old man is the marred vessel of clay made to be destroyed.

Pro 1:26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;

Pro 1:27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.

Pro 1:28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:

When we pray contrary to the Lord’s will (asking amiss) or simply ask not because we do not have faith, our prayers are not answered and we do not receive.

Jas 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

The Lord is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. If we have needs we need to go to Him but we should be doing that constantly or diligently.

Jas 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

But we need to ask in faith and not doubt. If we doubt and are still being tossed and turned we are still that double minded man, mixing carnal thoughts with godly thoughts and James tells us we should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

Jas 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

Jas 1:7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

Jas 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

When we pray not according to His will, He does not answer them as we prayed; because it is HIS will being done, not ours. His will is our sanctification and He is working ALL THINGS to bring that about. He is destroying the old man and our carnal way of thinking to bring forth the new. So when we pray asking the Lord to bless our flesh or take away the burden, we are more than likely praying amiss. When we come to understand what the Lord is doing and that it is the trials through which we are remade and saved, then we won’t pray for the removal of the trial, but we will pray for the strength to endure the trial and the increased faith to believe what His word says and to trust in the Lord.

Rom 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Isa 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD 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.

This is why it is said, in our patience (waiting on the Lord) we shall possess our souls. Many witnesses to waiting, that is the mark of the Lord’s people, having great patience.

Hos 12:6 Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually.

This is required to enter into true REST, to enter into Christ who is the Sabbath. This is the rest that remains for the people of God that few are given in this age to find.

Psa 37:7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

This waiting and enduring the TORMENT to the old man, is the patience of the saints. The very verse false prophets use to teach the lie of eternal torment shows those who have ears to hear and eyes to see the truth.

Rev 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

Rev 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

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

Understanding what I just reviewed about Rev 14 is very important. If you can be given to understand that than you are well on your way to spiritual healing, the greater work that Jesus wanted done.

Those who keep the commandments are those in the “is, was and will be the process of being judged now”. It is the same chastening grace that torments the old man and ultimately destroys those fleshly and carnal desires within us. That is the patience of the NEW MAN to endure thru that process and trust in the work the Lord is working within us to bring Christ forth from the death of our old man.

We are not to pray for the world or for worldly things. The fact is the Lord is not saving the whole world now, He is only working with His Elect in this AION (age). While Babylon means well and it seems good to pray for all those suffering around the world, God’s people are not to be focused on worldly things, events or circumstances.

Joh 17:9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

Jer 14:11 Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good.

Jer 7:16 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee

This seems harsh and unloving to the carnal mind but it is the truth. All men will be saved, we just need to learn patience in that regard as well. The Lord does not need our help; He is working all things right on schedule.

Act 17:25 Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

Psa 127:1 A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

The Lord does answer ALL prayers of Faith, in His timing and in His ways

Here are some well-known passages that speak to the Lord answering prayers, but they are prayers made in FAITH and not in unbelief. The stories around these verses tell us that.

Mat 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you

This is right after we are told not to cast our pearls to swine and engage in discussion with those the Lord has blinded in this age.

Mar 11:21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.

Mar 11:22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

Mar 11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

Mar 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

This speaks not to literal things but to spiritual. Getting mountains removed is removing the giants in the land, our besetting sins, and the lies and false doctrines, or the idols of our heart we setup and worship. This must be done within us for the temple we are to be cleansed.

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

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

A prayer that keeps the old man alive or allows a false doctrine or unbelief to fester in our mind (heavens) is not going to be answered. The Lord is in the business of destroying the beast we all are when we are given to hear His word. The Lord will not answer prayers that perpetuate the defiling of His temple and the blaspheming of His Holy name. He comes with a sword to make war in our heavens and nothing is going to stop the process from running its course. He will not spare, He will not pity the old man or listen to our cries for help if they go against His purposes.

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.

This sounds all so negative and it is for the old man. But the SUM of the Word tells us the Lord is good and He is merciful and He is not going to give us any trial or affliction we cannot bear.

1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

There is always a way out and that is called Faith. The rest of Scriptures tell us to go seek the elders and to cast our cares upon Christ (1 Pet 5:7) and by doing so we shall be healed.

Jas 5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

Jas 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

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 availeth much.

It is the Elect of God that make up His Body that have great power in their prayers made according to the true faith. This is how deliverance comes and we are primarily spiritually healed (the greater works of John 14:12). Yet the Lord also does heal us physically and does answer prayers for such healing according to His will. We must ask for those healing but need to be prepared to wait for an answer or endure if it is His will not to answer.

We must learn to pray like Christ demonstrated. Christ suffered and so will His Christ on a cross being hated and rejected by those in the world. We will pray for the removal of this cup of suffering but as our faith grows, we will pray the right prayer which is the Lord’s will be done.

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

A prayer of faith is required for a prayer to be answered. Anything not of faith is sin. If we think it is up to us and our free will as an example, that is not a prayer of faith but is a prayer of unbelief. All things must be done in the name of Jesus Christ, but what does that really mean?

Joh 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

Joh 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Doing the greater works is bringing spiritual healing and salvation to all men in the end. We are the instruments, the BODY thru which the Lord works. When we ask things according to His name, referring to obeying Him and true doctrines not how you pronounce or say the name physically, then those prayers are answered, He will do it.

Joh 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

See the condition here. “If we do things in His name” which means obeying His commands and standing on pure doctrine then He answers us, it will be done. Those that abide in me, are those that continually abide in Him. Those are the very few disciples indeed that are distinguished from those who abide only for a little while in “me”.

Joh 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

Here is one OT witness, there are many more but for brevity I show just the one.

Jer 33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

The great and mighty things we knowest not is the remaking of the old man into the new man by this process of judgment.

So when we ask for prayer according to His will, we are praying that thy kingdom come on earth as it already is in heaven.

Luk 11:1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

Luk 11:2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

Luk 11:3 Give us day by day our daily bread.

Luk 11:4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

Heaven and earth are not speaking to things in space. The kingdom of God is within us (Luke 17:21). Heaven is our heart and mind and earth is our body and our walk. So this prayer is asking the Lord to take what is already in heaven, THE TRUTH, the pure doctrine and make that manifest in our walk on the earth. So we may know it is a sin to lust after a woman in our heart. Yet we still battle that in our life. We pray for the Lord to deliver us from that sin. That is asking thy kingdom come thy will be done (which is our sanctification) on earth as it is in heaven. This is the will of God, that we be cleansed of all things that defile and abstain from mixing things of the world with the things of God (fornicating).

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

So be ready for how the Lord works. If you ask for something according to your will, the Lord is going to bring trials that will test those very things we have prayed for. The trials of our faith are what is precious to the Lord. For example, if we ask for deliverance from lust or patience, we will get trials and be put in a situation to tempt us to try our faith.

1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Those trials and the subsequent falling down and getting up again is the chastening grace of the Lord and how we are caused to obey Him with time and His will is done in our life.

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

Eze 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

Isa 26:9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

And here is what real grace really is. It is the furnace that melts away the old and purifies the dross within us.

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

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

This is why it pleases the Lord to bruise us, His Christ. We must become a living sacrifice to complete the work of the Lord.

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

Col 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

So to your situation Steve. I am praying for your deliverance of the ailments you describe. Your prayer in asking for that is perfectly fine, as the Lord can and does heal but not always. You need to be willing to accept this burden as part of the cross the Lord has given you to carry, if that be His will. But the Lord may just deliver you and you must ask for that. Paul also had an ailment but the Lord did not deliver him of that to keep him humble so he could use him in ministry.

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

2Co 12:8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

2Co 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

When your faith grows and you see the good that comes about from your infirmities, than like Paul you will be able to rejoice in those infirmities knowing they work the true righteousness of Christ within you.

The Lord cannot use us if we are puffed up. I hope you are beginning to appreciate the Lord’s work and give Him thanks for all things (Eph 5:20). He does not choose many noble or those who look well by the world’s standards to be in His Body. He chooses those the world rejects and thinks are nothing that is who makes up the Christ in this age. Knowing the Body of Christ, I can tell you that you and your ailments are in very good company. Here is a witness to this truth from the new and the old testament.

1Co 1:26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

1Co 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

1Co 1:28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

And these verses define our Lord but they also define His Christ, His Body who are doing His work in every age.

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

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

I am in fervent prayer for your healing, both SPIRITUALLY as well as physically. THY KINGDOM COME, is the most simplest prayer of faith that honors the Lord.

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

We are commanded to pray without ceasing.

1Th 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

Obviously one cannot pray physically without ceasing. We have to eat, sleep, work etc. and focus on other things to live a life in this world and in these clay vessels. So what is being said here really comes down to what true spiritual prayer is all about. Praying is doing the will of God. Coming to the place of rest, where we no longer seek to do our will but your will O Lord is how we pray without ceasing.

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

Entering into true Sabbath rest, is how we can pray without ceasing. We are always striving to do our Father’s will and sacrificing the wants and desires of our flesh to the commandments of the Lord. This takes much labor and trial to attain and we only arrive in down payment form in this life. Yet we are striving to enter into that rest and it is enduring through the process that we pray without ceasing.

Heb 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Said another way, we are becoming a DOER of the Word and not just a HEARER by praying without ceasing. That is when our prayers are truly powerful and save the spiritually sick including ourselves.

Jas 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

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 availeth much.

Questions and comments can be emailed to me at peterjwilson56@gmail.com. Or you can leave one here on the blog site subject to approval.

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Tag: old man

Abandoning Principles Leads to Error

Foundational Principles Abandoned

We Live Every Word Inwardly

Lake of Fire and Second Death

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Jeroboam Causes Israel to Sin

Kings of Israel #5

“Jeroboam Causes Israel to Sin”

Key Verses: 1Ki 12:25-33

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Book of Esther Part 2 – Favor Given the King’s Wife

Book of Esther Part 2 – Favor Given the King’s Wife

Esther appears before the king

The King gives Esther (His Bride) Half of my kingdom

A thief in the night

In the meantime ……… Haman thinks he is the one

Haman the Pharisee in us, does not know the times ………

Haman prepares a gallows and the king is troubled

The Lord sets up, the Lord removes

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What Prayers Are Answered?

He does not answer these prayers

The Lord does answer ALL prayers of Faith, in His timing and in His ways

Your brother in Christ, PETE

Like this:

Foundational Principles Abandoned

We Live Every Word Inwardly

Lake of Fire and Second Death

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Like this:

Kings of Israel #5

“Jeroboam Causes Israel to Sin”

Key Verses: 1Ki 12:25-33

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Like this:

Book of Esther Part 2 – Favor Given the King’s Wife

Esther appears before the king

The King gives Esther (His Bride) Half of my kingdom

A thief in the night

In the meantime ……… Haman thinks he is the one

Haman the Pharisee in us, does not know the times ………

Haman prepares a gallows and the king is troubled

The Lord sets up, the Lord removes

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Like this:

He does not answer these prayers

The Lord does answer ALL prayers of Faith, in His timing and in His ways

Your brother in Christ, PETE

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