Tag: Satan

Studies

The 1,000-Year Reign with Christ

Peter

Gaining Dominion Over Sin

Peter and Rohnel, servants of God to the Jews and Gentiles who share our precious faith in the Living Christ,  grace and peace unto you in the name of the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

An earlier study on the 1,000-year reign focused on what the reign with Christ was not. The former study series focused on the false doctrine that many believe, namely that the elect of God will rule the outward physical world during this symbolic time period.  Such a teaching is a complete lie, contrary to scores of other Scriptures, and comes from carnally minded men twisting the signified language in Revelation 20.  The term “Millennium Reign” is a man-made invention and does not reflect a pattern of sound words from the Scriptures. Those lies and contradictions were contrasted with the Truth found in the sum of the Scriptures.  There is some overlap between this study and the other study, yet both are valuable for teaching sound doctrine from the Scriptures. A revised version of that original expose, Exposing the Millennial Reign Doctrine, can now be found here:  The False Doctrine of the Millennium Reign

For greater clarity and understanding, this study answers the question of what the 1,000-year reign is and how we fulfill it as God’s elect. The 1,000-year reign with Christ is spiritual language describing our Day of the Lord that completes the plan of salvation for every man in their appointed time. One day is as 1,000 years, and the symbolism and parables of the Scriptures hide the truth revealed to those with God-given ears to hear and eyes to see.

Psa 90:4  For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. 

2Pe 3:7  But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 

2Pe 3:8  But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 

The same period of our journey is known as the third day, the last day of the three-day process in which the Lord rebuilds the temple of God in which He dwells. If we belong to the Lord, we are His Body and the Temple in which He dwells.

Joh 2:19  Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 

Joh 2:20  Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? 

Joh 2:21  But he spake of the temple of his body. 

Being remade into the Temple of the Living God is being saved from our sins. We are clay in His hands, and the Lord is working all things according to His purposes. We of ourselves can do nothing.

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

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

Thus, as God’s elect, being remade by the Potter, we are becoming the Lord’s kings and priests. We are being taught a new song, the song of salvation and reigning over our earth, which means having dominion over our sin. We rule in Israel and are the instruments, the priests of God to spread the Gospel.

Rev 5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

This time of remaking is also our day of the Lord. A prior study reviewed scores of terms and phrases that depict our Day of the Lord, including the terminology of the 1,000-year reign, the last term highlighted in this study. Here is the link to The Wonderful and Dreadful Day of the Lord

Our reign with Christ is our time of being perfected, as our Father in heaven is perfect. The third day is the 1,000-year reign where we stand on the Commandments and rule with Jesus Christ over the affairs of our earth, not the outward physical world as many falsely teach.   The third day is the last day in the Lord’s plan to remake us into His image. Having destroyed the first marred temple that was dead in sins. The Lord is come on the third day to rebuild the Holy Temple, in which He and the Father now dwell. Christ was mocked for saying that He would rebuild the Temple in three days. We at first do not understand the parable or the truth that new life in us comes only by way of death to the old life.

Mar 9:31  For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. 

Mar 9:32  But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.

Being dead in our sins, all men await the third day when they are raised in Christ and begin to rule and to reign with Christ, who is the Living Commandments now dwelling in our hearts and minds.

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

Hos 6:3  Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. 

The day we receive the Gospel into our hearts is the beginning of our reign with Christ, who is the Commandments of the Father.  We are washed of all the lies by the Living Truth that is the Commandments, and we have the fire from heaven, Jesus Christ, working righteousness on our earth.  This is the work of the Spirit of Grace, the same as the Promise that is now come upon us.  There is a king and a prince ruling the promised land within us that is our earth.

Pro 8:15  By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. 
Pro 8:16  By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. 

It is also the early and the latter rain coming, which is the Promise coming and the beginning of our third day. This marks the beginning of the latter days and our 1,000-year reign with Christ. [Click here for a study on Former and Latter Rain]. Satan, symbolizing our carnal thoughts and reasonings, is being kicked out of our heaven [mind] and is replaced with the Living Word, the Commandments that are Jesus Christ. The 1,000 years is our final day of the Lord’s plan. When the Promises comes, Satan is bound and kicked out of heaven when the Living Spirit of God comes to dwell in us.

Rev 12:9  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels [carnal thoughts, reasonings, lies] were cast out with him.

Rev 12:10  And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

An angel brings the Gospel to us, which is the key and the chain that binds Satan. One receives the Gospel by the laying on of hands, which imparts the knowledge and understanding of the Living Christ, the Commandments that save us. Satan is bound on our earth, that is, the bottomless pit, also symbolized as the deep or the sea, which represents our flesh. Knowing Christ, the Commandments, we now know the truth and have been set free.

Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 

Satan is no longer in our heaven and thus can no longer deceive us, as we have received the Living Truth into our hearts and minds. Satan is locked up in the earth, also known as the deep, the sea, and the bottomless pit.

Rev 20:1  And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

Rev 20:2  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

Rev 20:3  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

Psa 104:24  O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. 

Psa 104:25  So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts. 

We reign in heaven before we reign on the earth. The Ephesians had received the Promise [See Acts 19] and Paul speaks of the times past when they walked according to their carnal minds, being of the devil and pursuing the lusts of the flesh.

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: 

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

In these clay vessels, we always remain vigilant and on guard as we are warned of the wiles and schemes of the devil, who continues to roam our earth, a vessel of weak flesh.   We are not ignorant of the schemes of the devil, our carnal reasonings, and those of others, who readily twist and corrupt the Commandments of the Lord. We always watch and pray.

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

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

During our reign on the earth with Christ, we are learning to reign over our carnal thoughts. We take them captive to the obedience of the Commandments.   We are ruling with Christ in heaven. We are walking in the Spirit and no longer in the flesh.

2Co 10:3  For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 

2Co 10:4  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 

2Co 10:5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

We sit on the Lord’s throne, judging all the tribes of Israel within and without, by the Commandments.

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

To advance into the Kingdom of God, our reign expands to the entirety of our earth, encompassing our deeds and actions. We are being made into doers of the Word, meaning we always strive to obey the Commandments. This requires the complete destruction of Satan to finish the Lord’s work and deliver us from all of our sins and trespasses. We pray the prayer daily, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on our earth [walk, actions] as it already is in our heaven [mind].

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

Mat 6:11  Give us this day our daily bread. 

Mat 6:12  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 

Mat 6:13  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 

The completion of our salvation is the Lord answering this prayer. We are perfected before we leave these clay vessels. The Lord finishes the good work He started. At the end of the reign, the Lord says IT IS DONE.

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

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

Blessed are those now given to reign with Christ for the 1,000 years and live out the third day in which they are perfected. Such have been raised into newness of life, given an earnest deposit of the Spirit of life, and are now witnessing for Christ and laying down our lives for the kingdom’s sake.

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

Being called out of our spiritual graves is being called up hither by the Spirit of Christ. It is leaving the harlot city of Spiritual Babylon, that is, Spiritual Jerusalem, behind. We are coming out of the harlot and no longer partaking of her sins.

Rev 11:12  And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. 

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

Becoming partakers of the blessed and first holy resurrection is our appointment for those who are being made priests of Jesus Christ, who teach and obey the Gospel.

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.

The Lord finishes His work in perfecting us and destroying death, that is, the carnal mind, in every one of His elect before they depart these clay vessels. It is a precious promise of the Lord. We shall never die henceforth.

Mat 16:27  For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. 

Mat 16:28  Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. 

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? 

At the end of our life in the clay, that is the end of the 1,000-year reign, all the remaining carnal thoughts [spirit of Satan] we have dwelling within us that are the rest of the dead within us, are destroyed by fire.  This comes by way of the pouring out of the fire of God, the Commandments from our heaven.  The fire coming is the fiery trials that burn up all our dead works.  It is the great tribulation by which we are given our robes of righteousness and made holy.  We see the destruction of the devil in Revelation 20, and it is confirmed elsewhere that the dragon that lives in all flesh is destroyed in its time.

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

Satan is loosed only for a little while to complete the plan of God in us and to make an end of death before we pass into the spiritual realm. All carnality in our heaven and our earth that is death is destroyed for the end to come.  Flesh that is sin is naturally at odds with the Commandments and thus is done away with to finish the Lord’s rebuild.

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

We are putting on the incorruptible as Satan is completely destroyed from our earth.

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

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

1Co 15:54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 

After 1,000 years, Satan is loosed from the prison of our earth for a short season.  The Lord destroys this beast, and the devil is consumed by the fiery Commandments falling from our heaven.  We are not given details, but it is only a little season, as the Lord makes a quick work upon the earth when fire from heaven falls, and judgment falls. It is the Lord’s way of seeking an occasion to bring the judgment and chastening that saves us from all our sin. Our beast and false prophet within us are destroyed first, as the truth, the Commandments burn them up in the lake of fire. Satan, our carnal ways and life, is the final enemy to be destroyed in the lake of fire.

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

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

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

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

These signified words in the Book of Revelation are consistent with how the Lord described the completion of our salvation in the Gospels. The sum of the Scriptures confirms the witness and harmonizes the signified words of the Book of Revelation. All things are fulfilled in this age if we are God’s elect and a kind of first fruits unto salvation. The prophecies of Scripture about the times of the end are being fulfilled in our lives today. The Lord is always seeking an occasion to bring the fire that saves us and remakes us into sons of God. All things are fulfilled before we depart the clay.

Luk 21:20  And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies [Satan and his armies], then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. 

Luk 21:21  Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. 

Luk 21:22  For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 

These experiences are all happening inwardly, unique to every man.  It is not out there; it is in there, in the kingdom of God within us.

The release of Satan at the end is to complete God’s work in our lives. Satan has no ability to deceive us anymore, as we know the truth and have been set free from all the lies.  Carnal messengers and thoughts do no harm to us as we are grown into the mature man in Christ, having gone through many fiery tribulations that have written the Commandments into our hearts and minds.

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: 

We have a very bright and hot fire burning inside of us that readily destroys Satan when the time of the end is come.  This is the consummation of our being remade into the image of Christ. Nothing that defiles is going to be found on us or in us; we are pure and holy, as is our Lord.

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; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished! 

The Word of God is what judges us in the last day.  The dead in us, all places where carnality and sin remain, are judged.  The result is that the bad is burned up and the good is retained.  This lake of fire that lives in us is saving us by destroying death and all that defiles.

Rev 20:11  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 

Rev 20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 

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

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

Rev 20:15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. 

We are fulfilling the Scriptures as the old passes away to make room for the new heaven and new earth wherein righteousness, the Living Commandments, dwell forever. Carnal men have invented a myriad of false doctrines that profit their flesh at the expense of others. Do not be deceived by the lies about the 1,000-year reign with Christ, also known as the Millennium Reign. Fire falling from heaven at the end is the appearing of Christ in heaven, as our mindset [our heavens] is rolled up as a scroll.

Rev 6:14  And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 

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

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

Mat 24:31  And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 

We are being given the mind of Christ. All things are being made new. A new heaven and a new earth are emerging as we leave the clay and are translated to be with the Lord. Death has been destroyed in us.  There is no more flesh, no more sea, and no more death abiding in us. We have this in a down payment form, yet receive the fullness when our time in the clay is over.

We are now abiding as spirits and have the fullness of the resurrection and have entered into the Holy City to be one with Christ and His Christ. No more tears, no more ups and downs with our fleshly emotions, we have the fullness having been redeemed from among men. We are the sons of the Living God. It is done.

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

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

Rev 21:3  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 

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

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

When we see these things, we are told that our salvation is nigh, at the door.  In our patience, we possess our souls, waiting for the end and the end of death abiding in us.

Mat 24:32  Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 

Mat 24:33  So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 

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 shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 

Christ, the Living Commandments, falling from heaven, is destroying death and the father of death that was purposefully put there by God.  For death to be destroyed, Satan needs to be destroyed by the Lord’s fire.

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

We are the true and mature sons of God, having overcome all sin by the mercy and grace of God. The lake of fire, the Commandments, we preach and abide in, that is the Living Christ, have finished the good work before we depart the clay.

Rev 21:7  He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 

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

The Rest of the Dead – All Mankind is Saved

The outward application of the rest of the dead speaks to the salvation of all mankind in the age to come. As God’s elect, the symbolic 144,000, we live out our 1,000-year reign now in this age.  Yet in the next age, the rest of the dead, outwardly, who is all of mankind, shall be raised by the Commandments that raised us out of our graves.  All of mankind, in their appointed time, are raised in Christ and reign with him for their third day, in which they are being perfected and saved from sin.  All mankind endures the same process to be saved from sin, only the timing is different.

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

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

Those not saved in this age are saved in the one to come. All devoid of the Living Gospel in their hearts and minds are dead even when raised in spirit bodies.   The Gospel needs to be preached to ears that hear so judgment can fall upon us. We then endure the chastening and scourging of our loving heavenly Father who reigns from our heaven.

1Co 15:23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. 

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

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

Some who heard the Gospel in this age do not endure and they are included in the rest of the dead whom the Lord saves through His Christ.

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

Mat 24:14  And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. 

The two baptisms of Christ are the baptisms of the Commandments. It is one baptism yet with two distinct comings. The hearing of the Commandments and then the doing of the Commandments.  All things come alike to all but in the appointed time. Ezekiel’s vision of the dry bones of the whole house of Israel shows all of mankind coming together, being raised from the dead by the Spirit of Christ, the Commandments making them alive.

Eze 37:9  Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. 

Eze 37:10  So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. 

Eze 37:11  Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. 

Eze 37:12  Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 

Eze 37:13  And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, 

Eze 37:14  And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD. 

We who are saved in this age are no better than anyone, as it is solely by the election of God that we are being saved today. We were caused to go to work in the Lord’s vineyard and have no expectation of greater rewards or lesser punishments. It is by grace that all men are saved, and that none of ourselves; it is the gift of God.

Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 

Eph 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 

Eph 2:7  That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 

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

Greater is He that lives in our heavens, Jesus Christ, than the lies of the enemy who is of the world and collectively represents Satan, the dragon, Leviathan, the crooked serpent, and the devil. Jesus Christ, the Commandments is the key to overcoming death and rising above the earth, having dominion over our sin. Those who call upon the name of the Lord are delivered from the hands of the enemy. Nothing by any means shall harm us as God’s elect.

Psa 118:10  All nations compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD will I destroy them. 

Psa 118:11  They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD I will destroy them. 

Psa 118:12  They compassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the LORD I will destroy them. 

Understanding the details and symbolic language of our reign with Christ is useful, but it is not essential to complete the work of God or to be delivered from our sins.  Only a new creature matters, and knowledge and the pursuit of knowledge are passing away the further we walk.  Love that is charity and the keeping of the Commandments of God is what matters.

1Co 13:8  Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

1Co 13:9  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 

1Co 13:10  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 

Receive ye the Gospel, the Commandments of Jesus Christ that save every man in the day they are heard and taken to heart. Be washed with the Commandments so that the Promise may come to you and complete the work of the Lord.

Letters, Studies

Beware The Sadducee Spirit

Rohnel

Marking and Cutting Off False Brethren

Rohnel, and my beloved husband, Peter, angels and servants of God and Christ, by God’s design unto the twelve tribes scattered in the world beloved of God, called to be saints, to the little children and to the faithful: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Pe 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 

1Pe 1:4  To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 

1Pe 1:5  Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 

Keep My Commandments and Live, says the Lord

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

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. 

Introduction

Warnings about false teachers, prophets, and antichrists are most vital for us today, after the true Gospel of God, the Father, has been preached. This study overlaps with the one entitled Warnings and Commandments About Deceivers, yet due to ongoing risk and engagement within the flock, a specific warning about the spirit of the Sadducees is provided.

We are commanded to take heed and carefully guard our Doctrine, holding fast to what we have heard from the beginning. Our spiritual lives depend on it.

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. 

1Jn 2:24  Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. 

Once the Holy Spirit comes, the Power of God, we entertain nothing to the contrary, no matter who speaks them, friend or foe. The Gospel is the Commandments of God, the Father, given through Christ, and we do not add to or take away from them.

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. 

We are free in Christ by the perfect Law of Liberty that now lives in us. We give no subjection to false brethren who bring in a different Gospel. We shun these deceivers and remain steadfast, taking heed that no one steal our crown in Christ Jesus.

Gal 2:4  And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: 

Gal 2:5  To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. 

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 that is in Christ. 

2Co 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

We face many perils, which are spiritual life-threatening experiences. We obey the Lord to escape these perils and to stay alive in the Holy Spirit. This is so important, we need to hear again, as our spiritual lives in Christ are at stake. If we fall back now, it is impossible to renew us again in this age.

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

Heb 6:4  For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 

Heb 6:5  And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 

Heb 6:6  If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. 

False spirits come disguised as sheep, but inwardly, they are ravening wolves. Outwardly, they look like true brethren who love the Lord, but we know them by their fruits. They manifest as angels of light.

Mat 7:15  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 

Mat 7:16  Ye shall know them by their fruits.  Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 

Please read Gal 5:22 about the fruit of the Spirit, and Gal 5:19-21 about the works of the flesh, to see the difference. We know a deceiver by his or her fruit.

Mat 7:17  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 

Mat 7:18  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 

Mat 7:19  Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 

Mat 7:20  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Mat 15:11  Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. 

Keeping the Lord’s Supper holy and not eating with those practicing sin, despite the outward forms of godliness, is a Commandment of Christ, and we take heed. It is the latter times, the Gospel is preached, and the end of the ages IS come upon those who have heard and is hearing. We cut off all occasions of those who bring deception into our heavens.

2Co 11:12  But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we. 
2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 
2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 

Watchmen

With this being said, let us now see who the true watchmen of the flock are. Watchmen sit on the wall of the temple, which are the Commandments, and watch over the sheep and the holy city, that is to say, spiritual Jerusalem. It is a parable. True watchmen enter in before the sheep and are not hirelings. They give their spiritual lives for the sheep. Shepherds act, and hirlings flee when the thief enters. Shepherds the Lord raises are appointed to please God and not men, and give their lives for the sheep. They keep the charge of God’s altar.

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

Joh 10:12  But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. 

Joh 10:13  The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. 

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. 

Shepherds judge according to the Commandments regarding all things and do not judge according to the flesh, that is to say, their accusing and excusing thoughts within, which is judging according to appearance.

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

Joh 7:24  Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. 

Paul reminded the Ephesian elders of the responsibility of a watchman, a warning he often gave to the Assembly in tears. Please read Acts 20:27-31.

The Sadducee Spirit

In this letter, we focus on the Sadducee spirit. We all know that Scriptures apply within us first and foremost, but in this letter, we look at the outward Sadducee. We explore several characteristics of the Sadducees. One: A very dangerous and deceiving spirit. Two: Who is the outward Sadducee today? Three: What do they say? Do they speak against authority? Four: Do they regard the angels of the Lord? Five: Do they believe in the resurrection from the dead? Six: Do they speak against the Holy Commandments, committing the sin unto death? Seven: Commandments regarding our dealings with the Sadducee spirit and deceivers.

ONE: The spirit of the Sadducees is a very cunning and deceiving spirit. Sadducees are gathered in spiritual Jerusalem, and the Lord uses them to sharpen the skills of His appointed Apostles and leaders in every age since Christ. They are vessels of dishonour, and are amongst God’s true people until the Day of the Lord when Christ destroys them with the brightness of His coming [2 The 2:1-12]. Spiritual Sadducees are needed because they teach the people of God to discern between good and evil [Heb 5:14]. This is all by God’s design.

2Ti 2:20  But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. 

2Ti 2:21  If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work. 

They are deceiving because they have been around for many years and outwardly do not appear like ravening wolves. This strong enemy is near or in the camp, and only those with spiritual discernment can discern them. Only those who have Christ, the Living Commandments, within, discern them because they have the Spirit of God. The Spirit of Christ is the risen Christ within, and are the Commandments of God given to Christ and His Christ.

Psa 55:12  For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: 

Psa 55:13  But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. 

Psa 55:14  We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company. 

1Co 2:15  But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 

1Co 2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. 

TWO: Who are they exactly? Sadducees are spiritual Jews with lots of knowledge about the Scriptures, searching the Scriptures daily, but they are without the Promise [John 5:38-40]. They have sought the Lord for many years and have a form of godliness.

2Ti 3:2  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 

2Ti 3:3  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 

2Ti 3:4  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 

2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 

They are of the false circumcision. These deceivers are the rich young rulers, unwilling to forsake all their spiritual riches [knowledge] and follow the Living Christ they have now encountered, after hearing the Gospel preached to them. They deny the Power of Christ, that is to say, the Comforter or the risen Christ.

Act 11:2  And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him, 

Act 13:45  But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. 

The Sadducee spirit is a spirit of jealousy and a spirit with a root of bitterness. Pilate knew the real reason Christ was turned over to him to be crucified was because of the Jews’ envy. Christ warns against the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees [Matt 16:12].

Mat 27:18  For he [Pilate] knew that for envy they [The Jews] had delivered him. 

Heb 12:15  Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; 

Heb 12:16  Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 

There are types and shadows of spiritual Sadducees in the Old Testament. Sadducees are also spiritual Moabites and Ammonites, and they never enter into the congregation of the Lord, the true Temple which the Lord pitches in this age or in ages past. They are saved according to the Lord’s plan in the future of which we now do not speak. Moabites and Ammonites are those formed by the seed of the wicked one to keep the seed of flesh alive  [See Genesis 19 about Lot and his daughters] and think spiritually. When the wall was being built, meaning when the Commandments and the Gospel are received in our hearts, we clearly see the need to separate from the Ammonites and the Moabites.

Neh 13:1  On that day they read in the book of Moses in the audience of the people; and therein was found written, that the Ammonite and the Moabite should not come into the congregation of God for ever; 

Nehemiah, as a type and shadow of us, rebuilt the walls of the temple outwardly, which symbolize the Apostles and leaders today and in every age, building the wall of the city. The walls are the Commandments in type and shadow which surround and protect the Holy City of God, that is to say, His flock. Read the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah and see how the enemies of the  Jews always tried to hinder the Jews from completing the work. As it was back then, so it is today. The enemies of the spiritual Jews constantly stir up contention, so the preaching of the Gospel is hindered.

Neh 4:1  But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews. 

Act 4:1  And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, 

Act 4:2  Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 

Act 4:3  And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide. 

Jas 3:16  For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. 

Most of the contention to the preaching of the Gospel comes in the early days of the Church, when the foundation is being laid, and comes from the Sadducees. It is these Jews of the circumcision, the Sadducees and the Pharisees, who bring division into the House of God and who stir up most of the contention in the church.

Act 23:7  And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided. 

Act 23:8  For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both. 

Sadducees seek to bind the Apostles, that is to say, put them in a spiritual prison, and take away their ability to preach the Gospel in the House of God by stirring up dissension and strife. The Book of Acts is a parable.

Act 5:17  Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, [which is the sect of the Sadducees], and were filled with indignation, 

Act 5:18  And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison. 

THREE: Sadducees do not receive the Lord’s Words of Spirit and Truth [John 6:63]. They count on their feigned words of godliness to deceive the simple and speak evil of the way of Truth that is the Gospel preached by the leaders the Lord sets in the church.

2Pe 2:1  But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 

2Pe 2:2  And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of Truth shall be evil spoken of. 

2Pe 2:3  And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. 

One telling behaviour pattern in their words is that they speak against the government and the rule of order that the Lord sets in the Church. These filthy dreamers despise the dominion of the Apostles and Prophets the Lord has established in His church, and speak evil of them.

Jud 1:8  Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. 

2Pe 2:10  But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government.  Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.

These deceivers manifest all the works of the flesh and readily deceive, beguiling the young in the Faith of Christ, which is why faithful watchmen are needed and commanded to act.

2Pe 2:14  Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: 

Col 2:18  Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 

Col 2:19  And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. 

Jude reminds us to be diligent, contend for the Faith, and not let these deceivers enter and defile the flock.

Jud 1:4  For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Jude brings it all back to the fruit as these deceivers promote themselves, feasting with us at the Lord’s table, bringing no Spirit [water, no Commandments] in their witness and showing no fear of the Lord, that is to say, obedience to the Lord’s Commandments.

Jud 1:11  Woe unto them!  for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. 

Jud 1:12  These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; 

The Sadducee spirit appeals to flesh, which naturally does not want to be ruled over. But rulership is the way of God’s House, and when Christ comes, He comes by way of His Christ, His chosen Apostles, and the leaders He raises up who rule the House of God with a rod of iron.

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 

Rev 2:27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. 

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

FOUR: Sadducees do not believe in angels. Angels are servants of God sent to those who obtain salvation. Angels are flames of fire and are ministering spirits.

Act 23:8  For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both. 

Heb 1:7  And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. 

Sadducees deny these angels, being jealous of them and speak against them in stirring up sedition and discord among brethren, which the Lord hates.

FIVE: Spiritual Sadducees are the rich ones who need nothing and claim there is no resurrection because it is in the past for them. The discerning see this spirit of error leading away from the Lord’s Commandments. Here is a stern warning in Deut 13:1-5 about deceiving and lying prophets and dreamers of dreams, which are Sadducees. Read all. They are to be cut off, and the Israel of God is to have no part with them.

Deu 13:5  And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in.  So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee. 

One example of the Sadducee spirit is Hymenaeus and Philetus, who believed the resurrection was already past, meaning they claimed to have the Holy Spirit already when they did not. Sadducees believe they receive the Holy Spirit when they go down to the altar and give their hearts to Jesus. The Comforter is not a reality to them, and they deny the Power of God, that is to say, they deny the risen Christ. They deny Christ IS COME in our flesh today and every day.

1Ti 1:19  Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: 

1Ti 1:20  Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

2Ti 2:17  And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; 

2Ti 2:18  Who concerning the Truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some. 

This spirit is the spirit of anti-Christ. Any spirit confessing Christ IS COME in our flesh is of God; any spirit not confessing this is not of God.

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 

1Jn 4:2  Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 

1Jn 4:3  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 

Antichrist means an opponent of the Messiah. John introduces the term antichrist and links them to those who fellowship with us.

1Jn 2:18  Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. 

1Jn 2:19  They [antichrists] went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. 

While antichrists have some truth, it is mixed with lies. The liar is a son of Satan, the carnally minded, father of death, who denies the Father and the Son, the Promise of God IS COME in our flesh.

1Jn 2:21  I have not written unto you because ye know not the Truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the Truth. 

1Jn 2:22  Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ?  He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son [The Promise].

SIX: Sadducees commit the sin that is not forgiven in this age. This sin is to speak against the Lord’s Commandments. It is the sin unto death, and this makes them spiritual Moabites and Ammonites who do not enter into the Lord’s congregation in this age.

Mar 3:28  Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: 

Mar 3:29  But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: 

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.

When the Commandments, the Spirit of the Lord is denied, these deceivers are to be denied.

Luk 12:9  But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God. 

Luk 12:10  And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Spirit it shall not be forgiven. 

Please refer to the study on Blaspheming the Holy Spirit for more details.

SEVEN: What are the Commandments regarding Sadducees and deceivers? Here is a repeat of a few of the Commandments given earlier on, so it is written in our hearts and minds to remember and to obey to be found faithful and worthy to stand before the Lord. Separating from false brethren who disrupt the church and sow discord and spread lies are important Commandments we ignore at our own peril.

Tit 1:10  For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: 

Tit 1:11  Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake. 

1Ti 6:3  If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; 

1Ti 6:4  He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, 

1Ti 6:5  Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the Truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. 

2Th 3:14  And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. 

We do not eat spiritually with those who bring false Gospels and are thus spiritual fornicators, idolaters who make merchandise of the Lord’s people. We let the Lord judge those who are without the Gospel. These Scriptures are not history lessons; they are Commandments for today.

1Co 5:11  But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. 
1Co 5:13  But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

2Ti 3:1  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 

2Ti 3:2  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 

2Ti 3:3  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 

2Ti 3:4  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 

2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 

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

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

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

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

Final Exhortation

When the Gospel is preached, the harvest is ripe, and the time IS come for the separation of the wheat from the tares and the sheep from the goats. The Lord’s angels, the watchmen the Lord has raised, carry out this separation by warning and teaching the sheep.

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

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

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

All in Christ shall suffer persecution from those the Lord has deceived. Only the called, chosen, and faithful remain in the end. Christ is always winnowing down His flock.

2Ti 3:12  Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 

2Ti 3:13  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 

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

Will you and we be found faithful?

Luk 18:7  And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? 

Luk 18:8  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? 

Receive ye the Gospel, receive ye the Holy Spirit.

Letters

Lead Us Not Into Temptation

Peter

Temptations and Trials Bring Salvation

The Lord tells us to pray His prayer daily.  The prayer asks for the Father to come via Christ, the living commandments.  This is the living bread that enters into our hearts, into the kingdom of God within, and brings deliverance from sin.

Mat 6:9  After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 

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

Mat 6:11  Give us this day our daily bread. 

Mat 6:12  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 

Mat 6:13  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 

In this prayer, we ask the Lord to lead us not into temptation but to deliver us from evil.  This is asking for deliverance from all our carnal thoughts and lusts that define the world and bring forth the wages of sin.  The prayer is asking for more power unto salvation, more of the commandments, more rain for our earth, so the righteousness of Christ may spring forth.

Rev 22:20  He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. 

Christ is commanding us to pray this prayer daily.  This prayer asks for more of the daily bread [the commandments] every day.  This is the Gospel being shed abroad in our hearts.  The same is known as the love of God, meaning our obedience [1Jo 5:3, Joh 14:15], now being made manifest by the work of His Spirit.

Rom 5:5  And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. 

This is how our deliverance from evil is accomplished.  The kingdom of God within us is being built up in righteousness as we pray daily, asking for the commandments to come forth to deliver us from evil by the power of the Gospel.  Part of the prayer confesses our sin and asks for forgiveness in the same way we forgive all those who trespass against us.  We ask for more of the Father’s Spirit, which He put into the Son, to come daily.  We are asking for the truth we already know in our mind, our heaven, to manifest in our earth, which is our body and walk.  Paul says to pray without ceasing, as this hastens the coming of the Lord to our inward parts with the power to save us.

Understanding what tempts us, how temptation works, and how to overcome our temptations, through God’s power, is essential. Let’s cover key topics related to common temptations we face.

Who is the Tempter?

Satan is the tempter.  The carnal mind is the tempter, and this spirit lives in all flesh until the work of God is completed.  The tempter comes to all of us and is used of God to work righteousness in us and prove our faith.  The first test was in the Garden of Eden when Eve was deceived by the serpent when the commandments of God were questioned.

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

All temptation is temptation to sin and break the Lord’s commandments.  The devil tempted the Lord, and for this reason, this spirit was created by the Father of all spirits.

Mar 1:13  And Christ was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him. 

The devil is the instrument of God’s creation and is used to work salvation in us by tempting us and causing us to err from the way.

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

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

The Lord sends Satan to try Job [YOU], accusing Job before God.  Satan walks up and down on everyone’s earth, looking for weakness to tempt us to sin against the Lord.

Job 2:2  And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 

Job 2:3  And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. 

Job 2:4  And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. 

Job 2:5  But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. 

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

Satan is sent to tempt us and thereby prove our faithfulness to the Lord’s Word. Peter warns us to remain vigilant because Satan is always around the corner, even if we are not aware.  This is why we are to remain steadfast in the faith, always looking to the commandments, as opportune times often come in the carnal world in which we live.

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

1Pe 5:9  Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 

Satan, also known as the devil and is the father of all that are carnally minded.   This spirit is the carnal mind and easily provokes us so that an accusation can then be made.  We battle the tempter daily in our own minds and our walk in the world, and dialogue with the people of Israel.  We see this in all the interactions with the Pharisees, who were tempting Christ but who never sinned or acted on the temptation. How we answer is always with the commandments.

Luk 11:53  And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things: 

Luk 11:54  Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him

Luk 20:23  But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me? [We are Christ in the world]

The devil is a murderer [a hater in spirit] and is called the father of all lies.  Those who walk by the flesh, having not the Spirit, cannot hear the words of truth as they are bound to the father of all lies, as Christ tells them.

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

All the lusts of our flesh are lusts of the devil.  The reason Christ comes to us is to destroy the works of the devil.  All of our sin comes from the spirit of Satan that is in carnal flesh.

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

Satan is also known as the father of death because to be carnally minded, having that mindset IS DEATH [Romans 8:6].

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

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

Only through the living commandments, the Gospel, which is Christ, are we set free from this bondage and saved in our appointed time. This spirit of Satan loves to accuse the brethren.  Salvation begins when this spirit is cast out of our heaven, and we no longer walk by the spirit of the carnal mind.  We are freed from that bondage, the grip that sin has on our lives.  The power of the Gospel, the commands have come to us.

Rev 12:10  And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 

God Tempts Nobody to Sin

Christ is not leading us into temptation to sin. Christ, the living commandments, the Gospel, now lives in our hearts, and this Word sits on the throne of the heart.  The Spirit of Christ does not tempt anyone to sin, so we cannot blame the Lord.

Gal 2:17  But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. 

We are tempted by our own lusts to do evil.  James correctly states that the Lord, meaning the Holy Spirit living within us, tempts nobody to sin.  We are tempted when we are led away from the commandments and do not look upon them.  The lusts [the carnal thoughts in man] are the spirit of satan in our flesh and what tempts us to sin.  Embracing the commandments is the only way out.

Jas 1:13  Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 

Jas 1:14  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 

Jas 1:15  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. 

Jas 1:16  Do not err, my beloved brethren

John says the same but differently.  When we stand in Christ, meaning the living commandments that are the Word, we cannot sin.  Whatever is born of God cannot sin.  Thus, the true litmus test for who is born of God can be determined by looking at the fruit of our walk.  If we continue in sin, we are not walking in the Spirit, and remain children of the devil, being led by our lusts [our father the devil].  We need to pray for more bread and more rain.

Jn 3:9  Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 

1Jn 3:10  In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. 

Our instructions are always consistent, and there is no variability in how we walk or the consequences of straying. Paul agrees and attests.

Gal 5:16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit [the living commandments], and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 

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

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

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

The Lord, the living Word, does tempt us, but His temptation is for us to do good or obey Him, not to disobey.  These are also known as trials of our faith, which is different than temptations to do evil brought by Satan.  The Lord is proving to see if we are faithful to the commandments.

The biggest trial our faith is being asked to lay down the newborn life within us, after the commandments come by becoming a living sacrifice.  This was the trial of faith given to Abraham in the shadow of the Old Testament.

Gen 22:1  And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. 

Gen 22:2  And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. 

Proving our faith and having us do good is what the Lord does.  Satan proves our faith by tempting us to do evil.  Both types are the trials of our faith that work together for the greater good of salvation.

Trials and Temptations are Teaching Us:

The temptations that test our faith are how we are taught the fear of the Lord, and our heavenly Father chastens and scourges us [Heb 12:6] when we disobey the commandments.  The chastening is needed to learn how to do righteousness and be holy in all of our behavior.  It is the giving of the commandments to one another and Israel that we need to hear so that we sin not.

Exo 20:20  And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. 

1Jn 2:1  My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.

One cannot enter the promised land until we are tried and proven, falling down seven times and are fed the true manna from heaven, the living commandments.  The Scriptures must be fulfilled as we live by every Word. All our successes and our failures have already been written.   All things are indeed ours to fulfill on the journey.

Deu 8:2  And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. 

Deu 8:3  And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. 

We tarry with the Body prepared for us until the power of the living commandments comes.  It will come; we need to wait for it.  Waiting and long-suffering with one another is teaching us patience.  But believe the Lord and His promise to bring us the indwelling power unto salvation.

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. 

We rejoice in this gift, but know the road gets harder as the day of the great tribulation has come.  The more we pass the many temptations, the more Jesus Christ is revealed in us until His work is finished and we are saved from our sins.

1Pe 1:6  Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 

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 with the Spirit of God in them are in a war against the tempter and his many lying spirits that come to tempt us into sinning [straying from the commandments]. We can do all things through Christ, by standing in the power of the commandments.  This is how every battle [temptation] is won and eventually total victory in the war as the salvation of our souls comes.

Eph 6:10  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. [The commandments are the power]

Our Disobedience Tempts the Lord:

We tempt Christ when we disobey the Lord.  He is a jealous God.  All the lessons of Israel dying in the wilderness and being struck with many plagues are there for our admonition to remind us to walk in obedience, to walk in the faith of the commandments.  When we tempt the Lord by disobeying, He sends more of the things we don’t need to turn our hearts back to the commandments.  He sends more serpents, even more temptations to put us in bondage, so our hearts are turned back to the commandments.

1Co 10:9  Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. 

1Co 10:10  Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. 

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

1Co 10:12  Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 

Our disobedience tempts the Lord to chasten and scourge us so we may learn how to obey His commandments.  Here is the message in the shadow of the Old Testament.

Deu 6:14  Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; 

Deu 6:16  Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah. 

Deu 6:17  Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee.

Our willful disobedience, knowing to do right and still not doing it, brings the most severe punishment to turn us back to Him.  Having received the Gospel, the ante is raised for our disobedience.

Heb 10:26  For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 

Heb 10:27  But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. 

We quickly learn not to tempt our Lord when judgment has fallen on us.

Resisting Temptations and Getting the Victory

When we are tempted, we follow the example of Christ, who resisted the temptations of the devil, always by answering with the commandments.

1 – Luk 4:4  And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. 

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

3 – Luk 4:12  And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 

When we resist the devil by answering the temptation with the commandments, the devil flees after a little while.  We win the battle but have not yet won the war, so we fight on.

Luk 4:13  And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. 

James gives a second witness to the path to victory.  We submit to the commandments, resist the devil, and he flees from us.

Jas 4:7  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 

When we look to the living commandments that dwell in our hearts, which are testified in the Scriptures, we overcome our sin.  Jesus Christ, the Living Word, is the high priest sitting on His throne in our heart.   It is to Him, the very image of the Father, who is the Holy Commandments, that we are finding both the mercy and the grace that save.

Heb 4:14  Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

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.

Mercy is the opening of spiritual eyes to see the commandment and the instructions unto godliness.  The grace is the chastening by our Lord to learn to obey them.  When we follow the Spirit, the angel living within us, we are kept in the way of life.  We are to take heed and follow the commandments. If we do that, our inward adversary, the devil, is no match for the power of the Holy Spirit working mightily within us.  Greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world.  The devil is cut off from our promised land.

Exo 23:20  Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. 

Exo 23:22  But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries. 

The way of overcoming is always the same; it is spoken of in many different words, symbols, and parables.  It is the mystery of the Gospel, now being revealed.  When we are tempted by our lusts, which are the lust of the devil, those thoughts, the fiery serpents come out and bite and devour us.  The plague of serpents is stayed by our lifting up the commandments, the living Christ, and looking to them.  When we do this, we overcome and enter into eternal life.

Joh 3:14  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 

Joh 3:15  That whosoever believeth in him [the Gospel] should not perish, but have eternal life. 

Disciples of Jesus Christ are given the power through the Gospel.  With the indwelling Spirit of commandments, we are given power over all of Satan’s army of liars through these commandments.  We rejoice knowing we are the beloved of God, a blessing and honor given to precious few.

Luk 10:18  And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 

Luk 10:19  Behold, I give unto you power [the Gospel] to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 

Luk 10:20  Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. 

The end of the devil in our life happens in the lake of fire, which is also the second death.  This death of death is the last enemy to be destroyed.

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

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

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

When the tempter, the devil, is no more, death is swallowed up in the victory that is Jesus Christ, the living and abiding Word of God.

1Co 15:55  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 

1Co 15:56  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 

1Co 15:57  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

These many trials of our faith and the resulting scourging when we miss the mark are more precious than gold because they create the rare gold of Ophir within the temple of God, which temple we are.  As our obedience is proven, the temple walls are lined with this gold from which the shadow of the true temple [Solomon’s temple – 1Ch 29:4] was built.  This is the true riches of God, not the knowledge.  We earn this gold only by these heavy trials of our faith that include being tempted by the devil to sin.  Without this gold, we remain poor, naked, and blind.

Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 

Final Exhortation:

We learn to be content with our pay, the wages, the commandments the Lord gives us.  The pursuit of tongues and more prophecies ends as we grow into this understanding of the Gospel. Godliness with contentment is great gain, and the pursuit of more spiritual riches becomes a temptation and snare, versus just doing the commandments.

1Ti 6:8  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 

1Ti 6:9  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 

The time of our salvation is now.  We are to watch, look to the commandments, and pray the Lord’s prayer daily.  We only have the earnest deposit of the power now and still abide in weak flesh.

Mat 26:41  Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 

Once we have received the power of the Gospel, we always have a way of escape.  Our escape is to access the living commandments that is the throne of mercy and grace.  That is where we go to escape the temptation.

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. 

We shall overcome and hasten that day as we earnestly look to the Lord and the power He is bringing to save us from our sin.