Flesh vs Spirit Part 2

There is so much to be gleaned on studying what God says on the flesh versus the Spirit. This has been a continual teaching moment for me as the subject has repeated itself for the past couple of weeks. In this study I'll be looking at many scriptures, but focusing on the epistle to the Galatians and also the Greek word summorphos.

Many people have heard of the concept that you must be born again to achieve the life that Jesus Christ wants to give, and this is true. Jesus talks to Nicodemus about this in John 3:1-3. Nicodemus could not see the spiritual implication and was stuck on the physical, or the flesh. This was the main problem from Israel in that they were zealous for the law but would not see the spiritual side of it. In fact, most of the book of John shows this struggle of Israel trying to understand Jesus' teaching in physical terms while Jesus keeps trying to teach them in spiritual terms. It is no wonder we see the words of our Lord in John 3:12 "If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?"

This struggle still remains today. I pointed out in part 1 of this series that the problem has been ongoing since the fall in the Garden of Eden. I want to take a deeper look at that event in order to help us understand this struggle on a deeper level.

Most believers are very familiar with the sin in the Garden of Eden and the curses that ensued, but have you ever thought about the change that took place that day? We don't have a lot of text to go on, but God has given us the complete Word to study and His Holy Spirit to tell us the truth that is in it. First take a look at what is said after Adam and Eve ate the fruit.

Genesis 3:7
And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

In this text we see that Adam and Eve saw things had changed. First, they realized they were no longer covered, but this begs the question, were they covered with something before? It was so distressing that they tried to make their own coverings from leaves. Now, most think that this was their attempt to hide the transgression, which it may partly be, but let's consider the possibility that they were covered with something. One may say, "Genesis 2:25 says that they were naked and not ashamed." That is absolutely true, but to be naked is to have something uncovered or laid bare. Could it be that even though Adam and Eve wore no clothes, as in shirts, or pants or dresses, that something else surrounded them?

Think about this: Adam and Ever were part of the "very good" creation (Genesis 1:31). They were perfect and sinless in body, soul, and spirit. They were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26, 27). What does that image look like? We know that Jesus Christ was and is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4, Colossians 1:15), but He was not shown in all His glory while here on the earth every time there is an encounter recorded with Him. However, we have one time where the veil was pulled back, and that was at the transfiguration. Take a look at what it says there to describe Jesus Christ at that time:

Matthew 17:1-8
1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.
8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.

Note carefully the description in verse 2. Jesus had a face that shone as bright as the sun. His clothing was white and exceedingly radiant. Jesus didn't show this when Mary discovered Him at the time of the ressurection. No one recognized Him on the road to Emmaus. He veiled Himself, and He had His reason for doing so, but later it was not exactly the case. How about the description of Saul's encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus? There was a "great light" that shone about him when he heard Jesus talking in Acts 9 and 22. In Acts 26 when Paul recounts the event, he uses the words "above the brightness of the sun" to describe the radiance surrounding Jesus. This is Jesus Christ in His body of glory. Want to know something exciting? This kind of body of glory is what awaits the believer in the heavenly gospel of God's grace that was given to Paul!

Philippians 3:20-21
20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ
21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

Romans 8:29
29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

The words "fashioned like" in Philippians 3:21 and "conformed" in  Romans 8:29 is the Greek word summorphos which means having the same form as another. These beautiful verses say that at the time of what we call the rapture, all who are in the church, the body of Christ, will have a radiant body just like Jesus has.

Going back to the fall in Genesis, Adam and Eve realized that they were naked after sinning. Before this, they enjoyed fellowship with God Himself and were perfect and sinless. Scripture doesn't outright say, but I would guess that Adam and Eve were pretty radiant as well. God's presence has that effect on things. Think of the angel encounters in scripture or when Moses returned from Sinai and his face was glowing, which needed to be veiled for the sake of Israel. When the fall in Eden happened, Adam and Eve saw that something was missing and tried to hide it by covering their body. For more support, we have these words in scripture: Adam was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27, 5:1-2), but look at this:

Genesis 5:1-3

1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;

2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. 

3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth

Seth was created in the image of Adam. There was a different kind of image in Seth when he was born. Seth didn't have the image his parents had while in the Garden. I believe we have here the two kinds of bodies being described in scripture: the heavenly and the earthly, the spiritual and the fleshly. And so we can also see a bit clearer that all are sinners, because all are born in the image of Adam (Romans 3:23). It is evident that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God on its own accord, as Adam and Eve were cast out of Eden. But, we get this awesome truth from the apostle Paul:

1 Corinthians 15:50-57
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
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.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Through the grace of God, we can obtain this heavenly body and a heavenly home simply by trusting that God did all the work through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). Believers, rejoice! This should also help us to further understand this:

Romans 8:18
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Anything we go through in this life with this body won't even be comparable to the amazing future in store for us!

Now, I have been in a study of the book of Galatians for some time. Galatians is an epistle to those who have believed in the gospel of God's grace through Jesus Christ, but are now willingly putting themselves back under the Law of Moses. Paul must have explained to them that they are set free from that by the grace of God's, yet they were still trying to find a compromise of the two gospels, bringing a strong reprimand by the Holy Spirit in Galatians 1:6-9. For the purposes of this study, I want to look at these words in chapter 4:

21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?

22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.

23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.

25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.

26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 

27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. 

28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. 

30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. 

31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

Abraham was given a promise that he would have a child in his old age by a promise and this promise is reiterated here

Galatians 3:14

14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Now in those verses in chapter 4, Paul uses the events around Hagar, Ishmael, Sarah, and Isaac to prove a point between the fleshly and the spiritual. The flesh is under bondage and cannot help but sin. Ishmael was described as a wild man and got along just fine in the house of Abraham until the son of promise was born. Sarah and Hagar did not get along from the beginning, but I'll get to that in a moment. Look at Genesis 21:8,9

8 And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.

We see that there was quite the celebration that Isaac was of the age to be weaned. but take a look at the very next verse.

 

9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.

Ishmael was at once at odds with Isaac. The son born of the flesh was at odds with the son born of promise. We read in the next two verses that God tells Abraham to cast out Hagar and Ishmael, which was "very grievous", but it was nonetheless necessary. Even so it is to this day when this is taken in allegory that we must put off the old man and put on the new. We are commanded to put off the desires of the flesh and be renewed in the Spirit. It's not hard to see that putting away practices of the flesh can be difficult or grievous, but God says it is necessary for our conformation to the image of His Son.

So we see in the sons the battle of the flesh versus the spirit. We also see in the mothers a contrast. Hagar represents the Law while Sarah represents grace. Hagar represents Jerusalem under the law, under bondage, but Sarah represents the heavenly Jerusalem to come which is free from the law. Paul continues the allegory and ends with this blessed truth: So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

Jesus Christ blotted out the law that was against us (Colossians 2:14) so we could obtain this freedom. And so, we are exhorted then by God with these words:

Galatians 5:1
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Galatians 5:13
13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

Galatians 5:16
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Galatians 5:25
25 If (Should be "Since" - Greek Ei) we live in the Spirit, let us also walk (literally we should walk) in the Spirit.

So then, to end on the more literal translation: Since we live in the Spirit, we should walk in the Spirit.

Flesh vs Spirit

Flesh vs Spirit

I love it when several scriptures keep coming up in day to day conversation. Any time that happens, it can be assured that God is going to use those scriptures either to build you up, or for you to share with another to build them up in the body of Christ. I was studying the Corinthian epistles more or less on a whim and then Galatians 5 came up, all with the focus on walking in the flesh versus walking in the Spirit. So those are what I'm going to touch on today, but first let me preface a bit more on how this came about after considering these scriptures.

I was in the car on the way back to work from my lunch break and I heard a preacher on the radio speaking. He was discussing a sincere desire to get the message that people are saved by God's grace alone and that they cannot earn their own salvation through some work, which I thought was terrific since that's what the bible says. My countenance fell when he then talked about prophecy and how it is being fulfilled today. He spoke of Matthew 24 and how ethnos (the Greek word translated nation in English) will rise against ethnos and how that meant the different people groups or races of today. He also began speaking about how history seemed to be close to the battle mentioned in Ezekiel, which would be the Gog-Magog battle. I shook my head and prayed that he would earnestly seek the truth of what God's word says on those matters and that God would show it to him. I'll leave it up to the reader to search the scriptures on these things, but I will say there is NO prophecy being fulfilled today. Matthew 24 alludes to the tribulation period, and the Gog-Magog battle clearly happens after the Millennial reign as stated in Revelation 20:7-10.

So I began praying and asking God, "Why do preachers continue to preach the Word of God in this way?" We're supposed to come to the full knowledge of the truth like it says in 1 Timothy 2:4, right? I grew up in a church that would not preach anything past Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. In fact, they made preaching God's word such a light affair and wouldn't put much emphasis on it as truth nor even tell anyone to study it. The next church I attended preached more from the bible, but still could not answer questions regarding law and grace or any differences between the two. After much earnest prayer, my family and I were led to a church that diligently sought the truth in the scriptures and let the Word of God say what the Word of God says. To this day I pray for all saints to come to that mindset, and ultimately the full knowledge of the truth. God says we should be united in this (Eph 4:1-6).

I then saw some comments on Facebook, which were then talked about in that evening's bible study. The comments were sarcastic, stating that we were under grace and not law, and that we need not worry about taking the Lord's name in vain among the other parts of the Law as given to Moses. Where do believers get the idea that it's okay to have a brash attitude toward God and yet rejoice that we are saved in His amazing grace? I also saw on Facebook that a former pastor of mine, who would use expletives at me when I tried to explain the truth of scripture to him, had un-friended me and posted several things with the words "blessed", "holy", "sacred", etc., and really none of the posts made sense. Why use those words so grossly out of context? What was he trying to show? All of these questions that I was asking in prayer were continually answered by what God showed me in 1 Corinthians and Galatians, and that is the struggle of the flesh versus the Spirit.

We have these truths in Romans:

Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God

Why have all sinned? Because Adam sinned and we are all born of Adam to begin with:

Romans 5:12 - Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned

For the believer in the gospel of God's grace, they receive life in the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ:

Romans 5:19 - For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

It is by faith alone in Jesus Christ's finished work on the cross that are we born of the Spirit.

Ephesians 2:8-9

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

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 

3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures

1 Corinthians 12:13

13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

After being born of the Spirit, we have the Holy Spirit of God living inside of us:

Ephesians 1:13-14 

13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22

21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;

22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

So then we see that there are two entities living in us as believers. That which is born of the flesh (in Adam), and that which is born of the Spirit (in Christ). Everyone starts spiritually dead in Adam. That was the result of the disobedience in the garden of Eden when God said that in the day Adam ate the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, that he will surely die. Everyone starts off dead to the Spirit and simply cannot do any work in the Spirit, which shouldn't be hard to see. Dead things don't work by definition. Another way to say it is the unbeliever cannot help but sin. And so we have that conclusion in Romans 3:23 that we are all sinners, which is pretty bad news since the sin earns us death (Rom 6:23a). That death is a separation from God in a place which is described as a lake of fire that is unquenchable, the worm does not die, and there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. But how excellent the good news is that we are made spiritually alive again in Christ (Rom 6:23b), who makes us alive in His Spirit, who then takes up residence inside our mortal body simply by faith. Observe this truth:

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

Please note that the English in verse 20 may not be entirely accurate. The idea of the price there is the full value, like the proper weight in the balance when that was how value was determined back in that day. Anyway, the believer in the gospel of the grace of God has both the flesh and the Spirit living inside. For a more detailed explanation of this struggle, please see Romans chapter 7, but I'll focus on verses 21-25

21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Praise the Lord we have an outlet! We no longer have to obey the flesh which works a work unto sin and death. However, nowhere in the Word of God is it said that the flesh is annihilated. We even see there in verse 25 that there are the two entities, one to sever the law of God and one to serve the law of sin. Both the flesh and Spirit are present, and we have the free will every day to choose which one we allow to present itself. We are exhorted to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. Galatians shows the implications of this contrast beautifully in chapter 5:13-26, noting especially verses 16-17.

13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. 

16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

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.

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

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 

25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

I need to say something on verse 21 where it says that those who practice the works of the flesh will not inherit the kingdom of God. Students of the bible would note well who God is addressing in this letter to the Galatians. This is a letter to believers in the gospel of God's grace, but have fallen back to living under the law as given to Moses. Verse 21 is a reminder to those believers that the works of the flesh are done by the unbelievers and they have been made holy, or saints, by the gospel of God's grace. Saints should have no part in that because those works earn sin and death. This verse certainly does NOT say that the believer can lose salvation by practicing the works of the flesh. We have the amazing truth in Romans 8:38-39 that we can never lose salvation once we believe the gospel of God's grace.

Note in Galatians 5:25 the concept that we ought to walk in the Spirit. The Greek there should really say something like "SINCE we live by the Spirit, we SHOULD also walk in the Spirit." It doesn't say that a believer in God's grace will ALWAYS walk in the Spirit. There is no guarantee that we do so, because again, it is a choice of the will. God is saying here that when we know who we are in Christ by studying the scriptures, and ever since we know it, we should become living sacrifices unto God and only allow the Spirit to work within us (Rom 12:1).

Take a moment and examine yourself. Do you truly desire to walk in the Spirit in all things? Are there only fruits of the Spirit in your life or is there a little bit of bad fruit mixed in there? I would venture to say we all have a bit of the fruit of the flesh, but God's will is our sanctification (1 Thess 4:3-7) so if we allow Him to continue His work, God will take care of those things.

Now I say all of this to prove this point in 1 Corinthians 2. Those of us that have the Word of God at our fingertips ought to understand that the only way to come to the full knowledge of the truth is to first be born of the Spirit by faith in the gospel of God's grace, and then be willing to allow the Spirit to teach the truths in the Word of God. If there is any quenching of the Spirit, if there is desire to have head knowledge of the scriptures only for the purpose to glorify the self, if there is only a show of godliness but denying the power thereof, the understanding of the scriptures who do so becomes foolishness. There are two main factors that determine whether or not one can rightly divide the Word of Truth. The first is whether or not the believer is studying it, but the second is just as important, and that is letting God's Spirit tell you what He's talking about. Observe this, noting the italicized word "them", which is not in the original Greek, is referring to the things of God, or the wisdom of God in verse 9:

1 Corinthians 2:10-16

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

11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 

14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

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

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

Did you see that in verse 16? We have the mind of Christ! We can come to the full knowledge of the truth if we let the mind of Christ tell us what He's talking about in His word. It's when people don't allow the Spirit to work the good work in them that we get heresies, false teachings, and messages that are for the itching ears which sound good but have no depth at all as indicated in verses 13-14. We have the same thing going on today with whitewashed sepulchres who appear to be godly on the outside yet are dead on the inside (Matthew 23:27-28).

As sad as this is, it should come as no surprise because we are told of God that this would happen in 2 Timothy 3:1-7

1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

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

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

4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

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

6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 

These are words given to us to describe the state of the church, the body of Christ in the last days. It is not some general concept that these things would be going on in the world, for it is a given that it would be like that with those outside of Christ who are under the bondage of sin. No, these words are concerning the church of believers in God's grace. Friends, please don't let yourself be lumped into that category of verses 6-7 and not come to the knowledge of the truth. Don't loosely pick and choose what you like in the bible and leave the rest for the theologians. God didn't say that His will was for the theologians to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, but that ALL be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. I exhort you, let God show you the knowledge of the truth by His Spirit and be set free from that bondage of ignorance!

The Power of the Word of God

The Power of the Word of God

Hebrews 4:12

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

John 1:1 

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

These are two of the more familiar verses in the bible and both speak about the word of God. Did you know that there is more than one Greek word for "word" in the bible? I'd like to show a brief study on it because there are some very interesting things to glean. God is very deliberate with the words He chose to be in what we call the bible, so the meanings are significant. Just so I don't keep you in suspense, the two Greek words for "word" are:

logos - the written word

rhema - the spoken word

Now let's take a look at some scriptures and see the different contexts that these are used in. I'll start with the two mentioned above. In fact, let's look at Hebrews 4:12 with a more literal translation from the Greek where I see a bit of lack in the English. It's going to look a bit jumbled, but I'll put the English beneath it to try and make it clearer.

Hebrews 4:12 with some Greek:

For (Greek gar, meaning indeed) the word (logos) of the (ho - definite article is present) God is quick (Greek Zōn, meaning living) and powerful (Greek energēs, meaning active) and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner (Greek kritikos, meaning able to judge, see our word critical in there)
thoughts and intents of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12 again:

Indeed the word of the God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is able to judge the thoughts and intents of the heart.

That gives a pretty neat picture of what the written word of God can do. Think about how that applies to you. As you study scripture and something jumps out at you, what happens? Don't you feel a change happening deep inside you? Do you occasionally feel that you need to change thought patterns to align with what the word of God says? God's written word is very much living and active. Now let's look at John 1:1 again.

John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word (logos), and the Word (logos) was with God, and the Word (logos) was God

Something important to note is that the Greek can ONLY be translated that the Word WAS God. If we want to get into parsing, the entire phrase "and the Word was God" in the Greek is in the nominative, masculine, singular form. The word "was" is in the imperitive, indicative, active, and most importantly, there is no article there. Those of you who have the New World Translation would need to consider the article that was added, when trying to make Jesus Christ into "a" god and not THE God. If you believe that the Word of God is inspired of God and completely true (2 Tim 3:16, Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:18) then the original language is what is true and any translation may have some bias to it. To truly understand meaning, regardless of what translation is used, a student of the bible must go to the original languages it was written in (Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic). So then, let's move on to some other verses that also use the Greek logos. Speaking of Jesus Christ, let's look at Revelation 19:13

13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word (logos) of God.

I just made a point on how the article was missing in the Greek in John 1:1 for "the Word was God," but guess what? There is an article in the Greek in Revelation 19:13 that isn't there in the English. It more literally says:

And his name is called The Word of THE God.

In fact, as you study the original language, you'll find several places where the definite article is there, in which the English would be rendered "the God" instead of just God. I would venture to say that the one true God is getting across the point that He is the one true God and not just some other god or idol of worship.

So let's think a bit about what this logos really is then. Even from just these few verses, we see that the logos was in the beginning. Before anything was created, there was the logos. This logos was also God. Now that's interesting to think about. How can the written word be God? Take a minute and really go over that thought. What is the main point of what we call the bible? Is it not to point to the Messiah or Christ? Is it not all about God and His desire to reconcile His creation to Himself? Is it not all about glorifying God in all that He's done? In Revelation we see Jesus Christ mentioned again as the Word, like in John 1:1. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the logos. He is the embodiment of the logos (Colossians 1, 2:9, 16-17).

I can't help but go into the awesomeness that happens when someone first comes to believe in Christ as their Savior. Scripture says that every single person has sinned, or missed the mark, of the glory of God. That's not hard to fathom since we can clearly look around and see that no one is perfect. In order to have fellowship with God, we need to be perfect. Since no one is perfect, no one can have fellowship with God. That is the bad news. The good news is that God gave us way to be perfect.

2 Corinthians 5:21

21 For he[God] hath made him [Jesus Christ] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

We are made perfect by Jesus Christ, but that doesn't happen automatically. He made us saveable, but will not trifle with the free will that He gave us. No, there is only one way to be made perfect in the eyes of God, and that is this:

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 

3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures

The moment you believe that Jesus died, was buried, and rose again the third day, that He became sin for you and offered His righteousness in exchange for your faith, then you become a new creation.

2 Corinthians 5:17

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

The Greek there in 2 Corinthians 5:17 is a bit more descriptive. It more accurately reads this way:

Therefore if anyone is in Christ: a new creation. The old things have passed by; Behold, the new has emerged.

What transformation is this? Read Ephesians 1-3 to see what it means to be in Christ. Read Ephesians 4-6 to see what it looked like before Christ, and now that the new has come, what a believer should do and how a believer should behave because they are in Christ. The best part is that this status of sainthood can never be taken away (Romans 8:38-39, Ephesians 1:13-14, etc.). God begins this sanctifying process in all believers to conform them to the image of Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:3, Ephesians 4:13). This transformation is possible because of the logos. This is the quick and active logos and how it changes people from the inside out. However, the Word of God has another attribute, and that is the rhema. Let's start with Ephesians 5:25-27

25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

In this context we see another aspect of the Word of God. Husbands, you have been given a special privilege of the rhema. You are to speak the Word of God unto your wives, showing her what the Word of God says. You are to do it in such a way, comparable to what Jesus Christ has done for the church which is His body. We just talked about that in discussing the word logos. The logos is used in sanctification. So husbands are to take initiative in sharing the logos with their wives by speaking it to them, aiding their wives in sanctification. Wouldn't you want your wife to be as pretty as she can be? Why not cleanse her with the word of God by speaking the truth (logos - John 17:17) in love (Ephesians 4:13)?

Now husbands are not the only ones who can use the rhema. Look just a few verses later into Ephesians chapter six. Here God's logos tells us that we are in a spiritual battle and we are in a fight with Satan and his demons. In defense we are to put on the full armor of God, which is a whole study in itself, so I will just focus on the one weapon. Take a look at Ephesians 6:17-20

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

The sword of the Spirit is the rhema of God in verse seventeen. Our weapon as believers in Christ is opening our mouths and speaking the truth of God, His logos. We do that by praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit for all saints. Additionally, we pray for the truth to be spread, to make the gospel known. The word there for "utterance" in verse 19 is logos. Think about that and ask yourself if that is how you are wielding this sword that God has given you. Are you praying that all saints everywhere may be given the right logos at the right time to make known the mystery of the gospel of the grace of God? I know that it has convicted and changed me. We all have different ministries within the body of Christ and will encounter others in unique situations. We all need the right logos at the right time, so let's help each other by praying for it.

Jesus also gave us a picture of the spiritual battle in Matthew 4:1-11 Here are the first four verses there.

1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Please note that verse 4 says Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every rhema that comes out of the mouth of God. We are alive by the spoken word of God.

 

5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 

6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 

7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Here we have Satan trying to use the logos against Jesus, who is the logos. It's a bit silly when you think of it that way, but that's what we have here. Satan wrests the scriptures and makes it fit his meaning, which is warned against by God in His logos in 2 Peter 3:15-18. Jesus comes back speaking the logos of God, rightly divided, or correctly handled (2 Timothy 2:15).

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;

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

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.

11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

Each time Satan attacks, Jesus fights back by speaking the logos. He fights using the rhema of God. He fights with the sword of the Spirit, like we are told to take up in Ephesians chapter 6. And so we, in our individual spiritual battle, must fight our own temptations we know to be against God's word and rebuke them with applying the right logos and thus continuing in sanctification. It is said that each believer is in a different place in their spiritual walk, which is true, yet we are all one in the body of Christ, working together to bring each other closer to the likeness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13, 25).

So you see, in this short study on the word of God, we see how important His word is. I cannot stress enough how believers need to be in the word of God constantly, ruminating on verses and striving to understand the depth and true meaning that God is communicating to us. I beseech all believers that they be like Jesus and rightly divide the logos to fully understand it. Rightly dividing just means to know which piece goes where. It's like a jigsaw puzzle. Every verse in the bible has a proper place, and only when you put each piece in its proper place do you see the big picture. Forcing pieces where they do not go leaves blemishes and the big picture cannot be understood. Thus the need for prayer for all saints to know the logos and be able to speak it at the right time (Ephesians 6:17-20).

I could have gone over how it was God's spoken word that formed everything we perceive in Genesis 1, or any of the time in the prophets where you read the phrase "thus saith the LORD", or anytime in the New Testament where we see Old Testament verses quoted, but I leave that up to the reader to search the scriptures and discover more precious truth within the word of God both about the logos and the rhema. May the Spirit of God bring you all to the full knowledge of the truth!

The Lord’s Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer

Ah, the famous Lord’s Prayer. Many people recite these words every day. Many more will often quote them. In this study, I want to take a look at what the bible says about the Lord’s Prayer. That’s an interesting statement in itself, because the entire bible is the Word of God (2 Tim 3:16). So, what does the word of God say about the words God (Jesus Christ) said? The reason for this is to think about whether we are observing what God says to do with this prayer or not. I personally believe we need to understand what God is saying to us in His word and then obey appropriately (2 Timothy 2:15). So to answer that question, we need to look at the context surrounding the time Jesus taught His disciples how to pray. I’d like to explore what God is telling us at that time so we know just what Jesus Christ is saying there. Then, I want to take some time consider the question: What really is the Lord’s prayer? There may be more answers to that question than you think.

First, let’s take a look at the context around what is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. The prayer itself can be found in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:1-4. At this time chronologically, Jesus has just started His earthly ministry and given the Sermon on the Mount. The disciples had seen Him pray and desired to know how they should pray. Take a look at Luke 11:1

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.

See the end of that verse? That gives us some insight into John the Baptist’s ministry. John had taught his disciples to pray as well and it would help us to understand John's ministry for the purpose of this study. What was John’s ministry? We can look Matthew, Mark, Luke or John, but I’ll just note Luke 3:3.

3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins

Pretty straight forward, right? John's ministry was the baptism of repentance FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS. Note that baptism in water was a requirement at this point in time for sins to be forgiven. The same message is given in Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:16, and Acts 2:38. There is more to John's ministry, though, that we should explore to get a better sense of how John may have taught his disciples. First a bit more on baptism. Please read all of Matthew 3 and Luke 3:3-22, but I'll point out Luke 3:15-17 here

15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not;

16 John answered, saying unto [them] all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:

17 Whose fan [is] in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.

Look again at what it says in verse 16. Here are three baptisms mentioned: water, Holy Ghost, and fire. Baptism is a whole other discussion and I don't want to digress too much on that in this study. John was to baptize in water. Why? Because he was an Israelite. Israel was given the promise that they shall be a kingdom of priests and an holy nation (Exodus 19:6). In order to be a priest, the one who was serving needed to be ceremonially clean. Look at Exodus 29:4 and Leviticus 8:6

Ex 29:4 And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water

Lev 8:6 And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water.

This washing with water is the water baptism that John was doing. The Hebrew word there for wash is rachats, which means to wash, wash off or away, or bathe according to Strong's definition. This was the purpose of the laver and it's foot (Exodus 30:18), which is the King James Version speak for the large water basin sitting upon a sturdy base in the tabernacle. Take a moment and think about that. It was not radical that John was performing this kind of baptism or washing. Rather, the leaders of Israel just questioned his authority to do it since it was traditionally for the priesthood. Look at John 1:19-27

19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?

20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.

21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.

22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?

23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. 

24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.

25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?

26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;

27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.

Let's look at each question in turn and understand where they were coming from. First off, we see that the priests are investigating the matter in verse 19. They send a group along to question John and report back. The first question is simple: Who are you? In verse 20 John clearly says that he is not the promised Messiah, or Christ. No wonder that would be the first question since Israel had been looking for the promised seed of Abraham (Gen 22:18), and also the coming king from the line of David (2 Samuel 7:12) for quite some time. But John says he is not the Messiah, so the next question they ask is if he were Elijah. Why would they ask that? Because of the promise given through the prophet Malachi in chapter 4 and verses 5-6

5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

John again denies this. Then they ask if he was the prophet. THE prophet. The definite article is there in the Greek. So what prophet would that be? The one promised by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15 and 18:18

15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;

18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.

You see, the religious leaders of Israel knew their scriptures. They were looking for all of these things because they knew it would be the culmination of the age and restoration of the nation would be imminent. But John denies that he is that prophet. Then in verse twenty two we see a bit of confusion in this group of priests. They need to give an answer to those that sent them, so they ask for a straightforward answer. In response, John quotes Isaiah 40:3. Now note carefully the response of the priests in John 1:25

25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?

Again, they don't question the baptism ceremony. That ritual was going on since Israel was given the Law. They are looking for his credentials. If John had no authority to baptize, why was he doing it? John's answer was to point them to the Messiah. It would be the Messiah that would have the power to baptize, or wash, with the Holy Ghost or with fire. In short, that would be salvation or condemnation, but I would encourage the reader to study what those two baptisms would be.

So then, we know John was preparing the way for the Messiah. We know his ministry was go get Israel ready for the coming of the promised kingdom and to do that he was getting them ceremonially clean through water baptism. Though it is not recorded in scripture, John would logically be telling his disciples to be looking for the Messiah. He would be encouraging them to remain clean spiritually. No doubt, since he pointed out before that he was the voice in the wilderness to make straight the way of the Lord.

Knowing all of that, we can see that Jesus' disciples in Luke 11:1 were eager to see what was to come and what they should pray for concerning the future state. Keep that in mind as we explore how Jesus taught them. Let's look at Matthew 6:5-15 in detail, beginning with just a couple of verses.

5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Jesus first tells the disciples not to make a big show of praying. He makes a direct contrast to the current leaders of Israel that do this, calling them hypocrites. Elsewhere they are compared to "whited sepulchres" because they are spiritually dead on the inside though they speak the Law (Matthew 23-see how often they are called hypocrites and note my statement in verse 27). Praying like that will get you your reward, which is praise of men, and is fleeting. Jesus tells them that they are to make their prayers in secret, truly beseeching God with their heart, and then to observe when God answers that prayer publicly. Let's look at the next two verses.

7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

Here we have a comparison to those that are without God. These would be pagans of that day, and they are described as using "vain repetitions." The Greek word there is battalogeó, which means "to stammer." In other words, they would say the same thing over and over again, thinking their god would eventually hear them and answer according to their desire. But from Jesus' words we see that they were putting their hope in the words to get what they wanted and not what is best for them. Please note Jesus' doctrine here. Don't say things over and over without thinking of the meaning. God already knows your needs and is not impressed with repeated words and no heart behind it. Ask Him from the heart of what your true desires are. God wants to give you the best.

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

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

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

 Note carefully verse 9, that "after this manner" is how Jesus' disciples should pray. The Greek for "after this manner" is houtó, which means like this . . .; in this manner, in this way (fashion), in accordance with this description (i.e. corresponding to what follows); in keeping with; along this line, in the manner spoken. Not one of those definitions says do exactly this. Remember that Jesus just said not to use vain repetitions in verses 7 and 8. Here, He is saying in what manner to pray, not what words must be said.

The next thing to observe is that God the Father is glorified immediately, before any requests are made. Next, the prayer is for God's kingdom to come and His will to be done upon the earth (in = epi in Greek, meaning upon) just like it is in Heaven. Now to pray this would imply that currently God's will is not being done upon the earth. How can that be? The answer is found in one word: sin. God cannot sin, but mankind has and continues to do so. This prayer then must be for the restoration of all things to the point where sin and death will be no more. We have the comparison that God's will is being done in Heaven. This also gives further credence that Satan and his angels were kicked out of Heaven along with Adam and Eve. You can see a discussion of that in my blog on "The Big Picture." Remember the context here. Jesus is proclaiming the coming prophesied kingdom on earth, so this prayer is exactly in line with that concept.

Then we have this phrase "Give us this day our daily bread." Why pray that? God promised Israel that their barns would overflow if they were faithful to him in carrying out the tithing (and the Law) in Malachi 3:10. So if they were faithful in bringing these things to the temple (His house), why would there be a problem? Ah, but remember what else was prophesied in Daniel 9 and 12. The Antichrist would reign in Jerusalem during the Tribulation period and set himself up as God in the temple before the kingdom would come. If the faithful could not access the temple without being persecuted to death, they would not be able to bring their tithes and enjoy the promise of Malachi 3:10. In fact, we have further revelation in the book of The Revelation that those who worship the Antichrist will receive a mark, and those without the mark cannot buy or sell (Rev 13:16-17). It would be pretty tough to get sustenance without that ability. Now does "Give us this day our daily bread" make more sense?

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

Some translations have "trespasses" instead of "debts" but it's a similar idea. I need to point out the order here. Forgive us OUR debts as WE FORGIVE. This is a conditional statement. A disciple of Jesus at that time would have trespasses forgiven AFTER they forgave others. Now take a look at Ephesians 4:32

32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Here we have a 180° change. Forgive others as Christ has already forgiven you. This is not a conditional statement but rather a command from the apostle Paul, who received his doctrine from Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:11-12). In Ephesians, a believer in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ according to the scriptures had been forgiven all sin. As a result, God commands the saint to forgive others just like that. In other words, forgive others entirely and let God be the judge. This is another example of the importance of 2 Timothy 2:15. Are sins forgiven as we forgive or are they already forgiven and we are to forgive others in that way? The words in Matthew 6:12 were spoken by Jesus Christ on earth. The words in Ephesians 4:32, according to Galatians 1:11-12 and 2 Corinthians 12:1-6, were spoken by Jesus Christ from Heaven. The difference is in the dispensations. When Jesus spoke in Matthew 6:12, He was preaching the coming kingdom on earth consistently with all the Law and Prophets. There had been no revelation of the gospel of God's grace, nor could be, since that is dependent on the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.

Think of the implication of all of this. If you are one repeating Matthew 6:12 every day, would you like to be under the Law looking for the prophesied kingdom on earth? Or does it make sense to you now that you are no longer under Law, but under grace when you trust that Jesus fulfilled the Law? (Romans 6:14, 1 Cor 15:3-4). Be very careful and study this, and take to heart Galatians 5:1-6. I will come back to these thoughts after finishing the rest of what is commonly called the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 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.

Here we have the conclusion of the prayer. To better understand this, we must examine the original language once again. The word "temptation" there is from the Greek peirasmos, which means (a) trial, probation, testing, being tried, (b) temptation, (c) calamity, affliction. Remember the context, that the disciples were desiring to know how to pray because the kingdom was at hand. Wouldn't it make sense then to pray they would not be carried into calamity or affliction, but contrarily that they would be delivered away from the evil? They were going to enter the Tribulation period had Israel accepted the prophesied kingdom. God promised this seven year period through the prophet Daniel in Daniel 9:27. They were going to be surrounded by evil, led by the Antichrist, who would persecute many to death. Prayer to be delivered from this would be very important. The second sentence in this verse is a declaration of allegiance. Despite the Antichrist seemingly in power on earth, the faithful in God are saying that God owns the kingdom, God has the power, and God will have glory forever. They are rejecting the Antichrist and accepting their Christ in Jesus.

Now it is interesting to note that Jesus reiterates the conditional statement of forgiveness in Matthew 6:14-15. There's a saying that if God says it once, it's important. If God says it a second time, it's very important. If God repeats it more than twice, you had better be paying attention. Forgiveness is a big deal. In Matthew 6:12, 14, and 15 we have the repeated conditional statement that trespasses are forgiven, but that forgiveness is limited to how an individual forgives. I've already pointed out that the doctrine changes after the revelation given to the apostle Paul and now we have been forgiven all trespasses for those the church, the body of Christ. Please again, study the different gospels mentioned in Galatians 2:6-7 and the transition in the book of Acts over chapters 9-16 for further understanding in this.

So that is mostly what the prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:1-4 is about. It is commonly called the Lord's Prayer, but we see that our Lord Jesus was giving an outline of what prayer ought to be like in light of the coming Tribulation and prophesied kingdom. So if we should not be repeating those words, is there something else that can be referred to as the Lord's Prayer? Many will answer that we should look at the entire chapter John 17. In that chapter, Jesus is praying for His disciples, desiring them to have the same oneness as God the Son and God the Father have (John 17:20-23). As you read through that chapter, certainly this is a heartfelt prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ, but is that still His prayer for us today?

After the change in program of setting Israel aside in unbelief so that salvation can come to all through faith alone (Romans 11:25), I believe things have changed. We read in a few places what prayer is to be and in my opinion, what the Lord's prayer is for us today. Looking at the letters written through Paul, as he is the apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13), we see several things. First, Jesus does still want us to cleansed by His word (compare John 17:16-17 with Ephesians 5:25-27). We also enjoy the oneness that He spoke of with the Father by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (compare John 17:21-23 with Ephesian 1:13-14).

Now I need to point out something vitally important here. The effects of Jesus prayer will not come to fruition until after the Millennial Kingdom. How can I say that? Because of the prophecy in Jeremiah 31:31-34. Israel has those things to look forward to after the 70th week prophesied in Daniel, but we of the body of Christ have them now (Ephesians 1:3). The purpose of all these spiritual blessings is to provoke Israel to jealousy, and they will come back to the Lord on their own accord (Romans 11:11)

So then, back to my question on what the Lord's prayer is for us today? I believe there isn't just one, but rather several. We see things like this written through the apostle Paul:

Romans 11:13 - For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office

1 Corinthians 4:16 - Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.

1 Corinthians 11:1 - Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:20 - Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

1 Thessalonians 4:3a - For this is the will of God, even your sanctification

1 Timothy 2:3-4 - 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

I could go on but I think the point is there. Remember that the doctrine given to Paul was directly from our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, so everywhere we see the words "will of God" or something like it, I would think that that is Jesus' prayer for us in this age of grace. In the ministry of reconciliation, it is the desire of God that we follow the apostle Paul in doctrine and deed. We are to be ambassadors for Christ, knowing that our home is in Heaven (Phil 3:20), coming alongside everyone in this world to understand the liberty of the faith in Christ (2 Cor 5:20). God's desire is that all are saved and come to know the full knowledge of the truth. We are to pray without ceasing and with thanksgiving (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18, Philippians 4:6-7), having the knowledge that even if we don't pray for the right thing, the Holy Spirit that indwells us will make intercession for us (Romans 8:26-27).

So we see Jesus Christ still praying for us, but not in the same words every day. He makes intercession for us in our prayers, which would indicate His prayers are dynamic for us since no day or situation is the ever the same. Shouldn't our prayers be dynamic then as well if we are to follow Paul who follows Christ?

Prayer is powerful. Don't use vain repetition and quench the Spirit. Rather, edify one another and earnestly seek the goodwill of others. Bring anything unto the Lord, because He cares for you so deeply and will listen to anything (Phil 4:6,7). Now, I've shared a lot of scripture in this, but as always, please don't just take my word for it. Search the scriptures and see if these things are so. As you study the bible, ask yourself, "What is God really saying here?" My prayer for all that read this is that you are filled with knowledge of the truth.

The Big Picture

The Big Picture

I've been going over the big picture as presented by God in the bible a lot lately, thinking about the beginning of history during Genesis 1 to the restoration of all things in Revelation 22. I know, that seems like a lot...in fact all of it. But more specifically, I've been in Matthew 24, Luke 21, Romans 11, Ephesians 4, Daniel, and Revelation and seeing how they fit in the big picture. So to explain what I'm finding I need to start in the beginning of Genesis. Please bear with me because it will take a while to get to the conclusion, but I'm pretty sure you don’t want to miss it. As always, I want to encourage each reader to study the scriptures I present and not just take my word for it.

Genesis 1 and 2 tell us that God made everything in six days and rested on the seventh. He made Adam to dress and keep the garden in Eden and to not eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam did not obey this command in Genesis 3, but God had promised restoration to mankind right at the fall when Adam and Eve sinned. The encounter with the serpent was really not a snake, but Satan himself. The term serpent is used in a derogatory and not literal manner, and we'll let the context define this. Genesis 3:1 says

Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.

Note the term ANY beast. It doesn’t say any OTHER beast. A snake is a "creeping thing" (Gen 1:24) and  so would have been created on day 6 with the other land animals. The Hebrew there is the word "chay" which is typically translated “life” or “living” (note especially in Genesis 2:19 where chay is translated “every beast” and “every living”). So looking at Genesis 3:1 again, it more accurately says that the serpent was more subtle than any living thing of the field, or land, which the LORD God had made. Remember also that man was created before Genesis 3:1 and on day 6, so according to Genesis 3:1, this serpent must be more subtle or shrewd than Adam and Eve as well. Can a snake really fit that description? What could possibly be so wise that only God Himself was wiser? Who could really fit that picture other than God’s anointed cherub (Ezekiel 28:14)? Why else would Eve not be confused by this "serpent" talking to her? A snake talking would certainly be a strange sight since animals don’t ever talk unless taken over by the Holy Spirit of God, like in the case of Balaam’s donkey (Numbers 22).

Knowing that this serpent mentioned in Genesis 3 is Satan, then look at verse 14 for his curse.

And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.

Again the “every beast” is the Hebrew word chay, and note that Satan will eat dust all the days of his life (life = chay again). What else do we know of Satan that could help us understand the extent of this curse? In Job 1 and 2, we see a couple of things. One is that Satan is mentioned aside from the “sons of God” which is a reference for angels. Also, God asks Satan where he’s been and both times the response is the same:

From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. (Job 1:7, 2:2)

You see, Satan must have been cast out of Eden and of the presence of God along with Adam and Eve back in Genesis 3. All of them were cursed, but for Satan, there was no hope of redemption given. His fate was to be defeated and be cast into the lake of fire which was reserved for him and the angels that followed him (Matt 25:41, 1 Peter 3:18-20). God was just in His judgment, knowing that Satan was the one that enticed Eve and then Adam to eat of the tree. So we see that ever since the beginning, God has provided a way to restore relationship between Himself and mankind, but Satan must endure the consequences of his actions. Doesn’t that say something about God’s justice and God's love? According to God's rule in Genesis 2:17, God would have been completely just in having Adam and Even fall down dead immediately. But God is all-knowing and knew they would break this rule before they did it. He wanted all of His creation to always be in right relationship and enjoy heavenly bliss with Him. He also knew that the only way to do that and maintain the freewill of mankind was to have all of this history play out to prove His own character. Sure, Adam inherited sin and death for his action and passed it upon all mankind, but I think it good to take some time to reflect on the statement in Roman 5:6-11.

6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS, Christ died for us.

9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

10 For if, WHEN WE WERE ENEMIES, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

So despite mankind's position and hatred toward God, God never gave up and reconciled the world to Himself, offering salvation through faith in His Son Jesus Christ, who shed His blood to cover our sin, was buried and rose again the third day in justification. He takes our sin and gives us His righteousness the very moment we put our faith in Him (2 Corinthains 5:21) Do you believe this? You can become a saint at this moment and forever once you do, and also inherit all the spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ. How awesome is our God!
 

So then where is Satan today? The same place Adam and Eve ended up. He is on earth today. We also know Satan as the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2). Then in 1 Peter 5:8 we read that Satan, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. Doesn’t that sound an awful lot like eating of the dust of the earth? Remember that mankind was made of the dust of the earth? This fight with Satan has been going on ever since the fall (Ephesians 6:11-12). Satan and his angel followers want to be God and usurp the throne. As such they have been fighting against mankind and trying to disrupt God's word.

Here I could talk all about Genesis 6 and how Satan and his angels tried to corrupt the seed of the woman to avoid his fate as stated in Genesis 3. Instead, Joel Finck wrote a fantastic study on that and I would recommend checking that out instead of me regurgitating what he already did. It’s a booklet called Where Have all the Giants Gone? And is available at his website. The short story is that there were none left that would seek after God except Noah and his sons and all their wives due to the work of Satan. Study Genesis 6 and note that the ark was ONLY built for those 8 souls (Genesis 6:18, Hebrews 11:7). Noah as a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5, Hebrews 11:7) was being the spokesman of God’s judgement on the rest of the world. They were about to be destroyed after the 120 years set by God, not that they would be saved if they would just come on the ark with Noah. And it is here that I’ll make the jump to what I was studying in the chapters mentioned above.

Jesus talks about the end times in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 and He touches on the days of Noah, making a comparison to what was going on there and what will take place at the end. I'll get to more on that later. First we need to understand the context before getting into Matthew 24 and Luke 21. Jesus Christ was preaching the gospel of the kingdom for about 3 years up until this point. I’ve already gone over how the gospel of the kingdom is different than the gospel we ought to be preaching today in previous posts. If the reader is unfamiliar with this concept, note the two gospels presented in Galatians 2:7-8, one given to Peter and the other to Paul, and prayerfully study the differences and how it came about in the book of Acts (especially Acts 9-16). So, just to be clear, Jesus was preaching of the coming kingdom on earth and that it was at hand.

In Matthew 24 and Luke 21 we get two perspectives of the same account. The disciples were talking about how beautiful the temple was and Jesus tells them that “As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down,” (Luke 21:6). Naturally curious, they ask Jesus when these things will be and what signs to look for in verse seven. Jesus gives them plenty to think about with His response. Now before I get into this, I will ask this one important thing: Please do NOT read the grace gospel or rapture into this. That revelation given to the apostle Paul had not been revealed at this time in history and it has no part here.

No, Jesus does not talk about the rapture here, He talks about the Tribulation, or Daniel’s 70^th week, or the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:1-11). Notice in Jeremiah 30:7 that Jacob, or Israel, WILL be saved out of that day. Keep that in mind as we go back to Matthew 24 and Luke 21. In Luke 21:12-19 and Matthew 24:9-14, Jesus basically tells them that the unbelievers will unrelentingly persecute the believers. Now when I say believers here, I mean people who believe that Jesus is the Messiah and keep the Law or all commandments in order to obtain salvation (John 14:23, Matt 28:20, etc). Remember the gospel of grace where salvation apart from works is yet unknown. Then in Matthew 24:15-25 and Luke 21:20-24 we get the picture of the middle of the Tribulation period, where the Antichrist will set up the abomination that causes desolation (Daniel 12:11), meaning that he will set himself up as God in the temple and make everyone worship him (also see 2 Thess 2:4). At that time, the believers are told to flee Jerusalem, now note, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled (Luke 21:24). I’ll come back to that in a moment. Jesus describes the second half of the Tribulation like this in Matthew 24:21-24

21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

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

Pretty awful outlook, right? Now what’s this talk about the elect? They are the same people I called believers earlier, and for clarity sake I will now call them kingdom believers to differentiate between grace believers. Again, kingdom believers are those that believe Jesus is the Messiah and that keep the Law in order to obtain salvation from sin and death. Take a moment and consider verse twenty four. There’s so much deception going during the latter half of the Tribulation that Jesus mentions IF IT WERE POSSIBLE, the elect would be deceived. Doesn’t that indicate that the elect will not be deceived? How can that be? At the end of each gospel account we can put together the full picture of the commission given to the disciples and remember that Jesus was going to send a Comforter to them (John 14:16). He assured them that the Holy Spirit (Comforter) was going to give them the words to say during persecution (Luke 12:11-12, John 14:16, 26, 15:26, 16:7-11, 13). So then we see the Holy Spirit guiding them during the Tribulation so that they won’t be deceived. In Revelation 7 and 14 it also mentions the 144,000 sealed witnesses which are kingdom believers that will preach the gospel of the kingdom throughout the world. They only follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth (verse 4). Being sealed would indicate ownership, or that the only one that can break the seal is the one who made it. In this case, that would be God, so it's not difficult to understand they will be safe with Him.

One more thing I need to mention before moving to the next topic is what Jesus says in Matthew 24:14

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.

When will this prophecy be fulfilled? Is it our responsibility today? No it is not, and I've heard some confusion on this. We are given the message of reconciliation to give to the world wherever we are at (2 Cor 5:18-6:2). That again is part of the gospel of grace and not the gospel of the kingdom so we can't read that into this passage. The prophecy given by Jesus Christ in Matthew 24:14 will have its fulfillment in the second half of the Tribulation as well and there is scripture to prove it. Note Revelation 14:6-7.

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

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

I don’t think it could be clearer than that. This angel in verse six has the gospel to preach everywhere, and from verse seven is not quiet about it. Now remember those times of the Gentiles mentioned in Luke 21:24? That would be referring to this time period of the latter half of the Tribulation. Revelation 11:2b says it pretty explicitly:

2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; FOR IT IS GIVEN UNTO THE GENTILES: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

Forty two months is 3 ½ years. The Gentiles will hold that part of Jerusalem for that time frame during the reign of the Antichrist. It should make more sense now why Jesus told the kingdom believers to get out of Jerusalem at that time. Now let’s look at something rather interesting. Turn to Romans 11 for the same kind of phrase in verse 25. We need to be careful here because the book of Romans was written by the apostle Paul and explains the gospel of grace. However, note the context of Romans 9:1-11:24. It is about Israel and the promises of old, or the kingdom gospel. See for instance Romans 9:1-5

1 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,

2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.

3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:

4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;

5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

Paul goes on to explain who the true Israel is, that they are ones who kept the faith like Abraham. They are the little flock mentioned by Jesus Christ in Luke 12:32. They are the kingdom believers as I described before. Paul explains his sorrow for all of Israel in Romans 9:31-33, that they sought salvation not by faith, but by the Law only. Romans 10:1 is still in the context of Paul's concern for Israel and the little flock is still mentioned in the old testament quotes in Romans 10:21.

Now we get to something really interesting in Romans 11:1-6

1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,

3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.

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

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

6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

Note especially verses 5 and 6. Paul is explaining that just as during the days of the prophet Elijah, there was a remnant of Israel who believe in Jesus as the Messiah and kept the Law during Paul's day. The word "according" in verse 5 is the Greek word kata, which is translated as "down from, i.e. from a higher to a lower plane, with special reference to the terminus" by J. Thayer. It can mean down, or against, or according to. Both the gospel of the kingdom and the gospel of grace were present and Paul is differentiating between the two in verse 6. A person was either a part of the grace gospel or a part of the works (kingdom) gospel.

Verses 7-10 briefly explains what happened at the end of Jesus earthly ministry and the early part of Acts. The leaders of Israel rejected Jesus as the Messiah and the kingdom was given to the little flock led by Peter and the apostles, who began to preach the gospel of the kingdom at Pentecost where they spoke in tongues in Acts 2. Despite the signs and wonders, Israel as a nation rejected their promised kingdom and thus were concluded in unbelief.

What is the result of the fall of Israel? Salvation unto the Gentiles. Paul explains just that in the ensuing verses in Romans 11. He also gets us to think that while we have something awesome in Christ in the gospel of grace now, what about the time of Israel's fullness? In other words, how much better will things be when Israel is also saved? God cannot lie so all of the prophecy program has yet to be fulfilled. Paul again expresses his concern to save his unbelieving countrymen in verse 14 but comes right back to the expectation that as amazing as the gospel of grace is, there is something even better to be had after the fullness of Israel in verse 15.

Jumping down to Romans 11:25-32, we have this

25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 

27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.

29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:

31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.

32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

Here we have the reiteration that Israel will not be saved until the fullness of the Gentiles occurs. We have the differentiation that there is a remnant that are kingdom believers in verse 28 that belong to the true Israel who will not believe in the gospel of grace. They believe that works are also required for salvation which is what the kingdom gospel is all about. So then, that is why there are "enemies" concerning the gospel. Again, in the context, these verses speak of Israel's restoration when Jesus will overthrow the Antichrist who has led the Gentiles to reign in Jerusalem during the second half of the Tribulation period. Remember that after the Tribulation, ALL of Israel will be saved as noted by Paul when he quotes Isaiah 59:20-21 and 27:9, or Jeremiah 31:33-34, 50:20, etc.

Now we know that the time of Jacob's trouble will not come until the falling away, or standing away happens first (2 Thessalonians 2:3-7). We more commonly call this the rapture based on the Latin word that was used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 for "caught up". Everything that I've said up until this point was to show that there is truly nothing standing between now the rapture event except the Lord's shout. That's why Paul used the word "we" in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. He full well knew that he could be part of the ones that were alive to be caught up in that moment. Doesn't that trigger a feeling of urgency to get the message of reconciliation out there? Sure it's been 2000 years, but He could seriously call us home at ANY moment.

This brings up another point I wanted to cover about what the end looks like, or more specifically the two different hopes of the two different gospels. There is clearly a different hope between the kingdom gospel and the grace gospel. The kingdom gospel has an earthly hope which is the expectation to see Jesus Christ on the earth when He comes back down on the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:11). The grace gospel has a heavenly hope which is the expectation to see Jesus Christ in the heavens call the church which is His body out of the earth for the time of Jacob's trouble. Remember that God promises the church which is His body that we are not appointed to go through that time (the wrath mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 1:10 or 5:9). But to be sure, both of the gospels have a hope concerning Jesus Christ.

And finally, I'd like to share some thoughts on the end outlook of God's timeline. I promised I would talk about those days of Noah that Jesus mentioned in Matthew 24:36-51, so let's do a comparison. What did the days of Noah look like? Not one person outside of the 8 that were saved would trust in God. The bible says that God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Genesis 6:5). Think about that. All people besides Noah, his sons, and their wives were only concerned about themselves and living in the world. Essentially, it was survival of the fittest at its most fundamental. They still went through the motions of life, as we observe in Matthew 24:38-39

38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and TOOK THEM ALL AWAY; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Please note the significance in verse 39. You did NOT want to be one of the ones TAKEN AWAY in the flood. To be taken away in the flood meant that that person was condemned for being "only evil continually." Again, this is a 180° change from the rapture event, where you WILL want to be taken away, but I digress a moment. As we continue to look at the end time picture Jesus is giving, He compares those days of Noah to the Tribulation period. Look now to verses 40 and 41.

40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

What are these two kinds of people? What does it mean to be taken and to be left? Jesus clarifies in verses 45-51:

45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Remembering the comparison to the days of Noah, we will understand that the people who were left would be the servant who is blessed when the Lord comes. They will be the ones that are watching and ready in verse 42. They will be the ones left on earth to be a part of the promised kingdom on earth. The ones that are taken, then, would be the evil servants, who would be smiting their fellowservants (only evil continually, right?). What is their fate? When the Lord comes, verse 51 says they will be cut asunder and appointed with they hypocrites where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Jesus describes a place like that in Matthew 13 in the parable of the weeds and the parable of the net. Look at Matthew 13:30 and 13:37-43 for the parable of the weeds.

30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Not wanting to leave any question, here is the explanation of the parable of the weeds by Jesus Christ Himself.


37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Here Jesus is talking of the end times again, and the verse I'm looking at is 42 where we see the phrase gnashing of teeth. That place is further described here as the furnace of fire. Back in verse 40 it says the ones that are taken, or the "tares" are gathered and burned in fire. Read Matthew 13:47-50 for the parable of the net and a similar explanation. To conclude, the place that those that are taken is none other than what we call Hell. I capitalize the word Hell because it is the name of a very real, proper place, just like we capitalize city and state names. The bible uses the phrase "cast into the lake of fire" but it's the same place as Hell.

The next logical question is when will they be cast into Hell? God gives us that timeframe in Revelation 19-20. In chapter 19 we see that after the Tribulation, the beast, or Antichrist, and the false prophet are cast into the lake of fire while the rest of the followers of Antichrist were killed by the word of Jesus Christ (Revelation 19:20-21). After this, we have further credence to the serpent in Genesis 3 being Satan in Revelation 20:2 and the fact that Satan is bound for 1000 years. Many commonly refer to this as the Millennial Kingdom or Millennial Reign. Verse 4 seems to indicate the twelve apostles sitting on their twelve thrones judging the tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28), but the "rest of the dead" were not resurrected yet. Verse 6 goes on to show that the people in the capacity in verse 4 are the true Israel, being a holy nation and kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6, 1 Peter 2:9).

After the 1000 years are expired, Satan is let out of his prison and we have the Gog and Magog battle as described in Ezekiel 38. Please don't let anyone fool you as to thinking that the people of today are getting closer to that battle. God tells us it is at the end of the 1000 years so let God be true (Romans 3:4). God makes quick work of them and sends Satan to the lake of fire to join the Antichrist and false prophet for eternity (verse 10).

Then there is the Great White Throne judgment in Revelation 20:11-15. We see all the dead resurrected here that were not part of the first resurrection and each one of them has a book. Their book is compared to the book of life to see how they fared. Judgment is made on whether or not they are up to par with the book of life. We see death and hell (hades) cast into the lake of fire and all those that were not in the book of life join them in the lake of fire.

Those that remain after the judgment enjoy the peace and beauty of the new heaven and new earth as given in the rest of the book of Revelation. Those that are left live for eternity and those that are taken suffer in the lake of fire for eternity along with Satan, death, and hades. Now, I went through all of this because this is the determination for the kingdom believer. What should happen to the grace believer you may ask? Well, here is some speculation, but I'm basing it on what I just went over. Please note the bible doesn't explicitly say "After the rapture, grace believers will..." so in my mind God doesn't think it necessary to spell it out to us. What we need to know is the grace message and share it until the rapture happens.

Now we of the body of Christ have this blessed truth in Ephesians 2:14 and elsewhere that tells us that there is no more separation between Jew and Gentile (also reference Romans 10:12, Galatians 3:28, and Colossians 3:11). There's a very interesting phrase in Ephesians 2:19 which says this:

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God

The word in the Greek for strangers is xenos and the Greek for foreigners is paroikos. Xenos does mean strangers in a fuller sense, but look at paroikos. It is a compound Greek word of para and oikos. Para means "beside" and oikos means "house". The Strong's definition is someone living close to others as a temporary dweller, i.e. in a specific locale as a non-citizen with limited rights (identification). There's the contrast in verse 13 that Gentiles were once far off, but are now brought near by the blood of Christ. It seams to me that this phrase in 2:19 is similar in that no matter where the Gentile falls on the spectrum of ungodliness, Jesus has reconciled the Gentile by His finished work on the cross of Calvary. By God's grace alone, Gentiles are grated into the family of God, as pictured in Romans 11:11-24. Gentiles once had no hope, but now we have something that provokes Israel to jealousy (Romans 11:11). What would that be? It's having all the spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ. It's the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Whomever comes to salvation under the grace gospel gets all of these things in the moment of true faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross. But Israel didn't quite get that. They won't get that until after the Great White Throne judgment when all shall be saved.

My thoughts to leave with are that God will fulfill all that He has promised. The body of Christ will be caught up to heaven to be with Jesus and the Tribulation and remaining prophecies will yet be fulfilled. Now what happens after the Tribulation period, Millennial Kingdom and Great White Throne judgment? Would God continue to keep the body of Christ separate from those who were saints prior to the revelation of the gospel of grace? I wouldn't believe so. It was God's good pleasure to have this age of grace where there is no difference and all are one in Christ. We have verses that say God has brought all things under Christ in this age (Ephesians 1:10, 22). Could this be a picture of what is to come? We have the picture of marriage back in Genesis 2:24. God clearly shows Israel as the Bride of Christ. God clearly defines the believers of the age grace as the Body of Christ. Read Romans through Philemon and note that the phrase the church, which is his body or something similar is only found there). Should the two become one, Christ and His bride, in the sense that all believers will be in the same place once all things have run their course? While it is not specifically mentioned, I have a hard time believing that the believers of grace will be in some heavenly realm while the kingdom believers will be in an earthly realm, separate from each other but both with Jesus Christ since Jesus, as God, is not bound by space or time.

As fun as all of that is to think about, please know that the rapture is imminent as given in the bible. As such all that trust in the gospel of God's grace should be zealous to know who they are in Christ by studying the bible (2 Timothy 2:15), endeavoring to keep unity within grace believers (Ephesians 4:1-5) and sharing the gospel of grace to a lost and dying world in love (2 Corinthians 5:17-6:2, Ephesians 4:15).

If you consider yourself a believer and aren't zealous for good works, ask yourself: Why not? What are you clinging to in this world which will be remade anyway into something better? What's stopping you from sharing God's gospel of grace which is the power of God unto salvation? I ask myself these questions as well. Do we truly love God and treat His word as something precious or are we loving this present world like Demas in 2 Timothy 4:10? How arrogant are we to choose something in a sin-cursed world over giving someone the knowledge to change their eternal destination and fulfill God's desire (1 Timothy 2:4)? I would exhort you, and myself, to set aside any hindrance to study and share the word of God and change the world with the power of the gospel!