Mystery of God Hidden Higher Calling

Hid In the mind of God...

Hid In the mind of God...
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The Mystery in Ephesians - Tom Ballinger

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"All scripturegiven by inspiration of God andprofitable for doctrine,for reproof for correction, andfor instruction in righteousness.'' (2 Tim. 3:16)

The Mystery in Ephesians

Tom Ballinger 

INTRODUCTION

This epistle was written from a Roman prison by the Apostle Paul around 64 A.D. It was written to the saints at Ephesus, and to "The faithful in Christ Jesus" anywhere. The truth contained in this epistle is the most profound truth in all the Word of God. It is the loftiest truth in the Scripture where there is no room for anything but PRAISE and PEACE from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The "Mystery'' is here revealed. It had been kept secret since the world began; not made known to the sons of men (3:5); hidden in God (3:9)., never revealed in the Scriptures, but made known to the Apostle Paul by means of a special revelation (3:3). The great "Mystery'' (i.e. the secret), is that of the Church of the "One Body'' (2:16) with Christ Jesus revealed as its Head. It concerns the "one new man'' (2: 15), (i.e. "a perfect man'') (4:1 3). It makes known a sphere of blessing "Far above all heavens'' (4:10) which had never been the subject of man's delight. But now it is made known that God has an election out of the earth that was chosen in Christ before the world began ( 1 :4). This calling is destined to occupy the heavenly places where Christ is now enthroned and seated at The Father's Own Right Hand. Those who have received the "adoption of children by Jesus Christ unto Himself'' ( l :5) will one day be received up into glory "far above all principality and power'' ( l :21). and there to enjoy the inconceivable glory. Truth contained in this epistle is immeasurably higher than the glorious truth concerning the Kingdom.

This company of believers has already been blessed with "all spiritual blessings in heavenly places'' (1 :3). They are viewed as having been quickened, raised, and exalted together with Him. The Church of the One Body is the only company and calling of God's redeemed that is said to be "To the praise of the glory of His grace.''

Paul is given a revelation of such a nature that man and all his religion find no place for forms and ceremonies. We learn in the Ephesian Epistle that God is concerned with His own purpose. His own will, His own Son and His own inheritance.

Ephesians is for those who have enlightened eyes that they may see the revelation of the Mystery. This epistle is considered "strong meat" of the Word. It is certainly for those who have grown in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is written for those who are faithful (i.e.full of faith). It is impossible for those who still hold to ritual, rites, form and ceremony to grasp the truth recorded here. It is for those who have passed on from types and shadows and symbols. It concerns the realm of the spirit where full grown men of God are to live, even while they are tabernacling in the flesh. As the Lord Jesus Christ grants wisdom and revelation in the Word of Truth, full grown, mature men of God are to grow accustomed to seeing the things that are invisible, as they begin to move in mind, heart, and spirit among the invisible and eternal things.

This Ephesian Epistle was written after the landmark of Acts 28:28 was reached. The dispensational boundary line was crossed at Acts 28:28 and Israel's hope was left behind, unfilled and set aside. The churches which had been established during the Book of Acts found that the miraculous had ceased. Signs, wonders, and miracles were no longer the order of the day, but rather SILENCE. Perhaps the most awesome and far-reaching pronouncement made since the angels heralded the birth of Christ was made in a Roman prison when the Apostle Paul solemnly pronounced Israel's blindness in Acts 28. For with his pronouncement in Acts 28:28, Kingdom truth ended abruptly. Ephesians explains God's purpose and silence during this present age. Shortly after Paul made known to the Christians that the Lord is no longer dealing on Kingdom grounds but rather on the basis of the Mystery, they turned from him and the new revelation. Before Paul is martyred he testifies that all they that are in Asia be turned away from him (2 Tim. l :15), and all have forsaken him (2 Tim. 4:16). Most evidently, the majority of Christians in Paul's own day failed to acknowledge the landmark of Acts 28, as they do today. They took truth made known after Israel was set aside and read it back into those epistles Paul wrote before he knew the Mystery.

Paul told Timothy that as a workman that needeth not be ashamed, he must rightly divide the Word of Truth (2 Tim. 2: l 5). That is, he must differentiate between those epistles written during the age of the miraculous and those written after. This we will do as we set forth below the two sets of epistles. Recognize that the Apostle had two ministries - one during the Acts period and the other after the Acts period ended.

Ministry During the Acts Period

Past Dispensation

Galatians-Hebrews

1&2 Thessalonians

1&2 Corinthians

Romans Ministry During the Post Acts Period

Present Dispensation

Ephesians-Colossians

Philippians

Titus-Philemon

1&2 Timothy

Present Truth is found in those epistles written after Israel was set aside. When Paul ceased being BOUND FOR ISRAEL'S HOPE and became A PRISONER OF JESUS CHRIST FOR THE GENTILES, he received a new and fresh revelation.

The epistles written by Paul after the Acts 28 crisis are seven in number. Five are written from prison and two are written between the Roman imprisonment recorded in Acts 28 and the imprisonment that ended in his death. Charles H. Welch gives a good outline of the seven epistles in his work entitled, "Heavenly places'' which we will set forth below.

A.Ephesians The dispensation of the Mystery made known to and through the Apostle, as the prisoner of Jesus Christ.

B. Philippians Bishops and Deacons; Prize of the high calling; Work out . . . salvation; Try the things that differ.

C. Colossians The dispensation of the Mystery, and similar teaching to Ephesians with warning added concerning the prize. Personal exhibition of truth.

D. Philemon

Teaching having personal regard to individual servants with respect to work of administration while the new teaching was being established.

A. 1 Timothy

The Mystery of Godliness; Bishops and Deacons appointed; Special instructions in view of the great dispensational change.

B. Titus

Bishops appointed to maintain the truth against Judaistic opposition. The truth which is after godliness.

C. 2 Timothy

No Bishops or Deacons; Intensely individual. The Crown; Right Division; Opposers of the Truth.

THE SALUTATION

"PauI, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the FAITHFUL in Christ Jesus.. Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. '' 1 .1-2.

The Apostle Paul is the writer of this epistle and he says so in the salutation of the letter. Paul is writing this to the saved at Ephesus. AIl the saved are saints; "saints'' means set apart ones. You don't wait until after you are dead for some church to make you a saint. This epistle is of necessity addressed to the saved and not only that, it is addressed to the FAITHFUL. There is a big difference between being a saint and being a FAITHFUL saint. Remember that all the saved are "Saints'' but not all the saints are "FAITHFUL''. The word FAITHFUL means "believing what God has said.''

This letter is addressed to the saints , but more in particular to the ones who will believe the latest revelation from the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. You have many people who are saints but don't believe the latest revelation that we have from God. The Lord would have us understand and believe the latest TRUTH we have from Him. A FAITHFUL saint believes the latest report that he has heard from God. Now "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing (cometh) BY THE WORD OF GOD." (Rom. 10:17).

The Apostle Paul, as the "prisoner of Jesus Christ for the Gentiles'', has a special revelation that is connected with him as the Lord's prisoner. This special revelation given to Paul after Israel is set aside is called Paul's "prison ministry.'' It is while he is in prison that the RISEN-ASCENDED- GLORIFIED Lord Jesus Christ gives the latest revelation to Paul the Apostle. HE reveals to him a most carefully hidden secret. This secret, called "the Mystery'', has been hid in God. God the Father had kept a secret and had not made it known until He gave it to Paul the prisoner by special revelation. Paul calls this special revelation "the testimony of the Lord's prisoner'' in 2 Tim. 1:8. He tells Timothy not to be ashamed of this testimony. In PLAINER WORDS, the testimony for PRESENT TRUTH is to be found in the epistles written BY PAUL THE PRISONER, not Paul the free man. However don't misunderstand.

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine,for reproof for correction, and for instruction in righteousness.'' (2 Tim. 3:16)

Present truth for the church which is "His body the fullness of Him that filleth all in all'' is found in this peculiar cluster of epistles we call the prison epistles. The FAITHFUL believe what is heard from God, not just that which is written for other ages and dispensations but those who believe that which was written by the Lord's prisoner. The PRISONER of the Lord is the chosen vessel to make known God's secret purpose. It is in the epistle to the Ephesians that this secret, the Mystery, is made known. The high truth concerning the Church of the One Body is explained and revealed here. The FAITHFUL recognize Paul's distinctive ministry as the great revelator of God's secret purpose. That is, the purpose that God had planned before the world began, before any promises were made to any of the "fathers''. It is only the faithful who will believe PRESENT TRUTH. That's why Paul addresses this to the saints at Ephesus and the FAITHFUL IN CHRIST JESUS.

As he always does, he bestows the blessings of "Grace, and peace'' to the readers of this epistle. Grace is, of course, the main characteristic of Paul's ministry. In Eph. 3:2, Paul says that "the dispensation of the GRACE OF GOD is given me to you-ward''. So, since God's administration of HIS program of GRACE was given to Paul to explain, it is natural that Paul opens his epistles with that famous salutation of his - GRACE BE TO YOU AND PEACE from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. You might notice that Grace and Peace has God the Father as the originator and source and this GRACE and PEACE comes through and flows out from The Lord Jesus Christ. There is no grace or peace apart from being in Christ. The unsaved have no peace with God; they are at enmity with God, but after being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1). Those that have peace with God can also have the peace of God (Phi1. 4:7).

After The Present Age Of Grace

After The  Present Age of Grace 

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The last recorded event of divine history, with the exception of Paul writing his last seven epistles, is the record found in Acts 28:25-28 of the Apostle Paul judicial pronouncement of Israel’s blindness. Since that time, for over 2,000 years, there has been no fulfillment of prophecy. Prophetically, it is as if time has stood still. The chief characteristic of this present administration could be summed up in the phrase—THE SILENCE OF GOD. During this present interlude, He has not spoken, nor has He inspired any writings. He is not actively engaged in the affairs of mankind. He does not mete out punishment upon the wicked, nor does He reward the righteous. However, He is active in administering a magnificent attribute of His, which is GRACE! However, the time is running-out on the “Clock-of-Grace.”

When the current Administration of Grace ends, Christ Jesus will bring about a New World Order which will be centered in the Kingdom of God. He will usher in a Divine arrangement in which every wrong will be made right. He will begin repopulating the world in which every human being will acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:11). This repopulation will be achieved, mostly, by means of resurrection of the righteous dead as well as “depopulation” of the living wicked who fail to submit to God’s Government and righteous rule. This is not referring to the “rapture” or “2nd Coming.”

The present kingdom of darkness will be replaced by the Kingdom of God’s Dear Son when Christ judges the living and the dead (II Tim. 4:1). This is the next prophetic scriptural event which is to occur in which Christendom seems to unashamedly ignore.

“I am conjuring you in the sight of God and Christ Jesus, Who is about to be judging the living and the dead, in accord with His advent (Epiphaneia) and His kingdom (basileia)”

2 Timothy 4:1 clearly, and unambiguously, sets forth the fact that Christ Jesus begins to review, among the dead, everyone who has ever lived, from Adam until the Appearing (epipahniea) takes place. By this review, critique, or more correctly, by this adjudication, He will determine who will qualify to live during His Kingdom Reign and who will continue to remain dead until the great white throne judgment. This determination will also be made among all of the living at that time this event is to occur. Only those who He deems worthy will enter the Pre-Millennial Kingdom of God. And, concerning the dead, only those who He deems worthy will live again in resurrection during this time. As I’ve said, the dead who are rejected remain dead until later judgment. One such example of a believer who would remain dead would be the malefactor who requested of Jesus to “remember me in your kingdom”. Because the kingdom had not been available to Gentiles until the door was opened to Cornelius, Jesus promise him a place in “paradise”. I believe this “paradise” to be the new heaven and earth of Revelation 21 NOT the new heaven and earth of the restoration of Israel (Isaiah 65 &66). Seeourstudy“TheNewHeavenandNewEarth”underthe“KingdomofGodStudies”

site.

Those among the “living” who are unbelieving and, otherwise, disqualified will not be permitted to live under this New World Order. Thus, the Appearing/advent and Kingdom will bring about an evil-free planet-earth.

However, over time, as the earth’s population generates offspring, Satan will begin to produce his spiritual progeny from among some of the original inhabitants. Thus, he sows “tares” among the “wheat,” (see the Parable in Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43) and our study “A Misunderstood Parable” on the “Kingdom of God Studies” section of our site.

We will focus on how God repopulates the earth by means of resurrections when He begins to judge the living and the dead at His Appearing and His Kingdom. The context of this repopulation is found in 1 Corinthians 15:20-23.

“20 But now is CHRIST risen from the dead, and become THE FIRSTFRUITS of them that slept.

21”For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

22 “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

23 “But every man in his own order: CHRIST the FIRSTFRUITS (those sleeping); afterward they that are Christ's at his Parousia or appearing.

In verse twenty, the Apostle Paul uses “the firstfruit” as a figure from the Law of Moses and applies it to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ therefore verse twenty addresses the resurrection of Christ. In many other translations, Christ becoming “the firstfruits” (plural) of them that slept” seems peculiar to the English ear; inasmuch as, His resurrection was singular, not plural, as “firstfruits” would seem to indicate. Other “fruits” were not raised from the dead along with Him. The Concordant Translation clarifies this point in vs. 20 but completely confuses the matter of the “each in his own class” of vs. 23.

His resurrection was the “first of its kind.” The rest of its kind will come about when “every man [is vivified] in his own order” as verse twenty-three states. The idea of Christ’s resurrection being the first of its kind is substantiated by the Old Testament phrase, “the first of the firstfruits.”

“The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God.” (Exodus 23:19; & 34:26).

According to Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament, the word translated as “first” is the Hebrew word, “re’shiyth,” which means, “the first of its kind.” This certainly describes the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ as found in verse 20

The crucial point to understand is that the rest of the “firstfruits” were left asleep, or in the state of death when the Lord Jesus was raised. These are to be Christ’s firstfruits of verse 23 who will be the “firstfruits” of resurrection when the Pre-Parousia/Pre-Millennial Kingdom of God is ushered in.

So, we have established the fact that verse 20 deals with the resurrection of Christ Himself. What most people miss, is the fact that there are TWO CLASSES of resurrections mentioned in verse 23. They are separate and distinct. Neither of them have a reference to the resurrection of Jesus Christ since He had already been mentioned in verse 20 as being raised as “the first of the Firstfruits.” So let’s examine verse 23.

The subject of verse 23 is dealing with “Yet each [man] in his own class”

Class 1: “Christ the firstfruits”: This class of resurrections are those who are sleeping and raised each in his own class or order.

Class 2: Are “thereupon [those who are] Christ’s in His presence (Parousia) at the conclusion of the Pre- Millennial Kingdom era who are most likely the martyrs of the tribulation period.

“Each man” certainly does not apply to the Lord Jesus. He is not included. It refers to each man who is to be made alive and who will live during the Kingdom. Some translations say “each man in his own order”. The word for “order” is “tagma” (NT:5001). According to Thayer’s Lexicon, tagma is a military term “for a body of soldiers, a corps, hence, a band, troop, class.

Paul specifies several distinct bands, or classes of those raised from the dead in 1 Corinthians 15:23. Jesus Christ cannot be in this “class.” Therefore, to equate “Christ the firstfruit” as Christ’s Own resurrection is not logically consistent with the meaning of the text. However, this is the standard interpretation of “Christ the firstfruits” in verse 23.

The Interlinear Bible – New Testament discloses that the word, “the,” was not in the Greek text. It was added by the translators. If the phrase was literally translated, it would read, “Christ firstfruit.”

TWO CLASSIFICATIONS OF RESURRECTIONS

“Christ’s firstfruits,” is not raised all at once. When the Kingdom comes, every man who qualifies to be raised in resurrection will be made alive in his own order. Every man will belong to a God reckoned “class.” The Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary states that the Greek for “order” is “rank,” or “regiment.” So, according to this commentary, it will be “Every man in his own rank, or regiment.” This begins an orderly succession of resurrections as if in military precision. It will not be a general resurrection, but it will be each man in his own order, or rank, or regiment, or troop. They will live under the Government of the Lord Jesus Christ as He rules from heaven. Therefore, we see that there will be a series of resurrections. How many? We are not told. Over how long a period of time will this class of resurrections continue? We are not told this either. But, the “Firstfruits Classification” of resurrections will be early-on in the Kingdom of God. See endnotes [1]

The second classification is ─ those who are Christ’s at His Parousia [2nd Coming]. Their resurrection will be at the conclusion of the Kingdom—that is, the Consummation of the Kingdom when Christ will be physically “present” on the earth during the 1,000 years.

Of course, when Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, the Ecclesia, which is His Body was not yet revealed or in view. The truth of the present administration of the Secret as outlined in Ephesians and Colossians had been concealed in God from the eons and generations. For the sake of this study, we will not consider our relationship to the resurrections, as found here in detail, other than to say that we will be changed, or made alive as per Philippians 3:11 as we relate to a prior, or out-resurrection—exanastasis. Listen to my audio entitled “Is The Resurrection of Today’s Calling Unique.”

The believers to whom Paul wrote during the Acts of the Apostles understood many things which present day dispensationalists don’t. One thing being; they knew what their hope was. Their expectation was the coming of the Kingdom of God, not the Parousia of Jesus Christ (the 2nd Coming). He will not return until long after His Kingdom has been established in the earth and Israel is established as a great nation over all the earth. The next line will illustrate the two Classes of resurrections.

Each in his own order ─── Interval during the Kingdom ─── Christ’s at His Parousia

The consummation of the Kingdom (Matthew 24:3) will be the return of Jesus Christ (i.e. the Parousia). Then, the “afterward” of 1 Corinthians 15:23 comes into play; “thereupon those who are Christ’s at His Presence (Parousia).

“Thereupon” means after a long duration of time under the rule of Jesus Christ FROM HEAVEN, He will vivify those who were martyred “in Christ” during the Kingdom era. This occurs when He returns {i.e., His Parousia]. Those who will die “in Christ” during the Kingdom era will be the ones who will have suffered martyrdom at the hands of the warring rebels, to wit, the forces of the anti-christ. The martyr’s loved ones’ who are “surviving” should sorrow not because their loved ones will rise, again, at the Parousia of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thess. 4:15-17).

“For this we are saying to you by the word of the Lord, that we, THE LIVING, who are SURVIVING to the presence (Parousia) of the Lord, should by no means outstrip those who are put to repose (martyrs) for the Lord Himself will be descending from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the Chief Messenger, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead (martyrs) in Christ shall be rising first, Thereupon we, the living who are SURVIVING, shall at the same time be snatched away together with them in clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. And thus shall we always be together with the Lord."

Think about this for a moment. If the “each in his own class” resurrections of I Corinthians 15:23 doesn’t occur well before the "2nd coming", then when will “each man” be made alive in “his own class”? These classes (plural) have to be before the “presence” or 2nd Coming. There is nothing in the Bible to suggest that 1 Corinthians 15:51-54, or 1 Thessalonians 4:16 refer to an ORDERLY SUCCESSION of resurrections at Christ’s Parousia. In fact, 1 Corinthians 15:52 says that it will be in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. This is only 1 of the multiple “classes”.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 and I Corinthians 15:51-52 describe the same resurrection “at His presence”

(parousia).

I Thessalonians 4:16-17 “For the Lord Himself will be descending from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the Chief Messenger, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead (martyrs) in Christ shall be rising first, Thereupon we, the living who are SURVIVING, shall at the same time be snatched away together with them in clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. And thus shall we always be together with the Lord."

I Cor. 15:51-52 “Lo! a secret to you am I telling! We all, indeed, shall not be put to repose, yet we all shall be changed, in an instant, in the twinkle of an eye, at the last trump. For He will be trumpeting, and the dead will be roused incorruptible, and we shall be changed."

The above two verses do not describe every man being made alive, in his own order, as 1 Corinthians 15:23 does.

In this 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, we have a historical account (verse 20) of Christ Himself being raised out-from- among the dead in 29 A. D. Then, we have a prophetic mention of the resurrections of “Christ’s anointed firstfruits,” then, many years “thereupon,” “they that are Christ’s at His Coming [Parousia],” verse 23. Think about it, if the expectation of today is a resurrection of Christ’s “2nd Coming” as Christendom supposes, then when did the “each in his own order” occur?

All of this has been said in order to point out that, according to God’s Word, there will be Pre-Parousia resurrections which will repopulate the earth for the Kingdom of God. The Ecclesia, which is His Body (Eph. 1:22-23), will not be part of the each in his own class resurrections of Christ’s Firstfruits, even though some teachers think so. We will be graced with a prior and more excellent resurrection, that is, one that is more noble in distinction and character than that of the Firstfruits Resurrection of previous administrations and dispensations of God. (The resurrections of the present Ecclesia of His body will be associated with Paul’s resurrection as mentioned in Philippians 3:11).

Appear In Glory

Friday, August 25, 2006

PLAINER WORDS … SLEEPING CHRISTIANS AWAKE!

“But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: ‘Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’” (Eph. 5:13-14) NIV.

We believe it is high time for Christians to face the facts of Scripture. The next MAJOR PROPHETIC EPISODE to take place is “His Appearing and His Kingdom” (2 Tim. 4:1). Evangelical Christians of all stripes, and this includes dispensationalists, have clung to the false claim that the 2nd Coming of Christ is the next event on the Biblical calendar. O sleeper, arise, and Christ shall give you light.

The word, “appearing,” is from the Greek word “epiphaneia.” The Holy Spirit searched the words of man and selected “epiphaneia” to describe the event that will end the Dispensation of the Mystery. Now, if that is the word the Spirit of Truth chose to use in Holy Writ to explain to us how the “Age of Grace” is to end, then we should acknowledge it. When this present dispensation ends, we, the members of the Church over which Christ Jesus is the Head, will enter into our inheritance and glory. The idea of His “Epiphaneia” (His Appearing) should be forefront in our hearts and minds. Why? Because, if we LOVE HIS APPEARING (EPIPHANEIA), the Lord, the Righteous Judge, will give us, along with Paul, “a crown of righteousness” (2 Tim. 4:8) on the Day of His Epiphany.

There is not an English word equivalent to the Greek word—“Epiphaneia.” The Greeks believed in their “mythological” gods. The other day we counted one-hundred-six of their gods, by name, as they were listed on a website. The Greeks believed the gods to be active in the affairs of men. The Greeks believed that the gods would, at certain times, “miraculously” come down from heaven to help them; they called this intervention an “EPIPHANEIA.” This word is translated as “APPEARING” in our Bible.

The Apostle Paul solemnly warned us that in the “last days” of the Dispensation of the Mystery, “perilous times shall come” (2 Tim. 3:1). The world will be supernaturally delivered from the perilous, fierce, and dangerous times by the Appearing” (“Epiphaneia”) of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. Not by His 2nd Coming, this comes approximately 700 years after His “Epiphaneia.”

Our English word, “Epiphany,” comes from the Greek, “Epiphaneia.”

The rescue of the world from the “perilous times” ushers in the “Kingdom of God.” The Lord Jesus Christ will then reign over the earth from Heaven’s Throne for hundreds of years [perhaps, as many as seven-hundred years].

It will be after the long duration of the Pre-Parousia Kingdom of God that the faithful in the world will begin to look for, and anticipate, the PROMISED COMING of Christ. This Coming is the “Parousia” of Christ. The “Parousia” is the word used for the 2nd Coming of Christ. He comes to earth to be present on the Throne of David in Jerusalem and to rule and reign for one-thousand years.

Various lexicons and dictionaries have the following to say about the word, “epiphaneia:” it carries with it the meaning of a “blazing forth for a favorable intervention on behalf of man.” When the Greeks believed that the gods intervened on their behalf, they termed the event as an “Epiphaneia;” hence, an “Appearing.” One lexicon says, “the help-bringing appearing of gods.” Another says, “a miraculous interposition of God in behalf of His people.” Another states, “…this grand word was constantly employed to set forth these gracious appearances of higher powers in aid of men.”

In this light, a number of “Epiphanies” took place during the Book of Acts. Notice the Divine intervention in Acts 5:19-20, “But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them [the apostles] forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.”

Then, there was the Divine intervention in Acts 9 when the Lord Jesus appeared to Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus Road which resulted in his conversion or illumination. This was truly an extraordinary Epiphany.

Consider another Epiphany where we read in Acts 14:8-18 that Barnabas and Paul were in
Lystra. There was a man, who was a cripple from birth, listening to Paul testify. Paul noticed the man and commanded him: “Stand upright on thy feet.” The crippled man “leaped and walked” (v.10). When all of the people saw what Paul had done, “they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycanonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men” (v.11). It was an Epiphany (Epiphaneia) to those who witnessed the event because they imagined that the gods had favorably intervened on their behalf. In fact, they named Barnabas, “Jupiter,” and Paul, “Mercury.” Then, they set about to offer sacrifices to show their devotion to Barnabas and Paul.

Christian “sleepers” are comfortable believing that the FAR OFF “Parousia” of Christ is the next prophecy to be fulfilled. Will the sleepers’ folly “be manifest unto all men,” as was the folly of Jannes and Jambres (2 Tim. 3:7)? I’m afraid so!

The Christian world is certainly not expecting a sudden and dramatic intervention by Jesus Christ Who will deliver the world from its corruption, delusion, and deception.

“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, Who shall judge the quick and the dead at His Appearing (Epiphaneia) and His Kingdom;” (2 Tim. 4:1).

This brings us (the Church, Which is His Body) into our inheritance and signals the inauguration of the Kingdom of God as indicated by Ephesians 5:5.

Believers will be delivered from suffering persecution at the hands of evil men and seducers who shall grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived (2 Tim. 3:13). The Epiphany will be a sudden, dramatic, and colossal liberation of mankind, as well as, creation (Rom. 8:22).

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious Appearing (Epiphaneia) of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” (Titus 2:13).

The following cannot be stated often enough. It must be repeated over-and-over-again. The Dispensation of the Mystery ends when Jesus Christ suddenly and spectacularly intervenes in a blaze of glory on behalf of mankind; this is the Epiphany ─ the one we live looking for. It ushers in the Kingdom of God. This blazing forth is the unveiling of Christ Jesus (this is not His 2nd Coming). This event can happen at any moment; no prophecy needs to be fulfilled. It will come suddenly, dramatically, and God will make it plain to every human being upon earth, tribesmen in the jungle, professors and students of the great universities, and Hindus and Muslims exactly Who Jesus Christ is, and what He is, in the estimation of God, the Father. This is the knowledge which God will force upon every man; so-much-so that it becomes standard knowledge for mankind.

The Epiphany, Christ’s favorable intervention, results in everyone, the living and the dead, confessing that Jesus Christ is the Lord to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:10-11, Rom. 14:19, Isa. 45:23). It is the signal for the Church, which is His Body to officially convene. We, as members of His High Calling, will have our vile bodies fashioned like unto His glorious body. With this transformation, we will assume our appointed stations of exalted service in the majestic Dynasty of Christ Jesus as He begins to govern the world from His Heavenly Throne.

“Wherefore He saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise” (Eph. 5:14-15).

The wise walk differentiating between the Epiphany and the Parousia. Let’s be wise walkers, not foolish sleepers!


Tom L. Ballinger

Does The Believer Go Right To Heaven At Death?

THE DYING MALEFACTOR - The Interpretation of Luke 23:43

In order to conform to the accuracy of Scripture, this study has been given the title of "The Dying Malefactor," and not "The Dying Thief" as he is commonly designated in song and sermon. There are very good Biblical reasons for believing that five men died at Calvary on the day our Lord was crucified: two thieves, two malefactors, and the man Christ Jesus. Medieval painters did not want to crowd their pictures, so two were eliminated from the crucifixion scene, and this more than anything else has led to the view that only two others were crucified with our Lord. However, if any should disagree and think that only two others died that day, I will not press my view. I will simply warn them that there are numerous discrepancies and difficulties to be faced if they hold to the traditional theory. The Companion Bible (Bullinger) deals with this matter in a masterful way in Appendix No. 164. I refer all objectors to this excellent treatise.

Since the number who died at Calvary is not the subject of this study we can pass over this question for now. The deaths of the others, whether two or four, have no direct relationship to us, but the death of One did. We know and believe "that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:3). But we must not ignore the fact that a certain important dialogue took place on that day when one of the malefactors turned to the Lord Jesus and said: "Lord remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom," and to this request he received the assuring answer: "Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise" (Luke 23:43).

The reader is asked to note that the passage above has been quoted and punctuated exactly as it appears in the King James Version. Throughout the history of Christendom millions have come upon this passage, done some rough and ready reckoning in regard to this statement, then come to the crude conclusion that the Lord told this dying malefactor that on that very day he would be with Him in heaven. Following this line of thought these conclusions are projected and enlarged to make them say that when a forgiven one dies he is instantly ushered into the presence of God in the place called heaven. However, this deduction is reached without any consideration at all being given to plain and forceful statements made in Scripture which would flatly contradict and set aside such a conclusion.

For example, the Lord Jesus emphatically declared: "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (Matt. 12:40). Since it is my firm belief, and I judge that most believers will agree, that this prophecy was fulfilled to the letter in the time between the Lord’s death and His resurrection from the state of death, then for three days and three nights He was "in the heart of the earth" and not in paradise or in heaven. Therefore, if one believes the fact declared in Matt. 12:40, he cannot believe that our Lord at the moment of His death "took the malefactor by the hand and led him into the presence of God in heaven," as some are inclined to describe it.

The plain declaration of Scripture forces me to believe that our Lord was in "the heart of the earth" from the moment of His death until the moment when God raised Him from the dead. However, we must not think of "the heart of the earth" as being a place somewhere inside of this planet. "In the heart of" is in Scripture a figure of speech, an idiom, which means to be one with a thing, a part of it, the same as it, or identified with it. In fact this is what happens to anyone that dies. It is even as the Lord said to Adam: "For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" (Gen. 3:19). Therefore, when we read in Scripture that Christ died, that He was buried, and that He rose again on the third day, let us stand ready to believe this without hesitation (1 Cor. 15:3).

It should also be noted that after His resurrection the Lord Jesus declared to Mary Magdalene that He had not yet ascended to His Father (John 20:17). Then she was told to go to His brethren and say to them: "I ascend unto My Father, and to your Father; and to My God, and your God." And yet if we accept the reading as it stands in the KJV, He would be with His Father that day "in the paradise." The definite article is in the Greek.

Facts such as these which are pertinent and plain demand that the careful student who has a love for the truth should explore every possible facet and seek diligently for the true meaning of the promise made by our Lord to the dying malefactor. And if the search is honest, we must admit the possibility that the Lord did not say and did not mean that the malefactor would be in "the paradise" with Him on that very day.

In response to the above statement, some are sure to cry out: "But, how can these words have any other meaning?" Those who ask this question fail to realize that in the Greek language in which the New Testament was written there were no punctuation marks — no periods, no commas, no question marks, or any other such sign that are so familiar and important in all that we write today. Therefore all punctuation marks in the Bible must be inserted by the translator and thus they are a matter of interpretation and not of translation. In the passage we are considering the meaning of our Lord’s promise depends entirely on the placement of the comma. If it is placed before the words "today" it can only mean that the Lord and the malefactor would be present together in "the paradise" on that day. But if we place it after the words "today" it means that the words were spoken on that day, but no definite time is set as to when they would be together.

Of course there are those who declare that our Lord would not have said, "I say unto you today;" for if the Lord said anything at all it was evident to all who heard that He was saying it then and there, on that day, and they did not need to be told this. My personal friend Harry A. Ironside belabored this point to the extreme and found much pleasure in laying it upon any who suggested that the comma belonged after the words "today." I do not believe he ever considered how the words "this day" or "today" were used throughout the Old Testament. These words were a Hebraism which were used regularly on occasions when the matter declared was exceedingly solemn and important. Here we have one Hebrew, the Lord Jesus, speaking to another Hebrew, using an idiom that was common to both. We will consider some pertinent examples.

"Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart" Deu.4:39.

"Thou shalt keep therefore His statutes, and His commandments which I command thee this day." Deu. 4:40.

"Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, which I command thee this day, to do them." Deu. 7:11.

"All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe and do" Deu. 8:1.

"I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish" Deu. 8:19.

"Which I command thee this day." Deu. 10:13.

"Behold I set before you this day a blessing and a curse." Deu.11:26.

"Therefore I command thee this thing today" Deu. 15:15.

"Wherefore I take you to record this day" Acts 20:26.

"I shall answer for myself this day." Acts 26:2.

It is vain therefore for men to argue that our Lord would not have said, "Verily I say unto you today," and have been speaking of the day on which the words were spoken. The same idiom is found too many times in the inspired Old Testament for anyone to say that our Lord would have been using "a vain and foolish platitude" as a recent writer has declared. This idiom has its parallel in almost every language. I recently heard one man say to another: "I am telling you right now that you will regret it if you take this step."

It has not been my purpose in this study to deal with the meaning of paradise. The word means a garden in the sense of a formal garden, a park. When the Lord caused the dry land to appear as recorded in Gen. 1:9-12 it seems that the land mass was designated as Eden in contrast with the planet which was called Earth. In Genesis 2:8 we are told that the Lord God planted a garden (a paradise) eastward in Eden and there He put the man whom He had formed. In Gen. 2:15 we are further told that "The Lord God took the man, and put him in the garden (paradise) of Eden to dress it and keep it." Many centuries later we are told: "For the Lord shall comfort Zion: He will comfort all her waste places; and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden (paradise) of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody" (Isa.51:3).

The word paradise has numerous applications. It is applied to the new earth which follows the Kingdom of God and the thousand years of Christ’s personal presence. This is the paradise to which Paul was caught away and which he equated with the third heaven, which are:-

the heavens of old,

the heavens which are now, and

the new heavens (2 Peter 3:5-13).

However, the context of Luke 23:43 relates the paradise promised there to the kingdom of Christ. The request of the malefactor was: "Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom." And in answer the Lord promised him a place with Him in the paradise of His kingdom, the one spoken of in Isa. 51:3, even the land of Israel, in that day when the joy of the whole earth will be mount Zion.

Let us ever remember that on the blackest day the universe has ever known, on the day when even His beloved disciples had forsaken Him, when one had betrayed Him and another had denied Him three times with an oath, yet on that day one man had faith enough in Him to make a request in regard to the future. Yes, on that black day, the darkest the world had ever known, our Lord said to the malefactor:

Verily, I say unto you TODAY, thou shalt be with Me in paradise."

http://freespace.virgin.net/geo.morris/sb104.htm

God Will Have Divine Intervention

Divine Intervention Promised

We have a definite promise from God that "when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him" (Isa. 59:19). The result of this divine invasion of the earth by the Spirit of God will be that men will fear the Name of the Lord from the west to the east.

If there ever were a time in human history when the enemies of truth, righteousness, and Godliness have come in like a flood, it is the time in which we now live. In view of this abounding iniquity, those who believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God have every right to believe that God will intervene, inject Himself into the flow of history, and turn that flow unto Himself. This is our hope; this is our only hope; this is the last best hope of mankind. God will not fail. He will do what He has promised.

One of the great lost truths of the Bible is that God has the most definite plans to invade the earth by His Spirit, to occupy the earth by His Spirit, and to establish and maintain His order upon the earth by means of His Spirit. The first of these is declared in Isa. 59:19. The second is stated in Joel 2:28 and Acts 2:17. The third is declared in John 16:7-8.

All this is accomplished through Jesus Christ during His present session at the right hand of God in heaven. His enemies become His footstool while He is there (Heb. 1:13). It is the Spirit of the Lord that lifts up a standard against the forces of evil. This is done by a word from the Lord in heaven that in substance declares to all wicked men, "Stop — you shall go no further" (2 Tim. 3:9). God has promised to break the strength of evil and wicked men (Psa. 10:15), and to bring the wickedness of the wicked to an end (Psa. 7:9). These are remarkable promises, and it is a tragedy that very few know anything about them.

The promise of God that He will pour out of His Spirit upon all flesh (Joel 2:28, Acts 2:17) is one so great that it staggers the imagination. Very few who claim to believe what God says are able to bring themselves to believe this specific statement. Nevertheless, this is the way that God will invade the earth by His Spirit and occupy the earth by His Spirit. When this promise becomes a reality, then the great promise of Christ that the Spirit of God, acting as an Advocate (one positioned alongside to advise), will make the facts known to the world in regard to sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:7-8). It is then that a man will hear a voice behind him saying, "This is the way, walk ye in it, when he turns to the right hand, and when he turns to the left" (Isa. 30:21).

We can only pity those who see no work of God ahead for mankind except the blackness of tribulation and an imaginary Armageddon. God has made great and wonderful promises. These will be fulfilled to the letter.

Otis Q. Sellers

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Peace on Earth

Plainer Words Online

                                                       By

Tom L. Ballinger

December 18, 2012    

PLAINER WORDS ON … PEACE ON EARTH, GOOD WILL TOWARD MAN

    “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone  round about them: and they were sore afraid.  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city ofDavid a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men”(Luke 2:8-14).

   

   This passage of Scripture is largely ignored except at Christmas time. There are, however, profound truths embodied in the message delivered to the shepherds, beyond the fact that the Savior is born in the City of David.

   Encapsulated in the good tidings that were announced to the shepherds with great joy, it was “for all people,” not just for Israel. It was for every nation, kindred, tribe, and tongue.  After the initial announcement of the Angel of the Lord concerning the birth of the Savior, suddenly, there appeared a multitude of heavenly hosts (angels) saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

    This is the first New Testament announcement of the coming Kingdom of God. The Angel of the Lord and the multitude of heavenly hosts proclaimed the time in which the Lord, alone, would be exalted. The coming Day [the Day of Christ] will be when every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil.2:10-11). This refers to the time when the Kingdom of God becomes a reality in the earth.  The disciples were told to pray for this event, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matt.6:10). This magnificent Day follows the present Dispensation of Grace.

    When the Kingdom comes, Christ will assume sovereignty over the earth and will begin His manifest reign over the nations, and the affairs of mankind.  His Kingdom in the earth is not, now, in place.  However, one day it will be a reality.  When His will is done on the earth, there will be “peace on earth.” 

    Isaiah speaks of this peace in Verse 4 of Chapter 2, “And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”

    Micah says the same in 4:3; “And He shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."

    When the Kingdom comes, there will be “peace on earth.” Weapon systems will be destroyed. “Defense” contractors will turn their production facilities into that of producing plows and tractors. Military academies will be closed. Nations will no longer teach how to wage war. Universal peace will be the order of the day.  For two-thousand years, God has been displaying His grace to the world. He has not been exercising His government, or His judgments in the world. He has been dispensing Grace.  Wrongs will, one day, be addressed when His Kingdom comes. During the Dispensation of the Grace of God, He is not, overtly, manifesting His “good will toward men.”

    When the Pre-Millennial Kingdom of God actually comes into being in the earth, all mankind will know, without a doubt, that He is dispensing “good will toward men.” Acts 3:19-21 says, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.”       This tells us refreshing times, that is to say, exhilarating, invigorating, stimulating, and healthy times shall come from the presence or Face of the Lord, and all things shall be restored.  The world will be restored to a holy and happy state. It could be said; Paradise will be restored.

    Hunger and starvation will disappear. To this, the Prophets agree. God will cause the desert to rejoice, and “blossom like the rose” (Isa.35:1-2). Water shall break out in the wildernesses, and “streams in the desert” (Isa.35:6).  When the Lord exerts His regenerating power in the earth, the earth will yield her increase (Ezk.34:27).  Psalm 85:12 says, “Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.”

     In the astonishing passage of Amos 9:13, there is further evidence of God’s “good will toward men:” “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall over-take the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the  hills shall melt.” In plainer words, the earth will yield her increase year around. Food stuffs will abound.

    The animal kingdom will undergo a radical change as God demonstrates His “good will toward men.” Isaiah 11:6: “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid [young goat]: and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.”  The lion, in the Day of Christ, shall eat straw like the ox, and poisonous snakes and reptiles will no longer be a threat (Isa.11:6-7).

    Physical handicaps, birth defects, sicknesses, diseases, and plagues will disappear from the earth. Excellent health will be the standard. The blind shall see. The deaf shall hear. The tongue of the dumb shall sing. The crippled shall leap like a deer (Isa.35:5-6). Psalm 67:2 speaks of these benefits as, “Thy saving health among all nations.”

    Sorrows and sighing “shall flee away” (Isa.35:10). “...and the voice of weeping shall no more be heard... nor the voice of crying” (Isa.65:19).

    Another benefit for mankind will be that God will instantly answer prayer, “And it shall come to pass, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear” (Isa.65:24).

     “Good will” from God “toward men” will, also, be demonstrated during the times of “restitution of all things,” by Divine guidance and direction being given to men, “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left” (Isa.30:21).

     Mankind’s life span shall be greatly increased, much like that of the people prior to the universal flood of Noah's time. Isa.65:20-22:  “There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old  man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed... They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands” (Isa.65:21-22).

      These are the blessings of Heaven which mankind will enjoy upon the earth, when the Lord Jesus Christ begins to “judge the quick and the dead at His Appearing and Kingdom”                  (2 Tim. 4:1).

     The good news of the coming Pre-Millennial Kingdom of God is that the Lord Jesus Christ will bring all of His resources to bear for the benefit of mankind.

      The Christmas message will really be meaningful to those whose trust is in the Lord Jesus Christ, who live, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). When this happens, it will truly be peace on earth and the Lord will truly show good will toward men. Today, He shows only grace toward men. Thankfully, He is dispensing Grace, not Judgment. If it were judgment, Ephesians 2:8 would not be available to us; “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

(This Christmas essay by Tom Ballinger was first issued on Wednesday, November 19, 2003).

WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS

Tom and Gloria Ballinger

The Web site for our Bible Studies is: www.Plainerwords.com

Judgement By Fire

Judgment by fire. God's spiritual fire is for cleansing......

by Phillip Raper on Monday, June 6, 2011 at 7:49pm ·

Believers are being tried and judged BY FIRE according to HOW we are living. What fire? God's fire. God's "CONSUMING [spiritual] FIRE" (Heb. 12:29)! God is SPIRIT and likewise His fire is SPIRIT. I have never heard a minister or teacher preach on the good and beneficial side of God's FIRE. Fire is usually portrayed as bringing about pain, evil, and destruction. Since God is GOOD (Luke 18:19), and God is SPIRIT (John 4:24), and God is INVISIBLE (Col. 1:15), why does the church teach the world that God as a CONSUMING FIRE (Heb. 12:29) is visible and not invisible, literal and not spiritual, and bad rather than good?

 

For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones [valuable traits of Godly spiritual character] wood, hay, stubble [carnal traits of no value]; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because IT SHALL BE REVEALED BY FIRE; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is" 1 Cor. 3:10

 

Every thought, every word, and every deed that proceeds out of the heart and mind of man is his "WORKS." And every thought, every word, and every deed of man will come into the judgment of Almighty God's "CONSUMING FIRE." Notice that it is both our things of great value: "gold, silver, precious stones," and our things of no value: "wood, hay, stubble" that are tried in the fire, God's Consuming Fire. Every person possesses knowledge, therefore, every person is a combination of both good and evil (for knowledge can only be a combination of both good and evil knowledge).

 

"Now if any man build upon this [spiritual] foundation [Christ] gold, silver, precious stones [godly character traits], wood, hay, stubble [carnal character traits]; Every man's work [thoughts, words, and deeds] shall be made manifest [become known, come to light]: for the day shall declare it [make it evident], because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is" (I Cor. 3:12-13).

 

The fire in these verses is no more literal than are the gold or stubble suggested as building materials. People do not construct large buildings out of gold, neither do they set them on fire after completion to see how well they will fare. This is all figurative and symbolic language to instruct us in much higher spiritual development. We are not literaI gardens of God neither are we literal buildings of God. But we are like gardens in certain ways—we are to produce good spiritual fruit. We are like buildings in certain ways—we are to be a spiritual dwelling place for God. We have works that are like gold and silver in certain ways—we have thoughts, words, and deeds of good and lasting value. We also have carnal and evil works—bad thoughts, crass words, and evil deeds that are of no lasting value and are only fit for destruction. Only God's SPIRITUAL FIRE can burn away spiritual wickedness and evils of the heart.

 

All of these material items are used as symbols of spiritual things. Therefore, of necessity, the fire that tries these material symbols is also SPIRITUAL. It is not possible to burn up with fire an inanimate character flaw without burning up the person who harbors it. Likewise, it is not possible to purge and purify the good qualities of character in a person with literal fire without burning up the individual that possesses them. But spiritual fire, God's all consuming, purging and purifying fire is perfectly suited to do just that. This trying and purging is not always pleasant, however, it is not a torture chamber either. Does this fire harm the physical person being purged in this fire? No, our merciful and graceful loving God and Father does not eternally torture humanity IN fire, but rather eternally saves humanity BY fire.

 

Let's read it and rejoice:

 

"Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he has built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but HE HIMSELF SHALL BE SAVED; YET SO AS BY FIRE" (1 Cor. 3:13-15).

 

NO ONE is tortured, killed, or annihilated in this fire! This fire of God SAVES people who go through it! There is salvation BY means of this fire. This fire is part of God's judgment and grace!

 

So 1 Cor. 3 cannot completely answer all that is contained within its verses without the aid of the ONLY other such Scripture in the Bible, Rev. 20. And Rev. 20 cannot completely answer all that is contained within its verses without the aid of the ONLY other such Scripture in the Bible, 1 Cor. 3!

 

Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 2: 12-13 that,

 

"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. Which things also we speak [in only twelve more verses Paul Himself speaks of just such spiritual things concerning the judgment of men's works in fire] not in the words which man's wisdom teaches [not the same physical torture in physical fire taught by the foolish understanding of the church] but which the Holy Spirit teaches; COMPARING [OR MATCHING] SPIRITUAL THINGS WITH SPIRITUAL."

 

By comparing these two spiritually matched Scriptures with one another we can come to the truth of God's intention for BOTH of these fires that judge and try EVERY MAN'S WORK in their own order.

 

The fire of 1 Cor. 3 accomplishes the very same thing as the fire of Rev. 20 accomplishes. Both of these fires are symbolic. Literal fire does not burn up inanimate flaws (wood, straw and stubble) of human character. But AS literal fire does burn up literal wood, straw and stubble, SO ALSO does God's spiritual fire burn up human character flaws. We are not told of this "wood, straw and stubble" in the lake of fire, nor of the "gold, silver and precious stones." We learn from I Cor. 3 that this is the case with the lake of fire also because these two sets of Scripture are the ONLY spiritual match in the entirety of the Bible. And just as we learn new things and additional things about the lake of fire in 1 Cor. 3, we also learn something new and different in Rev. 20:10 that is not mentioned in 1 Cor. 3.

 

In this lake of fire of Rev. 20 we find a most unusual thing--brimstone. BRIMSTONE? OH NO! NOT BRIMSTONE! Isn't this lake of fire going to be painful enough without adding "brimstone?" First we learn from Christendom that the non-believers and wicked will be tortured for all eternity in literal white-hot fire, and now we read in the Scriptures that there is going to be BRIMSTONE in this lake of fire! Whose idea is it to add brimstone to this fire? Is this a cruel curse from Satan? That doesn't seem plausible seeing that this is GOD'S WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT, and not Satan's BLACK THRONE JUDGMENT. But why then would God be putting this cursed brimstone into this fire? Wait a minute... Maybe the brimstone isn't a cruel curse from God, but rather a marvelous blessing. Is that possible? With God all things are possible.

 

What is brimstone anyway? Everything in the book of Revelation is "signified" (SYMBOLIZED). We know that there is literal fire and there is spiritual fire; and there is literal brimstone, but is there also spiritual brimstone? Ask any nominal Christian why there is brimstone in the lake of fire, and he will probably tell you that it is there to make the fire hotter and more painful. Oh really? Is there something about brimstone that is caustic to the skin that would cause great pain? Does brimstone somehow cause fire to burn hotter and hotter? Does brimstone make the flesh hotter? Or is it corrosive material that eats away at the skin and flesh thus causing even more intense insane pain. The very sound of the word brimstone has come to represent something Satanic. Nothing could be further or diametric opposite from reality. Look up the word "brimstone" in any dictionary and you will find it defined as "sulfur." Brimstone is sulfur. What then are the properties and uses of sulfur? I have known the Scriptural meaning and uses of sulfur for a long time, but I had never looked up the word sulfur in my Encyclopedia Britannica before—what a revelation.

 

SULFUR: "It is often called brimstone (burning stone) and ignited sulfur is mentioned in the earlier records of many countries as having been used for religious ceremonies, for PURIFYING (fumigating) buildings and for bleaching cloth" (Encyclopedia Britannica, page 536d). Gee, I wonder if spiritual brimstone might be used to PURIFY and fumigate people and bleach their darkened hearts to a bright white? Under the caption: "Methods of Production—Ancient producers described their method of obtaining sulfur from its ore as PURIFICATION BY FIRE" (Page 537a)."Purification by fire." That sounds very Biblical. Does God "purify" good and wonderful things by "fire?" Yes, He does: The WORDS of the Lord are pure words: as silver [silver? Isn't the silver qualities of our character also tried in 'fire,' I Cor. 3:12-13?] tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times" (Psalm 12:6). Now we all know that the very "words" of God are not burned in a literal fire. But "AS" silver is tried in literal fire, so SPIRITUALLY God's words are tried in spiritual fire.

 

But surely, according to what we have been told by doomsday prophets of eternal hell, sulfur must cause great torturing pain when brought into contact with human skin, and wouldn't the smell alone be enough to suffocate all in its presence? Continuing: "Physical Properties—Sulfur is TASTELESS and ODORLESS. IT HAS NO ACTION ON THE SKIN" (Page 537d)!

 

So maybe it's just the heat that is intensified by the use of sulfur, and that is its purpose in the lake of fire—to increase the intensity of the fire's heat to cause more insane pain? Continuing: "Physical Properties—Sulfur is A POOR CONDUCTOR OF BOTH HEAT and electricity..." (Page 538a)! Imagine that—a POOR CONDUCTOR OF HEAT! Theoretically, if God were to put enough brimstone into the lake of fire it would protect those in the fire like an asbestos suit! Are you beginning to see the sheer folly in the church's teaching that the lake of fire and brimstone are literal? I sure hope so.

 

Let me give you some scriptural use of figurative fire.

 

"His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes were as a flame of FIRE" (Rev. 1:14). 

 

"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes though it be tarried with FIRE, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:7).

 

"And the tongue is a FIRE..." (James 3:6).

 

"And of the angels He says, Who makes His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of FIRE" (Heb. 1:7).

 

"Every man's work shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by FIRE; and the FIRE shall try every man's work of what sort it is" (1 Cor. 3:13).

 

"For our God is a consuming FIRE" (Heb. 12:29).

 

"Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing you shall heap coals of FIRE on his head" (Rom. 12:20).

 

"John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I comes, the latchet of Whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with FIRE" (Luke 3:16).

 

"For EVERY ONE shall be salted with FIRE, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt" (Mark 9:49).

 

"But who may abide the day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appears? For He is like a REFINER'S FIRE, and like fullers' SOAP" (Malachi 3:2).

 

"...for all the earth shall be devoured with the FIRE of my jealousy" (Zeph. 3:8).

 

"For in My jealousy and in the FIRE of My wrath have I spoken" (Ezek. 38;19).

 

"From above has He sent FIRE into my bones..." (Lamentations 1:13).

 

"Is not My word like as a FIRE? saith the Lord" (Jer. 23:29).

 

"Who makes His angels spirits; His ministers a flaming FIRE" (Psalm 104:4).