BLESSED ARE THE PEOPLE
274.1004
scottSTANLEY
(All bracketed [ ] words inserted into the following scriptures are the author’s paraphrase.)
OPENING REMARKS
I wanted to do this study today to encourage you, to spur you on to seek the Lord for higher revelations of who He is, and that you might have a deeper understanding of who you are. When those two things come together in verity, you will be experiencing healing – the ultimate healing – of the emotional wounds that we have been receiving and causing all of our lifetime. I praise God for the understanding that He has given us, and I know that makes us more responsible to accomplish these things, to go on unto perfection – walking in present truth, reaching a completed perfection – being the bride of Christ.
We’re in a wonderful time – I guess you could call it a holding time, because I see us in the "seventh seal," where the Lord is preparing a people to sound the "trumpets." How that happens and to what extent He uses each one of us, I don’t know. You know, sometimes you want to picture this worldwide event taking place and other times, I don’t know – I just can’t see it. Recently in Cleveland, I made the statement that, "Had you asked the apostles in their day, the day before Pentecost, had you gone in and asked them: ‘What is the Lord going to do with this experience you’ve had for the last three and a half years, walking with the Son of God?’... and then had you told them that the Lord is going to evangelize the entire world, and in fact some of you guys are going to write out this gospel and it will be proclaimed for the next two thousand years, even unto the last generation – the last generation will use your writings to reach a completed perfection in Christ – I don’t think one of them would have believed that."
So it is with us today. I think as we look at ourselves, we have this tendency to see us from "the earth" and we can’t quite grasp the meaning of what God is doing, but I’m going to tell you right now, what He is doing is awesome and I don’t want to miss it. Like I’ve said before, God forbid that I would have a mediocre experience in Christ, living at the end of time, being in this place, understanding what I do – I pray to go forward and accomplish that which I am called to do. I want to apprehend that for which I have been apprehended by Christ. I want to go forward unto a completed perfection, which means I grow in understanding. Remember, at one time our salvation meant coming to a deeper understanding doctrinally of God and, now that we have reached that place, we need to take those doctrines, allowing the Lord to apply that to our heart, that we might be clean before God. The cleansing takes place within, as Jesus Christ said in Ephesians 5, that He will cleanse and sanctify us using words, and as those words come in, as God teaches us and we grasp them and retain that faith – and allow those things to grow and mature in our understanding – we will go through changes, and we will come to various stages of understanding where it will be difficult to look at ourselves. I think this is the hardest part of salvation – is having to look at yourself. But I want to begin this study with something that, for me, gave me hope. It was very encouraging, and when the Lord gives me something like this, I know He would have me pass that to His other children.
I pray that as we study these things, as we grasp these things, that we are able to walk in unity, in harmony, and that all of the backbiting, all of this stuff is just laid to rest, as we recognize what Jesus said in Matthew 24 – the gospel of the kingdom will be preached, and you will see the abomination that makes you desolate. When you see it, flee out of that mindset and don’t take anything out of your house because what has been making us desolate has been self – and when you recognize that all of your doctrinal understanding was based on the lie that you had no value to God, when you recognize that, don’t go back and take anything out of your house. Make sure that the Lord is approving of it; make sure the Lord is in it – and don’t be intellectually deceived, or emotionally deceived, but listen to your heart as the Lord moves you unto perfection – a completed perfection.
REVIEW
In Psalms 89, this was something else that we discussed in Cleveland, but like I say, it gives me so much hope, it is so encouraging to read these things. Psalms 89, I want to begin reading at verse 15:
Psalm 89:15-18
15 Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy [Your] countenance.
16
In thy [Your] name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy [Your] righteousness shall they be exalted.17
For thou art [You are] the glory of their strength: and in thy [Your] favour our horn shall be exalted.18
For the LORD is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.Now, let me tell you what makes this significant: In the last study, I pointed out how the Lord has taken us from Ephesians to Laodicea, through those seven mindsets that a believer goes through, and that if you’ll go back and read those churches – you know, I thought I ought to do an in depth study on theses seven churches, but I don’t feel impressed to spoon feed you anymore. I need to give you some basic outlines, and you need to spend time in this book – you need to spend time with the Lord in this book. There is a reason why He gave John this revelation; there is a reason why Paul wrote the letters he did, and God preserved them for as long as He has – there is a reason why Moses wrote what he did, and Isaiah, and Jeremiah.... these men are in the church. This is the testimony of Jesus Christ through His church for those upon whom the end of the world is come – that’s us! And God forbid that you would not give Him your time in this book as He is trying to reveal Christ in you.
The seven churches, starting at Ephesus where you "lose your first love" – to me, you fall out of that abiding relationship simply because you don’t understand it, you’re not told those things – and you walk through each of the seven churches. Coming to Thyatira, He reveals Himself as the "Son of God." When you accept that, you become Sardis, where He reveals that "abiding truth." When you accept that, you enter into Philadelphia, and as He pours it on – because by the time you get to Philadelphia and you’re listening, the Lord can really begin to move you into what is truth, and in fact, you reach the point where you are "rich and increased with goods and in need of nothing" and that is when the Lord reveals to you – you still have a sin nature, you have become Laodicea; you still have a sin nature – that needs to be dealt with. And when you open your heart to the Lord and you possess those three ultimate truths: The Son of God, the abiding truth, and you understand what the sin problem is – then Revelation 4:1 becomes a reality, where He calls you "up here" – you ascend up out of the lie, out of the sea; the lie that you have no value to God. You ascend up out of that lie and He begins to open the perfectly sealed book – your mind.
It isn’t until you reach the seventh seal that you are able to look back and understand in your own heart, and see in your own heart that progression that you have gone through. As He opens the seals, as He opens this book and He begins to show you who you have been, and what He has taken you through to bring you to this cleansing of the seventh seal, it’s all experience – you can’t understand it without having had the experience. As He takes you through that, I’m telling you, the blessings are immeasurable, because you see who you’ve been and you begin to get a handle on who you are – and it is in that time of the seventh seal that I believe we’re living right now, and it is the time where we are preparing to sound the trumpets. Remember this principle (it’s funny how this principle has come up in the last few days), the principle that everything that we read in the book needs to be based on Hebrew concepts – everything that we read. Remember, at one time there was only the old testament, and when Paul went to preach the gospel, as they went back and searched the scriptures to see if these things were so, they only had the old testament, and whatever Paul preached or wrote, whatever anyone preached or wrote, had to be based on those Hebrew concepts.
THE JOYFUL SOUND
So what does that have to do with Psalms 89, in the scriptures we just read? Well, turn with me to Leviticus 23, and in Leviticus 23, reading verse 24:
Leviticus 23:24
24
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye [shall you] have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.This "blowing of trumpets" is [8643] in the Strong’s – "blowing of trumpets" – those three words are the one Hebrew word [8643], and in Psalms 89:15, they have translated it the joyful sound. The joyful sound is the "blowing of trumpets" in Leviticus 23, and I did a study on the trumpets in The Character of God Series that I did, and I called it, "An Acclamation of Joy," – this is where that comes from. The joyful sound, the acclamation of joy, King James puts, "blowing of trumpets." When we read in Psalms 89: Blessed are those, or is he, who knows the joyful sound, to me now, I understand that to be blessed are those who come to this place as described in the book of Revelation, where they sound the trumpet of God’s love, because you cannot sound it except you’re experiencing healing – hence, the acclamation of joy, the joyful sound; the, "Praise God that I know what I know," as you tell people the truth of the mechanics of salvation. So let’s key on Psalms 89 for a few minutes and let me show you some things that come out of it. This will help lead us on to some other concepts that I want to bring out in this study – again, Psalms 89, verse 15:
Psalms 8:15
15
Blessed is the [are the] people that know the joyful sound [8643]: they shall walk, O LORD [or Yahweh], in the light of thy [Your] countenance [King James has put "countenance" – this word is "face" [6440] ... They shall walk in the light of your face.].Now, that is significant because of what Paul wrote, I should say, what Christ moved Paul to write in 2 Corinthians, Chapter 4, in this scripture song we have sung many times:
2 Corinthians 4:6
6
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.Let me paraphrase that: God, the very One who enlightened our hearts, He commanded the light to shine out of darkness in us. He has laid it upon us to give the light of the knowledge of His glory in the face of Jesus Christ. You see, He has revealed His glory to us in the face of Christ and He’s laid it upon our heart to reveal that light, which is seen in His face, to the world. For me, when I talk about the glory of God, the "light of the knowledge of the glory," the light of the knowledge – or just simply the knowledge of His glory in the face of Christ – the glory of God, for me now (and I know "glory" is character) the glory of God is His love for me. The glory of God is the love that He has for all of humanity. The glory of God is His character – He is love, and to walk in His glory is to walk in His love, but to reveal His glory in the face of Jesus Christ means: I understand Calvary, even more than that now, I understand the Son of God in a new and living way; I understand His ministry in a new way.
"The God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus" – if I want to describe the glory of God, I show you Jesus; I reveal to you Jesus. Hence, it is the last generation that receives the revealing, the revelation of Jesus Christ. It is the last generation that John pictured standing at the foot of that cross, and later being given the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him. You see, to reveal God’s glory, I show you Jesus. How does that reveal His glory? Because the Son of God was sacrificed to wake us up; the Son of God was sacrificed to show us the value that we have to God. Listen, once you see that, it isn’t a hard step, it isn’t hard to take the next step to see that that is why the Son of God was born in the first place. He was "slain from the foundation of the world" – this was the Father’s plan. Imagine our Heavenly Father wanting to bring forth humanity, seeing the problem that would exist with us – brought forth an only birthed Son; He brought forth one Son – knowing He would allow humanity to put Him to death, so that He could express to humanity His love for us. We are the reason for the Son of God, and the God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness in the first place in our hearts, He had shined – He is moving us, He is revealing to us – to give the knowledge of His glory, of His character, in the face of Jesus Christ. It is in the face of Christ you see the glory of God for all of humanity. For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever is nourished by that, whosoever receives nourishment by that truth, wouldn’t perish, but would have everlasting life. That’s a precious verse; that’s a beautiful verse.
You know, I had the chance to quote that the other day. Martha and I were invited to a dinner and, sitting at this dinner (it was a group of neighbors), the question came up of where each person had been educated. Throughout this dinner, I had been sitting there... you know, when you know these things you’re wanting to tell everyone, and yet I’m sitting with people, I’m with people I’m not even sure where they are – if they even go to church – I don’t know them well enough. So I’m seeking the Lord in an extra special way to show me what to say and when to say it, and really seeking the Lord for His understanding and wisdom to speak. And then this question comes up and this lady turned to me and asked me, "Well, where did you go to school?" And I said, "In Oklahoma." And I know that she wanted more information than that, but I just kind of dropped it, and I changed the subject and asked this other person something. But this lady wouldn’t let go of it, and she brought me back. She says, "No, I want to know– where did you go to school in Oklahoma."
So I told her, "You know, I was going to a community college and I was miserable inside. I was on drugs, and alcohol. I was just totally miserable – I had no answers for life. And it wasn’t until I cried out to God and gave my heart to Jesus Christ, it wasn’t until then that I began to be educated. I began studying my Bible to the point that I would study 10-12 hours a day." I went through this story for her, and I’m telling you, you talk about a hush in the room – it was quiet as I gave my testimony, and I brought them up to this word "believe" and how in the old testament it’s translated nursing father in Numbers 11:12, and I said, "I realized that ‘to believe’ in Jesus Christ meant to be nourished," and then I quoted John 3:16. This lady, who I realized was a Christian herself, was just beaming that everyone in the room had to sit and listen to this as I went through this salvation. I didn’t get to go... of course, you can’t go into the depth of it that you want to, but I just simply told them, "You want to know where I’m educated. This is where I’m educated, and I have spent time studying books that help me understand the scriptures, and at one time in my life," I said, "I couldn’t even read a newspaper, because I felt like I was wasting my time – if I’m going to read something, I want to read something worthwhile."
So, you never know when the Lord’s going to move you to say what needs to be said, and it’s like now, the party’s over, we’ve come home – you wonder what are going to be the repercussions of it – what’s going to happen? Will anyone contact me? What’s going to take place there? I guess I can’t expect too much, but I’ll tell you the truth: On the way home that night, the thought occurred to me, maybe this is the beginning of declaring the love of God. Maybe this is the beginning of the "trumpets."
You know, in Revelation 8, when He is cleansing the earth with those coals of fire, and He has seven messengers preparing to sound – "seven" is simply enough; it is enough – He will have "enough" people sounding the truth of His love. How close are we to that? How close are we to the Lord opening the door and saying, "Tell the world – go forward and begin to reveal what I have done for you?" It can’t happen, you can’t give somebody something you don’t have and if you don’t have that healing, the Lord cannot use you to trumpet His love, because nothing else gives you authority to speak it, except the experience that you’ve had.
EXALTED
Let’s go back to Psalms 89, realizing that in the face of Jesus Christ we see the glory of God, and this is what he says in Psalms 89, again:
Psalms 89:15-16
15
Blessed is the [are] people that know the joyful sound [the acclamation of joy]: they shall walk, O LORD [O Yahweh], in the light of thy [Your] countenance [face].16
In thy [Your] name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy [Your] righteousness shall they be exalted.Let’s talk about that. Blessed are these people who are having the healing take place because they’re going to walk in the light of His face. It’s in the light of His face we see the glory of God. The "glory" of God is in His name – name and glory are the same thing – In Your name will they rejoice all day and in Your righteousness shall they be exalted. Notice, He says, "In your righteousness," and what is righteousness? It’s thought – righteousness comes from God. Remember when He told Abraham, and Abraham believed – God spoke to Abraham and Abraham believed (Genesis 15:6) – and it was counted unto him for righteousness – that faith was the result of His belief. Righteousness comes from hearing God – faith comes from hearing God. Righteousness is thought from God – faith is that thought retained. "In His righteousness," in His thought, He says, "they are exalted."
In this scripture, the one who is exalted is the person who knows the joyful sound, and I’ve already walked on those stones a little bit in this study. How are we exalted? Because He reveals to you: You are the reason for the Son of God. Again, if you think it through, there is no reason for Jesus Christ to exist, except that humanity needed that information that God could pass to us through His Son. We are exalted in God’s righteousness. It’s funny, when you consider the "trip" the denominational churches have laid on us, and are laying on the world, of how pitiful and sinful humanity is.... how terrible we are, that it took a human sacrifice before God could forgive us. And yet, the truth of the matter lies beyond the other end of the spectrum. There is no reason for creation except that man needed it and humanity is who our heavenly Father wanted from the very beginning. Now that is an awesome thought! And that is encouraging! And to be perfectly honest about it, I could close this study right now and walk out of this room rejoicing, praising God for this truth. Listen, blessed are these people who know the joyful sound. Blessed are these people – they’re walking in the light of His face. His face is revealing the glory of God and in God’s righteousness, they are exalted; and that exaltation that He gives us in these truths brings such healing and hope and encouragement to my soul – and I pray to God that your heart is opened, that these things can be passed to you, that you too can walk, move forward, walking in Jesus Christ, knowing that we really are something in Christ. Anyone can be if they choose to listen, if they have an open heart and choose to follow Him whithersoever He goes. Again, I can’t bear the thought of living in this time and having a mediocre experience with God. This time is so precious!
MAN’S FALL
Now let me ask this question, and this is something that is in past studies, but I believe the Lord is giving me a deeper understanding of the answer. Here’s the question: If Calvary was the healing medicine for humanity; if the death of the Son of God was the healing that humanity needed, why did God wait four thousand years to send His Son to die? And in the past when I looked at that (and this is so shallow), as I considered that, well you know, that fit the symbol (4000 years – earthly completeness) – it does fit the symbol, but I can’t see the Lord doing it simply because it fits the symbol. There has to have been a reason the Lord waited four thousand years. I think it had to do with the Son of God Himself. Now, to get into these concepts I want to take you back to Genesis and I want to lay out for you, in so far as I understand it, the fall of man, as we look at the Son of God, because remember, there is only One God, and I believe it’s proven from scripture: The Father knows all things. He has experiential knowledge without having to have the experience.
That’s what makes Him God – that’s one thing that makes Him God, and the Son of God is not like that. The Son of God goes through experience to learn, just the way we go through experience to learn and, in that way, which is a major way, the Father and Son are different. So keeping that in mind, as we go back and look at the creation of this universe (and at this point I want to say something that I know 99.9% of you don’t have any trouble with), the Son of God creating all things, Ephesians 3:9: "God, who created all things through Jesus Christ," and I want to read this one in Colossians to just simply remind you of it – in Colossians, Chapter 1, speaking of Christ:
Colossians 1:17
17
And he is before all things, and by him [in Him or by Him] all things consist.
If you even back up, let’s just start at verse 15, Colossians 1:15:
Colossians 1:15-18
15
Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:16
For by [in] him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be [they’re] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers [authorities]: all things were created by him, and for him:17
And he is before all things, and by [in] him all things consist.18
And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.Now, I say that to remind you: The Son of God created all things; He learns by experience. He creates Adam and instructs Adam concerning the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil – really I should say, He instructs Him concerning the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil – the scriptures just simply tell you that the Tree of Life was growing in the garden too. Let me read from Proverbs 3 concerning the Tree of Life. Let’s lay this principle out and get this straight before we even get into this. Proverbs, Chapter 3 – let’s read verses 5 and 6 in this:
Proverbs 3:5-6
5
Trust in the LORD with all thine [your] heart; and lean not unto thine [your] own understanding.6
In all thy [your] ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy [your] paths.Drop down to verse 13 – Proverbs 3:13:
Proverbs 3:13
13
Happy is the man that findeth [finds] wisdom, and the man that getteth [gets] understanding.Look in your margin at the word "get" – it’s draws out. Now follow me on this: "Understanding" – coming from "wisdom" – if "wisdom" is Christ, for me to draw out understanding from Christ means I’m abiding; it means I am considering. Every time, when you abide, if you stop and you weigh the thought, if you seek the Lord, you are drawing out from Him His understanding – that means to consider; that means to abide. Lean not unto your own understanding. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. See, this concept is just reiterated when you come down, in Proverbs 3, to verse 13:
Proverbs 3:13-18
13
Happy is the man that findeth [finds] wisdom, and the man that getteth [draws out] understanding. [Now just read this with me.]14
For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof [of it] than fine gold.15
She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst [you can] desire are not to be compared unto [to] her.16
Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.17
Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. [Verse 18...]18
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth [retains] her.God tells Adam: Don’t eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. All my Christian life I had the Catholic understanding that there was this literal, physical tree – that if someone could eat off of it, they would live forever. Even later years, here I’ve been serving the Lord now for many years, and then I start to think, Well, I guess at the time of the flood, God just picked it up and took it to heaven. See, no one could eat off of it. And yet, what the Lord is saying to you is, Trees are character traits – in each person is that Tree of Life where you can draw out from Wisdom and have the understanding of God, and live forever. That is the Tree of Life. There was another characteristic in man which could be free will – "free will": You can take your own words, combine it with God, and go do whatever you want to do. You make the choice. He told Adam, Don’t do that. What He told Adam, as you’re reading Genesis 2 and Genesis 3 – and let me say something about those chapters – when you read those chapters, let’s just include 1, 2 and 3 – you’re reading a parable.
Do you remember, how many of you used to read "the rich man and Lazarus" and take that literal, as a literal story (Luke 16:19-31), where this man is in hell, crying out across this great gulf and over there is Abraham’s bosom – and Lazarus is in Abraham’s bosom, and here is this picture, this true story of a man in hell crying out: Oh, you know, I’m in torment here? And yet now we know, and I’ve known for some time, that’s a parable. The question is: What does the parable teach? I’ve known for some time that when a person dies, he’s dead. Now I understand a deeper understanding, deeper definitions of "hell," "Abraham’s bosom," how Lazarus was carried by the angels into this – anytime in the scriptures when you’re reading about Abraham, you’re reading about the abiding truth – and how messengers carried Lazarus into the abiding truth; and the rich man, the man who had all of his own opinions, was in torment and he couldn’t be reached by a person who was listening because of the gulf of his mind. And the Lord is saying: This gulf is fixed; I can’t get over there, you see? That story is a parable, and yet the Catholic definition of it is literal – so is Genesis 1, 2 and 3.
I can remember, because I was raised a Baptist and had gone into Pentecostal churches, I had quite a history before someone tried to tell me the truth about "death" – and I remember the struggle I had about death and how, you know, when you die you just go live somewhere else. I had that struggle – and this rich man and Lazarus parable was one thing I based my faith on, and it was a struggle to get past that and realize, that’s a parable. Well, so is Genesis 1, 2 and 3 – those chapters are parables, and the Lord is trying to show you using terms that apply to every person on this planet, because it is an expression of us all, how in each one of us, we have a "Tree of Life" and we have a characteristic of taking our thoughts and combining it with God’s. Now, my point is: The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and not to eat the fruit of it, was told to Adam – Eve did not exist yet.
Why did God give Eve to the man? Because there was a side of Adam – when it says He took a rib, He took a side (you’ve got the intellect, and the emotional side), He took Adam’s emotional side and builded He the woman, to show Adam what He couldn’t see. Like everything else of creation, things are created so that we can see what is invisible to us. Was Adam eating from the Tree of Life? Did He ever eat from the Tree of Life? Well, when I looked at this "Tree of Life" as this literal tree, I never thought that he did. Well, now that I see it’s the spiritual, it’s the characteristic of the man to go through the conscience to seek the understanding from Christ – Adam never did that. That is simply another reason why I know Adam was empty inside and as the Lord showed him his emotional side – Here Adam, I’m going to show you what you cannot see; here’s the emotional side of you, here is "Isha," here is the woman. Looking at and considering a human being, and the "loins" of a person through the scripture, we see that the "loins" represent the essence of who a person is and looking at the man, you see the serpent. Looking at the woman, you see the empty heart – you see the emptiness. Another thing that occurred to me was the sex drive that people have – it is simply a picture of what we do to ourselves inwardly in wanting this "serpent," this resistance, to fill that "emptiness." We want to do it ourselves. We want the money, the riches, the things – to give us that value and fill that emptiness.
Adam didn’t know his value to God and, in Adam was the serpent and the empty heart. In Eve was the serpent and the empty heart – and it was Adam who told Eve: God doesn’t want us partaking of this Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam told her that, and when she has the conversation with the serpent, it is an inward thing – and it has happened to every one of us. Adam planted the seed in her that God doesn’t want us to be like Him – Adam planted that seed. How do I know? Because the man plants the seed – that serpent goes into that empty heart and plants that seed, and that is what took place, and when Eve took of the fruit, she turned and gave it to her husband, who was with her. He wasn’t just simply standing there, he was with her – I believe he knew what she was going to do, and this was what he wanted her to do, and I believe he had planted the seed to resist God.
MICHAEL’S ADVERSITY
Now, what I have just laid out for you is huge; it’s a mouthful – it is huge, to say the least. But remember, we’re discussing the Son of God, and the Son of God learns by means of experience – and here at this point, when He sees what Adam and Eve do... and listen, whatever they literally did, however they literally manifested combining their thoughts with God’s is beside the point. In the parable, God is telling us – the Tree of Life, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil – they wouldn’t eat off of the Tree of Life. They decided to combine their thought with God’s and, in so doing, they were resisting what God had told them to do.
As the Son of God is witnessing this – and then the next thing, I can’t leave this out – I’ve got to go to Romans 8 because this too, is important. In Romans, Chapter 8, starting at verse 19, let’s just fit this in right here:
Romans 8:19-20
19
For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth [waits] for the manifestation of the sons of God.20
For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason [but because] of him who hath [has] subjected the same in hope,In other words, the creature is made subject to vanity by the very one who is giving him hope – it can only be God. The creature was made subject to vanity by God. Verse 21:
Romans 8:21-22
21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22
For we know that the whole creation groaneth [groans] and travaileth [travails] in pain together until now.So, let’s go back, recognizing that creation is to help us see what is invisible to us – recognizing Adam and Eve had resisted God, and God had changed creation to fit the inward creation – recognizing that all of creation was turned to vanity because Adam and Eve had now turned to vanity. And if they’re going to understand themselves, they have to see the outward picture of the inward truth. So all of creation groans, waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God – because God turned them to vanity. Now, just stay with me... it makes sense to me that it was at this point, "angels" fell. Do I believe there are literal, heavenly beings called angels? Yes, I do – there are several reasons why: According to the scripture, how Christ didn’t take the nature of angels, He took that of Abraham (Hebrews 2:16); Christ was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death (Hebrews 2:9) ....see, there are scriptures that, to me, tell us there are these literal beings. I believe there were some who rebelled against God and I know that they rebelled after man fell, not before. How do I know they rebelled after man fell? Romans, Chapter 5, verse 12:
Romans 5:12
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:There are three different times in Romans 5 where Paul tells us that sin and death came by man – it didn’t come by some outward being. It makes more sense to me that when man fell and creation was changed, perhaps at that time, some of the angels who already may have been feeling a resistance toward God – who knows – but at that point said, Hey, wait a minute, what You’re doing is too much. You see, suddenly now there’s death and destruction that begins to fill the earth. I personally think that that makes more sense to me because there isn’t a verse in this book that says angels fell before man. That is Catholicism – that is a catholic doctrine. I think they fell because of man – because of God’s response to man, to help man see what was invisible to them – the inward working of the human spirit. But we see the Son of God changing creation, and then we see man, plunging into his own will until, at the time of the flood, it was only evil continuously.
Now, Michael, the Son of God in eternity past, learns by means of experience, and I think He was having quite an experience – beholding man, dealing with humanity – and I think in Michael’s heart there was adversity to the man. The word "adversity," in Hebrew, is the word satan – that is all the word means. It is not a proper name – "satan" means adversity. The Catholic church told us it was this guy out here, trying to deceive us all. Satan is adversity, and I think the Son of God possessed it in His heart – now follow this through – and I think when Paul writes in Galatians 4, verse 4:
Galatians 4:4-5
4
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,5
To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.This fulness of time, I believe, had more to do with the Son of God, than with humanity. I believe that the Son of God, being resistant toward humanity – why do I say that? You know, it’s a common thing that when you look at the God of the old testament, how different it is when you come to the new testament – there seems to be more mercy, and I realized that they were dealing with the Son of God in the old testament. He was revealing the knowledge of God, but as you go through that, there was an adversity. Remember when He told Moses to stand away (Exodus 32:10), and He says, I’ll start over with you; I’m going to wipe these people out? You see, there was that adversity. Also, to me, this gives me answers – I should say an answer – for Jude when.... let’s just read this in Jude 9:
Jude :9
9
Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil [Now the King James has put "the devil" – this is diablos. Contending with diablos...] he disputed about the body of Moses, durst [did] not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee [you].At one point in my life I could see this fellow named "Satan" out here, and here was Michael, and the Father had given the instruction to raise Moses, and here is Satan, "Oh, you can’t have him," and Michael, "Yeah, well, we’re going to raise him..." and contending with the devil. And now I realize how stupid that is. But He was contending with diablos here, and I can see the Father telling His Son to raise Moses, and the Son of God contending with diablos over the body of Moses, feeling in His heart, I don’t want to do this. This isn’t something that I want to do. Moses struck the rock twice. Go back and look at Job, and recognize that that "satan" that you’re seeing, that resistance that you’re seeing is in the Son of God – it isn’t somebody out here who has fallen from heaven, and he’s down here tempting us all and then flying back to heaven and talking to God. That isn’t what’s happening! What you’re seeing is the Son of God telling His Father, I don’t think Job would worship you if you did this, or if you took these things away, – and the Father telling the Son, OK, I’m putting him in your hands. You can do all of this... just don’t do this. That makes more sense to me.
The Son of God, I believe, took four thousand years of dealing with humanity to be brought to the place, as Paul states in Hebrews, that He would become a merciful and faithful High Priest to God in dealing with man (Hebrews 2:17) – and I think the scriptures bear this out. "When the fulness of time had come"... that fulness of time had more to do with the Son of God than with humanity, because when He came into this world and suffered the cross, went to that death, (that death in understanding brings healing to the emotional wounds that we have) and there is no reason why the Father would have waited so long to have it accomplished. Consider what I say, and I pray that as we continue to go through the studies and get more in depth in the future, as the Lord begins to reveal more and more to us, that all of these things can come together. And if I’m wrong, I’ll be the first to say so, and believe me, I covet your ideas as the Lord leads you, because we are a body in Christ. This isn’t, and has never been, a "one man show" – we are a body in Christ, and God is trying to reveal truth to all of us, and I covet the way the Lord is leading you. I covet to understand, because I want nothing more than to know, even as I am known.
THE FINAL DECEPTION
Now, I want to cover one more concept and, to do so, I want to ask you to turn to Psalms 107, and I want to read a few verses out of Psalms 107 to make my point – Psalms 107, let’s start reading at verse 4:
Psalms 107:4-6
4
They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.5
Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.6
Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.Now look at verse 10:
Psalms 107:10-13, 17-19
10
Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;11
Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:12
Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.13
Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. [Verse 17...]17
Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.18
Their soul abhorreth [abhors] all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.19
Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth [saves] them out of their distresses.Now, this psalm goes on, but the point I want to make is how the Lord uses suffering to bring a person to the point of crying out for His help. He has to bring you to the point of hopelessness sometimes – I know that’s how it was with me. I had to be brought, I had to hit the bottom of the barrel before I was willing to ask God for help, and I see now, of course, looking back in my life, as I look at the suffering I passed through, how I was bringing that on myself. But He stood back, in His wisdom, with hands off, to let me pass through the suffering until I realized I cannot do this myself. I need God. It’s at that point He stepped in and started the process of healing and salvation for me.
But, what about the man who doesn’t cry out? What about the fellow who is brought to the point of suffering and death, and hopelessness, and goes ahead and dies – and doesn’t cry out to God? That is what you are seeing in the parable – that is the warning Christ has given us in the parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus that we’ve already discussed – because the rich man has "a great gulf fixed." Some time ago, I did a study trying to show you how when the wicked are raised from the dead, they too are in glorified bodies. When the wicked come out of their graves and are in glorified bodies, spiritual bodies, the question is, will they cry out to God to save them after having faced death? And my answer to that was, no, because the great gulf is fixed, their mind is fixed – they have faced destruction, they have faced hopelessness. They have faced their worst enemy and they never cried out for God to save them. Then, He raises them from the dead, and they’re in glorified bodies.
Remember, in 1 Corinthians 15 – I am not going to go back and read all of that, but go read 1 Corinthians 15, where Paul talks about people being raised from the dead and they’re in spiritual bodies (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). He doesn’t say it’s only the righteous, and if you think it through, it makes perfect sense that God would raise these people, give them life – the wicked – give them life, He says, so they can give an account of themselves. And Paul writes this verse in 2 Thessalonians, let me read... start at verse 9:
2 Thessalonians 2:9
9
Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,Now, to make a long story short, let me just kind of bring this together. What Paul is writing about is the revealing of this man of sin – how there would be a literal one, but it is after the working of satan, which we all possess. Therefore, when I look at this man of sin out here, when I look at this papacy, what I see in him is an outward expression of self sitting on the throne of God, see, going through understanding it myself, interpreting the book myself, you see? He is just simply a living example of all of us, and Paul says it’s after the working of satan. Well, satan is within each one of us, and what he says applies to each one of us. But notice this:
2 Thessalonians 2:9-12
9
Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,10
And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.11
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie [that’s future – God shall send strong delusion that they should believe a lie...]:12
That they all might be damned who believed not [who didn’t believe] the truth, but had pleasure in [their] unrighteousness.I’m going to tell you right now, the greatest deception a person could have is to face death without crying out to God, being raised from the dead in a spirit body and thinking I was right. I didn’t need God – look, I’m alive. What about the people who face death without crying out to God? When He gives them life and they come out with spirit bodies; when you talk about deception, there is no greater deception than what those people will experience, and all God is doing is carrying out the truth that He said He would do, but they have chosen not to listen. And it’s at this point, as that gehenna fire rages in them, for God to cast them into this "lake of fire" – if I were to cast something... when you cast it, you have to release it – He lets them go into the lake of fire. You know, if you look at this word "cast" you will see that at the time of Abraham, the Egyptian woman that he married, and they bring forth Ishmael, and Ishmael and his mother are driven from the camp (Genesis 21:15) – well, it says that she "cast him" under a bush and then went to go die alone. Well, do you think she took him and pitched him under a bush? No. She let him go – she came to the point where she let him go. That is what it means when they are "cast" into it ... God lets them go. They are ultimately deceived and they have been deceived by God, by the actions of God in simply carrying out the truth.
What about those people where the gulf is fixed? It’s fixed because they wouldn’t repent – they wouldn’t be brought to the bottom – they wouldn’t come to the bottom and cry out. It is God’s love and mercy that the suffering takes place, because we see our need of Him.
CLOSE
I feel like I’m just getting started in this study, but I’m going to bring it to a halt. There are several things I need to cover, but I’m going to put it on another tape. I’m going to make another video, and keep building on these concepts. I know that we need them, but I think there is enough on the plate right now – I think we have enough to think about. And again, I want to say, as I said in the last study, I think the Lord is giving us more and more time to think these things through. Go back and listen to this study again, and listen again, and listen again, and let the Lord impress your heart – and seek the truth. Let Him bring it home, and be open to Him – be open and let Him teach you. Let Him build His army. Let Him make us the bride; let Him make us the 144,000. Give Him time – spend time in this book, for God’s sake, spend time with the Lord in this book and don’t let anyone discourage you from that because, I’m telling you, if you need the inward strength, if you need that stirring up, which I know we all do, that is what the testimony of Christ through His church will do. It will stir you up.
I pray the Lord give us wisdom, give us grace to continue to move forward, and I ask for your prayers. I covet your prayers, as the Lord moves you to pray – for me, for this ministry, and that we continue to produce a solid product, solid truth that cannot be resisted, that people have to see – they are brought to that place where they have to see it. I challenge you, call me, write me, contact me, let me know... let me see my error. Let me know where I’m wrong and if I see it, I’ll be the first to say it. I’m not trying to deceive anyone. I am with you, I am on your side and I am doing everything as the Lord leads me, to instruct you in the things God has taught me. I pray for your encouragement, your support for what I’m doing, and I pray that you spend the time, the time you need for a strong heart in Jesus Christ.