The Apostate, chapter 9
To: In residence Churches of God. His 10th month, Trivet 13 , 5,981. 12/28/20
We read about God giving deluding spirits last study. Each denomination is led by a different spirit and deceive the majority. Followers of Jesus can’t allow a fleshly mediator’s leading because He’s their only Mediator. Religious leaders attempt to mediate on behalf of the religious inclined and make merchandise of them, but Mediator Jesus purposely came from His heavenly position to live in the flesh, experience overcoming sin’s temptations and ascended back to heaven to be our Savior and Mediator before God the Father. To follow another mediator is to disobey the first commandment. On behalf of all apostles Paul explained that, ‘followers of Jesus shouldn’t look to others any longer.’
(2Cor 5:15-18; And He died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised. So then, from now on we acknowledge no one from an outward human point of view. Even though we have known Christ from such a human point of view, now we do not know Him in that way any longer. So then, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; what is old has passed away: look, what is new has come! And all these things are from God who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and who has given us the ministry of reconciliation.) Review the chapter and trust Jesus. Jesus’ apostle John recorded Jesus’ Words regarding the ruler of this world.
(John 14:29; I will not speak with you much longer, for the ruler of this world is coming.)
Satan had been deceiving this earth’s populations since Adam by offering many views, ‘spirits’ and mediators. Jesus is speaking about Satan’s coming to distort His purpose and message. True to Jesus’ prophecy, as soon as He ascended Satan began sending false teachers to infiltrate God’s churches, ‘spiritual Israelites.’ Divisionary indoctrinations are Satan’s demonic purposes. Consider how successful he’s been at palming himself and followers off as, angels of light. He has the world in subjection to his confusions. Naturally each group say, ‘but not us.’
Satan knew, soon after Jesus’ ascension he’d be allowed to infiltrate. As Jesus began revealing Himself and calling out gentiles, Satan was palming himself off as an angel of light, surprising many in God’s Jerusalem church. As God was calling gentile’s to believe IN Jesus, Satan was attempting to influence the Jerusalem church to reject them. First recorded gentile conversion was Cornelius and family. After their conversion, Peter and other apostles were explaining how the holy spirit witnessed to Cornelius’s family as it had to many Israelites on that Pentecost after Jesus‘ ascension.
(Acts 15:13-18; After Peter stopped speaking, James replied, Brothers, listen to me, Simeon has explained how God first concerned Himself to select from among the Gentiles a people for His name. The words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written, ‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the fallen tent of David; I will rebuild its ruins and restore it, so that the rest of humanity may seek the Lord, namely, all the Gentiles I have called to be My own,’ says the Lord, who makes these things known from long ago.) James is referring to Amos 9.
Cornelius and family were selected – chosen and called out to a obedience resulting in righteousness. It was by God’s grace that gentiles too were chosen to begin practicing His righteousness. Consider Jesus’ apostle Paul’s explanation regarding their spiritual calling.
(Romans 6:15-16; What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Absolutely not! Do you not know that if you present yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or obedience resulting in righteousness?) Slaves to the spirit they obey. To the system they look to.
Who has the mind to look around and consider paganism’s grip on Christendom. Who is obeying and who’s the perpetrator of disobedience?
Holy Bible reading people know that Jesus’ apostle Paul was a persecutor of God’s called out people until he was miraculously called. He said about himself, I was a Pharisee of Pharisees until Jesus revealed Himself when I was on my way to Damascus to do more persecutions. Paul was blinded about Jesus’ deity while involved with denominational Pharisees. Paul continues.
(Acts 26:15-18; So I said, who are you, Lord? And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But get up and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this reason, to designate you in advance as a servant and witness to the things you have seen and to the things in which I will appear to you. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you to open their eyes so that they turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.)
HOW was Paul called and set aside - sanctified? It’s basically the same with each called out person. (By a GIFTED faith in Jesus as He’s manifested to be, people are awakened.) What did Jesus promise through Paul? To open people’s eyes, give understanding and turn people from darkness to light! From Satan to God! WHY? SO, they may receive forgiveness of sins and share with others’ sanctified by faith in Jesus.
Satan’s indoctrination of the world began before Jesus’ human birth. Since then God the Father and God the Son’s characteristics and Ways are revealed through Jesus’ life and people are called from Satan’s darkness to God’s Light. This good news was revealed to John and John recorded in chapter 14: ‘it’s the mystery this unbelieving world cannot grasp.’ WHY? God gives understanding to His chosen and He is about the business of building a priesthood of Believers IN Jesus.
Atheist and religions of every persuasion believe a man called Jesus lived. History is emphatic on the subject, but only those who’re called and God revealed to through Jesus; believe to the degree of having gifted faith trust. Those who aren’t Jesus’ sheep can’t believe His truth until supernaturally called.
(John 10:25-30; Jesus replied, I told you and you do not believe. The deeds I do in My Father’s name testify about Me. But you refuse to believe because you are not My sheep. My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; no one will snatch them from My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one can snatch them from My Father’s hand. The Father and I are One.)
As we’ve expounded, many believe that but only a few believe IN Jesus’ miraculous deeds that testify of His deity.( God the Father’s calling and God the Son’s being revealed gives eternal life.) After Jesus had revealed Himself to His apostles Paul wrote as followers.
(Col 1:15-20; He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, for all things in heaven and on earth were created by Him – all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers – all things were created through Him and for Him. He “Jesus” Himself is before all things and all things are held together, in Him. He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead, so that He Himself may become first in all things. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in the Son and through Him, to reconcile all things to Himself by making peace through the blood of His cross: through Him whether things on earth or things in heaven.”)
People attempting to worship God in a manner He’s not manifested to be in the above text, are part of the APOSTASY Jude wrote about. Many seemingly assume Godly love means, ‘a condoning of all human activity.’ That could be the demonic definition but it’s the broad path that leads to destruction. Spiritual understanding is distorted when only one of Satan’s lies is incorporated into a person’s belief system.
Jesus said His good news, would be told to the whole world before His return. (Study Matthew 24 and Revelations 11) Jesus foreknew the demonic led apostasy and He has ordained two witnesses to miraculously announce His Way. Jesus reveals to John and he to us that these two will be killed; populations will rejoice and after three days God will resurrect them. Review Revelations 11 from the previous study.)
Jesus said and Matthew recorded in chapter 24: ‘time will be shortened for the Elect’s sake.’ In this so called enlightened time, Jesus has been so camouflaged that the world will rejoice when His two witnesses are killed, this demonstrating the degree to which the APOSTASY will have encompassed the whole world.
Unbelievers invading God‘s churches, attempting to make Jesus characteristically fit their pagan views, and Jude recognized where this apostasy was leading. People who aren’t blinded by demonic spirits, see the culmination of these apostasies on Christendom. (Study Jude’s letter again)
Let’s review from the previous study. (Matt 3:7-12; But when John saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance, and don’t think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones! Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I baptize you with water, for repentance, but the One coming after me is more powerful than I am, I am not worthy to carry His sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
‘Baptize means immerse. God immerses repentant individuals with His spirit and will ultimately immerse unbelievers with fire.’ Winnowing means; examining in order to remove.
(Matt 3:13; Jesus’ winnowing fork, is in His hand, and He will clean out His threshing floor and will gather His wheat into the storehouse, but the chaff He will burn up with inextinguishable fire.) Threshing floors is where grain were separated from chaff.
Prior to God’s grace gifted to Paul and these Ephesians they were as dead. However when God revealed Himself, Paul and they believed IN and God made them alive in Christ. Has the God of Abraham, “Jesus” revealed Himself to you?