Let us bow our heads; If we need to use the Recovery Procedure as found in 1 John 1:9, let us do so at this time that we might be in fellowship. (pause) Father, we thank you for the privilege and opportunity to study your word and for the freedom that you have provided for us here in Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S.A.; furthermore, we express our appreciation to God the Holy Spirit who will enlighten us regarding the message this evening. We as priests pray this through the person of our Lord Christ Jesus, our High Priest, Amen.

President Reagan’s Address to the Nation on Free and Fair Trade, April 25, 1987

“My fellow Americans, Prime Minister Nakasone of Japan, will be visiting me here at the White House next week. It's an important visit because while I expect to take up our relations with our good friend Japan, which overall remain excellent, recent disagreements between our two countries on the issue of trade will also be high on our agenda. As perhaps you've heard, last week I placed new duties on some Japanese products in response to Japan's inability to enforce their trade agreement with us on electronic devices called semiconductors. Now, imposing such tariffs or trade barriers and restrictions of any kind are steps that I am loathed to take, and in a moment, I'll mention the sound economic reasons for this that over the long run, such trade barriers hurt every American worker and consumer, but the Japanese semiconductors were a special case. We had clear evidence that Japanese companies were engaging in unfair trade practices that violated an agreement between Japan and the United States. We expect our trading partners to live up to their agreements. As I've often said, our commitment to free trade is also a commitment to fair trade. But, you know, in imposing these tariffs, we were just trying to deal with a particular problem, not begin a trade war. So, next week I'll be getting Prime Minister Nakasone this same message. We want to continue to work cooperatively on trade problems and want very much to lift these trade restrictions as soon as evidence permits. We want to do this because we feel both Japan, the United States have an obligation to promote the prosperity and economic development that only free trade can bring. Now, that message of free trade is one I conveyed to Canada's leaders a few weeks ago, and it was warmly received there. Indeed, throughout the world there's a growing realization that the way to prosperity for all nations is rejecting protectionist legislation and promoting fair and free competition. Now, there are some historical reasons for this, but those of us who lived through the Great Depression, the memory of the suffering it caused is deep and searing, and today, many economic analysts and historians argue that high tariff legislation passed back in that period, called the Smooth Hawley Tariff, greatly deepened the Depression and prevented economic recovery. You see, at first, when someone says let's impose tariffs on foreign imports, it looks like they're doing the patriotic thing by protecting American products and jobs, and sometimes for a short while it works, but only for a short time. What eventually occurs is first homegrown industries start relying on government protection in the form of high tariffs. They stop competing and stop making the innovative management and technological changes, they need to succeed in world markets, and then while all this is going on, something even worse occurs. High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars. The result is more and more tariffs, higher and higher trade barriers and less and less competition so soon, because the prices made artificially high by tariffs that subsidized inefficiency and poor management, people stop buying. Then, the worst happens; markets shrink and collapse; businesses and industries shut down, and millions of people lose their jobs. The memory of all this, occurring back in the 30s made me determine that when I came to Washington to spare the American people the protectionist legislation that destroys prosperity. Now, it hasn't always been easy. There are those in the Congress, just as there were back in the 30s, who want to go for the quick political advantage, who risk America's prosperity for the sake of a short-term appeal to some special interest group who forget that more than 5 million American jobs are directly tied to the foreign export business and additional millions are tied to imports. Well, I've never forgotten those jobs and on trade issues, by and large we've done well. In certain select cases, like the Japanese semiconductors, we've taken steps to stop unfair practices against American products, but we still maintained our basic long-term commitment to free trade and economic growth. So, with my meeting with Prime Minister Nakasone and the Venice Economic Summit coming up, it's terribly important not to restrict the president's options in such trade dealings with foreign governments. Unfortunately, some in the Congress are trying to do exactly that. I'll keep you informed on this dangerous legislation because it's just another form of protectionism and I may need your help to stop it. Remember, America's jobs and growth are at stake. I’ll see you next week. Thanks for listening and God bless you.”

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Beginning 2 Corinthians 5

Verses 1-5, a perspective of death:

2 Corinthians 5:1 

For we know [the importance of knowing the Word] that if [introducing a 3rd Class Conditional Sentence: maybe we will die or maybe will be in the resurrection-generation] our earthly tent [made from the minerals of the earth], the tabernacle [appositional genitive; the temporary house for the soul and the human spirit] is loosed [the soul leaving the body at the point of death], we have a building [a permanent building made of marble] from God, not built with human hands [God himself designed and built the resurrection body] an eternal house [the resurrection body] in heaven.

Οἴδαµεν γὰρ ὅτι ἐὰν ἡ ἐπίγειος [masculine or feminine ending] ἡµῶν οἰκία τοῦ σκήνους [genitive singular] καταλυθῇ, οἰκοδοµὴν ἐκ θεοῦ ἔχοµεν οἰκίαν ἀχειροποίητον αἰώνιον ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.

An introduction to this verse: A promise to believers especially to advanced believers regarding the protection of their mortal bodies:

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Job 5:19-27, the discourse of Eliphaz: the concept of grace deliverance

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Job 5:19. In six disasters [the cause is not mentioned], he will deliver [rescue: the wall of fire in Logistical Grace] you. Furthermore, in seven disasters [to indicate the whole realm of danger], evil [the things which accompany dying, anything which puts the life in danger] will not touch you [not even brush by you].

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בְּשֵׁשׁ צָרוֹת, יַצִּילֶךָּ;    וּבְשֶׁבַע, לֹא-יִגַּע בְּךָ רָע

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The word for “deliver” is the Hebrew word natsal and it means to rescue or to deliver when you are in a place where you can’t do much for yourself; in other words, a hopeless situation.

Verses 20-21: the areas of deliverance.

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Job 5:20. In economic depression [the black horse of economic depression and famine] he will preserve you [until you have had enough time to execute the plan of God] from death [you are preserved from the ashen horse, death from famine], and in battle [the red horse of warfare], he will preserve you from the stroke of the sword [a promise to both the military and the civilians].

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בְּרָעָב, פָּדְךָ מִמָּוֶת;    וּבְמִלְחָמָה, מִידֵי חָרֶב.

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Job 5:21. You will be hidden [protection which comes from God] from the lash [scourge] of the tongue [protection from social degeneration resulting in maligning, judging, gossip, societal ridicule etc.; Job was the object of the scourge of the tongue], and you will not be afraid [the perpetuation of courage in dying grace] of violent death [painful even torture] when it comes.

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בְּשׁוֹט לָשׁוֹן, תֵּחָבֵא;    וְלֹא-תִירָא מִשֹּׁד, כִּי יָבוֹא.

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Job 5:22. You [the prepared believer] will laugh [a relaxed laugh from a sense of humor which will help you think in time of disaster] at death and famine [economic depression], even from the wild animals of the earth [as instruments of violent death], you have nothing to fear.

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לְשֹׁד וּלְכָפָן תִּשְׂחָק;    וּמֵחַיַּת הָאָרֶץ, אַל-תִּירָא.

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In other words, you will be very relaxed in economic depression, and you will also laugh at the wild animals of the earth. What do wild animals represent? It means at certain times in history animals destroy a great deal of life. These animals are analogous to crime, nuclear weapons, conventional weapons, cars, and a lot of other things. However, the believer who is in doctrine is preserved from all of these things.

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Job 5:23. For your contract will be with [for you will be secure from] the stones [the ammunition of the ancient world] of the battlefield; and the beast of the field [the wild animals] will be at peace with you [nothing can remove the believer from this life apart from the sovereignty of God].

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כִּי עִם-אַבְנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה בְרִיתֶךָ;    וְחַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה, הָשְׁלְמָה-לָּךְ.

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None of the instruments of death can remove the believer from this life until God permits. Only the integrity of God can transfer the believer from time to eternity. No believer can be removed until the Lord is ready to take him home to heaven, but once the Lord calls the believer home, nothing can retain him on this earth.

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A few points for clarification:

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1. No believer can be removed from this life apart from a sovereign, wise and loving God.

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2. Until God makes that decision which takes us from living to dying grace, nothing can remove the believer from this life.

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3. The divine initiative of Dying Grace is God’s decision. Therefore, in his great love and wisdom, he decides the time, manner and place of our death.

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4. Our death is God’s victory which victory he has transferred to the believer by giving him his own death-shadowed valley (intercepting the light of Bible doctrine as found in Psalm 23) so that our dying will be our greatest blessing on this earth.

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5. No believer can be removed from this earth until God decides to take him home. Various instruments of death including carelessness, errors, bad judgment or evil people may be used by God to transfer us to heaven through our own death-shadowed valley. So, since the timing, place and manner of our death is the decision of God, no one has the right to question God’s grace, God’s decision or God’s timing in death.

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Job 5:24. Therefore, you will know [the importance of knowing doctrine] that your tent [human body, the present home of the soul and human spirit] is in a state of prosperity [tranquility under dying grace], for you will visit your home [in heaven] and you [the mature believer] will not forfeit blessing or reward [he will receive his Escrow Blessings at the Evaluation Platform of Christ].

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וְיָדַעְתָּ, כִּי-שָׁלוֹם אָהֳלֶךָ;    וּפָקַדְתָּ נָוְךָ, וְלֹא תֶחֱטָא.

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Those who are left behind must honor the departure of a loved one by continuing on with living grace, by not entering into self-pity, resentment, bitterness etc. Reaction is not honoring to God, nor to our departed loved ones. So, let your sorrow remind you of God’s grace. Also, remember that in heaven there is no pain, sorrow etc., but only happiness for your departed loved ones.

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Those who are left behind must never expect others to share in their great grief, a grief and sorrowful pain that they must bear their entire life. It is a grief that the loved ones left behind must carry without resentment toward others who seem not to care.

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Job 5:25. You will know [orientation to the Plan of God is based on knowing the Word of God] that your descendants will be numerous [an idiom for prosperity], and your offspring like the grass of the earth [elaborating on this idiom of prosperity; human life will continue on the earth after your departure; loved ones on the earth must continue living a normal life].

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וְיָדַעְתָּ, כִּי-רַב זַרְעֶךָ;    וְצֶאֱצָאֶיךָ, כְּעֵשֶׂב הָאָרֶץ.

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Not only is there dying grace for you as a mature believer, but also your loved ones will be blessed by association even after you depart. In other words, you will have an impact even beyond your death.

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Job 5:26. You will come to the grave in a full age [at the right time and only God’s timing is perfect], like a shock of corn [the farmer removes the corn from its husk; this is analogous to peeling off this mortal body of corruption from the soul] in its season [the farmer as the expert, harvests the corn at the right time so the Lord picks the right time for your departure].

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תָּבוֹא בְכֶלַח אֱלֵי-קָבֶר;    כַּעֲלוֹת גָּדִישׁ בְּעִתּוֹ.

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Job 5:27. Behold this; we have investigated it; this is the gist of it; hear it and apply it to yourself.

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הִנֵּה-זֹאת חֲקַרְנוּהָ כֶּן-הִיא;    שְׁמָעֶנָּה, וְאַתָּה דַע-לָךְ.

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When facing death:

1. The reality of death is the test of the believer’s spiritual condition and true scale of values.

2. In the face of death, the following will not comfort you: money, success, wealth, promotion, and social life just to mention a few things. Dying can be the greatest happiness in life or the greatest misery, and it depends upon the content of Bible doctrine in your soul, not the details of life.

3. If Bible doctrine is not first in your scale of values during the living phase of your life, dying will be a nightmare. If on the other hand, doctrine has first place in one’s scale of values, dying should intensify one’s happiness.  So, dying will either intensify suffering or happiness.

4. The ten special persecutions from the Roman emperors, Domitian to Diocletian made death a reality to millions of people who were believers. Believers living in the Cosmic System when facing the threat of torture and death easily renounced their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. On the other hand, believers having lived their life in God’s power system, when facing the threat of torture and death, were not afraid and did not renounce Christ.  

5. Regarding cosmic believers, fear of death becomes fear of life. If you are afraid of death, you are afraid of life. If there is nothing worth living for, there is nothing worth dying for, but only those mature believers in the pivot [the group of mature believers] understands this issue.

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Removing Fear from Death:

1. Bible doctrine resident in the soul removes fear of death as well as fear of life.

2. The believer having executed the spiritual life is not afraid of torture and death. That means that martyrdom is never in vain. Martyrdom without renouncing Christ, is one of the greatest rewardable functions in eternity. At the very least, he will receive the Wreath of Life.

3. Before Constantine, the Roman Empire was many times evangelized through dying testimony; after Constantine it was generally evangelized through living testimony. In history it takes both. Dying testimony requires, like living testimony, that Bible doctrine is more real than anything in life. Otherwise, when called upon to live or die for the Lord Jesus Christ, he can’t do it.

4. The success standards of life must be replaced by the success standards of God’s plan. Who will succeed in accomplishing this replacement of standards? The judgment seat of Christ will reveal that many people who have a comparatively humble station in life in the Lord’s eyes were the great heroes and heroines of history.

5. Only through Bible doctrine can God and His plan be more real than people, ambitions, situations, and pleasures. Beware that you do not function in life according to human viewpoint, on the basis of rationalizing doctrine to fit your ambitions and functions in life. The divine viewpoint must override peer pressure, and arrogant ambition must be replaced by doctrinal perception. When that happens and you fulfil the principle of being faithful, even unto death, there will be a special, super reward for you in heaven.

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The Rapture, the Resurrection of Church Age Believers:

There are two returns from the dead namely resuscitation and resurrection.

Resuscitation means a person returns from the dead in a body of corruption and eventually dies again. For example, Lazarus was resuscitated by Jesus; Paul resuscitated a boy who fell out of a window; two boys in the Old Testament were resuscitated, and Elijah and Moses will be resuscitated toward the end of the Tribulation. On the other hand, resurrection means to be given an eternal body which does not corrupt or dies. Therefore, resurrection is rising again from the dead in an eternal human body, and never again being subject to death.

Just as the death of the believer is the Lord's victory, so the resurrection of the believer is the Lord's victory. The resurrection of the believer is the wise and sovereign decision of God. This means that the believer's volition, cognition, and individual merit are not factors in the resurrection namely the Rapture of the Church. The resurrection is strictly the Lord's victory. For just as we have no control over the manner or time of our death, so we have no control over the manner or time of our resurrection.  This is completely a matter of the wisdom and sovereignty of God.

Your resurrection does not depend in any way on your merit or life. Winners and losers alike receive a resurrection body equally. No distinction is made between winners and losers at the point of receiving resurrection-bodies. The Rapture will never occur by the merit of any Christian. So, resurrection is far greater than we can imagine for in resurrection, God makes no distinction between those who completely fail to execute the Christian way of life and those who succeed in executing the Christian way of life. It has everything to do with who and what the Lord is! 

The time, place, and manner of the resurrection of the Church is God's perfect decision based on the completion of the body of Christ, called the royal family of God. Just as the believer has no control over the time, manner, or place of his death, so he has no control over the time, manner, and place of the resurrection. Like the death of the believer, resurrection or the Rapture is the decision of the sovereignty of God. Therefore, it is His victory alone. It is strictly a matter of grace.

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1. The Promise of the Rapture:

John 14:1-3.  Do not let your heart [the soul] be troubled [addressing future Church age believers]; believe in God, believe also in Me. (2) In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you [future Church Age believers]; for I go to prepare a place for you [the groom prepares a home for his bride].  (3) If I go [His ascension] and prepare a place for you, I will come again [at the Rapture] and receive you [the Church, his bride] to myself [the ceremony: the bride is presented to the groom], that where I am [in heaven], there you may be also.

2. James gives us an admonition.

James 5:7-8. Therefore [if you desire to continue your spiritual growth], have patience, brethren [execute the spiritual life], until the Coming of the Lord [at the Rapture].  Behold, the farmer waits with expectation for the valuable production of the land, and constantly being patient over it [the land] until he has received the early rains [October thru December] and the latter rains [March thru April]. (8) You too be patient and have stability [from knowledge of God’s Word] in your right lobe [the stream of consciousness], because the Coming of the Lord [the Rapture] draws near [every day it gets closer].

3. Three times in Revelation is the phrase, "I am coming soon": Revelation 22:7, 12, 20. Remember that, to the Lord, a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is as a day. This statement was made in A.D. 96, and this is now A.D. 2025. Therefore, "soon" connotes imminency, not immediacy.

4. How should we be waiting for the Rapture?

Titus 2:13. Waiting with keen anticipation for that blessed hope [Rapture], even the appearance of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.

5. God the Father will participate in the resurrection of Church Age believers.

1 Corinthians 6:14. Now God [the Father] has not only resurrected our Lord, but He will raise us up through His power.

6. The omnipotence of the Holy Spirit restored our Lord's human soul in Hades to His body in the grave and thereby became an agent in the resurrection of the humanity of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 3:18. For Christ also died as a substitute for our sins once and for all, the righteous as a substitute for the unrighteous so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive [given a resurrection body] by the Spirit. 

Also, the Spirit will be the agent in providing a resurrection body for those in mortal bodies at the Rapture. 

Romans 8:11. Now if the Spirit from Him [God the Father] who has raised Jesus from the dead indwells in you and he does, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies [mortality becomes immortality via the resurrection body at the Rapture of the Church] through the agency of his Spirit who indwells in you [those alive at the Rapture will receive their resurrection bodies via the power of the Holy Spirit].

7. There will be two categories of believers at the Rapture. 

1 Corinthians 15:53. For this perishable [the interim body of those Christians who will have died before the Rapture] must put on imperishable [an eternal body], and this mortal [the mortal body of those alive at the Rapture] must put on immortality [the eternal body].

8. Our resurrection body will be similar to that of the resurrected Christ.

1 John 3:2-3. Beloved, now we are the children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears [at the Rapture], we will be like Him [will have a resurrection body similar to that of Jesus] because we will see Him just as He is. (3) And everyone [the believer with momentum] who keeps having this confidence [from doctrine in the soul] in him purifies himself [by advancing in fellowship and when necessary, the use of the Recovery Procedure] just as that one is pure [the humanity of Christ remained in fellowship with God during the 1st Advent].

9. Explaining the details of the Rapture:

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. But we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, about those who are asleep [died] that you may not grieve, as to the rest of the world [of unbelievers] who have no confidence. (14) If we believe that Jesus died and rose again [and we do], even so God [omnipotence of God the Father] will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep [who have died and are in interim bodies]. (15) For this doctrine we communicate to you by the Word of the Lord, that we [Paul identifies with the Rapture generation] who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord [the Rapture] shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. (16) For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel [for mortality to receive immorality] and with the trumpet of God [the Father’s trumpet command for corruption to become incorruption]; in fact, the dead in Christ shall rise first. (17) Then, we [Paul identifies himself with those who will be alive at the Rapture] who are living who remain on the earth shall be caught up together with them [those who were previously in interim bodies] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (18) Therefore, comfort each other with these doctrines.

10. The Lord reminds Martha who was weeping over Lazarus about Resurrection.

John 11:25. Jesus said to Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me shall live [in resurrection body] even if He dies [departs from his mortal body]."

11. No one knows when the Rapture will take place for if we don’t know when the 2nd Advent will occur and we don’t, then also we cannot know when the Rapture will take place because they are only seven years apart.

Matthew 24:36. “But concerning that day and hour [of the 2nd Advent] no one knows, not even the [elect] angels of heaven nor the Son [speaking from his humanity], but the Father alone [only the members of the Godhead know].

2 Corinthians 5:2

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For indeed, in this mortal body, we groan [the souls located in mortal bodies groan because they suffer anguish, pain, difficulties and mostly because of the Sin Nature] longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling [a reference to the Resurrection Body],

καὶ γὰρ ἐν τούτῳ στενάζοµεν, τὸ οἰκητήριον ἡµῶν τὸ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἐπενδύσασθαι ἐπιποθοῦντες,

Soul, human:

A few points regarding the human soul:

1. Since God creates the soul, it cannot be eternal, but everlasting namely it has a beginning but no ending.

Genesis 1:27. And God created [the Hebrew bara] man in His own image [a reference to the soul], in the image of God He created [bara] him [mankind]; male and female He created [bara] them [the souls are either male or female].

2. The essence of the soul: mentality, conscience, self-consciousness, and volition. The following definition is taken from the booklet “The Origin of Human Life”, page 6.

Every individual has an identical essence of soul, but each person has a different personality reflecting the combination of the facets in the soul. Let me explain. When negative volition toward the truth impacts mentality and conscience, an unstable, maladjusted personality emerges. When positive volition toward the truth impacts mentality and conscience, a balanced, stable, and well-adjusted personality develops. Heredity [genes] and environment also influence the various aspects of personality, but volition ultimately determines the interaction of the facets of the soul.

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The major reason the soul groans in the body is due to the Sin Nature.

The next four paragraphs are taken from the booklet, ‘The Old Sin Nature pages 7-9 by R. B. Thieme Jr.

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THE Old Sin Nature

FOR AS LONG AS YOU LIVE the Old Sin Nature and God the Holy Spirit will coexist as permanent residents in your mortal body and will battle continually for control of your soul. When the Holy Spirit controls your soul, you are spiritual. When the Old Sin Nature controls your soul, you are carnal. When you choose to sin, the Old Sin Nature wins the conflict. You do not lose your salvation or your eternal relationship with God, but you do temporarily lose fellowship with Him.

The Sin Nature is the center of man’s rebellion toward God and is variously designated in Scripture as “sin” (a singular noun—Rom. 7:13), “flesh” (Gal. 5:16), and “old man” (Eph. 4:22). The Old Sin Nature was acquired by Adam at his fall and is subsequently transmitted genetically by the male through procreation (Gen. 5:3). With the exception of the perfect humanity of Jesus Christ, it is an integral part of every human being that resides in the cell structure of the body (Rom. 6:6; 7:5, 18). At the moment of physical birth when God imputes soul life, He also imputes Adam’s original sin to the genetically formed Old Sin Nature (Rom. 5:12). Therefore, every person is born physically alive but spiritually dead.

The Sin Nature is sovereign over human life [when allowed to reign] (Rom. 6:12). The Old Sin Nature is composed of an area of weakness, the source of temptation for personal sins (Heb. 12:1); an area of strength, which generates human good (Isa. 64:6; Heb. 6:1); a trend toward legalism, which is self-righteousness (Rom. 7:7), or antinomianism, which is licentiousness (Gal. 5:19–21); and a lust pattern, which is the motivation toward either trend (Eph. 2:3).

Your Old Sin Nature is the source of temptation to sin, but your volition is the source of sin. The Sin Nature cannot make you sin; it can only tempt you to sin. When you choose to succumb to the Sin Nature, you are in carnality and you cannot live the Christian life or glorify God. However, God has placed at your command the means to insure the victory of the Holy Spirit in your life.

The lust pattern determines the trend. The following is taken from R. B. Thieme Jr’s doctrine of lust:

1. There are many categories of lust, all of which relate to the Old Sin Nature.

2. When it comes to lust, all members of the human race are swimming in the same gene pool. None of us are free from lust. If you are human, normal or abnormal, you have lust problems.

3. Because of the different categories of lusts, all believers do not function under the same category.

4. The category of lust related to your modus operandi is directly related to both your personal areas of weakness and your personal areas of strength in your Old Sin Nature.

5. All of us possess an Old Sin Nature in the cell structure of our bodies. Therefore, all of us as humans have areas of strength and weakness. Remember that our areas of strength are very deceiving, and we often build a false self-esteem on our areas of strength. It is quickly broken down by arrogance. The only answer to these things is spiritual self-esteem.

6. This means that one person’s weakness is another person’s strength which is the basis for our arrogance, self-justification, and rationalization about inferiority and superiority. To go through life trying to prove others inferior and yourself superior is the worst concept in life. The majority of people go through life trying to compensate for inferior feelings. They inevitably destroy themselves through their area of weakness and their area of strength.

7. The lust pattern of the Old Sin Nature includes at least seven categories.

a. Power lust is the worst of all, for almost all other lusts are related to this one, especially if you have any inferiority problems. Power lust is the most devastating force for evil in human history. It doesn’t require leadership ability or a prominent position to have power lust. You can be at the lowest echelon, rejected by all, and have a strong power lust. Power lust is one of our greatest enemies. It comes in dozens of different packages and in all flavors.

b. Approbation lust is merely one of the extensions of power lust, and it is separate because some people do want approbation without power. A beautiful woman may not desire power at all, but she, the woman under approbation lust certainly wants someone to tell her she’s beautiful.

c. Stimulation lust has many parts, in which we cater to the nerve centers and functions of our body in the name of pleasure. (1) Sexual lust, or lasciviousness. (2) Drunkenness. (3) Drug addiction. (4) Mental stimulation or intellectual arrogance. 2 Tim 3:4, “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” Pleasure lust is a destroyer of honor, virtue, and integrity through sin and perpetual carnality. There is nothing wrong with pleasure as long as that pleasure does not involve sinful activity. Pleasure of the moment is not worth the displeasure of God.

d. Killer lust is the problem-solving device of the weak. Inferior people trying to prove they are superior often resort to violence, torture, murder. (Legitimate killing, within the confines of military function, police work, and capital punishment, is not the same as murder.) Murder often occurs within one’s own family, as with Cain. For once this lust comes, it does not discriminate between family, friends, or enemies. Some people live to kill, love to kill and lust to kill.

e. Anger lust or cruelty. Anger does not always but definitely can bring out a cruel streak. Some people are genetically mean and naturally cruel. Some people hide it well and some do not. This lust is the evil desire to hurt others, e.g., the object of one’s love, the object of one’s hatred, or anyone who causes you a problem. Some people cannot stand glitches, and when anyone opposes them, whether it is a loved one or an enemy or someone at work, cruelty lust surfaces. Some people by nature are kind; some people by nature are cruel. It starts as a genetic factor. However, both can also be developed, and can also be overcome by both believers and unbelievers. Variations in cruelty lust depend upon cosmic living.

f. Money lust is called by the Scripture the “root of all kinds of evil.” It expresses itself in all the categories of evil. (1) There is nothing wrong with having and acquiring money; that is not evil or sinful, as communist propaganda says. Marxism says people have no right to wealth; it belongs to the state. (2) The USA was founded not only by Anglo-Saxon culture but also by the Protestant work ethic, which went so far as to say that people who were wealthy were blessed by God or even spiritual. Now with the influence of Marxism, we take the opposite view. Between the two is the truth. (3) God does bless some people with money; God blesses other people in other ways. We must distinguish between the blessing of God in monetary success and the acquiring of money apart from any divine blessing. (4) One index to the soul of every person can be read loud and clear by his attitude toward money. This doesn’t mean that a person who saves is tight or stingy, nor that a big-time spender is necessarily generous. But one’s attitude toward money very clearly delineates one’s overall philosophy of life or one’s spiritual condition or lack of spiritual life. 1 Tim 6:10, “For the love for money is the root of all kinds of evil, and some by lusting for it have wandered away from doctrine and stabbed themselves with many griefs [heartaches].” (5) It is a very definite fact that love for money can distract people from Bible doctrine. Heb 13:5, “Let your life be free from the love for money, and be content [+H] with what you have. For He has said, ‘I will never leave you nor will I ever forsake you.’”

g. Crusader lust, which is Christian activism. Christian activism includes civil disobedience, criminality, paramilitary organizations, vigilante activities, social engineering, anti-Semitism, refusal to pay taxes, terrorism, utopian socialism.

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A few more points related to lust:

1. Lust destroys the motivation of the believer to execute the Protocol Plan of God for the Church.

2. Lust is a distraction to the modus vivendi and modus operandi of the Christian way of life.

3. Lust divorces the believer from reality, causing unrealistic expectation which eliminates understanding and using the Problem-solving Devices.

4. Lust destroys spiritual self-esteem and replaces it with inordinate desire related to self-gratification.

Sin Nature and its power!

1. Though the Sin Nature is the source of temptation, human volition is the source of sin.

2. The Sin Nature can tempt in three areas – sin, human good and evil, but it cannot succeed apart from the volition of the soul.

3. The volition of the soul guards the gate of the soul from the Sin Nature’s temptation.

4. Therefore, no one ever sins apart from his own consent or function of his own volition.

5. Whether sins of ignorance or sins of cognizance, the volition is involved in every sin. Therefore, ignorance is no excuse.

6. While the Sin Nature is located in the body, it must persuade the volition of the soul to yield to temptation in order for sin to occur.

7. When theSin Nature’s temptations become sin through human consent the Sin Nature gains control over the soul, and the believer enters into the Cosmic System.

8. The Sin Nature, therefore, is Satan’s inside agent recruiting for the Cosmic System.

9. Therefore, the believer is only pure and free from sin when he is functioning under the two power options.

10. Lawlessness is residence and function in the Cosmic System. When the Christian functions outside of the spiritual life, he is in total violation of God’s authority and laws.

2 Corinthians 5:3

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Because when we [a reference to our souls] are clothed [the soul needs to be clothed in a body], we will not be found naked [after death, our body is first clothed in an interim body and then at the Rapture in a resurrection body].

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εἴ γε καὶ ἐνδυσάµενοι οὐ γυµνοὶ εὑρεθησόµεθα.

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Interim Body, examples of in Scripture:

The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)

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The account of the rich man and Lazarus as taught by the Lord Jesus Christ is never to be considered as a parable for parables never mention proper names or actual geographical locations.  For example, a parable will usually begin by introducing the characters as such: “a certain man had two sons,” or “there was a certain rich man who had a steward.” However, the account of the rich man and Lazarus in Hades is a historical event - a true story, with real people, in a real geographical location.

Luke 16:19. Now there was a certain rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living every day in luxury [this became a distraction].

The Newness of Life:

1. The newness of life provided through the Baptism of the Spirit includes positional freedom from producing good and evil. Not only are we free from the tyranny of good and evil, but we are also free from having to produce good and evil.

2. The believer has no obligation to improve the devil’s world through social action, socialism, welfare state, communism, environmentalism, or any social gospel, social action, getting involved, etc.

3. The human race is protected from Satan’s policy of good and evil through the Laws of Divine Establishment which promote freedom instead of improvement at the cost of freedom.

4. In addition to the Laws of Divine Establishment, the believer is insulated from good and evil positionally through the Baptism of the Spirit.

5. Divorced from the Old Sin Nature positionally and its useless activity of human good and the function of evil, the life of the believer can be devoted to glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ through maximum knowledge and application of Bible doctrine.

Romans 6:5:  For if we have become united with Him [Christ, the new husband] in the likeness of His death [the Substitutionary Spiritual Death of Christ on the cross], and we have, and not only this, but also, we shall be [united in the likeness] of His resurrection [Current Positional Truth: in union with the resurrected Christ].

Romans 6:6: Be knowing this [through Retroactive Positional Truth], that our old man [our former husband, the Sin Nature dates back to the Garden] has been crucified together [with Him], in order that the [human] body, with reference to its Sin Nature, [the Sin Nature located in the body] might be rendered powerless [when we use Recovery Procedure and the two power options], that we should no longer be slaves to the Sin Nature.

“Our old man has been crucified with Him” meaning that the power of the Sin Nature has been broken on the cross.  Since the power of the Sin Nature was broken by the work of the cross, we as believers have no excuse for not executing the spiritual life. We will not be able to say to Christ at our evaluation that our Sin Nature was too powerful for us to execute the spiritual life.

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A few points for further clarification:

1.Retroactive Positional Truth is that phase of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation which identifies the believer with Christ in His spiritual death, physical death and his burial.

2. In the Substitutionary Spiritual Death of Christ on the cross all the personal sins in human history were imputed to Christ, but at the same time the other two trends of the Old Sin Nature were not imputed for judgment.

3. Good and evil is the policy of Satan as the ruler of this world and the function of the Old Sin Nature as the sovereign of human life. In fact, the Sin Nature functions as the agent of Satan.

4. Good and evil were not imputed for judgment on the cross. Hence, in the spiritual death of Christ on the cross, they were rejected to remain an issue in the angelic conflict, rejected to be perpetuated in human history as an issue every believer must face, and either overcome through the intake of doctrine or be entrapped by ignorance of doctrine and therefore lose out in glorifying God in time.

5. We are identified with Christ in His spiritual death, which means that we must understand that our sins have been judged and that good and evil has been rejected.

6. It all adds up to the fact that the sovereignty of the Old Sin Nature over human life has been made powerless through Retroactive Positional Truth.

7. The imputation of all personal sins of the human race to Christ on the cross means that the believer through the Rebound Technique is instantly forgiven sins, cleansed from all wrong doing which includes Satanic good and evil, restored to fellowship and Filled with the Spirit.

Romans 6:7: For we who have died [the Christian is identified with the Substitutionary Spiritual Death of Christ: theologically called Retroactive Positional Truth] have been acquitted [positional deliverance] from [the power of] the Sin Nature.

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A few points for further clarification:

1. A dead person is discharged from the obligations of his former sphere of life. This is why the word “death” is used in this context. It is not a literal, physical death we are discussing but identification with Christ in His death.

2. As unbelievers we were under the authority of Satan as the ruler of this world, and under the authority of the Old Sin Nature as the sovereign of human life.

3. Both the power of Satan and the Old Sin Nature have been abrogated through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation.

4. This passage, then, emphasizes the annulling of the power and the authority of the Old Sin Nature as the sovereign of human life.

5. Positionally, the power of the Sin Nature has been broken. Experientially, the Old Sin Nature controls to the extent that we fail to understand and utilize the provision and support of Logistical Grace. 

Romans 6:8:  Now, if we have died with Christ, and we have [Retroactive Positional Truth], we also believe that we shall live in association with Him [the instrumental of association; a reference to Current Positional Truth].

In this verse, the 1st Class conditional sentence shows the relationship between Retroactive Positional Truth with Current Positional Truth. The protasis, the ‘if’ clause states the reality of Retroactive Positional Truth and the apodosis, the concluding clause states the doctrinal inference and the reality of Current Positional Truth. While Retroactive Positional Truth presents positional rejection and separation from good and evil as the policy of Satan and the function of the Old Sin Nature, Current Positional Truth relates the believer to the function of the royal family of God. In other words, they have separate functions.

Romans 6:9:  Knowing that because Christ has been raised from the dead [He received a resurrection body], no longer can He die; physical death is no longer a master over Him.

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Analysis:

1. Retroactive Positional Truth destroys the sovereign authority of the Old Sin Nature over human life.  Current Positional Truth, on the other hand, motivates the Christian to live up to his new status as a new spiritual species.

2. Instead of being ruled by the Old Sin Nature located in the cells of the human body and influencing our souls toward sin, good and evil, we now have a new sovereign, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are identified with Him in His deaths, in His burial, resurrection, ascension and session.

3. Before salvation and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, our lives were under the absolute rule of Satan who is the ruler of this world and under the rule of the Old Sin Nature which is the ruler of life. All of that, of course, has been changed since salvation.

4. Now, both Retroactive and Current Positional Truth have abrogated the authority and power of these former rulers. The power of Satan over our lives has been broken through identification with Christ on the cross and the rejection of good and evil namely Satan’s policy and plan and through our position in union with Christ.

Romans 6:10: For the death [Substitutionary Spiritual Death] which He has died, He has died once for all with reference to the Sin Nature; but the resurrection-life which He lives, He lives with reference to the God [the Father].

Romans 6:11: So also, on the one hand, all of you yourselves conclude yourselves to be dead with reference to the Sin Nature but, on the other hand, living with reference to God in Christ Jesus.

The Greek verb logizomai meaning in this context ‘to conclude’: The present middle imperative of the verb logizomai means to calculate, to take into account, to evaluate, to estimate, to think, consider, ponder, have in mind, to be of the opinion. In the Attic Greek, logizomai connoted thought regulated by strict logical rules, and therefore meant to deliberate or to conclude or apply information non-emotionally. Plato used this verb for ‘non-emotional thinking’.

Emotion may result from thinking, but emotion must never be allowed to destroy thinking. The imperative mood is an entreaty rather than a command, an entreaty which does not convey the finality of a command but has the force of urgency. It is urgent that we must begin to think in terms of doctrine, and when we have a conflict in our soul between how we feel and what the Word of God says we must always go with what the Word of God says, rather than how we feel. Emotion must never destroy our ability to reason and to think. Our highest form of emotion must come from the stimulation of thought, rather than the destruction of thought.

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A few points of explanation:

1. The conclusion from positional truth, whether retroactive or current, is that the Christian must apply these doctrines to his spiritual life.

2. In Romans 7:1-4, we have an illustration of a woman whose first husband has died freeing her to marry another. This is what actually happens to us as believers at salvation. The Old Sin Nature is the husband up to the point of salvation, but at the moment we believe in Jesus Christ, positionally the Sin Nature is dead, as it were, the first husband has died, and we have a new husband through union with Christ. Retroactive Positional Truth removes our first husband, the Sin Nature whereas Current Positional Truth enters us into union with Christ, our new husband.

3. The Old Sin Nature-husband is still around, still seeking to regain his control over his former wife, the believer, but union with the second husband, the Lord Jesus Christ, has broken the first husband’s authority over the former wife.  

Romans 6:12. Therefore, stop permitting the Sin Nature to rule in your mortal body, that you should obey [the same Sin Nature] with its lusts.

Complete abrogation must occur. If we are going to live our lives to please the Lord, our new husband, then the rulership of the Old Sin Nature must not only be abrogated positionally but also experientially. (We can abrogate the rulership of the Sin Nature, but not the Sin Nature itself.) The Lord Jesus Christ is not necessarily experientially your sovereign for there is a vast difference between positional victory over the Old Sin Nature and experiential victory.

The command to stop permitting etc. indicates that we have some control over the matter, that our volition is very definitely involved. Though we may be tempted to sin via some lust from the Sin Nature, our volition does not need to give consent. Lust + consent = sin!

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A few points for clarification:

1. Notice that this is a negative command. This is something that has to be shut down, turned off. This negative command of prohibition indicates that the believer has an option after salvation regarding the rulership of the Old Sin Nature. 

2. As a result of the Baptism of the Spirit at salvation and resultant Retroactive and Current Positional Truth the sovereignty and the authority of the Old Sin Nature as the ruler of life has been broken positionally. This is true for every believer. The fact of the abrogation of the Old Sin Nature’s power means that experientially there can be and should be a change.

3. The option, then, is the issue. How and where do we exercise our options? The option is related to experiential Christianity, not positional Christianity. Positional Christianity gives us the opportunity to exercise our options, but the option is exercised in the field of Christian experience.

4. We have two opportunities to exercise an option, both are continuous. One of them has to do with the use of the Recovery Procedure throughout our Christian experience, the other option is to daily grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.

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The Mystery-Doctrines:

Vocabulary based on the Ancient Cults:

The Greek word musterion is a reference to the secrets of the ancient cults. Only those who were initiated into the fraternities and sororities of these cults knew the mystery doctrines or their secrets. The mystery cults of the ancient world were all demonic. Some of the famous mystery cults included: The mystery cult of Eleusis related to the goddess Demeter (Ceres) adopted by Athens, the mystery cult of Isis, the cult of Egypt, the mystery sorority of Dionysus for women whose rites included heavy drinking, drugs, ritual shouting, ecstasies, wild frenzied dancing, lesbian homosexual perversions, and human sacrifice, also there was the mystery cult of Mithras which was for men only, worshippers of Cybele who often castrated themselves in the madness of the rites, and the Orphic mystery cult centered around the singer Orpheus. Though these cults were said to be famous, infamous would be a better word to use.

Therefore, a vocabulary was developed in the Attic Greek for these cultic functions. The Greek word museo means to be initiated into the mysteries of the fraternity or sorority. This initiation was comprised of learning through inculcation, the secrets and doctrines of the fraternity (sorority) which secret doctrines were never to be revealed to outsiders. The Greek word muste referred to those who were initiated, to those who persevered until they actually learned all the fraternity (sorority) doctrines which doctrines were called mystery (musterion in the Greek). 

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Paul borrows the Greek word, musterion of the ancient cults to explain the Church Age and its unique doctrines:

The word musterion came down into the Koine of the New Testament. Musterion referred to the content of the doctrine, the actual principles and points that had to be learned to understand the spiritual life of the Church Age. The apostle Paul who used this word twenty-three times in the New Testament, took this noun away from the Greek fraternities (sororities) and gave it, under the ministry of the Holy Spirit, a Biblical definition which stands in the Word of God forever.

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The meaning of Mystery (musterion in the Greek) in the Church Age:

The word “mystery” (musterion in the Greek) refers to Church Age doctrines that were never revealed in Old Testament times. In the Old Testament, the Church Age with its unique spiritual assets was completely blacked-out. None of the following unique doctrines were known to the Old Testament writers of Scripture such as:

1. The assets provided by the Holy Spirit at salvation namely the Baptism of the Spirit, Indwelling of the Spirit, a spiritual gift, Sealing of the Spirit, and the Filling of the Holy Spirit though Regeneration and Efficacious Grace are provided as well, they are not unique to the Church Age. 

2. The new spiritual species of the royal family of God,

3. The unique Protocol Plan of God with its precisely correct procedure,

4. The equal privilege and equal opportunity of every Church Age believer to execute the Protocol Plan of God,

5. The Portfolio of Invisible Assets,

6. The unique royal commissions of the royal priesthood and the royal ambassadorship,

7. The indwelling of each member of the Trinity in the body of every Church Age believer,

8. The 100% availability of divine power (the omnipotence of the Father, Son, and Spirit),

9. The dispensation of invisible heroes having personal, national, international, and angelic impact.

10. Marriage in the Church Age which may need a little elaboration is also part of the Mystery doctrine. No unbeliever could fulfill the phrase “as unto the Lord” as found in Ephesians 5:22 and the clause, “just as the Lord loved the Church and gave himself as a substitute for her” Ephesians 5:25.  As a matter of fact, only mature believers have the ability to obey these commands; growing believers should be challenged to advance to spiritual maturity in order to fulfill these mandates. Furthermore, these commands found only in Ephesians were never given to any Old Testament believer. Moses, for example was never given the command found in Ephesians 5:25 since to execute these commands requires the power of the ‘mystery doctrines’ as found in the New Testament Epistles and the power of the Filling of the Holy Spirit. So, this passage was designed for Church Age believers only. In the Old Testament both unbeliever-marriage and believer-marriage were under the Laws of Divine Establishment whereas in the Church Age, the Christian marriage is not only under the Laws of Establishment, but is related to the spiritual life as well. Thus, the standard of believer-marriage in the Church Age was raised to the highest possible level. This makes Christian marriage in the Church Age unique and a part of the mystery doctrines. 

Ephesians 5:32. This mystery [Christian marriage as related to the spiritual life of the Church Age with the highest possible mandates in order to defeat Satan’s argument against marriage] is great; I am speaking with reference to Christ [Christian marriage is related to one’s relationship with Christ] and with reference to the Church [Christian marriage as part of the mystery doctrines only occurs in the Church Age].

The divine institution of marriage during the Church Age is far more important and has greater repercussions than any other period of human history.

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The Church Age and the Mystery Doctrines are not mentioned in the Old Testament; the Church Age and these doctrines are skipped-over:

There are a number of Old Testament passages which could have mentioned the Church Age but passed over it. Between the following passages, the Church Age occurred and so could have been revealed, but it was passed over in silence:

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Daniel 2:40-42. Then, there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron [the Roman Empire]; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so like iron that breaks in pieces, it [the Roman Empire] will crush and break all these in pieces. [between verse 40 and 41 we have the Church Age] (41) And in that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with common clay [the consolidation of the Revived Roman Empire in the Tribulation]. (42) And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle.

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Daniel 7:23-24. Therefore, he said [the interpretation from the angel], ‘The fourth beast shall be a fourth empire upon earth [the historical Roman Empire], which shall be diverse from all the kingdoms [for it was the first Gentile Client Nation], and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and crush it. [After speaking about the Roman Empire, Daniel skips over the Church Age and proceeds to the Tribulation.] (24) And as for the ten horns [the Revived Roman Empire], out of this kingdom shall ten kings arise: and another [a little horn, the dictator of the Revived Roman Empire] shall arise after them; and he shall be different from the previous ones [the ten in that he is Satan’s chosen servant] and he shall conquer three kings.

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Hosea 5:15-6:1. I will go away and return to My place [Jesus Christ departs Israel and ascends into heaven; ten days later, the Church Age begins, but is not mentioned in this passage], until they [historical Israel in the Old Testament] acknowledge their national guilt [of the 5th Cycle of Discipline] and seek My face; In their affliction [a reference to the Tribulation] they will earnestly seek Me. (6:1) Come, let us return to the Lord. For He has torn us [under the 5th Cycle of Discipline], but He will heal us; He has wounded us [under the 5th Cycle of Discipline], but He will bandage us [restore Israel at the 2nd Advent].

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Jesus prophesized in part regarding the Mystery-Doctrines:

John 14:20. In that day [Pentecost] you will know [they did not understand it when Jesus taught it] that I am in My Father [identification of Jesus Christ with the essence of God], and you in Me [Baptism of the Spirit], and I in you [Indwelling of Christ in every Church Age believer].

Acts 1:5-8. For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized by the Holy Spirit [identification with Christ in heaven] not many days from now. (6) Then, indeed, these coming together, they asked Him, saying, Lord, are You at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel [His millennial kingdom]? (7) And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put under His own authority. (8) But you shall receive power, the Holy Spirit coming upon you [the Filling of the Holy Spirit]. And you shall be witnesses [both to unbelievers of the human race and to angels with regard to the Angelic Appeal Trial] to Me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

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The Mystery-doctrines for the Church Age as taught by Paul:

These mystery doctrines are now revealed.

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Romans 16:25-26. Now to Him who is able to establish [stabilize] you [through the spiritual life] according to my good news and the preaching of Jesus Christ, on the basis of the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret [concealed] for long ages past [past dispensations]. (26) But now [in the Church Age] has been revealed through the prophetic Scriptures [of the New Testament] by the decree of the eternal God, having been made known to all the Gentiles, for the purpose of obedience [to the plan of God] from doctrine.

Ephesians 3:2-6. Inasmuch as you have heard about the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for your benefit, (3) that through revelation, the mystery doctrine was made known to me just as I have already written briefly. (4) By reading this, you ought to be able to understand my technical knowledge about the mystery of Christ (5) which was not made known to mankind in other ages [other dispensations], so that it has now been revealed to His holy apostles, even the prophets, by the Spirit; (6) that Gentiles are fellow-heirs and members together of the same body and sharers together of the same promises in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.

Never before in human history has the grace policy of God promised so much for the ordinary believer, no matter how insignificant his life may be.

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Pastors are mandated to teach the Mystery-doctrines:

1 Corinthians 4:1. Let a person regard us [communicators of God’s Word] as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

1 Corinthians 2:7. But we communicate God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden assets which God predestined before the ages for the purpose of our glory.

These doctrines of the Church Age will manufacture invisible heroes when Christians are willing to learn them from having correct Biblical priorities.

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1 Timothy 3:9. With a pure conscience, keep holding the mystery, even the Church Age doctrine.

Colossians 1:25-26. Concerning which [body which is the Church] I have become a minister with reference to the dispensation from God having been given to me for my benefit [it is to the advantage of the communicator to be oriented to dispensations] for the purpose of [communicating it to] you to fulfill [every time the communicator teaches] the Word of God [Bible doctrine must be taught to the congregation in the framework of dispensations.]  (26) That is, the mystery which has been hidden from past dispensations and generations [within those dispensations], but now has been revealed to the saints [the Royal Family of God].

Since this mystery is now revealed, there is no excuse for ignorance. So, it is the pastor’s job to inculcate the mystery-doctrines, to inculcate through repetition.

Ephesians 3:9. and to make perspicuous to all [church age believers] what is the dispensation of the mystery which has been concealed [hidden] from the ages [past dispensations] in the God [God the Son, the location of concealment] who has created [culminative aorist indicates also that he preserves them] all things.  

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There is a link between the great power experiment of the Hypostatic Union and the great power experiment of the Church Age.

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Colossians 2:2. That their right lobes may be encouraged, having been held together by means of love [meaning all the components of love], and resulting in all the riches from the full assurance of technical knowledge [providing insight] resulting in metabolized knowledge of the mystery of the God, that is, Christ [who utilized the Prototype Spiritual Life].

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Note the linkage between the great power experiment of the Hypostatic Union and the great power experiment of the Church Age. The humanity of Christ pioneered maximum utilization of divine omnipotence inside the Prototype Spiritual Life. We have the Operational Type Spiritual Life for the utilization of that same power.

1 Timothy 3:16. And by consent of all, great is the mystery of the spiritual life: the unique One [Jesus Christ] who appeared in a human body was vindicated by means of the Holy Spirit [His spiritual life and work on the cross]; He was observed by angels [both fallen and elect]; He was proclaimed among the nations; He was the object of faith in the world; He was taken up into glory [ascension and session].

Our Lord’s humanity resided inside the Prototype Spiritual Life where He depended entirely upon the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit and metabolized doctrine. Today, we have exactly what the humanity of Christ had. He functioned in the prototype; we have the operational-type. The strategic victory of our Lord during the great power experiment of the Hypostatic Union resulted in a second Christocentric dispensation: the great power experiment of the Church Age [the first time so much was given]. The great power experiment of the Church Age derives its precedence from the great power experiment of the Hypostatic Union. So, the dispensation of the Hypostatic Union has two applications. First, it serves as a permanent line of demarcation between the dispensation of Israel in the Old Testament and the dispensation of the Church in the New Testament. Secondly, it also serves as a precedence for the unique spiritual life of the Church Age with its mystery doctrines.

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Distinguishing between the Age of Israel and the Church:

The modus operandi of Israel is based on being a new racial species. The modus operandi of the Church is based on being a new spiritual species. Therefore, Israel did not have the 100% availability of divine power as we have nor did Israel have the indwelling of all three persons of the Trinity, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the universal priesthood of the believer, the universal royal family of God composed of all believers, the equal privilege and equal opportunity of both Jews and Gentiles, the modus operandi of the Protocol Plan of God, and the extremely high mandates required in Christian marriage.

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Using the Mosaic Law for the spiritual life of the Church Age instead of the Mystery-Doctrines:

Throughout the Church Age, there has been the prevalence of using the Mosaic Law for the Christian way of life. The Mosaic Law became the center of attention for explaining the Christian way of life, and self-determined morality became the order of the day instead of Spirit-filled virtue. The result of morality combined with arrogance related to Sabbath observance, tithing, ritual muttering of the alleged Lord’s Prayer. All these things are not the Christian way of life. For the Protocol Plan of God for the Church Age, derives its precedence from the great power experiment of the Hypostatic Union, not from the Old Testament and not from the Mosaic Law.

In conclusion, the dispensation of Israel provides no precedence for the Church Age. All precedence for the Protocol Plan of God is taken from the great power experiment of the Hypostatic Union.

2 Corinthians 5:18

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Now, all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us [His ambassadors] the ministry of reconciliation,

τὰ δὲ πάντα ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ καταλλάξαντος ἡµᾶς ἑαυτῷ διὰ Χριστοῦ καὶ δόντος ἡµῖν τὴν διακονίαν τῆς καταλλαγῆς,

Reconciliation:

The doctrine of reconciliation is defined as that category of soteriology (the biblical doctrine of salvation) which explains the removal of the barrier between God and mankind through the salvation work of our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross. In this definition, mankind is reconciled to God, not vice versa. God is never said to be reconciled to mankind. Although the work of reconciliation took place on the cross, it must be appropriated (or ratified) through faith in Jesus Christ.

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2 Corinthians 5:18-21. Now all these things are from God who has reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation [the responsibility to evangelize the unbeliever]. (19) Namely, that God [Father] by means of Christ [through His work on the cross] was reconciling the world to Himself [God the Father] by not imputing their sins to them [the members of the human race], having deposited in us the doctrine of reconciliation [this deposit is the understanding of the doctrine of reconciliation in the Christian’s soul]. (20) Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We invite you on behalf of Christ to become reconciled to God [by believing in Jesus Christ]. (21) He [God the Father] caused Him [the humanity of Christ] who knew no sin to be made a sin offering as a substitute for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in him [Positional Truth].

Ephesians 2:14-17. For He himself is our reconciliation [welfare, benefit, harmony, and blessing], the One having made both [Jews and Gentiles] one [through union with Christ], and has abolished the dividing wall of the barrier; (15) Having canceled in His flesh [He bore our sins on his body] the barrier, the Law of the Commandments [the Decalogue and all other moral commandments] by means of the ordinances [priesthood, tabernacle and sacrifices: a complete Christology and Soteriology] so that He might create in himself the two [Jews & Gentiles], resulting in one new species [in union with Christ], causing harmony and blessing; (16) And that He might reconcile unto God the both [Jew & Gentile] in one body [the Church] through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity [by removing the barrier]. (17) Also, having come, He [Jesus Christ] communicated reconciliation to you [how to be reconciled with God], the far away ones [the Gentiles], and to them, near [the Jews].                           

Other passages dealing with Reconciliation:

Acts 10:34-36.  Then Peter opened his mouth and said, `I most certainly understand that God is not one to show partiality, (35) but in every nation the person who reveres Him and accomplishes the purpose of imputed righteousness is acceptable to Him. (36) The doctrine which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace [reconciliation] through Jesus Christ: He is Lord of all.

Reconciliation teaches the removal of the enmity between man and God through the agency of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, this reconciliation is appropriated or ratified by personal faith in Christ.

Colossians 1:19-20. Because in him [Christ] he [God the Father] has determined with pleasure that all the fullness [of blessing] should have permanent residence [in Jesus Christ as the Escrow Officer]. (20) And through Him [Christ] to reconcile the all things to Himself [God the Father], having made reconciliation through the blood of His Cross [propitiation, reconciliation and redemption] through Him [Jesus Christ] whether things on earth [believers alive] or things in heaven [believers who have died].

Ephesians 4:3. Be diligent [consistent exertion, pursue assiduously with constant, unremitting perseverance to accomplish the divine objective; for the positive believer the Durative Present; for the negative believer the Tendential Present] to guard [preserve, maintain: the iterative present to designate action repeated at various intervals] the unity [the common characteristics of the Royal Family of God] from the Holy Spirit [the Filling of the Spirit], by means of the bond [the bonding agent is the Spirit via the Baptism of the Spirit which Baptism joins the believer to Jesus Christ] of reconciliation [all believers have been reconciled to God the Father through Christ who is the bonding agent; reconciliation at salvation is the means of establishing unity in the Royal Family; when Christians understand this, it helps to unify them experientially].

Ephesians 6:15. After you have put combat boots on your feet [prepared to communicate the gospel message], with the readiness to communicate the Gospel of reconciliation.

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Romans 5:8-11. But God demonstrates His love [impersonal love] toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died on behalf of us [the substitutionary spiritual death]. (9) much more then, having been justified by His blood [His work on the cross with emphasis on reconciliation], we shall be delivered from wrath through Him. (10) For if, while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, and we were, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be delivered by His life. (11) And not only this, but also, we glory in God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have received reconciliation.

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Greek words dealing with Reconciliation:

1. The Greek verb katallasso means to change someone from a state of hostility into a state of tranquility and peace, from enmity to reconciliation.  The Greek noun katallege means reconciliation.

2. The Greek compound verb apokatallasso, an intensified form of the verb, is found in Ephesians 2:16 and Colossians 1:22.  It means to transfer from a certain status (real spiritual death) to another quite different status (eternal salvation). 

3. The Greek noun eirene is translated "peace."  It is a synonym for reconciliation, emphasizing the saving work of Jesus Christ on the Cross as removing the enmity between man and God, the removal of the barrier between man and God.

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The Peace Offering of the Levitical sacrifices portrayed the doctrine of reconciliation.

Leviticus 3:3. From the sacrifice of the peace [reconciliation] offerings he shall present an offering by fire to the Lord [God the Father], the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails [the fat representing the perfect righteousness of Christ],

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Reconciliation was prophesied.

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Isaiah 57:17-21. Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain [function of evil in Judah], I was angry [anthropopathism to express the divine attitude toward evil in that client nation]; I struck him [anthropomorphism to express divine judgment toward evil]; I hid My face [anthropomorphism to express divine rejection of evil]; therefore, I was angry, but he went on turning away [continual apostasy] in the way of the right lobe [mental attitude of black-out of soul, life in the Cosmic System]. (18) I have seen his ways [his evil ways], but I will heal him [reconciliation].  I will lead him and restore comfort to him and to his mourners [perpetuation of the pivot in Judah], (19) creating the praise of his lips. Peace [reconciliation] to him who is far off [gospel to Gentiles through Israel as missionaries] and peace to him who is near [evangelism in Israel], says the Lord. `Therefore I will heal him [remove the barrier as a result of positive response], (20) but the unrighteous [adikos in the Greek: the ones without imputed righteousness] are like the tossing sea, for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up refuse and mud. (21) There is no peace [reconciliation],’ says my God, "for the godless [asebes in the Greek: the unbeliever].

Jesus Christ as a Mediator provided the work of Reconciliation:

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1 Timothy 2:3-6. This is good and acceptable in the sight of our Savior, the God (4) who [God the Son is the antecedent of this relative in the Greek] desires all mankind to be saved and to come to a metabolized knowledge of the truth (5) for God is one [in essence] and the one [person of the Godhead] even is a mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus (6) who gave himself a redeemer [as a ransom having paid the price to free us from the slave market of sin], a substitute for all, [resulting in] the testimony [of the gospel message] given at the proper time [the unbeliever receives the gospel at the right time in his life].

The Greek word mesites has both a general meaning and a technical meaning. The general meaning refers to anyone who arbitrates, one who gives advice. The technical meaning refers to Jesus Christ in hypostatic union as a mediator between God and fallen mankind.

Moses, not Jesus was the arbiter of the Mosaic Covenant. Jesus Christ could not function as mediator of this Covenant since He was not yet in hypostatic union. Jesus Christ first became a mediator at his birth but did not function in that capacity until the cross at which time He provided the work of reconciliation.  Since the Mosaic Law was given to Israel in 1441 B.C., Moses functioned as the umpire, the arbiter of the Mosaic Covenant between God and the people of Israel.

Unconditional covenants do not require an arbiter. On the other hand, conditional covenants require an arbiter (a mediator in the general sense), and since the Mosaic Law was conditional, Moses was made the umpire. Whereas the unconditional covenants such as the Abrahamic, Land and Davidic required neither an arbiter nor a mediator. In the Mosaic Law there was no equivalency. Another words, Moses was not equal with God and man. Therefore, there was no mediator in the technical theological sense, but in the general sense of an arbitrator. Moses was the arbiter, the umpire of the Mosaic Law. 

In its technical sense, a mediator must be equal with both parties regarding integrity. Jesus Christ as God has perfect divine integrity and so has equivalency with both God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, and Jesus Christ in His birth had equivalency with Adam as he was created perfect. Furthermore, Jesus remained impeccable during His entire life and so exceeded the integrity of the 1st Adam. Jesus on the cross as a mediator reconciled mankind to God.

2 Corinthians 5:19

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Namely that God [the Father] was by means of Christ reconciling the world to himself [the principle of unlimited atonement] not counting their trespasses against them, and he committed to us, the doctrine of reconciliation.

ὡς ὅτι θεὸς ἦν ἐν Χριστῷ κόσµον καταλλάσσων ἑαυτῷ, µὴ λογιζόµενος αὐτοῖς τὰ παραπτώµατα αὐτῶν, καὶ θέµενος ἐν ἡµῖν τὸν λόγον τῆς καταλλαγῆς.

2 Corinthians 5:20

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Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ as though God were making His appeal through us. We [as ambassadors] invite you [through the gospel message] on behalf of Christ become reconciled to God.

ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ οὖν πρεσβεύοµεν ὡς τοῦ θεοῦ παρακαλοῦντος διí ἡµῶν· δεόµεθα ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ, καταλλάγητε τῷ θεῷ.

2 Corinthians 5:21

And he [God the Father] made him [Jesus] who knew no sin [impeccability of Christ] to be a sin offering [Jesus Christ, the high priest offered himself as a sacrifice for the penalty of our sins] as a substitute for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in him [Positional Truth].

τὸν µὴ γνόντα ἁµαρτίαν ὑπὲρ ἡµῶν ἁµαρτίαν ἐποίησεν, ἵνα ἡµεῖς γενώµεθα δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ.

Ambassadorship, royal:

An ambassador is a high ranking-minister of state or royalty sent to another state to represent his sovereign or country. By analogy, we are spiritual aristocracy as members of the royal family of God, and Christ is the King who has sent us into a foreign country, the cosmic world. At salvation, every believer enters the royal family of God through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and at the same time, he becomes a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth. Ambassadorship stems from being in union with Christ via the Baptism of the Spirit. 

The Profile of the Ambassador.

1. An ambassador does not appoint himself for he is appointed by God Himself at the moment he believes in Jesus Christ. As the Christian grows spiritually, he acquires the capacity to handle this responsibility. 

2. The ambassador does not support himself, and so it is with the Church Age believer who is provided for by Logistical Grace and augmented at spiritual maturity by Escrow Blessings.  

3. The ambassador's instructions are always in written form so he has no doubt as to what he should do. We have the policies, the Problem-Solving Devices, instructions, principles, doctrines, and concepts in written form in the Scripture. 

4. The royal ambassador does not belong to the country to which he is sent. His citizenship is in heaven though he is also a citizens of a particular nation. 

5. The royal ambassador does not live in the foreign country for his own personal interest, but lives on earth solely to serve the interest of his Lord. Therefore, he should subordinate all personal interest to the function of his ambassadorship which includes the Filling of the Spirit, cognition of Bible doctrine, and execution of the Protocol Plan of God. The more a person advances spiritually, the better he will fulfill his responsibilities as an ambassador.  

6. The ambassador does not treat any insult as personal for he realizes that any insult received in the proper function of his ambassadorship is an insult against the Lord. This also means that the Christian ambassador tolerates others and holds no grudges. When he is insulted, treated unfairly, or ridiculed, he maintains his poise and dignity by the use of the spiritual life given to him. He leaves the responsibility of retaliation etc. in the Lord's hands. 

7. When an ambassador is recalled, his recall is tantamount to a declaration of war. His recall is analogous to the Rapture of the Church. The Tribulation is analogous to that period of war. 

The Royal Ambassadorship is Specialized and Intensified in the Gift of Pastor-Teacher. 

1. All communicative gifts (evangelists, apostles, pastor-teachers) become critical and specialized in the functions of the royal ambassadorship because they communicate spiritual truth. This is why Paul said the following:

Ephesians 6:20. On behalf of which [gospel] I am an ambassador in chains, that in this [proclaiming of the mystery doctrine], I might communicate with confidence as I ought to speak.

2. There is a special need for those who communicate doctrine to do so with confidence. That confidence cannot exist apart from their understanding of the spiritual life in detail, and have the ability to study and teach the Word from the original languages. Furthermore, in order to handle the difficulties, the indifference, the communicator must be a spiritual adult otherwise he will not be able to do his job as unto the Lord. 

The Royal Ambassadorship Related to Evangelism. 

Knowledge of salvation is necessary for witnessing. You cannot witness for Christ unless you know the gospel.

2 Corinthians 5:18-21. All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us [as ambassadors] the ministry of reconciliation: (19) Namely that God [the Father] was by means of Christ reconciling the world to himself [the principle of unlimited atonement] not counting their trespasses against them [the penalty of our personal sins were imputed directly to Christ on the cross], and he committed to us, the doctrine of reconciliation. (20) Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ as though God were making His appeal through us. We [as ambassadors] invite you [through the gospel message] on behalf of Christ become reconciled to God. (21) And he [God the Father] made him [Jesus] who knew no sin [impeccability of Christ] to be a sin offering [Jesus Christ, the high priest offered himself as a sacrifice for the penalty of our sins] as a substitute for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in him [positional truth]. 

This is the function of every believer who witnesses and is the special function of the believer with the gift of evangelism. We are not only to witness through our life, but also to witness through verbal communication of the Gospel.  

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The Royal Ambassadorship Mandates the Function of Spiritual Self-esteem and Impersonal Love. 

Philemon 8-10. Therefore, although I have much confidence [in my authority] in Christ to command you to do what is right [protocol], rather because of your love [for Jesus Christ] I encourage you, being such a one as Paul, an ambassador, and also now a prisoner of Christ Jesus. I appeal to you on behalf of my son, whom I have fathered in my chains, Onesimus [Paul’s spiritual son].

1. When the spiritual momentum of the royal ambassador takes him to the point of personal love for God, he then has maximum spiritual self-esteem which enables him to apply impersonal love toward all mankind.

2. While personal love for God is the function of one’s royal priesthood, spiritual self-esteem and impersonal love for man are the functions of his ambassadorship. 

3. Everything the believer does in life becomes a part of his modus operandi as a royal ambassador. Every believer, therefore, makes a pulpit out of his circumstances in every area of life. 

4. Your ambassadorship is basically made up of two factors: how you live and what you say as a result of what you think. In private, you function under your priesthood; in public, you function under your ambassadorship. 

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The Royal Ambassadorship is Related to the Angelic Conflict. 

1. The Church Age believer is not only an ambassador to human creatures, but to angels as well. You are being watched right now just as the angels observed our Lord.

1 Timothy 3:16. And by common acknowledgement, great is the mystery of the spiritual life [proto-type and the operational type]. He who was revealed in the flesh [the Hypostatic Union]: He was vindicated by the Spirit [Filled at birth and remained under that ministry during His 33 years]; He was seen by angels [because it was the crossroad of history]; He was proclaimed among the nations; He was believed on in the world; He was taken up into glory [resurrection, ascension and session].   

2. Elect angels observe and rejoice over the conversion of one person.

Luke 15:7-10. I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner [an unbeliever] who changes his thinking [regarding Christ and believes and therefore, becomes a royal priest and ambassador] than over ninety-nine righteous persons [believers with imputed righteousness] who have no need of a change of thinking [toward Christ]. (8) Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? (9) When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!’  (10) In the same way, I tell you, there is happiness in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner [unbeliever] who changes his thinking [regarding Christ and believes].

3. Fallen angels are organized to resist and oppose your ambassadorship and your growth in grace.

Ephesians 6:12. Because our warfare [as royal priests and ambassadors in spiritual combat] is not against blood and flesh [human beings], but against the rulers [demon  generals and commanders such as Abaddon, and Apollyon], against the authorities [demon commissioned officers], against the world rulers of this darkness [demon possessed ambassadors and rulers of the world], against the spiritual forces of evil [rank and file demons] in the heavenly places [in the atmosphere around the earth].

4. The fact that angels are watching you as an ambassador.

1 Corinthians 4:9. For I think God has exhibited us, apostles last of all as men condemned to death [last ones into the Colosseum], for we have become an amphitheater to the world, both to angels and to men.

Ephesians 3:10. In order that the manifold wisdom of God might be made known through the church to rulers and authorities in the heavenlies [angels learn from Church Age believers].

1 Timothy 5:21. I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His elect angels [elect angels constantly watch Church Age believers] to maintain these doctrines without bias; do nothing on the basis of partisan strife.” 

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The Concept of the Believer-Ambassador. 

1. While the priesthood of the believer emphasizes the daily intake and application of God’s word and advance to spiritual maturity, the ambassadorship of the believer emphasizes the production of the Christian way of life. 

2. This ambassador’s service can be a function of one's spiritual gift or obedience to a command related to service as taught in the Word. 

3. Since maximum production involves spiritual maturity, it is obvious that the attainment of spiritual maturity results in maximum effectiveness in the area of your royal ambassadorship. 

4. The Filling of the Spirit is an absolute necessity in the function of the ambassador. Any Christian service or works apart from the Filling of the Spirit is wood, hay and stubble, a good to be burned at the Judgment Seat of Christ.  

5. Everything the believer does in life becomes a part of his ambassadorship, for in effect, the believer makes a pulpit out of his circumstances.  

6. The Lord uses ambassadors in business, professions, homes, academic life, and in local churches. Your circumstances are your full-time Christian service whether you work in the military, in labor, or in management etc. In the Roman Empire, many believers fulfilled their ambassadorship as slaves. 

 The Concept of the Weeping Ambassador.  

The weeping ambassador expresses the regrets of wrong thinking and the failure of the believer or unbeliever to orient to history. Disorientation to history means distraction from the Christian way of life.

Isaiah 33:6-7. And He [the Lord Jesus Christ] will be the stability of your times, a wealth of deliverance, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of [respect for] the Lord is his treasure [in 721 B.C. there was no knowledge or respect for the Lord in the Northern Kingdom] (7) Behold their brave men [the army of the Northern Kingdom of Israel] cry [from patriotism over the loss of their fellow soldiers, their freedom and over the destruction of their nation] in the streets, the ambassadors of peace [the liberal politicians] weep bitterly.

The faithful ambassador in contrast to the weeping ambassador:

Proverbs 13:16-17. Every wise believer acts with knowledge of doctrine, but a fool [a believer who rejects the spiritual life] spreads foolishness. An evil messenger falls into adversity [from the Law of Volitional Responsibility], but a faithful envoy brings healing [is an effective witness for Christ].