MAX KLEIN BIBLE MINISTRIES
The Seven Baptisms
Written by: Max Klein
Baptism means identification or association:
Introduction:
1. This meaning began in Homer's time. Homer wrote of the one-eyed giant, Cyclops who had trapped Ulysses and his men in a cave and was eating them one at a time. The ingenious Ulysses devised a plan. He had his men sharpen a large log and together they rammed this log into the eye of the one-eyed Cyclops rendering him blind. They identified (baptized) the sharpened log with Cyclops’ eye which changed Cyclops from a seeing giant to a blind giant. Having blinded the Cyclops, they were able to maneuver their way out of the cave. Another example by Homer: Homer's Odyssey, book 9, used baptism for hot metal identified (baptized) with water when a smith dipped a piece of hot iron into water. This is how a blacksmith would temper swords in the ancient world. After this identification, the sword was made stronger and so less likely to bend.
2. Xenophon said that the Spartan military recruits after finishing infantry training would identify (baptize) their spears with pig’s blood. They would run by a barrel of pig’s blood and thrust their spears into this blood. This ritual, identified their spears with killing and the soldier’s readiness for combat with the enemy.
3. Euripides used the word for a ship identified with the bottom of the sea when it sank. Before sinking, the ship was valuable; after sinking it had no value at all.
4. So "baptize" in the classical Greek meant to identify one thing with another so that the characteristics of the original thing were altered. Therefore, the interpretation of the word "baptism" is identification with something that brings about a change.
5. There are a number of cognates related to this Greek word such as bapto, baptizo, baptisma, baptismos, baptistes, and embapto. A few examples follow:
6. John 13:26, “Jesus then answered, ‘That is the one for whom, I shall dip [the future of the Greek word bapto] the morsel and give it to him. So, when he had dipped [the aorist participle of bapto; the sop now takes on a new meaning that of honor] the sop [the morsel], He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.”
To give someone a sop [a special bit of food usually a piece of bread or meat with a tasty sauce] was the highest honor of a banquet. At a banquet a special piece of bread or meat was prepared along with a special sauce for the guest of honor who would then honor someone by giving it to that person. Jesus as the guest of honor took this sop and dipped it into a special sauce and gave it to Judas. In this way, the Lord Jesus Christ honored Judas as a member of the family of God, and for his ministry as an apostle to the Lost Sheep of Israel. This honor should have given Judas second thoughts regarding his plan to betray Jesus to the Sanhedrin.
7. Matthew 3:7, “but when he [John the Baptizer] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism [identification: the Greek word baptisma], he said to them, “You brood of vipers [poisonous snakes], who warned you to flee from the wrath to come [Baptism of Fire: identification with the fire of Torments and then the Lake of Fire]?”
8. Hebrews 6:1-2, “Therefore, leaving behind the elementary teaching about Christ, let us advance to maturity, not laying again the foundation [of the basics such as]: a change of thinking about dead works [just as an unbeliever must have a change of mind about Christ to obtain salvation, so the believer must have a change of mind about legalism (dead works) in order to obtain the spiritual life], and of faith toward God [Faith-Rest Drill], (2) doctrine of baptisms [the Greek word baptismos; a reference to the seven types of baptism as found in Scripture] as well as the laying on of hands [ritual rebound in the age of Israel], and of resurrection from the dead, and of eternal judgment [the Great White Throne Judgment].
9. Matthew 3:1, “In those days John the Baptizer [the Greek word baptistes; when John baptized someone into the Jordan River, the converts were identified with the plan of God and his kingdom.] came proclaiming [as a herald] in the desert of Judea.”
There are two categories of identification in Scripture namely an actual identification or a real baptism and a representative identification or a ritual baptism which uses water.
The four real or actual identifications with something that has significance.
1. The Baptism of Moses: 1 Corinthians 10:1-2 presents the baptism of Moses, "For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; (2) and all were baptized [the Greek word baptizo] into Moses in the cloud [the Lord] and in the sea." This was a real identification in which Moses was identified with the Lord and the open path through the Red Sea and the Jews were identified with Moses. By the way, none of the Jews got wet, only Egyptian unbelievers who were immersed in the water as a means of death.
2. The Baptism of the Cross is found in Matthew 20:22, “But Jesus answered [Salome by addressing her sons] and said, “You [plural: a reference to James and John] do not know what you [James and John] ask. Are you [James and John] able to drink of the cup [bear the punishment of all the sins of the world] that I am about to drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism [the sins of the world identified with Christ followed by the Father judging them] that I am baptized with [identified with]?” They [James and John] said to Him, “We are able. [the dumbest statement that James and John ever made]” [I selected the longer text as did Jerome.]
3. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Retroactive Positional Truth and Current Positional Truth) occurs at salvation for Church Age believers only.
Colossians 2:12. Having been buried [aorist participle] with Him [Jesus Christ] by means of the baptism [God the Holy Spirit identified us with the burial of Jesus Christ as part of our salvation] by means of which [Baptism] you have been raised up [main verb] with Him [in union with Jesus Christ seated at the right hand of the Father] through faith [at the point of salvation] in the operational power from the source of God who has raised Him [the humanity of Christ was given a resurrection body] out from the dead [physical death].
Romans 6:3-9:
Romans 6:3: Or do you not know that all of us who [a correlative] have been baptized into [identified with] Christ Jesus [Current Positional Sanctification: we are in union with Christ in his life in heaven], have been baptized into His death [Retroactive Positional Truth and so identified with his substitutionary spiritual death on the cross]?
Positionally, (in union with Christ) we share His righteousness, heirship, priesthood, destiny, election, eternal life, royalty, sonship etc. All these making us a new spiritual species in Christ Jesus. The plural correlative hosoi (ὅσοι) means that if we were identified with Christ in heaven and we were, then also we have been identified with Christ in his substitutionary spiritual death in which he removed the power of sin nature. Thus, the sin nature should not have power over our lives.
A few more points will be noted:
1. Note that the baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation enters the believer into union with Christ at the right hand of God the Father which union is called current positional truth.
2. This verse also mentions identification with Christ in His spiritual death on the cross which identification theologians call retroactive positional truth. Retroactive positional truth also includes identification with Christ in His physical death and burial as well.
3. Identification with Christ in His death, then, has a two-fold connotation namely all personal sins were judged at the cross and since that is the case, God the Father is free to provide in grace, the Recovery Procedure. The second connotation is that good and evil were rejected by Jesus on the cross since good and evil are a part of Satan’s policy and plan. On the cross, Jesus relied on the proto-type spiritual life which operated under the two power options namely God’s power system.
4. So, the old sin nature’s ruling power over the Christian has been broken since all sins were judged on the cross and the Recovery Procedure has been provided. So, Retroactive Positional Truth has destroyed the sovereignty of the old sin nature over the life of the Christian.
5. Also, since Jesus rejected the good and evil policy of Satan so should the believer reject Satan’s policy of good and evil as the believer applies Retroactive Positional Truth.
Romans 6:4: Therefore, we have been buried together with Him through the identification [Baptism of the Spirit] into His death [physical], in order that just as Christ has been raised up from the dead [on Resurrection Sunday], through the glory of the Father [through the Father’s power], [So also we, the dead in Christ, will be raised from the dead by the power of the Father, and those alive at the Rapture, by the power of the Holy Spirit.] in this manner we also might walk in newness of life [Experiential sanctification should reflect our future ultimate sanctification.].
Christ had to die physically “and Jesus having shouted clearly with a loud voice said, Father, into your hands I deposit my [human] spirit, and having said this, he exhaled” (Luke 23:46). This last exhale caused His soul and spirit to depart from his mortal body resulting in physical death. Just as Christ had to die physically in order to obtain his resurrection body, so we must depart from our body of corruption, or mortality in order to receive our eternal body called our resurrection body.
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.
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.
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.
Analysis:
1. Retroactive positional truth destroys the sovereign authority of the old sin nature over human life. Current positional truth, on the other hand, destroys the limited authority of physical death in human life.
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, and under the limited rule of physical death. 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 the rejection of good and evil namely Satan’s policy and plan and through our position in union with Christ. The power of the old sin nature is broken through retroactive positional truth and the power of physical death is broken through current positional truth.
5. Therefore, having studied these things by principle and by implication we are now ready for application, verses 12 & 13 specifically.
6. Having been positionally liberated from the sovereignty of the old sin nature as an absolute ruler, and the authority of physical death, we must recognise and apply doctrine for the experiential victory commanded in verses 11-13.
Galatians 3:25-28, “But now that faith has come, we are no longer under the authority of [have need of] a school bus. (26) For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (27) For all of you who were baptized into Christ [identified with Christ through union with Him] have clothed yourselves with Christ. (28) There is neither Jew nor Greek [no racial distinction], there is neither slave nor free man [no social or economic distinction], there is neither male nor female [no gender distinction]; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. [All Christians have the same privileges and opportunities to execute the spiritual life.]”
Current Positional Truth, Elaborated:
In the Church Age, Current Positional Truth establishes our relationship with Christ as opposed to religion. It refers to the Church Age believer in union with Christ and is the key to understanding the Church Age and how the royal family came into being. Therefore, it is the basis for distinguishing between Christianity and religion. Christianity is a relationship with God without merit whereas religion is a system of works to gain the approbation of God. Never shall the twain meet!
The mechanics of Current Positional Truth is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, whereby the Spirit enters us into union with Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:13, “For also by agency of the one Spirit we are all baptized [identification resulting in becoming a new spiritual species] into one body [in union with Christ], whether Jews or Greeks [racial distinctions are removed], whether slave or free [class and economic distinctions are removed], even all were made to drink [the aorist passive, the voice of grace] the one Spirit [The Holy Spirit did not ask us whether we wanted to be put into union with Christ or not.].” Ephesians 4:5, “One Lord [becomes our Lord positionally at Salvation]), one faith [faith alone in Christ alone; Acts 16:31], one baptism [Baptism of the Holy Spirit takes place at salvation].”
Current Positional truth guarantees that there will be no judgment for believers in eternity, Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Thus, the condemnation which occurred at the first birth was removed at the 2nd birth. As a result of being born with the sin nature and the imputation of Adam’s Original Sin, we were condemned to the Lake of Fire for all eternity, but now that has been removed. Romans 5:12, “For this reason just as through one man [Adam] the sin [nature] entered into the world [procreation], and so spiritual death through the sin [the imputation of Adam’s Original Sin to the sin nature], and so spiritual death spread to all mankind, because all sinned when Adam sinned [since we were all genetically in Adam when he sinned, we will receive Adam’s Original Sin].” However, at our spiritual birth, the 2nd birth, our pre-salvation sins were all forgiven including Adam’s Original Sin. After which, the Spirit entered us into union with Christ where there is now no condemnation (Romans 8:1).
Current Positional truth qualifies the believer to live with God forever. To live with God forever, the believer must have eternal life and God’s perfect righteousness, 1 John 5:11-12, “And this is the deposition [testimony] that the God [the Father] has given to us, eternal life, and this life is in his son [Since we are in union with Christ, we share this life.]. (12) and he who has the son [a relationship with the Son] has the life [eternal life] and the one who does not have the son of God [relationship with the Son] does not have the life [eternal life].” 2 Corinthians 5:21, “And He [the Father] made Him who knew no sin [perfection] to be a sin offering [imputation of sins on the cross] as a substitute for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him [current positional truth].” To live with God forever means you must have His life, and you must be as righteous as He is.
Positional truth guarantees the believer’s eternal security, Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded that neither death [nothing in death] nor life [nothing in life] nor angels nor principalities [ruling angels] nor powers [human organizations] nor things present nor things to come (39) nor height [nothing in heaven] nor depth [nothing in Hades] nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Eternal life in Christ is for all eternity!
Positional truth belongs to all categories of believers whether they be apostate, mature, immature, spiritually adult, or carnal. Since Current Positional Truth occurs at the point of salvation before experience in the Christian life begins, it doesn’t depend on that experience. 1 Corinthians 1:2, “to the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus [at salvation], called saints together with all who call upon the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ, their [Lord] and ours.” So, even though you may be carnal or in reversionism, you still have positional truth. Being in union with Christ has nothing to do with what you do [experiential righteousness], or don’t do [failure to execute God’s plan]. Current Positional sanctification is completely the work of God the Holy Spirit and so is not based upon our volition, but on the sovereign decision of God. We make the decision to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, but we don’t make the decision to enter into union with Christ “all were made to drink the one Spirit” as per 1 Corinthians 12:13. God the Holy Spirit graciously did that for us and so it cannot be undone.
Current Positional truth creates a new spiritual species in Christ as per 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ and he is, he is a new spiritual species. The old things have lost their power; behold, new things have come to pass.” You become a new spiritual species at salvation by being put into union with Christ. It is what God does for you, and therefore it is grace. It is not what you do after salvation, such as the self-righteous works of legalism. The “old things” have to do with spiritual death and those things related to that death; the “new things” refer to things you receive at salvation such as the 40 assets and the unique spiritual life.
Positional truth should motivate the production of divine good and a pattern of life compatible with royalty as per Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his creation, having been created in Christ Jesus [a new spiritual species with many assets] for the purpose of divine good production [via experiential sanctification] which the God [the Father] has prepared in advance [in eternity past, God the Father provided election and predestination as part of our Portfolio of Invisible Assets], that we in the sphere of them [election and predestination] may pattern our lives.”
Even though a Christian may die the Sin on to Death, he will not lose his position in union with Christ (1 John 5:18-20), and so cannot lose his salvation. In order for a believer to lose his position in Christ, he would have to sin in that status, but since the believer cannot sin in union with Christ, he cannot lose his position in Christ and so cannot lose his salvation. Thus, it is comforting and reassuring to a believer to know that even though a loved one may have died the ‘sin on to death’, he has not lost his salvation.
Because we are in union with Christ, we share His:
1. Eternal life, 1 John 5:11, “And this is the deposition [testimony] that the God [the Father] has given to us, eternal life [At salvation, God the Father imputes this life to the human spirit], and this life is in his son [The Christian also shares the life of Christ through union with Him]. (12) and he who has the son [a relationship with the Son] has the life [eternal life] and the one who does not have the son of God [relationship with the Son] does not have the life [eternal life].”
John 14:6, “Jesus said to him [Thomas], ‘I am the way, the truth and the life [eternal life]; no person [in human history] comes face to face with the Father [having an eternal relationship with the Father] except through Me.’”
2. Perfect righteousness, 2 Corinthians 5:21, “And he (God the Father) made him [Jesus] who knew no sin (perfection) to be a sin offering as a substitute for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in him [positional truth]. Sharing the righteousness of Christ, we become the objects of God the Father’s love as per Romans 8:39.
3. Election, Ephesians 1:4, “just as He [the Father] has elected us for Himself in Him [Jesus Christ] before the creation of the world [in eternity past], that we may be set apart [experiential sanctification] and blameless [ultimate sanctification] in the presence of Him [Father].”
4. Destiny, Ephesians 1:5, “By means of love, He has predestined us for the purpose of adoption as adult sons to Himself through Christ Jesus our Lord according to the grace purpose of His will.”
5. Sonship, Galatians 3:26, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”
6. Heirship, Romans 8:16-17, “The Spirit Himself testifies together [bears witness] with our [human] spirit, that we are the children of God. (17) Now, if we are children and we are, also heirs, on the one hand heirs of God [the Father], and joint heirs with Christ. If indeed [if it is true that], we suffer with Him [pass all three stages of undeserved suffering], that also we might be glorified with Christ.”
7. Sanctification, 1 Corinthians 1:2, “to the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints together with all who call upon the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ, their [Lord] and ours.”
8. Priesthood, Hebrews 7:12-19, “For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change in the Law also. (13) For the One [the Lord Jesus Christ] concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe [the tribe of Judah] from which no one has officiated at the altar. (14) For it is evident that our Lord has descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests, (15) and this is clearer still, if another priest arises similar to Melchizedek, and there has, (16) who has become a priest not on the basis of physical requirement [a reference to the Levitical Priesthood] but on the basis of indestructible life [the Lord’s priesthood is forever]. (17) For this reason, it is witnessed, ‘You are a priest forever similar to the order of Melchizedek.’” [We are in union with Christ. Therefore, we are royalty and priests forever. We represent ourselves before God as royal priests.] (18) For, on the one hand, there is a rescinding of the former commandment [the Mosaic Law that authorized the Levitical priesthood] because of its weakness and uselessness (19) (for the Law brought nothing to completion), but on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope [the second door of hope for the Church Age believer—a personal sense of destiny—by which we enter the adult spiritual life] through which we draw near to God.”
Hebrews 7:26-28, “For it is fitting that we should have such a high priest, impeccable integrity, the One who cannot do evil, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; (27) Who does not need daily, like those Levitical priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for their own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He [Jesus] offered up Himself. (28) For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of His [God the Father’s] oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, who has become perfect forever [Jesus Christ is a perfect high priest].”
9. Royalty, 1 Peter 2:9, “ But you and only you are an elect [elect by God the Father] race [as a new spiritual species], a royal priesthood [since Jesus is a king-priest], a holy nation [God’s entity: a nation of priests: every Christian is a priest], a people for God’s own possession [a protected people], so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him [Christ] who has called [in eternity past] you out of darkness [spiritual death and the Cosmic Systems] into His amazing light [his plan];”
10. New Spiritual Species, 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ and he is, he is a new spiritual species. The old things have lost their power [Old Covenant]; behold, new things have come to pass [This would include the New Covenant to the Church.].”
Current Positional Truth changes our relationship with Angels.
1. Through current positional truth the believer is higher than angels positionally.
2. Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, and so superior to all angels. By virtue of being in union with Christ, every believer is now positionally superior to angels.
3. Positional truth has fulfilled the believer’s triumph with Christ in the angelic conflict. We are victorious with Him already.
4. Furthermore, positional truth demands compatibility with experiential righteousness. Therefore, the believer’s walk on this earth must be compatible with positional truth since we have perfect security in Christ, we have the freedom to choose for Jesus Christ, to love Jesus Christ, to respond to His love, and to fulfill our purpose on this earth.
What positional truth is not?
1. It is not an experience, emotions or ecstasies.
2. It is not progressive; it cannot be improved in time or eternity.
3. It is not related to human merit or ability.
4. It cannot be changed by God, man or angels. It is eternal in nature.
5. It is not obtained gradually as you grow in grace, but in toto at salvation.
6. It is not known apart from the metabolization of doctrine.
7. From understanding the doctrine of positional truth, we progress in our spiritual life, but we cannot improve it since it is perfect at salvation.
8. We are not in Christ because of what we do (execution of the spiritual life) or fail to do (fail to execute the spiritual life), but because of what God has done.
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 where 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.
4. The Baptism of Fire:
Matthew 3:11, “On the one hand I [John the Baptizer] baptize you [believers] by means of water because of a change of thinking [about Christ], but the one coming after me is mightier than I whose sandals I am not worthy to lace [loosen, remove]. He himself will baptize by means of the Holy Spirit [a reference to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in the Church Age] and by means of fire [a reference to the Baptism of Fire at the 2nd Advent].”
Baptism of Fire: The baptism of fire (identification with fire) is defined as the judgment of unbelievers both Jew and gentile at the Second Advent. They will be removed from the earth and placed in fire for 1000 years until the Last Judgment, Luke 3:16-17; Mathew 25:31, 33. The analogy to the Baptism of Fire is found in Matthew 24:36-41. The one left in the field is the mature believer; the one taken is the unbeliever.
Parables of the Baptism of Fire:
1. The wheat and the tares (the unbelievers), Matthew 13:24-30, 36-40.
2. The good and bad fish (unbelievers), Matthew 13:47-50.
3. The ten virgins: five wise, five foolish (the unbelievers), Matthew 25:1-13.
4. The sheep and the goats (the unbelievers), Mathew 25:31-46.
5. The talent test, Matthew 25:14-30. The one talent man represents the unbeliever.
If Jesus Christ had not been rejected by the Jewish people, then the age of Israel would have continued until its completion (the Tribulation completes the age of Israel). (However, they did reject Jesus Christ as Savior and Messiah and so the client nation was destroyed, and the Church age was intercalated that is inserted before the age of Israel was complete.) After the completion of the age of Israel at the end of the Tribulation, comes the wrath of God namely the Baptism of Fire when the Lord removes both Jewish and gentile unbelievers from the earth and identifies them with fire forever. After which, the Millennial reign begins.
The Three Ritual Baptisms. None are extant at the present time. They are representative identifications in which water is used as a training aid to represent some principle of doctrine.
1. The Baptism of John is found in Matthew 3:2-6, “Saying, ‘Change your thinking [regarding Christ] for the kingdom of heaven is near.’ [The future king was already on the earth] (3) For this is what was communicated through Isaiah, the prophet saying, ‘The voice of one [John the Baptizer] proclaiming loudly in the desert [of Judea]. Prepare [the aorist tense is a one time-decision] the way of the Lord [an idiomatic expression for salvation]. Keep on making upright [the use of the Recovery Procedure followed by the development of experiential righteousness] His paths!’ (Isaiah 40:3) (4) Now, John himself kept on having a garment of camel’s hair [very uncomfortable] and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. (5) Then [after John went where God wanted him to be] Jerusalem kept on going out to him [face to face] and all Judea and all the districts around the Jordan. (6) and they were being baptized [identified with the kingdom] by him [under John’s authority] in the Jordan River [where Israel crossed when they entered the land], and they kept on confessing their sins [post-salvation confession of sins].”
MAX KLEIN BIBLE MINISTRIES
The Book of Revelation: Chapter Twelve
A verse-by-verse commentary by Max Klein
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.
Revelation 12:1
And a great sign [something performed by God] was seen in heaven: a woman [the sign of the nation, Israel] clothed with the sun [just as the sun produces light, Jacob emanated truth], and the moon [reflected light: the mothers of the patriarchs] under her feet, and a crown of 12 stars [the sons of Jacob, the 12 patriarchs] on her head.
Καὶ σηµεῖον µέγα ὤφθη ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, γυνὴ περιβεβληµένη τὸν ἥλιον, καὶ ἡ σελήνη ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτῆς στέφανος ἀστέρων δώδεκα,
Genesis 37:9-11, “Then he [Joseph] dreamed another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said, "Behold, I have dreamed another dream; and behold, the sun [Jacob], the moon [the four mothers of the patriarchs], and eleven stars [Joseph’s eleven brothers] were bowing down to me. (10) But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him, and said to him, ‘What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?’ (11) And his brothers were jealous of him [did not metabolize this Biblical information, but his father kept the saying in mind [retained the metabolized doctrine].”
Signs can be either supernatural or extra-natural. If performed by God they are supernatural. If performed by demons, Satan or the dictator of Israel in the Tribulation, they would be extra-natural. Signs are also mentioned in Genesis 9:12, 13 and in Revelation 12:3. Abraham’s circumcision, the plagues of Egypt, the Virgin birth, Israel in this passage are all signs.
Revelation 12:2
Furthermore she [Israel] was pregnant [the nation of Israel in its rejection of Christ as Savior and Messiah, is in effect pregnant and suffering constant labor pains in an effort to deliver a messiah] and she [now switches to the Jews just before the 2nd Advent] screamed, suffering from labor pains [as a result of having rejected the Savior and Messiah, she (Israel) will suffer her greatest holocaust] and she was tortured [involving the 3rd demon assault army under the direct command of Satan toward the end of the Great Tribulation] to give birth [the unbelieving Jews of the Great Tribulation cannot give birth to the Messiah since he has already been born out from Mary. However, in their attempt to give birth, they will suffer the labor pains of anti-Semitism.].
καὶ ἐν γαστρὶ ἔχουσα, καὶ κράζει ὠδίνουσα καὶ βασανιζοµένη τεκεῖν.
The unbelieving Jews of the Tribulation are the product of their own decisions. The pattern of holocaust, therefore, is always the same. First, Jews make a decision to reject the sign of the virgin birth. Secondly, as a result, the Jews lose all personal sense of destiny since they cannot relate properly to the Messianic passages of the Old Testament. Thirdly, having lost control of their lives, they will become the victims of a terrible holocaust which is brought about by their own personal decisions collectively amalgamated.
In this case, the Jews have been pregnant for over 2000 years without delivering a messiah. Even though they as a group want to deliver (they keep looking for the Messiah); they in general can’t since they have failed to recognize Jesus Christ as their Messiah. They have rejected the virgin pregnancy of Mary and consequently have rejected Jesus Christ as Savior and Messiah (This means that the Jews are under a special stress and restlessness that no one else has.). Occasionally, when there exist a large group of Jewish unbelievers who have developed tremendous scar tissue as a result of their rejection of Christ over and over again, the Lord judges through a holocaust.
The Jews want the Millennium without the virgin birth. In other words, unbelieving Israel wants the crown without the cross, but the doctrine remains: you cannot have the crown without the cross. You cannot by-pass the cross, you cannot by-pass salvation whether Jew or Gentile. Hence, the analogy between the Jewish holocaust and the torture of the pregnant mother who cannot deliver the child. Israel cannot deliver the child, but the child can deliver Israel. The child cannot be born unless the Jews of the Tribulation are born again by faith in Christ. Deliverance first comes through regeneration, then through their spiritual advance. The principle always remains: There is no deliverance for Israel apart from recognition of our Lord’s omega glory which starts at the virgin birth. The unbelieving Jews must learn the meaning of the last phrase of Deuteronomy 6:4, “the Lord is unique”.
There are both Jewish and Gentile holocausts. Only the Jew who believes in Christ is delivered from a holocaust. Scar tissue builds up to the point of intensified evil, and so to deliver the world from this destructive evil, holocausts must occur whether it be Jewish or Gentile. It is possible that the one million who died in the communist takeover of China were in that category. It is possible that in the future, we Americans will experience a great holocaust upon a large group of evil Gentile and Jewish persons.
In labor, a woman’s total obsession, concentration is to deliver that fetus. She is doing everything physically and mentally to do this. This explains why Jews during the Church Age, are under greater stress than their Gentile counterparts. In effect, the Jews during this period of history, are experiencing spiritual labor pains. These Jews are still trying to deliver the Messiah: impossible since this event is now historical.
Elaboration:
1. Only born-again Jews are ever delivered from a holocaust. After salvation, if these Jews through many good decisions should pursue the spiritual life to spiritual maturity, they would be blessed by the Lord rather than to face a holocaust.
2. Unbelieving Jews follow the analogy of never being delivered. All unbelieving Jews in the last half of the Tribulation, as well as in this 21th century, go through the process of being pregnant, coming to the point of labor pains, and never being able to deliver. This is essentially the definition of a holocaust.
3. The Jews want the Millennium without the virgin birth. In other words, unbelieving Jews want the crown without the cross, but the principle remains: You cannot have the crown without the cross. Therefore, the analogy between the Jewish holocaust and the suffering of a pregnant mother who cannot deliver the fetus, cannot give birth to a child. Deliverance comes first spiritually through regeneration followed by spiritual growth.
4. The virgin pregnancy and the holocaust pregnancy are the issues. Without the virgin pregnancy of Mary and the virgin birth of Jesus Christ there can be no efficacy or saving work of the cross. The virgin birth was the sign to Israel, but that the sign was rejected. This stubbornness of Israel results in the holocaust of Israel, since unbelieving Israel says that the baby has never been born. Consequently, they suffer the perpetual torture, the perpetual birth pangs of trying to deliver the Messiah which rejection of Christ results in the Jewish holocausts of history.
Revelation 12:3
Then, another sign was seen in heaven [Satan generally resides in heaven], now behold, a great red dragon [nominative of appellation referring to Satan] who had control of seven heads [the situation in the second half of the Tribulation through his handpicked ruler] and ten horns [a reference to the ten nation-confederation which formed in the first half of the Tribulation], furthermore on his heads, seven crowns [the seven surviving nations out of the ten].
καὶ ὤφθη ἄλλο σηµεῖον ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ ἰδοὺ δράκων πυρρὸς µέγας, ἔχων κεφαλὰς ἑπτὰ καὶ κέρατα δέκα καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς αὐτοῦ ἑπτὰ διαδήµατα,
Satan as the ruler of the world has the power to give great power to anyone who is dedicated enough to follow him. There will be a man in the Tribulation who will be so dedicated to Satan that he will become the ruler of at least a quarter of the world. Once you have power, you can practically do and have anything you want. This cultivates great arrogance and narrows the vision of such persons to their own selfish desires.
Daniel 7:24, “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 [in the sense of being Satan’s dedicated servant, the dictator of the Revived Roman Empire] and he shall conquer three kings [leaving only seven kingdoms].” The dictator conquered three nations and gained rulership over an additional seven.
Revelation 12:4
And his tail [Satan's great power] dragged away a third of the stars [shining ones, lights] of heaven [convinced these angels to revolt against God]. In fact, He [God] threw them [Satan and his demons] down to planet earth [in the middle of the Tribulation]. Then the dragon stood before [in opposition to] the woman [refers to both Mary giving birth to the humanity of Christ and the Jewish people in the middle of the Tribulation] who was about to deliver the child, in order that when she [Mary] gave birth, he [Satan] might devour [destroy] her child [Satan’s hostility was directed toward the humanity of Jesus Christ in the first Advent and hostility will continue against the Jewish people in the Tribulation. This hostility just before the 2nd Advent will manifest itself in the greatest ever Jewish holocaust].
καὶ ἡ οὐρὰ αὐτοῦ σύρει τὸ τρίτον τῶν ἀστέρων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἔβαλεν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν γῆν. καὶ ὁ δράκων ἕστηκεν ἐνώπιον τῆς γυναικὸς τῆς µελλούσης τεκεῖν, ἵνα ὅταν τέκῃ τὸ τέκνον αὐτῆς καταφάγῃ.
The Lord Jesus Christ has promised the Jews that he will implement at the 2nd Advent, the Four Unconditional Covenants namely the Abrahamic, the Land, the Davidic and the New Covenant. In activating these four unconditional covenants, he will make Israel the greatest Client Nation ever.
Therefore, Satan understands that he must destroy all the Jews before the 2nd Advent for this will be his only hope of victory toward the close of the Tribulation. So, even though Satan has lost battle after battle, he can still win the war if he can accomplish the destruction of all Jewish peoples in mortal bodies just before the 2nd Advent.
Relating the pre-historic angelic history to human history:
Some introductory points:
1. God always provides free will for His higher creatures namely free will to succeed or free will to fail. Freedom requires that a person have the freedom to succeed as well as the freedom to fail.
2. God always lets his higher creatures understand their choices namely if you follow His plan, then you can expect this etc. If you reject His plan, then the integrity of God will punish you for the consequences of your decision.
3. Just as the Lord made it very clear the choices Adam and Ishah had in the garden, so God made it very clear to the angels regarding their choices in their heavenly state. In summary, if they should stay with God and His plan, they will be blessed forever; if not they would be punished forever.
4. The Lord graciously provided perfect environment both for the angels in their habitat and for mankind in the Garden of Eden.
5. The Lord always tests the free will (volition) of his higher creatures namely angels and humans whether they want to remain under His authority and plan or not.
6. Since the angels already possessed perfect righteousness, eternal life in their eternal bodies and already were living with God, the test was quite simple namely do the angels want to remain under God’s authority and gracious plan and provision or not. This decision would be an eternal decision to be made within a specified period. (Adam and his wife’s eternal decision for eternal relationship with God would take place after their fall. Their descendants would make their eternal decision regarding God and His plan in a fallen state.)
7. The Lord always provides a time frame in which the creature must make that eternal decision. After which he is locked-in to the consequences of that decision.
8. Lucifer was the first creature to make his decision which was to reject the Lord’s authority and gracious plan. He did so, knowing clearly what the consequences of that decision would be. Though he understood clearly, he wasn’t concerned since he assumed that he would be victorious by making himself like the Most-High God.
9. Satan’s rejection was expressed “I will be like the Most-High God.” Since he assumed that he would succeed, the Lake of Fire was not a concern.
10. Also, Satan convinced one third of the angels that he would succeed in the revolt and therefore, there should be no concern regarding what the Lord had stated about the Lake of Fire.
11. Just as Satan convinced one third of the angels so does he convince the majority of people today that this story about heaven and the Lake of Fire is only a fairy tale.
12. In the Garden, Satan convinced the woman that the warning the Lord gave to Adam and ultimately to her about eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was a lie. Furthermore, if she were to eat, she would be as smart as God (I will be like the Most-High God), and consequently infinitely smarter than her husband with the implication that Adam would be taking orders from her henceforth. Of course, after her little plan failed, she invited Adam to join her by handing him the forbidden fruit.
13. In the Garden, their decisions were not eternal in nature. The Lord did not say to Adam that in the day he ate from the fruit of the forbidden tree, namely the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil that he would be eternally condemned and bound for the Lake of Fire. No! He merely warned Adam that he would die spiritually immediately by eating from the forbidden fruit and ultimately die physically.
14. After Lucifer and one third of the angels made their decisions to reject the Lord and His plan, a trial was held in which Satan and his comrades were sentenced forever to the Lake of Fire.
15. During this pre-historic angelic trial, Lucifer’s name was changed to Satan, a Hebrew word, the exact equivalent to diabolos in the Greek. These words not only have the meaning of a defense attorney, but also one who impugns the character of someone; one who slanders. So, these words not only tell us that Satan functioned as the defense attorney for himself and his comrades during the prehistoric angelic trial, but also that he impugned the integrity of God. How he impugned the integrity of God a primary component of the love of God, we do not know. We just know that he did. He may have implied or even stated that a loving God with perfect integrity would never sentence his creatures to the Lake of Fire. Also, he likely alleged that his rights and those of his comrades as creatures of God were violated. Therefore, Satan requested that an appeal trial would need to be convened in order to properly address this issue.
16. Possibly to make this issue crystal clear to both the fallen and elect angels, God the Father, the presiding judge granted him an appeal trial. The Lord would create lower creatures who would function as witnesses in this appeal trial, initially Adam and his wife, Ishah. (In the pre-historic trial, certain key elect and the fallen angels would have been called forward as witnesses to testify.) Angelic witnesses would be replaced by human witnesses. Satan would function as the defense attorney and the Lord as the prosecuting attorney.
17. The phases of this trial were as follows:
1. The Opening Statement, Adam and his wife in the Garden: The opening statement at the beginning of the trial is limited to outlining facts. This is each party's opportunity to introduce core dispute(s) in the case and provide a general road map of how the trial is expected to unfold. In the Garden, the Lord laid-out his strategy which was to prove that He was a loving God and that his institutions and His plan for mankind and angels were perfect. On the other hand, Satan made it quite clear that when he said that he would be like the Most-High God, he really meant that he would be greater than the Lord by demonstrating that his policy and plan encompassing good and evil would be the best for mankind and for angels as well.
2. The Formal phase of the Trial, the Old Testament: In this phase of the trial, evidence both direct and circumstantial is gathered and presented. Direct evidence usually includes the following: eyewitness-accounts, confessions etc.
Circumstantial evidence usually is that which suggests a fact by implication or inference. Either kind of evidence can be offered in oral testimony of witnesses or physical exhibits, and documents.
During the Old Testament, the Lord demonstrated over and over again through evidence gathered and through testimony that He is a God of love with emphasis on integrity, wisdom and power and that His plan for mankind is perfect including His Laws of Establishment and His plan for believers. In effect, He proved that there is no one like Him. Satan on the other hand gathered evidence trying to prove that his plan and policy of good and evil is much superior to the Lord’s plan. Satan attempted to prove that his good and evil which includes socialism and tyranny is better than the Lord’s system of nationalism and freedom; his economic system of confiscation of wealth and its redistribution is better than the Lord’s free market system etc. Satan compiled evidence and then distorted the implications to suggest that God is not a God of love. For he questioned some of God’s decisions and actions. For example, how could a God of love destroy so many people with the flood? How could a loving God destroy those lovely Canaanites living in the Pentapolis just because the Lord did not agree with their sexual preferences? How could a loving God command the killing of men, women, children and animals in the conquest of the Canaanites?
Since the perfect marriage failed in the Garden, Satan would compile more evidence in the Old Testament that would suggest that the divine institution of marriage was not a good design. Satan’s contention was made easier since most of the greats in the Old Testament did not farewell in marriage. For example, Abraham and Sarah had a horrible marriage most of their marriage life. He was a wimp, and she was a bitch. It was so bad that he was willing to give his wife to the Pharaoh of Egypt and then after leaving Egypt acquired a mistress as a substitute for relationship with his wife. Then, after Sarah died, he barely waited long enough for her corpse to cool before he married again. Jacob’s marriage life was a disaster namely two legal wives and two mistresses. The greatest believer of the Old Testament divorced his first wife. Then, there was David who had over 20 wives with whom he had 90 worthless sons. This evidence obviously was accumulated and presented by Satan.
3. The rebuttal of Christ during the dispensation of the Hypostatic Union and the Church Age: At the conclusion of the defendant's case, the plaintiff or government (in this case, the Lord) can present rebuttal witnesses or evidence to refute evidence presented by the defendant namely Satan. This may include only evidence not presented in the case initially, or a new witness who contradicts the defendant's witnesses. Christ defeats Satan’s argument against the love of God during the 1st Advent by becoming a mediator uniting infinite God with finite mankind in order to resolve man’s sin problem. A tremendous decision related to impersonal love. Then, the ultimate demonstration of the love of God the Father and the humanity of Christ was the work on the cross. Furthermore, the Lord rebuts Satan’s attack against marriage by raising the standards of marriage and relating those standards to the spiritual life in the Church Age as found in Ephesians 5:22-25. In every generation of the Church Age, there is at least one married couple who are able to meet these standards as commanded in Ephesian’s chapter 5 which becomes the strongest possible testimony for the divine institution of marriage. This completely rebuts Satan’s argument against marriage.
4. The rebuttal of Satan in the Tribulation: Satan after seeing how the evidence that he had accumulated against the love of God and marriage has been successfully rebutted in the Christocentric dispensations (the 1st Advent and the Church Age), he decides that any verbal rebuttal would be hopeless. So, he goes to violence.
5. The Closing Statement of the Lord, the prosecuting attorney during His Millennial rule on the earth: The Lord in His closing statement makes it very clear that only He has the ability and the integrity to bring-in perfect environment.
6. The Closing Statement of Satan in the violence of the Gog-Magog revolution since he will realize that he is losing the appeal trial.
18. In order for this trial to be fair and unbiased, God made a sovereign decision to permit the free will of mankind to coexist with his sovereignty. Man can freely choose for God or Satan in this trial.
19. Since human history is an appeal trial, God permitted Satan, the defense attorney to cross examine the first witnesses in the appeal trial namely Adam and his wife. Before doing so, Satan observed them both carefully.
20. He observed the woman’s dissatisfaction of being under Adam’s authority though his rulership over her was perfect. Satan also observed
Adam’s tremendous love for his wife, a love that seemed to Satan to be greater than Adam’s love for the Lord. So, Satan knew that if he could get the woman, that he could also get the man to fall.
21. Satan knew that if he were to attack the man first, it would not be a clear victory for if he got Adam to fall first, then Adam could merely command his wife to eat of the fruit. In so doing, the woman would have a legitimate complaint since the Lord had placed her under Adam’s authority. On the one hand, she would be in violation of the Lord’s mandate not to eat of this fruit, but on the other hand she would have obeyed her husband as she was commanded to do so by the Lord.
22. By getting both Adam and his wife to eat of the forbidden fruit, and consequently enter into spiritual death and to be expelled from the Garden, Satan was victorious in this Opening Statement of the trial.
23. After which, Satan and his comrades undoubtedly threw a grand victory-party. Satan in his tremendous genius knew that there was no solution to man’s fall for mankind was in a hopeless, helpless situation. There was no solution, but one which Satan had overlooked. Only a member of the Trinity becoming a mediator and then going to the cross and bearing the sins of mankind could resolve this problem, but who could ever have imagined this!
24. The Lord announced to Satan that He would become a mediator and savior for mankind. Genesis 3:15, “I will put enmity between you [Satan] and the woman, and between your seed and her seed [a reference to the humanity of Christ]; he [Jesus Christ on the cross] shall bruise your head [the strategic defeat of Satan], and you shall bruise his heel [Jesus will be punished for the sins of the world]." This announcement must have been a tremendous shock and blow to Satan and his comrades.
25. The Lord brings in more witnesses which will be the environment for the formal trial in which both the defense attorney and the prosecuting attorneys present their objectives. Genesis 1:28, “And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth [in anticipation of the Fall and the 2nd stage of the trial] and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth."
26. In the Old Testament, namely the formal trial Satan tries to prove that he is superior to the Lord. For example, since marriage failed in the garden, Satan maintained that the institution of marriage was not a good system. Satan offers as a substitute for the divine institution of marriage, multifarious choices such as fornicate as you desire, the phallic cult with child sacrifice, short term relationships, homosexual and lesbian relationships, polygamy etc. This attack against the perfect institution of marriage is not put to rest (defeated) until the Church Age in which the Lord raises the standards of marriage as per Ephesians 5:22-25. A few great marriages in which the man and wife are able to obey the mandates as found in this passage defeats Satan’s attack against marriage, proving that there is nothing wrong with this divine institution, but the weak point being the people involved.
27. Satan’s impugning of the love of God is finally put to rest on the cross, part of rebuttal phase of the Angelic Appeal Trial. Romans 5:8, “But the God demonstrates His own love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ [his humanity] died as a substitute for us.” The greatest expression of personal and impersonal love!
28. During the formal stage of the trial, the Lord adds to volition and marriage the following: family and nationalism. Providing protection, security, prosperity and a measure of happiness to those who follow them. Satan does everything he can to attack and destroy each and every one of these divine institutions. Proving over and over again, that he will never be like the Most-High God. Though the Lord must allow the evil of Satan to run its course, He does not lose control. In the prediluvian period of the formal trial, Satan even tried to destroy true humanity on the earth via the cohabitation of demons with the females of that period. This the Lord shut down with the flood.
29. In order to concentrate his power and influence and by so doing destroy all freedom to believe in Christ and grow spiritually, Satan attempted the first ‘United Nations’ in the Tower of Babel. This of course, the Lord shut down by creating many languages, the greatest barrier to internationalism.
30. Wherever, Satan focusses his attention and gets the peoples of an area to follow his ‘brilliant ideas’ like homosexuality, it leads to total decadence like in Sodom and Gomorra and the other cities in that area. If the Lord had not stepped in and destroyed those cities, this cancer would have eventually destroyed the entire inhabited earth.
31. After the formal trial is brought to a close by the 1st Advent of Christ, He rebuts all the stupid and evil ideas of Satan. This he does during his three-year public ministry, His work on the cross and the Church Age.
32. Satan’s attack against God’s design of marriage will be rebutted during the Church Age. Furthermore, the Lord demonstrates through the mature believers of every generation but especially in the Church Age that his plan for mankind produces the greatest possible happiness and capacity for life. This He demonstrates through mature believers taking Evidence Testing.
33. After the Lord’s rebuttal during His 1st Advent and the rebuttal of the Church Age believers, Satan realizes that all is lost. So, when it is his time to rebut, he goes to violence.
34. The Tribulation is Satan’s rebuttal and the greatest period of violence the world will ever know.
35. In contrast to the disastrous period from the fall of man to the 2nd Advent in which period Satan rules, a period of one disaster after another, the Millennial reign of our Lord Jesus Christ will be the greatest period of peace, health, longevity and prosperity of any period of history. This being the closing statement of our Lord Jesus Christ.
36. Satan is released from the Abyss to make his closing statement namely the fomenting of a rebellion against perfect government.
Some documentation on the fall of Satan and man in the Garden:
Angelic creatures were created simultaneously with no gradual development. Psalm 148:2a, 5, “Praise Him, all His angels; (5) Let them praise the person of the Lord [God the Son] for He commanded and they were created [in heaven with eternal bodies and perfect angelic righteousness].”
Of His creation, the greatest was Lucifer. Ezekiel 28:12, “Son of man [Ezekiel], take up a lamentation upon the King of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “You [Lucifer] had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and great beauty.” He has a voice like a pipe organ. He was superior in genius, beauty, personality, and persuasiveness to any creature. As a creature, Lucifer had a throne, “I will raise my throne above the stars [angels] of God.” He was the chief of angels and his name was Lucifer, [light bearer, the Shining One].
Ezekiel 28:14-17, “You were the anointed cherub who guarded the throne room; I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God [in the great castle of God]. You walked among the stones of fire [the interior of that castle]. (15) You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness [his revolt and fall: his eternal decision] was found in you [This was the creator talking to Satan]. (16) By the abundance of your slander [to go from one place to another to gossip] they filled your inner life with violence and you sinned [a reference to the fall of Satan which was his eternal decision]. Therefore, I have cast you as defiled from the mountain of God [God’s castle], and I have excluded you, O Guardian Cherub away from [separated from] the stones of fire [the interior of the castle]. (17) Your heart became arrogant [was lifted up] because of your beauty. You corrupted [distorted] your wisdom [through arrogance] because of your glamour [he dissociated from all that God had provided]. I cast you to the earth. I put you before kings that they may see you.”
Isaiah 14:12-14, “How you have fallen from heaven, O Star of the Morning, Son of the Dawn [a title Lucifer held until his fall]. You have been cut down to the earth [in the middle of the Tribulation], you who have weakened the nations [through your cosmic thinking]. (13) But you said in your heart [stream of consciousness], ‘I will ascend to heaven;’ [Satan wanted to be the ruler of the third heaven. This was his desire to displace God as the ruler.] ‘I will raise my throne above the stars of God;’ [The stars of God refer to angels, Job 38:7; Revelation 12:3-4. He wanted to rule over all the angels, not just one third of them.] ‘And I will sit on the mount of the assembly in the recesses of the north.’ [where he would have his throne] (14) ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;’ [will rule over all the angels] ‘I will make myself like the Most-High.’” [Satan thought that he would replace God as the final authority.]
The angelic decision to retain perfect angelic righteousness and to have eternal life with God or the eternal lake of fire with Satan was a decision all the angels had to make after Satan’s fall, his eternal decision to reject God and His plan. There was no need for a God-angel, no need for a cross whereby angelic sins would be an issue. They already had perfect righteousness and eternal life in their eternal bodies in heaven. Those who chose to follow Satan, also made their eternal decisions. Satan succeeded in persuading one-third of all angelic beings to revolt with him. Revelation 12:4a, “And his tail [Satan's great power] dragged away a third of the stars [shining ones, a designation for angels] of heaven [convinced these angels to revolt].”
After all the angels had made their decisions either pro or con, there was a prehistoric trial in which Satan and his minions were sentenced to the Lake of Fire. Matthew 25:41, “Then He will also say to those on His left [at the 2nd Advent], ‘Depart from me accursed ones into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.” Satan appealed God’s sentencing of him and his fallen angels to the Lake of Fire, and God the Father, the presiding judge graciously granted him an appeal. The appeal spans human history which explains the following: why God created the first two human beings (If one is going to have a trial, one must have witnesses); why angels are permitted to participate in human history; why Satan was permitted to tempt the woman in the garden, and to cross examine Job; why human history is broken down into the different parts of a trial; why Satan and his angels were not immediately cast into the Lake of Fire; and why they will not enter the Lake of Fire until after human history comes to a close (Satan loses his appeal).
During the trial, Lucifer acquired the name Satan, a Hebrew word (Diabolos in the Greek) usually translated as devil. Both the word Satan and Diabolos have the same meaning. They refer to an attorney who slanders and gets away with it due to some legal loophole. Satan functioned as a defense attorney for himself and the fallen angels at the trial which was convened after their falls. When God sentenced Lucifer and all fallen angels to the Lake of Fire, it was inevitable that Satan would appeal the sentence, and at the same time impugn the character of God. The blasphemous appeal of Satan was based on some legal principle, possibly one which has come down to us today. He probably argued, “How can a loving God cast his own creatures into the Lake of Fire forever, ignoring of course their decision regarding this matter? The actual blasphemous appeal of Satan is unknown to us, but that an appeal was filed with God is deduced from the lapse of time between the sentence of fallen angels (Matthew 25:41) in eternity past and the execution of that sentence at the termination of human history (Revelation 20:10). Since this sentence has not been carried out, but will be carried out (Revelation 20:10) forces one to a logical conclusion namely between the passing of the sentence in eternity past and the execution of that sentence at the end of the Millennium and the Gog-Magog Revolution, an appeal trial is occurring in human history. Therefore, it is concluded that human history is not only coterminous with the appeal trial of Satan and his fallen angels, but human history is the actual function of that trial, and that mankind was created to resolve that trial.
Some similarities and differences between the fall of Satan and his comrades and the fall of mankind in the garden. Similarities: Satan wanted to be like the Most-High God; the woman wanted to be like the Most-High God for she thought that if she were to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, she would be as smart as God. Genesis 3:4, 5, “But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die. (5) For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." One third of the angels loved Satan more than the Lord God; Adam loved his wife more than the Lord God. Both these angels and Adam and his wife failed. Both Satan and his comrades and Adam and his wife had perfect creature righteousness at the time of their sins. Differences: Both Satan and his comrades made an eternal decision rejecting God and His plan; Adam and his wife made a decision that caused their spiritual death and expulsion from the Garden of Eden, but it was not an eternal decision regarding God. Genesis 2:16, 17, “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; (17) but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it dying [spiritual death] you will die [physically]." Satan and his comrades in their eternal bodies made their decision from heaven; Adam and his wife made their decision in non-eternal bodies from the Garden.
After the fall of Adam and his wife, they made an eternal decision for God and His plan. This was a decision similar to the decision of the elect angels who decided for God and His plan. Genesis 3:21, “And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins, and clothed them.” [This is a picture of clothing them with imputed righteousness after their faith in the one who would go to the cross and be punished for their sins.]
Summary:
Human history is organized into a trial. The opening statement of the appeal trial is the garden with the initial two witnesses; the formal phase of the trial is the Old Testament; the First Advent and the Church Age is the rebuttal of Christ, the prosecuting attorney; the Tribulation is the rebuttal of Satan. The Millennial reign of Christ is the closing statement of the Lord functioning as the prosecuting attorney. Satan also must have a closing statement which explains why he must be released for a short time at the end of human history. The Gog-Magog Revolution is Satan’s closing statement.
The answer to Satan's appeal is twofold: The perfect and eternal character of God cannot be unfair or prejudiced, and cannot pass a false sentence. Secondly, the negative volition of Satan and all fallen angels demands punishment from the perfect righteousness and justice of God. The soul of angels contains a super intellect, and much smarter than we are. They had a clear understanding of God's provision while having potentially fellowship with Him forever, and yet they rejected it. To demonstrate the perfection of divine integrity and the fairness of God's sentence to all fallen angels, God agreed to an appeal trial and so created man and, simultaneously, the principle of human history, the new creature experiment. To resolve the angelic conflict, a creature called man was created inferior to angels, and confined to planet earth. Hence, planet earth is the arena or stadium for the historical extension of the angelic conflict. Man possesses one thing in common with these super angelic creatures: he has a similar soul which contains a rational mind and a free will or volition, Psalm 8:3-5; Hebrew 2:7. These new creatures, homo sapiens, would demonstrate in a system called history, the fairness of God, the perfection of His integrity, and the righteousness of His judgment on fallen angels in prehistoric times.
Now for some application: Keep in mind that human history is the stage for the Angelic Appeal Trial. Satan functions as the defense attorney for himself and the fallen angels and the Lord functions as the prosecuting attorney. Both the defense attorney and the prosecuting attorney have witnesses which will give testimony. The Lord only calls as his witnesses, mature believers for only their testimony would have value in this trial. This evidence is collected through Evidence Testing. In human history, man's thoughts, motives, decisions, and actions are entered as evidence, exhibits, precedents, and arguments in Satan's appeal trial. Every believer who attains maturity is an argument or witness for the Prosecution against Satan. No believer qualifies as the Lord’s witness against Satan until he has attained spiritual maturity which is tantamount to the fulfillment of the Protocol Plan of God. Evidence testing, then, is Satan's cross-examination of every witness presented by God. Evidence Testing is defined as Satan's attempt, through cross-examination of suffering, to discredit those believers who attain spiritual maturity.
The ultimate in the life of the believer is attaining spiritual maturity, at which point many things occur. His escrow blessings for time are conveyed to him, followed by the highest honor God can convey to a believer, the privilege of taking Evidence Testing. While Evidence Testing comes quickly, without any notice or warning, and always occurs at a time when least expected since the believer has reached a peak in his spiritual life, it is completely and totally undeserved suffering. Though it is very, very severe, God never puts on the believer more suffering than he can bear. The mature believer must keep in mind that passing Evidence Testing is the highest category of suffering for blessing, results in the doubling of his escrow blessings for time. Every believer who attains spiritual maturity is a witness for the Prosecution, whether in the formal trial of Old Testament history, in the rebuttal phase of the First Advent and Church Age, or in the closing argument and summary phase of the Second Advent and the Millennium. Keep in mind that the primary purpose of the believer is to become a witness for the Lord, against Satan in the Angelic Appeal Trial. The believer may accomplish many things in life, but if he never reaches the necessary level of spiritual growth to function as a witness in this appeal trial, he has failed in reaching his most important objective in his spiritual life.
Revelation 12:5
Then, she gave birth to a child, a male child [Jesus, the humanity of Christ] who is about to rule [time is inconsequential to God] all nations [in the Millennium] with an iron scepter [capital punishment for crime to maintain perfect environment], furthermore her son [Jesus, the humanity of Christ] was caught up [Ascension] face to face with God [the Father] and before his [Father’s] throne.
καὶ ἔτεκεν υἱόν, ἄρσεν, ὃς µέλλει ποιµαίνειν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ· καὶ ἡρπάσθη τὸ τέκνον αὐτῆς πρὸς τὸν θεὸν καὶ πρὸς τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ.
Regarding the birth of the humanity of Christ:
Matthew 1:21, "She will give birth to a son and you [Joseph after the birth] will call His name Jesus for He will save His people [the Jews] from their sins [a reference to the cross: since this passage is discussing the Jews, it doesn’t include the Gentiles though it applies to them equally as well]."
Notice the order here: first, birth; second, becoming a son; and third, giving a name. The Scripture never calls the fetus a child, a son or a daughter. Furthermore, in Scripture naming always comes after birth for the simple reason that a fetus is not a human being. King Solomon writing under the ministry of the Holy Spirit states in Ecclesiastes 3:2a, “A time to be born, and a time to die,” thus defining the boundaries of human life. At birth the soul is imputed to biological life; at death the soul departs from biological life. The Lord also emphasizes birth as the start of human life, “Jesus answered and said to him, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3). In John 3:5, Jesus goes on to say, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born out from water and out from the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.”
In order to spend eternity with God one must undergo two births. If a mother aborts a two-month-old fetus, there is no birth and if no birth, no soul; if no soul, no human life; if no human life, no entrance into the Kingdom of God. The first birth occurs at physical birth when the placenta breaks and amniotic fluid flows out from a broken membrane (“born of water”) and the second birth occurs at salvation when one receives a human spirit from the Holy Spirit (“born of the Spirit”), and the Father then imputes eternal life to that newly created human spirit. If human life really did occur in the womb, Christ would have created the following metaphor, “one has to be conceived again,” but he didn’t.
Identifying the Messiah:
Matthew 1:22-23, "Now this whole matter occurred in order that what was communicated by the Lord through the prophet [Isaiah 7:14] might be fulfilled saying, (23) “Behold, the virgin shall become pregnant [literally in the Greek: “she will have in the womb”] and she shall give birth to a son and they [Jewish believers] shall call his name Immanuel” which is translated “God with us.”"
Christ will rule with an “Iron Scepter” in order to minimize and to control crime.
The Criminal, the one who does Evil:
Criminals become criminals via their volitional function. There are two categories of criminals in the world today: unbelievers and believers. All criminality is acquired through arrogance. No one is born with a genetic tendency toward crime. It is all a matter of arrogance; e.g., authority arrogance, mental attitude arrogance, self-righteous arrogance, sexual arrogance, the arrogance of unhappiness, and above all, psychopathic arrogance. All criminals are such because of their own volition, because they have made a decision to be a criminal. Environment is not the issue in criminality. The environment does not mold the criminal, rather the criminal molds the environment. Honor and integrity can belong to all, not just to one social caste. There may be 8 siblings from a very poor home. Seven become wonderful responsible citizens while one becomes a criminal. Criminals are criminals not because of their environment, but because they will to be so.
Criminality actually begins with rejection of authority in the home. Rejection of parental authority eventually results in the rejection of all legitimate authority including God’s Laws of Establishment, and therefore, the criminal becomes totally disoriented to life. He seeks to superimpose his authority on society. In arrogance, he gives lip service to the authority he encounters, but in his soul, he despises any and all authority except his own. A law-abiding citizen may be irresponsible without being a criminal. But all criminals are irresponsible all the time.
The criminal lives inside the cosmic system and justifies his criminality. He is totally preoccupied with himself. He is hypersensitive about himself and insensitive toward others. Strangely enough, he is very self-righteous, and filled with self-justification regarding his criminal deeds. It happens many times in prison riots during which criminals will kill other criminals. When asked why they killed another criminal, they will answer because the other criminal deserved to die. He raped and killed children whereas I merely raped and killed adults for I would never touch a child.
The criminal is a bored person. He wants excitement and proof of his power. In fact, the criminal's desire for excitement is so great that he becomes jaded without constant stimulation from excitement. To the criminal, living without excitement is a put-down. Therefore, the criminal requires constant stimulation related to his crimes, sex, torture, alcohol, or drugs, making others afraid of him. Eventually, only extreme criminal activity related to torture, rape, and murder is satisfactory as an antidote to his boredom.
All liars are not criminals, but all criminals are liars. For the criminal, lying is a way of life. Therefore, the criminal becomes a pathological liar. Habitual deceit and lying is the criminal's total disregard for the truth in any form. Lying is the criminal's standard way of dealing with the world, a part of criminal manipulation.
The criminal is saturated with a lust pattern of arrogance. He has sexual lust, killer lust, power lust, approbation lust, money lust, stimulation lust requiring extensive use of drugs or alcohol, cruelty lust from which comes torture and abuse of others, as well as homicide. From his arrogant preoccupation with self, the criminal is involved in a lust pattern from which it is almost impossible to break away. His only hope is to become a believer followed by intensive study of God’s word. He needs several years of listening to good Bible teaching just to become a normal human being with a normal soul filled with correct norms and standards and priorities etc. Very few are able to make this transformation even after becoming believers. This is one reason why the Word of God demands the use of capital punishment for criminals who commit capital crimes.
The believer criminal: The arrogance-factor in crime is the major issue. The only way a criminal can break out of criminal arrogance is by making good decisions; no one can help him. After conversion, there must be consistent positive volition toward doctrine. If there is any inconsistency, the criminal factor continues. The real problem for a believer-criminal is not occasionally getting doctrine, but permanently accepting the authority of some teacher and staying with doctrine. Any personality conflict immediately arouses the arrogance in him, and he's right back in the arrogance complex, and right back into crime. The criminal believer being anti-establishment is often, anti-God and anti-doctrine. The believer living in the cosmic system and involved in the various stages of reversionism (spiritual apostasy) is capable of burglary, robbery, kidnapping, shoplifting, mugging, blackmail, larceny, drug activity, prostitution, rape, murder, etc. The criminal often pretends to accept some authority, like that of pastor or evangelist or psychiatrist. Often, he appears to be positive to the Gospel, and even to believe in Christ, but all of this is to advance his own ends in most cases.
If you are interested in further study regarding how a criminal thinks, may I suggest reading “The Criminal Personality: Volumn I, “A Profile for change” by Samuel Yochelson and Stanton Samenow.
Restraint on Criminality:
Romans 13:3, “For governing authorities [of an establishment type nation] are not a cause of fear for good function [those who follow the Laws of Establishment] but for evil function [criminality]. Really, do you desire not to fear the authority? Keep on doing the good [be lawful and obey the mandates of the Laws of Establishment] and you will have recognition from it [from the authority of an establishment-type of government];”
A few points for clarification regarding Romans 13:3:
1. The predicate nominative of phobos refers to fear of punishment. We begin to see why establishment demands capital punishment. The only restraint on the criminal mind is fear of punishment especially capital punishment for crimes demanding the removal of life.
2. The Bible and the Laws of Divine Establishment demand that punishment for anti-establishment violence such as rape, kidnapping and murder etc. should be death.
3. Therefore, this passage teaches that restraint in society demands law enforcement, proper judicial procedure and punishment.
4. In society, there are always those who have to be restrained by fear. Only fear can overcome the vile tendencies of the sin nature in the function of crime, conspiracy, revolution, and the use of violence in anarchy.
5. This is why the Bible advocates capital punishment as the means of controlling the criminal, the revolutionist, and the anarchist. Genesis 9:6; Romans 13:4.
6. Capital punishment is the highest power in human government.
7. Only with capital punishment can human government function to guarantee the freedom, the privacy, and the property of its constituents.
8. Legislation and law enforcement are useless without teeth. The bite is capital punishment.
9. Fear of capital punishment is a basic principle in the orderly function of the Laws of Divine Establishment.
10. Capital punishment is administered by the judicial authorities of the government regardless of the form of government whether monarchy, aristocracy, or republic. It is a legitimate government as long as the sword of capital punishment is directed toward evil function and not the function of good.
Ascension and Session: Revelation 12:5b, “Jesus, [the humanity of Christ] was caught up [Ascension] face to face with God [the Father] and before his [Father’s] throne.”
Introduction.
1. There are two Christological dispensations. The great power experiment of the Hypostatic Union, 4 B.C. to 30 A. D. and the great power experiment of the Church Age, 30 A.D. to the Rapture, an indefinite period of time. The chart below was taken from ‘Thieme’s Bible Doctrine Dictionary’ page 64.
2. The Resurrection, Ascension and Session of Jesus Christ divides the two Christocentric dispensations, namely the 1st Advent of Christ and the Church Age.
3. Both the Ascension and Session of Christ occurred in His resurrection-body. Up to this time, Jesus Christ is the only one possessing a resurrected body.
Definition
1. The ascension is the transfer of our Lord's true humanity from planet earth to the third heaven in a resurrection-body.
2. The session is the glorification of our Lord's humanity at the right hand of God the Father.
3. The Ascension and Session are closely related to and based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. As a result of the Resurrection, He remained on earth for forty days before His ascension. During this period of time, Jesus Christ demonstrated and proved his resurrection and the capabilities of the Resurrection-Body.
4. The capabilities of the resurrected body.
a. It can travel horizontally and vertically at unlimited speed, and is capable of unlimited space travel.
b. Our Lord traveled horizontally during His forty days on planet earth, as well as moving through closed doors.
c. The ascension of Christ demonstrates the vertical travel of the resurrection-body, moving with ease through the atmosphere of the earth, the galaxies of stellar universe, and the billions and billions of light years in an instant and entering into the third heaven, the abode of God.
5. Upon arrival in the Third Heaven, the humanity of Christ was seated at the right hand of God the Father known as His Session. Then, He received His third royal patent [privilege] and the title "King over kings [future rulers in the Millennium], Lord over lords [authority over angels], the Bright Morning Star." Because this third royal warrant [commission] had no accompanying royal family, the Church Age was inserted for the calling out of a royal family.
6. The Ascension and Session are the missing links between the resurrection of Christ and the Church Age. Something new had to be created to accompany this new third royalty of Jesus Christ. His first royalty was divine royalty, his title “the Son of God”. His second royalty was Davidic, his title, “the Son of David.” His third royalty is obtained by his strategic victory of the cross; the title, King over kings and Lord over lords, awarded to Him by God the Father at His Session; His royal family are the believers of the Church Age.
7. The Age of Israel was interrupted and the Church Age was intercalated. The Day of Pentecost is the day the royal family began with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, the first day of the Church Age.
8. These two namely His Ascension and Session combined with His defeat of Satan on the Cross form the climax of the strategic victory of Christ in the Angelic Conflict.
Historical Account: Acts 1:9-11, "And after He had said these things [announcement of Church Age as per Acts 1:5, 8], He was lifted up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him out of their sight. (10) And as they were gazing intently up in the sky as He was going, behold two men [angels] dressed in white stood beside them. (11) And they also said, `Men of Galilee, why do you stand staring into the sky? This Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven [He arrived into the 3rd Heaven while these angels were talking to these disciples] will come in the same way as you have seen Him go into heaven.'"
Significance of the Session
1. His Ascension and Session fulfilled the prophecy of Psalm 110:1, “The Lord [God the Father] said to my Lord [God the Son], `Sit down at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet [This verse speaks of His humanity].'" Jesus Christ had to be seated to resolve the angelic conflict. Remember that His deity is omnipresent, everywhere, immanent [in space] and transcendent [beyond space]. Thus, only His humanity could be seated at the right hand of the Father.
2. This prophecy is quoted a number of times in the New Testament, Matthew 22:44, “The Lord [Jehovah: God the Father] said to my Lord [Adonai as revealed deity: The Lord Jesus Christ], Sit on My right until I make Your enemies, a footstool for Your feet? [a quote from Psalm 110:1]’” Hebrews 1:13, “But to which of the angels has He [God the Father] ever said, [Psalm 110:1] ‘Sit down at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.’” God could not say this to deity, and He never said this to an angel. He said this to the humanity of Christ, making the humanity of Christ superior to angels. We, being in union with Christ, are now positionally superior to angels. However, we cannot take advantage of our position now on earth unless we advance spiritually to spiritual adulthood. Other passages which quote from Psalm 110:1 are as follows: Mark 12:36; Luke 20:42-43; Acts 2:34-35; Hebrews 10:13. It is quoted often because it is so very important.
3. The strategic victory of the great power experiment of the Hypostatic Union is the key to the importance of the Ascension and Session of Jesus Christ. The resurrection, ascension, and session all deal with the true human nature of Jesus Christ though He is undiminished deity and true humanity in one person forever. Just as only the humanity of Christ could provide our salvation by receiving the judgment for our sins in His own body, so only the humanity of Christ could be resurrected, ascended, and seated at the right hand of God the Father.
4. The humanity of Jesus Christ in Hypostatic Union is now exalted and glorified at the right hand of the Father where His posture is one of being seated. Acts 2:33a, "Therefore, [Jesus Christ] having been exalted to the right hand of God." Acts 5:31a, "He is the one whom God has exalted at His right hand as prince and Savior." Philippians 2:9-10, "Therefore also, God has highly exalted Him and given Him a title which is above every title, (10) that in the presence of the person of Christ, every knee in heaven [at the Rapture] shall bow, both the ones on earth [believers alive] and the ones under the earth [dead believers], and every tongue should confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of the Father."
The Ascension and Session and the Strategic Victory of the Angelic Conflict
1. The Ascension and Session are not only related to the Hypostatic Union but also to the angelic conflict. Resurrection, Ascension and Session are based on the strategic victory of our Lord in the angelic conflict as per Hebrews 1-2.
2. The Ascension and Session of Christ form the basis for the victory in the angelic conflict. The following passage demonstrates the superiority of Jesus Christ over angels. Hebrews 1:1-14, “In the past, God spoke to our forefathers [ancestors] through the prophets at many times and in various ways. (2) However, in these last days [1st Advent and Church Age] He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, and through whom He has designed the ages [dispensations]. (3) Who being the radiance [the flashing forth] of His glory [God the Father’s glory] and the exact image of His [God the Father's] essence, He [the deity of Christ] also sustains all things by the verbal expression of His power, having Himself [speaking of His humanity] accomplished purification for sins, He was caused to sit down at the right hand of the Majesty in highest places. [During the entire period of the Hypostatic Union on earth, from the baby in the cradle to the resurrection, ascension, and session, our Lord was still holding the universe together by the Word of His power.] (4) So, He [Jesus Christ in His humanity] became superior to angels, since He has inherited a superior title to theirs [third royal title]. (5) For to which of the angels did He [God the Father] ever say, [Psalm 2:7] ‘You are My Son [the eternal relationship between God the Father and God the Son; this is language of accommodation that we might understand their roles as related to the human race]; this day [the Incarnation] I have given birth to You [humanity of Christ]?’ And again [2 Samuel 7:14], ‘I will be His Father and He will be My Son [the humanity of Christ will be obedient to the Father’s plan for the 1st Advent while the deity of Christ is co-equal with the Father and not subordinate].’ (6) And again [Second Advent], when He brings His first-born into the world he says, [Psalm 97:7], ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him.’ (7) And speaking to His angels He says, [we are not told what He says; a quote from Psalm 104:4] ‘Who makes His angels, spirits [God the Son created the angels as spirit-beings, a reference to their essence], and His angelic servants, a flame of fire [God the Son created their function: as a flame of fire the elect angels under the command of God administer judgement, and punishment].’ (8) But speaking of His Son, He [God the Father] says, [Psalm 45:6-7] ‘Your throne, O God [Jesus Christ], is forever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of Your kingdom [Second Advent, Millennium, and the Eternal kingdom; a ruler must have integrity].’(9) You loved righteousness and hated evil [impeccability of Jesus Christ]; therefore, God [Father], Your God, has anointed You above your associates with the ceremonial oil of optimum happiness [In the ancient world, one was commissioned with anointing of oil. This is a reference to ceremonial oil used for the appointment of a king. Because Christ is both perfect and unique, righteous and just, and superior to angels, he will supersede Satan as the ruler of this world].’ (10) And, [Psalm 102:25-27] ‘In the beginning, O Lord [the deity of Christ], You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.’ (11) They [the galaxies] will perish, but You will remain; they all will wear out like clothing. (12) And You will roll them up like a robe [at the end of the Millennium]; like a garment they will be changed [new heavens and earth], but You will remain the same, and Your years will never end.’ (13) But to which of the angels has He [God the Father] ever said, [Psalm 110:1] ‘Sit down at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet [in the ancient world, a conqueror would put his feet on his conquered enemies; Jesus Christ will defeat Satan and his angels at the 2nd Advent].’ (14) Are they not all ministering spirits [elect angels that serve you] sent out to render service to those who will inherit salvation?”
3. Hebrews 2:5-9, “For not to the angels has He put under the authority the coming civilization [the Millennium] concerning which we communicate. (6) Moreover, someone [David in Psalm 8:4-8] in a certain place has testified saying, what is mankind that You yourself should remember him, or the son of man, [the progeny of Adam namely the spiritually dead] that You yourself should come to his aid [the Cross and other grace provisions] (7) For a brief time You [the Father] have made him [the humanity of Christ] a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor which belongs to You; (8) You, Father, you have put all things in subjection under his feet, [the end of the quote from Psalm 8:4-8] for in subjecting all things to Him [Jesus Christ], He [God the Father] left nothing that is not subject to him. But now [at the present time] we do not yet see all things subjected to Him [under his command as it will be in the eternal state], (9) but, we see Jesus who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now having been crowned with glory and honor [result of his resurrection, Ascension and Session] because of the suffering of death [substitutionary spiritual death] that by the grace of God, He might taste death [the bitter taste of His substitutionary spiritual death on the cross] as a substitute for all [human beings].”
4. 1 Peter 3:22, "Who [Jesus Christ] is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven after which angels and authorities and powers had been subordinated to Him." With the resurrection of Jesus Christ, all angelic creatures including fallen angels, are subordinated to Him in His humanity! That fact is very important. Some day in our resurrection-bodies, we will share that same privilege experientially. Being in union with Christ, we are already positionally higher than angels, but in resurrection bodies, we will be experientially and physically higher than angels.
5. Ephesians 1:22, "And He [God the Father] has subordinated all [angelic creatures] under His feet [under Jesus Christ]. Furthermore, He appointed Him [Jesus Christ] ruler over all things to the Church."
This establishes another link between the two Christological dispensations. When our Lord received His third royal patent, He did not have a royal family. Therefore, the Church Age was inserted into history.
Furthermore, Israel had rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah and King. Consequently, the Messianic Kingdom was postponed until the Second Advent of Christ. In the meantime, the great power experiment of the Hypostatic Union has been parlayed into the great power experiment of the Church Age.
The Session and the Efficacy of Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross
1. Hebrews 10:12, "But this One [Jesus Christ in contrast to the Old Testament sacrifices], when He had offered one unique sacrifice as a substitute for our sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God."
In physical death, our Lord's work was completed. Hence, just before His death He said, "tetelestai," which means it is finished in the past with the result that it stands finished forever. The work of Jesus Christ on the cross is efficacious which settled the sin issue once and for all time. To indicate the efficacy of His sacrifice, our Lord sat down at the right hand of God. So, the resurrection, ascension, and session are the verification of the efficacy of our Lord's saving work on the cross.
2. Furthermore, this efficacious saving work occurred while our Lord was physically alive. He did not die for our sins in physical death; He died as a substitute for us in a substitutionary spiritual death, wherein each and every sin of the human race was imputed to Christ and judged.
3. Therefore, Christ died twice on the cross. He died a substitutionary spiritual death for the sins of the world, which provided our salvation and He died a unique physical death in which there was the separation of His soul, spirit, and body.
4. Hebrews 9:23-24, “Of necessity, therefore, on the one hand that the copies, the models of the things in the heavens be cleansed with these shadows, but on the other hand the heavenly realities themselves with better sacrifices than these (shadow of animal blood). (24) For Christ had not entered into a Holy of Holies [at His session] made with human hands, a copy of the reality, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of the God (Father) on behalf of us.”
The Session Related to the Importance of the Church Age, Ephesians 1:18-22
Ephesians 1:18, "That the eyes of your right lobe may be enlightened [through advance via the Two Power Options] so that you may know what is the hope [confident expectation that you will accomplish your two strategic objectives] of His calling [divine call], what are the riches [divine capitalization of every Church Age believer in eternity past through the provision of our portfolio of invisible assets] of His inheritance in the saints."
Ephesians 1:19-20, "And what is the surpassing greatness of His power to us [maximum availability of divine power to every Church Age believer as a result of the extension of the Hypostatic Union into the Church Age] who have believed, for the working of His superior power [execution of the protocol plan] which He put into operation by means of Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in heavenly places."
Ephesians 1:21, “Superior to every authority, both human power and authority as well as angelic power and authority, and superior to every title that can be named, not only in this age [Church Age], but in the one destined to come [Millennium].”
Ephesians 1:22, “And He [God the Father] has subordinated both angelic and human creatures under His feet [operation footstool]; furthermore He [God the Father] has appointed Him ruler over all things to the Church.”
The Session and the Royal Priesthood
1. Hebrews 8:1, “Now the main point on what is being communicated is this: we have such a high priest who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens.”
2. Our Lord was not qualified by birth to be a Levitical priest in Israel. His priesthood, however, supersedes the priesthood of Israel because He is both a king and a priest.
3. Our Lord's priesthood is patterned after a royal priesthood, that of Melchizedek. Melchizedek was both a king and a priest who lived during the time of Abraham. Our Lord is the king-priest as a result of His resurrection, ascension, and session. Because we are in union with Christ, we belong to this priesthood.
4. Therefore, we pray to God the Father through our high priest, Jesus Christ, and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Session and glorification of Christ should provide motivation
Hebrews 12:2-3, “Be concentrating on Jesus, the pioneer [the one who established the precedence for our spiritual life] and perfector [He perfected the use of the Prototype Spiritual Life] of our doctrine who because of his exhibited happiness [Sharing the happiness of God provided the strongest possible motivation], he endured the cross [the greatest pressure ever] disregarding the shame [He did not react to the sins for which he was being punished] and sat down [his humanity] at right hand throne of God [His Session]. (3) For begin thinking about such a Person as Jesus Christ, having endured such opposition by sinners against Himself, in order that you do not become discouraged, fainting in your souls.”
Revelation 12:6
And so the woman [Jewish believers during the first half of the Tribulation] fled [as per Matthew 24:16] to the high desert country [Dan 11:38] where she might have a place of refuge prepared by God [in eternity past in the Divine Decree], in order that they [the guardian angels of Israel] may sustain her [Jewish believers who followed God's mandate to flee] one thousand two hundred and sixty days [approximately two weeks short of three and half years].
καὶ ἡ γυνὴ ἔφυγεν εἰς τὴν ἔρηµον, ὅπου ἔχει ἐκεῖ τόπον ἡτοιµασµένον ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἵνα ἐκεῖ τρέφωσιν αὐτὴν ἡµέρας χιλίας διακοσίας ἑξήκοντα.
The mandate to flee is found in Matthew 24:15, 16, “Therefore, when you see the Detestable Idol [the Abomination of Desolation, an idol of the image of the dictator of the revived Roman Empire being placed in the Holy of Holies in the temple in Jerusalem] which was communicated by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, (let the reader who understands execute the following), (16) then those who are in Judea [a word for Israel at that time] must flee to the mountains;”
After the resurrection of the Church namely the Rapture, the Jews build a temple in Jerusalem. The Holy of Holies of this new temple will be empty, and this is where this idol of the dictator of the Revived Roman Empire will be set up in the middle of the Tribulation.
There are two classes of Jews in Israel at this time. Some as believers are waiting for the Second Advent of Our Lord. Others have agreed to the policy of the dictator of the revived Roman Empire. In this agreement, an idol is put up in the temple. (Daniel wrote about this in Daniel 9:27, 11:31, 12:11).
Two categories of Jewish believers will flee to the mountains namely mature believers and new believers who will listen to the message and advice of these advanced believers. So, under the leadership of the mature believers, they will flee to the caves in the mountains of Amon, Moab and Edom all the way down to the Gulf of Aqaba. The Jews will be hiding out in all of these places until the 2nd Advent.
Revelation 12:7
Now there was war in heaven and Michael and his army of elect angels fought against the dragon [Satan]. Furthermore, the dragon and his fallen angels fought back.
Καὶ ἐγένετο πόλεµος ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, ὁ Μιχαὴλ καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ τοῦ πολεµῆσαι µετὰ τοῦ δράκοντος. καὶ ὁ δράκων ἐπολέµησεν καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ,
Revelation 12:8
Nevertheless, he [Satan along with his demon assault army] did not win, in fact, a place was no longer found for them in heaven.
καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυσεν, οὐδὲ τόπος εὑρέθη αὐτῶν ἔτι ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ.
Revelation 12:9
Then the great dragon, the ancient serpent [related to the garden] who is called the devil [accuser, maligner] and Satan, who keeps on deceiving the entire inhabited earth was thrown out of heaven; he was thrown down to earth [lost his residence in heaven], furthermore his angels were thrown out of heaven with him.
καὶ ἐβλήθη ὁ δράκων ὁ µέγας, ὁ ὄφις ὁ ἀρχαῖος, ὁ καλούµενος ∆ιάβολος καὶ ὁ Σατανᾶς, ὁ πλανῶν τὴν οἰκουµένην ὅλην ñ ἐβλήθη εἰς τὴν γῆν, καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ µετí αὐτοῦ ἐβλήθησαν.
Understanding Satan:
Satan as a killer:
1. Satan has extra-natural powers in the realm of death. (Psalm 109:6-13)
2. Satan has the power of death. (1 John 3:8; Hebrews 2:14, 15)
3. Satan killed the seven sons and the three daughters of Job. (Job 1:12, 18, 19)
4. Satan motivated Cain to kill Abel. (1 John 3:13; John 8:34)
5. Satan is used as an agent for the Sin unto Death. (1 Corinthians 5:5; 1Timothy 1:19, 20)
Satan’s Political Power:
Satan who is the ruler of the world abuses power and so do his minions. So, power is a major issue in life.
1. Power lust and power madness are one of the major tragic flaws of the cosmic system. Satan himself (“I will be like the “Most High God”) was guilty of power lust and was the originator of it.
2. Satan as the ruler of this world has great power which he administers through his cosmic system.
3. Power means control, and control satisfies the arrogance of both man and fallen angel.
4. One of the major forms of pseudo happiness is the control of others through the abuse of power. Many politicians and bureaucrats are power mad and pass many needless and nonsensical laws. One can almost define bureaucrats as someone who waste your money and time.
5. There is legitimate power under the laws of divine establishment, but with this legitimate power, there comes great responsibility which can only be administered properly through maximum integrity.
6. Demagogues seeking power promise redistribution of wealth via the welfare state. This is tantamount to stealing and the abuse of power. Only under the Divine Laws of Establishment with emphasis on freedom can the welfare of the common person reach great heights.
7. All legitimate power is related to God and His plan. In the Church Age, this means that all legitimate use of power is related to the three categories of truth: the Laws of Divine Establishment, the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and Biblical teaching.
Satan who is the ruler of this world does have a system for promoting believers. It is possible to obtain wealth without honour inside the cosmic system. It is possible to obtain success without integrity, promotion without ability or achievement, sex without personal love, fame without virtue, authority without leadership, approbation without happiness. In other words, Satan has developed a tremendous system of giving wealth, success, promotion, approbation, sex, all of the things that people associate with happiness but are not happiness at all. Happiness is only developed from virtue. Virtue is developed inside the divine power system. There is no happiness without virtue. So, Satan had to develop some form of duplication, counterfeits, some system to misdirect people from true happiness and capacity for life and to promote them with the illusion of happiness.
Satan, his three Falls:
We have to look at the falls of Satan under three categories. The first fall of Satan was the prehistorical fall, the revolution which began in heaven in which he took a third of the angelic creatures with him. The second fall occurs in the middle of the Tribulation when Satan is cast out of heaven and begins the time of the eschatology of the devil’s desperation. The third fall is the Second Advent when Satan is removed from rulership of this world and incarcerated for one thousand years.
Satan’s Failure regarding the 1st Advent of Christ:
The Ascension indicates the failure of Satan to destroy Christ during the 1st Advent as per Revelation 12:4, “then the dragon [Satan] stood before the woman [the virgin Mary] who was about to deliver a child [anticipating the virgin birth] in order that when she gave birth, he [Satan] might destroy her child.” He did not succeed in that objective to hinder the 1st Advent.
The principle that comes out of this is very simple: No creature has the power to challenge the creator. Therefore, when we as creatures try to challenge the creator, our Lord, it comes from arrogance, and arrogance is false power. Arrogance is blind and irrational; arrogance is self-destructive; arrogance rejects divine authority and seeks to overthrow it; arrogance resents human authority, especially establishment authority. The Satanic revolution was demonstrated to be a complete failure by the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ; anyone who sides with Satan by being involved in the Cosmic System becomes a loser. The only way a believer can become a loser is to become involved in the Cosmic System and, therefore, share Satan’s defeat even though he has eternal life.
The fact that Satan could not prevent the ascension of Christ, even though millions of angels formed up to try to stop it, merely confirms that Satan will never be able to prevent the 2ndAdvent and the tactical victory of our Lord.
The Eschatology of the devil’s Desperation
By definition the devil’s desperation begins at the moment when he is expelled from heaven in the middle of the Tribulation. Once Satan is confined to earth, he realizes that he has lost the battle and therefore in his desperation, Satan will attack Israel in the greatest of all holocausts which is the seventh trumpet and the beginning of the third woe. The third woe is actually the entire course of the devil’s desperation. It is broken down into six parts:
Part 1: the beginning of Satan’s desperation, the great holocaust of Israel, the seventh trumpet which is the beginning of the third woe, Revelation 12:12-17.
Part 2: we meet the devil’s two witnesses, the two great dictators of the last half of the Tribulation. One is a Gentile dictator of the Revived Roman empire; the other is a Jewish dictator of the state of Israel in the Tribulation. We meet them in Revelation 13.
Part 3: evangelism continues on the earth in spite of Satan and all of his demons both disembodied spirits and those with bodies. This will be the worst time the world will ever know as per Revelation 14.
Part 4: Revelation 15 & 16: While Satan will still be the ruler of the world in the last half of the Tribulation, he will be confined to the earth, his kingdom has become his temporary jail. During this period, divine judgment will be administered through the seven last plagues or the seven goblet judgements.
Part 5: Satan’s last attack on the human race, his ace trump just before the Second Advent. In the last half of the Tribulation, he will organize the greatest system of ecumenical religion the world will have ever known as per Revelation chapters 17 & 18.
Part 6: The 2nd Advent of Christ where Satan and his whole system, both angelic and human, is defeated and destroyed. Furthermore, Satan and his demons will be imprisoned for 1000 years.
Revelation 12:10
Then, I heard a loud voice in heaven which said, "Now the deliverance [2nd Advent] has come, also his power [of Jesus Christ], even the kingdom of our God [Father’s plan for the millennial reign of Christ], and the authority of His Christ [as ruler of the earth for 1000 years], because the accuser [Satan accuses believers in time for example Job] of our fellow believers who constantly brings charges against them before our God [before the supreme court in heaven] day and night, has been thrown out [of heaven]."
καὶ ἤκουσα φωνὴν µεγάλην ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ λέγουσαν, Ἄρτι ἐγένετο ἡ σωτηρία καὶ ἡ δύναµις καὶ ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ ἡµῶν καὶ ἡ ἐξουσία τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἐβλήθη ὁ κατήγωρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡµῶν, ὁ κατηγορῶν αὐτοὺς ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ ἡµῶν ἡµέρας καὶ νυκτός.
Revelation 12:11
Furthermore they [believers in the Tribulation under pressure from Satan] overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb [saving work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross], and because of doctrine applied by means of their testimony, in fact they did not love their life to the point of death [they were willing to die if necessary for their faith].
καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐνίκησαν αὐτὸν διὰ τὸ αἷµα τοῦ ἀρνίου καὶ διὰ τὸν λόγον τῆς µαρτυρίας αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἠγάπησαν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτῶν ἄχρι θανάτου.
In this passage we have the triumph of the believers of the Tribulation under maximum pressure. There are three bases for victory in this passage. The first has to do with eternal salvation, the doctrine of soteriology indicated by the phrase, the “blood of the Lamb.” Secondly, there is the application of Bible doctrine to experience, “the word of their testimony.” Thirdly, they had absolutely no fear of death.
The fear of death destroys human function in this life. (Apart from the Rapture of the Church, death is inevitable.) The real key to facing death is first of all to be prepared for death and that preparation requires personal faith in Jesus Christ. After eternal salvation, the next step in preparation for death is the daily perception of doctrine, for life and death are dealt with in a victorious and a wonderful manner in exactly the same way: the perception of doctrine and its application to the situations of life and situations related to dying. Those who understand death and can face death without fear have capacity for life and happiness and blessing, for actually the two go together. Really, living and dying are a part of the same package and that is why it is included in verse eleven.
“The blood of the Lamb:” Propitiation, Reconciliation and Redemption, these three are accomplished by the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ.
Propitiation:
Propitiation is the Godward side (God must be propitiated) of the work of Christ in salvation. God the Father was satisfied by Jesus as a High Priest offering himself on the cross as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. Hence, in propitiation the justice of God judged our sins (the sins of mankind including Adam’s Original Sin) and the righteousness of God was satisfied with that judgment. Thus, Propitiation frees the justice of God to immediately impute to anyone who believes in Jesus Christ, His righteousness.
Explaining Propitiation in the Age of Israel:
The Ark of the Covenant: Inside the ark were three items namely the tables of the Law which speaks of sin as rebellion against God, the manna, which speaks of sin as rebellion against the provision of God and Aaron's rod that budded, which speaks of sin as rebellion against God’s delegated authority.
On the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), on the 10th day of the 7th month of the Jewish calendar (Leviticus 26:29) equivalent to autumn, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies twice, once for himself and for his family (Leviticus 16:6) and sprinkle the blood of a bull over the Propitiation-Seat (Mercy Seat) as per Leviticus 16:14, and entered a second time for the sins of Israel (Leviticus 16:9) and sprinkle the blood of a goat as per Leviticus 16:15. The animal blood which was sprinkled over the Propitiation-Seat (Hebrew: kapporet; Greek: Hilasterion) represented the saving work of Our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.
The Ark which taught propitiation was a wooden box 45" by 27" by 27" made of Acacia wood overlaid with gold. The wood represents the humanity of Christ; the gold represents the deity of Christ. Together, they represent the Hypostatic Union. Over the top of the Ark was a covering which was called the Mercy Seat (propitiation throne). There were two golden cherubim over-shadowing this Mercy Seat called the cherubim of glory (Hebrews 9:5). These cherubs of glory represented God the Father’s divine glory specifically his righteousness and justice. One angel represented His righteousness and the other His justice. After the high priest had sprinkled the blood on the Mercy Seat, as it were, the angel representing the Father’s righteousness upon looking at the sins of Israel depicted by the Tables of the Law, Aaron’s rod which budded and the pot of Manna demanded that these sins be punished. The justice of God then punished the humanity of Christ on the cross for all the sins of the world depicted by the blood on top of the Mercy Seat. After which, the cherub representing the righteousness of the Father was propitiated (satisfied) upon seeing this blood which represented the work on the Cross. Romans 3:25 says that Jesus Christ was publicly displayed as the mercy seat, the place of the propitiation, “whom God [the Father] publicly displayed as a mercy seat [propitiation] by His blood [representing the work on the cross with emphasis on propitiation] through faith in Christ to demonstrate His [Father's] righteousness, because of the passing over of previously committed sins by the delay in judgment from God. [All sins of the Old Testament were not judged until Christ went to the cross).”
The parable of propitiation, Luke 18:9-14, “And He also told this parable to certain ones who trusted in themselves [for salvation] because they were self-righteous, and viewed others with contempt: (10) Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. (11) The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. (12) ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ (13) But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘O God, be propitious to me, a sinner [provide me with salvation on the basis of the propitiatory work of Christ on the cross]!’ (14) I say to you, this man [the tax-collector] went down to his home having been justified [declared righteous and so qualified to go to heaven] rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself [in this case the arrogant unbeliever] will be humbled [he will be rejected for salvation], but he who humbles himself [in this case the grace-oriented tax collector] will be exalted [will be entered into the family of God]."
Propitiation is taught in the Old Testament by a burnt animal sacrifice in Leviticus 1:2, 9, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When any man of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of animals from the herd or the flock. (9) Its entrails, however, and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer up in smoke all of it on the altar for a burnt offering, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the Lord.” Propitiation is also taught as a food offering made of grain as taught in Leviticus 2:2, “He shall then bring it to Aaron's sons the priests; and shall take from it his handful of its fine flour and of its oil with all of its frankincense. And the priest shall offer it up in smoke as its memorial portion on the altar, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the Lord.” The burning of the animal sacrifice depicted the work of Jesus on the cross whereas the burning of the unleavened grain cake depicted the impeccability and integrity of Jesus during his 33 years prior to the cross.
The love of God provided for the propitiatory work of Christ, 1 John 4:10, "By this love exists: not because we have loved God, but because He has loved us and sent His Son, a propitiation for our sins." The Propitiatory work of Christ provided unlimited atonement, 1 John 2:2, "And He is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole world."
Ark: Taken from Thieme’s Bible Doctrine Dictionary pages 13, 14.
Ark of the covenant [Heb. aron, chest or coffer] A rectangular chest of acacia wood overlaid with gold and placed in the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle, later the Temple. Above this most sacred piece of furniture dwelt the presence of the Lord with Israel.
Depiction of the Savior. The construction of the ark spoke of the future God-man: acacia wood represented Christ’s humanity; gold, His deity (Ex. 25:10–14; 37:1–5). Inside the ark were three items testifying to man’s sinfulness and rebellion against God (Heb. 9:4): tablets of the Ten Commandments depicted rejection of God’s law (Ex. 25:16); the pot of manna depicted rejection of God’s logistical grace provision (Ex. 16:32–33); and Aaron’s rod that budded depicted rejection of God’s delegated authority (Num. 17:8–10). Just as these emblems of sin were carried in the ark, Christ would carry all of man’s sins “in His body on the cross” (1 Pet. 2:24). Fitted as a lid atop the chest was the solid gold “mercy seat,” adorned on each end by a golden cherub (Ex. 25:17–21; 37:6–9; Heb. 9:5a). The figures of the cherubs—wings outspread, faces gazing down upon the mercy seat—represented the righteousness and justice of God. On the Day of Atonement, a high holy day for Israel, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies and sprinkle the blood of a sacrificial animal on top of the mercy seat. The righteousness and justice of God, depicted by the two cherubs, saw not the sinfulness of man represented by the contents of the ark but the covering blood of the animal sacrifice. This yearly ritual taught and foreshadowed how the righteousness and justice of God would be satisfied by Christ’s substitutionary atonement on the cross (Eph. 1:7; Heb. 10:8–14).
Seat of dwelling presence. The ark of the covenant was a sacred symbol of God’s presence with Israel. Thus, Scripture also refers to it as the “ark of the Lord” (Joshua 6:7, 12), “ark of God” (1 Sam. 3:3; 4:11), and “ark of Your strength” (Ps. 132:8). During the Exodus, the ark was carried out in front of the advancing caravan as a sign of divine presence and protection (Num. 10:33). At the Jordan River, the ark guided the way and parted the waters for the Israelites to cross the river into Jericho (Joshua 3:3–17; 4:7, 11, 18); the ark then served as part of the offensive against the city’s walls and inhabitants (Joshua 6:4–12). When the ark was placed inside the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle or Temple, the dwelling presence of the Lord resided “above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim” (Ex. 25:22; Lev. 16:1–2; 1 Sam. 4:4; Ps. 99:1; Isa. 37:15–16).
Ark removed. In 586 B.C., the invading armies of Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Solomon’s Temple— and the ark inside it—when they “laid Jerusalem in ruins” (Ps. 79:1; cf. 2 Chron. 36:18–19; Ezra 5:12). Although a new Temple was built after the Jews returned from captivity, the Holy of Holies remained empty of sacred furniture. Following the crucifixion, the absence of the ark would signify that Jesus Christ—resurrected and seated at the Father’s right hand—had entered into the true Holy of Holies, the heavenly throne room of God (Heb. 6:19–20; 8:1; 9:24). Even the restored temple in the Millennium will have no ark, for Christ will personally rule the earth and “they will call Jerusalem ‘The Throne of the Lord’” (Jer. 3:16–17).”
Taken from the booklet, Levitical Offerings by R. B. Thieme Jr. page 22, 23.
“Both the Greek word hilasterion and the Hebrew word כַּפֹּרֶת (kapporet) mean “propitiation” and refer to the mercy seat. The mercy seat was atop a wooden box called “the ark of the covenant” (Ex. 25:17). This box was overlaid with gold, and stood in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle. The acacia wood of the box spoke of Christ’s humanity; the gold, of His deity. Together, those materials represented the uniqueness of the God-man—undiminished deity and true humanity in one person forever.
The ark contained three items: a pot of manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the Law. All depicted sin: The tablets of the Law were a reminder of Israel’s violation of God’s authority; Aaron’s rod that budded evidenced rejection of God’s plan regarding the authority of the Levitical priesthood; the pot of manna typified man’s rejection of divine provision. The mercy seat itself fitted over the top of the ark like a lid. On each end of the mercy seat was the golden figure of a cherub. One cherub represented God’s perfect righteousness, the other, God’s justice. Righteousness and justice looked down and condemned sin represented by the articles in the ark. But once a year, apart from the regular, daily sacrifices, a wonderful event took place on the Day of Atonement. At the door of the Tabernacle, on the brazen altar, an animal was sacrificed by the high priest. Then, the animal’s blood was collected in a basin, carried into the Holy of Holies, and sprinkled on top of the mercy seat. The blood represented the finished work of Christ on the cross. Because of the blood, all the remaining sins and uncleanness of Israel, despite the regular sacrifices, were covered or expiated. The righteousness and justice of God were satisfied, and symbolically, the Father was propitiated.”
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. 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 in order that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
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 [believes in Christ] is acceptable to Him. (36) The doctrine which He sent to the sons of Israel, proclaiming 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]. (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 brought out by the Durative Present; for the negative believer brought out by 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 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.”
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 [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."
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.
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],”
Reconciliation was prophesied in 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:
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: freed 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.
Redemption:
Jesus Christ paid the Price for the Spiritual Death of the Unrighteous:
Only rarely would someone die for a righteously noble person, and occasionally someone would have enough courage to die for a good person for example a soldier placing his body over an exploding grenade in order to save his buddies. However, no sane person would die for a horribly unrighteous person, but that is exactly what Christ, the perfectly sane person did. Jesus neither died for the righteous nor for the good, but rather for His unrighteous enemies. So, Romans 5:7 is a human analogy set up to contrast with what Jesus did for the human race as stated in Romans 5:8.
Principles:
1. A person dying for a righteous person emphasizes the one spared, whereas a courageous person dying for a good person emphasizes the one giving his life. So, there is two categories of supreme sacrifice in the human race (Romans 5:6).
2. A righteous person is sometimes delivered by the death of another, whereas a courageous person will be brave enough to die for another.
3. In human sacrifice for another, only two things can be emphasized namely the character of the person who is delivered and in the second case, the character of the person who delivers and dies.
4. Maximum human sacrifice involves forfeiting one’s life for another.
5. However, there can never be an exact analogy between someone giving his life to deliver another and the work of Christ on the cross.
6. Only a representative analogy is possible for the death of Christ on the cross for sinners. On the cross, only the character of Christ is emphasized as having the integrity, the nobility, the ability, and the greatness.
7. Those who were delivered through salvation have no character, no righteousness of their own in the site of God.
8. The physical death of a human being can never be compared to the substitutionary spiritual death of Jesus Christ providing the work of salvation for the entire human race.
The Substitutionary Spiritual Death of Christ on the Cross:
1. Why was there a need for a substitutionary spiritual death? Adam and his wife suffered a real spiritual death when they ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This involved the loss of their human spirit and acquisition of a sin nature. Hence, since the sin nature is part of the makeup of cellular genetics, all Adam’s descendants are born with the sin nature within their cells and with the imputation of Adam’s Original Sin imputed to that sin nature at birth which puts them into the slave market of sin. This means that all of mankind is helplessly located in this slave market. This required someone outside of the slave market of sin to provide a ransom to free mankind. Thus, the need for an impeccable human being in hypostatic union to pay the penalty of every sin of mankind. This we call the substitutionary work of Christ on the cross.
2. He, Jesus was born in trichotomy (body, soul and human spirit) without a sin nature and so no imputation of Adam’s sin followed. Furthermore, since He never committed a personal sin, he retained his human spirit. Thus, the humanity of Jesus arrived at the cross in a state of impeccability and trichotomy. In that state, his humanity was qualified to bear the punishment of all the sins of humanity. Jesus Christ remained in the status of trichotomy on the cross as proven by his unique death namely his human spirit went into the care of God the Father, his soul went with God the Holy Spirit to Hades and his body remained in the grave.
3. Jesus lived under the Proto-type Spiritual Life which used the Two Power Options. This he gave to all the Church Age believers for their operational function. During the lifetime of the humanity of Christ, he was never forsaken by God the Holy Spirit whether it be before the cross or on the cross. The Holy Spirit always provided the enabling power for Jesus to execute the Father’s will during his entire life on this earth. So, from His birth to His physical death on the cross, He always had available and used the two power options namely the metabolized doctrine in his soul and the enabling power of the Spirit. In this way, Jesus Christ demonstrated the power of the Proto-type Spiritual Life. Having tested and proven this Proto-type, he gave it to the Church as its Operational Type Spiritual Life.
4. Before going to the cross, Jesus agreed to accept the punishment of all the sins of the human race, “My Father if it is possible and it is [Jesus had to be willing to go to the cross], let this cup [of the sins of the human race] pass from me, yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39b)
5. Jesus personally never died a spiritual death, rather he bore the burden of mankind’s spiritual death on the cross namely He was punished for the penalty of the sins of all mankind. In other words, Jesus died a substitutionary spiritual death while forsaken by the Father during the judgment. On the other hand, Adam suffered a real spiritual death as also his progeny at birth.
6. So, Jesus’ substitutionary spiritual death means that He died as a substitute for the sins related to our spiritual death namely the billions of sins which were committed in addition to Adam’s original sin. In other words, he paid the penalty for our sins in toto.
7. Jesus Christ was portrayed as a male lamb unblemished and spotless (no sin nature and no personal sins) 1 Peter 1:18-19, “knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb [a lamb sacrificed representing propitiation, reconciliation and redemption] unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” Jesus remained impeccable while being judged for the sins of the world. 2 Corinthians 5:21, “And he [God the Father] made him who knew no sin [remained impeccable both before the cross and on the cross] to become a sin offering [The Greek word, hamartia can be translated sin offering: meaning in this verse that he accepted and received the responsibility for and the judgment of all the sins of the world] as a substitute for us so that we might become the righteousness of God [the Father] by Him [by the work of Christ on the cross].”
8. All the while Jesus was on the cross, he was functioning under the two power options namely the Filling of the Holy Spirit and metabolized doctrine in his human soul – not once was He out of fellowship. In this way, Jesus Christ demonstrated the power of the Proto-type Spiritual Life.
9. Judgment means a break in fellowship! On the cross, from noon to 3 P.M., God the Father punished Jesus for the penalty of every sin of the entire human race (unlimited atonement). How was this accomplished? The omniscience of God the Father imputed all the sins of mankind to Jesus during the last three hours on the cross while the Justice of the Father using his omnipotence then judged the humanity of Christ on the cross, while the deity of Christ was sustaining the universe. While bearing the penalty of the sins of the world namely His substitutionary spiritual death, Jesus had no fellowship with the Father, separation from fellowship with the Father until the work was accomplished on the cross. God never mixes judgment and fellowship. After the judgment of Christ, fellowship resumed.
10. Jesus Christ was not a curse, but became a curse as per Galatians 3:13, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law having become a curse for us, for it is written ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.’”
11. The Staying Power of Jesus on the Cross: Hebrews 12:2, “Be concentrating on Jesus, the founder [the one who had established the precedence] and perfecter of our doctrine, who because of the happiness that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame [from being identified with all these despicable sins], and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Just as Jesus endured under great pressure, not reacting in bitterness, hatred, nor self-pity, so we must endure under great pressure in order to achieve and preserve happiness. There is no happiness without the ability to endure under pressure (staying power).
12. Judgment is not forgiveness: On the cross, there was only judgment, not forgiveness. Forgiveness is the result of the judgment of the cross. Forgiveness occurs for the first time, when a person believes in Jesus Christ. At that time, God the Father forgives that person’s pre-salvation sins as part of the salvation package. After salvation, when the Christian sins, he must use the Recovery Procedure as explained in 1 John 1:9.
13. The Christian is identified with His Substitutionary Spiritual Death. Romans 6:2, 7, 10, “Emphatically not [Paul’s abhorrence to a falsely drawn conclusion]! We who have died to the sin nature [Retroactive Positional Truth], how shall we still live in it [the power of Sin Nature]? (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 [sin was judged; human good and evil were rejected]. (10) For the death [substitutionary spiritual death] which He has died, He has died once and for all with reference to the sin nature; but the resurrection-life which He lives, He lives with reference to the God [the Father].”
14. The omnipotence of the Father imputed all the sins of mankind to Jesus during the last three hours on the cross, and the Justice of the Father using his omnipotence then judged the humanity of Christ on the cross, while the deity of Christ was sustaining the universe. Matthew 27:46, “And about the ninth hour [3 P.M.] Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, Lama Sabachthani?” [translate from the Aramaic into Greek], “My God, my God [addressing God the Father], why have you [in the singular] forsaken [abandoned] me?” David prophesizes the shout in Psalm 22:1a, “My God, My God why have you forsaken Me far from helping Me.” This was answered in Psalm 22:3a, “because you [Father] are holy [righteous and just].” The Father had to judge Jesus for every sin of mankind. Judgment implies abandonment and forsaking. There was no help nor fellowship during this judgment on the cross. So, this shout was prophesied in Hebrew (Psalm 22); shouted out in Aramaic and translated in Greek (Matthew 27:46).
Jesus understood why he had to be forsaken by God the Father but shouted out this rhetorical question for our benefit. It was a rhetorical question which had already been answered in Scripture as per Psalm 22:3a namely because the integrity of God demanded the punishment of all sins of mankind via a perfect sacrifice.
R. B. Thieme Jr. first taught this doctrine in 1986 during the teaching of the Ephesian series, a doctrine which has been buried for over 1500 years and is still unknown by most Christians since it is not known and subsequently not taught by any professor in any major theological seminary today.
The Seventh Trumpet, a part of the 3rd Woe (the holocaust of holocausts): Revelation 12:12-17: the 3rd Demon attack army is involved.
Revelation 12:12
For this reason keep celebrating, you, heavens [elect angels and Church Age believers in resurrection bodies], and you who live temporarily in them [Old Testament believers and Tribulational-martyrs in interim bodies]. Woe [the 3rd woe] to both land and sea [extreme pain and suffering will come to planet earth], because the devil has come down face to face with you [since he has been thrown out of heaven] and he foams with fury, knowing that his time is short.
διὰ τοῦτο εὐφραίνεσθε, οὐρανοὶ καὶ οἱ ἐν αὐτοῖς σκηνοῦντες· οὐαὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν, ὅτι κατέβη ὁ διάβολος πρὸς ὑµᾶς ἔχων θυµὸν µέγαν, εἰδὼς ὅτι ὀλίγον καιρὸν ἔχει.
The contrast between heaven and earth after the expulsion of Satan is the general subject of verse 12. We begin with the celebration in heaven. God in eschatological judgment will throw Satan and his fallen angels out of heaven. Once Satan is cast-out, it is like cleaning the stables. The stench of the fallen angels in heaven since prehistoric times down to the Tribulation is removed. For this reason, those in heaven will be commanded to celebrate with great jubilation. Those in heaven refers to all of the elect angels in heaven plus all of the believers in heaven at that time, some have resurrection bodies, like the Church, some have interim bodies like the Old Testament believers and martyrs of the Tribulation waiting for their resurrection at the 2nd Advent.
This is a great celebration because everyone involved has capacity to celebrate without arrogance, without gloating, to celebrate in the purest, finest sense of the word, to celebrate with total capacity for happiness. This celebration in heaven is coterminous with the seventh trumpet, the beginning of the third woe on earth, the time of the Eschatology of the Devil’s Desperation.
The third woe covers the time from Satan’s expulsion from heaven to his imprisonment in Revelation 20:1-3. While the third woe and the seventh trumpet occur simultaneously, they are not the same. The seventh trumpet is the great holocaust of Israel in the last half of the Tribulation. The third woe includes this great wave of anti-Semitism but includes all of the events in the last half of the Tribulation as well.
Never again will Satan or the fallen angels his demons, ever be in heaven. In other words, that period of time from the expulsion of Satan from heaven to the 2nd Advent now begins. It is called the third woe or the Eschatology of the Devil’s Desperation.
Satan therefore, is very frustrated. When you have made your own mistakes through your own bad decisions, it is inevitable that there will be a certain amount of self-justifying frustration, the attempt of Satan to justify himself because his house of cards has tumbled down. Instead of blaming self, Satan will blame others. Arrogance always blames it on others. This is the difference between arrogance and humility in disaster. The person who has made some bad decisions and is now in the state of humility takes the responsibility for his own bad decisions, but Satan who is the epitome of arrogance will blame others. Furthermore, toward the 2nd Advent, Satan with frustrated arrogance will produce maximum anger toward others, a vehement rage.
Satan, of course, is the quintessence of evil. Since time will be short, Satan in the last three and a half years of the Tribulation will accelerate his evil decisions. That’s why those last three and a half years are called the “great” Tribulation. Satan with all of his genius, being the inventor of evil, having made more bad decisions than any creature in history, will have three and a half years to crowd all of his evil into that short period of time before he goes to jail, before he loses rulership of the world. For example, since Satan has always hated the Jews, he will plan and implement the greatest Jewish holocaust, one of the most, evil events ever to occur on the earth.
It is almost impossible for us to realize the implication of this last phrase in verse 12. The reason is that Satan is the greatest genius-creature of all time. He has much more talent, ability, and personality than any other creature. It is very frustrating for a creature who knows that he is superior to all other creatures to realize that these inferior creatures are passing him by every day through truth, the Word of God. That’s why in the translation of verse 12, he foams with fury.
There comes a time when Satan will discover that even though he is the ruler of the world and has all the titles that go with it, that he is absolutely helpless. What good is it, asks Satan, if I am the ruler of the world and can’t carry on the fight in heaven? As far as he will be concerned, there is no fun to be the ruler of the world when one has to live in it. Satan doesn’t want to live here; he just wants to run it. Most people don’t live in the factory they own, they live out in the country in much more pleasant circumstances. Satan lives in heaven at the moment, he just rules this earth and occasionally comes to the earth. What a terrible thing it is going to be when he has to live here!
Satan wants to stay in heaven but cannot; on the other hand, the Lord willingly comes to the earth. The Lord comes to the earth because He has a purpose in doing so for the day of the 2nd Advent is the day of His tactical victory, a moment of great happiness and rejoicing. He will be in control; He will rule with absolute power; He has made all the right decisions in contrast with Satan who has made all bad decisions from the time of his initial fall.
The time of the Eschatology of the Devil’s Desperation is the beginning of a series of confinements and restrictions which terminates with Satan spending all eternity in the Lake of Fire. Think of it: the greatest and most attractive creature that ever came from the hand of God will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire. First Satan is confined to the earth for the last three and a half years of the Tribulation where he desperately tries to frustrate the inevitable tactical victory of Christ. At the 2nd Advent, Satan is seized and cast into the abyss for 1000 years, a further confinement and restriction. At the end of the Millennium, Satan will be released from his prison for a short time. At which time, Satan will begin another conspiracy against Christ and the perfect rule of the Millennium. When the revolution is suppressed, Satan will be cast into the Lake of Fire forever, the worst possible confinement.
Revelation 12:13
Now when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth [is aware that his time is short], he persecuted the woman [Israel: the greatest wave of anti-Semitism in history] who gave birth to the male child [1st Advent of Jesus Christ].
Καὶ ὅτε εἶδεν ὁ δράκων ὅτι ἐβλήθη εἰς τὴν γῆν, ἐδίωξεν τὴν γυναῖκα ἥτις ἔτεκεν τὸν ἄρσενα.
Why the holocaust? Holocausts are the result of Passive Arrogance.
1. Passive arrogance demands the function of active arrogance against it. Basically, that is why we have historical disasters of all kinds.
2. Passive arrogance is generally associated with the enjoyment of freedom and prosperity for three or four generations.
3. The freedom and prosperity originate from a large pivot of mature believers and the principles of establishment like freedom through military victory, free enterprise economy, a vigorous unified culture, and the universal recognition of the sacredness of freedom, privacy, property and human life. All of this becomes the basis for the development of passive arrogance. The victims of any holocaust are always involved in passive arrogance which attracts active arrogance.
4. Passive arrogance accepts freedom and prosperity totally apart from human virtue and a sense of responsibility. It assumes that one has a right to all of those blessings without adherence to the Laws of Divine Establishment.
5. Passive arrogance on the part of the Jews of the dispersion results in active arrogance on the part of their persecutors.
6. No nation or race ever experiences a holocaust without the historical demand for it.
7. Hence, negative volition, apostasy, and passive arrogance of indifference creates the vacuum which attracts the persecution of active arrogance, holocaust, and historical disaster.
8. Evil demands evil; cruelty demands cruelty; passive arrogance due to its weakness attracts active arrogance. The punishing nation or group generally has to be very cruel to punish the cruelty of passive arrogance. The punishing nation must be evil to punish evil in another group.
9. Active arrogance punishes passive arrogance until the active arrogance through prosperity also becomes passive.
10. Today, a nation can be the instrument of punishment through active arrogance, and tomorrow the victim of a holocaust through enjoying prosperity too well and entering into the condition of passive arrogance with its weaknesses.
11. This has always been the pattern of history. Therefore, it is part of the historical trend which explains not only the Jewish holocaust but the rise and fall of nations and empires.
12. Satan with his active arrogance frustrated by his fall from heaven will be the instrument for the punishment of primarily the unbelieving Jews in the last half of the Tribulation.
13. Therefore, the group, the nation, or the people who practice anti-Semitism generally possess an active arrogance which gravitates toward evil.
14. This does not justify anti-Semitism for the Lord does not need any help in dealing with apostate Jews and will punish anti-Semitism severely.
15. The Jews who will be the victims of Satan at the seventh trumpet in the middle of the Tribulation are those apostate Jews who have developed passive arrogance through their residence and function in the Cosmic System.
A related Subject:
1. Both ideology (like communism) and religion destroy virtue and with the destruction of virtue the natural instinct of grace and tolerance.
2. This is because religion, unlike Christianity, produces arrogance, ignorance, cruelty and persecution which overrides tolerance. When tolerance leaves, cruelty arrives. Historically and interestingly, there were times when religion was tolerant, but usually only for a few generations.
3. Since a religious society cannot think or reason, it becomes emotional and full of blind arrogance. This emotion produces mob violence, persecution of passive arrogance, cruelty resulting in the holocaust for its victims.
4. In other words, religion stifles freedom namely the function of free will and self-determination, illustrated by Spain in the time of Charles V and Philip II.
5. Medieval history not only records the rise of towns and cities but the inevitable rise of mobs functioning under the principle of arrogance and intolerance. Mobs are emotional and they tend toward the terrorism of active arrogance.
6. Active arrogance always seeks and attacks passive arrogance. The Jews had developed passive arrogance in Medieval times before they were persecuted under the principle of anti-Semitism. Hence the principle: All of us as individuals and nations not just the Jews, Gentiles as well are the products of our own decisions, and when our decisions lead us to the point of passive arrogance there is always some barbaric group, like the communists, with active arrogance ready to attack. Again, this does not justify anti-Semitism for a part of Christian virtue of impersonal love toward all includes the Jews.
7. A great nation is built on humility, never arrogance. Humility tolerates; arrogance persecutes. Humility produces virtue; arrogance produces evil.
8. When humility and virtue existed, and wherever it existed, the Jews were tolerated and accepted, but where arrogance existed, the Jews were persecuted under the principle of anti-Semitism.
9. Active arrogance is motivated by hatred, implacability, and vindictiveness. Passive arrogance is motivated by a sense of superiority, self-righteousness and hypocrisy.
10. Passive arrogance persecutes in a civilized way: through sarcasm, through ridicule and slander; active arrogance persecutes in a barbaric way through violence, cruelty, and destruction.
11. When active arrogance attacks active arrogance we call it war, but when active arrogance attacks passive arrogance, we call it persecution.
12. In the environment of toleration, the Jew is accepted, loved, respected and, again, even tolerated under principles of establishment freedom.
13. Such environment requires a large pivot of mature believers and general prosperity in the client nation.
14. That large pivot of mature believers becomes the nucleus not only for the client nation to God but for its prosperity. Inevitably such a nucleus provides that blessing by association known as national prosperity.
15. From national prosperity often comes arrogance, failure to pass the prosperity test. The leaders and the majority of the citizens become involved in the Cosmic System which has various categories of arrogance which inevitably destroy the client nation.
16. Under the principle that passive arrogance attracts persecution from active arrogance, it must be concluded that a holocaust cannot exist apart from bad decisions on the part of the victims.
17. Individuals and groups must take the responsibility for their own decisions, and many bad decisions from a position of weakness on the part of the victims cannot be ignored.
18. The Jews who rejected Christ as Messiah and savior at the time of the Roman Empire had rejected through their own free will the signs which God had provided for Israel. All of these signs were rejected by strong negative volition which in turn creates first passive arrogance in Cosmic One and then active arrogance in Cosmic Two.
19. In the eschatological holocaust of the Tribulation, born-again Jews in the middle and at the end of the Tribulation will be delivered by the 2nd Advent. The unbelieving Jews will suffer under the Jewish Baptism of Fire (Ezekiel 20:34-38) for in their rejection of truth, they will want the crown without the cross.
Revelation 12:14
Nevertheless, the two wings of the great eagle [divine protection of true Israel in the first half of the Tribulation] had been given to the woman [Jewish believers in Israel during the first half of the Tribulation], so that she might fly to her place of refuge [the high desert country of Revelation 12:6] where she will be sustained for 3 1/2 years [the last half of the Tribulation] from the presence of the serpent [Satan who will try to get believing Jews to leave this place of refuge].
καὶ ἐδόθησαν τῇ γυναικὶ αἱ δύο πτέρυγες τοῦ ἀετοῦ τοῦ µεγάλου, ἵνα πέτηται εἰς τὴν ἔρηµον εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτῆς, ὅπου τρέφεται ἐκεῖ καιρὸν καὶ καιροὺς καὶ ἥµισυ καιροῦ ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ ὄφεως.
In this verse, we note the deliverance of regenerate believers or true Israel at the end of the first half of the Tribulation. This place of refuge is described in both Matthew and in Revelation 12:6. God has prepared a special place of refuge for those regenerate Jews of Palestine who accept Christ as savior during the first half of the Tribulation. The place is the provision of logistical grace and the challenge to perpetuate the Faith-rest Drill once they have arrived at these caves. Matthew 24:15-20, “Therefore, when you see the Detestable Idol [the Abomination of Desolation, an idol of the image of the dictator of the Revived Roman Empire being placed in the Holy of Holies in the temple in Jerusalem then flee; this also is when Satan will be thrown out of heaven] which was communicated by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, (let the reader who understands), [heed the following mandates], (16) then those who are in Judea [a word for Israel at that time] must flee to the mountains; [Under the leadership of the mature believers, they will flee to the caves in the mountains of Amon, Moab and Edom all the way down to the Gulf of Aqaba.] (17) Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house [because there will be very little time for escape]. (18) Furthermore, whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. (19) But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! (20) But pray that your flight will not be in the winter [inclement weather], or on a Sabbath [heavy traffic].”
Regarding eagles’ wings:
Theologians and pastors like to be sensational when it comes to eschatology. In the above verse, God’s logistical grace and deliverance in time of disaster is the issue. They are not actually literally flying “so that she might fly with eagle’s wings to her place of refuge”. Rather, they are being delivered by logistical grace. In logistical grace, some will undoubtedly take a vehicle as close as they can get to these locations and then walk the rest of the way.
In Exodus 19:4 the Lord was speaking to Moses and to Israel, and said, “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians [at the Red Sea], and how I carried you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to myself.” The Jews weren’t literally picked up on eagles’ wings and carried to the Lord. It simply is used here for the Lord’s logistical grace protection of the Jews in their departure from Egypt and in their Exodus wanderings.
In Deuteronomy 32:9-12 another eagle passage is pertinent to this. “For the Lord’s portion is his people; Jacob is the allotment of his inheritance. (10) He found him in a desert land [in slavery in Egypt], and in a barren and howling waste, he encircled [shielded] him and cared for him, he guarded him as the pupil of his eye. (11) Like an eagle [an analogy] that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young [pushing out its young one by one], and spreads it wings and catches them by bearing them on its pinions. (12) So, the Lord alone guided him, and there was no foreign god with him.” As an eagle trains its young to fly, so, the Lord was preparing and training the Jews spiritually that they might enter the land of Canaan.
The divine protection, the eagle, is administered through the content of the Scriptures, such as Matthew 24:15-20. Here is an eschatological warning to true Israel or believing Jews living in Palestine in the middle of the Tribulation. These people have been evangelized by the 144,000. They are now warned to flee to the high desert country, and in obeying that command they are going to be protected, as per our passage, “Nevertheless the two wings of a great eagle [divine protection of true Israel].” Both groups of Jews in the Tribulation, those who believe in the first half and those who believe in the second half, are delivered by the 2nd Advent of Christ as per the Word of God, but they must follow the mandates in the Word, otherwise they will wind up as martyrs.
Often, but not always, martyrs are the stupid ones, the non-flexible ones. There will be a lot of martyrs in the Tribulation because they are stupid, arrogant, inflexible. Each group must use the Faith-rest Drill but with a different application. One group runs away and the other group stays and fights. True Israel in the first half of the Tribulation must flee using God’s logistical grace described in the context of the two wings of the eagle; the second group of true Israel toward the close of the Tribulation, must make the opposite application: they must stand and fight. To stand and fight for the first group means certain death and, conversely, for the second group to flee is certain death. Each group must make a correct Faith-rest application, maintain common sense and flexibility.
Anything given by God is always a matter of grace. “Nevertheless, the two wings of a great eagle [divine protection of Israel] had been given [grace provision].” “Had been given” is the translation of the culminative aorist tense, contemplating the action of the verb in its entirety but regarding it from the viewpoint of existing results, the protection and the eventual deliverance of those believers of Israel in the first half of the Tribulation, those who follow instruction, those who utilize the general mandate for the Faith-rest Drill and the specific mandates for fleeing to the high desert country.
The reality is simply this: the positive believer advancing to maturity in any time of historical disaster is not in any way deterred by the adversities of history, from the blessings that belong to that individual who advances to spiritual maturity. There is no promotion, no system of prosperity, that you cannot have in the greatest time of historical adversity.
The designation, serpent is used instead of Satan or devil because during the last half of the Tribulation Satan will attempt to lure or get born-again Jews to leave their place of refuge. Just as the serpent tempted the woman in the garden so the serpent will tempt the woman, Israel in the place of refuge, Matthew 24:23-24, “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. [Beware of the public lie] (24) For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders [extra natural phenomena] to mislead even the excellent ones [Jeshurun: the highest level of maturity] if possible, and it is [but not very likely].” [Satan knows that the Jews are safe in that high desert place and therefore must lure them out of their place of safety, their place of refuge.]
By way of application:
God’s plan continues and has the same blessings, the same rewards, the same promotions, in historical adversity as in historical prosperity. God’s plan does not take cognizance of circumstances; God’s plan works in all circumstances of life. So, no matter how bad things become, God’s plan for your life doesn’t change, the momentum factor does not change as a mandate from God, and you are not deprived of any blessings because you move into a time of historical adversity.
We have the tendency to think that once we get into unstable times, once we get into any form of historical disaster, that somehow the opportunity is gone for the believer. In fact, the opportunity and spiritual impact is even greater. We do not need historical prosperity for Christian blessing for Christian blessing comes under any circumstance. Today, there is no question that we are in a transitional period as far as human history is concerned. Therefore, there are terrible uncertainties, many instabilities, many people losing out, many people gaining, that is always the way it is in history, and people become very concerned and insecure. One of the manifestations of the insecurity is the phenomenal drug abuse today. However, no matter how great the disaster, whether it comes from war, famine, disease, economic depression, social degeneration, it does not change God’s plan for your life, and it does not hinder your opportunity for impact nor the fantastic blessing that can come to you through the daily exercising of your options.
Revelation 12:15
Then, the serpent [the Greek word ophis is onomatopoetic] projected from his mouth water [gave the order for the 3rd demon assault army to attack] like a river [the rapids of a river with great force and violence; the power of a flood] to overtake the woman, in order that he might cause [Satan as the subject performs the action through intermediary means; in other words, he doesn’t personally lead the attack] her [Israel] to drown in the rapids of the flood waters [swept away by this flooding river: killed by the attack of this demon army].
καὶ ἔβαλεν ὁ ὄφις ἐκ τοῦ στόµατος αὐτοῦ ὀπίσω τῆς γυναικὸς ὕδωρ ὡς ποταµόν, ἵνα αὐτὴν ποταµοφόρητον ποιήσῃ.
The first item on the agenda of the third woe (or the time of the devil’s desperation) is the seventh trumpet or the great Jewish holocaust of the last half of the Tribulation. “Projected from his mouth” means he gave the orders for the attack. Satan commanding the third demon assault army personally produces the action of the verb. Water as a flood is often used for invading armies as in Isaiah 8:7-8, and here it refers to the third demon assault army which has been defeated in the battle of heaven and the remnants of it, possibly along with the first and second demon assault armies have been pulled together for this last great historical disaster.
Matthew 24:21-22, “For then there will be a great tribulation [in the second half of the Tribulation] such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will occur again. (22) Unless those days [last half of the tribulation] had been cut short no human life would have been delivered; but for the sake of the excellent ones [Jeshurun: the highest level of maturity] those days will be cut short.”
This last half of the tribulation is the most disastrous period of all of human history, the greatest period of oppression.
1. If you will recall, immediately after Satan is cast out of heaven, he releases Abaddon and his demon forces from the Abyss. These if you recall will torture for 5 months. Then, the four generals with their army of 250 million demons will be released from under the Euphrates to kill 1/3 of the population of the world.
2. In the middle of the Tribulation, those Jewish believers who do not heed the command to flee to the mountains will be killed. Those who do make it to these caves, will be tempted to leave these caves by the many public lies. The ones who do, will be killed.
3. The 144,000 Jewish evangelists will be beheaded just before the Jewish believers (the converts of these 144,000 evangelists) who are told to flee to the mountains of Amon, Moab and Edom. Possibly, this will be accomplished through the world-wide attack of the 3rd demon assault army under the direct command of Satan or through ecumenical religion which is cranked-up under the dictator of the Revived Roman Empire. After all, this event occurs about the time Satan is cast out of heaven.
4. Other martyrs: Revelation 7:14. Consequently, I [John] said to him, "My lord, [as his teaching angel, one of the 24 staff officers of Revelation 4:4] you know. Then, he [the teaching angel] said to me, "These [martyrs] are they who have come out of the Great Tribulation [the last three and half years of the Tribulation]; furthermore, they have washed their robes [received imputed righteousness] and made them white [received their interim bodies after death] by means of the blood of the Lamb [the saving work of Christ on the cross].” Revelation 12:11, “Furthermore they [believers in the Tribulation under pressure from Satan] overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb [saving work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross], and because of doctrine applied by means of their testimony, in fact they did not love their life to the point of death [they were willing to die if necessary for their faith].”
5. Satan will attempt to destroy Jerusalem and all the Jewish believers defending that city toward the close of the Tribulation. However, the 2nd Advent of Christ will deliver these Jewish fighters.
The Lord preserves advancing and mature believers:
1. Those believers, the converts of the 144,000 who flee and remain in the caves of the high desert country of Amon, Moab and Edom will be protected.
2. The 144,000 will be protected until their ministries are brought to completion.
3. Moses and Elijah will be protected until their ministries are brought to completion.
4. Exception: Certain honorable believers will be allowed to suffer martyrdom to glorify the Lord in a special way.
5. The converts from the ministry of Moses and Elijah will be commanded to fight during the siege of Jerusalem. They will be delivered by the 2nd Advent of Christ.
Revelation 12:16
Nevertheless, the land [safety from water: The Lord’s divine power provided a safe haven for these Jews in Edom, Moab and Ammon] helped the woman [Jewish believers living in Judea toward the end of the first half of the Tribulation], in fact the land mass [representing divine power] opened its mouth [analogous to some drainage system] and swallowed the flood waters [power of Satan's angelic army] which the dragon projected from his mouth [orders to destroy the Jewish believers].
καὶ ἐβοήθησεν ἡ γῆ τῇ γυναικί, καὶ ἤνοιξεν ἡ γῆ τὸ στόµα αὐτῆς καὶ κατέπιεν τὸν ποταµὸν ὃν ἔβαλεν ὁ δράκων ἐκ τοῦ στόµατος αὐτοῦ.
Whereas in verse 15, we have the analogy of disaster, in this verse we have the analogy of deliverance, a deliverance from the greatest holocaust in history as found in our passage. In the analogy, land mass is analogous to God’s power dissipating the power of water analogous to Satan’s power. Even though Satan personally commands this 3rd assault demon army, he is no match for the Lord’s power.
The objective of Satan, then, is twofold: to bring Israel to the point where she will have lost control of her own destiny, like a person swept away in a flood and drowned. This adds up to frustrating the plan of God which is always Satan’s objective. Only those Jews who believe in Christ and learn Bible doctrine will have a personal sense of destiny in this crisis. They will maintain control of their lives in this crisis and for those reasons, will be able to survive.
Believers in spiritual maturity not only survive in times of disaster but, more than that, they even prosper. This means that there never was a disaster in history that did not have its survivors. Survival is not a matter of reading books on it but having a phenomenal flexibility from having developed the habit of making good decisions from the application of doctrine. So that survival is a matter of grace, application of doctrine and flexibility. When disaster hits, you must always be flexible. Flexibility starts with the ability to think and to improvise from thought-solutions in the place where you are located. The greatest thing you have going for you is not some plan that you have developed though there is nothing wrong with a plan as long as it doesn’t make you inflexible; the greatest thing going for you is the ability to think under pressure, stay in fellowship and apply correctly.
So, we have survivors, because of their phenomenal flexibility. However, flexibility isn’t the whole answer, but only part. You must have an attitude of grace orientation when you find yourself in disaster. The grace of God always meets the flexibility of believers who apply doctrine in adverse conditions. Remember that God always provides the way of escape, whatever it may be.
Disaster limits what you can own and have and possess, but disaster is unlimited in the field of thought and flexibility and application for survival. Grace provides options for grace-oriented people but you have to recognize the way of escape; you have to be able to apply the doctrine; you have to have common sense and use it.
Revelation 12:17
And then the dragon was enraged with the woman [Israel], consequently he went off in a huff [arrogance plus anger] to make war against the survivors of her posterity, those who keep on observing the mandates of God [mandates of Scripture including the mandates for those in Judea to flee to the high desert country] and who keep on having the testimony of Jesus [by life as well as lips: testimony before God and the angels and even mankind].
καὶ ὠργίσθη ὁ δράκων ἐπὶ τῇ γυναικί, καὶ ἀπῆλθεν ποιῆσαι πόλεµον µετὰ τῶν λοιπῶν τοῦ σπέρµατος αὐτῆς, τῶν τηρούντων τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἐχόντων τὴν µαρτυρίαν Ἰησοῦ·
When there is frustration and anger, arrogance intensifies. As a result of this frustration, Satan will be enraged bringing about psychopathic behavior and terrible unhappiness. Satan in a state of irrational arrogance will blame Israel for all his problems.
We can learn something from Satan’s tantrum. Once you are in a state of arrogance and you become angry or enraged, this becomes motivation for a lifetime of vengeful activity, a lifetime, not just of sin but of intensified sin parlayed into evil, and therefore a life of self-induced and self-perpetuated misery.
Revelation 12:18
Then he [Satan] took his stand [continuous resistance to all believers] on the sand [Satan confined to the earth] of the sea [the sea of nations: refers to the next chapter and the two dictators].
καὶ ἐστάθη ἐπὶ τὴν ἄµµον τῆς θαλάσσης.
“Then he [Satan] took his stand on the sand of the sea [of nations]”. The sand of the sea refers to the next chapter and the two dictators who will serve Satan during the time of the Eschatology of the Devil’s Desperation. Satan takes a stand on earth since he can no longer take a stand in heaven.
