If everyone could turn to 2nd John, to the 2nd Epistle of John. It is only one chapter, and I am going to read the whole thing; it is 13 verses of 2nd John. 2 John 1:1-13:
The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth; for the truth’s sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever. Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father. And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: for he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds. Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full. The children of thy elect sister greet thee. Amen.
We were looking at this awhile back, especially verses 12 and 13, more of just verse 12 here in 2nd John. But there is something very similar in 3rd John, in 3 John 1:13-14, where it says:
I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee: but I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee. Greet the friends by name.
And so in both Epistles, we have similar openings and similar endings or closings. As we looked at this, we saw that there is similarity also with the Gospel of John, in John 16.
Remember here, He is saying, “I have many more things to write. I have many more things to say, to declare,” and anything that would be written would be revelation. It would be from the Word of God. And yet He indicates, “I am not going to write them, not with paper and ink, not with pen and ink.” It is actually put two different ways in the Epistles but saying the exact same thing, “I am not going to write it down, but I am going to shortly see thee and speak face-to-face.”
We were coming here because we found that in 1 Corinthians 13 that kind of language, at least in the English, in 1 Corinthians 13:12, where it says:
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
And so this is indicating that during the Church Age, God’s people, the believers, saw things like in “a glass, darkly.” They saw in part, they knew in part, they understood in part, because we know that God had sealed up many truths till the time of the end. And yet in 1 Corinthians 13:12, it says, “Now I know in part, but then I am going to,” the implication is, “know much more, because I will see face-to-face.”
Now, that is two different Greek words in 1 Corinthians 13 than from 2nd John and 3rd John, even though it is in English, in both cases, “face-to-face.” In 2nd and 3rd John, it is found two times, “face-to-face,” those two Greek words, in both of the Epistles. So it is four times total that this Greek word stoma is found in 2nd and 3rd John, and it is the only place where it is translated “face.”
Every other place, it is translated as “mouth” or “edge,” like the edge of a sword. It is translated “mouth” where we read in Matthew 4:4 that man will live by “every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” That is the Greek word stoma, and yet it has exactly the same idea, because if I speak with John face-to-face, that means that we are in one another’s presence. Or if I speak with John mouth-to-mouth, at a distance (don’t get worried, John), at a distance, we are still in each other’s presence. Right?
It is like when we say “eye-to-eye,” you know? It is a similar thing. And God actually says of Moses, “I spoke with him face-to-face,” in Exodus 31. If we go back there…oh, I am not in the right spot here. Exodus 33:11:
And JEHOVAH spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend…
And what kind of a relationship did God and Moses have that they spoke face-to-face? Well, he would go up into the mount and be in the very presence of God and God would give him His revelation, the Ten Commandments. But also, He gave him all of the information to write the first five books of the Bible. So it was Divine revelation.
When God and Moses spoke face-to-face, God was indicating, “I am giving him My Word. This is My revelation.” But we also find in Numbers 12 that God spoke to Moses “mouth-to-mouth.” In Numbers 12:6-8:
And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I JEHOVAH will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches…
That is very important, because what is a dark speech? The Word of God. It is the Word of God. Christ spoke in parables. Without a parable, He did not speak unto us. The Word of God is veiled. It is like seeing in a glass darkly. It is a dark speech. It is a riddle. It is a mystery.
God uses all of these words to describe the Bible, and yet God is saying, “When I speak with Moses, here, mouth-to-mouth, then I am going to clear it up. I am going to use plain speech, in other words. I am going to make Myself understandable. He is going to understand everything that I am saying, because I am in his presence.”
Today, we have phone calls, we have email, we have the more traditional letter that you can write, but none of that is quite as good as when we are in the very presence of someone. If we want to explain something very important to them and we want to talk to them, we would rather do it right with them there, face-to-face, right with them there, and that way, there could still be misunderstanding, but we cut down on the potential for misunderstanding as much as possible. And that is what is in view with the language of mouth-to-mouth or face-to-face.
If we go to John 16, in John 16, beginning in verse 1, it says in John 16:1-2:
These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh…
Now, that word “time” is the Greek word hora (ho’-rah). What does that sound like? Our English word “hour,” and that is exactly what it is translated as many times. It is “hour,” the hour of judgment in Revelation 17 and 18. It is that “hour” that we are in. There was about a “half hour” of silence at the very beginning, not a full “half-hour” because it was not an even division of the whole Great Tribulation period of 23 years. It was 2300 days of silence. So God says in Revelation 8:1 that it was “about the space of half an hour,” because it is part of that hour of judgment. And here:
They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the hour cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
And that is what is happening or has happened in the churches today as believers have been driven out by gospels, by false teachings and doctrines. Spiritually, it is as though that church has killed them, in a sense. So God is using that kind of language to describe the “hour.” And then in verse 3, John 16:3-4:
And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. But these things have I told you, that when the hour…
That is the same Greek word.
…when the hour shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.
So Christ is indicating that when the hour comes, when we begin to learn a lot of new things, it is not going to be any additional revelation. It is not going to be a third Covenant that has to be written down, not with ink or pen, not with ink and paper. Because the minute anybody started writing down all of these things regarding the end of the Church Age, the faith of Christ—all of the teachings that we are learning—and saying, “Well, this is the Word of God; this comes from God; here is the true teaching on eternal judgment,” well, if they are saying it comes from God, we have to add it to the Bible.
If they are saying that it is directly from the mouth of God, in the sense that God spoke with Moses or God spoke with the prophets of old in dreams and visions, if we are saying any of that, it would have to be added to the book of Revelation, and God says that you cannot do that because Revelation 22:18-19 says, “Do not add unto the words of this Book, and anyone who adds will be subject to the plagues written herein.”
So God tells us that He is going to finish the Covenant and give us a third Covenant. But He also, of course, He fully realizes that, in a sense, He cannot write it down. He cannot write it down. There is no way that He could write it down because He is bound by His own Word, His own Law, and He cannot add a single word to the 66 books of the Bible. But He has told us in Hebrews 8 that He is going to finish the Covenant and in 2nd John and 3rd John that He has many more things to say but that He is not going to write them. Also, here in John 16:12:
I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
Why did Jesus say that? Because it is not for you to know the times or the seasons, as someone pointed out to me, which is a good verse that fits with this. It is not for the New Testament believers to have the information about 2011 as the end of the world or the end of the Church Age.
Throughout the ages, the many hundreds of years of the church, it was not for them. They could not bear that information; they could not continue to serve God in the way that God wanted them to serve. And God is the One who kept that information under wraps so that they would not know exactly when Christ was coming, and nobody would until we get to that “hour,” until we get to the time of the end. And that is what it says in verse 13 of John 16, John 16:13-14:
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.
We do not have time to get into it, but that language of “show it unto you” is in other places used to describe declaring something or saying something, to speak something, and what you are speaking is that which has not been known to the hearers. That is really what that word is pointing to.
So Christ is saying that the New Testament church and the believers within the church could not bear to carry that information, but there would come a time when the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit, will come and He will show it. He will show it. He will speak when we get to that hour, to the day that we are living in.
Also look at John 16:24-25:
Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh…
Again, that is hora, the Greek word for “hour.” It is number 5610 in the Strong’s Concordance.
…the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of the Father.
You see, that is saying very straightly, like God spoke with Moses, not in dark sentences, and whatever that language was—we know that it related to proverbs—but directly, mouth-to-mouth, so that there could be no misunderstanding.
The hour comes when Christ is going to speak very plainly. And that word “plainly” is used, like when Jesus told the disciples everything that He would go through in going to the Cross and dying and rising up again. Well, I am sorry, I do not have exactly that information, but I would encourage you to look up the word “plainly.” It has to do with making something very open, very much known: you will understand this. And that is what is going to happen in our day, and is happening, as we know, as we are experiencing what Christ was talking about in our time. As the Scriptures are being unsealed and God is revealing, He is speaking to us in this way.
Well, after looking at these verses in 2nd John and 3rd John, I thought that it would be a good idea to go through the Epistle, to go through the Epistle and see what we could learn and see its context and how it is all laid out. So I want to go back to 2nd John and look at verse 1 of 2nd John, and then just try to keep going from there. 2 John 1:1:
The elder unto the elect lady and her children…
Now, who is the “elder”? It is John. He is the one who God is using and was definitely an aged man. He was an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was an elder in every sense of the Word. He was a leader in the church. He had authority in the New Testament church and in the New Testament congregations, and yet when we read that he is the elder who is writing “unto the elect lady,” we are not thinking that it is John. We are not thinking that it is John.
The word “elder,” I was surprised to find, is used many times of the Jews. The Jews had elders. They had scribes and Pharisees and chief rulers and elders. In many places where they were coming to question Christ and find fault, the elders were amongst them. That is the beginning point, as God uses elders in the Bible. It starts with the nation of Israel and it continued into the New Testament church, into the New Testament congregations.
Let me see if I can find a couple of verses here. In Luke 9:22, it says in that verse:
Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.
And then for the New Testament church, in Acts 14, and this is just a sample; it is just a couple of verses; there are many of them. In Acts 14:23:
And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.
And the Greek word “elder” is presbuteros, where we get “presbyterian.” That denomination took their name from this Greek word. It is derived from this, and it means “elder” or “old” or “aged.” And it is also used to describe Peter, in 1 Peter 5:1:
The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:
Notice that he does not say, “I am the elder.” That is where the idea of the pope came from, that there is one elder who is over the whole church, and that has never been the case in the congregations, in the church.
God never ordained one particular individual to be His mouthpiece on Earth. That is not taught in the Bible. But God did ordain elders for the churches and they were spiritual leaders and authorities in the church. And Peter was one, and he just says, “I also am an elder.”
But in 2nd and 3rd John, we find “the elder.” “The elder” is speaking “unto the elect lady.” Spiritually, we know that it has to be God Himself. It has to be the Lord Jesus.
For instance, we find in Revelation 7, the chapter dealing with saving of the 144,000 they are sealing and then the “great multitude, which no man could number.” And then in Revelation 7:13, it says:
And one of the elders…
That is better understood as “one out of the elders.”
…answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
Because God wants to make a point to let us know where they came from. They came from the Great Tribulation.
Actually, it is a wonderful picture because many of us might be there. Many of us might actually be there, as God is showing him this vision in the sense that this is the entire multitude that God is saving in this day, and then they come out of Great Tribulation.
What we are reading in Revelation 7 is May 21st and after, because they are serving God “day and night” and there is still time on Earth, and yet they came out of Great Tribulation.
And then the question was asked, “Whence came they?” Revelation 7:14:
And I said unto him, Sir…
And that is the Greek word kurios, but here it is actually in the form of kurie, and it is used many times of God Himself. In Revelation 4:11, it is speaking directly of God, of the Lord.
So this “one out of the elders,” who is called “Sir” or kurie, is the Lord Jesus. He is the One making this statement.
…thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
So that is one evidence we have that “the elder” is referring to Christ or God Himself.
Now, God is the Ancient of Days, and this particular word is used to describe age. In Acts 2, we read that “your old men shall dream dreams.” That is presbuteros. That is the same Greek word “elder.” That verse allows us then to connect to the Old Testament, because that verse in Acts 2 is a quote from the book of Joel. The book of Joel is where that particular quote comes from. And in the Old Testament, it is basically used the same way, as it could be used to describe old age or a leader of Israel called an “elder.” They had elders in the Old Testament.
I think we really see what is really going on in 2nd John when we turn to Proverbs 31. Who knows what Proverbs 31 is dealing with? Proverbs is dealing with the virtuous woman, which every woman who becomes saved ends up with all of these characteristics of Proverbs 31 and she keeps her house this way. Isn’t that right?
No. No. It is speaking of the elect lady. It is talking about that virtuous woman who is the elect lady, who is the body of Christ, God’s saved people. And in Proverbs 31, if we would take the time to read this, we would see that these attributes of this woman have to do with getting the Gospel out into the world, because that is what the elect do. That is what the Bride of Christ does. She serves her Husband in this world.
But look in Proverbs 31:23, speaking of the virtuous woman or the elect lady:
Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
So there, the husband of the virtuous woman, and that would be Christ. The virtuous woman is the Bride, and Christ is the Bridegroom. The marriage is not consummated yet, but we are still His Bride. And our Husband is known in the gates and He sits among the elders.
So “one out of the elders” came forward in Revelation 7, “one out of the elders.” He is The Ancient of Days. He is The Elder. And He is the One who made that statement and is correctly called “Lord,” correctly called “Lord” by John. And He is the One who is moving the Apostle John to write this Epistle, which is really insignificant. That is really insignificant, the 2nd and 3rd John. Wow, you can read it in like 30 seconds. Well, maybe a minute. Maybe a minute, right? You read it and what is so important about these Epistles?
Well, actually, I think God is telling us something extremely important in 2nd and 3rd John, and He is doubling it up. We have the same opening in 2nd John as in 3rd John. If you look at 3rd John 1:1:
The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth.
Now, I do not know what the word “Gaius” represents. It is a name, but I could not find like any particular meaning that we could learn why the elder is writing unto Gaius. So I do not think that is the significant thing, at least I cannot see it. But what is significant is that Gaius is wellbeloved. He is wellbeloved, because God tells us in Romans 11:27-28, where He says:
For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes.
Just like John the elder is writing unto the elect lady, He is writing unto the wellbeloved Gaius. And that word “wellbeloved” indicates someone who is one of God’s elect, one of God’s elect. It is basically opening up in a very similar way, in a parallel way to 2nd John.
Notice also all of the references to the truth, “whom I love in the truth.” “I love Gaius in the truth.” Or in 2 John 1:1:
The elder unto the elect lady and her children…
Oh, by the way, we did not look at this, but in Proverbs 31, her husband sits “among the elders of the land” and “her children arise up, and call her blessed.” The virtuous woman has children.
And so, the elect lady in 2 John 1:1-2:
…unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth; for the truth’s sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.
So, here, the elder loves the elect lady in the truth.
You know, in reading about the Reformation, you could read about some guys and they were pretty rough around the edges, like Luther and Calvin and these other guys, as you read some of what they did. But still, they had a desire for the truth.
The truth is really the Word of God, “Thy Word is truth.” Sanctify them through Thy Word: Thy Word is truth. The Lord Jesus Christ, He is The Way, The Life, and The Truth, the Truth: no room for error, no room for lies, no room for darkness of any kind.
Is there really any allowance? Is there any leeway? When it comes to the Bible, are we permitted to just have a little bit of what we say or think about the Bible that is not true?
No. No. We have to study the Bible and pray for God to guide us and lead us into all truth, and that is what He said the Holy Spirit would do when He came, in John 16. When He comes, He will guide you into all truth, the truth.
What sets a man free? What sets a man free? Is it a strong, convincing, powerful sermon, given by a very charismatic person who can convince you, finally, to accept Christ and to walk down the aisle? Is that going to set anybody free? Has it ever set anybody free? Has anybody ever been benefited in the slightest bit spiritually by that kind of message, whether it be a man or a church who brings it?
Never! Never! It really is exciting and it passes the Sunday morning hour, and yet, at the end, everyone leaves spiritual captives, just like they came: in the dungeon, in a prison, in Satan’s kingdom, in the kingdom of darkness.
And so the elder, who is God, He has a love for the elect lady, and He loves her so much that He is going to give her the truth. He is going to give her the truth, and, you know, the truth is not always what we want to hear. At first, it is not always easy to accept. It may shake us. It may shake something we have held onto for a long time, and we thought that this was the Word of God. And yet, when God reveals the truth, then what can we do? What can anyone do who is a true child of God but obey it and follow it?
Let’s go to John 4, the Gospel of John, in John 4. This is the account of the woman at the well. We read in John 4:22-24, where Jesus is speaking to the Samaritan woman:
Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
You see how God links the Spirit? Anyone who is going to worship God needs to have the Holy Spirit in order to be a true worshipper, but also truth—truth.
You know, if we are studying the Bible and we are talking about doctrines and we are coming to an understanding of this teaching or that teaching, then that is worshipping God. That is real worship of God, and we do not need all the other things: all of the trappings, the ceremonies, all the pomp, all the atmosphere that surrounds so many churches, with the robes and the collars and the hats that reach so high they almost hit the ceiling. We do not need any of that to worship God. What we need is to understand what His Word is saying, the Bible, and then we can worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, and it is the only way that we can worship Him.
Now let’s also go to 2 Thessalonians and in chapter 2 of 2 Thessalonians, I am going to begin reading in verse 3, where it says in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4:
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
And then, skip down to verse 8, 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12:
And then shall that Wicked be revealed…
And that is the day we are living in.
…whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
So we see how critical it is, how important it is, that we believe and know and understand the truth. If not, then there is no hope. There is no hope.
If we are hearing the Bible and the Bible is truth, the Bible is truth, and we are hearing what God is revealing at this time from the Bible—it is not coming from any other source; it is not based on a dream or a vision or a tongue; it is based on the Bible and verses are fitting together with verses; they are harmonizing; Scripture is compared with Scripture and these things that we are finding are the true doctrines of the Bible—then if anyone does not believe the truth and have a love for the truth, there is really no hope for them to become saved.
I am going to return back to 2nd John. Let me start reading in verse 2 through 4. 2 John 1:2-4:
For the truth’s sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever. Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.
And remember, this is the elder. This is representative of God Himself. God rejoices when He hears that His children are walking in truth. And why would God rejoice? Because if we are walking in truth, it is evidence of salvation. There is evidence that a person is a true child of God, and God rejoices over every sinner who repents.
That is what we read in Luke 15:5, in that parable of the man who went after the lost sheep. In Luke 15:5, it says:
And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
And that is what God does when His Word goes forth and it accomplishes His purpose to save that person and they are walking in truth as a result. They are obeying God and they are keeping His commandments, and then there is rejoicing, just as we read in Zephaniah 3:17. It says:
JEHOVAH thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
And so God rejoices. He has great joy, just like He is moving the Apostle John to write, “I rejoice greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth.”
Look at 3rd John, in 3 John 1:3-4:
For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee…
Now, that is Christ, but it is also the indwelling Spirit of God who is causing His people to walk according to the Word of God.
…even as thou walkest in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
And so that really sums up the life of the child of God. That is all that we are called to do: to walk in truth, to walk according to the commandments of God, to do things His way and not our way. And so we study and we pray and we ask that we be led into truth so that we might begin to live our life to walk by that truth.
Well, why don’t we stop here. You know, I had some trouble. I put more hours into this study than I have done other studies, and I don’t know what the problem was but sometimes…there are so many references to truth that it is not as easy for me to grab hold of in my mind and hold onto, because one verse is very similar to the next verse. But that is okay. Lord willing, we will continue to go through this next week and I will, hopefully, Lord willing also, have a better grasp on it.
But let’s close now with a word of prayer, and then we will have a time of questions or comments.
Dear Heavenly Father, we do thank You for Your Word. And, Father, we know that Your Word is truth, and so we are not hesitant, we do not pause to trust Your Word and to lean upon Your Word completely. We know, because Your Word is truth, that we are at the end of the world and May 21st is the Rapture in 2011, and then 5 months later, the end of the world on October 21st. We know these things and many other things that You have shown us, very tenderly and carefully, as You have guided us, understanding our frame and our weak condition, that we are but dust. You have led us to understand the great truths of Your Word. And, Father, we do praise You and we pray that we might rejoice in other’s salvation, as You rejoice in the salvation of Your people and that we might have this spirit of joy when we are going forth with the Gospel, to keep that in mind, that this one, too, might be a child of God, or the next person. And, Father, we pray that You would encourage our hearts and continue to light our path each day. And we pray this in Christ’s Name. Amen.
Chris: Okay. If anybody has anything about 2nd or 3rd John, you are welcome to step up to the mic, if you are here present, or come to the microphone on Paltalk. You can raise your hand, and I will try to respond by turning to the Bible. The Bible is God’s Holy Word. It is His communication to mankind, and so we know that we are in the right place. We know that we have the right Book, that this is the place we want to turn whenever we have a spiritual question. Okay. Anyone here or on Paltalk?
1st Question: Satan understood “dark sentences” in Daniel 8:23 and has twisted the truth. Was he responsible for freewill gospels spoken by many old yet faithful teachers?
Chris: Daniel 8:23 says:
And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
That is interesting because this is referring to Satan and Satan knows a lot about the Bible. We do not know how much he knows, but we know that he can quote Scripture because when he was tempting the Lord Jesus in the wilderness, he was saying, “It is written,” and he was giving an exact quote or he was declaring something from the Word of God. And we know in 2 Corinthians 11 that Satan’s ministers come as “ministers of righteousness.”
So, you know, that idea that some people have that all you have to do is hold up a cross or the Bible or say, “Satan, get thee hence,” or something like that, is totally unsupported by what we read in the Bible. Satan is very much able to come with Scripture and, to some degree, he understands parables.
Now, doesn’t that also make sense that some of those in his kingdom would also understand parables? Isn’t that true? Isn’t that true? Haven’t we met people who have an understanding of certain spiritual teachings of the Bible, but then they are so way off in other areas that we cannot help but say, “Well, that is not a true Gospel; it is only the true Gospel that saves.” But how does that person know that particular thing?
Well, you see, that is why we can never trust our mind. We can never trust what we know, what our intellectual understanding is of the Bible or of the Gospel. Our trust cannot be there. We cannot think, “Well, you know, all of these new teachings are opening up and I am right down the line; I am right down the line—check, check, check, check, check—I am ready to take off; I am ready for the Rapture.”
I would not do that. I really would not do that. I would advise against that because, remember 1st Corinthians 13? What God warns there? 1 Corinthians 13:2:
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
And that is love and God is love. If we do not have God, if we do not have the Holy Spirit in us, dwelling in our hearts, then it does not matter what else we have. And, oh, what a horrible cry of “Lord, Lord!” that would be! Not only of those in the church, but anybody who knew enough to come out of the church, and then the door is shut because they did not have a real love of Christ. They did not have a real love of Christ.
And so, you know, we are admonished by God to be careful. Be careful about the gospels that we hear, and, you know, Satan has wreaked havoc; he has devoured the church. That is evident. But what has he done in fellowships, in on-line groups, on Paltalk, outside of the church?
Some of the craziest teachings you have ever heard have been developed in the last 6 or 7 years from believers, many of whom have listened to Family Radio and are out of the church. They do not think that God created Adam perfect. They have developed teachings that the church itself, during the Great Tribulation, is hell. That is hell. That is what hell is. They have developed all kinds of far-out things, and yet we knew them. We knew them.
I am sure that, you know, we all, and myself included, we have to take a word of caution from the Bible: examine ourselves whether we be in the faith. And not only that we acknowledge these things, but may God’s Spirit be in us to live according to His commandments and His Word.
2nd Question: Hi, Chris. Acts 1:7 and then one other verse.
Chris: Okay. It says in Acts 1:7:
And he said unto them, It is not for you (or of you) to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
2nd Question (continued): And we know that this was for the 1955 years of the Church Age, where it was not God’s timetable for them to know time and judgment. And just one other verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:1. This seems to also support that verse.
Chris: 1 Thessalonians 5:1:
But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
Well, yes. This one is not really getting into specifics and saying why there is no need. But, actually, it is the same idea: but you cannot bear them now. You cannot bear them. “I have many things to write unto you”; that is, communicate. “But I will not with ink and pen”; that is, that the first two Covenants, as God gave the Old Testament and then the New Testament. During the Old Testament, there was a lack of understanding of many teachers, because it was hazy as hazy could be. And then the New Testament cleared up some things, like the Gentiles also would come into the faith, the mystery would be revealed to them. However, there is much more, much more to say, many things to write, but you cannot bear them now.
So God waited until the time of the end, at this point, where He is opening the Scriptures. He is finishing His Covenant, and He is speaking mouth-to-mouth with His people. We say it, or whoever, you know, Family Radio declares it, but it is God behind it. If only people could understand that. They think it is an individual. They think it is a man. But God takes full responsibility for what is being stated during this hour of the Great Tribulation.
3rd Question: You explained that Revelation 7:15 refers to the time when the believers will be in Heaven during the 5-month period, because the verse mentions “day and night.” However, Heaven and Earth are two separate entities, and you are implying that Heaven follows the same time principles as Earth. Can you comment?
Chris: Yes, I understand your question, but we have to keep in mind that Heaven does not have time. There is no time in Heaven. That is eternity. For instance, later on in the book of Revelation, in Revelation 21:25, it says, and this is referring to Heaven:
And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
It also says it in Revelation 22:5:
And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light…
There is no day and night in Heaven, as far as Heaven itself. However, there is an Earth and there are events unfolding upon Earth. And as long as something is happening on Earth, God can say that something in Heaven is taking place “day and night.”
What I mean is, go back to the book of Job. Go back to Job in chapter 1, and it is also seen in Job 2. In Job 1:6:
Now there was a day…
And that is the Hebrew word yowm, which is translated as “day.”
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before JEHOVAH, and Satan came also among them.
Why is there a “day” in Heaven? Look at Job 2:1:
Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before JEHOVAH, and Satan came also among them…
Because…go to Revelation 12. This is, really, a wonderful verse. Revelation 12:10:
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven…
This is in Heaven.
…Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren…
That is Satan.
…is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
“Day and night,” because he is the adversary to what is good and right and true, to everything Holy, and we see an example of what he was doing “day and night” in Heaven with Job.
He went up into the very presence of God, on a day when the sons of God came before Him, and he accused Job before God, “He is only obeying You because You have given him these things or You have put a hedge around him.” And yet, you see, that is happening on earth. That is all happening on earth.
When Job is being tried and he lost his children and everything, that was all taking place on earth. But God could say there was “day and night” in Heaven because events are unfolding on earth while there is day and night.
So in Revelation 7, when we find the great multitude who came out of Great Tribulation, when does that happen? May 21st, 2011. Who is going? All of the elect. All of the elect. The great multitude. And that is what is seen, and it is like they are newly arrived in Heaven. They just got there. They just got there. That is why one out of the elders has to pose the question, “From whence came they? Where did they come from?”
Of course, that is the Lord. But the idea is, “We have been in Heaven for a long time, a long time. We have not seen this great multitude. They just showed up. Whence came they?” “Sir, Thou knowest. Thou knowest.”
And what does it say? Revelation 7:14:
And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Whoosh! The Rapture! May 21st, 2011. But, in our own understanding, that was also simultaneous with the end of the world. No. We learned something more: 5 months of time, 153 days of time, of day and night.
And God is so precise and so accurate that He says in Revelation 7:15:
Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple…
Not forever and ever and ever. Of course, they are eternally saved. But for that first 5 months, God is indicating that His elect people are serving Him in Heaven while all that ugliness is taking place on Earth.
Following the 5 months, on October 21st, it transfers; it then turns into eternity where there is no night there. There is no night there. There is no 24-hour day. There is no time, and that is how we understand this.
Okay. Does anybody else have anything before we close?
4th Question: Just off the record, what was the reference in Exodus 33 that you had?
Chris: Exodus 33 was verse 11. Okay. We will close with a hymn.