God's Two Greatest Mysteries

Part 5

Every place you see the word 'mystery' in the bible, it takes the illuminating, enabling power of the Holy Spirit to even be able to see what God is saying.  Turn again to Acts 17:29,

"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, graven by art and man's device."

In Rev. 13:16-18 it mentions the Mark of the Beast and that they were marked in their right hand and their forehead.  The word 'marked' is the same Greek word as the word 'graven' here in Acts 17:29 and it is the Greek word 'charagma' from which we get our English word 'character'. It is a kin to the Greek word in Heb. 1:3 where Jesus is said to be the express IMAGE of the Father.  And it means a stamp, a mark, or an impress.

I have already shared with you that in I Samuel 15:22-23 rebellion is as witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Iniquity is idolatry.  Iniquity is being a law breaker.  The Mystery of Iniquity is also the Mystery of idolatry.  It's the Mystery of Rebellion.  It's the Mystery of Witchcraft.  It's the Mystery of Stubbornness.  It's the Mystery of The Carnal Mind.

They were graven by art which is the Greek word 'teckne' and means handy craft or crafted by hand and by man's reasoning's. In other words, man's hand and man's mind.  Where is the Mark of the Beast?  The right hand and the forehead.  Everywhere man's mind and man's creative genius has had a good idea and everywhere he has used his strength, his money, his influence, his ability, and his technology, to design that idea, that which he has created and designed has the mark of the beast on it. Ezekiel 6:1-7 says:

"And the word of the Lord came unto me saying, `Son of man set your face toward the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them and say, `You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God to the mountains and to the hills and to the rivers and to the valleys: Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you and I will destroy your HIGH PLACES. And your ALTARS shall be desolate, and your IMAGES shall be broken and I will cast down your slain men before your idols.

And I will lay the dead carcasses of the children of Israel before their idols and I will scatter your bones round about your altars.  In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste and the high places shall be desolate that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate and

your IDOLS may be broken and cease and your IMAGES may be cut down and your WORKS may be abolished.  And the slain shall fall in the midst of you and you shall know that I am the Lord."

In the world system today, men think like a beast and they act like a beast. The mind and the hand. The forehead and the right hand.  What I am saying to you is that there is already stamped on the world system, and this includes the religious world system, the Mark of the Beast. Any teaching that you hear which comes from the carnal mind of man, is stamped with the Mark of the Beast.

One of the Beastly teachings is that we are going to be Raptured out of here any minute.  I am not just saying this in order to make you mad or to just get your attention.  But to say to you that this teaching came out of the mind of man and it takes the strength and hand of man to keep it going.  Rev. 9:20-21 says:

"The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the WORK OF THEIR HANDS; they did no stop worshipping DEMONS, and IDOLS of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood--idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts."

Men will not repent of the works of their hands.  Notice, it says that they would not stop worshipping their idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood and these things cannot SEE or HEAR or WALK.  If you worship the things of the flesh, you will be unable to SEE or HEAR the voice of the Spirit.  Paul said in Romans 6:16:

"Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?"

If you worship the things of the flesh, you are worshipping that which is corruptible and is dying!!  Just like the woman in Luke 13:4, those who worship the flesh and the handiwork of man are bent over and cannot see or hear what the Spirit is saying and doing.  And they certainly are not walking in what God is saying to the Church in this generation. You can find what God is saying in the bible but you cannot understand it unless He illuminates your heart, your mind, and your understanding.

If there are Beastly thoughts which result in beastly actions; if there are Beastly Carnal Minded teachings which result in iniquity, stubbornness, rebellion, witchcraft, and idolatry; the end result will be a local church that cannot see and cannot hear and cannot walk. Jesus said in Rev. 3:17,

"You say, `I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, BLIND, and naked."

There is a carnal mind, a beast nature, an antichrist nature which exalts himself above the Word and takes the place of the Word.  His traditions and his ideas take place of the Word and he sits in the temple showing himself that his way and his thoughts are more important than God's way and God's thoughts and by his words and his actions he declares himself as God.

For many years now I have been teaching and preaching that God's destiny for you and me is that we be like Jesus in this life and in the life to come.  I have received more persecution because of this teaching than anything else.  The very men and teachings and organizations that oppose this have made the Word of God to none effect and have set themselves up as God in the process. When we say I am going to believe my teachings, my traditions more than the bible, then have we set ourselves up as having more wisdom than God Himself.

Now, let's look at the phrase, 'who holds it back' in verse seven.of 2 Thessalonians Chapter 2. This phrase is the same in the Greek language as the phrase, 'till he is taken out of the way'.  This phrase 'taken out of the way' is not a very good translation from the original.  The original wording says 'until he comes into being' or 'until he be revealed'. This is the Greek word 'ginomai' and literally means until he comes to the birth and be revealed and manifested. This is the subject of this whole passage of scripture; the revealing of The Man of Sin.

Just as there is going to be a manifestation of the corporate Son of God, there is also going to be a manifestation of the corporate Son of Satan!!!  The Man of Sin.  Jesus told the Pharisees of His day who were ruled by the carnal mind, "You are of your father, the devil."

Verse 10 in the King James version says, "And then shall that Wicked be reveled."  In verse 9, "Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan..." And in verse 10, "And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness IN THEM that perish..." Why is it that the Church does not want to be told this??  That this Mystery of Iniquity, this spirit of antichrist, this man of sin, this son of perdition, this beast nature is the unrighteousness that is in them that perish.!!  "Because they receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved." It is also called a strong delusion and a lie in verse 11.

In verse 3, let's take a look at the phrase 'and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.' The Greek word for 'revealed' is No. 601 in the Strong's concordance and it is the Greek word 'apokalupto' and means to be uncovered, to be unveiled, to be revealed.

The Greek word for 'perdition' is No. 684 in the Strong's concordance and it is the Greek word 'apoleia' and means destruction, waste, perdition, to die, damnable heresies, pernicious ways. As the son of perdition, this man is destined to be destroyed. In verse 8 Paul says when this will happen,

"And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall CONSUME with the spirit of His mouth, and shall DESTROY with the brightness of His coming."

In Verse 4 Paul says, "Who opposeth..." The Greek word for 'opposeth' is No. 480 in the Strong's concordance and is the Greek word 'antikeimai' and means to oppose or to be an adversary. It is found eight times in the New Testament.  Here in verse 4 which says, "Opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God.." In Luke 13:17 it says, "And when He had said these things, all His ADVERSARIES were ashamed..."

Notice also, that in Luke 13, the blind synagogue ruler is called an ADVERSARY of God!!! In Galatians 5:17 Paul says, "The flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.." The Spirit spoken of here is the Christ nature in you and the flesh is the Mystery of Iniquity. The Amplified bible of Galations 5:17 says,

"For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the (Holy) Spirit--and the [desires of the] Spirit are opposed to the flesh (Godless human nature); for these are antagonistic to each other--continually withstanding and in conflict with each other--so that you are not free but are prevented from doing what you desire to do"

The desires of the flesh are opposed to the Holy Spirit who inspired the writing of the scriptures.  The Holy Spirit and the written Word of God are in complete agreement.  What the flesh desires in its traditions and teachings is opposed to the written Word of God!!  The flesh opposes and exalts itself above all that is called God.  Isn't this what our forefather, Adam, desired to do as recorded in Isaiah 14:13-14?

"I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne ABOVE the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.  I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High"

This word 'exalt' is No. 5229 in Strong's concordance and is the Greek word 'hupenantios' and means to raise ONESELF over, to become haughty, to be exalted above measure.  It is found in two other places. In II Cor. 12:7 where Paul said, "...Lest I be exalted above measure..." And again in verse 4, "Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God..." This word 'sits' is No. 2523 in Strong's concordance and is the Greek word 'kathizo' and means to sit down, to settle (hover or dwell), to tarry.  In other words, this one who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or is worshipped, wants to live [dwell] in God's temple.

Again in verse 4 the phrase 'showing himself that he is God...' The word 'showing' is No. 584 in Strong's concordance and it is the Greek word 'apodeiknumi' and means to show off, exhibit, demonstrate, prove, set forth, show. In Acts 2:22 it says, "...Jesus of Nazareth, a man APPROVED of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs..." In Acts 25:7 it says, "And when he was come, the Jews which came down from Jerusalem stood round a bout, and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not PROVE."

In I Cor. 4:9 it says, "I thank God that He SET forth us the apostles last..." Those who are operating in the flesh will always SET themselves forth first and want to sell you on their own APPROVAL.  Beware of those who are always patting themselves on the back.  Judge a man's ministry by how much he sets forth himself.  Who gets the most praise, God or him? Paul said in II Cor. 5:12, "We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again.." And again in II Cor. 10:12, "We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves." In II Thess. 2:5-7 Paul said,

"Remember that when I was with you I told you these things?  And now you know what withholds that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity does already work: only he who now lets will let until he be taken out of the way."

Now let's look at the phrase 'he that letteth'. It is No. 2722 in the Strong's concordance and is the Greek word 'katecho' and means to hold down, to possess, retain, seize on, stay, take, withhold, to detain or hinder the progress of something.

The traditional teaching of this scripture is that the Holy Spirit in the Church is restraining and holding back the forces of darkness and when the Church is Raptured out the Holy Spirit will be taken out also and all the forces of darkness will be released like as a mighty flood tide of evil. If this is true, then how can all those people in Rev. 9 be saved in the midst of tribulation?  If the Holy Spirit has been taken out no one can be saved. Jesus said, "No man can come to Me unless he is drawn to Me by My Father. And there will be a multitude without number that will come out of the great tribulation. Paul said here that they know who is holding back, who is restraining, who it is that is detaining, who it is that is hindering. It is time for the Mystery of Iniquity to be revealed. The phrase, 'until he be taken out of the way', is the Greek word that we looked at earlier 'ginomia'.

All that II Thess. 2:7 is saying is this, "For the mystery of iniquity is already at work among us; only he that now hinders will continue to hinder until he be birthed out, until he be completely reveled"

Then shall that wicked man of sin be revealed when he comes into his fullness. And the purpose of his revelation is so that the corporate Son of God will consume him with the mighty Word that comes forth from His mouth as the sound of many rushing waters. He is not talking about the Church being taken out of here. He is simply saying that this man of sin, this carnal mind, is that which opposes and restrains the move of the Holy Spirit of God in your life and in mine. This is why Paul exhorts us in I Thess. 5:19 to quench not the Holy Spirit of God.

What has held us back is The Law of Sin and Death as it operates in the Carnal Mind. I want you to realize that all this is happening within the temple and you are that temple. Peter said it this way in II Peter 1:19:

"And we have the word made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rise in your heart."

The light shining in a dark place is Christ in you shining forth the light of His Word into your carnal mind. The prophets of God in the Old Testament saw two eras of time. This is brought out in 1 Peter 1:10-11 which says,

"Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow."

The two eras of time that they saw were:

1. The time period of the sufferings of Christ.

2. And the time period of the glories that would follow.

In Acts 3:18-21 Peter said,

"But this is how God fulfilled what He had foretold through all the prophets saying that His Christ would suffer.  Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins might be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that He might send the Christ, who has been appointed for you; even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore EVERYTHING, as He promised long ago through ALL His holy prophets."

Please note the following:

1. That His Christ would suffer.

2. That times of refreshing may come from the Lord.

3. He [Jesus] must remain in heaven UNTIL the time comes for God to restore ALL things.

The prophets saw two time periods of God's grace:

1. They saw the early rain which followed His suffering,

2. And they saw the latter rain which proceeds His coming again.

The early rain, which fell to cause the seed to grow, fell on the Day of Pentecost. The latter rain, which began to fall in the early 1900's, is causing the Church to come into maturity. When Jesus came the first time, He came as a man and as a Spirit. However, Jesus said in John 14:18 speaking of the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Christ,

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."

And again in John 14:23 He said,

"If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching.  My Father will love him, and We Will Come and make our home With him."

The Spirit of His Son was sent into our hearts whereby we cry 'Abba, Father'. (Rom. 8:15) On the Day of Pentecost, Jesus came again, not as a man, but as a life giving Spirit. Before Jesus comes again in the air and every eye shall behold Him, He will come by His Spirit, in His fullness, to indwell His Body, the Church.

When Jesus died, we died with Him; and when He rose from the grave, we were resurrected with Him. (Rom 6) And we were given a measure of His Holy Spirit as a deposit to guarantee that the Day is coming when we will receive the fullness of His Spirit and do the greater works that He promised. II Cor. 1:21 says,

"He anointed us, set His seal of owner ship on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts guaranteeing what is to come."

Before Jesus comes in the air, the Christ in you is going to speak to your carnal mind and you will be set free from that which restrains you and holds you back. As a result, the fullness of His Spirit will be released in your life and you will be changed and become pure and spotless and unwrinkled.

Jesus is coming in the saints as a Spirit and then He is coming WITH the saints in His glorified body in the air. When Jesus returns in the air, the Jesus that the world sees will be The Corporate Son of God?  The reason there must be a catching up in the air to meet or to greet the Lord is because the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ, is coming down out of heaven from God to dwell here on this earth. Those who are alive must go up to meet and be with the Corporate Son of God, because they are a part of that Corporate Son.

God is going to destroy the Man of Sin with the Brightness of His coming in His Corporate Son and by the Powerful Word that this Corporate Son is going to speak. At the end of this age there is going to be a Corporate Son of God stand up and face a Corporate Man of Sin.

There is taking place, right now in your innermost being, a miniature picture of this confrontation and conflict that shall rage through out this whole universe. This message I am proclaiming to you is the most profound message we can hear. If the revelation of this message ever dawns on your thinking, not only will it eventually change your life, but also it will affect the lives of everyone you come into contact with.

This message is not something new!! It has been around for many years. More and more preachers and teachers are now receiving this revelation because it is the time for this Man of Sin to be revealed. This Man of Sin, the carnal mind, must be revealed to God's people in order that the hindrance to His Spirit being released in their lives might be taken out of the way.