God's Two Greatest Mysteries
Part Three
In our lesson text [Luke
13:10-17] we noticed that there was a blind ruler in the synagogue. Let's
take a closer look at this blind ruler. Paul said in II Cor. 4:3-4,
"And even if our
gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The God of
this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the
light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."
Notice here that there
is a blinded mind and a blinded mind is always a carnal mind. Paul also
said in Romans 8:5-7,
"For they that
are after the flesh do mind the
things of the flesh: But they that are
after the Spirit, the things of the
Spirit. For to be carnally minded is
death; but to be Spiritually minded is
life and peace. Because the carnal
mind is enmity against God; for it is
not subject to the law of God.
Neither indeed can be."
The carnal mind is
actually an enemy of God. It is hostile to God and actually hates God. Paul is
telling us here, that we must be aware of the danger of following after the
carnal mind. Because the carnal mind is a rebellious mind and will not
submit to God's will.
Just as Paul said in II
Cor. 4, there is a veil of flesh over the minds of many people which makes them
blind when they read the Bible. The reason why is because they have an
unteachable attitude. [spirit] They are not interested in hearing anything that
disagrees with their personal desires.
In II Cor. 2:9-14, Paul
said that the mind without the Spirit cannot understand things that are written
and inspired by the Spirit. The things of the Spirit are foolishness to the
carnal mind. This is the problem with the blind ruler of the
synagogue. The deeper things of God are foolishness to those who are
blind.
There is coming a day
when the Christ in you is going to rebuke your carnal mind and your body is
going to be straightened out and the result will be a glorification of your
body. Your only hope of deliverance is the Christ in you. In the
fullness of time, the Christ in you is going to rebuke your carnal way of
thinking, [the blind ruler of YOUR temple] and you will be set free from your
bondage to sin once and for all.
Your carnal mind is an
adversary to the Christ nature in you and when the Christ nature in you rebukes
your hypocritical carnal mind He will humiliate your way of thinking and your
flesh will be set free from the bondage of sin and death.
The Church world today,
as a whole, is looking for a fire escape. There is a spirit that prevails, even
among Spirit filled Christians, which is irresponsible and rebellious.
Our churches are filled with people who have a nature of wanting to do their
own thing. They are untamed, rebellious, obstinate and stubborn.
Samuel said that rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness as
iniquity and idolatry.
Any Bible scholar will
tell you that the antichrist spirit is intermingled and intertwined with
concepts of the occult and witchcraft. What is the spirit behind the
occult? What is the spirit behind witchcraft? It is the spirit of
stubbornness and lawlessness and rebellion.
What you must understand
is that Jesus Christ is the only door, the only gateway into the spirit
realm. Jesus said in John 14:6,
"I am the way,
the truth and the life: no
man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
Jesus is the only legal,
valid entry into the realm of spirit. Satan's greatest deception is to
get Christians to want to be independent of Christ's way and door. What
is Christ's way and door? Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and
Teachers and their purpose is to mature the body and to bring government
and order to His people.
Jesus is the only way to
the Father and He said that no man could come to Him unless he was drawn by the
Spirit of His Father. There is only one way to move in spiritual arenas
and that is by His Spirit. If you enter into the spirit realm any other
way, such as the occult, mediums, and drugs, you are a thief and robber and a
rebel.
The carnal natural mind
of man is hostile toward God and is filled with unrighteousness and ungodliness
and always pouring forth the traditions of men which make the Word of God
non-effective. Romans 8:6-8 says,
"For the mind set
on the flesh is death, but the
mind set on the Spirit is life and
peace, because the mind set on the
flesh is hostile toward God: For it
does not subject itself to the Law of
God (rule of God), for it is not
even able to do so; and those who
are in the flesh cannot please God."
Notice that the mind set
on the flesh is a rebellious mind. Hostile toward the will of God, and it
is not able to submit. Galatians 5:17 says,
"For the flesh
sets its desire against the Spirit and
the Spirit against the flesh; for these
are in opposition to one another, so that
you may not do what you want to."
Remember that God
breathed into Adam and Adam became a living soul. When the Spirit and the flesh
came together, Adam became a living soul. Paul declares here, that there is a
war going on between the spirit and the flesh. He also declares that the
flesh is antichrist, antispirit and rebellious.
James 3:13 - 4:10 says,
"Who is wise and
understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done
in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and
selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.
Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly,
unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish
ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice."
"But the wisdom
that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace loving, considerate,
submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. What
causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires
that battle within you? You want something but don't get it.
You quarrel and fight."
This is nothing more
than the manifestation of the carnal mind. Paul said in 2 Thess. 2:1-4,
"Concerning the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him, we ask you,
brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or
letter supposed to have come from us , saying that the Day of the Lord has
already come. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day
will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is
revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He opposes and exalts himself
over everything that is called God or is worshipped, and even sets himself up
in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God."
This letter was written
to the Church at Thessalonica to correct the any minute teaching concerning the
coming of Christ. In the following discourse, I want to point out several
things that Paul said must happen before this can occur.
In the first verse we
want to look at the word 'gathered'. This word 'gathered' is Strong's No.
1997 and is the Greek word 'Ep-ee-soon-a- gog-ay' and means a complete
collection. Specifically a church meeting for worship or an assembling
(gathering) together. There are two places this Greek word is found in the New
Testament. Here and in Heb. 10:25 which talks about not forsaking the
assembling of ourselves together. It is taken from a root word No. 1996
'Ep ee- soon ag-o' meaning together and is found seven times in the new
testament.
In Matt. 23:37 Jesus
said,
"O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I
have longed to gather your children TOGETHER, as a hen GATHERS her chicks under
her wings."
And in. Matt 24:21 Jesus
said,
"And He will send
His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they shall GATHER His elect from the
four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."
Jesus Christ is
appearing in the saints even now, which is the unveiling of this first mystery
of Christ in You, but there is also going to be an appearing of the Lord in the
air.
In verse 2 of II Cor. 2,
Paul said,
"Don't become
easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have
come from us saying that the day of the Lord has already come."
There were those, in the
early days of the Church, who were going around shaking people up by teaching
and sending letters with Paul's signature forged on them saying that Jesus had
already come back. Even so today many are trying to predict the day and
hour when Jesus will return. Let's look very close to what Paul was
teaching here concerning the second coming of Christ. Paul preached two
mysteries. The present day reality of Christ in you and he preached a
present day reality of the antichrist-the beast nature in you. Paul said in
verse three,
"Don't let anyone
deceived you in any way because that day will not come until the rebellion
occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to
destruction." (NIV)
The KJV says, "Until
there comes a falling away first."
Let's take a look at this word 'falling away'. In Strong's concordance
it's No. 646 which is the Greek word 'Op-os-tas-ee'-ah' from which we get our
English word 'apostasy' from, and means 'forsake'. It is only found in
the New Testament two times. Here and in Acts 21:21 which says,
"They have informed
us that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to TURN AWAY FROM
Moses.."
It is taken from a root
word 'Af-is'-tay-mee' and means to depart from. Afistaymee is listed fifteen
times in the New Testament; the most notable listing is found in I Tim. 4:1
where Paul said that some would depart from the faith.
The reason that I have
looked up this word, 'falling away', with you is that many believe and teach
that there is going to be an incarnation of Satan, himself, as the man of sin,
the antichrist. And also there are those who teach that the next thing
that is going to happen is that we are going to be caught away from the earth
or Raptured. They also teach that the falling away first is the departing
of the saints or the Rapture which must come first before the Man of Sin can be
revealed.
This word falling away
means just what it says. There has already begun an apostasy, a falling
away from, even among Spirit-filled people! Jesus said in Matt. 24 that
the love of many would become cold or wax cold. Surely, in the
light of what is happening through out the Body of Christ right now, you would
have to admit that the love of many Christians is growing cold!!
If there is going to be
a falling away, there first must be something to fall away from. In
Rev.3:20 Jesus is seen standing outside most churches and cannot get in because
of their man made programs and man made governments and stands outside the door
and knocks with His HAND !!! His apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers,
evangelist... He is trying to get in but the Church, on the whole, is stubborn
(idolatry) and rebellious (witchcraft) and will not listen to His delegated authority
that He has sent.
In Rev. 3:20 Jesus said,
"If you will hear My voice and open the door, I will come in."
Listen to me charismatic's, God always speaks to His people through His
messengers: apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers and evangelist. You had
better stop your rebelling against God's delegated authority because this is
His voice to you. But you have got your door shut. Jesus is standing
outside most of what is being done today in His Name.
Jesus said also that
there would be false prophets in those days, but you cannot have a false
prophet unless you have a true prophet. This calls for discernment and
knowledge of God's word. The bible says that darkness will cover the
earth and gross darkness the people. Darkness is speaking about ignorance of
God's will and God's way. Ignorance of God's two greatest mysteries.
There is going to be a
manifestation of the Man of Sin but what most people don't understand is that
the Man of Sin is a Corporate Man. That Man of Sin, that beast nature, the
carnal mind is being revealed. The Man of Sin and the Son of Perdition is
Corporate just as the New Creation Man, the New Man in Christ, is Corporate.
In verse 4 you will find
out what this Man of Sin will be doing when He is revealed.
"He will oppose and
will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshipped, so that
he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God."
Earlier we showed you
that your carnal mind is at war with your spirit. Paul said in Rom.
8:6-7,
"For to be carnally
minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because
the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God,
neither indeed can be."
This beast nature in
you, your carnal mind, will oppose or exalt itself above all that is called God
or that is worshipped so that he, as god, sits in the temple of God, you,
showing himself that he is god.
The generally accepted
teaching most Christians is that there is going to be a temple built in
Jerusalem and that there is going to be a world wide dictator and he is going
to have an image that talks. There are two Greek words for temple in the
New Testament Greek. First, the Greek word 'Hieron' which is used
consistently in Matt., Mark, Luke, John, Acts and in I Cor. 9:13 and means a
literal building. Every other place in the New Testament where you find
the word 'temple' it is the Greek word `NAOS' and it means a Spiritual building
or the inner sanctuary of God. Paul said in 1 Cor. 3:16,
Know you not, that your
body is a Temple of the Holy Spirit???
And in Eph. 2 he
said we are growing into a holy Temple in the Lord. This is the
same Greek word used in II Thess. 2:4 when he said there is someone sitting in
the temple. We are the temple Paul is talking about here and it is not some
temple over in Jerusalem because it is a Spiritual temple. The one that
is sitting in the temple is, for sure, the antichrist. He is the spirit
of antichrist. He opposes and exalt himself above all that is called God
and if you listen to him, if you let that stubborn, obstinate, carnal mind rise
up in you and if you, by tradition, continue to walk in the vein conversations
that you received from your fathers, the result is inevitable. Stubbornness,
(which is as iniquity, lawlessness), and rebellion, (which is as the sin of
witchcraft), will take control of your carnal mind and will cause you to be
blinded to further revelation from the Spirit of the Lord. (I Sam. 15:23)
This beast nature, this carnal mind, this traditional way of thinking, opposes
and sets itself up against all that is called God.
I want to give you seven
key words in this passage from II Thess. 2:1- 12.
1. In verse 2 the word
`WORD'
2. In verse 4 the phrase
`ALL THAT IS CALLED GOD'
3. In verse 8 the phrase
`HIS MOUTH'
4. In verse 10 the word
`TRUTH'
5. In verse 12 the word
`TRUTH'
6. In verse 15 the word
`WORD'
7. In verse 17 the word
`WORD'
These words and phrases
are those things that the carnal mind does not want to hear. For if they
are accepted it means the carnal mind will be renewed. Carnal minds do
not want to hear the truth and the truth is, that we the Church are not ready
to meet Him!!! You are not ready to meet the Lord and I am not ready to
meet the Lord. We must all come into maturity and we cannot do that if we are
in rebellion to the authority that God has placed in the Church to bring us
into maturity. Paul said in Eph. 4:11-16,
"It was He who gave
some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to
be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that
the Body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in
the knowledge of the Son Of God and become mature, attaining to the whole
measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed
back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching
and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who
is the Head, that is, Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held
together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as
each part does its work."
We must mature!!
Paul said in Gal. 4:19,
"My dear children, for whom
I am again in the pains of childbirth
until Christ is
formed in you...."
What is holding this
back and what is restraining it? That one that is sitting in the
temple. That thing in you that opposes and exalts itself above all that
is called God and says, "I don't care what the word says, I am going to
believe what I have been taught all my life." Well, go ahead if you
want to, but if you do, you will become a part of a system that God has labeled
The Man of Sin, The Son of Perdition. We do that every time we allow our carnal
mind to rise up in arrogance against the Word of God. Peter said in I
Peter 1:18-19,
"Forasmuch as you
know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, such as silver and
gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, but
with the precious blood of Christ....."
Jesus said in Mark 7:13,
"Thus, you nullify
(or to make to none effect), the Word of God by your tradition that you have
handed down."
When we follow the
traditions of men instead of the truth contained in the bible we are exalting
our carnal minds above the Word of God which He has elevated even above His
name.
The problem with the
truth is, that if we accept it, then we are going to have to change our
worship, we will have to change what we believe and we will have to change our
life style. The Church is not in the need of a Rapture, we're in the need
of a cleansing. What would you think if you went to a wedding and the
bride came in and had not taken a bath for a year and had her hair up in
curlers and an old worn out bathrobe on?
The scriptures say that
the Bride has made herself ready. We are doing God's people a disservice
if we tell them all they have to do is to be born again. The traditions
of men have kept the Church in the shackles of humanistic bondage for two
thousand years now. I would like to clarify what I mean by the term Mystery of
Iniquity. You must understand that we are the real temple of God that He is
concerned about. Not a literal building over in Jerusalem. There is a
spirit, an old man, a beast nature, the carnal mind, the spirit of antichrist,
the man of sin, the son of perdition that is ruling in God's spiritual
temple. The one that is restraining and holding back the move of God is
not the devil but is our unrenewed minds. Romans 8:6 says,
"To be carnally
minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because
the carnal mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor
can it do so."
There are seven phrases
in II Thessalonians 2 that refer to the living Word. These are important
because the carnal mind is hostile to the living Word.
1. In verse 2 Paul says,
"..nor by word.."
2. In verse
4--"..above all that is called God.."
John 1:1 says,
"In the beginning
was the word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God."
The Greek emphasis is
that God was the Word. 'Above all that is called God', is talking about
the Word. In verse 8 he says: "..with the breath of
His mouth.." And what is it that comes out of His mouth?
His Word!! In verse 10 he says: "..refuse to love the
TRUTH.." In John 17:17 Jesus said,
"Sanctify them by the truth; Your
WORD is TRUTH."
Notice verse 12: "That
they all might be damned who believed
not the TRUTH, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."
People take pleasure in their traditions because their traditions please them.
In II Cor. 3:12-18 Paul said,
"Seeing then that
we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: and not as Moses, who put
a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to
the end of that which is abolished. But their minds were blinded, for
until this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not
been re-moved, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day
when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns
to the Lord, The veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and
where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with
unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His
likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the
Spirit."
The thing that makes the
Rapture theory so contrary to the Word of God is the any minute coming of the
Lord and the instantaneous change into perfection. The Bible does not teach an
instantaneous change. It teaches a progressive change from:
1. Strength to strength,
(Psalms 84:7)
2. Faith to faith,
(Romans 1:17)
3. Glory to glory, (II
Cor. 3:18)
Someone says, "But
I can't see that, brother Johnson!" I know why you can't see it.
Because your mind is blind! And I don't mean that as an insult. Paul
says, here in this scripture, that even in his day when some people read the
scriptures there was a veil over their minds. In other words, when they
read the scriptures they could not understand what they were reading.
Paul said, however, that
when they turned to listen to the Holy Spirit, that veil, that blindness was
taken away. So then, when the Spirit is allowed to be Lord there is
liberty. Now, with a mind that is not blinded, you are free for the
Spirit to bring revelation from the Lord. As a result, this change will begin
to take place in you to take you from glory to glory and bring you into
maturity.
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