Clear Sound

Kevin Becks Book

2008-12-09T10:36:00.004-06:00

Some of you may already know that Linda, Cooper, Vivian and I have moved back to south west Florida. For those who did not know now you do. Our home in the the mountains of the Cummberland Plateau is under contract and we are hoping the new owners will be in by the end of Jan.09.

I have never really come to any depth of understanding about why we would retire there to a place that has been a place of renewal and refreshing for us and then find ourselves in a situation to return to Florida but that is how it has worked out.

We were there from Jan. 24,07 through Nov. 8, 2-08. It was a wonderful experience and not one I will soon forget. We have been hiking and camping in that area for over 30 years.

My brother and I as well as our children and grand children are still planning on meeting at Natural Bridge State Resort Park at least twice a year which has become a family tradition. One we have observed for over thirty some odd years. We shall see what the future brings and if I am still able to make these trips.

But now to the real reason I am making this entry on my Blog.

I am just finishing up Kevins book :This Book will change your world, how all things became new." I plan to read it a second time and then get a discussion going amongst some old friends here in SW FLorida.

My favorite chapters are the last two ... What About ...? and So What. I would encourage those who read it to read it from front to back, cover to cover.

I applied the information in the book to my recent move back to Florida and it seems to make more sense to me now.

As stressful and exhausting as moving can be it is sometimes necessary to just man up and get it done. Many friends and neighbors have asked me what brought me back south, what was it like where you were, are you going back and are you going to miss it, these are just a few of the questions I have been asked.

As I read Kevins book I realized that even though "all things are new" many folks don't want to move away from where they are comfortable and familiar. That is especially true of Folks in Ky. There are many jokes about them going home on the weekends. They would rather stay where things are familiar. Some refer to this as the principle of familiarity. Whatever you call it it is still a refusal to move away frm traditional religious belief systems, family traditions, and the fear that an outsider might bring some unrest to what they think they already know. That they might be thinking they are already walking in the sum total of all truth.

There are many examples in scripture where the called out ones refused to move forward and in some cases they just wanted to go back where life was at least comfortable and familiar.

Moving into the place where "all things have become new" is not so easy for most people. I believe that is why I spent nearly two years in rural Ky. It was there and during that time spent somewhat isolated that I came to understand in a greater measure "comprehensive grace" or in other words "the doctrine of inclusion". Add to that the understanding of Matthew 24 Fulfilled, The Parousia by James Russell, Tim Kings "A House that Stands" and "Furious Pursuit" and I am now walking in an understading/experience of the presence of God each and every moment. I now walk in a new heaven and a new earth, all things have indeed indeed become new!

Fulfilled prophecy, fulfilled escatology, comprehensive grace, they have all led me into a more fulfilled life. In addition, Kevin spoke to something I already knew in heart and that is what he calls, Agapetheism. Life can be lived more simply if we would embrace that fact that we were all created in love, to love, and accept one another. Love changes everything. Now that is change we can believe in. Love is the alchemy of God.

I highly recommend Kevins book as well as Max and Tim Kings books.

Visit the Presence Library for Max, Kevins, Doug, and Tims materials and books.
www.Presence.tv
Enjoy God in each and every moment and celebrate a life that can lived to the fullest.

2008-10-22T12:22:00.002-05:00

The trail shown in the picture is one we call meditation trail. It is located on a friends property in Beattyville Kentucky. He and his wife have been kind enough to let me camp there in times past and for the last two years I have walked this trail with my dogs nearly everyday. I will always remember the times spent with friends sitting around a fire or the times I was able to simply stretch out on the ground listening to the wind in the trees, warming myself in the sunshine as it filtered down through the trees. During these times my Carolina Yellow dogs would run up and down the ridges chasing after wild turkey, dig for chipmonks,

locate box turtles, which they brought to me in exchange for a treat, all the while keeping an eye on the trees watching for squirrells.

After two years of living here we are heading back to SW Florida. Cape Coral to be exact. We still have a home there so we are in the process of selling our home here in Beattyville and heading home.

I have spent considerable thought on why we relocated here only to head back to Florida. I appreciate the geography, the culture and the people here. I do understand that I am not going back south as the same person who left there.

The time spent here in the words of Dickens have been "the best and the worst of times". The past two years have been lean and we have been in what seems to me to have been a survival mode.

The upside is that I have grown spiritually. My understanding of fulfilled prophecy has increased as has the understanding of the doctrine of inclusion.

Keven Beck has coined a word that describes where I am now .... Agape Theology. It has always been about unconditional love which/who pursues us. I am no longer a "God Chaser". I realize now that it was God who was doing the chasing!

I feel like I have been set apart for a season for the purpose of maturing. I know I go forward as a more loving, accepting, and generous human being. I find rest in knowing that I have learned to experience God in the reality of the here and

now. It is in the moment where I realize his glorious presence.

I trust my experience will be my expression in the days to come. Many today need love, hope and encouragement.

The reason I chose the picture at the beginning of this entry is because it not only shows me at one of my favorite places with a special friend, Buddy Cooper, but it speaks to the fact that I am in process of moving on.

I am thankful for The Presence Ministires folks, Doug and Tim King, Allen Brooks, Mike Williams and others who have shared with me in many ways during this "come without the camp" season of my life. Amy May from Women Beyond has been a blessing as well. Although her website is called "Women Beyond" it is really relevant for both genders.

As a musician It has been a quiet two years but that is ok. I have learned to enjoy the spaces between the notes. I think I take something new back to the community of musicians and artists that I know in SW Florida.

Stay tuned for my next entry which will probably be after we get settled in back in our home in Florida. It has been two years of loving wonder and I suspect I will find the same kind of loving wonder in Cape Coral.

As I end this post I will leave you with my walking heart song:

Father God you are so good to me,

I have experienced your love in the land of the living,

Father God you are so good to me.

When I think about your love,

When I think about your goodness,

When I think about all those things that you have brought me through

As high as the heavens above ....

So great is the measure of your love,

Great is the measure of your unending love.

2008-06-28T07:39:00.003-05:00

The words I have to say
May well be simple but they're true
Until you give your love
There's nothing more that we can do

Love is the opening door
Love is what we came here for
No one could offer you more
Do you know what I mean
Have your eyes really seen

You say it's very hard
To leave behind the life we knew
But there's no other way
And now it's really up to you

Love is the key we must turn
Truth is the flame we must burn
Freedom the lesson we must learn
Do you know what I mean
Have your eyes really seen

Grace Upon All

2008-06-02T14:25:00.003-05:00

Grace Upon Allby David M. Timm, Oct 5, 2006
I’d like to share a basic overview of what I believe concerning the restoration of all things. Many of these views I have held since 2004, and I have grown in them via personal study, visiting a fellowship with others of like mind, and through online conversation. In this paper I’m not going to be focusing so much on scriptures that teach the reconciliation of all things such as Acts 3:21, 1 Timothy 4:10, Isaiah 25:7, and Ezekiel 16 (where it talks about the reconciliation of Jerusalem, Sodom, and Samaria). Instead, I will consider rather why I believe the restoration of all things is the conclusion of my fulfilled perspective.

I believe that all things have been fulfilled and the veil of spiritual death that was over all nations has been swallowed up according to Isaiah 25:7-8. Sin has lost its power because the law was fulfilled in Christ and it passed away (1 Corinthians 15:56). This affects my view of salvation, election, falling away, and hell. In this article, I’m going to use many Israel-specific references, but there is a wider Gentile application for a lot of these things because all were under the economy of spiritual death.

I’ll talk about the importance of covenantal language, context, past fulfillment, and a proper timeframe concerning these subjects. Also, I want to look at a common theme found throughout the Bible; namely that after God brings judgment/wrath He always brings healing. On a personal note I want to acknowledge that before coming to what I believe to be true today I went through many different phases in my Christian walk. I went though the fear of possibly not being one of the elect. I would have moments of doubt and wonder if I was still a sinner in the hands of an angry God. I would question other believers’ salvation due to what I considered to be a lack of Godly living. I currently have a greater love for others and for myself than I had previously because I believe that I now have a better understanding of who God is and how important every single person is to God. I have a more accepting manner in regard to the fallibility of my fellow members of humanity. I see how amazing and all-inclusive God’s grace and love really is. Rather than being motivated by fear, I now love God more for who He is and what He has done.

Maps and Photographs

In an article titled “Maps & Photographs,” we read: “The setting is John 6 and the feeding of the multitude. Jesus’ after-dinner address included a bit about their need to gain eternal life by eating his flesh and drinking his blood. Jesus was speaking metaphorically, but his audience failed to grasp this. Ronald Niebuhr said that ‘fundamentalists fail because they take the Bible too literally, while liberals fail to take the Bible seriously…The literal, idealist interpretation led his audience to conclude that he was a nut case; by taking him literally, they failed to take him seriously.””

Many people today look at the scriptures as a photograph rather then a map. They see the New Jerusalem as a literal golden city floating in the sky, hell as a never-ending dark fire pit, the resurrection as physical bodies floating in the air, and the judgment as people waiting in fear and standing in an endless line.

A map on the other hand refers to something beyond itself as it points to a higher truth. When we read the graphic language in Isaiah 34 concerning Edom that the mountains will be melted with blood and the heavens will be dissolved and that the land will become a burning pitch which will not be quenched forever and ever, we know this is map or figurative language referring to the literal event of the downfall of Edom. In like manner, the graphic map language of hell found in the Gospels pointed towards the destruction of Jerusalem via the Romans and the destruction of the old economy and its sacrifice system forever. Those animal sacrifices are no longer called for by God; Christ’s perfect sacrifice is enough in this new economy.

In the foreword of the book A House that Stands, Kevin Beck writes: “People of God sit in pews week after week and hear sermons about how the God of all grace who gave his only begotten Son to die on the cross, plans to send the vast majority of the multiple billions of human beings whom he made in his image, to eternal condemnation to be punished in Gulag Gahenna. After the sermon, these same folks sing hymns of God’s amazing grace, his wonderful story of love, and what a friend they have in Jesus. These are countered by the anxiety-ridden songs describing fearful defendants standing at the bar on high awaiting the answer of life or of death…Double-mindedness ends in instability. No wonder so many people feel and act schizophrenic. No wonder so many Christian people go to bed at night in tears as they doubt their everlasting destiny. No wonder so many believers berate others—Christians and those who are not—with all the ‘holy anger’ they can muster.”

A few pages later in that book, we read about a man who had been a devoted Christian most of his life. He was active in his church and seemed unwavering in his faith. Yet on his deathbed he was scared about his eternal salvation due to a situation that had occurred to him long ago, one that was not even his fault. This story reminds me of a few events which have occurred in my life. This past year has been the most difficult year of my life. I have lost three people who were very close to me. Two of them had cancer, and one had a heart attack. All three of them were Christians, yet two of them became very concerned about their eternal destiny shortly before their death. So why are so many Christians unsure of their salvation? Why do so many Christians doubt their security after a lifetime of church attendance and Bible study?

I believe it is due to the demands and fear placed on them by religion. David Embury administrator of http://www.talkgrace.com/ has written, “Trouble is – take away ‘threat’ and you remove ‘control’ and religious righteousness reacts to that, for therein it thrives.” By taking much of the Bible too literally, people may not be taking it seriously enough.

People try to earn God’s approval rather then accepting who He truly sees them as…as His reconciled children. I believe it comes from having a misunderstanding of that which occurred in the first century and believing that the words written to the original audience are as specifically relevant for us as they were for them. We are not the church or the firstfruits. They had a particular time and place and a very specific, important task. Our responsibility is to share what they through Christ accomplished and what it means for everyone today. We should want to do this because of our faith in Christ and what He has accomplished.

Mapping the “World” in the NT

The New Testament uses three Greek words that often are translated into English as “world.” Knowing the significance of each word and recognizing the context will help make sense of the particular passage.

The first is “aion.” It is Strong’s concordance #165, and it is most properly translated as “age.” Seven percent of the English translation “world” is aion. One example isMatthew 24:3 (KJV). “And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world [165]?”
The second is “oikoumene.” It is Strong’s #3625, and according to Strong’s it means “inhabited earth, Roman Empire.” It is 6% usage in the NT. We see it in Matthew 24:14. "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world [3625] as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.The third is “cosmos.” It is Strong’s #2889 cosmos, and it refers to an apt and harmonious arrangement or constitution, order, government. It makes up to 87% usage of the translation “world” in the New Testament. 1John 2:17 is a good model. “The world [2889] is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”

In 1John, we read about the passing of the world. I understand this to be the old order under the law. “On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining…For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions--is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:8, 16-17).

When we compare 1John with Hebrews 8:13, we find them to be speaking about the same world passing away. We also notice that they refer to the same timeframe.“In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.”

The four types of death

Just as the New Testament applied the concept of “world” in multiple ways, the scriptures speak of death in more than one way. Below are four examples.

John 11:14. “Then Jesus told them plainly, ‘Lazarus has died…’” (physical)

Genesis 2:17. “…but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." (spiritual)

1Corinthians 15:31. “I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day!” (Covenantal)

Romans 8:13. “For if you live according to the flesh you are about to die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (the second death/Lake of fire, spoken of in Revelation 20:14).

Related to the “end of the world” and “death” is the controversial issue of “losing the soul.” We find Jesus discussing them all in Matthew 16:24-27. “Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life [soul, according to the old economy] will lose it; but whoever loses his life [soul, according to the old economy] for My sake will find it [according to the new]. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world [2889] and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds.”

This “world” is the same “world” that John said was “passing away.” It is the old economy. Here we see the soul is attached to the world that passed away. This requires the soul to be seen as a covenantal identity.

Paul is one of those who were elected to lose his life/soul according to the old economy, and he was then born again and found his life/soul according to the new economy. He writes about it in Galatians 6:14. “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Concerning the same subject Paul writes about crucifying the flesh in Galatians 5:24, crucifying the old self in Romans 6:6, and dying to the law in Romans 7:4.
Connected to the loss of the soul is the subject of eternal life. Jesus spoke of it in four important settings. First in Matthew 25:46, he said, “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Second in John 3:16, Jesus told Nicodemus, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begottenSon, that whoever believes in him should not perish [covenantally] but have eternal life.” Third Jesus announced, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24). Finally in John 12:25, Jesus promised, “Whoever loves his life/soul loses it, and whoever hateshis life/soul in this world [old economy] will keep it [New Economy Soul] for eternal life.”

So what do these verses teach about eternal life? They suggest that the new identity (spirit, light, law of Christ, etc) would not perish/die in the wrath during 70AD. It is eternal and could not be destroyed. As for the unbelievers their sinful soul/body of sin (Rom 6:6) would die. This was not directed toward their physical lives or a statement on their postmortem fate.

Paul and the other believers had to lose their soul according to the old economy in order to bring about the new. The old economy involved the impossible attempt of earning God’s favor though works of self-righteousness (justification by the works of the law). For example lusting after someone was the equivalent of committing adultery. Falling short at one point made one fall short at all the points. Rejecting Christ, of whom the law pointed, caused one to fail to keep the law.

Paul talks about the fruits of law breaking in Galatians 5:18-21, and he says that those who practice those things would not inherit the kingdom of God. These evil fruits must be seen in their covenantal context and in this context was specific to the first century because the law which convicted those who practiced them has been fulfilled and has passed away. The old covenant world and its lusts (see 1 John 2:17) passed away for all.

Humanity may be imperfect in regard to our thoughts and actions. Humanity obviously still does evil things, of which there are earthly consequences, but in the spiritual realm we are seen by God as being clothed in Christ’s righteousness.

Hellfire

Jesus spoke the parable about the harvest and the burning of the tares in Matthew 13:40. "So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age [aion].” In Matthew 10:28, he encouraged his disciples, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Gahenna is the Greek word translated as hell. It is used in 9 passages in the New Testament. In the KJV the word “hell” is used much more often then it should be. In that version, and some others, it is also used for Sheol in the OT and Hades in the NT, which is a subject beyond our scope here.

Importantly, Matthew 10:28 shows both the covenantal (soul) and physical (body) aspect of what could be destroyed in hell. This leads me to believe Gahenna refers primarily to the spiritual destruction of the Old Covenant, and it was physically manifested as the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70AD

To my knowledge, the scriptures never speak of physical death as a prerequisite for entering hell or the Lake of Fire. Similarly, Paul and the other believers didn’t have to be physically crucified to have their old economy soul/identity lost. In like manner, the unbelieving Jews and Gentiles didn’t have to physically die to have their old economy souls destroyed in the Lake of fire when that judgment occurred in 70AD. While many unbelievers did physically die during the destruction of Jerusalem many did not. Those who did not die physically during this time still “lost their soul” because Acts 3:23 states that “every soul” would be destroyed that did not heed Christ.

Barry DuPont, administrator of http://www.talk-grace.com/, observed, “All are delivered from the old economy. Some were [delivered] through transformation, which was much better for they were not touched by the ‘second death’ which is the catastrophic end of the old economy. These also didn’t lose any of their rewards. Others were brought to deliverance through destruction. In covenant identity these who would ‘utterly perish in their own corruption’ along with their works did indeed perish in AD 70. This however is their deliverance from the old economy. The first shall be the last.”

We find some other examples of scriptures which use “hellish” language that refer to previous judgments. Isaiah 34:4-10 employs vivid language. “[A]nd all the host of heaven will wear away, and the sky will be rolled up like a scroll… For My sword is satiated in heaven, Behold it shall descend for judgment upon Edom And upon the people whom I have devoted to destruction…Its streams will be turned into pitch, and its loose earth into brimstone, And its land will become burning pitch. It will not be quenched night or day; its smoke will go up forever [this symbolic language is also used for the lake of fire in Revelation]. From generation to generation it will be desolate; none will pass through it forever and ever.”

Jude 1:6-7 says, “And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day, just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.”

Jude compares the physical destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah to the judgment of hell. The Biblical language here of “forever and ever” does not represent time but rather annihilation. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are no longer physically burning, and the same is true of Edom and old covenant Jerusalem, but the consequences of these judgments are irreversible. These cities no longer exist.

Additionally, hell also touches on the covenantal aspect. The soul (covenant identity) destroyed in hell no longer exists and will never exist again. The old covenant is gone forever and the new covenant in Christ’s blood will always remain.

Salvation

In 1Timothy 1:19-20, Paul states that “some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.” Their being handed over was not the final word, though.
The Bible speaks of the day of the Lord as a time of great wrath but also great deliverance. 1Corinthians 5:5 puts is like this, “I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh [soul], so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” I understand that “day of the Lord” to refer to the AD 70 events, and Paul alludes to the deliverance of this person’s spirit following the destruction of his flesh. God’s mercy follows God’s wrath.

In 1Corinthians 3:11-14, Paul talks about those who would be saved by fire. “For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man's work will become evident; for the day [of judgment, 70AD] will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. If any man's work which he has built on it remains, he [believer] will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he [unbeliever] will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”

The apostle Peter suggests that those who were dead in the flesh would ultimately live. “For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh [covenantal] as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God” (1Peter 4:6).

This leads us to a curious statement of Paul. In 1Timothy 4:10. “For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.” How is Christ especially the Savior of believers? The believers escaped the old economy and thus it’s destruction by being born again. They gave up their old soul via covenantally dying and received their “new soul” before the judgment. This is being born again. Physical baptism was practiced during the transition period as a sign to others of that which was spiritually taking place for the individual. They were covenantally dying to the old covenant of death and Moses (through baptism) and being resurrected into the new covenant of life/Christ.

This dying and resurrection process was completed when the resurrection of the just and the unjust took place at Christ’s second coming. The church members (elect, called out) did not lose their soul through wrath because they were completely separated from the old when the judgment took place and thus their spirit, soul, and body were saved. They were delivered from wrath.

On the other hand, the unbelievers lost their soul and only had their spirit saved (1Cor 5:5). Their soul, which is their old covenant identity, died in its sins because “the soul that sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4). This is why Paul was able to say that “if you live according to the flesh you are about to die” (Romans 8:13) even though many unbelievers lived physically through the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD.

This helps makes sense of Paul’s prayer in 1Thessalonians 5:23. “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Again, Barry DuPont points out, “The unbelievers were not covenantally being transformed so their end is that they must covenantally perish when the old economy ended. As far as what they are through the old economy they are ‘without.’ So what is the ‘end’ of those who remained in the old? 2 Peter 2:12 show us that “they [first century unbelievers] shall utterly perish in their own corruption”.

It is in this light that we can understand the “rich” in James. First, in James 2:5 we read, “Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” Then in 5:1-6 we find, “Go now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.”

Barry DuPont comments, “Their riches are covenantal in connection. Since the Old Covenant is attached to human possibility, this associated the material into the equation. Since the covenant passes away they lose all material possession covenantally. This is I believe perhaps why we may have some possible misunderstandings in Revelation and James and in some of the parables. They are often asked to give up everything of the material or natural connection…What makes the covenantal connection to it all is how the old covenant was attached to human possibility which in turn attached material and natural possession to Israel according to the flesh by alliance. Since human (natural) possibility extends only to this portion of life, the pinnacle of the old economy stands upon a temple made with hands and an earthly natural city.”

The old has no inheritance in the new. You can’t put new wine in old wineskins. The soul according to the old couldn’t enter the new, and all things were made new in 70AD (Rev 21:5). All things would be restored in 70AD according to Acts 3:21, and the old economy of death, including its strongest aspect being the old covenant, would be completely gone. All are now in the new economy because of the new covenant made with Israel (not just the church) and thus forgiven by Christ’s sacrifice.

The timeframe for election (30-70AD)
Paul had a clear idea about the timing of the last days. In Romans 11:5 he wrote, “In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God's gracious choice.” Paul saw his day as being the time of the elect. Then in 1Corinthians 1:27, he said, “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. Notice how God’s choice relates to the specific world in which Paul lived.

Paul’s “present time” is past and the world that the elect were chosen out of no longer exists. Biblical election is not about choosing some people to go to heaven and the rest to suffer eternally. Election has nothing to do about going to heaven but rather being called to serve. All the believers during the transition period (30-70AD) were a remnant elected out of Israel during the transition period to become the firstfruits on behalf the rest of Israel who made up the harvest.

The elected Gentiles were grafted into the previously started remnant, made up physical Israelites who believed in Christ (such as Paul, Peter, etc.), for the purpose of the Gentiles receiving their fullness (Romans 11:25) in 70AD.

Christ was the firstfruit. Christ was born under the law (Gal 4:4). He died on the cross to that world, and he was raised as the firstborn from the dead. The church being Christ’s body was in the transition of dying to the world below and rising to the New Jerusalem above. They were doing this through Christ on behalf of the rest of the harvest and that being Israel. When the promise was fulfilled in 70AD with all Israel being saved (see Romans 11, especially verse 26) by being brought into the New Covenant by either losing the old identity through faith or having it destroyed through hell, they were then able to keep God’s promise to Abraham to bless all nations.

Under the old covenant, Israel couldn’t deliver the earth (Isaiah 26:18). The new covenant after the judgment affected all of humanity (new economy) and the old economy of spiritual death and separation was forever removed.
This brings us to Acts 2:17-21. “'And in the last days [of the old economy] it shall be…. the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'”

We are no longer in the last days of the old covenant age so how does that affect this passage of scripture? Salvation and reconciliation do not always refer to the same subject. In its common usage salvation through faith in Christ dealt with salvation from avoiding the wrath to come. This is what Jesus referred to when He said that “But the one who endures to the end (of the old economy) will be saved” (Mt 24:13). This statement by Jesus is one of the conditions that He said would be fulfilled during the generation of those whom He walked among (Mt 24:34). Those who believed and endured until the end of the age were no longer partially but rather completely clothed with their house from heaven (New Jerusalem/New Covenant) and received the salvation that Paul spoke about when he wrote “salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed” (Romans 13). Their soul was converted to the new economy and was saved from perishing with the old economy (Heb 10:39). The believers received their crown and rewards while the rest lost everything including their “souls.”

Faith in Christ, though it no longer includes delivering one from that covenantal hell because that covenantal judgment is in the past, is still critical today for one to have peace, close relationship, and fellowship with God in this life on earth.

Falling Away and Israel’s 40 year wandering

Just as some members of Israel’s Exodus generation were not able to enter the Promised Land due to unbelief following the 40 year wandering, first-century believers in Christ (the elect) who fell away during the 40 year transition (30-70AD) did not enter eternal life and lost their souls like those who had never believed. Eternal life, like many “already but not yet” conditions for believers in the New Testament, was obtained partially for the believers prior to the end of the old covenant age but not completely.

One example of this is in Romans 7:25. Paul writes “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.” Paul finds himself in the transition of the old and new covenants for the 40 years between the cross in 30AD and the destruction of Jerusalem and the old covenant temple in 70AD.

As time progressed from 30AD to 70AD the new covenant (Isaac/Jacob) was being revealed while the old covenant (Ishmael/Esau) was passing away. Remember that the brothers lived together in the same house for a period of time. God says in Romans 9 that He loves his elected Jacob and hates Esau. In context, God is saying that He hates the old covenant identity (darkness, flesh, rich in the world, etc) because reconciliation to God with it in the way is impossible. Any attempt for one to save themselves through their own efforts is foolish and impossible. There was no, “I’ll do part of the work and Christ will do the rest.” That is why Christ had to fulfill the law and his righteousness was imputed to mankind when the law passed away. Christ is the only one who could satisfy the requirements.

Reconciliation is all about what God has done, every single detail about it. The law is good in that it pointed to Christ, yet hardened Israel in their blindness did not see this. How does this relate to the falling away”? Those who became members of the new covenant via election and tasted the powers of it but then returned to attempt justification via the Mosaic law fell from grace and had no chance of avoiding the destruction of their covenantal souls. We see in Romans 3:20 that by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin (see Romans 2:14-15 for how the Law applied to the Gentiles).

The Book of Hebrews focuses on this event. It was written to address the falling away. First, we see it in Hebrews 3:14-19. “For we share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end [of the old economy]. As it is said, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.’ For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.”

Next, we move on to Hebrews 6:4. “For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they then fall away, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.”

This theme continues in Hebrews 10:36. “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, ‘Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay [notice the time frame]; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.’ But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.”

These references in Hebrews weave the 40 year Exodus theme, the falling away, the age to come, the immediate timeframe, eternal life, and the destruction of the soul.

Peter discusses all this as well in 2Peter 2:20. “For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world [old economy] through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first [because there is no longer a chance of avoiding God’s wrath].” In this passage, we find the interrelated themes of the falling away and the world.

Both Peter and the author of Hebrews drew from the teaching of Jesus. In Luke 12:45-46, Jesus stated, “But if that slave says in his heart, 'My master will be a long time in coming,' and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers.” Here the servant of the master acted unfaithfully and underwent the same eschatological judgment as the unbelievers. It is interesting to notice that he thought the master would delay his arrival.

All men

Regarding the “all men” passages in the New Testament many people redefine “all” to mean “some.” They suggest that “all” refers to a complete number of Jews and Gentiles. In other words, both Jew and Gentiles will have some members that will be saved and others condemned eternally. But is this what it is saying? I don’t believe so.

The condemnation from the first Adam to all men didn’t mean that only certain members within both the Jew and Gentile groups were condemned. Every human was condemned regardless of being either a Jew or Gentile. By making “all men” in places like Romans 5:18 refer only to “some men” would be to change the meaning of the context. The second Adam (Christ) reversed all the spiritual separation brought by the first Adam, not just part of it.

Paul spoke about the extent of the work of Christ in 1Timothy 4:10. “For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.” Notice Paul doesn’t say “all men who are believers.” He reiterates this in Titus 2:11, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men…”

Finally, in Romans 5 Paul speaks extensively on the breadth of “all men.” “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned…So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men” (Rom. 5:12-18).

I feel that many people unintentionally give the consequence (spiritual death) of the first Adam’s sin more application towards mankind (affects everyone) than the reconciliation (affects few when compared with all mankind) by Christ’s sacrifice, resurrection, and Parousia. Just as people were separated from God without their say in the matter because of Adam’s sin (in the old economy), in the new world people are reconciled to God without any say in the matter. God loves all those that He has made in His image equally.

Conclusion

“Eschatological judgment and salvation (were) finalized in the end of the age [Luke 21:22]. The New Age has no eschatological transformation but an outworking of what was finalized” (Barry DuPont).

I believe that the entire Bible is inspired by God and that no verse can be thrown out because it clashes with any cherished beliefs. I do not believe that ignoring verses to justify any beliefs is beneficial. I understand scripture as a fulfilled covenantal story. Though I do not understand every verse, I do believe that I (and all of us) can have assurance in God. As Jesus stated, I believe that all people go through Jesus to get to the Father because this is God’s will.

I believe that the last Adam (Christ) reversed all the spiritual separation (Col 1:20; Acts 3:21; Isa 25:7) that was brought by the first Adam. This means that God the Father sees humanity through Christ's righteousness. Reconciliation is all about what God has done, and it has nothing to do with what we have done...not even our faith. I personally believe that when each person stands before God and sees Him for who He really is and what He has done they will greatly desire to worship and obey Him.

Thank you for your time in pondering these things. Some of the implications of my beliefs may include things that are not easy to accept due to our traditions but the completed picture is indescribably beautiful. Today we are people within a reconciled humanity. Our desire, out of love and gratitude, should be to share with others what our Lord has done for His creation. God Bless!

http://www.presence.tv/cms/index.php

Response

2008-05-11T10:24:00.003-05:00

The Following is a response to a letter of Encouragement that I received from Allen Brooks.

Thank you Allen. You are an encouragement to me. I finished the series I was teaching on Wisdom for the true believer, Wisdom has built her house and hewn out seven pillars. The last teaching was regarding the doctrine of fulfillment. I had no idea prior to reading John Bray's book and other research that the time of sharing would take me in the direction of realized/fulfilled prophecy. It gave us all something to consider and I am currently taking a break from the fellowship where I was teaching. From comprehensive redemption and salvation to fulfillment was a lot for the folks here to ingest and digest. But the seed has been sown.

I am now back to spending time alone for the most part just enjoying the out of doors. Sometimes with my lovely wife along and always in the company of my two canine companions. Of course I am now engaged in a face to face relationship with the One who has already come again. It gives my quiet times a lot more meaning and enjoyment as a result of the Parousia which has already taken place. Freedom from a futuristic
way of living and enjoying God in each and every moment and breath.

One thing I have found is that once having heard the "freedom from the law message" some folks fall into a deeper love relationship with God and others see it as an opportunity to do those things that were already in their hearts to do. For fear of retribution or punishment they suffered through that legalistic mindset and lifestyle. Now being set free from fear, what was already in their hearts is being made manifest.

It sometimes alarms me but then I remember that each one must walk through and work this out for themselves. Always keeping in mind that God Himself is working out everything after the council of His own will. At times I have to remind myself how wonderful is the unconditional love of God and just how measureless is His grace.

I remind myself many times a day of the thoughts of a young lady in the movie "My Secret Garden". While speaking to another child in the garden and looking out over the English countryside she states that "the whole world is a garden when you look at it in the right way. A new city, A new heaven and a new earth?
Well, if you look at it the right way, though the eyes of the heart of revelation, they have already come and so has our Father God.

Enjoy your garden, your thankful brother, Bruce Gosey

Grace is the love of God in manifestation ... E.W. Kenyon

2008-05-06T11:28:00.002-05:00

Why Am I Loved?
By implication, Christianity, through its doctrine of repentance and exclusiveness, teaches that believers receive God's love and acceptance by being "good", i.e. doing what God requires and obeying all the rules. God is willing to love but only if people comply with the requirements. Part of the requirements is to change one's life by forsaking the "bad" and committing to the "good". In this understanding, the transformation which takes place in one's life is self-initiated and precedes God's love. God is willing to love but only if….
This idea of conditional love is definitely at odds with much of our experience in human relationships. Often times we are hard pressed to understand what it is that causes us to love someone else or why they may love us. Love, as they are so fond of saying, is blind. It is quite capable of overlooking a multitude of seemingly obvious flaws. Wives love abusive husbands despite their violence. Men cherish women whose physical appearance might not be classically beautiful. Spouses continue to love a mate whose mind may be impaired and personality dramatically altered by disease. In many ways love seems almost arbitrary. Someone decided to love and that was it; nothing more was required to initiate or maintain that love.
Likewise, the concept of guilt or fear driven transformation as a requirement to be loved is foreign to human experience. How successful would a human relationship be if one of the parties demanded that the other change who they are before love would be extended? Such a relationship might happen, but it would exist on very shaky ground.
In actuality, I am not loved by God because I am good or even just trying to be better. God's love was extended while I was a sinner. I am loved just as I am, because God could never love me in any other state. No other state exists. I am loved by God because God desired to love me and made a decision to demonstrate that love through Christ.
Understanding that I am loved despite my faults also provides the real key to personal transformation. I am not transformed by feeling guilty and fearful of the consequences. I am transformed by the realization that I am loved and therefore worthy. A feeling of worth propels me to be the best I can be. An individual who experiences love naturally responds to the nurturing effect of that love by seeking self-improvement. Love extended generates love returned and serves to elevate our state of being and self-respect. Self-respect, in turn, is transformative.
In summation then, I conclude that I am not loved because I am good. I am good (strive for goodness) because I am loved. Love is therefore the real transforming power in the universe.

http://www.knowingtodaysgod.com

Another Perspective

2008-04-22T11:39:00.001-05:00

Preterism, A Fulfilled Understanding Of Prophecy
“These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angels to show unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.” Revelations 22:6
“For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.” Luke 21:22
Preterism, as defined here, is the conviction that Jesus Christ has already completely fulfilled all prophecy concerning God’s plan to redeem man. No Old Testament prophecy remains unfulfilled in our day (Matthew 5:17-18). New Testament prophecy is simply a restatement of prophecy in the Old Testament (Acts 26:22).
Preterism recognizes that the benefits of the New Covenant and the Kingdom of God became a complete reality over a period of time. This transition period, known as the “last days” (Hebrews 1:1), began with the working of John the Baptist (Luke 16:16) and extended to the coming again of Jesus in that same generation (Matthew 24:30-34). All blessings of the kingdom have been received, and the kingdom now exists in its mature state. These new covenant blessings include peace (Luke 2:14), victory over death (I Corinthians 15:54), and face to face communion with Jesus in the New Jerusalem (Revelations 21:2, 22:3-4). The inability of most to see the present reality of these promised spiritual blessings is based on the fact that they seek to experience them with the physical senses (Luke 17:20-21).
Preterism distinguishes itself from both the orthodox Jewish and the conventional Christian understanding of scripture. Orthodox Judaism still looks for a future initial coming of the prophesied Messiah to begin the work of fulfilling the promises made to Abraham and his descendants. Traditional Christianity teaches that the Jewish Messiah has already come but that his work remains incomplete, awaiting his second coming or advent. This second coming has been anticipated for nearly 2000 years now. Preterism, on the other hand, sees a completed messianic work within the framework of the generation of Christ’s earthly ministry (Matthew 16: 27-28).
The traditional understanding of an incomplete plan of redemption diverts attention from the possibility of spiritual fulfillment and victory here and now. Instead, the focus is always on the indeterminate future when Christ must return to ultimately “make things right.” The result is often a sense of resignation to the current spiritual state of the world.
From the Preterist viewpoint, there is no present day inadequacy or incompleteness to the New Covenant. What God said He would do He has done. The present spiritual state of the world does not result from any unfinished aspect of God’s plan of redemption, nor is it a matter of prophetic fulfillment. Instead, it results from mankind’s ignorance of Christ’s completed work and its world changing significance.

All Things Fulfilled

2008-04-18T11:10:00.003-05:00

Over the years my heart was telling me that there was much more to be understood regarding the "finished work" of Jesus Christ than I had been taught or understood.
Much of my understanding could be traced to parental teachings about right and wrong, heaven and hell, and an angry God who had predestined a few for salvation and the rest of mankind was going to spend an eternity in the fiery torment of hells flames. The choice of which was entirely an indiviual one based on man's faith rather than on the faith of God in Christ. A continuation of the I will if you will mentality of the Old Covenant rather than the I will of the New Covenant.

In the last ten years or so I have come to understand, at least in some measure, that the Old Covenant has been completely replaced by a New Covenant. I also understand that in AD 70 the Presence of God is something that took place at the fall of Jerusalem and we can now enjoy a "face to face" relationship with God the Father now in this moment and every moment. Not an angry God but a Father God Creator who has and continues to pursue every man and woman with a relentless and tireless pursuit because He loves each of us unconditionally.

I am thankful for those who have helped me along the way although some of those who guided me in the past do not agree with my understanding at present.

Men like Bob Yelton in Southern Indiana who walked me through the Pentecostal Charismatic understanding. Roger Webb also of Southern Indiana who walked me through the Charismatic Movement. I will always remember something that he said, "I would rather have access than excess." Mike Welch from that same Fellowship was also there to be a good friend and encouragement. After relocating to Cape Coral, Florida Steve Everett of Present Truth Ministries walked me through the Kingdom/Sonship Movement. Not a day goes by that I do not think of something he spoke into my life and I thank God for him, and all those who came through that Fellowship and shared. Men and women like Kelley Varner, Clarice Fluitt, and William Henn just to name a few. And then there was Dr. Jerry Felger who I still remain close friends with today. He and his wife Carol are very precious to my wife and I. What they add to our lives is beyond measuring. They introduced me to the Gospel of Grace and Peace as they themselves had recieved it through Mike Williams. I have spent most of the last ten years listening to Mikes tapes and CD's. I am extremely thankful for Mike Williams and those at Champions of Grace Ministires. Men like Jonh Adair.

I am also thankful for Preston Eby and Ray Prinzing for the understanding they have made available. Gary Sigler of Kingdom Resources is also a blessing to where I am today. Vince Libassi is and has remained a close friend in the Lord and we continue to inspire one another to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

Presently I am embracing Doug King, Tim King, and Kevin Beck of Presence Ministries, Amie May of WomenBeyond Ministries and a new friend, Allen Brooks who has helped me to undertand Matthew 24 Fulfilled. (Check out his radio broad/web cast on Sunday mornings.)

I have links to most of those I am currently listening to in my links section if you desire to check them out.

Lastly, I would like to mention Ray and Vicki Crabtree of Beattyville, Kentucky. Some of you know that my wife Linda and I relocated here to Eastern Kentucky about a year ago. I had spent a lot of time over the years exploring this beautiful area and had always wanted to spend more time here so Linda and I purchased a second home here and now live here full time. Ray introduced himself to me a few years ago and we began what I believe to be a life long friendship. Life flows forth from the lives of those who have been broken and I sensed that about Ray when we first met. He is a man who loves at all times. He has been entrusted with a Fellowship called Abundant Light which he has been faithful with for many years. We share a common understanding and he has allowed me to share with him on Wednesday evenings for the past year or so. We spent a good part of that time in the Letter to the Galatians and then we put together a course called "Wisdom for the True Believer" based on something Mike Williams had shared on Wisdom having built her house and the seven pillars that support it. It has been a wonderful friendship and fellowship and I trust will continue to be but once again I can sense a tugging in my heart to get alone with God and spend some one on one time with Him in a face to face relationship. So once again it is off to the woods, streams, mountain tops and valley trails to spend some time alone with my wife and dogs but just as important to get alone with God. I trust it is for a season of growing in love and acceptance. Of course I realize that this seems to be an ongoing season, the beginnings of which seem painful at times but necessary.

So, it is off for a while to experience a new heaven and a new earth and to take in the beauty and glory of a new covenantal world in a full face to face relationship with our Father who is God.

I still plan to post from time to time but only as my heart has something new and fresh to share.

The picture I am including with this post is one of an area called Big Sinking Creek. The creek disappears underground only to resurface about a half mile down the creek bed. Water goes in and then appears again. As I sat at the mouth of the re-appearing water I had these thoughts. All things are from God, through God, and to God. In the springtime the watershed is saturated and the creek beds are full of water as a result. It is the time for celebrating newness of life. As the spring season changes from spring to summer the watershed dries out and the waterflow slows down. Like the life we have all received it is exciting at first and then comes the dry seasons. Nevertheless life continues to flow even if it appears to be only a trickle. It is still present within, doing the transformative work that only it can do. The hope we have is that when the winter rains and/or the spring rains come, life again will burst forth from the unseen places deep within each of us in a greater expression of newness of life. So when we seemed to be hemmed in by a great darkness, in a dry place, it is only for a season of change and transformation.

By the way, if you look closely on the rock to the right of the cave you can see my little sweet Carolina Yellow Dog ... Vivian Rose. She seemed to be taken with the flow! I hope the same can be said of each of us.

Remember, "Still waters run Deep".

2008-03-24T09:17:00.003-05:00

Death ... The last enemy to be destroyed

Many assume that disobedience was the first sin, and representative of every bad choice that we might do thereafter.Adam/Eve didn't know that to disobey was bad though, remember? They didn't make any knowing choice and by all standards were therefore unaccountable.
The only knowledge that they had existed in the form of a command given by God. The fruit of that knowledge will have been the conclusions that were drawn based on it. After they internalized that fruit, they lost love for themselves (evidenced by shame) and lost faith in God's unconditional love (evidenced by fear). They became aware of the commandment in a new light and concluded that they were bad. They couldn't love themselves through their mistake, so they didn't expect God to either. That doesn't make any of it true!What it did make true, was that they were disconnected from God because they were disconnected from love. "God is love" (1 John 4:8). That means that they were dead! (Just like God warned - imagine that.)God, who is represented as a loving father biblically, then is strolling through the garden and doesn't see his children anywhere. Concerned (NOT enraged), he inquires (NOT booms), "Where are you?" If your own children were hiding because they had just painted their rooms with ketchup, you would still wonder where they were. If you were accustomed to their little voices and laughter, you might grow concerned by their silence.They were disabled and did not reveal their true selves to God, they did not stop believing the lies that they were telling themselves. They didn't truly come clean and open up. Rather than shouting "What have you done!!", God will have immediately known the consequences for their actions. If our children drank poison, we wouldn't flare our nostrils and shout. We would sound concerned and plugged in, "Oh no! What have you done?!" Why wouldn't God who paints himself as a parent sound loving and soft in his concern as well?Are the struggles found in our own childhood interfering with our hearing God in a functional way?God then tells them what was going to happen because of what they had done. Always concerned for them, and knowing the fig leaves not to be such a great covering for his shame ridden and fear filled children, he dressed them in animal skins.They will have passed their own dysfunctional thinking on to their children. In 1 John 3:11-14 the people were compelled by the author to love one another, and not to be as Cain, who killed his brother because his own works were evil. Hebrews 11:4-6 says that Abel's sacrifice was offered by faith.. BY faith. It was his faith that made his offering righteous. Cain lacked faith, and so his offering was a lesser sacrifice. In Jude 1:11, the "way of Cain" was to err in the likeness of Balaam for gain.Remember Balaam? His "ass" spoke to him, after he beat it. He was willing to be hired to curse Israel, though through him God would declare otherwise. He would find himself reciting words that very closely resembled that which God said to Cain, "God is not a man that He should lie, or a son of man that He should repent. Has He said, and shall He not do it? And has He spoken, and shall He not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19).("If you do well, is there not exaltation? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is toward you; but you should rule over it." Genesis 4:7)Balaam was originally interested in lying for Balak's wages. God's will superceded his own, not allowing him to do so. Rather, Balaam knew that God was not a man that he would lie.This lie about Israel's curse, will have had many more implications. Israel was enlisted as mediators (Priesthood) and rulers (Kingship) if they kept the covenant made with God.One of the first reminders to Israel by Jesus was that the law could be summed up in loving God and (the one "like" it), loving your neighbor. How could humanity, having been disconnected from love ever have kept the law?Cain, lacking in faith, would take the life of his brother similarly to Balaam's desire, so that he could have God for himself. Yet, what was this lacking in faith which drove the people of the bible to wish to obtain God for themselves? Is this not defined in the garden? Is this not the lack of faith in love itself?There was a grave need for reconnection and the good news was that Jesus was going to do it. A universal resurrection was to take place - just as death entered the world through one man, life would enter through another (Romans 5:12). Just as "all died" in the work of Adam, so "all" would be given life through and by Jesus (1 Cor 15:22). The world would not be disconnected from love eternally, a Savior had come. Death would be destroyed in that any validation that could be found in the law to believe the lie, was removed. Love actually fulfilled that law in demonstrating righteousness in contrast to it. The law condemned. Humanity was bound to sin and death through it. The entire point of that law was to make sin known, so that love might be known in comparison to it. It served its' purpose, so we are freed from it, and even by it.The law was understood as right living. It was the measuring stick for which humanity determined itself "good" or "bad". Love transcends "good" or "bad" in the very same way that we love our own children through their mistakes. Did God not demonstrate the same?The sin of believing the lie still abounds. The good news, is that since we were unable to go to God, God has come to us. We are unable to disconnect from God's warm embrace. If only for a fleeting moment, we might all feel that.

http://www.womenbeyond.com/index.php

The picture above was taken in a cave on the Little Sinking Creek. The Sheltowee Trace Trail, Daniel Boone National Forest, Lee County, Kentucky. The creek actually runs under the ground here and resurfaces down the creek bed a ways. This is a karst area where the water eats away at the limestone creating caverns under the stream beds where the creeks and streams disappear. The mineral formation looks like long extended fingers holding up the rock. I have seen the rare West Va. long eared bats in this cave as well as a few other caves in the area.

2008-03-24T09:03:00.002-05:00

Conditional Love is No Love

Not infrequently we hear sermons that make God's love sound like a conditional blessing. If you do this God will do that. If you don't do this, God will make you eternally sorry. God loves you, but there is a limit to His patience and Love. Try His patience and lose His love is the underlying message.
The idea of conditional love is an interesting one because it flies in the face of much in human experience. As often as not, we humans love "in spite of" rather than "because of". Human lovers find a hundred ways to overlook and excuse the faults of their beloveds.
The supposedly conditional love often attributed to God sounds more like a legal contract. In fact, it is too much like the Old Covenant arrangement between God and Israel. I thought Jesus came to bring us something a whole lot better than the Old. Love by definition seeks the long-term welfare of the beloved. Eternal damnation is therefore excluded as an act of Love. God cannot claim to Love us and then proceed to act without Love.
God's definition of love is expressed by the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians Chapter 13. It is in fact a picture of God and how he acts. Paul says love never fails. It never ceases and it never fails in its purpose. From His own Word then, we know that God's love is unconditional. In addition we know that any professed love with attached conditions is not really love at all.

http://www.knowingtodaysgod.com/

2008-03-01T12:07:00.003-06:00

A CLEAR SOUND

The Bleeding Issue

In my last article I wrote about the disagreement between the apostle Paul and the disciples/apostles in Jerusalem regarding the issue of grace and the law.

I also mentioned the woman with the issue of blood who knew in her heart that if she could just touch the hem of the garment of Jesus she would be made whole. Matthew 9:19-22 and also Mark 5:25-34. Remember that the "life of all flesh is in the blood" Leviticus 17:14 , so this poor woman's life had been slowly leaking away for twelve years. She was experiencing a very slow and exhausting death.

Why did she want to touch the hem of Jesus Christ's garment and why did she believe she would be made whole?

Jesus was anointed by God according to Isaiah 61:1 and Luke 4:18 for a number of very specific purposes. The anointing oil was poured upon the head of the high priest according to Exodus 29:7. I think it would be safe to say that this oil of anointing would then flow down upon the body of the priest. There would then be a saturation of this oil in the hem of the priestly garment. Remember, sanctification flows up, the anointing flows down.

The woman with the bleeding issue then wanted to touch not only the anointing but the Anointed One Himself, Jesus Christ. She did not want to touch the law and the prophets represented by Moses and Elijah but love and grace in the person of Jesus Christ.

There are differences pointed out in Isaiah 61 and Luke 4 regarding what the anointing was for and you can look those differences up for yourself. I will say that Luke 4:18-19 is good news!

There is healing for the brokenhearted, deliverance for the captives, recovery of sight for the blind, and liberty for them that are bruised.

There is not a declaration of "judgement, and vengeance", there is a declaration of "the acceptable year of the Lord". No wonder then that there is no need to mourn or clothe oneself in sackcloth and ashes. There is beauty for ashes and the oil of joy for those that mourn.

We hear many television pulpiteers and evangelist's speak about an anointing for this, that, and the other thing but we are anointed for one purpose and that is to declare the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Gospel of Grace and Peace. To declare that God loves all mankind, that He is not mad or disappointed with us. God's expectation is in Jesus Christ and He is pleased with Him and Him alone. We are to declare that "Moses My servant is dead", Joshua 1:2 , the one who represented the law of God, but Jesus My Son, Who represents God's love and grace, is alive forever more!

Like Job, I know our Redeemer lives and He is the Redeemer of the entire world, and I also know that our Saviour lives and that He through the power of His cross and His redemptive blood has saved all mankind.

Like the woman with the bleeding issue we need to encourage those who are in need to "touch the hem of the garment of our faithful and merciful High Priest Jesus Christ" Who is anointed to "destroy every yoke of bondage". Isaiah 10:27.

Be reminded here that the Gospel means and is Good News! If what you are hearing is not Good News then it is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ! To subject oneself to any other gospel would be to allow your life to be drained right out of you just like the woman with the bleeding issue. Slowly but surely.

On the mount of transfiguration stood Moses who represents the law, Elijah who represents the prophets, and Jesus Christ who represents life, love and grace. God said hear Him! The One Who fulfilled the law and prophets ... it is finished!

I plan to write a series of articles about our new identity in Christ Jesus. Beginning with identity theft, mistaken identity, and identity recovery. How do we keep our identity from being stolen? Identity theft protection is in the Gospel of Grace and Peace. And we all are in need of identity theft protection.

This is always worth repeating, "grace means we get what we did not deserve, and peace means we will never ever get what we did deserve". Good News Indeed!

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

" If your heart is kinder than your doctrine you might want to examine your doctrine "

Last Enemy

2008-02-23T13:56:00.003-06:00

I recently listened to what Amie May shared at the Baytown Conference. Her presentation was called "Made Whole" and I highly recommend you go to the site and listen to it.
Transmillennial 2008: A Glimpse of Glory
There are others there that you might want to give a listen to as well. Enjoy what you hear and I trust it will awaken you to what you already know in your heart and that is "In Christ we are already made whole and are indeed perfect in God's eyes".

The picture on the right is one I took at "Creation Falls" in the Red River Gorge of Eastern Kentucky. It is down in the Swift Creek Area. I think I will call it "New Creation Falls" from here on out!

http://www.womenbeyond.com/

The last enemy to be destroyed
Author: Amie May

Examining the death in the garden of Eden.

Many assume that disobedience was the first sin, and representative of every bad choice that we might do thereafter.

Adam/Eve didn't know that to disobey was bad though, remember? They didn't make any knowing choice and by all standards were therefore unaccountable.

The only knowledge that they had existed in the form of a command given by God. The fruit of that knowledge will have been the conclusions that were drawn based on it. After they internalized that fruit, they lost love for themselves (evidenced by shame) and lost faith in God's unconditional love (evidenced by fear). They became aware of the commandment in a new light and concluded that they were bad. They couldn't love themselves through their mistake, so they didn't expect God to either. That doesn't make any of it true!

What it did make true, was that they were disconnected from God because they were disconnected from love. "God is love" (1 John 4:8). That means that they were dead! (Just like God warned - imagine that.)

God, who is represented as a loving father biblically, then is strolling through the garden and doesn't see his children anywhere. Concerned (NOT enraged), he inquires (NOT booms), "Where are you?" If your own children were hiding because they had just painted their rooms with ketchup, you would still wonder where they were. If you were accustomed to their little voices and laughter, you might grow concerned by their silence.

They were disabled and did not reveal their true selves to God, they did not stop believing the lies that they were telling themselves. They didn't truly come clean and open up.

Rather than shouting "What have you done!!", God will have immediately known the consequences for their actions. If our children drank poison, we wouldn't flare our nostrils and shout. We would sound concerned and plugged in, "Oh no! What have you done?!" Why wouldn't God who paints himself as a parent sound loving and soft in his concern as well?

Are the struggles found in our own childhood interfering with our hearing God in a functional way?

God then tells them what was going to happen because of what they had done. Always concerned for them, and knowing the fig leaves not to be such a great covering for his shame ridden and fear filled children, he dressed them in animal skins.

They will have passed their own dysfunctional thinking on to their children. In 1 John 3:11-14 the people were compelled by the author to love one another, and not to be as Cain, who killed his brother because his own works were evil. Hebrews 11:4-6 says that Abel's sacrifice was offered by faith.. BY faith. It was his faith that made his offering righteous. Cain lacked faith, and so his offering was a lesser sacrifice. In Jude 1:11, the "way of Cain" was to err in the likeness of Balaam for gain.

Remember Balaam? His "ass" spoke to him, after he beat it. He was willing to be hired to curse Israel, though through him God would declare otherwise. He would find himself reciting words that very closely resembled that which God said to Cain, "God is not a man that He should lie, or a son of man that He should repent. Has He said, and shall He not do it? And has He spoken, and shall He not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19).

("If you do well, is there not exaltation? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is toward you; but you should rule over it." Genesis 4:7)

Balaam was originally interested in lying for Balak's wages. God's will superceded his own, not allowing him to do so. Rather, Balaam knew that God was not a man that he would lie.

This lie about Israel's curse, will have had many more implications. Israel was enlisted as mediators (Priesthood) and rulers (Kingship) if they kept the covenant made with God.

One of the first reminders to Israel by Jesus was that the law could be summed up in loving God and (the one "like" it), loving your neighbor. How could humanity, having been disconnected from love ever have kept the law?

Cain, lacking in faith, would take the life of his brother similarly to Balaam's desire, so that he could have God for himself. Yet, what was this lacking in faith which drove the people of the bible to wish to obtain God for themselves? Is this not defined in the garden? Is this not the lack of faith in love itself?

There was a grave need for reconnection and the good news was that Jesus was going to do it. A universal resurrection was to take place - just as death entered the world through one man, life would enter through another (Romans 5:12). Just as "all died" in the work of Adam, so "all" would be given life through and by Jesus (1 Cor 15:22).

The world would not be disconnected from love eternally, a Savior had come. Death would be destroyed in that any validation that could be found in the law to believe the lie, was removed. Love actually fulfilled that law in demonstrating righteousness in contrast to it.

The law condemned. Humanity was bound to sin and death through it. The entire point of that law was to make sin known, so that love might be known in comparison to it. It served its' purpose, so we are freed from it, and even by it.

The law was understood as right living. It was the measuring stick for which humanity determined itself "good" or "bad". Love transcends "good" or "bad" in the very same way that we love our own children through their mistakes.

Did God not demonstrate the same?
The sin of believing the lie still abounds. The good news, is that since we were unable to go to God, God has come to us. We are unable to disconnect from God's warm embrace. If only for a fleeting moment, we might all feel that.

Blood Feud

2008-02-13T22:43:00.002-06:00

There is a history here in the Appalachian Mountains of what is referred to as "A Blood Feud". My understanding is that when there was a disagreement or quarrel between two parties or families the shedding of blood could be the possible result. I am not aware of any instances where this still occurs today but I suspect in some manner the feuds still take place.

In the unfortunate event that blood is shed then the feud is on. An eye for an eye. These feuds can last for years and across generations. I am sure most of us have heard about the famous feud between the Hatfields and McCoy's.

While considering this subject of a blood feud it dawned on me that blood feuds are very similar to what the apostle Paul encountered when he visited Jerusalem. In the book of Acts chapter 21 we have a written account of this visit. Paul was going up to see the Apostles to the Jews of which James Jesus' brother appears to have been chief among the others. Peter and John were there as well.

The Apostles in Jerusalem instructed Paul to participate in the ceremonial right of purification. This was a ceremonial law and act which is spelled out in the books of the Law. Specifically Numbers 6 and Numbers 29. My question is, why were the apostles/disciples in Jerusalem still practicing ceremonial law when the blood of Jesus had set them free from the rules, regulations, and laws of the Old Testament? This includes freedom from ceremonial law.

Not only were the apostles to the Jews still practicing the law but they were requiring others to do so as well. Now on Paul's visit they were trying to have him participate in keeping the law and to go back and require the gentiles to do the same.

The apostles to the Jews were still shedding the blood of bulls and goats many years after the blood that was shed by Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. To me this is a very early record of a "blood feud". A feud that existed between the apostle Paul, the apostle to the gentiles and the apostles in Jerusalem who were the apostles to the Jews.

The disagreement or quarrel that existed between Paul and James was over blood. Paul believed the blood of Jesus Christ was sufficient and James declared that the practice of shedding of blood which was spelled out in the Old Testament was needed as well.

I heard one brother state recently that the mixing of the blood of bulls and goats with the blood of Jesus Christ is an insult to the cross.
I cannot say that I disagree with my friends statement. We can add nothing to the cross of Christ nor should we. His shed blood is sufficient.

His birth, life, crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and enthronement was and is sufficient for all we were in need of. We can add nothing to the finished work of Jesus Christ nor can we take anything away.

Either we live by grace as the apostle Paul taught or we are going to live by law. You cannot mix the two. It would be like mixing the blood of Jesus Christ with the blood of bulls and goats. This is indeed an insult to the cross of Christ. If we offer the blood of bulls and goats (dead works) rather than put our trust in the Blood of Christ then we fall from grace.

I encourage you to go to the Gospel Revolution web site http://www.gospelrevolution.com/ and order Mike Williams Cd series on the Book of Galatians. It is excellent!

You might also want to look again at the Book of Romans and also the Book of Hebrews. I believe the writer of the Book of Hebrews was trying to reach those in Jerusalem who not only believed in Jesus Christ but were also still practicing the Old Testament covenantal law.

I am reminded here about the woman who approached Jesus who had a bleeding issue. She was no different than those who sit in churches every Sunday and are subjected to those who still teach that we must keep the law. This kind of teaching only produces guilt, shame, condemnation, and a sin consciousness. This kind of false teaching is causing a bleeding issue in all those who are subjected to it. It is draining the life out of all those who hear it.

This bleeding issue will cease when we share the Gospel ( good news ) of Jesus Christ or in other words, The Gospel of Grace and Peace. Grace means because the sacrifice of Christ we get what we did not deserve, and peace simply means we will never get what we did deserve. That is Good News! He was the sacrifice for sin once and for all.

This alone can awaken the hearer to a righteousness consciousness and enable the listener to experience life and joy as the result of the freedom they embrace.

The blood of Jesus speaks of better things than that of bulls and goats! It speaks to us of life and freedom!

I am paraphrasing here but the writer of Hebrews said that "where there is a covenant that is the end of all disagreements and quarrels".
The blood of bulls and goats was a practice of Old Testament ceremonial and sacrificial law but the blood of Jesus Christ is the blood of a new and better covenant. We need to stop this feud over blood and agree that the only blood sacrifice that was capable of making all of us right with God once and for all is the Blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. In and because of Him the feud over blood is over!

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

DON'T ASK YOURSELF WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS
ASK YOURSELF WHAT MAKES YOU COME ALIVE,
AND GO DO THAT,
BECAUSE WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS IS PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME ALIVE.

Cheap Grace

2008-02-11T12:47:00.000-06:00

A friend said to me recently that we oftentimes can sing what we cannot say. What he said birthed something in my heart as I have always believed music to be a powerfull tool for sharing the Good News of the Gospel. What follows is my first attempt at writing. My song writing partners and I have yet to put it to music but will do so in the next week or so. In the meantime I hope the lyrics speak to you.

CHEAP GRACE
Today I saw the woman that the townfolk call cheap Grace,
The one the churchfolk said was going to hell and that in heaven she had no place,
She wouldn't look me in the eyes, she kept her head turned to the ground,
But then she heard the voice of her Saviour and oh what a loving sound ...

He said, Grace there is nothing cheap about you,
My redeeming blood declares your worth,
the value of anything is determined, by what someone is willing to pay,
So don't listen to what they tell you, Just listen to what I say
There is nothing cheap about Grace

Today I saw the woman that the townfolk call cheap Grace,
There was a sweetness in her voice and a glow upon her face
She had her head lifted up, she looked me in my eyes,
When I asked just what had happened to her, she began to cry

She said, There is nothing cheap about God's Grace,
He loves me the same as He loves you,
His redeeming blood is what declares my value,
Yes I know He loves me and I know He loves you too

There is nothing cheap, there is nothing cheap,
There is nothing cheap about God'sGrace

Then she began to sing .....
Jesus loves me this I know,
For in my heart He tells me so,
Each one of us to him belong,
In Him I'm Holy, pure and strong ...
Yes, Jesus loves me,
Yes, Jesus loves me,
Yes, Jesus loves me,
In my heart He tells me so

Comprehensive Grace

2008-02-11T11:36:00.000-06:00

Excuse the spelling errors in my first post. I am new to blogging and am not sure at this point how to correct spelling error's once they are posted. At this point I plan to post articles I find that reflect my own understanding of the finished work of Jesus Christ. Some call it "comprehensive grace"others call it "the doctrine of inclusion". The apostle Paul called it "the Gospel of Jesus Christ and" and also "The gospel of Grace and Peace". It is good news whatever you choose to call it. As one man has said, "if it isn't good news then it is not the Gospel". I hope you enjoy the following article and that it speaks to what you already know in your heart. I will include a link so you can find more articles and contact the folks that publish them.
www.knowingtodaysgod.com

Believing the Unbelievable
Does God ask me to believe the unbelievable? Through much of history we have been asked to believe in a "fireburning" Hell for the disobedient and unbelieving. Some have found this message unbelievable. The idea that God would condemn the well-intended, the honestly seeking, and the unknowing along with the willfully unrighteous has been a difficult doctrine for many, even the religious. Based on the actions of those who claim to believe this doctrine, my conclusion is that they really do not believe what they say. The horror of the orthodox, fundamentalist doctrine of eternal punishment would logically overwhelm any sane human being and compel them to unrelenting efforts to persuade friends, family, and acquaintances of their pending doom. No time would be wasted on the mundane cares of the world because nothing could be even remotely as important as "converting the lost." Of course, this all pre-supposes that anyone can identify the lost in the first place, and history verifies that we cannot do that with any agreement. Since the "believers" are not engaged in this type of frantic, horror driven effort, they cannot really believe what they seemingly profess.
Down through the years many have come to question the "unbelievability" of eternal punishment. Traditionally, however, the Old Covenant dealings have been brought forward in Christian orthodoxy as the model for how God deals with man today. In contrast other "non-traditionalists" have concluded that under the New Covenant, God deals with all mankind in a different way than he dealt with Old Covenant Israel. The God of judgment in the Old Testament becomes the God of mercy in the New. See John 1:17. The God of mercy works to redeem all mankind not just the chosen of the Old Covenant. The God of former exclusiveness is now manifested as the God who includes all in his blessedness. See Romans 5: 18-19. "All" is equated to "all" and "many" to "many".
Many recoil at the idea that God can and will save all, saying that this understanding is not believable. In their minds the evil must surely receive some sort of punishment. This is clearly Old Covenant thinking. The law condemned and restitution had to be made. Christ has now changed all of that. God can and will forgive and forget. Any human requirements to receive salvation make the New Covenant no different from the Old. "Accept" is just another word for "earn" and makes one's salvation dependent on one's own efforts plus those of their teachers. In that sense, the New Covenant requirements are more onerous than the Old, because the Jews were under no obligation to convert outsiders to Judaism.
Do you see any inconsistency in a God who authors the Old Covenant which requires perfect obedience and then "progresses" to a New Covenant, which requires obedience to deal with sin (which is disobedience)? Where is the improvement in man's ability to be obedient? As noted earlier, at least under the Old Covenant, the Jews had ample opportunity to know their requirements. Supposedly under the New Covenant, the poor lost man must rely on his Christian neighbor, or worse yet some foreigner from western civilization, to convert him. This is not progress in God's dealings with man, and it is not consistent with the God of Love who is described in I Corinthians 13 so majestically.
To those who object to idea that God can and will extend mercy to all, I ask this question: "Would you rather disbelieve because of horror or disbelieve because of magnificence." I joyfully choose to embrace the unbelievable God of Love, in the full assurance that he is able to do "exceeding abundantly more than we can ask or think." This is the God our hearts always knew. His grace and mercy are not "cheap" as some would term it. But it is unbelievable, for sure.

Article from Allen Brooks

2008-02-09T10:47:00.000-06:00

What follows is an article that Allen Brooks sent to me this morning. He has a radio show (webcast) that airs on Sunday Mornings from 8:30 am - 8:45 am. You can hear it on http://www.wcrk.com/index.html My understanding is that he lives in or around Morristown Tenn. If you would like to contact him do so through the station or contact me. BruceGosey@aol.com I will forward it on to him if it is not to argumentive or caustic. Enjoy the article and I hope you recieve it in the same spirit in which it was written and shared.

Coming Soon

I often hear from preachers, teachers, and other Christians the saying, "let’s get back to the Bible." "It says what it means and it means what it says." I agree with that statement so why don’t they let the Bible speak for itself.

To state it plainly, there are many verses of Scripture scattered throughout the New Testament which state clearly that Jesus Christ would come soon in that generation. Those references would have applied to those in the apostles’ generations—not our arena of time today or later. Those references are mentioned in terms such as "the time is at hand," it is the last time," "shortly,", "shortly come to pass," "quickly," "at the door," "as ye see the day approaching," "this generation," " some standing here shall not taste of death," etc.
The reasons that most traditional Christians refuse to accept the plain language of these scriptures is because they believe that Christ has to return visibly to the eye, the earth must literally burn up, dead bodies must come forth from the graves, there is a white throne judgement where everyone ever born must parade before the seat of God and receive their rewards of heaven or hell. There is no more sin, pain, suffering, and death.
And lastly all Christians will be in the presence of the Lord forever.
Therefore, since this has not happened because they cannot see it, feel it, smell it, touch it, hear it, nor experience it in their flesh, then it has not happened. And furthermore, no matter what the Bible says, if we can’t see it, it did not happen and Jesus and the apostles were mislead and wrong.
Folks, let me remind you, the Bible is God’s Word and God does not lie. Secondly, the Bible says that that which is seen is temporary, and that which is not seen is eternal.
Jesus, plainly said that "his kingdom does not come with observation". That means His kingdom cannot be seen with the fleshly eyeballs or carnal understanding.
However, I just want to read the scriptures in the Bible that speaks of Christ coming presence in the generation of the apostles and the first generation church.
Matthew 10:23 "But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say into you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of Man come."
Matthew 16:28 "Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."
Matthew 24:34 "Verily I say into you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled", that included " then shall you see the Son of Man coming in the clouds."
Matthew 26:64, Jesus saith unto him (Ciaphas), Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven."
Luke 32:32 "Verily I say into you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled."
John 21:22 "Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he (John) tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me. Jesus was talking about the death of John.
Romans 13:11-12 "And that, knowing the time, that now is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand, let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour
of light.
1 Cor 7:29 "But his I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they have none."
Romans 16:20 "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly."
1 Cor 10:11 " Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world (age) are come."
1 Cor 15:51 "Behold I show you a mystery" we (Paul) shall not all seep, but shall all be changed."
Philippians 4:5 The Lord is at hand".
Mark 1:15 "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand."
1 Peter 4:7 "But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
James 5:8 "Be ye also patient: stablish your hearts; for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh."
2 Tim 4:1 "I (Paul) charge thee (Timothy) therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall (is about to in the Greek) judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom."
1 Thessalonians 4:15 "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we (Paul and his fellow Christians) which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep."
Verse 17 states: Then we (Paul and his fellow Christians) which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: as so shall we ever be with the Lord."
2 Thess 1:7 "And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God."
1 Tim 6:14 "That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Hebrews 1:2 "Hath in these last days, spoken unto us by his Son. We know Jesus comes in the last days, right and Hebrews says in these last days.
Hebrews 9:26 …but now once in the end of the world (age) hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself."
Hebrews 9:34 "For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry."
Hebrews 10:25 "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another and so much the more, as ye see that day approaching."
James 5:3 "Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days."
James 5:7 "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord."
James 5:9 ..behold the Judge standeth before the door.
Matthew 24:33 "Jesus said, So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it (he) is near, even at the doors."
1 John 2:18 "Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time."
Revelation1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John."
Revelation 1:3 "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand."
Revelation 2:25 "But that which ye (John and his generation of Christians)have already hold fast till I come."
Revelation 3:11 ‘Behold, I come quickly." The word quickly is the Greek word "tachu" which means shortly, without delay, or soon. It could mean suddenly, but it context of the rest of the scriptures, it appears to mean without delay.

Revelation 10:6 "And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created the heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein , that there should be time no longer.’ Time no longer does not mean the end of time, it meant no further delay. The greek word here is "chronos and means an uncertain space of time as contrasted to a fixed occasion. Even Scofield says this means there will be no more delay.
Revelation 22:10 "Seal not the saying of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand."
Revelation 22:6 "…the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done." To show to John the things which must shortly be done" This was written to John and his contemporary Christians not us.
Revelation 22:7 "Behold I come quickly."
Revelation 22:12 "And behold, I come quickly: and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."
Revelation 22:20 "He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly."

Revelation 1:7 "Behold he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him and they also which pierced him, and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, amen."
Folks, the bottom line is that Jesus plainly taught his disciples that he would return in their generation. The problem is that most folks will not accept this because they expect a physical eyeball return, a physical eyeball resurrection, a physical eyeball judgement, a physical eyeball new heaven and new earth and physical eyeball rule of Christ in his body on some earthly throne.
This is exactly what the first century Jews wanted.

But it did happen in the spiritual eternal world. Jesus came in judgement and vindication against Israel, Jerusalem, the temple, and the old covenant world. Jesus told his disciples when it would happen in Matthew chapter 24 and said it would be in that generation.The physical part of this is evidenced in the facts of Israel’s history as recorded by historians. However, the spiritual , unseen in only evidenced by the Words of Christ in the Bible, the bringing in of salvation through grace which is the new covenant. Our passing from sin-death to life in Christ, and our living in the presence of God in Jesus Christ (where two or three are gathered in my name, I will be in their midst). Our being granted to be able to be in the Holy of Holies in prayer in the presence of God almighty. When are God’s people going to wake up and realize that Jesus has truly kept his word to us. Blessed be the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

Clear Sound.. What does it mean?

2008-02-08T20:02:00.000-06:00

The Apostle wrote in his letter to the gentiles ( I Corinthians 13:1 ) that unless the words he spoke were spoken in love then he was no better than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. Mickey Hart wrote that there is a language beyond mere words, he called it "supra lingua". Another has said that love is not only shared in what we say but what we do. My intention is that anything I post on my blog will find it's beginnings in love. Otherwise, what is the point.

I am new to blogging and this is a blog in it's infantsy so be patient as I work my way through the process.

The picture I am including in this first post is a picture of Natural Bridge. A famtastic sandstone bridge located in Natural Bridge State Park, Slade Kentucky. I think it only appropriate to include it because it reminds me that love is a bridge that transcends and traverses those things that seem to always divide us.