The mystery of iniquity and he who lets ...

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For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work only he who restrains it will do so until he is taken out of the way. And then that lawless one will be revealed and the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of His mouth and destroy him by His appearing and coming. 2. Thess:2 vs 7-8.

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First let me say this, it is a very improper way to speak about the Holy Spirit as being "taken out of the way" that is not the right way to speak about God, and any way He is always omnipresent at all times.

To discover the meaning of this text we must go all the way back to when man's iniquity or lawlessness began, we must go back to the Garden of Eden. Man had rebelled against God's law and partaken of the knowledge of good and evil which was forbidden him and God drove them out of his Garden home of beauty and abundance. God never changes, when He created man He placed him in the garden of beauty and abundance, this was and is always God's will for mankind. It kind of amuses me the way folk fight against the idea that God wills above all things that we be in health and prosper, even as our souls prosper. Wherever the gospel has spread God's blessings have followed.

After man was driven away God said "Behold the man has become like one of us knowing good and evil and now lest he put forth his hand and eat of the tree of life and live forever ...." at the east of the garden of Eden He placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

The mystery of iniquity or lawlessness is man's constant drive to find and partake of that tree, to become immortal, to live forever yet while in his sin. To overcome and defeat that law "the soul that sinneth it shall surely die" 

You see it in every field of human endeavor in the field of arts man knows he must die but he wishes to leave a name that will last forever, you see it in the quest for power, certainly you see it in science and even philosophy. This lust for a name and a fame that will endure forever.

It's this mighty cherubim, probably Michael, with his flaming sword who prevents man from finding and partaking of the tree of life who will be taken out of the way. Angels with Michael at their head are the custodians of the law so when he is taken out of the way the man of lawlessness will be revealed.

I'm going to say something shocking, this title the man of lawlessness is a very peculiar title in scripture, it has a very specific meaning. It doesn't just mean one who breaks the law or who is an outlaw it means one to whom the law has no application whatever. He has overcome the law, he has discovered the secret of life forever. His number is 666 which is the number of a completed man, body soul and spirit, his power will be to promise this life to all who will follow him and receive his mark 666.

There is only One greater than he, One who is able to slay him, to destroy him. God, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

The Great White Throne Judgement (Christian stop damning people)

 

There is only one final judgement where the final destinies of every man and every woman will be determined. We find this in Revelations 20 vs:11 - 15. The Great White Throne Judgement and Matthew's gospel 25 vs: 31 - 46. The Sheep and Goats. One final judgement.

Before this judgement are 2 resurrections and it is vital to know what these resurrections are in order to rightly interpret the scriptures concerning the final judgement.

The first resurrection is related in Revelations 20 in 2 Thessalonians 2 and 1 Corinthians 15 and is called the resurrection of the just, it is the gathering or Rapture of the church. The church will reign with Christ from heaven 1, 000 years while the now converted Jews will reign with Him on earth 1 000 years heaven and earth will be united in Christ and the prayer of the centuries will be answered "Holy Father Thy will be ON EARTH as it is in heaven amen"

After the 1, 000 years will come the end  when Our Lord will surrender the Kingdom to the Father. Then comes the 2nd resurrection and the last judgement.

Now let's look closely at this last judgement and see from the word of God whether it has been rightly understood down the centuries. People commonly call this the resurrection unto damnation. The scripture calls it the resurrection of the LIVING and the dead, what about that? do you suppose the living and the dead are the same? And the bible says they will be judged, remember the church are out of this they had been raised 1, 000 years prior "happy and blest are they who attain to the first resurrection" declares John "they are passed from judgement to life"

We have been saved pure grace but these who are now raised are judged for their works, for the deeds they have done while in their bodies and the scripture says they are judged by the book of God and by whether their names are written in the Lamb's book of life, whether you might say whether they belong to the living or the dead.

I do not deny the doctrine of eternal punishment, the horror of the lake of fire but I do protest hotly that those raised in the 2nd resurrection are raised simply to be damned. That is NOT what the bible says.

When God comes to judge He will judge the people with equity, He cannot overlook sin [although He has not overlooked OUR sins, He didn't overlook it but He Himself bore it and bore the punishment of it at the cross. God cannot overlook sin .... can He overlook the good people have done? if they have fed the hungry and clothed the naked? given so much as a cup of cold water to the thirst child of God?

Christian stop damning people to the eternal flame, we must warn the wicked that there is a recompense and punishment to come but we CANNOT be the judges of who is deserving of it. Only God will judge. Thank God He will be the Judge.

If you look at Matthew 25 you find the judgement of the sheep and the goats

vs31. When the Son of Man comes in His glory and all His holy ones with Him then He will sit on His glorious throne.

The word holy ones is sacredos can either mean holy angels or saints, Jerome has already espied the saints or the church in the sheep set on the right hand, he knows we cannot have two groups of people who are the church so he opts to identify sacredos  or holy ones as the holy angels but I remind you that the church has been gathered to the Lord 1, 000 years prior "so shall we always be with Him" The Jews have been reigning with Him 1, 000 years from Jerusalem.

There is NO WAY POSSIBLE that those sheep are Christians, the Lord does not address them as Christians He says "Come ye blest of My Father" My Father, not your Father or even the Father "inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world for I was hungry and you gave Me food, thirsty and you gave Me drink"

They are being rewarded for deeds.

Nor did they understand the nature of the new birth for they answer "Lord when saw we Thee hungry and gave Thee food?" they did not understand that in ministering to Christ's disciples they were ministering to Himself who dwells in His people.

He replied "Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of THESE MY BRETHREN you have done it to Me" "THESE MY BRETHREN" are the church. Paul teaches in 2 Corinthians that when He comes to judge God will bring us with Him. We are the sacredos or all His holy ones.

My brethren, not your brethren or even the brethren. They receive an inheritance, these are the meek who will inherit the earth, the NEW earth.

My friends never believe that BILLIONS and billions of human souls will be in hell. 

 St Jerome's Missing Bride

Whether you aspire to Calvin or Arminius, Augustine or Erasmus, whether you belong to the Sovereign Grace stream of theology or the Human Freewill brigade when pushed into a corner you have to admit that upshot, the logical conclusion of what you believe is that on that great and terrible day of final judgement when final destinies are decided BILLIONS and BILLIONS of human souls must be consigned to eternal separation from God and must perish everlastingly.

This cannot be right.

In ancient Latin and Aramaic texts we read in Matthew 25

Then shall Kingdom of Heaven be compared to 10 maidens who took their lamps and went to meet the Bridegroom and the bride

Now when St. Jerome came to translate this in the 4th century Latin Vulgate he had a problem for in his mind he had already identified the faithful, the church in the 5 wise maidens in the story. We know that of the 10 5 were wise and the others not so much and he also knew that in scripture the church is the spouse, the bride of Christ. You can't have 2 churches depicted in the same parable.

So he omitted the bride.

That solves Jerome's dilemma but it forever alters the true meaning of the parable.

Now the bride is still there, made conspicuous by her absence, down through the centuries every translation of the bible has followed Jerome in omitting the bride.

But the bride is not her bridesmaids nor will she ever be required to knock in order to seek entrance to the feast which is given in her honour.... will she.

So who are these 5 maidens for they do find an entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. I say they represent a much WIDER MERCY that is generally preached and believed in by Evangelical Christians.

Joseph Prince: THIS Is How the RESURRECTION Covers You and FREES You Fro...

Cavatina [Lord You are beautiful]

 Lord You were beautiful

beautiful to behold

put to shame Lord, in weakness

God's love is told

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There stood where I should have stood

in Your love You took my place

in Your Person bearing

all of my disgrace

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No not in majesty

comeliness to behold

but in pain Lord in sorrow

God's love is told

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There stood the Victim in bonds

so that I might go free

Oh I love You Lord Jesus

on Calvary's tree

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Yes You are beautiful

beautiful to behold

not in power but in weakness

God's love is told

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So very beautiful [beautiful]

God's love behold.

Draw Me Close | Maranatha! Music (Lyric Video)

 Kate Simmonds This is my desire

The T.L.Osborn files

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Say this to God

 

Oh Lord Jesus...I need You

help me to understand that You did bear away my sins on the cross

grant to me a new clean heart

help me to understand that You bore my sicknesses and diseases on the cross

grant for me to be well again

You were chastised that I might have peace

You were slain that I might live

I receive you into my heart and life

As my only Lord and Saviour.

Thank You. amen

 

 

 

 

I saw my brother's ghost

When St. Peter was released from prison by the angel, he went straight to where the saints were praying. The little girl who answered his knock was so excited to see him she left him standing at the door and ran in to tell the others that St. Peter stood at the door. They said "you are mad, it must be his ghost...his spirit"

I once saw my brother's spirit.

I had not long been saved and went to work at a drug re-habilitation centre, it was non-denomination so there was every which kind of Christian working there. One there was who really, really disapproved of Pentecostalists in general and ME in particular, not only so but he was a very difficult person, overbearing and he wore a permafrown. I made it my business to keep the heck out of his way.

But you know the Lord, we were put to room together :)

Each night I would go and press my ear against the door and when I could hear him snoring I would retire to bed. One night I had scarcely put my head on the pillow when he was THERE by my bed. The hair shot back on my head for he was transfigured, his countenance was lit up into a radiant smile  and his hand was stretched out toward me as though he would bless me.

I ducked down under the duvet and when I looked again he was gone, I could hear him snoring in his bed the whole time. God said "that is how ALL My children look" 

A Little Chinese Girl

I was preaching in London's Hyde Park, the place was packed with Mother Theresa's Sisters of Mercy nuns. A little Chinese girl espied my bible and obviously thought I was part of that crowd, she came running over.

"Oh I wish I could  wear a white robe and have a pure heart" she blurted, I cried inwardly to the Lord for wisdom to deal with this young lady, she was about 17 years old and very pretty.

"You could wear a white robe but it'd still be YOU, you'd have a white robe on" her face fell and she acknowledged that it was true...."But you CAN have a pure heart, today, before you leave this Park"

She did not look very sure of this so I showed her my bible "look St. Peter said, do you believe St. Peter? "Himself bare our sins in His own body on the tree that we being dead unto sin might live unto righteousness...."

She grabbed my bible and stared down fiercely at the scripture I had indicated, her look seeming to demand that the words explain themselves......"it says He bore your sins...." she looked at me her face working a passion to grasp the meaning. I pointed dramatically at a nearby tree and cried "Look! there He is, hanging by nails, He is bearing your sins....you'd have a pure heart wouldn't you?"

Her hands went to her face and there was a sharp intake of breath as the revelation broke upon her, she understood.

"Do you believe that if we pray here in this park God will hear our prayer?" she did believe and together we prayed. She thanked the Lord that He would love her so much to come and save her, she asked that He might come to dwell in her heart as her Lord, that she might be born again, that she would receive a new pure heart.

Perhaps because of her Chinese ethnicity she had bowed right over to pray but suddenly she lifted up and a great joy welled up in her, she smiled radiantly and I was left to marvel once more at the wonder of the new birth.

The "Miracle" Rally

Attended a week long "Miracle" Rally in London, it was a real old fashioned Pentecostal do, glorious worship, exquisite anointing, heavenly preaching and miracles galore. Many were saved.

The preacher had advised everybody not to expect to see any miracles on the first night, people need to be taught, when they have heards God's message then they will see miracles, if they believe.

That first night he took as his base Isaiah 53 the first 6 verses, he went back to the garden where man fell and sickness, poverty and death first entered the human experience along with sin, he went to Pilate's porch and Calvary to show how Christ was that suffering Servant who fulfilled the words of Isaiah, "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement for our peace was upon Him and by His stripes we are healed." The sermon lasted almost 2 hours and I wished it could go no another 2.

Then the preacher closed in prayer.

Now I was in the outer circle facing the centre body, my attention was drawn to a little girl, I had noticed her before. She was a darling little blond thing about 6 years old. She had come to the meeting deaf and dumb. She wore a huge amplification device on her chest and back, it looked a little like a life preserver. By it loud noises were converted into vibration which would alert her of impending danger.

During the prayer she had become very animated, her face lit up like a little angel and she was tugging at her Nan's sleeve. Her ears had come open and she could hear the noise of people around her.

Meanwhile the preacher having dismissed the crowd with a blessing had started to walk off the platform. But he stopped and came back to the microphone, "somebody in the building has received a miracle" he declared, "Someone came to this meeting deaf and dumb but during prayer their ears came open and they are hearing normally."

Of course the little girl's Nan grabbed the child and rushed to the front, her hearing was tested on the platform and demonstrated to be perfectly normal, she also made her first sounds that night. What a precious miracle.

The next night the people came expectantly, faith was risen in their hearts. The preacher had only been preaching about 10 minutes when he said "for this purpose was the Son of God made manifest that He might destroy the works of the devil" A great wave of glory went through the whole auditorium and people started to get healed all over the place. And so it continued the whole week, the platform was filled with sticks and crutches, frames, chairs and other mobility devices as well as casts and various other medical implements. Needles used for drugs and piles of cigarettes also littered the platform as God set men and women free.

Many were saved each night to the glory of God. 

Isreal does not go through the Great Tribulation, the church does

The Great Tribulation is also known in scripture as "the time of Jacob's trouble" although the term only once appears in scripture by that name. Jeremiah.30. 7.10

 Tribulation means trouble.

Because it is called so people have always leaped the conclusion that Israel is to pass through very grim times ahead before they are to be brought to the light.

Here is what scripture says Jeremiah.30.3-10

For lo the days will come saith the Lord that I will bring again the captivity of My people Israel and Judah saith the Lord and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers and they shall possess it.

And these are the words that the Lord spake concerning Israel and Judah

For thus saith the Lord, we have heard a voice of trembling, of fear and not of peace.

Ask ye now and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?

Alas for that day is great so that none is like it, it is even the time of Jacob's trouble

but

he shall be saved out of it

for it shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord of hosts that I will BREAK THE YOKE OFF THY NECK and will BURST THY BONDS and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him. But they shall serve the Lord their God and David their King whom I will raise up unto them.

Therefore FEAR NOT o My servant Jacob saith the Lord, NEITHER BE DISMAYED o Israel for lo I will save thee from afar and thy seed from the land of their captivity. And Jacob shall return and SHALL BE IN REST and shall be QUIET and NONE SHALL MAKE HIM AFRAID.

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Look carefully at what the Lord says, it is not the man who travails in childbirth, Israel is God's firstborn son, but it is the woman, the church.

Why then is it called "the time of Jacob's trouble?" because it is trouble coming upon the nations because of Israel, God has got a quarrel with the nations for the way they have treated His firstborn son during the long years of their diaspora.

And the church is among the nations. 

Jesus was post-trib

In Matthew 24. we read

vs.21.
For then shall be great tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

vs.29
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
vs.30
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, then shall the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
vs31
And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

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Friends there are not multiple comings of Christ in the clouds of heaven with great power and glory, angels and trumps and gatherings together of the elect, there is only one such coming. It is the same one spoken of by Paul in 2.Thessalonians 2 and fits his description perfectly.

It happens Jesus said "after the tribulation of those days"

People try to draw their eschatology from out of the book of Revelations, the problem is no two Christians can agree exactly what Revelations is saying. It is much more sensible to draw eschatology from plain and open scriptures first and then make Revelations to agree with the plain and open scriptures, and it does.

And 2.Thessalonians.2. simply could not be plainer, there had been much confusion which Paul was anxious to clear up.

"Concerning our gathering to meet the Lord in the clouds......

.....that day shall not come except there come a falling away first and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition"

Antichrist must come first

vs.4
who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped

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Friends he is not just going to shake his fist, he is going to persecute. This is the great persecution which Jesus spoke about. Tribulation is persecution. He is going to do his darnedest to destroy ALL religion before he sits in the temple of God declaring that he himself is God.

But his sitting in the temple and his declaring that he is himself God is not the beginning of his career but the end for it is then that the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout.

So first is Antichrist and his awful persecution in the tribulation then is Christ the Lord and our gathering to meet Him in the clouds of heaven.

Let no-one deceive you dear brethren....prepare yourselves for this, for the western church is not prepared.

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He was wounded for our transgression

On the cross crucified

in great sorrow He died

the Giver of life is He

but my Lord is despised

and rejected of men

oh this Jesus of Calvary

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Price for healing it was paid

as those cruel stripes were laid

within Pilate's judgement hall

but His suffering it affords

perfect healing for all

oh this Healer of men today

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But He was wounded for our transgression

He was bruised for our iniquities

surely He bore our sorrows

and by His stripes we are healed

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He has healed my sick soul

He made me every whit whole

oh He'll do the very same for you

He's the same

yesterday and today and forever

oh this wonderful Healer is mine

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But He was wounded for our transgression

He was bruised for our iniquities

surely He bore our sorrows

and by His stripes we are healed.