Tag Archives: Truth

Can Flesh Understand Christ? John 8:21-8:32

Today when you speak to someone about Jesus or God they have a lot of preconceived ideas about what you believe and are going to say which can make it hard for someone come to Christianity with an open mind. Some of this has to do with how our liberal television shows, movies, news, radio and schools cast unfavorable lights upon Christians as a whole. Some has to do with the money grabbing, or the worthless excuses for shepherds we have parading about on those same televisions and radios thumping their bibles and saying some of the most ridiculous things you have ever heard.

The Pharisees here are no different. They have preconceived ideas about who the Messiah will be, what His mission is, and how He will accomplish it. Truth be told, some believed the Messiah would be a woman, or so I have heard. Fighting preconceptions can be extremely difficult, and oft times people can believe that if they had just said the right thing or did it just a little bit differently that they would’ve gotten someone to “see.” Don’t worry about that; God has a plan for everyone, and it isn’t for us to judge when that someone’s time to “see” is. Remember that this chapter of John started out with Christ on the Mount of Olives, which means this chapter gives us a look at what will happen when He returns.

John 8:21 Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come.

This verse calls to mind: Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (22) Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? (23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

It also makes me think if the Millennial Temple where only the overcomers can go into Him.

John 8:22 Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come.

Without the Holy Spirit, the only thing they can see is the flesh, and their minds work in the flesh. Be patient with those that think this way.

John 8:23 And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.

Heaven isn’t in the sky, and hell isn’t in the dirt, yet that was how people of they day thought about and/or visualized heaven. What He is talking about is the same thing that Paul told us here:

1 Corinthians 15:47-48 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. (48) As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.

John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

Flesh man cannot understand the heavenly, but they can believe upon it and thereby transform themselves into spiritual beings that can.

John 8:25 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.

He began (in the last section) by saying that He is the light of the world and His story hasn’t changed.

John 8:26 I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. (27) They understood not that he spake to them of the Father.

Again, many wont understand, but it is not understanding that is required, it is belief. The belief and faith of a mustard seed.

John 8:28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. (29) And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.

He is speaking of both advents here, His crucifixion and His return. Many believed upon Him after the first crucifixion, however every knee shall bow at His ultimate return, and everyone will KNOW who He is.

John 8:30 As he spake these words, many believed on him.

Think about this as it pertains to both advents.

John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

A disciple is a disciplined student. Remember what the Parable of the Sower taught us:

Matthew 13:18-22 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. (19) When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. (20) But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; (21) Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. (22) He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Many people will take this verse and run with it, but it is only half the sentence. It starts with “If ye continue in my word.” To know anything it takes time. God doesn’t use magic to give us full understanding. The seed needs to grow and we must strive to set down roots. Sitting upon a seedling cannot give you the same view as sitting upon a hundred year old oak. Continue in His word, ponder it, and you will know Christ.

Revelation 5

In Chapter 5, John is about to be revealed the 7 seals, which are knowledge that we are to understand, before entering the Tribulation, that will keep us from being deceived by the flood of lies issued by Antichrist. All of God’s faithful servants are to be sealed by the Holy Spirit with this understanding, this will be complete just before Antichrist arrives. Those who are not sealed with this knowledge by that point, will not be protected from receiving the mark of the beast. Each time a seal is broken, new understanding is revealed to those on earth to whom the Holy Spirit will reveal this knowledge. But first, we will need to find out who has the power to open the seals of the book from which this knowledge will come. Whom do you think has the power to open these seals and give this knowledge to the servants of God?

(Rev 5:1) And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.

John was observing the One Who was sitting on the throne, which is God, Whom he was seeing in the last chapter. This is just a continuation of what we read in chapter 4. God had this book in His right hand, which signifies power and action. God is a God of action–He doesn’t just sit back and watch. He has a hand in all the events of the world to ensure His plan comes to pass just as He has told us. At the right hand of the Godhead is Christ, the Son, which performs the actions of God (the right hand represents power and action), because He is God.

(Rev 5:2) And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?

This angel is searching Heaven at its entirety to find anyone that is able to open these seals of understanding. He who has the power to open these seals has the power to give this understanding to God’s servants on earth, His elect.

(Rev 5:3) And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.

(Rev 5:4) And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.

In all his searching, the angel could not find even one man in heaven, or anywhere that was able to give this understanding to the servants of God. This troubled John greatly.

(Rev 5:5) And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

(Rev 5:6) And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

John was reassured by one of the 24 elders that there was in fact One who was perfect enough to be able to open these seven seals, and it was Jesus Christ, the Lamb who was sacrificed once and for all times for our sins. He lived a perfect life while here in on earth in the flesh, yet He allowed Himself to be punished for all our sins if we accept Him as our Lord and Savior.

The seven eyes represent His 7000 watchmen, or elect, who are on the earth currently in this final generation. They are the same as the seven eyes on the stone, in Zechariah 3, which also represents Christ and His 7000 predestinated servants, about which we learned in Romans 11.

The seven spirits of God, as we learned in the last chapter’s discussion, are power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and blessing.

(Rev 5:7) And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.

(Rev 5:8) And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

The Lamb, Christ, the Son, took the book out of the right hand of the Father because He had the power and authority to open these seals. The four beasts, the zoa called cherubim, and the 24 elders had harps, presumably for praise of God, and golden vials (golden construction representing God’s pure truth), which held the prayers of the saints, God’s elect. The saints are those who have never strayed from God, not during satan’s rebellion, not throughout their life on earth, and not even during the Tribulation when Antichrist will spew out his flood of lies. These prayer, God never forgets, and His answers to these prayers are in our best interest, whether they are yes answers or no answers.

(Rev 5:9) And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

(Rev 5:10) And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

The zoa and 24 elders then began praising Jesus Christ for what He has done for all of us on earth.

(Rev 5:11) And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

(Rev 5:12) Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

These angels are those who had lived and died on earth in Christ. They have been redeemed and given salvation. These are the saints who will be returning with Jesus, in His second coming, as His army, and they are also praising Christ along with the zoa and the 24 elders.

(Rev 5:13) And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. 

Christ will be on this throne forever and ever, as there is no who is more worthy and satan will have completely failed in his rebellion to take over heaven. Once we enter the Eternal Kingdom of Heaven, in the third earth age, there will be no evil left and we will never have to worry about another rebellion.

(Rev 5:14) And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

And everyone said “Amen.”

There is never anything to worry about because God is always on the throne, from the beginning, and now, and forever. Once you truly understand that, then no one can cause you fear or worry. Do you understand that?

God bless.

Seal of God

The Sealing is the placing of the Seal of God, by the Holy Spirit, in one’s forehead, or mind. This seal is given as a guard against deception by satan and a protection from receiving the mark of the beast. Once a person is sealed, they cannot be led astray from God and cannot be deceived into worshipping antichrist and his system (Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21). This sealing is a part of the Gospel Armor, the belt of truth, and all sealing will be complete before the arrival of antichrist (Revelation 7).

In the end times, this seal is not only given to ensure someone does not receive the mark of the beast, but also it protects them from being tormented by the fallen angels who will be returning to earth with satan during the tribulation (Rev 7:1-3, 9:1-5).

When God seals one of His elect with the Holy Spirit, He reveals His mysteries to that servant of God so that the person’s understanding of His Word can be complete (Matthew 4:10-12, 13:10-17, Luke 8:9-10, Romans 16:25-27, 1 Corinthians 4:1, 13:2, Ephesians 1:3-9, 3:1-6, 6:18-20, Colossians 1:23-29). Once someone has this understanding, and his spiritual eyes are opened, it is his responsibility to share this light of truth with others and not hide it from view. He must plant seeds of truth so that it may benefit others and allow them to be sealed if they are meant to have this truth as well.

With this sealing, and refusing to bow to antichrist, comes also a risk of being delivered up to testify as to why you refuse (Matthew 10:17-24, Mark 13:9-13, Luke 21:12-15, Revelation 2:10), and God knows that not everyone can handle this pressure because of how they performed in the first earth age (Romans 8:28-34, 11:1-14). For this reason, most people of the world are blinded from this deeper understanding of His truth, and God will not allow them to understand no matter how intelligent they may be. This is meant as a protection for them, because if they were allowed to see these truths and were delivered up to testify, they would buckle under the pressure and would cave in and bow to antichrist knowing full well that he is not Jesus, the true Messiah. This would be a grave sin. Because God loves them, and because they are not dedicated enough to studying the Bible, and standing against satan, and his power and deception, He allows them to be deceived (Romans 11:7-14, 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12) so they may learn a lesson they can take with them into the Millennium, with hopes they will make the right decisions at that time.

This sealing is an awesome blessing and an awesome responsibility at the same time.