THE HISTORY OF PAGAN RELIGION

Organized Christianity today has become an accumulation of rites, traditions and customs of times past. An average layman does not know why he does certain things during a service or where the rules of the church come from. It would be good to research the "roots" of our faith so that we who have been led out of the system by the Spirit might understand why we were led out.

The history of these traditions, rites and the rituals is vitally important for us to understand so that we might realize their pagan origins. Some of the rites are so enshrined in our very own religious makeup that we fail to see that the rites are detrimental to our true spiritual development.

Before the people of Israel were called via Abraham, there were few righteous men. The religions of Abram's day were the same that were destroyed in Noah's day for their corruption. Much history is available concerning the times of Noah's sons to the present. At the time of Abram's call people were practicing pantheism (believing god was in everything). They worshipped all of creation and were guilty of animism (believing that all plants rocks, animals, etc. possessed souls and were alive with the spirit of the gods). Their belief was centered on one major deity who controlled all of the sub-gods.

Today, 1990, we find many in Christian circles that are espousing another gospel that includes some of the thoughts just mentioned. Eastern mysticism, reincarnation, etc. all are forms of pantheism and animism. It is this impurity which must be kept from the Christian faith, for it actually denies the power of the resurrection and the atonement of Jesus Christ.

It is hard to distinguish where false religions started. It can be confirmed that Nimrod, a relative of Noah, founded Babylon and did much to add to pagan beliefs. He took monotheism, Noah's religion of worshipping one Supreme God, and combined it with pagan animism to create the religious base of Babylon. In the Book of Jasher (mentioned in Joshua & I Samuel) we find historical evidence of Nimrod and his corrupt ways. It might be good at this time to state that there are some in the end-time LIFE message who believe in animism, and while they think it is a revelation of God, they have been deceived. Through God all things have been created, but His essence is not in all things.

In the false religions and especially those of Babylon, we find the worship of the four elements of the cosmos (earth, wind, fire and water). Those who worshipped such also subscribed to the belief of the immortality of the soul and reincarnation. This in turn led to prostitution, abortion, cannibalism, mother worship, polytheism, saint worship, adultery and other vile practices. Nimrod was the propagator of such ilk. Through the preaching of lies the Babylonian religion became an amalgamation of many false ideas, many of which are still present in Christianity.

The tower of Babel, built by Nimrod, was to have had seven concourse levels, which corresponded with the Babylonian belief of seven levels of reincarnation. On the very top of the structure was to have been a temple, where man could be one with god, since he had reached the heavens and was a free spirit or immortal soul. This is why God destroyed the temple, lest man would become unredeemable.

The church with the help of the Divine Comedy written by Dante developed the seven levels of hell, which were pictured and described. This thought was taken from Babylonian pagan culture. Rome was the seat of all political power for over 1,000 years and incorporated all the pagan religions into one homogeneous religion with all of its traditions, and rites in the Catholic church.

It is interesting to see how these pagan worshippers believed that they became one with god. Because all life came forth from a seed planted in the earth, they thought that a woman prostitute could be a type of mother earth. Men could have relations with her, and through the idea of being one flesh, he could become one with god again and be reconciled before him. The priests and priestesses were closest to god, and by having relations with them, the most common person could be lifted to the highest level. (see Book 1 p. 147 of Herodotus) The priests and priestesses were considered the highest order of reincarnation.

The child that would be born of that union was offered as a sacrifice by fire to Molech their god. God forbade the Israelites to do such practices. (Jer. & Deut.) The child that was offered would atone for the man's fallen nature, or at least that was so thought by the pagans. The priests could then eat the cooked flesh of the child in order to become one with their god, since they were now purged of their original sin. Hence they would partake of the immortality of their god.

Another reason for the sacrifice of the child was the Babylonian belief that the great serpent Satan had relations with Eve. This serpent seed was considered the cause of all sin; therefore, the temple prostitute had to sacrifice her child to appease the gods. Halley's Handbook, p. 166 & 198, confirms the finding of thousands of children's bones at an altar in the Canaan area. A sad commentary on the history of man.

It was required that for a season each woman be a temple prostitute at least once in her life. Nowadays through the media we see the same ideas espoused under the title of premarital sex and abortion. Is this not the hidden Babylonian religion resurfacing? Openly with our own eyes we saw the modern Japanese groves on television, where people were worshipping phallic symbols, showing the importance of sex in their religion.

Abortion is the offering up of child sacrifices, for the secular humanists attempt to atone for the sins of man, since man is the captain of his own soul, and his own salvation. We have a modern day Babylonish garment that is the very religion of paganism that is the national religion, via the Supreme Court rulings in the USA.

I have been places where the serpent seed doctrine was preached as truth. It is true that the word "beguiled" in the KJV means to be led astray or seduced. The idea that Satan had relations with Eve could be so construed, but we must not forget the law of first occurrence. This principle states that the first occurrence of a word will signify its meaning in the passages that will follow. In all other places where the word "beguiled" is used in the Old Testament, it very clearly means to be led astray. Therefore, we can rest assured that it means led astray in its first occurrence. The serpent confused the mind of Eve, but he did not have physical relations with her. The command of God to be fruitful and multiply was given to her and Adam her mate. These things are written so that the saints might be aware of how Babylonian beliefs have corrupted the understanding of some. Awake Zion awake!

I have seen the false idea of "spiritual mates" being preached to the point that deceived couples are ruining numerous marriages as they try to find their true spiritual partner. This is temple prostitution of Babylon again.

Ishtar was a Roman goddess; her Babylonian counterpart was Ashteroth. Isis is her Egyptian name, and in Ephesus she was known as Diana. Because we are concerned with the pagan religions in Canaan, the promised land, we shall use the names found there. Baal was worshipped, and the head god was named Dagon in the northern area of Philistia. In Syria Tammuz was the head god. Somehow in the intertwining of cults Ashteroth became the wife of Baal. Naturally she was a fertility goddess, and the pole (phallic symbol) that played a part in the religion was called an Ashera (see Halley's p. 166).

God spoke against the pagan grove worship of the Canaanites (Deut 16:21). Originally the groves were small areas of trees which were later changed to poles. The May pole is a carryover of that custom. May Day is an important Russian holiday God righteously ordered the destruction of such worship, and Joshua carried it out while he lived.

During the time of the Judges we find that it came back again. Even Gideon had a name with Baal on the end of it. Many Israelites went by pagan names because they had forsaken their God. Even Solomon, in order to please his wives, had groves started around the palace so that they could worship their gods rather than the true God.

The Christmas tree is directly related to Isis and is a phallic symbol. In Egyptian history the fir tree is the symbol of eternal life. It is associated with an old man and the ankh cross. Consider how profane this custom is and how much worse to place Christmas trees around our church altars to celebrate our Lord's birth. (see our holiday message for more facts)

Babylonian beliefs teach that the curse from the garden was in child-bearing. This is not so. God ordained procreation before the fall, and He said that children and childbearing are good. See Psa.127:3, Gen.3:16, 17:15, 22:17. The curse placed on Adam and Eve was death. It also consisted of man's work by the sweat of his brow. Childbearing is hard work, but it is not cursed, as some would believe.

Another part of the religious rites in the Baal temples was sodomy. This sin made Sodom and Gomorrah so corrupt. In Deuteronomy 23:17 God openly declares His disgust with these pagan practices. Paul clearly speaks against it too in 1 Cor.6:9-10 and Romans 1:26-27.

One of the ways that Babylonian beliefs have come to our country is through the Humanist Manifesto which states:

"In the area of sexuality we believe that intolerant attitudes often cultivated by orthodox religions and puritanical culture unduly repress sexual contact."

There is no doubt about the interpretation. Another source of Babylonian ideas called "The Document:A Declaration of Feminism" states:

"Liberated sexuality is freedom fromoppressive sexual stereotyping, the freedom to choose heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, asexuality, but not to be bound."

The aforementioned documents espouse a religious belief as well as a religion, just as our religion of Christianity declares itself. Here we see Mystery Babylon working outside the church system. God has called us to be separate from this corruption and fornication.

PAGANISM IN THE CHURCH

For the next part of our discussion please read the following verses because they directly apply: Jer.32:35, Rom. 6:23, Ezek.18:20, Lev. 18:21, 20:1-5 Ecc. 3:21, 12:7. Now we turn our study to look at how pagan ideas came into the Church. If you are a student of history you probably know that the early apostles kept the Church holy and undefiled. Their immediate successors did likewise.

By the third century A.D., shortly before the Roman bishops assumed authority in the Church, they immediately began to consolidate their hold in the churches. Thus was formed the Roman Catholic Church. It was called Catholic meaning universal or only one. Some believers became part of that system, but the reformers felt that the Catholic Church was not the true Church.

The Roman Catholic Church also supported the idea of eternal torment, which is tied to their belief in purgatory and was supported by Dante's book as mentioned before. These views propound the idea of the immortality of the soul. Romans 6:23 and Ezekiel 18:20 do not support this. It was appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment (Heb.9:27). If the soul dies, it lives no longer, not even in the grave. There is no soul without the body and spirit. This is clearly seen in Genesis where the living soul was formed when the body (dust) and the breath (spirit) united. If God forbids the pagan practice of offering children to Molech as they are sacrificed in the fire, then surely eternal torment does not have His approval. (see our message on Lake of Fire)

Indulgences, prayers and baptisms for the dead were also endorsed by the Roman Catholic Church. These show a tie to Hindu beliefs of reincarnation. First Corinthians 15 speaks against baptism for the dead as it makes the resurrection of no effect.

Transubstantiation has its roots in the cannibalism of the sacrificed child by the Babylonian priests as mentioned earlier. This doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church states that the wine and bread of the communion table actually become the physical flesh and blood of Jesus Christ as the priests literally par-take of it. The "Host" as they call the bread and wine is actually God to them. When the "Host" is offered before the altar to sanctify it the priest then eats it. In symbolism he becomes god, and then he offers it to the people that they too might become gods. Is this not like the deception in the Garden - you will not die but will become as gods?

By accepting the doctrine of transubstantiation, people deny the work of the cross and the deliverance wrought by Christ over all the works of the devil. The Pope sits as Vicar of Christ (in place of Christ) above the "Host", thus implying his power over the living Christ. Truly this shows he is the religious antichrist.

As was mentioned earlier, Babylonian religion had the priests eating the flesh of a child birthed by a temple prostitute for the atonement of sin. As the priest ate such, he became sanctified. The idea that Christian communion is tied to this pagan belief is sickening! To think that the leaders of apostasy would say we are literally eating Christ in the communion service is truly unbelievable.

The Church adopted various pagan customs of its conquered peoples and "Christianized" them in order to placate the people. (see our message on "holy days"- Halloween, May Day, Christmas, Easter, Valentines Day). Matthew 23:15 speaks of being proselytized and of being made a two-fold child of hell. Truly this is the case when saints ignorantly are led into pagan customs.

THE MADONNA AND CHILD

The importance of the priestess as "mother earth" has already been mentioned. Another aspect of that idea is the madonna and child. The pagans offered things to the mother-earth goddess as an act of appeasement. This warded off calamities such as bad crops, floods and so forth. Mother worship and matriarchal descent was regarded very highly. Only the Bible counts man through the patriarchal descent, which also antagonizes the women's liberation movement today. God's ways are always different than man's.

The Holy Day Book by Weiser states on page 116 that "...she (Mary) was free from original sin because of her dignity as mother of God." This idea is found nowhere in the Scripture, but it is taught as truth in the Roman Catholic Church. Believers are taught to pray to Mary to intercede to Jesus Christ for them just as the pagans prayed to their mother goddess for protection from calamities.

The Catholic Church took Mary and developed the madonna image totally disregarding the geneology of Christ's lineage from Adam, the man by whom sin passed to all who came after him. Mary is called the Mother of God and Queen of Heaven. The last title can be directly traced to Babylon and is referred to in Jer. 44:17-25. A book entitled The Mother Goddess Cult traces in detail the roots of this cult and its culmination in Mary worship. However, it is interesting that it was not until the 1950's that Mary was deemed sinless.

Few Christians realize the paganism in the Roman Catholic Church. In a May 1981 issue of Moody Monthly there was an article detailing how the Roman Catholics were driving out Protestant Christians who were trying to start churches in Mexico. There still is great persecution. Five hundred years ago Martin Luther was right in calling the Catholic Church the harlot. Since that time the Jesuit priesthood has begotten the false doctrines that so many of the Protestant churches now believe, for example; the rapture, future antichrist and futuristic interpretation of the book of Revelation. They have done much to destroy those of the true faith.

Long ago Rome as a country consolidated all the known world under her political power. All the cultures of different countries were thrown together and formed one homogeneous philosophy or culture. East and West grew together and emperor worship began under the title Sol Invictus. Constantine realized that Christianity grew under persecution so he nationalized the religion and placed pagans as priests and teachers thus diluting the truth. When the empire of Rome fell, the people adhered to the Sol Invictus worship by picking the greatest man to worship. They chose the bishop of Rome and popery began.

Any college Western Civilization course reveals how the popes picked and dethroned leaders from 300 to 1500 A.D. One woman pope even gave birth to a child. Here again we find a correlation with Nimrod's day in that the priest had more authority than the civil ruler.

As much as things change they never change. We see the same evils today that have always been. Paganism outside the fellowship of believers is sad, but what is worse is the acceptance of pagan beliefs by saints who have not rightly discerned the body of Christ. We suggest that the harlot church, the Roman Cathoic church, had harlot daughters (the Protestant denominations). These also kept many corrupt ways whether in custom or in doctrine.

TURN TO THE NATURAL ANTICHRIST SYSTEM

The word antichrist is found five times in the Bible and each word is the same Greek word. In the Greek it is "antichristos." Anti means instead of, in place of, in opposition to. Christos means anointed one. Uniting the two we have the phrase instead of Christ, in place of Christ, or in opposition to Christ. We can conclude that it means to place one in a higher position than Jesus .

There are many deceivers in the land today as well as when the early disciples lived. Generally there is thought to be one person who will be THE antichrist. Spurgeon, Finney, Guinness, Hudson Taylor, Tyndale, Calvin, Luther, Isaac Newton, Bunyan, Huss and Wycliffe all agreed who the antichrist was. These men lived from the 1300's to the present day. They all after careful study reached the same conclusion that the Pope is the antichrist.

The Pope's title in Latin is VICARIUS FILII DEI. "Vicar of the Son of God" is the interpretation. Vicar means in place of. The Latin letters of his title carry numeric meaning. Latin Roman numerals come from the letters of their alphabet.

V = 5                  F = 0        D = 500

I = 1                  I = 1        E = 0

C = 100                L = 50       I = 1

A = 0                  I = 1

R = 0                  I = 1         total of all three

I = 1                                columns is : 666

V = 5

S = 0

Adding the totals of the three columns we come up with the number 666. This is the number of fallen man, corrupted Adam who tried to place himself as god. How fitting that the number of the beast has religious significance. A man places himself as the religious head of the world and declares that he is the leader above Christ.

There are, however, many theologians who discount the idea that the Pope is the antichrist, myself being one. These leaders in the evangelical field are futuristic rather than historical in their interpretation of prophecy. They believe that the prophecy in Daniel and the prophecy in Revelation are for the future and yet to happen. To them only Revelation chapters one through three have been fulfilled.

The men who were listed earlier in this article belong to the historical school of interpretation and believe that most of the book of Revelation has occurred with HISTORICAL fulfillment and that the SPIRITUAL fulfillment is yet to be revealed.

Let's look at some of the facts available. The Waldenese people of northern Italy revolted from popish rule in the 1200's. Their reason was simple - they believed in being saved by faith. Huss picked up the same train of thought a little later, but it wasn't until the 1500's and Martin Luther that the time of reform became ripe. By that time Huss was dead and the Waldenese were practically exterminated by the Pope's soldiers in various torturous ways too ugly to state.

Luther's advantage was that he had a strong king who would hide him from the Pope's forces. The spirit of truth and light inspired Luther and the others to realize the Pope was the antichrist. When papal Rome realized it could not eliminate the truth, it decided to propagate another gospel, no matter how long it took for its lies to be accepted.

The Jesuit order was appointed to fabricate a new theology that would overtake the truth just as a vine kills a young plant. This order was founded in 1540 by Ignatius of Loyola. Quoting the Encyclopedia Britannica it is said that "...they have for their end the spiritual perfection not only of themselves but of others." The Pope called this group the Society of Jesus. Since the Catholic Church believed it was the only true church, we can see how it would try to stamp out any infamous teaching espousing another way.

The Jesuits were responsible for the severe persecutions of the Hugenots (Protestant reformers of France), and for the Spanish Inquisition. Two Jesuit priests, Alcasar and Ribera, founded the futuristic school of theology in 1585. None of the apostles preached the ideas that we hear today. It was not until 1826 that the futuristic doctrines caught on through the preaching of a well known Protestant minister named Dr. Maitland of England. A Jesuit priest named Lacunza lived from 1747to 1801, and he published religious ideas under the pen name of Ben Ezra. He started the idea of the rapture to fool the people. J.N. DARBY, of the Brethren movement further encouraged this idea. He was in a meeting run by a Scottish Prebysterian minister named Irving when he heard the doctrine of the rapture first stated. It did not take Darby long to spread this "new gospel". Scofield picked it up and placed the doctrine in his notes, which have been widely accepted even to this present hour.

The "Society of Jesus" had done its wondrous work for the Roman church. Luther himself declared, "If the Pope will not recall and condemn this Bull (popish edict of 1520) then no one should doubt that the Pope is the enemy of God...the true antichrist."

   SON OF PERDITION - MAN OF SIN - ANTICHRIST

The son of perdition is found in two places in Scripture: II Thess. 2:3, John 17:12. Perdition means damnation, destruction and to perish. John 17:12 strictly refers to Judas Iscariot when the spirit of Satan entered him. Judas was a disciple, one of the twelve called by Jesus. He was a member of the faith until his falling away.

Paul's letter to the Thessalonians uses the same phrase. Who like Judas was in the faith and then became an enemy? Who appeared to show Christian love but denied the power thereof and turned against the truth? Would it not have to have been one who had an apostolic office like Judas who then fell from the faith? The popes of the Roman church fit the pattern as an enemy from

within. Each vicar of Christ considers himself to be God in the earth.

II Thessalonians 2:4 has been fulfilled naturally. The popes opposed God and they do sit down exalted above God. The temple that is in the scripture is not a Jewish temple but refers to the church. It is the same word temple that is used in I Cor. 3:16. The Pope sits in the church and assumes headship. We have already mentioned how the Pope sits above the "Host" which is the physical representation of Christ.

The futuristic school has been greatly influenced by Scofield's ideas. Not all of the futuristic ideas should be discounted, but the futuristic interpretation of Scripture needs to be separated from Scofield's thoughts

The futurist school, as compared to the historical school, would teach that the temple applies to the Jewish temple; hence they still look for the son of perdition. This idea of the Jewish temple being the actual seat of the antichrist is accepted as truth in evangelical circles, the denominational daughters of the harlot, but the idea was brought forth and developed by the Jesuits. The antichrist will not profane the Jewish temple (there will not be one); rather the antichrist must profane Christianity and come against Christ.

The futurists base their ideas on Daniel 9:25-28. Here they interpret the antichrist as the man in the middle of the week sitting in the temple. They believe that the seventieth week of prophecy is separated from the other sixty-nine weeks and is placed in Revelation for the seven-year tribulation. This is Daniel 9:24 from the Amplified Bible:

"Seventy weeks (of years or 490 years)are decreed upon your people and upon your holy city Jerusalem to finish and put an end to transgression, to seal up and make full the measure of sin to purge away and make expiation and reconcili-ation for sin and to bring everlasting righteousness and to seal up vision and prophecy and prophet and to anoint a holy of holies."

We can clearly see that this decree is going to take place in 490 years. From the time the people were freed from Babylon to return and build again the city of Jerusalem to the time of the coming of Christ would be 490 years. The only one who could "purge away sin" is most assuredly Jesus Christ. The King James Version of Daniel 9:25 states:

"Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be 7 weeks and 62 weeks the street shall be built again and the wall even in troublesome times."

This coming of Christ accounts for His life up to the time of His ministry. This 69 weeks is fulfilled up to the baptism by John when Jesus begins His ministry. Now we are ready for the 70th week. Please note that Prince is capitalized here. This refers to the Messiah. Another prince is mentioned later on that does not refer to Christ. The final place that the word prince is used should be capitalized, again referring to the Messiah. Also realize that God does NOT divide His prophetic time and separate them by 2,000 years or so as some would teach today. All of his prophetic times are chronological units. The KJV of Daniel 9:26 reads:

"And after 62 weeks shall Messiah be cut off but not for himself; and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city 'and sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood and unto the end of the war desolations are determined."

Jesus was cut off upon His birth, for Herod tried to kill Him at that time. Yet, Christ lived. The prince here is not capitalized and this refers to Titus who destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D. This completed the prophecy here and in Matthew 24 where our Lord said judgment would come to the Jews for crucifying Him and rejecting Him. Daniel 9:27 states:

"And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause sacrifice to cease and for the overspreading of the abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."

The "he" refers to Christ. For when His ministry came forth, He did make a covenant with many for He spoke to 5000 twice, and untold numbers believed and followed Him. In the midst of the 70th week He was cut off, for after 3 1/2 years of ministry Jesus was slain. The Jews, who had rejected the Father, (483 years of the 490 year period) now had rejected the Son. Jesus caused sacrifices to cease for He was the one and only sacrifice needed. This is why the temple curtain was rent in twain, to show the end of the law and its fulfilling in Christ. He did make the temple desolate, for He destroyed all the customs, traditions and teachings that were false. No wonder the priestly caste came against Him. The consummation of the judgment occurred in 70 A.D. with Titus' destruction of the temple.

When was the 70th week completed? It was completed with the stoning of Stephen. This showed the rejection of the administration of the Holy Ghost by the Jews. There is a seven year prophetic period in the book of Revelation. The futurists try to tie it into an antichrist reign based on Daniel 9 which we have just talked about. The two are not related although they are similar.

THE BEASTLY IMAGE

We have heard much preaching on the image of the beast. The worry, fear and anxiety caused by the concern for the mark of the beast is totally un-founded. God, our loving Father, does not cause fear, worry or anxiety. Rather He loves us so that He has promised many times that He will never desert us.

We should have no concern for a certain man appearing as the antichrist. We should have no concern for the stamp 666. These are but carnal interpretations of the Word of God. After all, it is not what is on the outside of man that declares his nature but rather what comes out of him (Matt. 15:17-20). We fight not against earthly institutions and governments. Rather our fight is with principalities and powers of the air (Ephesians ÿ6:12). These are not natural powers we fight against, but wickedness and corruption in high places. What are the high places? The high places are the minds of men. It is a spiritual warfare.

The beastly image is our concern. This image can be readily seen abounding in mankind, even among Christians. The carnal mind employs the use of the beastly nature. The beastly nature can be seen in fleshly manifestations of lusts of all sorts. Whether these be fulfilled by bodily action or mental thought, they are the beastly nature. The mark of the beast is not a literal stamp in the forehead or in the hand but truly is the fallen nature of the person! There is no need to look for a mark - one can see it all over the world on many people. The mark that the lusts leave is the beastly image. Those of the same nature can not discern such carnality, but those who have the mind of Christ can see it plainly.

Yet, there is another way that the beastly mark is seen. Often Christians cannot rightly divide the Word of God. The letter killeth, but most take the letter literally and try to apply it spiritually. Only spiritual understanding enlivens the soul. If one sows to the Spirit he reaps spiritual things, not earthly results. If one reaps earthly results, he has not sown to the Spirit.

In accepting the deception of Satan in the garden, Adam and Eve thought they were being spiritual and seeking spiritual things. They accepted the fruit in order to be like gods. Yet, what they thought was a spiritual move and good wholesome endeavors were nothing more than total carnality. Before the fall they were already in the image of the Father. However, that beastly image was emerging from the depths of their being masquerading as truth when in reality it was death (2 Corinthians 11:14).

The beastly image will always manifest itself, and at every opportunity it will try to satisfy its corrupt nature. I once knew a man who came to my door to buy insurance. He said the Lord told him to buy the policy. He kept it a few months and dropped it. I asked him why and he replied that the Lord had told him to do it. How carnal that man was. If God had told him to take the policy in the first place, God Who is changeless, would not have told him to drop it. Rather it was the man's flesh, that beastly nature, that appeared as God speaking to him. If allowed to, that beastly image within the breast of man will destroy the man of God.

The carnal man is concerned about a physical mark on his body, which he thinks is the mark of the beast. But in reality, his own carnality is the mark of the beast that he so fears. Paul declared that he bore the marks of Christ in his body. Of course in the natural there were many marks on his body from the whippings, floggings and the many hardships he faced. But beloved, there was also another marking that could be found, and that mark was the image of Christ. In Galatians he declared that henceforth no man could trouble him any longer in the flesh. Why? Because he bore the image of Christ, the carnal man couldn't touch him. It no longer had a part of him.

Consider both the image of the beast and the image of Christ. Which do you bear in your body? The beastly image is very religious at times. It has an air of outward holiness about it. Many Christians bear the religious beastly mark. Some consider certain types of clothing, hair, etc. to be the prerequisite for holiness. Others are caught up in church rituals and traditions, which are regarded as truth. The use and pleasure of these things by the religious beastly image is nothing more than hidden pride. This image denies that holiness is right standing with God and not solely based on outward appearances. Our righteousness is not based on the doing of things or their religiosity but on the grace of God.

The beastly image preaches a gospel of regulation and legislates holiness to the saints. Worship must be on certain days, the Ten Commandments must be kept, and all works are done to receive a reward from heaven. Such vanity denies that we live by grace and emphasizes works. Christians under this bondage feel condemned if they do not attend every church function. If we truly live by the grace of God, in the inChristed image, we have no condemnation.

The beastly nature is found in sinful man. Those in Christ, although living in a physical body, do not have to conform to the sin nature. They may dwell in an earthen body but their residence is found in Christ. Paul truly declared, "It is no longer I that liveth, but Christ that liveth in me." (Gal.2:20)

Perhaps it should be noted that many who have the baptism of the Holy Spirit are controlled by the carnality of the beastly image. Paul declared that the Corinthian church was in such a state. Their beastly desires overruled their spiritual gifts. Many of their spiritual gifts were used for personal profit and gain - a true sign of the control of the beastly nature.

The greatest deception is the subtleties of the enemy. Many have heard the voice of God say that death to the self-nature is required. Most believers after some study of the Scriptures know that they must put on Christ and cast the old nature away. Yet, the beastly image appears when they think they can help themselves die to the old nature. There is a failure to grasp the idea of putting on the Lord Jesus Christ. This literally means "sink into" Him in the Greek. See references in Ephesians 4:24 and Galatians 3:27.

Have you ever let yourself go and fallen into bed? If you have experienced that then you know there is neither struggle nor fear of missing the bed. You just totally relax and let go, and the soft bed envelops you. This is what "sink into" means, ie. "putting on" Christ. The King James Version implies striving and struggling to put on something, like clothes, etc. Struggling is a beastly way. We walk by grace. We just need to rest and sink into the flow of the Spirit, and God will direct our paths. He will do it because of His good pleasure.

The beastly image is not a physical mark but rather a lifestyle. An unbeliever lives his life totally controlled by the fallen beastly nature. A Christian is delivered from that nature by the work of the cross. He can, fall back into the beastly image if he is not careful. (Gal.4:9-11)

THE IMAGE OF CHRIST

Most Christians are in Jesus Christ, but only some have experienced Christ Jesus. In careful study of the Scriptures we can see that Paul sometimes used the phrase "Jesus Christ" and at other times he said "Christ Jesus." The saint who is in Jesus Christ is saved and may be baptized in the Spirit. The saint who is in Christ Jesus has left his own carnality and is no longer bound by any man. For he who lives by faith and grace is not fettered. Some Christians have Jesus in them, but the deeper Christians are in Christ Jesus. Those in Christ Jesus are separated from the beastly nature and are past being carnal and at enmity with God.

The image of Christ is found in a person who has been conformed to the nature of Christ. Paul stated that he attained this, even while in this unredeemed body. In Galatians 1:16 he says that it pleased God to reveal His Son in him. The kingdom of God is found in the image of Christ. Christ was not of the earth, for he came from the heavens and had no part of Adam's nature Although he walked on the earth during His brief 33 years, He had His existence in that heavenly realm.

The kingdom realm is a spiritual realm with life that is hidden inside the Christian. Evil men have plotted to destroy it because this kingdom has caused great changes in the world situation. It is a controlling power that causes even unbelievers to do things they would not normally do. The power of the kingdom hardened Pharaoh's heart. It raised up Cyrus so that Israel would be released. This same power pervades the life of the Christian and can be exercised with his knowledge, or God can supernaturally use it without the believer's knowledge.

The saints who have the image of Christ are known only to God and have a deep place in the purposes of the kingdom. These pure ones have the power to change history and the future, yet will not lift a pencil to do so if it be not His will. The person who is behind the scenes in the earth realm lives in the heavenlies with Christ and causes great changes in the earth. The earth would have been destroyed long ago if left to the unregenerated. The saints who have been conformed to the image of Christ act as the preserving agent. These hidden channels of life move the earth. The changes in the earth come from spiritual decrees, and only those who live in that realm have the power to accomplish the plans of God.

Consider the story of the pearl of great price. A man saw a pearl and asked what it would cost. The reply was, "This pearl will cost you everything." When asked what he owned the man responded that he had a house, a car, some cash and little else. The man soon learned that the pearl would require all of those things, his family and even his very life.

It is easy for us to give God something that is not too important to us. We may dedicate our house to the Lord and even give our possessions up for His use, but it is a little harder to give our families into His service. The hardest is to totally consecrate ourselves, crucifying all our desires until not one bit of the beastly carnal nature resides in our beings. We must give up ourselves in order to be conformed to the image of Christ.

Consider Joseph in Potiphar's house and how blessed that house was because of Joseph's presence. The world continues because there has always been a seed, a group of people who are being conformed to His image. They are the salt of the earth that preserves the very existence of its people. Joseph, chosen of God, brought salvation to Jacob and his sons (the household of faith) as well as to the families of the Egyptians (the world at large).

Yet, Joseph at that time didn't know why he was in Egypt at Potiphar's house, nor why he would go through more trials. He didn't wimper or complain; he just continued to believe that God was in control of his life, and he rejoiced in the path laid before him. Those called to be conformed to the image of Christ are in such a spiritual place that they go on with God regardless of the cost.

Such a hidden walk without an ostentatious or lavish show is not what most saints seek. I declare to you that the person being conformed to Christ does more than one with a national ministry. Some would be at ease in Zion and allow that beastly nature to run its course, but there are those who have had their flesh bow humbly before God and have ceased from fleshly labors. Their life in the flesh has been in total subjection to Him.

Oh, what a joy to receive a word of truth that "Your life is hid together with Christ in God," Col. 3:3. The elect's desire is to be totally separated from the beastly image and joined with Him forever. Those on the lower plane of existence cannot comprehend the depths of God. They can know about Him, but those of His nature have partaken of Him and dwell in Him.

The beastly image interprets the letter of the Word of God. Those of the image of Christ spiritualize the letter and it becomes life. As we have borne the image of the earthly, so shall we bear the image of the Christ. There is a first fruits company who will lead all creation into that higher plane.

Paul was caught up quite frequently in the Spirit and could finally say that the Son was revealed in him. Enoch was so possessed of the Christ that he "was not." The beginning of the end is at hand. The sons of God are feeling a finality transpire in their bosom. The manifestation is soon to be here for there have been more and more catching ups and the dealings of God seem to require a higher and higher level of holiness than ever before. Hear and understand. Those pressing on have been having experiences in the presence of the Lord which have been causing a great change as they behold His image more and more.

The kingdom of God can not be meat or drink but is spiritual. It is not healing a person to have him die of something else. The love of Christ constrains us so that we do not feed momentary life to this dead flesh. We are to be changed into His marvelous image so that we might be incorruptible and unefiled by that beastly image bearing death. The earth is on its last leg and in its death throes. But the sons are arising with the Morning Star ascending in their nature, and He is well able to change this vile creature into His image.

THE APOSTASY

"Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition." (NIV) 2 Thessalonians 2:3

Only one time in the Holy Scriptures does the word "apostasy" occur. In the King James Version of the Bible it is translated as: falling away. Yet, this one time usage is the foundation of many a theological thought. The Greek word that is transliterated as apostasy means: "defection from the truth, being separated from truth, to be removed and desist from truth."

Truth is not a "thing". Truth is not an object or physical creation on the earth. Truth is not knowledge or wisdom, although both may have truth in them. Truth is not a "what". Nor can it be a "when". We can not say "where" a truth is. Truth is none of the above. By seeking after truth most people look to under-stand something. But that is not truth either.

Truth is a Person. Truth is Jesus Christ (John 14:6). He is the very express image of the Father (Hebrews 1:1). All that He is reveals the very nature of truth. When He speaks, He speaks out of truth. When He walks, He reveals the truth about walking and how it is perfectly done. All that He says, does, and thinks is done in truth. Thus, He is truth. His actions are based upon the very nature of Himself, which is the nature of God, and therefore He cannot act out of His nature, which is pure, unadulterated, holy truth.

Developing a relationship with Christ Jesus will, by the Holy Spirit, lead you into all truth (John 16:13). In other words the Holy Spirit will lead you into Him who is truth and you will become Him because of the change that comes from entering a relationship with Christ. Spiritual growth is Jesus Christ. It is His life, His very creative powers that will lead us into the maturity of Christ (Ephesians 4:12-16). Christ is the very opposite of apostasy. Apostasy is at the other end of the spectrum, even as light is far removed from darkness.

"Defection from truth" is one of the definitions of the word apostasy. I think that it may easily be stated in another way: "Apostasy is defection from Jesus Christ". Since Jesus Christ is truth, defection from truth is a one-hundred and eighty degree change in direction. Apostasy therefore happens when one had a relationship that was begun with Christ but over time this relationship turned against Him. It is a defection from an intimate closeness with God.

One cannot be part of an apostasy or falling away UNLESS one has had a relationship with Jesus Christ. The apostasy occurs among CHRISTIANS. It does not occur among the unregenerated or the unsaved. The pagan who has never been acquainted with Christ through a personal experience is NOT an apostate. You cannot fall away from something that you have never experienced. Apostate religion is that which has fallen away from Christ Jesus.

The key is trying to define what is considered "falling away". It is not easily discerned "who" has fallen away. What one saint considers a defection from God another considers moving on with God. As a Baptist I was taught "speaking in tongues" was a thing from the devil. But when I received this gift from my Father, I realized I was wrong and called something from Him as a thing of the devil! Many times defection from the truth is determined from which side of the fence one is looking. In reality, I, the Baptist, was defecting from the truth.

The "falling away" comes from saints who have left the truth. Truly, it is in God's hands as to whether they have left or paused in their relationship with Him. But the point to be considered is that the saint that falls away is worse off than the person who never knew God. Many times in Scripture the phrase OUTER DARKNESS is used, it is used in relation with a servant of the Lord (Matthew 25:30) or the children of the kingdom (Matthew 8:12). Darkness is where the unbeliever is found. But OUTER DARKNESS is reserved for the saint who has fallen by the wayside.

Yet, typical teaching is that the "falling away" is tied to the last portion of the Scripture which is: "the man of sin, the son of perdition." The idea is that there is ONE person who will appear as the man of sin. This one person will draw away the world. When in realty the man of sin is not one literal person, and if the man of sin was one person, he would draw away only the saints, he would already have the world. Yet the church teaches he draws away the world. Looking at this historically one can find a fulfillment for the man of sin which can be read in Josephus' writings of the first century. He saw the Roman general sit in the temple on the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies eating pigs! This is considered by the historical school of thought as the fulfillment of 2 Thess. 2:3. This would be possible because Paul was supposed to have written this letter about 55 A.D. and the Roman takeover of Jerusalem was 70 A.D. (as was told by Jesus in Matthew 24). If this is acceptable, the Roman general did not draw away the world, but rather drew away the Jewish temple and the Jewish faith.

Another viewpoint held that is historical in nature and definitely more spiritual was produced by the men in the Reformation. Vicar of Christ, the title of the Pope of the Roman Catholic church, means IN PLACE OF Christ. Thus, some reformers believed that the Pope sitting on the throne in the church, was a fulfillment of 2 Thessalonians. This thought also has great historical validity. And the Pope did draw away the church from Christ by keeping the Bible out of their hands, using the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, creating indulgences and penance, besides incorporating into the church pagan customs that were "Christianized".

However, the fallacy of the historical school and the futuristic school (which places the man of sin in a temple some time in the near future) is that both schools of thought are dealing with a LITERAL temple and a JEWISH temple. The Christian church received this letter from Paul, not the Jews. The concern of Paul was with the church and NOT the world. He was NOT concerned with the non-believing Jews and their temple. In fact, Paul uses the word "naos" for temple in this letter. The word for a physical building as a temple or church was "heiron", a totally different word with a totally different meaning. For "naos" is used in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 and also in 1 Corinthians 3:16. Both places refer to the saints' own BODY as the temple. This is far different from a physical building.

Yet, standard theology has misguided the brethren into thinking of a literal man sitting in the seat of a rebuilt temple in the city of Jerusalem. Don't hold your breath on that idea. You may die before it occurs. In the mid-sixties there was a word that stones were being quarried in Indiana for the temple. Many of the saints fell for that as they did for the September '88 rapture! There is not going to be a literal rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. God always does things in 3's. Solomon's temple was the first. Nehemiah's was the second temple. The third temple was that of Herod. No more temples will be built, but most Christians today think there will be one because they believe the fundamentalist point of view.

In looking for the apostasy, we must first know where to look. Most saints feel that the world is a good sign of the falling away. This teaching also is false, for the falling away as we mentioned comes from the church itself, not the world. BUT we CAN say that the world will become worse in its paganism, as the Christians fall away from the faith. So, if the world seems to be getting worse, rest assured your eyesight is keen but be cognizant of the fact that it is getting worse because the Christians are forsaking their faith.

The "falling away" cannot occur unless it is in conjunction with the "revelation" of the man of sin. This is why the word "AND" is used in the Scripture. The word "revelation" means the "apocalypse" or the appearing, the uncovering, the revealing, or the disclosure.There has to be a disclosure of corruption. As Christ came to renew our minds, so then the man of sin is made of a carnal mind. So, the revelation that is appearing, even now, is that of the fullness of the carnal mind.

The carnality of the church is being fully revealed as many ministers unfortunately go for their carnal desires. The preaching of a rapture is a carnal escape mechanism that keeps believers from dealing with the reality of Christ developing in you today. Heaven is preached as a place where we have a party with relatives who have passed on. I declare to you that you won't know any of them for they will all be new in Christ, and you will only know them as they are known - after the Lord. All this carnality, all found in the church, is percolating to a boil. The pot soon will be calling the kettle black.

The very hand of God is revealing the man of sin in the church. Judgment begins at the house of the Lord (Rev. 11:1-3, Leviticus 23:28-29). God is allowing all the foolishness of doctrine to be revealed for what it is. Be aware of the false ideas that have crept into the body of Christ.

Within the body of Christ, the sons of God will come forth (Romans 8:14-23). Their spirit is hungering after the Lord irrespective of their location. Whether they are in the system or out of it, there is a group moving amongst the brethren. They seem to be sons for they speak with words that seem to indicate they understand, and they act as if they are. By all appearances they are, but be not deceived.

God has allowed the tares (immature mutated wheat), to grow with the wheat until harvest. It has not been time to clean the house of the Lord from the corruption within, but NOW IT IS. There will be no eastern philosophies in the move of God. There will be no homosexuality in the move of God. There will be no preaching or teaching that the soul lives forever after death. There will be no liberty, which has degenerated into license. So, the first place that the son of perdition is revealed is from the move of God where the sons come forth.

Judgment, by the hand of God, removes all that proclaims itself holy but does not live it. All that say they are sons are not for if they were, it would be self-evident. The heavens quake. All shall be removed that is not of Him in the third heavens. Judgment begins at the altar of the Holy of Holies (Rev.11). God is presently sifting endtime ministries to prove them. That which remains after the stars fall from heaven will be and now is the visible part of the corporate body of the true sons.

The son of perdition is not an individual man. It is a corporate body of unrepentant saints who sit enthroned in their very own carnal desires - whether they call themselves "gods" or believe that there is no need for any fellowship, or any need for the Bible. For they harvest unto themselves people after the same kind, because the flesh has not been crucified.

The "falling away" is the revelation of the corporate body of the son of perdition. It is made up of those who are religious, speak truth but use it for their own self gratification and consumption rather than being consumed by THE truth. So, they use truth (Christ) to further their own means, but do not allow Christ to consume them.

The end of the age will not come until all that is in in the house of God that is not of Him is removed. The sons, the true sons, will not be manifest until all the tares are removed from the threshing floor. The husks, that carnal nature, will be gone by way of the wind (the Spirit).

Only then can the dry bones of Ezekiel 37 - those bones dead to the ways of the flesh come forth in newness of life and the flesh of incorruption and be brought together as the corporate body of the Christ. Quickened, they will stand together as one river, but will be the voice of many waters, as they proclaim release to creation from the bondage of corruption!

The falling away must come first before the son of perdition can be revealed. The falling away comes from the brethren in the church. The end time situation is somewhat similar to the story of Samson. The call of Samson in the Old Testament was a call to glory. The Lord sought Samson to be a judge in Israel and to set the people free as the anointing of the Lord enabled Samson to deliver the Philistines into Samson's and Israel's hands.

Here was a man that was used mightily of God, and in the end of his life killed more than he had in the whole time he was alive. Many equate the story as a success story. But in reality it is a statement of failure. The spirit of Samson was strong and he desired to serve the Lord. But the flesh, that carnal nature, was even stronger.

He knew the call. He knew that God commanded Israel not to marry persons outside of the faith, ie. the Philistines. Yet, his flesh overcame his spirit. His strength and call were given without repentance - that is to say, God did not cast off Samson and the mission that Samson had. God still used Samson but the path was not direct; it was "around about". Samson could have done much more for the Lord if he had been obedient.

If his spirit had dominated his flesh, he would not have had to die. He wouldn't have had to die because, he wouldn't have been blind. He wouldn't have been blind because he would have been obedient. In the end of his life as he was muzzled and ground out the grain like an ox at the mill, he learned to overcome his flesh and allow the Spirit to dominate. It was a lesson learned late in life, but one that God honored when Samson called upon Him.

Even today we see that the church has gone a whoring. Now the difference between a whore and prostitute is great. A whore in scripture is like Rahab, the harlot, whose parents were followers of the Moabite gods. They had left the faith of Israel. A prostitute is one who uses his/her body for literal fornication.

The church has become the great harlot; its members are the ones in Revelation who have fallen away. They have their system, methods, and ways, which are not God's system, method or way. The son of perdition is the one who is produced by the harlot.

We see this plainly today, as some that say they are sons, are really of the harlot and they are sons of perdition. They have been produced from the false premises that some churches and Christians follow. It is not the true faith that is being revealed but that which is false. Before the sons of God can be revealed, the sons of perdition must be seen.

The eyesight of some of the saints may not be the best. The battle of life on the natural plane at times wears down the saint so that he becomes tired. He sees, but his senses are not sharp to discern. Hebrews 5:14 has not fully been developed in the life of the saint.

Tired of daily fighting the system, the weak Christian is even less likely to open his Bible to study, and if he does open it, it is in the evening when the day is done and he is too! Thus, very little sharpness or spiritual insight will come. Ah, that is why David wrote that we should seek Him early in the day.

The son of perdition offers his ideas to a slumbering giant, the church. The idea creeps into the inner ear as Delilah, who means to make feeble or slacken, speaks soft words which allow the anointing to be removed. Shaved, Samson awakens from slumber to find that his trust in what seemed to be right (the flesh always seems to be right, rational, and logical) was totally incorrect.

The church like Samson is caught in a web that will nearly destroy it. The harlot system is a harlot system because of one simple reason. Not because it has a Romish rake nature, nor is it to be blamed on the denominational daughters, or the independent itinerant. The blame, my friend, lies in the religious nature of the carnal man.

Ah, aren't you a God? For the son of perdition seeks to elevate himself. Yet, God called the backslidden, blasphemous priests gods (elohim). It is no great name but rather the very lowest of natures or manifestations. What our Father has called us to is far higher, purer, holier, more righteous, than being an "el" or "elohim", which is what the word "god" means in Hebrew.

For if the carnal nature gets hold of what our Father is really trying to produce in us, the carnal nature will ingest it, digest it, and produce the result on a lower plane. Samson, the churchman, heard the call of God in his life. He understood it and for a time was spiritual, but like an adolescent struggling to become a man and yet sometimes acting like a child, Samson was unable to overcome his carnal desires.

Instead of waiting for a spiritual marriage where God would come unto Samson and sup with him and produce the nature of God within, Samson was so enamoured with the thought he tried to produce by himself. He shared the pearl of great price. He told the secret before it was produced for God's glory. Thus, Samson brought dishonor to God, since the Philistines, who worshipped Dagon, the fish god, were the very antithesis of true faith.

The desire to be like God, if Godly, will produce Israel, which means like unto God. But before Israel became Israel, the old carnal nature of Jacob (supplanter, deceiver) must be removed or it will only reveal the son of perdition producing after the flesh, a poor imitation of what God is doing.

The manifestation of this religious nature can easily be seen. It reveals its serpentine head like a hydra. Chop off one and another appears. The very core of the beast must be removed or it continues to seem to come back to life again, even as in the book of Revelation 18:3 where the wound seemed to be healed.

EZEKIEL 37

As we concluded part one we mentioned Ezekiel chapter thirty-seven with the vision Ezekiel had of the valley of dry bones. The two chapters before it speak of the judgment of the nations and of Edom in particular. The chapter after (38) speaks of Gog and the battle that ensues.

Edom represents the flesh and all that has to be removed from the scene. It was Edom who was descended from Esau (Gen. 25:30, 36:1). But it goes even further. Esau lived in Mount Seir (Genesis 36:8) and in Ezekiel 35:3,7, and 15 God states He will make Seir desolate.

Galatians 4 states that there are two Jerusalems. One is the natural city where the descendants of Ishmael worship. The other is the Jerusalem that is from above and for the descendants of Abraham. Those who are seeds of the spiritual promise worship the Father.

The Jews over in natural Israel are not true Jews but are descendants of Ishmael. They and the Edomites (Arabs) over there are of the flesh and worship the flesh. The vision in Ezekiel, while able to be taken on the natural plane, has a very important spiritual fulfillment.

It speaks of the outer and inner man. The outer man, that man of the flesh,is at enmity with God. The carnal mind is always contending for the pre-eminence above God. It is this reason that God will destroy and remove all signs of the flesh. Desolate is the word that Ezekiel uses to describe the destruction that shall come upon Israel.

The destruction first comes to the house of the Lord, Israel. Its purpose is to remove all that is flesh, that religious flesh of Israel that was visible through the corrupt priesthood of Israel (Ezekiel chapter 8). The sons of Edom are no different than the sons of perdition!

Ezekiel 37:3 God asks Ezekiel whether or not the bones can live. Ezekiel under the Lord's direction prophesies to the bones that the breath of God would come into them. They are dead. It is the resurrection life, that breath of God, that will raise the bones up. This speaks of the out resurrection of Philippians 3:10 that Paul was seeking after.

God made man in His image and it was "good". The framework, the bones were good. The foundation in Christ was fine. But God deals from the inner man outward. So as the breath of life had dominance, it causes the flesh to be formed on the bones. The flesh is the flesh of resurrection life! While the world looks on at the death throes of this planet in the natural, they do not see the sons, for they look upon the natural body.

But just as Christ was transfigured from the inner man and out-rayed to the outer man, so the sons are moving and have been moving in the inner man, the resurrection man, the man who lives by the breath of God. The life in the bones is transforming the saints into the glorious corporate body of Christ.

"Suddenly, the bones came together, bone to bone"(vs.7). It is the sons of God, who will lead the church into the deliverance from the flesh. In order for them to come forth there has to be a knitting of the bones together. The muscle structure of the corporate body of sons is the Holy Spirit. Fitly joining us in Christ together.

Verse 10 states that the body stood. Yet it also states that they were an ARMY. How can one body be an ARMY if it is but one person? The answer is that it is the corporate body of the sons raised from the dead, the carnal nature removed and the new man revealed. In verse 12 he tells that army, that body to come forth out of the grave - out of the systems of the flesh (those religious, economic, political). They are Israel, which means like unto God. They have truly become sons of God.

"I will put my Spirit in you, and you shall live..." states verse 14 of Ezekiel 37. He shall do this work. He shall cause the sons to live. He will receive the glory of this work and revelation. It is His and only His. The importance of this can not be underestimated. The collapse of society into nihilism is but part of the degeneracy of man. The collapse must be total for the Lord to receive full glory for what He will reveal at this time.

All across the world, the sons have been birthed. While some were birthed in times past, they did not receive the change for it was not the time. It is the end of the age, and if it be the time as some would suggest, we shall see the sons of this age bring forth the newness of life. When they do, as this body of bones is brought forth throughout the world, the shock to a dying world will cause a violent reaction.

Those dying will see that some have life. They will realize that their selection was wrong. Their path was more traveled and they should have chosen the less traveled one. The result will be that some will curse God and still remain in their death throes. Others will repent, even as the thief on the cross.

The sons shall come forth as the firstfruits of the image of the true church. Christ is the head of the church, those formed in His image who have overcome the flesh 100%. These victorious saints shall reveal perfection on the earth, even as THE SON of God did so. They are the corporate extension of Him, so that the 10 virgins can see the GROOM (Jesus) with His BRIDE (the overcomers, the sons). The church, that realm of Passover (salvation) and Pentecost, will see that they didn't have enough oil (salvation realm) or had enough oil but did not die to self and thus are only attendants at the wedding (the people who have received the Baptism of the Spirit).

The desert (wilderness) produced a victorious Jesus. The place of dry bones, of death to self, will also produce a corporate body of the sons of God. They too will come out of death victorious. We should not be shaken soon in mind or troubled by our Spirit as this day dawns in our consciousness. The day of the Lord is not necessarily a specific time, like June 10, 1995 but can be a time of entering a spiritual place or realm.

Some church preachers, teachers, and ministers have taught that the falling away is the revealing of one, single, solitary man. Yet, John writes in his first epistle that the antichrist was among them even in that day (1 John 2:18-19). The understanding of apostasy isn't time oriented nor event oriented but is rather concerned with conditions of the heart and spirit.

The apostasy is among brethren and not outsiders, as we have discussed. The apostasy occurs over many doctrines. The falling away begins when some brethren do not believe similarly. Thus splinter groups, those denominational and nondenominational daughters of the harlot church(Rome), are formed without the true knowledge of God.

Even in the day that Jesus lived there were the Essenes, the Sadducees, and the Pharisees. Of course, there were many others also that interpreted the Old Testament in different ways. The splinter groups were many then, and they are many now. How can they divide Christ? But they do.

John writes that if they were of us, they would have continued with us. It is sad to think that doctrine is more valuable to some than the experience of living in Christ. I Heard a story of a minister preaching to his congregation. He stated they were all sinners, and dead. One fellow in the back said outloud for all to hear "I am alive in Christ." He lived by experience in Christ.

How does one "deny that Jesus is the Christ"? "He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also "(1 John 2:22-23). The Jews denied the Son at the time of the crucifixion. In fact, they pro-claimed let His blood be upon our heads (Acts 18:6). Could this be why the Jews were and are so persecuted today? The judgment that seems to fall upon these people is directly related to the crucifixion of Jesus.

But denying Christ goes far deeper than just the Jews. If we have any other God other than Jesus, we are an infidel. Some it is children, others it is their spouse, family, job, church, pension, security, etc. Or it could be their doctrine. Some even use the Holy Spirit for their own gain (Matthew 7:21-22). All these are of the antichrist.

Vine's New Testament Dictionary states the following: "The pseudo-christos', a "false Christ" is to be distinguished from antichrist. Pseudochristos is found in Matthew 24:24 and Mark 13:22 The "false Christ" does not deny the existence of Christ, he trades upon the expectation of His appearance, affirming that he is the Christ. The antichrist denies the existence of the true God."

The antichrist is the person who places himself as god rather than Jesus. In a historical sense, the Roman Pope was called the "Vicar of Christ". Luther, Gibbon and others wrote that the word "vicar" means in place of. Thus, the Pope stood in place of Christ. This is an antichrist, one of many. As a side bit of information, there were two Popes that ruled at the same time for quite some time, one in France and one in Rome. At one point in time one Pope gave birth!

The beast in Revelation 13 is related to all of this concerning the antichrist. The 3rd verse of Revelation 13 reads: " I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast."

Martin Luther mortally wounded the Roman beast with the Sword of the Spirit. He opened the Bible to the common man and thus began the restoration of the truth, the Holy truth. But the antichrist is still strong and healed. It was healed in order that those who would still desire deception would be deceived. For each is drawn away from God by his own lusts, whatever they may be (James 1:14).

For who can make war with the beast nature and win ? It is only Christ. If we try to help the Lord win the battle, defeat is imminent. It is the Lord alone, who wins the battle and will receive the glory! Paul strove with the beasts at Ephesus (1 Corinthains 15:32). These were not animals, but men who sought to preach another gospel, which was not the gospel of Jesus Christ. The beast nature rises up and produces the way of the flesh.

The antichrist is the religious beast nature within the breasts of the Christians who have not surrendered all to the Lord. The baptism of the Spirit begins the removal of the flesh if the saint yields to the Spirit, but if the saint does not, the flesh remains and controls the vessel, since the Spirit is gentle and will not dominate.

The son of perdition (2 Thessalonians 2), the man of sin, is responsible for the corruption of the world because he seeks to establish a "religious way " as acceptable. It was religion that ran the Inquisition, that Popish, diabolical plot to persecute true saints. It was religion that forced the Puritans and Pilgrims to flee for their lives from England. It was filthy religion that caused the Hugenots (French Protestants) to flee France or remain and be killed by the Roman Catholic church.

Religion begat the crusades. The Popes needed money, the Western society needed an economic uplift. So religion led the way and selfrighteously persecuted Moslems, who later retaliated and Western society felt indignant. In the history of religious Israel, religion destroyed the nation of Israel as Zealots challenged Rome. The religion of communism battles Western culture's religious Judeo-Christian ethic. The struggle goes on for some.

While the one, the son of perdition, seeks to dominate, rule and control the true sons of God seek to be humbled, meek, and to be a servant. While the one elevates self, the other seeks to remove self. While one enjoys and seeks the limelight of notoriety, the other seeks to have the Lord glorified. While one seeks to be religious, the other seeks to be like Jesus.

The apostasy that we speak of is far larger than what is visibly seen on a world basis, national basis, or even a local basis. The apostasy is the man of sin standing up in the temple - in you.

NAOS OR HIERON?

The man of sin stands in the temple. The word temple used in 2 Thessalonians is NAOS. It is a Greek word. It means the body of a person. The word HIERON is also a Greek word and it is used in conjunction with a physical building.

Thus, if HIERON had been used in 2 Thessalonians, it would have referred to a building or a temple built of mortar and stone. Some without researching assume that the temple that the man of sin will sit in is a NATURAL BUILDING MADE OF STONE. But this is a lie. We are bombarded with fundamentalist Christianity doctrine, which proclaims the temple in Jerusalem, will be rebuilt. The man of sin, that son of perdition, causes a rebellion that is within the temple of God. He rises up and assumes a place of authority that he does not have. The rebellion (2 Thess. 2:3) occurs when the man of God yields his leadership to the man of sin, that carnal mind, those fleshly desires of the outer man.

Instead of God being seen in the house of God. We see the image of a false god - man. Jacob means supplanter or liar. He was a deceitful man. He slept at Bethel, which means in the Hebrew: house of God. His natural desires were stronger than God's. It was here he forced God, by the strength of the natural man, to bless him (he wrestled with an angel, Gen.32). On the way back from his trip, he now calls the place EL-BETHEL (Gen. 35:7). God of the house of God. Jacob had yielded his nature over from being a liar, to the nature of God and his name was changed to ISRAEL which means one like unto God. God called Israel a rebellious house. So is the church the same.

The apostasy is being revealed. The rebellion has to be revealed before the manifestation of the sons of God. The harvest comes, and the angelic ministry of the reapers begins. The tares and wheat are harvested together. The tares mature faster and are sometimes taller than the the regular harvest of wheat. But they are mutants. While they stand a "head" above the the wheat, it is that very head that will be removed.

When the sons are birthed, the heavens are rent, even as the earth quaked with the death of Christ. For the graves, whited sepulchres, as the Pharisees were called, or vessels without water, will be opened and will show their apostasy. When their house, temple, is opened it will reveal either the fulness of Christ or it will reveal a dead corpse.

When real life is manifested, the apostasy will be truly revealed and understood for what it is! For a dead corpse will not look alive any more compared to a real live resurrected life encounter of the first degree. Who would choose the way of apostasy, if the way to true life were opened to them? The many faceted, multiheaded hydra of the god of self is being revealed for what it is. The beast rises (Rev.13) out of the sea, out of the humanity of man. The beast speaks platitudes that are at enmity with God, even blasphemous. "Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven" (Rev. 13:6).

The antichrist denied that Jesus had come in the flesh (1 John 4:1-3). He looks for a physical appearing of Christ in the clouds. He denies the coming of Christ in a corporate body. Even the Jewish leaders of Jesus day denied that Jesus was the son of God come in the flesh and called it blasphemous!

As it was then so is it now. Rather than fly away into some odorous cloud in a polluted heaven, we see Jesus coming forth in His sons, while the beast seeks to rule from a heavens (our minds) masquerading under religious and spiritual power. Such is the war in the heavens that occurs with the birthing of the sons of God.

The very birthing of the sons causes the heavens to quake and that which is not of God, that which has no foundation in Him will be removed by the shaking. But God, has a man that dwells in the heavens, lives in the temple, who shortly will be revealed after the apostasy has its full work.

"But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexual immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie."

In Philippians 3:2 Paul writes concerning the Pharisees that they are "dogs". In chapters 5-7 of Matthew Jesus mentions that there are dogs which are hypocrites. The Lord implies there to the multitude that the "Pharisees" are such but He does not say that forthrightly. In Revelation 22:15 the word "dogs" is used again are referring to the people OUTSIDE of Jerusalem.

Anyone who has known the way and receded is considered a "dog". Peter even writes that a dog will turn back to its own vomit and eat it. Repulsive. Repugnant. But a person controlled by his own desires and not willing for the Lord to remove those desires will turn again to the old way.

There are six things mentioned in Revelation 22:15. Symbolically, six is the number of man and the fullness thereof. But also note that there are three sets of two:

dogs – sorcerers,      sexual immoral – murderers,         idolaters - liars

There is a specific reason for the breakdown of these into three groups. Each represents a part of a person. We are all spirit,soul, and body. Each of these correlates to dogs/sorcerers, or sexual immoral/murderers, or idolaters/liars.

It is obvious that sexual immorality and murders are related to the desires of the flesh, that natural plane. While there are indications it may be applied to the spiritual plane, the Scripture here would indicate otherwise because all three areas are covered individually.

Sexual immorality and murder can be forgiven - as in the case of David. Here we see a man after the heart of God who sinned but was forgiven. The sins of the flesh can hinder development of the individual but not keep the individual from entering into what God has for them.

Idolatry and liars are those who play mind games, things of the soulish realm. Generally, they set themselves up as the god of the house of God. Their desires, their goals and their purposes are superior to prevent he development of their families. Many raise their children to relive their own childhood in the way they wished it was for them. Idolatry is so subtle. Yet, it is also flagrant.

Idolatry was forbidden by the ten commandments (decalogue) in two specific ways. First, the people were to have no other gods before Yahweh. Secondly (Ex.20:4-6), they were to forbid the worship of any FORM of image or idol. Today this would take into account the idols: cross, image of Jesus, rosary, saint worship, Mary worship, pictures of the Lord etc. All these are forms of idolatry.

This is one reason why Samuel was so upset that the people had to have a king. God was their king. But the people could not be spiritual enough to grasp that. They were so carnal that they had to have an icon in their house, or a king to look at. Today people have icons on their dashboards!

Idolatry is directly related to the the carnal mind.For the carnal mind seeks to be religious. It seeks to be pure within the confines of an aesthetic nature. We find in Ephesians 5:5 and also in Colossians 3:5 that covetousness is a sin of idolatry. The desiring of "something" is a sin and keeps the person OUT OF the kingdom of God.

Paul writes that as children of light, walk in the light and abstain from the desires of the flesh and that of the carnal mind. Both are at enmity with God. Both will keep a person out of the kingdom. The cost is too great for the pleasure of the very moment.

The key point though is that the covetous man is the same as an idolater. So, while the Old Testament dealt with the idea of literal idols and images, which are just as bad today, the New Testament deals more with the desires of the person.

The third area that the list includes is that of dogs and sorcerers. The word sorcerer is where we get our word pharmacist from. Not only does it mean the dispenser of drugs, but also means the magician, witch, or caster of spells.

Isaiah 56:10 states that false prophets are "dogs". Paul reuses that idea in Philippians. Here again we find that the "dogs" are outside of Jerusalem. That is to say that they are not in the household of faith which Jerusalem represents. In fact, Jerusalem represents "the mother of us all"(Gal.4:6) who are born of the Promised seed.

A false prophet is one who is religious but not of the same spirit as the ones in the faith. A false prophet is not one who prophecies incorrectly. There are many saints who know the spirit of the Lord upon them and do prophesy but taint it with some of their flesh. These are not false prophets. A false prophet is one who speaks out of the realm of the enemy. It is one who seeks to lead the people astray from Jesus Christ. A false prophet is tied to the antichrist and beast for he is of the same nature. His spirit is not of the Spirit of Christ.

Thus, when we find the usage of a "dog" in Scripture we find a reference to the spirit of the false prophet. The word dog/sorcerer refers to the spirit. Sexual immoralty/murderers refers to the flesh. Idolaters/liars refers to the carnal mind. All three levels of corruption are found outside the city of God. They have no part in the kingdom of God.

The dogs run to Gehenna, hell. They run to the refuse dump, which is what Gehenna means, and it refers to the garbage dump outside the walls of Jerusalem at the time of Christ. The dogs, those false religious leaders, will go to the dump and eat the vomit of society, just as vultures eat the carrion of dead beasts.

The sorcerers are evident in society today. Drugs are the predominant form of self-worship there is. At the same time drugs show evidence of a self hate, which is narcissitic in the sense that individual pleasure is most important, even at the cost of society. Yet, the very attraction of the drug is the very razor edge that slices the individual to destruction. Drugs are merely a symbol of the underlying problem in the culture.

Idolatry shows itself when one has the attitude that he does not "go down to another's level". Or as I have heard said "We have matured now". Good. Glad you have. But let us as sons GO DOWN to their level so that they might be lifted up to the depths of God, never to be entangled by the desires of drugs, Satanism etc.

HOW DO WE STOP THE FALLING AWAY, THE APOSTASY?

The falling away is the part of the plan of God which must come first before the manifestation of the sons of God can be seen in the temple of God (our bodies). Yet, that does not mean that we can sit idly by. Ours is a mission to the lost and dying world. We are to evangelize the world for Christ. Jesus, our pattern, was active in his whole life preaching the word of God. Whether it be debating at 12 with the elders, or even in the carpentry shop with Joseph.

The great commission in Matthew 28 was given to us, not only to preach the kingdom, but to manifest it in our lives and let people see it being worked out. We are sons today, not on the eve of being a son. There is no tomorrow. It is today that the kingdom of God is amongst us.

The waiting for a change, a twinkling, is a rapture idea in itself, but it has changed color. The coming of Christ will not occur UNTIL all things are put under his feet (1 Cor.15:28). It is the sons putting their feet down wherever they are, as Joshua of old was told. For wherever he placed his feet it would be his.

We need not be concerned about the apostasy. We need to be aware of it. We can limit the reach of the apostasy by proclaiming Christ formed in us, magnified in us, revealed in us. Reveal the life in which you live. Otherwise, you too are a part of the apostasy by not being what you claim you are.

Isaiah 26:18

"We have been with child, we have been in pain; we have as it were, brought forth wind; we have not accomplished any deliverance in the earth, nor have the inhabitants of the world fallen."

There has been a calling of God since Adam for the truly spiritual to bring forth, out of themselves, the very image of God after whom they were fashioned. The effort of Adam's descendants was futile. Giants were produced in the land (Genesis 6). Reprobates were produced also. But most of all, even the very faithful of God were not able to bring forth out of their innermost being, a full image of God. Failure was evident. It was such a stench in the nostrils of God that he destroyed the earth except for Noah and his family.

The nation of Israel, that country established by Joshua, was called to produce the very seed of the Lord and reveal Him to the nations. Israel was called not because it was better than any other nation but because God loved the people (Deuteronomy 7:7). God had a plan and purpose for that nation. It was a plan that was great in its scope; in fact, the plan was so large that all the nations were to be called through Israel.

Isaiah was disturbed because he saw the nation with all the signs to the world of being "God's people" and yet they were not producing the very fruit that was needed to keep them from being overrun by the worldly systems of the day. He cried out against the acceptance of foreign ways and alliances that would entangle the people of God with the pagan countries and their ways. He saw the hindrances that kept the kingdom of God from being brought forth.

Isaiah was lamenting the fact that the nation of Israel had failed to produce the desired result. He was crying out of frustration at the lack of faith in Israel and its incompetence. Isaiah was alive and in the court of Judah, when the northern kingdom (Israel) was taken into captivity. He saw the possibility of the same fate coming to Judah if they failed to produce the nature of God.

Isaiah said Israel "broke wind" which is the KJV expression for flatuence. Israel brought forth that which was wind. It was odorous, foul smel-ling, putrid, full of death, void of life, explosive, unproductive and a gaseous waste. Israel thought she was pregnant with the life of God, but in reality had a bad case of gas. Called to be the people of God and to produce the manifest-ation of God in their lives, this nation through its rituals, customs, traditions and alliances produced death. When they were to be the hope of the world bringing deliverance, Israel failed.

Matthew 21:18-22 The Fig Tree

G. Campbell Morgan writes in his book, The Cursing of the Fig Tree: "The parable of the fig tree is a continuation of God's extended hand and judgment. Some have said that His action in destroying the tree was an act of injustice. Mark tells us, 'It was not the season of figs.' People have fastened upon that and have said if it was not the season of figs, it was an act of injustice to destroy the tree, because no figs were on it. Then it has been objected that it was an angry action, because He was hungry. He was hungry and no figs were there; and so in anger He smote the tree with His power and destroyed it. It is interesting to see people think that was wrong. One wonders where they learned it was wrong, if they did not know Jesus! The very objection grows out of a consciousness of the mind and the heart of Jesus. Still there is the objection, which is definitely raised. The third objection is that is not in harmony with His methods as they have been revealed.

We need not tarry with these objections. First of all let us look at the charge that it was an act of injustice. What are the facts about fig trees? The usual time of figs there in the East was certainly June, and I think we can say without argument, this cursing happened in the month of April; so Mark says it was not the time of figs, not the time of the full usual harvest of figs. BUT there was a kind of first ripe fig, before the time of figs, often found on certain fig trees. In the prophecy of Isaiah, in the course of the 28th chapter, describing the desolation that was coming, he said 'The crown of the pride of the drunkards of Ephriam... shall be as the first ripe fig before the summer (June); which when he looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in hand he eateth it up.'That is an allusion to a fact of nature, with which all dwellers in that land are familiar. On certain fig trees ripe figs were found BEFORE the summer, which was the time of figs; and whenever figs were so found, it was BEFORE THE LEAVES APPEARED, when the trees were just burgeoning out. The figs were found growing on the stems and on the branches before the leaves came out.

But when Jesus came to this fig tree, He found nothing but leaves. There should have been NO leaves at all. It was a false development, so there were leaves, but no fruit. It was a tree of false development. The leaves suggested its fruitfulness, but no fruit was there...Leaves were on the tree before the time, but no fruit... it was upon this condition that our Lord based His word, 'Let there be no fruit from thee henceforth forever.' So much for the charge of injustice. It was the cursing and destruction of a tree that had failed."(end of quote)

The tree is a type or shadow of the nation of Israel. The point is that Israel was to be a first-fruit of all nations. It was to blossom forth before the normal season of fruit. The leaves suggested that the first fruits were already there and the normal harvest was in the immediate future. While the nation of Israel had leaves - the look of a godly nation - it was a lie. Jesus cursed the tree for its deception and a lack of fruit.

My beloved friends, the call given to the church, spiritual Israel, is a serious call. We as the church have been grafted in CONDITIONALLY. The book of Romans (11:19-20) states: "...Branches were broken off that I might be be grafted in. Well said. Because of unbelief they (Israel) were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either..".

The church, like Israel, has been led into its own captivity. The present church system is full of rituals, traditions, customs and various alliances that are unacceptable to God. God is giving warning to His remnant to produce fruit in spite of the falling away, the apostasy, the antichrist system etc.

THE ANOINTED ONES

The apostasy has been discussed in some detail, and there is great reason to be concerned about the times for which the world is heading. It is a shame the orchestrated manipulations of the world governments are accepted by the masses as a great "democratic upheaval." It is all planned, all part of the antichrist system layng foundations for one-world government. The apostasy in the church is part of the plan of God to sift from the church the people who claim to be Christians but in reality are not.

Everything is proceeding according to the ultimate plan of God. The beauty is that God has seen fit to include us to live at this time and take part in His plan of the Ages. How precious it is that of all the saints who looked towards this age, we are the ones elected of God to assist in the very consummation of the age.

Discouraged by the times? Beaten down by the system? Fearful of what the future holds? By no means! What a tremendous opportunity to be used as a vessel for His glory in this hour. Chosen to reveal the divine purpose of man, the elect of God will march forth establishing the kingdom of God by the power of His glory radiating from their being.

Let the world leaders deceive the people with false hopes of freedom in Communist countries; let there be people crying that there is peace in the world. For these things must come - the full manifestation of the antichrist system in social, economic, religious and political realms, as well as the apostasy of the church. These things must appear so that the anointed of God will appear as a clear choice.

The word "Christ" means "anointed". The ANOINTED ONES. In the original texts of the Bible it was written as Jesus THE Christ. But the Greeks had no understanding of why the THE had to be there and dropped it out. Thus, the Bible today shows it as Jesus Christ rather than Jesus THE Christ. Christ is not Jesus' last name.

He is THE anointed. There will never be another Jesus. But He has many brethren who are conformed to His image and they also are christs - anointed ones. In Genesis 31:13 we find the first usage of the Hebrew word "masah" or our understanding of anointed. Jacob,which means deceiver, liar, supplanter, had his name changed by God to Israel, which means like unto God. Jacob stopped at Luz and fell asleep. He dreamed a vision so real that when he awoke he called the place Bethel (house of God) instead of Luz and anointed the rock upon which his head had lain.

The body only does what the head tells it. The head has to be anointed and lead the body where it is going. This is the first occurrence of the word "masah" or "anoint" in the Old Testament. It is indicative of many truths and worthy of consideration, especially in the life of Jacob. But here we find that the anointed pillar (rock) was dedicated as a remembrance of a spiritual awakening. Jesus, the Christ, was a spiritual awakening in an age that had not heard from the prophets for over 400 years. Jesus was the anointed of God, which to many Hebrews was a blasphemous statement. God was going to send a MAN who would be a king in the same manner as David. Jesus was not what they had pictured from their own theologically deceived minds. Now, the Christian world with their own theologically deceived minds looks for the physical return of a literal man, Jesus.

In this the consummation of the age God is bringing forth a man-child who will and is now beginning to manifest the very nature of Him. These anointed ones have formed rank and stand together as one corporate son with one body, made up of many sons individually. The anointing runs down from the head to the feet. It begins at Bethel, house of God, our temple that is our body. But God must be God of the house of God. So, they lose their nature and it becomes El Bethel, God of the house of God.

As Jacob had a vision from God, so all those anointed of God have a vision that is clear and profound. God told Jacob (Genesis 28:13-15) that the land in which he lived - the very place where he dwelt, and had his being - was his! Ah, what a redemption. To wit the body (allegorically). He should produce such that his seed would be as the dust of the earth. For that incorruptible seed produces only incorruptible results. Jacob had Israel within him all the time, but while living in Israel, it changed his Jacob nature. His seed of the living Israel shall produce in the earth a great seed, a many membered body.

It takes a vision, which is from God, and the anointing - that setting apart of that place, to produce the desired result. Jacob dedicated that stone which is Christ as a monument to what God promised to do in Jacob. God promised to produce Christ in Jacob. Jacob was so enraptured with the concept that it was life unto His very being. He fathered a nation that God chose to use.

Now, it is the time of Jesus Christ. Jesus has fathered a nation of sons (Romans 8:19) who are coming forth in His anointing. They have been prepared and also established in His ways. While the world crumbles from its LAST hope of maintaining itself (the last hope being one - world government as a solution), the sons have had Christ, the anointing, producing in them the very solution for which the world is looking. Salvation of the world is here - it is in you and me to be made manifest in this hour! Praise and thank our Lord and Saviour Jesus the Christ, the Father of us all. For it is He that has made us and not we ourselves! His handiwork shall be seen in all the earth, and the cosmos shall rejoice at His appearing.

Three times the Lord accepted the title, that is the office, the very position of the anointed. It is found in Matthew 16:17, Mark 14:61-62 and John 4:26. We find Peter having a divine revelation of who Jesus was. Jesus was talking to the Samaritan woman and she had said that she knew Christ would come and tell them all things. He agreed and said He was Christ. When Jesus was being questioned by the High Priest before His execution, the High Priest asked Him if He was the Christ and Jesus answered that He was.

With the acceptance of the "office" or "position" of the anointed came a responsibility to fulfill the role. Jesus had to live up to the title and reveal that He was the anointed one of God. The requirement remains for those who are called to fulfill the same call. They not only must reveal that they are anointed but also live up to the example of Jesus.

The examples of the scriptures mentioned above are very important to us, who are called to walk in His steps. We are not to tell church people who we are as we live our life - God will reveal it to the house of Israel(Peter). Those who are NOT of the faith we can tell (the Samaritan woman) as they seek the truth. And lastly, when we are before the system, ready to be offered, we can proclaim to them the truth so that their understanding of darkness as light might be changed. If they do not accept and desire to remain in darkness, it will be as coals of fire upon them that they might be released from their corruption.

As we follow the example of Jesus during His ministry, we walk as the anointed. We proclaim the truth - a person. Truth is not knowledge. Truth is not understanding. Truth is the very living person of God Himself. The invisible made visible by the revelation of God. We are to be the vessel by which the invisible God is made manifest to the world so that the world might be saved (John 3:17).

Christ in us, the hope of glory, some would say. It is a true statement. But a hope deferred is a hope that is lost (Proverbs 13:12). Ours is not a hope but an ever present knowing of Him whom in times past we hoped for. The disciples were to eat of the Last Supper in remembrance of Him until He would come and sup with them in the kingdom (Matthew 26:29). Many have taught that this means we must keep the communion service until a literal kingdom is made manifest. Yet, He came as the mighty wind of the Holy Spirit. He ate with some on the road to Emmaus.

Yet, the Scriptures declare that Christ was the kingdom. He did only what He saw His Father do. It was never His will but always His Father's. He came to earth to reveal the invisible so that the visible could understand the invisible. He was the divine expression of God. We who have been anointed, set apart, consecrated and called to reveal Him, must reveal the authority of the kingdom in action within our lives.

"And if CHRIST (not Jesus here but the ANOINTING) be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness"(Romans 8:10).

Let us requote that using anointing in place of Christ. "And if the ANOINTING be in you the body is dead because of sin." The anointing causes us to live after LIFE and not after the body. Thus, we must discern the people who claim to be ministers of life who do not live a life of anointing because of their lusts of the flesh. While they may have AN anointing. It is not THE anointing. The anointing of Christ is pure, holy, and is a lifestyle.

"I am crucified with CHRIST (not Jesus but the ANOINTING), nevertheless I live; yet not I, but CHRIST (not Jesus but the ANOINTING) liveth in me..."(Galatians 2:20).

Let me requote that using the word anointing. " I am crucified with ANOINTING, nevertheless I live; yet not I but ANOINTING liveth in me...". Have you read this verse in such a manner before? Does the anointing of God crucify you ? It is no wonder that Jesus was THE Christ. He was the epitome of a life anointed to die. Every aspect of His walk was a revelation of a life that was dead to self-interest.

I can tell a "son of God" by the "Christ" that has worked out in him. The ANOINTING crucifies the one who is a son. The one who claims he has the anointing, and seems to when he preaches, is a bastard. Why ? Because the true anointing crucifies the flesh and exalts the Lord God Almighty. The anointed one never seeks preeminence. The anointing is gentle, kind, soft spoken, etc. He who claims he is a son, a manifested one, is by the very declaration a proof that he/she is not. Consider the aforeto mentioned where three times Jesus declared Himself as a son. See if these present day sons measure up to any one of the three situations when it is appropriate to declare their sonship.

"My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until CHRIST (not Jesus but the ANOINTING) be formed in you.."(Galatians 4:19). It is the anointing of God that will bring about the revelation of Jesus in your flesh. It is the anointing that breaks the yoke. The divine expression that Jesus was was a revelation of God. It had to be formed. The invisible had to become a visible expression. It takes the anointing formed in you to be the manner in which God will come forth.

Consider Ephesians 3:17 which states: That CHRIST (not Jesus but the ANOINTING) may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love...". It is the resident anointing, not the normal Pentecostal anointing like on the day of Pentecost. It is not the anointing that comes and goes as it moved on the prophets.

It is an anointing that resides and qualifies you to be a son indeed. The anointing revealed in the Old Testament was an anointing that was powerful enough to deliver the great men of faith, but NOT powerful enough to deliver all creation. It was an individual anointing. But we, upon whom the end of the age has come, will come forth in the image of Jesus with an anointing exactly the same as His. He delivered by His death and resurrection the whole of creation from its sins. We shall reveal by the ministry given to us the deliverance of all creation - Romans 8:20-24. Thus, when we speak of the ANOINTED ONES we are not speaking of an anointing that was evident in times past nor even the anointing on present day ministries. The ANOINTED ONES who will come forth are those who have entered into an ultimate relationship with the Father through His Son, Jesus. These people will be, have to be in the very fullness of glory and power of God because God will be glorified through them (1 Thess.1:10).

The anointing that Jesus had was the very living presence of God. The sons of this hour abide in the anointing. The word abiding means live, dwell in. The anointing is alive itself -"...but Christ liveth in me."(Galatians 2:20). The anointing is a being - God Himself. "Now, if we be dead with CHRIST (not Jesus but the ANOINTING), we believe that we shall also live with him."

Perhaps, some would think we are stretching the point of the word CHRIST. Most folks believe that CHRIST is Jesus. What we are trying to say is that the ANOINTING is abiding, never ending, and goes through all of the Ages. While Jesus was the manifestation of God for thirty-three years, the ANOINTING abides. It is the ANOINTING that brings our identification with Jesus. For the anointing prepares us for burial (dead with Jesus). It is the abiding anointing that resurrects us as it did Jesus.

Truly, we are not doing away with Jesus as the Christ. Nor would we want to! But what we are trying to emphasize is that the anointing, that ever present presence of God in Jesus, is what made Him what He was. There was never a person like Jesus. Who could explain or possess an incarnation of God in a man? Yet, at the same time it is imperative that we begin to see that the word Christ can and should be interpreted in another manner. When the word Christ is read, it should be translated into our understanding as the very anointing of Jesus the ever present and controlling spirit of God.

Jesus came to the house of Israel. Israel did not recognize Him because they did not know the anointing - the presence of God, the very life of God. Today the sons shall come forth and be like Jesus. The church like Israel of old will not recognize them, because the church knows not the anointing.

Revelation 11:15 states that the world "has become the kingdom of our LORD and His CHRIST". Jesus is the LORD. He and His Father are one. But who is the CHRIST? It is the sons made manifest in His Image. "There shall be no strange god in thee; neither shall thou worship any strange god." The one formed in us is the LORD, the CHRIST.

The invisible God has found an expression. He found it in His Son. In this age He has determined that "Christ shall be formed in us." The anointing shall be formed and revealed in us. It is not a superficial thing that we talk about. It is the very presence of God actively revealed in a full degree through those vessels totally yielded to His desires. The anointing not only crucifies the flesh, but quickens the individual into the likeness of God.

There are many anointings in the scriptures. But the High Priest after the order of Melchizedek had the power to break every yoke. He was able to bless the people. He brought to them wine and bread. He gave them the power of an endless life (Hebrews 7:16). He was full of life himself, so when he gave them bread and wine, it was symbolically his very own life. Even as Jesus was after the order of Melchizedek, so also are we for he is our elder brother.