The Passover Lamb

We had a great discussion with our son this morning. I thought I'd share what our conversation was about with you guys.

Many of us are familiar with the Passover that the Israelites observed every year to remember how God delivered them from Egypt. Thinking about this, I can understand why God wanted to preserve this event in their memory. He was preparing them for Jesus Christ.

At the last plague, God told His people to kill a lamb without blemish and paint its blood on their doorpost. In doing this, the angel of death would pass over them. Whoever was without the blood of the spotless lamb would die.

Jesus became our passover lamb. He actually died at the same time of Passover to signify this. Simply put is this, if we have the blood of Jesus (whom is the Lamb of God without blemish or spot) then death will pass over us. If we do not have His blood, then we will die.

Jesus was speaking to Martha at her brother's burial and said "..whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?" (John 11:26)

I used to be puzzled when I read that verse of Jesus speaking to Martha. I thought well.. we all still die regardless. How could He say that we will never die? Later, God revealed to me that He was speaking of the second, true and final death in the end. For us who are in Christ, we shall never die and this is truth.

When our flesh dies, God considers it as "sleep." The Bible always refers our physical death as sleep because it is temporary. We shall all awaken and rise.. some unto the resurrection of life, and some unto death. (John 5:29)

But when God speaks of death .. He speaks of the second death that is to come. This is the true death. The wages of sin is death. In the end, those without the lamb's blood shall surely die just as the death of the Egyptians revealed this. Did they burn alive in agony forever and ever, or did they die?

I hope that we all will be reminded of this glorious event.. seeing how God designed the plague of Moses to testify of Christ, and brought in His Son which fulfilled it all. This is the significance of Christ being the Lamb of God. Is He on your doorpost?

Is it the End of the World?

With many major disasters happening lately, so many Christians are swearing that these are the signs of the times and that Christ is at the door. We warn all our friends and family to repent and be ready because He will be here literally any second...although, this exact thing has been happening for thousands of years. I hope we can be the voice that warns you of a different kind of time we should absolutely be ready.. a time instead, when nothing is happening at all.

Like the five virgins that were ready by keeping their oil lamp burning continually, we all need to be ready everyday. The other five virgins only brought enough oil for a time they were sure He would come, but they didn't have it for a time that they didn't think He would come.

Like the parable of the good servant in Luke 12, He was found ready at the second, third and fourth watch of the night. He was ready.. EVEN at an hour He did not think his master would come.


39And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. 40Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

No one knows when, but the whole world will be watching (even the wicked servants) during a major disaster.. but no one will be watching when life is normal and goes on like nothing is happening. That is the time that counts.. we must be ready even when we do not think He will come.
Jesus talks about it in Matthew 24 (also Luke 21:9-11)

 6And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
 
7For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

8All these are the beginning of sorrows.


There will be wars, rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes, pestilences.. even tsunamis, but the end is not yet. These are just the sorrows that this world has to face.

The Bible also tells us that it will be like the days of Noah and Lot when the Son of Man comes. This is very important to understand-


"And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed." Luke 17:26-30

During the days of Lot and Noah, everyone was busy with their lives. Life was normal and life went on. They ate, drank, built houses and were given away in marriage... then disaster struck without warning and destroyed them all in one day. God works in a pattern throughout the Bible. He always came without warning and when they least expected it.

Luke 17 is important also-

22And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.


23And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.


24For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.

Sometimes we can get caught up on signs, and we're warning the world that Christ is coming back during every major disaster.. and that has been going on for centuries. We follow the news, follow Youtube videos, books, and words of men saying they are so convinced Christ is at the door.. but the Bible never said it was by natural disasters, wars, or unfortunate events that He will come.. but that He will come as a thief.. which is very quietly, subtly, in the calm of the night when no one is stirring. Our job is to watch and be ready for that sudden knock on the door.. and I am willing to bet everything I've got that it will be during a time when no one in the world is expecting it.

"Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." Matt 25:13

And watch out for those who claim they do.

A

Hell and the Elect

The highest percentage of those who do not believe in a hell are Universalists.

Often times, whenever we share that we do not believe in an eternal, ongoing burning inferno, then others assume that we are Universalists. We are definitely not Universalists, and we do believe in a judgment and a punishment.

We were able to prove through our in-depth study in the Bible that the wicked will be burned up by God, but that the fire does go out after it consumes them. We are able to show that the eternal fire is not its duration, but its finality. We are able to show that hell, 94% of the time in the Bible, refers to the grave. The rest of hell translates as Gehenna, which is a valley in Jerusalem. Only one instance refers to Tartaroos, which is a holding place for fallen angels to be reserved unto judgment.

If you haven't checked out our hell studies, then please click "hell" on our right column under "labels" or click HERE. Be sure to check out our four part study on hell called "The Biblical Truth About Hell" where we try to cover every instance of hell listed in both the OT and the NT.

We also believe in the elect since we are able to find it scripturally. But how does there not being a "hell" work for those who also believe in the elect?

Well, once we put these pieces together by scripture, it does flow together perfectly.

First, one cannot help but be humbled that God chose us before the foundation of the world as His elect. We are also thankful since it was not by any merit of what we have done, or any importance of who we are because it was by God's mercy alone. It could have easily been the next guy instead. As Paul wrote in Galatians 1, "It was the father's good pleasure to separate me from my mother's womb and to reveal His Son in me."

Secondly, since God raises up vessels fitted unto destruction and vessels unto mercy (Rom 9) by His own will before we have ever done anything yet.. then why would God punish those who were created that way by burning them forever and ever in the utmost agony possible? I am not writing this by my own emotion and rationalizing, but what I am able to defend scripturally.

The Bible shows that God, whom we all will praise for being a just and merciful judge, gives everlasting life to us through Jesus Christ His Son. This gift is a gift, which is exclusive and not everyone gets it. That is what makes it a gift, and it is only possible through Christ. Those without Christ do not get everlasting life. Instead, they will die because the wages of sin is death (the second death).

We all will die because we were born unto Adam in the flesh but to God, this is only sleep since we will all be raised up again. But after this, God's elect will inherit everlasting life and live forever with Christ when He comes back to redeem them from the grave. Those who did not die in Christ will be brought up again after the thousand years are over, and they will face the second death. The second death is the one that they will NOT come back from. They will die.. forever. They will miss out on the gift of God. They will miss out on life, on being glorified, and they will miss out in living forever in Paradise with God.

It is so simple and clear once we find this. The elect of God will be given life. The wicked will not have life, but they will die and perish forever. After we have studied this, it has helped us understand God's character more and His plan for us.

But don't just take our word for it either. Check out the links to the scriptures we have found. Check your Bible. Use your concordances, and the Greek and Hebrew translations (E-sword.net is an excellent free tool to have all these at once). Most important of all, ask God to guide you into His truth, to give you discernment also, and wisdom which He has promised to give liberally to all who ask for it.

Satan's New Strategy

Satan once was our enemy. He bared his horns, sent his followers to destroy and massacre Christians, took away our bibles, created laws against us, locked us up in prison, and sent us in hiding for centuries. What came from that? Our faiths were strengthened. We were bold and loved not our lives unto the death. A revival swept across the body of believers.

So now Satan has a new strategy.

Satan is now our friend.

We have religious freedom. We have no fear of being martyred for our faith in this country today. We know that we won't go to jail for our faith. Now we have become offended if we hear we have to suffer for our faith. We are offended at tribulation and have created a new doctrine in the 1800's that we will escape any kind of tribulation by a secret rapture. Anyone who says otherwise is offensive and we don't want to hear him.

He gave us our Bibles back. They are found in many book stores, and even Christian stores. We can even get them for free! But now we never read it. It collects dust at home. When it comes to knowing our Bible, we are so illiterate! We have become so lazy that we depend on someone else to tell us a verse or two at the pulpit once a week, and then we forget about it anyways. No one is able to defend what they believe in and why they believe it with the Bible, but instead, we will quote someone else or give a link.

Now Satan has crept in unawares into our congregation. This happened just like the Bible said it would. The Jesuits infiltrated the churches years ago by causing division in the church, and planting in a Jesuit false pastor to spread damnable doctrines and to blind the Christians. Alberto Rivera was an ex-jesuit that was killed for exposing this. He counted there to be approximately 1.605 million priests, nuns, and devoted members of the Vatican becoming trained agents to infiltrate churches. This has been happening for so long that these lies have become the very essence of Christianity..but when we dig those doctrinal roots, it will lead you back to the Vatican. When we wake up and search for truth in the Word, we will find that Christianity has gone off so terribly awry.. and the ironic thing is that the truth is in the book that is under two inches of dust under a pile of books somewhere in our house.


"For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock." Acts 20:29


"For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation . . ." Jude 4

Now Satan has his own Christian TV shows! He has his own Christian network! His own Christian radio channel! He has thousands of Christian books! When you walk in a Christian store, 90% of these books and CDs are horribly tainted. We blindly follow these men as angels of light, messengers of truth, and they have become our word of god.

Some examples:

Tim Lahaye, a popular author of the Left Behind series is also known as a high-level Mason. Here in this book, "Power of the Cross," he uses a Knights of Templar symbol on the cover. The Knights of Templar are a luciferian, illuminanti secret society. Why would a "Christian" author use such a symbol?

 Tim LaHaye again uses another symbol in this book, "Prophecy Study Bible." He puts a hexagram star in the seal, which is the most powerful symbol in witchcraft. It is used to bring a hex and a curse to others. The illuminanti uses this as a powerful symbol as well. Also, if you look closely, the A has a 'v' shape, making this into a masonic compass.

 Michael Pearl is an author of several books, as well as videos and audio tapes. He is mostly known for the No Greater Joy series which is widely popular with Christians. However, why would he use a Celtic writing font for his book, "Eight Kingdoms" as well as the sun-symbol (notice the O with a dot in the center?). It is a witchcraft symbol for the sun-god that is used by Masons.

 The No Greater Joy logo has a sun symbol, which many satanists use to represent their sun-god. Also look at "ministries" on the bottom, and notice that the M is an upside-down trident symbol.

 Michael Pearl's other popular book is called "Good and Evil." Yet, what is interesting is that he put in an upside down satanic cross as the I in Evil. This is also a widely-used satanic symbol to dishonor and mock God. This is why VW tries to make Christians aware of those symbols, so that we may expose those who are deceiving us.






We also have an article on Joyce Meyers, and her "All-seeing eye" references, CLICK HERE to go to the article.

Also, to read more, be sure to check out this wonderful website: Liberty to the Captives 
 

Again, we emphasize that the only one we can ever trust is Jesus Christ. He is the only true vine. He is the only true Shepherd. He is the only Truth. He is the only Way.  We need to rely on Him solely.

Which Kingdom is it?

There are some that are teaching out there that there is a difference between the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God. There is also a new, popular book that was just released by Michael Pearl called "Eight Kingdoms" that teach that both kingdoms are different. We believe they are one and the same. Christ came to preach one gospel, about one kingdom, with one way and one salvation. He is also not the author of confusion.

Matthew is the only book in the Bible that wrote "kingdom of heaven" while the other books used "kingdom of God." Some believe that Matthew was afraid to offend the Jews by writing "God" since to them, it was a very sacred word and was easily offensive to use. However, Matthew did use "kingdom of God" several times in the book, so the real reason is unknown.

There is a lot more about this subject, but here are verses that prove these two kingdoms that Jesus spoke of are one and the same. Here is a list of verses that are written about the same instances, but from different books in the Bible. Hopefully, showing these comparisons between those verses will help us understand better what Jesus was speaking of.

See which kingdom they refer in each verse-


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Matthew 3:2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
   
Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

VS.

Mark 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.


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Matthew 5:3, 10 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

VS


Luke 6:20, 22 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.

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Matthew 8:11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.

VS

Luke 13:28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you thrust out.

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Matthew 11:11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

VS

Luke 7:28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

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Matthew 13:31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field.

VS

Mark 4:30-31 And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed.

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Matthew 13:33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened

VS

Luke 13:20-21 And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God?  It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

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Matthew 19:14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

VS

Mark 10:14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

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Matthew 25:14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.

VS

Luke 19:11-13 They thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants.

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Matt 19:14 "But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. "

VS

Mark 10:14 "But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. "

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Matt 18:3 "And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. "

VS

Mark 10:15 "Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. "

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Matt 13:10,11 "And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given."

VS

Mark 4:11 "And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables"

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Jesus even spoke of both in the same sentence, and treated both instances as the same thing-


"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." Matt 19:23, 24

He even says "and again I say unto you" as to repeat what he had just said even though he referred it as the kingdom of heaven the first time.

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The "Glorified" Flesh vs the Spirit

I enjoy hearing revelations by others and was inspired by one of my friend's email. (thanks G!)

Some people may struggle continually in their walk with God. They always seem to stumble and fall, however. Often times they start with a burst, but then end up burning out and feeling hopeless and defeated. This is because so many Christians are trying to "fix" the flesh. They are trying to improve it by abstaining from evil things, make commitments, attend church regularly, be accountable, and so forth.. but those are just works and attempts done in the flesh. Unfortunately, that is a guaranteed failure.

Nothing in the flesh can please God. The Bible tells us that in Romans 8:8. A Christian can do many wonderful works in the flesh, profess godliness (you can be "Godly" and not have God), never miss a church service, and be to what the world thinks: "an excellent Christian" or a "very godly person!" But unfortunately, for the majority of them, they will face Christ and say that they have done so many wonderful things in His name, but He will turn to them and say, "depart from me, I never knew you"

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

Those people that were rejected by Christ did many wonderful things in His name.. but that doesn't mean they were IN Him. How many of us claim His name, but are not IN Him? Unfortunately, too many. They weren't doing the will of the Father in heaven although they thought they were by doing those works. What is the will of the Father? It is for us to receive the one whom He has sent. (John 6:40).The will of the Father is not for those in the flesh to earn points with Him by their dead works, but to die in the flesh and live again in the Spirit through His Son Jesus Christ.

Those who did those many wonderful works were called workers of iniquity. That is because they were still in the flesh! The flesh = iniquity. If you are in the flesh, you are in iniquity, period.

God only recognizes those in the Spirit as His. He will not accept the flesh. Just like Hagar and Ishmael had to be cast out (flesh cast out), so that Sarah and Isaac would remain and be heirs (Spirit can only remain and inherit the promise), God will cast out those in the flesh in spite of all their wonderful works, and only those in the Spirit will remain. (read Galatians 4).

My friend G also wrote that God only accepts one offering, what is pleasing to Him and rejects all other. Cain offered what he thought was sufficient, but God rejected his offering. Abraham offered his son, but God stopped Him and provided him with a ram tangled in the bushes for an offering. God doesn't want our offerings, or what we may think is sufficient to please Him. He only demands one offering- His Son.

We can try to "fix" our flesh, and wrap it in a pretty package for God, but He does not want it. It will be rejected. Just like how Cain prepared a basket of fruit that he worked hard to grow.. he was giving God what He thought was good, and was proud of. God wants what He demands. What can we do? Nothing. Only God can draw us to His Son, whose blood and Spirit transforms us after His image, and from that point on.. we are a new person in Him.

What is it to be born again? It is not a repented, fixed, glorified flesh. It is dead flesh. We must die to the flesh, die to the lineage of the first Adam, and be born again in the Spirit, but it is not by ourselves, but BY the Spirit. We have to be born into this new generation where Christ is the second Adam, and the first in this Spiritual lineage.  You are no longer this person that you were in the flesh, but have become a part of this Spiritual lineage, as a heir and a son of God. The Bible says that this must happen for us to enter the kingdom of heaven, and there is no other way.

When He looks at us, let Him see His Son in us, not our own "glorified" flesh. We need the blood of the spotless lamb without blemish over our doorpost and the angel of death will pass over us. Jesus is that passover lamb.

So.. there is absolutely nothing YOU can do to please God or to offer what you think is sufficient for God. It is not hopeless although it may sound like it.. but trust in God, realize you have failed, and will forever fail no matter how hard you try, but trust in the victory of His Son. It is not by our lives that we are saved, but by HIS alone. Know the truth and it will set you free. Humble yourself before God's sovereignty and in His Son's completed work. He will do the rest.

"Church"

Whenever someone mentions the word, "church," the majority of people will immediately think of a building with a cross on the roof. I think that is one of the biggest deceptions we have in the world today... that a church is a building. It might even lead to a false sense of security that when we go to this building, that we are IN a church, and a member of a church.

The ironic things we may find are..

That someone may attend a church their entire lives, but have never actually been a part of the true church.

That many will judge others for not attending a "church" regularly, but are only judging them for being outside of a building made of bricks and stone. Perhaps the people they are judging are a part of the true church, and that those who attend a "church" are not even in the real one.

I know some places that teach that Christ died for the church.. but that the building is a capital "C" and that the people are a lowercase "c." If you're in a place that teaches that.. run.

But for whoever is reading this, please first make sure that you are IN the real church before you start worrying about which building you're a part of. Going to a church building does not mean that you are in a church.

What does church mean though? In it's Greek translation, the word is ekklesia which means a calling out.

God calls out his elect (eklektos) which are the chosen ones, and He calls them OUT of the world to be gathered IN HIM. This is a church, and it is a very Spiritual thing. It has nothing to do with the commercialism we see today.

To say this in the most utmost frankness.. if you are not IN HIM, then you are not in a church. I don't care what building you go to every Saturday or Sunday, or that you're a notable member. You need to be IN HIM. That is all that matters.


Remember when Jesus announced that He was going to destroy the temple and raise it in three days? He said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." John 2:19

Have any of you ever wondered what happened to that? Didn't Jesus ever follow through with this? Seems like it was overlooked. Well, actually this was a fulfilled prophecy. Look closely..

When Jesus said that, it was absolutely absurd to everyone else. They said, "Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? " v20 

But....


"But he spake of the temple of his body."v21

 This actually came true. Three days was Jesus in the tomb, and on the third day, He rose and established a new, Spiritual temple within the believers. This is a fulfilled prophecy, and His Words were true.

(also a side note: why do we seek after the physical things when has been made Spiritual? Millions of eyes are on the rebuilding of Israel's temple, and on physical buildings of churches.. but don't you know that the temple of God is not made with hands?)


"We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands. " Mark 14:58


David: "Who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. But Solomon built him an house. Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? Hath not my hand made all these things? Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye." Acts 7:46-51




"God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands" Acts 17:24 

Are you in the temple that is not made with hands? It is an important question that we should all ask ourselves.. But let's look at more verses explaining what the Spiritual temple is.

The Spiritual temple is not a what, but a WHO.


"To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. " 1 Peter 2:4,5


"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. " 1 Peter 2:9,10



Well.. if I am a Spiritual temple for God, then how does it work?

"Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. " John 14:23


"At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. " John 14:20


"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. " 1 Cor 3:16,17


"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. " 1 Cor 6:19,20

"And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. " 2 Cor 6:16-18


So.. if Christ is in the Father, and you are in Christ, then you all are joined together and they will make their abode and dwelling place in you! That is how it works.

And this is a continual thing. God's Spirit lives in you, and is guiding you. He is in you always now. You don't have to wait until Sunday to be in the church. He is in you right now and you can take this anywhere you go.

There is no building for God, and like the Bible says, where can He reside? The earth is his footstool! But God can live in you and be present with you every step of the way.. always and forever.

And if you are the temple of God and He lives in you, then who is in charge of this temple? Who is the head? Don't fall for the new age lie that you are your own god, can make your own rules of right and wrong, and lead your life your way. The temple of God is in you.. but Christ Jesus alone is the head of it. He has the preeminence.

"The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. " Psalm 118:22


"Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. " Acts 4:10-12


"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. " Eph 2:19-22

Now you know what the Bible tells us.. do not be deceived by what the world tells you. Do not be afraid of judgment made by other men if they judge you for not being in a physical temple, because they cannot see when you are in the Spiritual temple. That is the only one that matters.

Do not worry about church memberships. When you are IN Christ, you are a member of the body of Christ. That is the only membership that counts.

I pray that our readers will find Christ and be in Him, and that they will experience church in a way that they never have before.

The Love of Truth

Hello to our readers,

Thank you for following our blog and studying with us as we learn more things from the Bible. It is a journey that never ends which no one will ever "arrive".. but the fact that we're on this road together, and traveling on this journey means a lot. I do not know everything, and from all our findings, we've only scratched a nick on the immeasurable depths of God and His truth. I believe that a desire to grow and a love of truth is so important because it reveals the presence of His Spirit working in us. Let our hearts be like the good soil to receive whatever God chooses to reveal to us by His Spirit and His Word.

I've received several emails from people that ask me how I know which one is truth and which one isn't. That is a hard question to answer but I will try to explain it the best that I possibly can. I'll show what has been true for me, personally.

First, truth is of God. No man can arrive to truth without Him. We can all read the same book in English but truth will not be revealed to us unless it was given to us first by Him. One example is when Peter recognized Christ as the Messiah. He realized the truth about Jesus, and then Jesus turned to Him and said,  

"Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." Matthew 16:17

The key in this verse above was that the truth was revealed to Peter; not by any man, not by flesh and blood, but by God.

This also reminds me of Paul's conversion. He was a very educated Pharisee and much devoted to His religion until Christ appeared unto Him on the road to Damascus and struck him with blindness. I believe that the physical blindness was to show him how blind he really was.. like the song, "I was blind, but now I see." It was then that Paul received the revelation of Jesus Christ and went forth with His truth,

^"But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." Gal 1:11,12


^"But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. " Gal 1:15-17

These men relied on God completely for truth.

Any man can claim to have truth. Look at the world today, and look at how different and divided those "truths" have been. Who can you trust? There is not many truths, but only one truth. You can believe in something, but that doesn't make it truth. What is truth? God is truth. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life. If you want truth, you will find it in Him. You won't find it by any man, any self-claimed prophet, any televangelist, any pastor standing on the pulpit, or even any article online. Yes, even this one too.

I'll share a personal story but I won't use any names.

I started this journey with several people that were very close to me. We started together at the same place, but now, every single one of us has gone the completely opposite way. We have nothing in common of what we believe in anymore. Sometimes, it startles me. It also grieves me deeply too because they were my very good friends.

One friend became a Torah follower and follows Judaism. She uprooted her whole family and moved them to Israel. The other friend went the polar opposite way and follows universalism and new age beliefs. It is very hard to see good friends go to the extreme, polar opposite ways and it also makes me question myself whether I am on the right track. I have those moments too.

Pray every step of the way. Stay IN Him. Acknowledge Him in everything, and He will direct your path. Be open for God to reveal something to you, stay teachable, and verify everything by the Word that He has given you. Question everything, and find the answer for it. If it is truth, then ask God to prove it and strengthen it for you. If it is not, then ask God to show you that it isn't.

The Bible is a giant jigsaw puzzle, and truth is the pieces. Truth is a door that opens to more things. You'll know it when truth isn't a road block or a dead end, but it leads you even deeper and farther.

Another key is that the Bible never contradicts itself. People do. There is one truth which is one thread that unites the entire Bible. Keep working through the tangled ball of threads until it comes apart more and more. You'll know that you're on the right road the more it unravels, and if you find that you've made a mistake, learn from it, and keep going!

Anyone can see one part of the picture and think it is something, but when you compare it to the other part, you may realize that it was never that one thing, but actually something else because you see how it fits. A friend of mine (thanks K!) used this example: When you look at something that looks like an elephant's ear, and you've accepted it that way for so long.. but when you start comparing it and putting the pieces together, you'll realize that it was the elephant's leg the whole time!

The Bible is amazing. It is brilliant. It is a treasure map and we're supposed to dig for it like buried gold. One truth unlocks another, and so on. There will be questions.. THOUSANDS of them! But you're going deeper than you've ever imaged and because it is truth that applies to God, to ourselves, our world, and our whole lives.. it's the most amazing thing to find.

Don't forget that the enemy roams around like a roaring lion. His demons are trying to pluck the truth out of your heart and confuse you with lies. Be sober and vigilant. Keep your eyes open, be awake, and keep your eyes on God! Keep going, and don't give up. Stay humble and stay little for God resists the proud.

Ask God with an open heart for His truth (and be ready to accept the price for truth). Ask Him to give you a discerning spirit and wisdom. Ask Him for a hunger and a desire for His Word. Ask Him to teach YOU!

Truth is very important, and when we seek truth.. we are seeking HIM. Seek Him with all your heart, and you will find Him.

Here are some verses. Some are about what we need to do to abide in truth. Some tell us where we can find the truth. Some tell us about those who have no love of the truth.

"In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:6


"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105


"Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day." Psalm 25:5

"Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name." Psalm 86:11


"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." John 1:17

"But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. " John 4:23,24


"Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:31,32


"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. " John 14:6

"Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." John 14:17


"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." John 16:13

"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." John 17:17


^"And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 2 Thess 2:10-12


"Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." 2 Timothy 3:7


"And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." 2 Tim 4:4

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Tim 2:15


"But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." 1 John 2:27


With much love to our brethren in Christ,

Revelation 14:11

"And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name." Rev 14:11

First, we'd love for you to check out our studies on HELL, starting here. We covered in-depth the countless of times that the Bible speaks of the wicked being devoured, consumed, burnt UP, melted away, perished, etc. I hope this study helps strengthens the one we just did.

Now looking at this passage in Rev 14:11, nowhere does it say that the wicked will burn forever and ever. Sometimes after hearing what others say a verse means after so long, we forget to really read it carefully for what it says exactly.

The first keyword is SMOKE. After we blow out a candle, the fire is gone, and what is there? Smoke. After we put out a camp fire, what is there? Smoke. The fact that the Bible uses "smoke" reveals that God has completed His judgment, and the fire has done its work. Smoke is the after part of a fire.

The second key word is TORMENT. The dictionary defines this as: to be afflicted, distressed, agony, misery, suffering and great sorrow. The Bible tells us in the OT that the wicked will either wail and mourn when they see the Lord, or they will be angry and gnash their teeth at Him. This is a strong, emotional response.

The third key word is FOREVER. Forever does not mean for all eternity. This word is translated from Greek as aion/aionios, which means "age." This is a time, and a duration but has an ending. One example is Jonah. When he described his experience in the whale's belly, he said, "The earth with her bars was about me forever" in Jonah 2:6, BUT this "forever" was only three days and three nights long! I recommend studying this word.

Some scripture that matches the verse above:

"But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away." Psalm 37:20

After a fire, nothing is left. Everything has been consumed. All we see is the smoke signifying that the burning is complete, the fire has gone and everything has perished.



"As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God." Psalm 68:2

Smoke also shows that they are gone forever. The wicked will perish, and be no more. All that is left is the residue of God's final judgment.. the smoke.

I hope this shows that this verse in Rev 14:11 is not saying that "the wicked will be burned and tortured forever and ever" but that the smoke of their torment ascendeds up forever. There's a very important difference.

Desiring the Preeminence

For those who are familiar with the Pharisees in the New Testament, we are told about their behavior. We know that the majority of them (aside from a very few) rejected Christ and hated Him. Have you ever wondered that maybe if they knew for SURE that Jesus was the Christ, then they would have acted differently towards Him? Or perhaps you know, like I do, that regardless of whether they knew that Jesus was the promised Messiah, they still perceived Him as a threat to what they had.

The Bible tells us in Matthew 23 that the Pharisees had power over the people. They got to tell them what to do, what to say, what to observe and what not to do. The Bible shows us that the Pharisees got plenty of honor and praise. They were seated in the highest rooms of every feast, and in the synagogues. Men would follow after them calling them master! They received a lot of riches from the people, and are always a spectacle of admiration.

Well, we can say they had it pretty good, right? Now, whenever there was someone that rose up, someone that preached the truth, and that the multitude would travel to come and listen to... did the Pharisees rejoice over a prophet like John the Baptist? Or did they want to destroy him? Did they rejoice when the promised Messiah finally came? Or did they want to kill him?

Power,glory, and riches is not meant for man to have. This belongs to God alone. If God intended for man to have these things, then surely the disciples of Christ would have been the richest men in the world! Instead, these things turn a person rotten to the core.

Now, we are bringing the focus on the key word: "Preeminence." 

According to the dictionary, this is a title given to the most important one. A superior person. He is Sovereign. He is the authority. This is a distinguished title.

God, the Father, gave Jesus Christ the preeminence.

"And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence." Colossians 1:18

Paul also wrote that he spoke to a church in Diotrephes, but they received him not. Now, why on earth not?? Check this out:


"I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not." 3 John 1:9


 They wanted the preeminence for themselves! They didn't want Paul. They didn't want anybody. As far as they were concerned, they had all the answers, and the power and authority they thought was entitled to them.



Unfortunately, this is so common. We see this everywhere on so many levels.

Perhaps, you may recognize it in a religious leader. You might recognize it in the papacy. You might even recognize it in a baptist preacher. The signs are that they are exalted, proud, and rich. They might find it a threat if you went somewhere else or to someone else besides them. They give more of their own opinions and judgments than they do to the Word of God. They might be known to belittle those who are not fully under their control. Those are just a few to name..

And well, sometimes we may find it in ourselves. Do we desire the preeminence for ourselves? Do we want to judge for ourselves what is right and wrong? Do we want to be our own God? We're seeing a rapid rise in the new age movement where man is his own god.

Let the preeminence be Christ's alone. Watch out for whoever else wants to keep it for themselves. Recognize them and flee. Let us evaluate our own lives and look into our hearts- Do we have the preeminence, or does Christ in us?