systems that God never wanted so Jesus abolished.

15 minute read

DOWN

God has been putting up with our sin for a very, very long time. One massive overarching theme that we can see in Scripture is that God has been slowly moving his people further away from sin and closer towards his ideal.

In the New Testament, we see a massive jump forward with the arrival of Jesus. At the time of Christ’s birth, the Romans had built the most sophisticated system of roads the ancient world had ever seen. The timing of his arrival wasn’t arbitrary. The teachings of Jesus were able to spread quickly throughout the civilized world because of the over 50,000 miles of road that Rome had built.

God came to us in the flesh to say, “enough is enough.” No more misinterpretations, no more accommodations, no more concessions. And while there were quite a few things Jesus set the record straight on, we’ll be looking at three major ones and how they were foreshadowed in the Old Testament. It turns out; God never wanted any of them in the first place.

In this third article of a series called “Enough is Enough,” we’ll be looking at governments throughout the Bible and how God never wanted them in the first place.

WHAT IS GOVERNMENT?

A government is a system of social control under which the right to make laws, and the right to enforce them, is vested in a particular group of people. Governments have been in existence for thousands of years, long before the people of Israel. They have taken many forms, but almost all of them involve some people ruling over the masses. This can look like a monarchy, a democracy, or an oligarchy, it doesn’t matter.

All forms of human government go against God’s desires.

It was never God’s plan to have humans ruling over one another. From the start of human history, God wanted to be our direct “King.” Governments only arose as a result of the fall as sin entered into the world. They were never God’s ideal. The Lord’s disapproval of government and worldly power can be traced throughout the Bible, from the first book to the last.

BEFORE GOVERNMENTS

The first time in Biblical history that we see government is in the story of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9). Curiously, the word gets translated into English as “Babel,” though it gets translated as “Babylon” every other time it appears in the Bible. The Tower of Babylon was more than just a tower; it was a consolidation of human power and self-exaltation. It was the first government. The author here shows us that this Tower of Babylon is the climax of human rebellion against God during the first stages of human history. In response, God confuses the people’s language and scatters them across the lands.

In the next chapter of the Bible, a man named Abraham gets called out of this scattering to start a new nation. He is told by God to leave the country he resided in and start a new nation that would look very different from all the other nations. This people group would come to be known as Israel.

The ancient people called Israel had no government and no king. This was in stark contrast to all the other pagan nations surrounding them. Instead, for Israel, God was their only King. From time to time, a slight exception would be made when the situation became disastrous through famine, through social disorder, or through idolatry and a return to pagan religions. God then chose a man or a woman who had no specific authority, but whom he inspired, to lead the people back to reverence for God, that is, to resolve the crisis. These people were called “judges.” When the judges had played their part, they rejoined the people. This was obviously a flexible system. God did not necessarily choose people of distinguished family or health. They had no permanent power. God alone could be considered the supreme authority.

KING YAHWEH GETS DEMOTED

The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.
Zechariah 14:9

For generations, the faith of Israel allowed them to trust in God as their sole King. Relatively speaking, this wouldn’t last long. Eventually, their faith wavered, and they asked for a human king “to be like other nations,” to rule over them and to “go out before [them] and fight [their] battles.” (1 Samuel 8:19-20). In other words, the people felt that having a king would make living easier and make them more secure against enemies. They wanted a worldly king “such as all the other nations have” (1 Samuel 8:5). To the Israelite’s plea for a human king, God replied, “they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods” (1 Samuel 8:7-8).

God wanted to give his people one last chance to repent and turn away from this wickedness, so he gave them a “solemn warning.” A human king would take their sons and make soldiers of them, forcing them to kill and be killed (1 Samuel 8:11). He would force them to work his lands and create weapons of war (1 Samuel 8:12). He would take their daughters for his harem or as domestic servants (1 Samuel 8:13). Finally, he would impose evil and oppressive taxes and confiscate the best lands, and thus, according to God, the people would be the king’s slaves (1 Samuel 8:14-17).

The people replied, however, that they did not care. They wanted a king. God warned them again that they would cry out against this king (Judges 3:9,15; 4:3; 6:7), but nothing could be done.

We see that people want human rulers only because they no longer trust God to rule. It suggests that the very existence of governments is evidence of human rebellion. God pleaded with his people not to go down this path. He warned them that giving a person power over them would wreak havoc in their lives. Fallen humans simply can’t handle having power over other people. What God knew— but what the people seemed incapable of accepting— was that when fallen humans are given power, they use it in sinful ways. Exceptions to this are very rare, as history readily testifies. But the people would not listen. They demanded a king. So God reluctantly gave them what they wanted.

You have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have said, ‘No, appoint a king over us.’ You will realize what an evil thing you did in the eyes of the Lord when you asked for a king.
1 Samuel 10:19, 12:17

Thus, a human king was chosen. His name was Saul. He became mad, committed all kinds of abuses of power, and was finally killed in battle against the Philistines. This was the beginning of the end for Israel.

ISRAEL’S SAD DOWNWARD SPIRAL

After King Saul, the next king was David, the most famous of all Israelite kings. While David is often praised as being a “man after God’s heart” (Acts 13:22), not even he could resist the evil of having power over other people. David used his power to take “many” wives and sex slaves (2 Samuel 5:13). He used his power to murder and slaughter thousands of people. He used his power to forcibly take a married woman into his bed,  while murdering her husband. In the end, God would scorn David for “shedding much blood and fighting in many wars” (1 Chronicles 22:8).¹

After David came his son, Solomon. Solomon took his kingdom from a city to an empire. As his kingdom grew, so did his wickedness. The people of Israel were freed from their bondage of slavery in Egypt in order to become God’s nation, a light to the world. They were supposed to be different. They were supposed to be the anti-Egypt, the anti-empire with God alone as their king. But, instead, Israel became Egypt.

In order to build his empire and the Temple, Solomon enslaved 30,000 of his own countrymen (1 Kings 5:13), with the aid of roughly 3,300 slave masters.² For the slaves it took 7 years to build the Temple (1 Kings 6:38), and then it took 13 years to build king Solomon’s palace (1 Kings 7:1). His slaves constructed many other buildings, including another palace for the Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had married (1 Kings 7:8). The very burden that Pharaoh placed on the Israelites was now put on them by Solomon.

The oppressed had become the oppressor.Deuteronomy 17:16-17

 reads, “The king must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them.” Solomon had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses, all imported from Egypt (1 Kings 10:26-29). “He must not take many wives.” Solomon had 700 wives and 300 sex slaves (1 Kings 11:3). “He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.” Solomon received around 25 tons of gold every year and made silver “as common as stone” (1 Kings 10:14, 27). Solomon began to worship all sorts of other gods and build structures for them (1 Kings 11:5-8). By the time he died, he was hated by everyone.

THE MINORITY PROPHETIC VOICE

After Solomon, the kingdom was split into two and both parts suffered under dozens of horribly evil kings.³ But, for every king there was a prophet. The prophets weren’t fortune tellers in the way modern readers might assume, rather, they were mediators for God. The prophets were most often a severe critics of royal acts. Prophets were sent by God with warnings. These messages were always in opposition to royal power and worldly government. Naturally, the prophets were often expelled: they were obliged to flee, they were put in prison, they were threatened with death. However, this did not make any difference.

The prophets were a counterforce, representing God’s disapproval with rulers and government.

Israel would suffer under 40 kings, and according to the Biblical record, only eight were ever portrayed in an even somewhat positive light. All of them led their nation into further sin and turmoil. Eventually, the sin of human government would lead to their destruction.

You are destroyed, Israel, because you are against me, against your helper. Where is your king, that he may save you? Where are your rulers in all your towns, of whom you said, ‘Give me a king and princes’? So in my anger I gave you a king, and in my wrath I took him away.
Hosea 13:9-11

Despite the many warnings, the two kingdoms of God’s people would meet their end. The northern kingdom of Israel was overrun by the Assyrians. The southern kingdom of Judah was conquered by Babylon. These were God’s chosen people, and even they couldn’t resist the sin of power over people. They couldn’t resist the lure of kingship and government. The worldly form of power they wielded led them to complete ruin and captivity. For hundreds of years until the time of Christ, they wouldn’t have another king.

GOVERNMENTS BELONG TO SATAN

Right before Jesus started his ministry, he went into the wilderness to fast. There he faced three temptations by the devil. In the book of Matthew, the final temptation was the one that the Israelites failed most miserably at.

The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the nations of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”
Luke 4:5-8

According to these texts, all powers, all the power and glory of the nations, all that has to do with politics and political authority, belongs to the devil. It has been given to him, and he gives it to whom he pleases. Those who hold political power receive it from him and depend upon him for gain and expansion. This is supported by the overarching theme in scripture and by it being stated directly many times (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; Ephesians 2:2; 2 Corinthians 4:4). Scripture says that the whole world is under the devil’s power (1 John 5:19).

Notice that Jesus does not say to the devil, “It is not true. You do not have power over nations and states.” He does not dispute this claim. He refuses the offer of worldly power because the devil demands that he has to worship him to obtain it. This means that in some way, no matter what, all those in political and governmental power, have to, and do, whether they know it or not, worship the devil. We know this because this is the condition until which the devil grants humans the power to run nations. Read more about this here. This is why God has been opposed to human government from the beginning.

Common Objections – Optional Reading (press to read more)

KING JESUS

For Christians, the one true king is Jesus Christ (Isaiah 9:6). You see, Jesus wasn’t crucified by Rome because he was teaching people how to go to heaven when they die. Jesus was put to death because he challenged the political authority of Caesar. In the time of Jesus, there was absolutely no difference between religion and politics so everything Jesus said was political. Everything Jesus taught challenged the ways of government and worldly power. Jesus came to establish his nation, which would rule with a different kind of power. His nation is called the Kingdom of God. His nation is upside-down, shaming the way that worldly governments use power.

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials exercise their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant.”
Matthew 20:25-26

Note that Jesus makes no distinction or reservation. All national rulers, no matter what the nation or the political regime, lord it over their people. There can be no political power without tyranny. This is plain and certain for Jesus. When there are human rulers and leaders, there can be no such thing as good political power. Here again, the world’s version of power is called into question. Power corrupts. This is supported by the claim that the devil holds all governmental power.

This is prophetic in a sense when we consider what became of the church when it entered the political field and began to play politics. It was immediately corrupted by the relation to power and by the creation of its own authorities. The church’s sad history has been extensively recorded and is heartbreaking to learn about (read more about it here).

THE REVELATION

From Genesis to historical narratives, to the prophets, to the Gospels, human government is challenged. But there is no other book of the Bible that is more overtly opposed to government and empire than the book of Revelation. The whole book is a challenge to political power. Throughout the book, there is radical opposition between the majesty of God and the powers and dominions of the earth. This shows how mistaken those who find continuity between the divine power and the worldly powers are.

Written in a literary form common in the ancient near east called apocalyptic, poetic imagery is used to send a message to its readers. In the book, the dragon, which is the devil, has given all authority to one of two beasts. It is given this first beast “all authority and power over every tribe, every people, every tongue, and every nation” (13:7). Created by the dragon, the beast comes from a theme of the later prophets who depicted the political powers of their time as beasts. The second beast we find is an exact description of propaganda in support of nationalism. The beast makes speeches that induce people to obey the state, and to worship it (13:12-15).

Lastly, there is the symbol of Babylon the Great, which represents Rome and all other forms of empire and national power— past, present, and in the future (Revelation 17). What is promised, is the pure and simple destruction of political government, power, and dominion in every worldly form. These things are specifically stated to be enemies of God. God judges political power, calling it the great harlot. In chapter 18 the symbol of empire is destroyed, crumbling under the weight of its own violence. Victory is complete for the Lamb of God, his followers, and the Kingdom of God.

THE NATION OF GOD

The majority of the Bible was written by the poor, the oppressed, the enslaved, the conquered, the occupied, the defeated. The majority of the Bible is a condemnation of the superpower: the Egypts, the Babylons, the Romes. It is very difficult for American Christians to see this overarching Biblical critique and rebuke of government and empire because American Christians are very often the beneficiary of such power. This is the very same struggle that the first-century citizens of Rome had. The apostles had to remind the citizens of Rome (and also us) that they were no longer citizens but now foreigners, strangers, and aliens in the nation they lived in (Hebrews 11:13, 1 Peter 1:17, 2:11).

Those not under the Lordship of Christ put their faith in the power and security of their worldly nation. Citizens of the Kingdom of God, on the other hand, put their trust in God as their sole ruler. Kingdom people are therefore to place no more trust or confidence in governments than Jesus did— which is none. If a government’s laws happen to be consistent with the rule of God, we obey them. If they’re not, we follow the example of Jesus and disobey them. But either way, it’s clear that our behavior isn’t to be dictated by what government says, but by what God says.

Kingdom people have one Master and serve one Kingdom. In light of this, the lords/presidents of the earth and kingdoms/nations of the world are irrelevant to us. Our job is to build his Kingdom by doing what Jesus did. Nothing must distract us from this one task. Jesus came to announce his own government. God never wanted human governments. They are a rebellion against God. He used them for a time, but now with Jesus, they are done away with once and for all. Enough is enough.

Regardez le mot ” enduo ” Le mot grec traduit par ” mettre “.

Son sens vient de ” en ” qui signifie ” dans ” et de ” duo ” qui signifie entrer, s’enfoncer, plonger.

Ici, enduo a fini par signifier ” mettre ou porter “.

Comme il a été utilisé dans le contexte des vêtements

Mar 15:17

Ils le revêtirent de pourpre, lui posèrent une couronne d’épines et la lui mirent sur la tête,

Maintenant, après le don du Christ ou du Saint-Esprit à la Pentecôte, nous sommes censés revêtir le Christ et enlever le vieil homme et ses habitudes.

Rom 13:12

La nuit est loin, le jour est proche : rejetons donc les oeuvres des ténèbres, et revêtons les armes de la lumière.

Il est la Lumière du monde, mais nous devons la revêtir. Et c’est une armure parce que les ténèbres vont essayer de la voler. Nous devons donc nous débarrasser de ces œuvres et recevoir davantage de grâce.

Rom 13:14

Revêtez-vous du Seigneur Jésus-Christ, et ne faites pas provision pour la chair, pour en satisfaire les convoitises.

C’est comme si un pauvre mendiant habitué à vivre en haillons recevait un nouveau cadeau. Que veut-il faire lorsque quelqu’un vient lui donner des vêtements tout neufs, propres et attrayants ?

Est-ce qu’il lambine et dit : “Je crois que je préfère mes chiffons parce qu’ils sont si confortables et sales” ? Peut-être. Mais le mendiant ferait mieux de se débarrasser de ses vieilles guenilles pleines de poux et d’insectes, de se nettoyer et de s’habiller avec le don de la grâce.

en Jean 4, le don de Dieu était les eaux vives de l’Esprit Saint.

dans Actes 2 :38 c’est ” recevez le don du Saint-Esprit. “

Rom 5 :16 il s’appelle ” le don gratuit de nombreuses offenses pour la justification. “

Rom 5 :18 ” Le don gratuit est arrivé à tous les hommes pour la justification de la vie. “

Rom 6 :23 ” Mais le don de Dieu, c’est la vie éternelle en Jésus-Christ notre Seigneur. “

2Co 9:15 ” Grâces soient rendues à Dieu pour son don ineffable. “

Eph 2:8 même notre foi salvatrice est un don.

Eph 4:7 Le Christ est notre don. Nous n’avons rien fait pour mériter ce don, sinon il n’aurait pas été un don mais un salaire.

” Mais à chacun de nous est donnée la grâce selon la mesure du don de Christ. “

Nous avons reçu un cadeau gratuitement !  Nous avons donc ” le don de Dieu ” qui est ” la foi ” qui est ” la grâce ” qui est ” l’esprit saint ” ” qui est le Christ “.

Le jour de la Pentecôte et depuis ce jour, tout nous a été donné car le Christ s’est envoyé pour vivre dans nos vies par ce ” don indicible ” du ” Christ en vous ” ou du ” Saint-Esprit “.

Alors maintenant, c’est à nous de porter le nouveau costume de Lumière et de revêtir le Christ dans notre esprit et dans notre action. Mais même si nous ne le revêtons pas, nous ne le perdons jamais. C’est un don de la grâce.

Mais ne serait-il pas triste pour le mendiant de décider de garder ses minables haillons parce qu’il pensait ne pas être assez bon ? Même lorsque Dieu lui avait donné le pardon, une nouvelle raison de vivre, un nouveau métier et un costume pour le faire ? Ce serait triste pour le mendiant et tous ceux qu’il aurait pu aider.  Nous devons revêtir le Christ, il ne le fera pas pour nous. Nous avons le Christ, alors revêtons-le !

Portons Christ à la surface pour que tous puissent voir sa lumière et ne pas le cacher sous un tas de chiffons !

Eph 4:22

Que vous vous débarrassiez, en ce qui concerne l’ancienne conversation, du vieil homme corrompu par les convoitises trompeuses ;

Eph 4:24

et que vous revêtiez l’homme nouveau, créé selon Dieu dans la justice et la vraie sainteté.

Dieu nous a fait ce don du Christ, il ne le mettra pas sur nous. Lorsque nous sortons du stade des couches, nos parents nous ont appris à le faire nous-mêmes. Si nous lisons Éphésiens 4, c’est exactement ce que Dieu nous encourage à faire

Eph 4:23

Et soyez renouvelés dans l’esprit de votre intelligence ;

Lorsque nous avons reçu le don du Saint-Esprit ou du Christ, nous avons été rendus parfaits. Mais cette partie est l’esprit. L’esprit et les habitudes doivent grandir et mûrir. C’est un processus qui consiste à revêtir ce qui est à l’intérieur (Christ) sur l’homme extérieur où les gens vous voient. Un tas de haillons de luxure ou de mordant n’attirera pas les gens vers la lumière. Continuons donc à revêtir le Christ dans notre esprit.

Eph 4:25

C’est pourquoi, renonçant au mensonge, dites chacun la vérité à votre prochain, car nous sommes membres les uns des autres.

Hé les mendiants, vous avez le don innommable, alors que voulez-vous faire ? Vous accrocher aux haillons du vieil homme qui ment et blesse ou revêtir le nouveau costume du Christ ?

Et puisque nous sommes dans un monde de ténèbres qui nous convainc qu’il vaut mieux garder les haillons du monde que la robe royale du Christ, nous devons nous battre. C’est une bataille quotidienne jusqu’à ce que nous rencontrions le Christ face à face. C’est pourquoi Dieu a préparé avec amour ses enfants à résister à ces ténèbres en nous revêtant de cette armure de lumière qui nous protège.

Ce n’est pas facile, mais la vie est une lutte pour garder le terrain que Dieu nous a donné. Il y a un prince des ténèbres, mais il doit fuir dès que nous revêtons l’armure de lumière. Ici, dans Ephésien 6, Dieu explique en détail comment fonctionne cette armure que nous devons revêtir,

Eph 6:10

Enfin, mes frères, soyez forts dans le Seigneur, et dans la puissance de sa force.

C’est réel et nous avons besoin de force dans la bataille. Nous sommes en sécurité, mais il se peut que nous n’en ayons pas l’air. Les mendiants ont du mal à gagner les autres pour le Royaume s’ils ne revêtent pas leurs robes royales et ne deviennent pas des ambassadeurs de ce Royaume.

On nous dit de ne pas nous battre pour notre salut. C’est l’usure beaucoup de chrétiens enseignés des œuvres par la religion trébuchent et tombent. Non, ils ne peuvent pas perdre leur vie éternelle ou leur sécurité avec Dieu, mais ils peuvent penser qu’ils sont perdus même s’ils sont en sécurité. Le combat consiste à gagner les autres et à penser aux autres parce que vous savez que vous êtes bien.  Dans cette bataille, il faut garder le plastron de la justice. Et nous gardons cette vérité comme notre centre de gravité et notre équilibre. La Vérité est ce qui nous tient ensemble et il n’y a qu’une seule Vérité….. Son nom est Jésus. Il est l’armure complète de DIEU !

Eph 6:11

Revêtez-vous de toute l’armure de Dieu, afin de pouvoir résister aux ruses du diable.

Eph 6:13

Prenez donc toute l’armure de Dieu, afin de pouvoir résister au jour mauvais, et, après avoir tout fait, de tenir ferme.

Nous devons rester debout dans cette bataille, pas pour nous-mêmes ! Nous sommes en sécurité dans ses bras pour toujours. Mais pourquoi ne voulons-nous pas partager avec les autres ? Nous l’avons.  Ce mendiant reçoit une nouvelle profession. C’est d’être les ambassadeurs d’un nouveau Royaume, le Royaume du Christ !

Nous devrions donc avoir le but de nous tenir debout et de gagner les autres. L’amour envers tous les hommes et non l’amertume de la guerre. Notre défi n’est pas de combattre les nations incroyantes pour protéger notre personne ou toute autre personne malveillante. Notre défi est de laisser Dieu mettre Jésus et son amour dans nos esprits et nos habitudes. Notre combat contre le diable n’est pas avec d’autres personnes. C’est avec nos propres haillons. Nos propres habitudes que nous avons portées toute notre vie et qui se renouvellent dans notre pensée. Et c’est une bataille que les démons vont défier, mais Dieu vous aidera à grandir dans la grâce.

Eph 6:15

Et vos pieds chaussés de la préparation de l’évangile de paix ;

Notre défi est de sortir de notre protection et de nous battre pour tous les perdus. Apporter la paix et l’amour à ceux qui vous détestent est un défi.  Mais Jésus sait tout cela et il a gagné ! Il est en vous pour vous montrer comment faire dans toutes les situations.

Eph 6:16

Prenez surtout le bouclier de la foi, avec lequel vous pourrez éteindre tous les traits enflammés des méchants.

Lorsque nous sommes mis au défi de nous mettre en colère, enlevez ce chiffon et mettez l’amour. Lorsque nous sommes mis au défi d’être amers, jetez cette couche minable à la poubelle et mettez le pardon parce qu’il vous a pardonné.

Mais dans le feu de cette bataille, chaque jour, c’est à nous de garder notre extérieur aussi propre que notre intérieur. Dieu a fait sa part mais il ne peut pas contrôler votre esprit. Nous devons le lui confier pour qu’il y travaille. Nous devons prendre l’habitude de revêtir le Christ chaque jour en renouvelant notre armoire avec les paroles de Dieu et la prière. La prière et la conversation par le biais de l’esprit qu’Il a mis en nous. Nous devons parler avec Dieu chaque jour afin de savoir ce qu’il veut que nous mettions pour chaque nouveau jour. Alors nous pouvons briller et gagner les autres par l’amour.

Eph 6:18

Faites toujours toutes sortes de prières et de supplications dans l’Esprit, et veillez-y avec toute la persévérance et la supplication nécessaires pour tous les saints ;

Rom 12:2

Et ne vous conformez pas au monde présent, mais soyez transformés par le renouvellement de votre intelligence, afin que vous puissiez éprouver quelle est la volonté de Dieu, bonne, agréable et parfaite.

PUT ON YOUR NEW CLOTHES

Look at the word « enduo » The greek word translated « put on »

Its meaning came from « en » meaning « in » and « duo » to enter or sink or plunge into.

Here enduo came to mean « to put on or wear »

As itw as used in context with clothes

Mar 15:17

And they clothed(enduo) him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head,

Now after the gift of Christ or the Holy Ghost on Pentecost we are supposed to put on Christ adn take off the old man and his habits.

Rom 13:12

The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

He is the Light of the world, but we must put it on. And it is armor because the darkness will try to steal it. So we must cast off those works and receive more grace.

Rom 13:14

But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

It is like a poor beggar used to living in rags is given a new gift. What does he want to do when some one comes along and gives them a brand new clean and attactive set of clothes?

Does he dawdle and say i think i like my rags better because they are so comfortable and dirty? Perhaps. But it the beggar would better to get rid of the old rages full of lice and bugs and clean up and dress up in his gift of grace.

in John 4 the gift of God was the living waters of the holy spirit

in Acts 2 :38 it is « receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. »

Rom 5 :16 it is called « free gift is of many offences unto justification. »

Rom 5 :18 « free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. »

Rom 6 :23 « but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. »

2Co 9:15 « Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. »

Eph 2 :8 even our saving  faith is a gift

Eph 4:7 Christ is our gift,. We did nothing to deserve this gift or it would have not been a gift but a wage.

« But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. »

We have received a gift for free!  So we have « the Gift of God » which is « faith » which is « grace » which is « the holy spirit »  « which is Christ »

On the day of Pentecost and from that day onward we have been given everything because Christ sent Himself to live in our lives by this « unspeakable gift » of « Christ in you » or « the Holy spirit »

So now it is up to us to wear the new suit of Light and put on Christ into our minds and action. But even if we do not put it on we never lose it. It was a gift of grace.

But would it not be sad for the beggar to decide to keep his lousy rags because he though he was not good enough? Even when God had given him pardon,  a new reason to live, a new profession and a suit to do it? That would be sad for the beggar and all those he could have helped.  We must put on Christ He will not do that for us. We have Christ so lets put Him on!

Let us wear Christ on the surface do all may see His light and not hide it under a pile of rags!

Eph 4:22

That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

Eph 4:24

And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

God has given us all this gift of Christ, He will not put it on us. When we get out of the diaper stage our parents taught us how to do it ourselves. If we read Ephesians 4 that is exactly what God is encouraging us to do

Eph 4:23

And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

When we received the Gift of the holy spirit or Christ we were made perfect. But that part is the spirit. The mind and habits must grow up and mature. It is a process with putting on what is on the inside (Christ) on the outer man where people see you. A bunch of rags of lust or bitteness will not attract people to the light. So let us keeping putting on Christ in our minds

Eph 4:25

Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

Hey beggars you have the unspeakable gift so what do you want to do? Hang on to the rags of the old man that lies and hurts or put on Christs new suit?

And since we are in a world of darkness that would convince us it is better to keep the rags of the world than the royal robe of Christ we have a battle. It is a daily battle until we meet Christ face to face. So God lovingly prepared His children to stand against this darkness by putting on this armor of light as our protection.

It is not easy but life is a struggle to keep the ground God gave us. There is a prince of darkness, but he must flee as soon as we put on the armor of Light. Here in Ephesian 6 God explains ijn detail how this armor that we should put on works,

Eph 6:10

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

This is real and we need strength in the battle. We are secure but we may not appear like it. Beggars have trouble winning others for the Kingdom if they do not put on their royal robes and become  ambassadors for this Kingdom.

We are hear not to fight for our salvation. That is wear a lot of Christians taught works by religion stumble and fall. No they cannot lose their Eternal life or security with God, but they may think they are lost even when they are secure. The fight is for winning others and thinking of others because you know you are OK.  You keep on that breast plate of righteousness in this battle. And we keep this truth as our center of gravity and our balance. The Truth is what holds us together and there is only one Truth….His name is Jesus. He is the whole armor of GOD!

Eph 6:11

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Eph 6:13

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

We need to stand in this battle not for our selves! We are secure in His arms forever. But why do we not want to share with others? We have it.  This beggar is given a new profession. It is to be ambassadors for a new Kingdom, the Kingdom of Christ!

So we should have the purpose of standing and winning others. Love to all men not bitterness of war. Our challenge is not to fight unbelieving nations to protect our or any evil person. Our challenge is to let God put Jesus and His love into our minds and habits. Our battle with the devil is not with other people. It is with our own rags. Our own habits we wore all our life and become renewed in our thinking. And it is a battle that the demons will challenge, but God will help you grow in grace.

Eph 6:15

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Our challenge is to get out of protecting ourselves and fight for all the lost. Bringing peace and love to those who hate you is a challenge.  But Jesus knows all about that and He won! He is in you to show you how in ever situation.

Eph 6:16

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

When we are challenged to get angry take that rag off and put on love. When we are challenged to be bitter through that lousy diaper in the garbage and put on forgiveness because He forgave you.

But in the heat of this battle every day it is up to up to keep our outside clean as the inside. God did his part but he cannot control you mind. We must give it to Him to work on. We must make it a habit to put on Christ every day by renewing our wardrobe with the words of God and prayer. Prayer and conversation by way of the spirit He put in us. We have to be talking with God every day so we know what He wants us to put on for every new day. Then we can shine and win others with love.

Eph 6:18

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Rom 12:2

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Apocalypse 9:4
“Et il leur fut ordonné de ne faire aucun mal à l’herbe de la terre, ni à aucune verdure, ni à aucun arbre, mais seulement aux hommes qui n’ont pas le sceau de Dieu sur leur front.”
Sceau est le mot Sphragis
Il y a beaucoup de sens perdu dans ce mot. Sphragis
Nous sommes la propriété de Dieu et nous avons signé le paquet avec sa signature…… Le Saint-Esprit
Nous ne pourrons jamais perdre sa signature, mais nous pouvons l’attrister.
Nous devrions donc savoir si nous sommes scellés ou non et ne pas nous inquiéter des marques avec lesquelles le diable veut jouer.
Pour en savoir plus, voir mes notes sur le SPHRAGIS ici

https://www.facebook.com/groups/938130223788624

Rev 9:4

“And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.”

Seal is the word Sphragis

There is a lot of meaning lost in this. Sphragis

We are Gods property and signed for the package with His signature….. The Holy spirit

We can never lose His signature but we can grieve Him.

So we should know if we are sealed or not and not worry about what marks the devil wants to play with.

For more see my notes on SPHRAGIS here

https://www.facebook.com/groups/938130223788624

its not about a mark but who do you trust that counts!

Feb 4

Compare mark with worship

It is who you trust that can save you or send you to hell

It is no mark they put on you

It is in your heart where they cannot touch you

It is who you worship that can save you or send you to hell

Not what they may or may not do to your body

Rev 13:15

And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

Rev 13:16

And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

Rev 13:17

And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

,,,,,

Rev 14:7

Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

Rev 14:9

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

It is about who we worship but it seems that if we worship God we will not take the mark. What about those people the force to take it?

If we could lose our seal of the holy spirit which gives us the ability to worship God in the spirit John 4 then it would make no sense. It is about who we worship

There are those who do not worship Babylon whether it is Nazis or Commies or NOW yet are marked. But do we receive and take it or is it forced on us. Does that change who we trust to save us?

It does not say “if any man worship the beast or money or receive the mark” it said “and” and although these things will go together for one who worships the beast (TV) we still can worship God and take the mark. It is worship that God is looking for. It is nothing on the outside in the devil controlled world that can save us or unsave us, only we are saved by the spirit that gives us the ability to worship all the time!

Rev 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.

Here it again depends on who you put your trust in and that is a matter of the heart. There is no sequence of “or”s here but “and”s. There is a logical flow from the belief of your heart to how you will act on the outside in the world. But nothing can touch your Holy spirit in the inner man that we have been sealed with. Perhaps we should not use money with Government mints stamped in it, perhaps we should not watch TV, perhaps we should not obey laws against God, perhaps we should not take the vaccination passport. But that does not affect how we worship God because that is spiritual not physical.

…

Rev 15:2

And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

Rev 15:4

Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

Again it is who we worship that determines who will save us or not.

We have victory because we trust in God not Babylon and we have received the holy spirit and that is our mark and Gods signature!

Rev 16:2

And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

See it is not one component but two. It is those that do not worship God and have the mark. It is the worship only possible for the born again and saved with eternal life. Those who never asked to be saved will not be. When the word and is used it is not like or. “And” is defined “As a coordinating conjunction; expressing two elements to be taken together or in addition to each other.” “Or”is defined “(logic, computing) A logical connective joining two or more predicates that yields the logical value “true” when at least one of the predicates is true.” So the word “or” is never used but “and” as the connection between “mark” and “worshipping” You can still worship God and be marked. But probably not want to.

In the end it is all about worship and trust.

Rev 19:20

And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Rev 20:4

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

SO lets be sure to worship the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let the light do its work. Let us look to the light and worship and come out of Babylon. It is the devil not us. It is his Empire that is falling not ours. How to worship God effectively is what is important and not put our trust in man

BLUELETTERBIBLE.ORG

Revelation 15 :: King James Version (KJV)

Revelation 15 – Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for [thou] only [art] holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.