We have spent the last few weeks looking at who we are in
Christ; spirit, soul and body; our creation as elohim, and our mission to
subdue the enemy of humanity. The subject of spiritual warfare is one that is
close to my heart because all of us easily believe lies about ourselves, and it
is time to rise up against our attackers. There are some things that make me
angry; the devil makes me angry. The devil is the god of this world, the prince
of the power of the air, the prince of this world who killed Jesus. The devil
accuses us, the ones who confess Jesus as Lord, before the throne of God day
and night. He sends his servants, demons, to attack people, even babies, and
his servants blind the minds of the lost. And the devil plays dress up, he
looks like light, to imitate angels. He then gathers people to do the same,
masquerade as ministers and servants of righteousness. So if I sound angry or
sarcastic please pardon my emotion, sarcasm is my second language. The reason
this angers me is that too many good people have been abused by the devil, too
many have been taught wrongly and simply don’t know how to fight for
themselves. But the worst part of the devil’s deceit is the nonsense that some
people teach that cripples the body of Christ. We all want to be loving and
kind to others, but there are times we have to take a stand so that people can
be set free.
Paul gives us some great ideas in detecting people who
masquerade as ministers of righteousness. These false teachers don’t preach
what the Apostle Paul preached, which was given by the Holy Spirit. Also, money
is involved, as if that is a surprise. And there is something to learn about
the type of people who are led astray into believing false teachers. Many
people can thrive in a religious system, with rites and rituals, or as some
might call them, cults. There is nothing wrong with being led by a Pastor or
teacher, unless they are part of the devils masquerade party. Jesus told us
about the violent taking the kingdom by force. As we will explore it is a
present reality.
As we have studied the last few weeks, the word God can be vague. Yahweh is God, humans
are gods, human judges are gods, other spiritual entities are gods, and idols
are gods. Using a vague title when someone wants to point out that God is doing something, is known as the
Barnum effect or the Forer effect. Remember P.T. Barnum said “there’s a sucker
born every minute”. The term refers to
the gullibility of a person to believe an indistinct description is accurate and
applicable to either themselves or a situation when in fact it is so general
and ambiguous that it can apply to many people or situations. This is how
fortune telling works. Modern day Rabbis and Prophetic Ministers play this
game. They have this special secret that only they know, but are willing to
share, just like the guy in the ally selling knock off Rolex watches and Gucci
bags. Since most people want to be in on the “secret”, a cultish group is
formed to try and expound the beliefs of the inner secrets. The problem with
using the imprecise title God,
instead of Yahweh, is that God/Elohim alludes to the Creator when in reality
there is a god of this world who transforms himself to look like an angel of
light.
2 Cor 11:14. And it is no wonder. For if Satan looks like
the angel of fire,* 15. It is not so unutterable if his ministers also look
like the servants of righteousness, whose judgment* will be according to their
works. http://www.v-a.com/bible/2_corinthians_11.html
If someone is preaching righteousness can he/she be serving
satan? Why, yes, of course. A short time ago a person asked me what I thought
of an individual’s book. I am unfortunately honest, and less inclined to give
the politically correct answer when asked a direct question, so my answer was
no, I did not like it. I didn’t get to explain why, and the inquisitive
individual was clearly surprised that I disagreed with his belief. What I did
not have the chance to explain is that if one’s premise is incorrect it matters
little how many pages and appendices one writes to substantiate one’s own
opinion. The problem, or should I say, the catch
is that the book in question is a fictional story but it has developed a cult
following as a non-fictional work. In a fictional story there can be no
incorrect premise. If pigs live in houses and wolves can blow them down, it can
be correct and accurate in that story. However, if one were to apply the scenario
of pigs living in houses and wolves blowing them down to our physical world,
the problem would be the very foundation the story is built on. Pigs don’t
build and live in houses, and wolves don’t blow anything down. A fictional book
can make any reality it wants and therefore can apply any truths to its story.
However, one cannot take a fictional book and make it non-fiction if the
premise is not based on the reality of the world itself. One cannot apply any
reality one wants to a non-fictional world.
If a fictional work has a premise that is not correct from
the standard of the Bible it does not matter. Yet if the work is non-fiction,
and based on the Bible, the very foundational premise must be accurate. I have
used this book as an example previously, pointing out several other fallacies
the book uses. The foundation in question begins with God punishing America. We
can see from the last several weeks using the term “God” is a broad sweeping
stroke. It is the Barnum effect, being evasive enough to not pinpoint who is
doing what. In this fictional work the implication is that “God” is Yahweh. But
in a non-fictional work one would never say that Yahweh is punishing America,
because that could be blasphemy if it is incorrect. Yet we know from John 5
that all judgment is given to Jesus from the Heavenly Father. Jesus then must
be punishing America. That presents a problem, because as Revelation 11 gives
us a timeline, Jesus is not yet crowned and the kingdoms of the world have not
become the kingdoms of our Lord and Christ yet. Jesus also tells us when
judgment will come, and it is not until the end of the age. So who is this god
who is punishing America? (If one wishes to look spiritual, one would write G-d
which gives as much weight as the costume one wears). Remember, the wrath of
the Lamb comes before the wrath of the Father, and Jesus and Paul both gave us
benchmarks for that timing as well. The premise of this book may be vague
enough that we assume the premise is true when in fact it is something that is
Biblically and foundationally incorrect.
What if the “God” that is being promoted as the one judging
and punishing America is not Yahweh but the devil, as we know the devil is the
god of this world.
2 Cor 4:3-4 But even if our Gospel (the glad tidings) also
be hidden (obscured and covered up with a veil that hinders the knowledge of
God), it is hidden [only] to those who are perishing and obscured [only] to
those who are spiritually dying and veiled [only] to those who are lost. 4 For
the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers' minds [that they should not
discern the truth], preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the
Gospel of the glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image and Likeness of
God. AMP
Since there is a god of this world and he is blinding
people’s minds, it is safe to say that he is the god who is actually punishing
America, but directing unsuspecting people to believe it is Yahweh. It doesn’t
matter how many pages one writes, the people who believe Yahweh is the punisher
are assuming there isn’t another god
who might punish humans.
Paul tells us about the ministers of righteousness who trick
the unsuspecting person. These ministers have to preach some righteousness; for
example, someone pointed out that the author of the book about Yahweh punishing
America had a great message of national repentance. Well that’s nice, but the
rest of the message makes the church apathetic because who is going to fight
God the Creator, Yahweh, if Yahweh is doing the punishing? Instead of fighting
Yahweh people fall on the floor in a fetal position waiting for the punishment
to stop. We all want to serve a god like that, don’t we? Let me ask it
directly, would you like G-d to beat you to a pulp, while you serve him, no
matter how much he hits you? Ridiculous! But if the god who is beating you is
the devil, and Jesus said you have superhuman authority over the devil, are you
going to lie in a fetal position or take off the gloves so to speak. In other
words, get up and beat on the devil. You see the demonic deception here don’t
you? The devil would rather you didn’t fight him. Therefore, because this
message being preached has a faulty foundation, the devil gets away free and
clear with whatever he wants and then blames Yahweh. But the false minister has
to preach something that sounds good, like national repentance. Is that even
possible? Does the whole nation have to repent for the fairy-tale spell to be
broken or if just some people repent will that do the trick? Another vague and in
nebulous idea. Considering how extremely detailed Yahweh always is, I find it
hard to believe that something so important is so obscure. Wait, it’s a secret
that only one guy knows, and he’ll be nice enough to share a crumb or two if
you give him money, or your soul, either one. Let’s see what traits the
servants of the devil who pretend to be ministers of righteousness have.
2 Cor 11:3 But [now] I am fearful, lest that even as the
serpent beguiled Eve by his cunning, so your minds may be corrupted and seduced
from wholehearted and sincere and pure devotion to Christ. [Gen 3:4.]
This sounds like good people are gullible, the Barnum
effect. Paul says the serpent is cunning, crafty and calculating. Paul is
concerned that people will be corrupted and seduced away from whole hearted
devotion to Christ. There are a lot of important ideas in this verse. Let’s
apply it to our example, if Jesus is beating people up, then will you wholeheartedly
devote yourself to him? No, you will distance yourself from him so that you are
not hit when you least expect it. We see this behavior quite clearly in
children with abusive parents. However, if the devil is throwing the punches
what are you going to do?
2 Cor 11:4 For [you seem readily to endure it] if a man
comes and preaches another Jesus than the One we preached, or if you receive a
different spirit from the [Spirit] you [once] received or a different gospel
from the one you [then] received and welcomed; you tolerate [all that] well
enough!
Using our fictional/non-fictional book example, is this the
preaching of another Jesus? Yes, it is, as we know that Jesus is the one who
was given the right to judge, so then this other Jesus is a punisher now, not
in the future. Yes Jesus comes with his saints at the end of the tribulation to
war with the devil and his hosts. Time is an important key. Don’t mix up time. Fortunately
for us the context of John 5 gives us a timeline as to when Jesus’ judgments
will come on the human race. Shortly after the human judgment, the devil joins
the beast and false prophet in the lake of fire. So then is Jesus punishing
America today or is that another Jesus? Is this a different gospel? Yes it is.
Think this through for a moment, we are reading from 2 Corinthians. Everything
that Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians the Corinthian Church had already read. This
is the good news that should be preached and taught by the new preachers in the
Corinthian Church. Paul taught the harpazo, the gifts of the Spirit, planting
and watering, and the Lord’s Supper. There are false teachers today who do not
teach some of these things. That should tip us off to false ministers of
righteousness. Who is or is not preaching Paul’s whole message to the ekklesia?
Who is cutting and pasting portions of Paul’s message to make a new secret
teaching seem more plausible while discarding other portions of Paul’s message
that was given by the Holy Spirit?
2 Cor 11:5 Yet I consider myself as in no way inferior to
these [precious] extra-super [false] apostles.
Paul was beaten, tortured, thrown to wild beasts and
eventually beheaded for this message, yet he was made to feel inferior to the
false apostles. Maybe Paul didn’t write enough pages in his appendices. Most
likely no one else was speaking out against the false teachers but Paul. I know
people who like to talk about the believers’ authority but are willing to
compromise on the false messages just to gain audiences. That is silly. One
cannot preach that people have authority over the devil and then allow people
to believe that Yahweh is punishing them so that people never know if they are
fighting the devil or Yahweh, shame on those compromisers. Get off the fence.
In all spiritual battles, punch the devil. In every time of trouble hit the
devil. Through all difficulties kick the devil. Over every obstacle, sickness,
or heartbreak, stomp on the devil. If you do, you will see very quickly how
your life will change. You will finally be able to hold your head up and throw
your shoulders back and walk in your Elohim given authority.
2 Cor 11:6 But even if [I am] unskilled in speaking, yet [I
am] not [unskilled] in knowledge [I know what I am talking about]; we have made
this evident to you in all things.
Paul may not have been a skilled orator, he was a student of
Gamaliel, on track to become a Rabbi when Jesus met him on the road to
Damascus. He was far more knowledgeable than the false preachers. After his
conversion Paul spent 14 years studying before teaching. That is not a bad plan
for teachers to put into practice today. Paul told us that we are living in the
dispensation of grace, the dispensation of the mystery. Paul is still far more
knowledgeable than the false teachers of our day as the only way false
preachers can explain their false teachings is to erase the word dispensation out of the Bible. I wonder
if Paul was dealing with that in the same way that we deal with it today. In
Paul’s day, another big topic for the Jews was circumcision, in so much that
Jews distorted Biblical text to support their cause. Paul says in Galatians
that he wishes they would all castrate themselves. He didn’t mince words, he
was angry and so am I.
2 Cor 11:7 But did I perhaps make a mistake and do you a
wrong in debasing and cheapening myself so that you might be exalted and
enriched in dignity and honor and happiness by preaching God's Gospel without
expense to you?
Now we come to an interesting point. Paul wasn’t preaching
for money. He didn’t say, “I’ll preach about my new book at your church if you
pay my expenses and pay me $$$$”. He didn’t hold a fee over the head of the
church of Corinth for knowledge of the word of God. He used the offerings from
other churches to visit the Corinthians and asks the question, ‘was that
cheapening the message since it didn’t cost you (the Corinthians) anything?’ It
was a big deal for Paul to travel, it took time, money, and was uncomfortable.
Yet it didn’t cost the Corinthians anything to listen to Paul teach. Sometimes
free messages are disregarded as not as important as the messages people have
to pay for.
2 Cor 11:8 Other churches I have robbed by accepting [more
than their share of] support for my ministry [from them in order] to serve you.
9 And when I was with you and ran short financially, I did not burden any [of
you], for what I lacked was abundantly made up by the brethren who came from
Macedonia. So I kept myself from being burdensome to you in any way, and will
continue to keep [myself from being so].
It seems that the false teachers were asking for money but
Paul did not, and by not asking for money he was not a burden to the Corinthian
Church. Why were the other churches supporting Paul but not the Corinthians?
Were they spending their money on Christian merchandise instead of missions?
Were they paying the speaking fees of the false teachers and were they bled
dry? This is an interesting point. Paul was a missionary, visiting many places
and teaching and preaching salvation. Today, are the speakers we listen to
bringing a salvation message to the whole world or do the false teachers only
go to the comfortable modern nations and speak to people already saved? Is the
message of the false minister to the church preaching that the churches are
doing things wrong and that the he (the false minister) has some secret
knowledge about how to do things right? Are they getting Jews and non-Jews
saved? If not, there is a problem.
2 Cor 11:11-15 And why? Because I do not love you [do not
have a preference for you, wish you well, and regard your welfare]? God
perceives and knows that I do! 12 But what I do, I will continue to do, [for I
am determined to maintain this independence] in order to cut off the claim of
those who would like [to find an occasion and incentive] to claim that in their
boasted [mission] they work on the same terms that we do.
Paul did in fact love the Corinthians, he was burning with
love for all people, which is how he endured so much physical pain to bring the
message of salvation to others. Yet other false preachers were claiming they
were just like Paul, but they were preaching a message with a foundation built
on lies. The terms Paul worked on included things like, dispensations, grace,
mercy, forgiveness, and the abeyance of Yahweh’s wrath until after the
snatching up of the called out. Are the preachers of today in agreement with
Paul or are they subverting Paul’s message that was given by the Holy Spirit? If
they only preach a partial message they are truly disregarding the Holy
Spirit’s message and work in our day. Who wants to stand before Yahweh and
explain why they rejected or worse, blasphemed, the Holy Spirit?
2 Cor 11:13 For such men are false apostles [spurious,
counterfeits], deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles (special messengers)
of Christ (the Messiah).
And Paul hits this one out of the park. He calls these
people false apostles, deceitful, pretending to be messengers of Jesus Christ.
Posers. These are people who teach in opposition to Paul, and use vague titles
preying on gullible people to believe them and give them money. I read about an
individual who wrote a book in opposition to our example book and the publisher
and author of the example book sued him. Did the Apostle Paul sue anyone who
contended with his message? Paul tells us about taking people to court in 1
Corinthians. The false apostles sue people who point out the problems with
their message because it infringes on their profitability. And it’s no wonder
as Paul said. Can you see the twisted way in which the devil uses people to
spread his lies and false messages?
2 Cor 11:14 And it is no wonder, for Satan himself
masquerades as an angel of light; 15 So it is not surprising if his servants
also masquerade as ministers of righteousness. [But] their end will correspond
with their deeds. AMP
If there are teachers out there who are teaching the true
word given by the Holy Spirit, they will not be afraid to use the name of the elohim
that is punishing people, or America. If they are speaking truthfully, they are
not blaspheming if they say Yahweh, Jesus, or the devil, is punishing America.
So say it. Just say it. Anyone who believes this ridiculous idea, say it loud
and proud. Who is punishing America, Yahweh, Jesus, or the devil? (Don’t leave
out the vowels either)
This tells us something. Those who cannot say Yahweh is punishing
America because they feel guilt or fear can repent and be forgiven and receive
eternal life. Those who can say Yahweh is punishing America without a hint of
remorse are satan’s servants masquerading as ministers of light, and receive
eternal death. This is a good test to find out who is a false teacher and who
is a teacher who has been deceived. An Elohim is punishing America, but his
name is not Yahweh, it is satan.
Jesus said this:
Matt 11:12-13 And from the days of John the Baptist until
the present time, the kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and
violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize — a share in the heavenly
kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion]. 13 For all the
Prophets and the Law prophesied up until John. AMP
Matthew 11:12G575And
fromG1161 G3588theG2250daysG*of
John G3588the G910Baptist
G2193until G737just
now G3588theG932kingdomG3588of theG3772heavensG971is
forced,G2532andG973[2by
assailants G7261is
snatched].G1473 13G3956For
allG1063
G3588theG4396prophetsG2532andG3588theG3551lawG2193[2untilG*3John G43951prophesied]. http://studybible.info/ABP_Strongs/Matthew%2011
Let’s look at the time frame here from the days of John the
Baptist until that moment. That is our time period. John was preaching that the
Messiah was coming, so the kingdom of heaven came under siege. The devil
started demons working overtime on people who were listening to John’s message.
The only way for the people to get to the kingdom of heaven was to fight their
way in. And now Jesus is telling them to
push, and shove, and crowd, and snatch (harpazo) the kingdom of heaven; or in
other words, it’s a brawl to get to it. They are not fighting Yahweh to get in,
they are fighting the devil to get in. The devil is throwing up road blocks and
obstacles; and as we know from previous studies on the seven churches of
Revelation, one only gets in if one overcomes until the end. If you haven’t
learned how to fight yet, it is time.
You see, Jesus wants you to fight. He needs you to fight.
Some people will come back with him to beat the you-know-what out of the devil. Believe me, I’d like to be there
too wouldn’t you? Haven’t you had enough abuse? There is another lie that is
inherent in this book with the faulty foundation. It is the lie of cause and
effect. Some false teachers will say that the devil only beats on people who
sin. Baloney. We’ve spent a few weeks reading it and maybe it wasn’t clear. Job
didn’t sin, but the devil accused and attacked him. Job’s attack ended when he
interceded for his friends who were obviously misled and confused over Yahweh. Yahweh
knew Job would not bow to the pressure. Abraham didn’t sin, and he did not bow
to the devil’s pressure of offering Isaac. The devil’s accusation was that
Abraham wouldn’t obey Yahweh, but he did. Isaac obeyed Yahweh as well, and at
thirty seven years old he allowed himself to be an offering. Moses was accused
and tested as we saw last week and yet he was attacked, but Zipporah stopped
the attack by circumcising Gershom. Moses, while under his father-in-law’s
household, was not in error or sinning by not circumcising his son. Moses was
going to lead people out of Egypt, and as soon as the devil knew the plan, he
tried to kill Moses to prevent Jacob’s heirs from leaving Egypt. Jacob was not
a trickster or a con artist, he was instead a holy man. Jacob served Yahweh
faithfully. At birth he grabbed Esau’s heel, which gave him his name, but that
tells us he was struggling for position. Remember that while Rebecca was
pregnant, the babies were fighting in her womb and she sought help as to what
was going on. Abraham heard from the Lord that she had two strong nations in
her belly. Jacob the younger was the chosen one because of his heart of service
to Yahweh. He also was abused by the devil. And yet there is another story
regarding Jacob which is a good lesson for us.
Jacob was a nice guy, he didn’t cause a ruckus when Laban
tricked him into marrying Leah, nor did he start a fight when he wanted Rachel.
Jacob was a good compromiser. He worked out agreements with his uncle Laban
instead of beating Laban up. Jacob was willing to work out fair deals. But Jacob
needed to learn to fight. Yahweh told Jacob to go back to the land where Isaac
lived.
Gen 31:3Then the Lord said to Jacob, Return to the land of
your fathers and to your people, and I will be with you. AMP
When Laban catches up to Jacob and his family, Jacob
finally says this to Laban:
Gen 31:41I have been twenty years in your house. I served
you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks; and
you have changed my wages ten times. AMP
This is the twenty years of Jacob’s trouble. Some people of
the superstitious-back-alley type are
always trying to apply 7 years of this, 20 years of that, and 50 years of
something else to America’s timeline. Stop it, that is the devil’s spin.
Yahweh’s angel gave Daniel the exact date that the Messiah would ride into
Jerusalem on a donkey and they missed it completely! Jesus held them
accountable for not knowing the hour of his visitation. That was a date plainly
mapped out in the Book of Daniel and was read in synagogues for over three hundred
years before Jesus came. If you are trying to apply a number of years to a
timeline today you are not in the correct dispensation, because in today’s
dispensation the time line is general and dependent on the number of non-Jews
getting saved. You and I are not privy to that number so stop making up special
secret fallacies and selling them for money.
We see how compliant Jacob was, and this is just the
beginning of Jacob having to become a fighter. Most of us would not put up with
that, especially our wages changing for the worse ten times. At some point one
has to rise up and say enough is enough. So Yahweh wants Jacob to move back to
his home town, where he will have to stand up to his brother and teach his
children how to stand up to the sons of Esau. As a side note, after this time,
the sons of Jacob became fierce fighters, devouring many nations for years, as
recorded in the book of Jasher. Jacob’s sons developed a reputation not to
oppose or abuse them. Esau wanted to kill Jacob. In the beginning of Genesis 32
we see the armies of the heavenly hosts. We don’t know why they are there, but the
book of Jasher gives us more details. Yahweh sent some of his host to meet up
with Esau and his men.
Jasher 32:28 And the Lord sent three angels of the angels
of heaven, and they went before Esau and came to him.29 And these angels
appeared unto Esau and his people as two thousand men, riding upon horses
furnished with all sorts of war instruments, and they appeared in the sight of
Esau and all his men to be divided into four camps, with four chiefs to them.
The sight of all the angel armies scared Esau’s men, and
Esau himself.
Jasher 32:39And when Esau beheld the evil which the four
angels had done to him and to his men, he became greatly afraid of his brother
Jacob, and he went to meet him in peace.40And Esau concealed his hatred against
Jacob, because he was afraid of his life on account of his brother Jacob, and
because he imagined that the four camps that he had lighted upon were Jacob's
servants. http://www.ccel.org/a/anonymous/jasher/32.htm
The angel armies were there to protect Jacob and his
family. Yahweh sent the angelic host to scare Esau into being afraid of Jacob.
This was something that Jacob didn’t know about or see. All Jacob knew was that
he was sending gifts to soften Esau’s heart. Most likely, if Yahweh hadn’t told
Jacob to go there Jacob would have gone in a different direction. But in
obedience to Yahweh Jacob was going to have to face Esau who was planning on
killing Jacob. Here is a lesson for us today, when we are obedient to Yahweh
and if we will fight the devil, the heavenly host will fight on our behalf too.
Meanwhile, Jacob sends his family over the ford of Jabbok and an angel meets
with him.
Gen 32:24-31 And Jacob was left alone, and a Man wrestled
with him until daybreak. 25 And when
[the Man] saw that He did not prevail against [Jacob], He touched the hollow of
his thigh; and Jacob's thigh was put out of joint as he wrestled with Him. 26 Then He said, Let Me go, for day is
breaking. But [Jacob] said, I will not let You go unless You declare a blessing
upon me. 27 [The Man] asked him, What is
your name? And [in shock of realization, whispering] he said, Jacob
[supplanter, schemer, trickster, swindler]!
28 And He said, Your name shall be called no more Jacob [supplanter],
but Israel [contender with God]; for you have contended and have power with God
and with men and have prevailed. [Hos 12:3-4.]
29 Then Jacob asked Him, Tell me, I pray You, what [in contrast] is Your
name? But He said, Why is it that you ask My name? And [the Angel of God
declared] a blessing on [Jacob] there.
30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel [the face of God],
saying, For I have seen God face to face, and my life is spared and not
snatched away. 31 And as he passed
Penuel [Peniel], the sun rose upon him, and he was limping because of his thigh. AMP
The angel that wrestled with Jacob was Phanuel, one of the
archangels. This was no lightweight angel. Yahweh had a purpose for teaching
Jacob endurance in battle. So Jacob would not let the angel go until he blessed
Jacob. The word wrestled in verses 24
and 25 is very interesting.
OT:79 'abaq
(aw-bak'); a primitive root, probably to float away (as vapor), but used only
as denominative from OT:80; to bedust, i.e. grapple: KJV - wrestle.
OT:80 'abaq (aw-bawk'); from
root of OT:79; light particles (as volatile):KJV - (small) dust, powder.(Biblesoft's
New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew
Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International
Bible Translators, Inc.)
This word that is translated as wrestled is only used in these two verses. As we can see by the
definition, there might have been more going on than rolling around on the
dusty ground. This wrestling might have taken place somewhere else where there
is floating and light particles. Jacob was the one who saw the angels ascending
and descending on a ladder and he just saw the armies of heaven on the way back
to Salem. What we learn from this is that there is blessing in the fight.
Whether we are wrestling Yahweh’s hosts like Jacob or we fight demons, there
will always be a blessing if we don’t give up.
The words God in
the text are Elohim. Here is another
great example of an angel being titled Elohim. Jacob saw Elohim face to face;
Jacob saw one of the ruling heavenly host face to face. We learn about Phanuel
from the Book of Enoch.
Enoch 40:9 … and the fourth, who is set over the repentance
unto hope of those who inherit eternal life, is named Phanuel.' And these are
the four angels of the Lord of Spirits and the four voices I heard in those
days. http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/boe/boe043.htm
Phanuel’s mission is for repentance unto hope for the
redeemed. This is the angel that taught Jacob to endure, whether they struggled
on earth or in a heavenly place. The ones who inherit eternal life will be
seasoned wrestlers. But look at Phanuel at the end of the age.
Enoch 54:1 And I looked and turned to another part of the
earth, and saw there a deep valley with burning fire. 2. And they brought the
kings and the mighty, and began to cast them into this deep valley. 3. And
there mine eyes saw how they made these their instruments, iron chains of
immeasurable weight. 4. And I asked the angel of peace who went with me,
saying: 'For whom are these chains being prepared?'5. And he said unto me:
'These are being prepared for the hosts of Azâzêl, so that they may take them and
cast them into the abyss of complete condemnation, and they shall cover their
jaws with rough stones as the Lord of Spirits commanded.6. And Michael, and
Gabriel, and Raphael, and Phanuel shall take hold of them on that great day,
and cast them on that day into the burning furnace, that the Lord of Spirits
may take vengeance on them for their unrighteousness in becoming subject to
Satan and leading astray those who dwell on the earth.' http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/boe/boe057.htm
Look at these words, the Lord will take vengeance on the
hosts of Azazel for their unrighteousness in teaching mankind things they
should not have, for becoming subjects of satan, and for leading astray humans.
Azazel was a fallen angel and those who fell with him also harmed humanity.
Jesus came as a scapegoat to atone for that sin. For further study:
James has a few words for us that we seem to overlook,
especially if they disagree with our special secret knowledge.
James 1:13 G3367[2no oneG39853being testedG30041Let] sayG3754that,G575FromG2316GodG3985I am tested!G3588 G1063ForG2316GodG551is beyond testingG1510.2.3 G2556by evils, G3985[3tests G11611andG14732he himself]G3762no one. 14 G1538But eachG1161 G3985is testedG5259byG3588his ownG2398 G1939desire,G1828being dragged awayG2532andG1185being entrapped. http://studybible.info/ABP_Strongs/James
G3985 πειράζω - Strong's Greek Lexicon Number
LSJ Gloss: πειράζω to make proof
Strong's: πειράζω to test (objectively), i.e. endeavor,
scrutinize, entice, discipline
Derivation: from G3984; KJV Usage: assay, examine, go about, prove, tempt(-er), try. http://studybible.info/strongs/G3985
Derivation: from G3984; KJV Usage: assay, examine, go about, prove, tempt(-er), try. http://studybible.info/strongs/G3985
Verse 14 tells us that our poor life choices are what
causes us trials. I guess there are many good people who have never actually
read this. The Septuagint translates the word tempted as tested. Look at
the Strong’s definition, the word discipline
is applicable here. Let’s take the word tempted
out and substitute discipline and
listen to how it sounds.
James 1:13-14 Let no one say when he is
Who would try to keep this information from you? You know
the answer. Are you mad? Are you ready to fight? The devil is looking for a
reason to punch you in the face, and then he wants you to blame Yahweh. The
devil wants you to think Yahweh is throwing the punches so you will not fight
back. Remember the 70 disciples who were amazed that the demons were subject to
them? As we studied last week, you are a superhuman potentate. A czar over
spiritual beings. And you have the superhuman ability to trample serpents and
scorpions. Last week’s blog will explain this.
http://musingsofawinsomeheart.blogspot.com/2014/11/lucifer-worship-of-cherubim-star-gospel.html http://musingsofawinsomeheart.blogspot.com/2014/11/gods-among-men-unraveling-satan.html
People who masquerade as ministers of righteousness are a
detriment to the body of Christ, but very few people will point out the false
messages. Instead, we want to be like Jacob and compromise and just work for
twenty years with our pay being decreased ten times. We can curl up in a fetal
position or we can start swinging. Test the people you are listening to who
teach you the Bible. Do they preach the things Paul preached? Is money
involved? Ask them to be specific when declaring that God is punishing America,
and ask which Elohim they are referring to. Are they saying that Yahweh is
punishing America? Are they saying that Jesus is punishing America? Are they
saying the devil is punishing America? Or are they saying people are punishing
America? Push for an answer. Don’t let anyone con you. The servants of satan
are playing games with the Church, trying to prove how stupid humanity is. Jesus
came to unravel satan. Therefore we should be like the 70 who made a mess of
the devil’s kingdom, but we will never rise up if we believe Yahweh is
punishing us. Yahweh is not punishing, disciplining, testing, tempting, or judging
us. If we learn to fight now we will have no hesitation when we come back as
the bride of Christ on the Day of the Lord. We will explore our warfare again
next week.
