We should be careful to guard our hearts from hardness toward those who altered Biblical text. They did not know that their alterations would be printed and distributed to the entire world. That was not their intent, but it was the scheme of the god of this world who had already blinded their minds and hardened their hearts. They thought they were keeping their “race” pure so that people would not leave and follow Jesus. The changes to Biblical text and the deletion of many books that they discarded caused confusion and chaos to the rest of the world when the King James Bible compilers used the Masoretic Text for the Old Testament. Those working on the King James Bible thought the Jews had an unadulterated text. The Masoretic Text had been completed six hundred years before the KJV. Nonetheless, many Jews and Messianic believers do not understand that there were changes made to the text of the Old Covenant. There were also changes to the calendar of years, eliminating 243 years from the “Jewish” year, as well as the change to following a lunar holiday calendar instead of the solar calendar. While it is hard work to unravel these changes we can do it with patience. Those who tampered with the words of the Holy Spirit will stand before Jesus one day, and those who were deceived will mourn. So instead of following the Jesus rejecters and expecting to learn something from them, we should instead bless them, forgive those in the past and teach people today as to where the problem texts are so they can come to the understanding of Jesus Christ.
Where is Jesus? We saw last week Jesus standing between the four living creatures and the Father, who is seated on the throne. He takes the scroll with seven seals. At first he wasn’t there, then he was there. Jesus stands among all the sons of God and is the only one in heaven, in the earth, or under the earth who is worthy to open, look at, and read, the scroll. But where has Jesus been?
Just before Jesus was crucified he had a confrontation with the elders the chief priest and the scribes. He had been beaten throughout the night and now was being asked questions as to who he was. In the Greek, we see that he actually claims that he is I AM, as he had said before.
Luke 22:67-70 (KJV)
67 Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe:
68 And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go.
69 Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.
70 Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am.
Luke 22:70 G2036 [3said G1161 1And G3956 2all], G1473 Then you G3767 G1510.2.2 are G3588 the G5207 son G3588 G2316 of God? G3588 And he G1161 G4314 [2to G1473 3them G5346 1said], G1473 You G3004 say it, G3754 for G1473 I G1510.2.1 am.
3754 LSJ Gloss:ὅτι that) that
Dodson:ὅτι that, since, because that, since, because; may introduce direct discourse.
Thayer:
1) that, because, since
ὅτι
hoti hot'-ee Neuter of G3748 as conjugation; demonstrative that (sometimes redundant); causatively because KJV Usage: as concerning that, as though, because (that), for (that), how (that), (in) that, though, why.
Instead of our English version, “you say that I am” it is more properly “you say since I AM” or “you speak because I AM” or as a redundant statement “you say that, that I AM”. It wasn’t the first time Jesus claimed he was I AM, John 8:58. With that in mind, we see Jesus saying that after this he will be sitting on the right hand of the power of God. Jesus also quoted David in this, and if we remember he made everyone mad.
Matthew 22:44 (KJV)
44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?
44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?
Keep in mind that there is no difference between the two words Lord, Kurios; this is a Masoretic alteration to the text. Remember the Masoretes were scribing from the Greek with no original documents, nor any Hebraic documents. They decided to make a change here to differentiate the two Lords.
Psalms 110 ABP_Strongs(i)
1 G2036 [3said G3588 1The G2962 2 lord] G3588 to G2962 my Lord, G1473 G2521 Sit down G1537 at G1188 my right hand G1473 G2193 until G302 whenever G5087 I should make G3588 G2190 your enemies G1473 G5286 a footstool G3588 G4228 for your feet. G1473
2 G4464 [4a rod G1411 5of power G1821 2shall send out G1473 3to you G2962 1 The lord] G1537 from out of G* Zion; G2532 and G2634 you dominate G1722 in G3319 the midst G3588 G2190 of your enemies! G1473
3 G3326 With G1473 you G3588 is the G746 sovereignty G1722 in G2250 the day G3588 G1411 of your power, G1473 G1722 with G3588 the G2987 brightness G3588 G39 of your holy ones . G1473 G1537 From out of G1064 the womb G4253 before G2193.1 the morning star G1080 I engendered G1473 you.
4 G3660 The lord swore by an oath, G2962 G2532 and G3756 shall not G3338 repent, saying, G1473 You are G2409 a priest G1519 unto G3588 the G165 eon G2596 according to G3588 the G5010 order G* of Melchisedek.
5 G2962 The lord G1537 at G1188 your right hand G1473 G4917 fractured [2in pieces G1722 3in G2250 4 the day G3709 5of his anger G1473 G935 1kings].
6 G2919 He shall judge G1722 among G3588 the G1484 nations; G4137 he shall fill up with G4430 corpses; G4917 he shall fracture in pieces G2776 heads G1909 upon G1093 the earth -- G4183 many.
7 G1537 [2from out of G5493 3 the rushing stream G1722 4in G3598 5 the way G4095 1He shall drink]; G1223 on account of G3778 this G5312 he shall raise up high G2776 a head.
This entire Psalm is an attestation to the Day of the Lord, the Day of Wrath, the Day Jesus comes back with His armies at the end of the tribulation. He comes with the brightness of his holy ones, verse 3.
He is a priest in the order of Melchizedek, verse 4. Jesus is a priest in the order of Shem, who was Melchizedek, also known as the first Adonizedek. Jesus is a Zedek, Zadok, Sedek, Hasidic. Remember, vowels are not part of the Hebrew, these are all the same word.
The tribulation period is called the wrath of the Lamb for the first three and one half years, and the great tribulation which is the wrath of the Father, in the second three and one half years. What Psalm 110 confirms is that the Lord is seated at the right hand of the Father until the time the Father is ready to send Jesus out to overcome their enemies.
Peter testifies of Jesus as being the one spoken of in Psalm 110
Acts 2:29-36 (KJV)
29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool.
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Jesus’ soul was not left in hell and his flesh did not see corruption. Many people saw him in his resurrected body. He is now at the right hand of God and has sent forth the promise of the Holy Ghost who seals the redeemed. The writer of Hebrews tells us where Jesus is.
Hebrews 1:1-3 (KJV)
1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Noting Psalm 110, the writer of Hebrews points out that Jesus is in a higher position than angels.
Hebrews 1:13-14 (KJV)
13 But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?
14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
Hebrews also notes the difference between the law and it’s sacrifice offerings, and Jesus and His once for all offering.
Hebrews 10:10-14 (KJV)
10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
By one offering, the precious blood of Jesus, believers are perfected, they are sanctified. He is our High Priest.
Hebrews 8:1 (KJV)
1 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
Peter gives us a few more details. After his death Jesus witnessed to the imprisoned spirits, the disobedient ones in the days of Noah. We may remember reading where these beings are from in 2 Enoch.
1 Peter 3:18-22 (KJV)
18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.
Angels, and authorities, and powers are subject to Jesus Christ. But these imprisoned spirits from the days of Noah actually came to earth in the days of Jared. There are many details we can gain when we read some of the works found in the caves at Qumran.
The Secrets of Enoch, 2 Enoch
VII.
Of how Enoch was taken on to the second heaven.
AND those men took me and led me up on to the second heaven, and showed me darkness, greater than earthly darkness, and there I saw prisoners hanging, watched, awaiting the great and boundless judgement, and these angels were dark-looking, more than earthly darkness, and incessantly making weeping through all hours.
2 And I said to the men who were with me: 'Wherefore are these incessantly tortured?' they answered me: 'These are God's apostates, who obeyed not God's commands, but took counsel with their own will, and turned away with their prince, who also is fastened on the fifth heaven.'
3 And I felt great pity for them, and they saluted me, and said to me: 'Man of God, pray for us to the Lord'; and I answered to them: 'Who am I, a mortal man, that I should pray for angels? who knoweth whither I go, or what will befall me? or who will pray for me?'
I like Enoch’s response, he is humble and practical. Who is going to pray for Enoch when he approaches the Living God? We see that Enoch does pray for these angels.
The group in the second heaven are called God’s apostates. These angelic beings were sons of God around the Lord’s throne. They went down to Mount Hermon and broke their vows. They came down to earth after the Grigori. The Grigori rejected the Lord of Light, they were the army of satan. There are four ranks of them in this fifth level of heaven. Even though the Grigori are imprisoned because of their defection, they have an opportunity to amend themselves.
The Secrets of Enoch, 2 Enoch
XVIII.
Of the taking of Enoch on to the fifth heaven.
THE men took me on to the fifth heaven and placed me, and there I saw many and countless soldiers, called Grigori, of human appearance, and their size was greater than that of great giants and their faces withered, and the silence of their mouths perpetual, and there was no service on the fifth heaven, and I said to the men who were with me:
2 Wherefore are these very withered and their faces melancholy, and their mouths silent, and wherefore is there no service on this heaven?
3 And they said to me: These are the Grigori, who with their prince Satanail rejected the Lord of light, and after them are those who are held in great darkness on the second heaven, and three of them went down on to earth from the Lord's throne, to the place Ermon, and broke through their vows on the shoulder of the hill Ermon and saw the daughters of men how good they are, and took to themselves wives, and befouled the earth with their deeds, who in all times of their age made lawlessness and mixing, and giants are born and marvellous big men and great enmity.
4 And therefore God judged them with great judgement, and they weep for their brethren and they will be punished on the Lord's great day.
5 And I said to the Grigori: 'I saw your brethren and their works, and their great torments, and I prayed for them, but the Lord has condemned them to be under earth till heaven and earth shall end for ever.'
6 And I said: 'Wherefore do you wait, brethren, and do not serve before the Lord's face, and have not put your services before the Lord's face, lest you anger your Lord utterly?'
7 And they listened to my admonition, and spoke to the four ranks in heaven, and lo! as I stood with those two men four trumpets trumpeted together with great voice, and the Grigori broke into song with one voice, and their voice went up before the Lord pitifully and affectingly.
It may seem chaotic that there are places of punishment for angelic beings, but we must recognize the value of free will. Freedom of will is a God given right to all beings. It would be easier if everyone, angels and humans alike, were all forced to behave properly, like robots. The Living God wants relationships. This means the created beings have to want a relationship as well, rather than being forced into one. Otherwise the value of those relationships is diminished and the quality of those relationships is tarnished. Relationships only work when they are mutual free will decisions. This is why we see fallen and disobedient angels leaving their angelic posts. It is also why we will judge angels in the future.
Enoch is asked to make intercession for these imprisoned beings. The Lord reminds these beings that they were formerly spiritual. Jude tells us that they left their habitation or their spiritual bodies. They also lived eternal lives and were immortal for all the generations of the world. This is why their fallen state is a problem. The giants, or the Nephilim, are the descendants of the fallen angels that are now mortal. The Nephilim die but their spirits live and they are now called evil spirits on the earth.
1 Enoch 15:1. And He answered and said to me, and I heard His voice: 'Fear not, Enoch, thou righteous man and scribe of righteousness: approach hither and hear my voice. 2. And go, say to ⌈⌈the Watchers of heaven⌉⌉, who have sent thee to intercede ⌈⌈for them: "You should intercede"⌉⌉ for men, and not men for you: 3. Wherefore have ye left the high, holy, and eternal heaven, and lain with women, and defiled yourselves with the daughters of men and taken to yourselves wives, and done like the children of earth, and begotten giants (as your) sons? 4. And
though ye were holy, spiritual, living the eternal life, you have defiled yourselves with the blood of women, and have begotten (children) with the blood of flesh, and, as the children of men, have lusted after flesh and blood as those ⌈also⌉ do who die and perish. 5. Therefore have I given them wives also that they might impregnate them, and beget children by them, that thus nothing might be wanting to them on earth. 6. But you were ⌈formerly⌉ spiritual, living the eternal life, and immortal for all generations of the world. 7. And therefore I have not appointed wives for you; for as for the spiritual ones of the heaven, in heaven is their dwelling. 8. And now, the giants, who are produced from the spirits and flesh, shall be called evil spirits upon the earth, and on the earth shall be their dwelling. 9. Evil spirits have proceeded from their bodies; because they are born from men, ⌈⌈and⌉⌉ from the holy Watchers is their beginning and primal origin; ⌈they shall be evil spirits on earth, and⌉ evil spirits shall they be called. [10. As for the spirits of heaven, in heaven shall be their dwelling, but as for the spirits of the earth which were born upon the earth, on the earth shall be their dwelling.] 11. And the spirits of the giants afflict, oppress, destroy, attack, do battle, and work destruction on the earth, and cause trouble: they take no food, ⌈but nevertheless hunger⌉ and thirst, and cause offences. And these spirits shall rise up against the children of men and against the women, because they have proceeded ⌈from them⌉.
1Enoch 16:1. From the days of the slaughter and destruction and death ⌈of the giants⌉, from the souls of whose flesh the spirits, having gone forth, shall destroy without incurring judgement--thus shall they destroy until the day of the consummation, the great ⌈judgement⌉ in which the age shall be consummated, over the Watchers and the godless, yea, shall be wholly consummated." 2. And now as to the Watchers who have sent thee to intercede for them, who had been ⌈⌈aforetime⌉⌉ in heaven, (say to
them): "You have been in heaven, but ⌈all⌉ the mysteries had not yet been revealed to you, and you knew worthless ones, and these in the hardness of your hearts you have made known to the women, and through these mysteries women and men work much evil on earth." 4. Say to them therefore: "You have no peace."'
Remember when Jesus was questioned by the Sadducees as to a woman who had seven husbands and whose wife she would be in the resurrection, Matthew 12:19-ff? Jesus responded that we err, not knowing the scriptures (v.24), and that we would not be married in the resurrection but be like the angels. What scriptures is Jesus referring to? We don’t have those scriptures in our canonized Bible. Where is that information? We have some information here in 1 Enoch 15.
From the days of Jared, the Watchers and the Grigori came to Mount Hermon. They genetically mixed their angelic race with the human race. The fallen Watchers and the godless will be wholly consummated, or entirely finished on the Day of the Lord.
Jude 1:6 (KJV)
6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
The disembodied spirits remained on the earth until after the flood when Noah prayed because his heirs were being led astray. That is when 90% of the demonic spirits were imprisoned.
Jubilees X. And in the third week of this jubilee the unclean demons began to lead astray †the children of† the sons of Noah; and to make to err and destroy them. 2. And the sons of Noah came to Noah their father, and they told him concerning the demons which were, leading astray and blinding and slaying his sons' sons. 3. And he prayed before the Lord his God, and said:
God of the spirits of all flesh, who hast shown mercy unto me,
And hast saved me and my sons from the waters of the flood,
And hast not caused me to perish as Thou didst the sons of perdition;
For Thy grace hath been great towards me,
And great hath been Thy mercy to my soul;
Let Thy grace be lift up upon my sons,
And let not wicked spirits rule over them
Lest they should destroy them from the earth.
4. But do Thou bless me and my sons, that we may increase and multiply and replenish the earth. 5. And Thou knowest how Thy Watchers, the fathers of these spirits, acted in my day: and as for these spirits which are living, imprison them and hold them fast in the place of condemnation, and let them not bring destruction on the sons of thy servant, my God; for these are malignant, and created in order to destroy. 6. And let them not rule over the spirits of the living; for Thou alone canst exercise dominion over them. And let them not have power over the sons of the righteous from henceforth and for evermore." 7. And the Lord our God bade us to bind all.
8. And the chief of the spirits, Mastêmâ, came and said: "Lord, Creator, let some of them remain before me, and let them hearken to my voice, and do all that I shall say unto them; for if some of them are not left to me, I shall not be able to execute the power of my will on the sons of men; for these are for corruption and leading astray before my judgment, for great is the wickedness of the sons of men." 9. And He said: "Let the tenth part of them remain before him, and let nine parts descend into the place of condemnation." 10. And one of us He commanded that we should teach Noah all their medicines; for He knew that they would not walk in uprightness, nor strive in righteousness. 11. And we did according to all His words: all the malignant evil ones we bound in the place of condemnation, and a tenth part of them we left that they might be subject before Satan on the earth. 12. And we explained to Noah all the medicines of their diseases, together with their seductions, how he might heal them with herbs of the earth. 13. And Noah wrote down all things in a book as we instructed him concerning every kind of medicine.
We understand that there are principalities powers and rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places. We also understand that one third of the angels defected with the satan. Some rebellious beings are in prisons, some are with the satan. The satan will be cast out of the upper heavens with the one third of the angels when Jesus is coronated (Revelation 11). Until that time the satan accuses us before the throne day and night.
When Jesus died he took the righteous saints out of the the third heaven, known as hades, which had a compartment called Abraham’s bay and brought them to a different part of the third heaven called Paradise. We have two witnesses to that event as recorded by Pilate. At the time when Jesus died, the graves opened and many of the saints came out and went into Jerusalem.
Matthew 27:50-53 (KJV)
50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
Here is the account of the two witnesses, the sons of Simeon.
The Gospel of Nicodemus 12:13 Then Joseph rising up. said to Annas and Caiaphas, Ye may be justly under a great surprise, that you have been told, that Jesus is alive, and gone up to heaven.
14 It is indeed a thing really surprising, that he should not only himself arise from the dead, but also raise others from their graves, who have been seen by many in Jerusalem.
15 And now hear me a little: We all knew the blessed Simeon, the high-priest, who took Jesus when an infant into his arms in the temple.
16 This same Simeon had two sons of his own, and we were all present at their death and funeral.
17 Go therefore and see their tombs, for these are open, and
they are risen: and behold, they are in the city of Arimathæa, spending their time together in offices of devotion.
This is the account of the two sons of Simeon the High Priest, who prophesied over Jesus as a baby, Charinus and Lenthius. There was fighting in hell because hell could not legally hold Jesus.
The Gospel of Nicodemus 18:1 THEN the prince of hell took Satan, and with great indication said to him, O thou prince of destruction, author of
Beelzebub's defeat and banishment, the scorn of God's angels and loathed by all righteous persons! What inclined thee to act thus?
18:4 He has broke down our prisons from top to bottom, dismissed all the captives, released all who were bound, and all who were wont formerly to groan under the weight of their torments have now insulted us, and we are like to be defeated by their prayers.
5 Our impious dominions are subdued, and no part of mankind is now left in our subjection, but on the other hand, they all boldly defy us;
Jesus said he has the keys to hell and death, Revelation 1:18. Jesus led captivity captive and he preached to the imprisoned spirits here too.
The Gospel of Nicodemus 19:1 THEN Jesus stretched forth his hand, and said, Come to me, all ye my saints, who were created in my image, who were condemned by the tree of forbidden fruit, and by the devil and death;
2 Live now by the wood of my cross; the devil, the prince of this world, is overcome, and death is conquered.
3 Then presently all the saints were joined together under the hand of the most high God; and the Lord Jesus laid hold on Adam's hand and said to him, Peace be to thee, and all thy righteous posterity, which is mine.
19:12 And taking hold of Adam by his right hand, he ascended from hell, and all the saints of God followed him.
The saints leave hades and go to Paradise where they meet two individuals.
The Gospel of Nicodemus 20:1 THEN the Lord holding Adam by the hand, delivered him to Michael the archangel; and he led them into Paradise, filled with mercy and glory;
2 And two very ancient men met them, and were asked by the saints, Who are ye, who have not yet been with us in hell, and have had your bodies placed in Paradise?
3 One of them answering, said, I am Enoch, who was translated by the word of God: and this man who is with me, is Elijah the Tishbite, who was translated in a fiery chariot.
4 Here we have hitherto been, and have not tasted death, but are now about to return at the coming of Antichrist, being armed with divine signs and miracles, to engage with him in battle, and to be slain by him at Jerusalem, and to be taken up alive again into the clouds, after three days and a half.
Here are our two witnesses, the ones who come back to earth after the harpazo, Revelation 11. They die and will rise from the dead after three and one half days. The people on earth will leave their bodies in the street for three days and they give each other gifts as they will be glad Enoch and Elijah are gone. The whole world will see them rise. They will be at Jesus’ coronation.
The Gospel of Nicodemus 21:1 THESE are the divine and sacred mysteries which we saw and heard. I, Charinus and Lenthius are not allowed to declare the other mysteries of God, as the archangel Michael ordered us,
2 Saying, ye shall go with my brethren to Jerusalem, and shall continue in prayers, declaring and glorifying the resurrection of Jesus Christ, seeing he hath raised you from the dead at the same time with himself.
Now we know why the graves were opened and why the dead righteous saints went into Jerusalem. These two men wrote their stories separately.
The Gospel of Nicodemus 21:7 And after they had made an end of writing and had wrote in two distinct pieces of paper, Charinus gave what he wrote into the hands of Annas, and Caiaphas, and Gamaliel.
8 Lenthius likewise gave what he wrote into the hands of Nicodemus and Joseph; and immediately they were changed into exceeding white forms and were seen no more.
9 But what they had wrote was found perfectly to agree, the one not containing one letter more or less than the other.
10 When all the assembly of the Jews heard all these surprising relations of Charinus and Lenthius, they said to each other, Truly all these things were wrought by God, and blessed be the Lord Jesus for ever and ever, Amen.
21:13 And Pilate wrote down all these transactions, and placed all these accounts in the public records of his hall.
It matters little what we think of extra Biblical writing, it only matters what the first century believers knew and understood. This is what they believed. They wrote as if it was common knowledge; it was in their day but not two thousand years later. Today we have little understanding of the graves being opened or the angels who left their first estate, or what is meant by Jesus leading captivity captive, having the keys to hell and death, being like angels in the resurrection, or even Jesus witnessing to the imprisoned spirits without the works Masoretes discarded. We have a clearer understanding of the first century knowledge so that when Peter writes about Jesus witnessing to the imprisoned spirits, we understand what he was talking about. We now understand Jesus having the keys to hell and death and giving the overcomer fruit from the tree of life in the Paradise of God.
Hebrews lists all of the tortures and distresses of the Old Covenant saints. “By faith” is the theme of the chapter. “They, without us should not be made perfect” or in other words they will not come to perfection before we join them. This sounds like the harpazo, the time when the dead in Christ rise and the living in Christ join them.
Hebrews 11:40 (AMP)
40 Because God had us in mind and had something better and greater in view for us, so that they [these heroes and heroines of faith] should not come to perfection apart from us [before we could join them].
Hebrews 12:1-2 (AMP)
1 THEREFORE THEN, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us,
2 Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus is the author of our faith and the finisher of our faith. He is seated at the right hand of the throne of God and he makes intercession for us. Why intercession?
Romans 8:33-34 (KJV)
33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Jesus intercedes for us because the satan accuses us before the throne of God day and night, Revelation 12:10. The accusations will continue until the satan is cast out of the heavens, Revelation 12:7-ff.
Stephen saw Jesus just before he was stoned. What was Jesus doing?
Acts 7:54-56 (KJV)
54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.
55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
Jesus is in warrior pose standing at the right hand of God. It seems like Jesus was ready to go somewhere. He is not taking Stephen’s stoning sitting down.
It is clear Jesus witnessed to the imprisoned evil spirits and the saints imprisoned by the devil in hades; and he also has a seat next to the throne of the Father. But just before Jesus died, he told his disciples he was preparing a place for them.
John 14:1-3 (KJV)
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Jesus has also been preparing a place for his saints. He told his disciples that he would come again and receive them to the place where he is. So when Jesus comes he will bring people to where he has been. Wherever he has been, he will bring us. Think this through. At the end of the tribulation, Jesus will rule on the earth, but he has not been on the earth, he has been seated at the right hand of the Father. So what time period are we looking at with this statement? The time period before the tribulation. When Jesus comes for his saints he will bring them to where he has been, the throne room. This is interesting because we want to know where Jesus was before we see him standing in the throne room to take the scroll from the Father. He wasn’t sitting Jesus was standing. Where was he?
Revelation 5:7 (KJV)
7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
If Jesus had been sitting next to the Father, at his right hand, there would have been no need for Jesus to come to the Father, he could have reached over and taken the scroll. But Jesus was standing. Remember he held seven ram horns, and had the seven spirits/eyes with him. Where was he? Everyone in the room was waiting to see who was worthy. Then Jesus appears between the throne and the four living creatures. He is carrying horns of war, and the seven spirits are with him. And then we see there are praying and singing saints. Jesus has just returned from seizing the saints!
Revelation 5:8-14 (KJV)
8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
To be continued…
