I Corinthians Chapter 6 "Litigation [1-11]; Fornication, Amplification [12-20]." This Bible Study is written by Roger
Christopherson, and made available with written
permission by http://www.theseason.org We are to try to be in fellowship with people that at least try to do good works for the Lord, and therefore good works will abound. We are to be very patient in teaching to unbelievers, that the Holy Spirit will have the opportunity to work in their minds. We are to set the example for those people out side the body of Christ, that they will be drawn to the Word of God. Even though we fall short of God's standards from time to time, that is the time to repent and keep focused on the work that is before us in this world. We are not to be judgmental and puffed up in our minds that we are better that anyone else. If there is a church that is so puffed up that they think that they are better than the others, watch out for them. No group is any holier than any one else, for they all have their problems, which need to be faced and dealt with. But the main thing here is to know that our Father can help us. He will help when we come to Him in Repentance, and ask for His help. There is only one way that we come to perfection, and that is when we are in Christ in His perfection. Then with the mind of Christ and in His Spirit, there will be no pride, but humility. Jesus is our Passover, our perfect Sacrifice. I Corinthians 6:1 "Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?" Keep in mind that this is dealing with one Christian having a complaint against another believer in Jesus Christ, which is to say Christian. This is not discussing the matter of dispute between you and a non-Christian. Paul is addressing a situation where two Christians are having a matter in dispute whereby it requires a legal settlement, and the use of an outside arbitrator. Paul is saying, How dare you be drawn into civil court and have your dispute be settled by an atheistic court of unbelievers. Putting your lives at the hands of unjust people, and of course this is not true all the time for there are many just and fair judges. However, there is another matter we face in the courts today, with unbelievers sitting in their black robes, and the lawyers with their sticky fingers for your money. The outcome in the end result will be that both of the Christians will end up as losers. This is just one reason for trying to come to a settlement to where the courts do not have to be used. It is a no win situation. Even when there is an injury, when the court room is cleared and the money is divided up, the legal minds end up with have the majority of the settlement. Paul is saying, how dare you go before a court when you are both Christians. I Corinthians 6:2 "Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?" Paul is calling your attention that in the next earth age it is the Christians that are going to be the judges of all the angelic beings. Yet in this life are you not even able to settle your little petty disputes that you have between yourselves? Are you still like a bunch of little children fighting over their toys, that you can settle your daily troubles that you have with one another? I Corinthians 6:3 "Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?" Paul is telling them to wake up; don't you know that God has chosen you to be the ones that will be judging the angels? That will be a duty far greater than these little ordinary things that you are facing in this life in the flesh. If you do not have eyes to see and understand the Word of God, these last two verses will seem very strange to you. So what is Paul talking about when he says that we are going to be judging angels? Paul is talking about Ezekiel 44, which will be taking place in the Millennium age. This happens after the seventh trumpet and our Lord Jesus Christ has returned to this earth and set up His Millennium Kingdom. It is the age to come, and God is going to use the priest of the Zadok, which is to say "the priest of the just" to do the judging in that earth age. Paul is talking to you that have the eyes to see and understand the scripture. Ezekiel 44:23 "And they shall teach My People the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean." "They" are the ones that are the saints of Christ. In the Millennium age the elect will teach the difference between the holy and the profane, the true Christ and the false Christ. The truth will be taught. Jesus Christ will be right here on earth and the world will be His kingdom. There will be no flesh bodies during that age, because at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, all flesh will be done away with and all shall be changed instantly into their spiritual bodies, just as the angels are in. All people in that spiritual body will know truth, and what is clean and unclean. That truth will be the same then as it is today, and it is all recorded in His Word. Ezekiel 44:24 "And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to My judgment: and they shall keep My laws and My statutes in all Mine assemblies; and they shall hallow My sabbaths." The judges of the Millennium age will be the Elect of God. The judges then will be fair and just, and their judgments will not be bought, coerced, bartered and sold like the crop of boot-legged, half-breed judges of today. All the rights, standards, and punishments will be just, because they are set by our Lord. All will be obedient to all feast days, Sabbaths, laws, and ordinances. All will be in their incorruptible body having full understanding, and you will know and understand the requirements of you in that kingdom. In the spiritual body all people [souls] will be as the "angels" are. Ezekiel 44:25 "And they shall come at no dead person to defile themselves: but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister that hath had no husband, they may defile themselves." This is the same "dead" that are spoken of in Revelation 20:5. They are mortals, meaning they are liable to die in the spirit, just as all flesh is already dead, gone and no more. So in other words, it is your loved one who were deceived and entered into the Millennium age in a fallen state. The Zadok cannot touch them, but you will be able to recognize your family and loved ones, and help them. You can speak to and encourage them, and you can even, with righteous indignation, chew them out if they get in trouble. Very few will get this opportunity, for this is one of the promises for those standing against the Antichrist. So Paul is reminding all Christians that in the Millennium age, you are the people that will be doing the judging for Christ of the angels. You know what God's laws and judgment will be, so why do you go running of to some court of this world that has no idea in the world of God's laws and judgments. You allow My people to come under the heathen to do your judging for you. God's law is absolute, while man's law is controlled by some judgments that have been given before, right or wrong. It is the "law of precedent". Under the "law of precedent" one court decision sets the precedent or example of how future court decision will be handled. There are no absolutes, and the only thing that matters is the words that flow from the mouths of the attorneys, that can dug up from past cases. It isn't a matter of being right or wrong, good or bad, but what did some other court decision said on the matter. "Precedents" are the traditions of men that set the standards for all men under that law. They may be passed by a judge that is so ignorant that he doesn't know God's Word, or the workings of the Spirit of God. Looking at many of their decisions it is obvious that many of them simply do not use common sense, as far as God's law is concerned. Friend, if any judgment does not abide by God's law then it is wrong. Why would you place yourself under one of these courts in question, when you can settle the matter between yourselves, and accept God just law. When you live in this country that law of precedent exists, but Paul is saying, How dare you take your disputes before one of those places. God has told us how to settle our disputes between ourselves. First we go to the man face to face, and explain what your problem is and the two of you talk it through. If he will not listen to you, then you go and find an arbitrator. Remember that this is when both men claim to be Christians, and the arbitrator also is a Christian. It is important that the Arbitrator know God's Word, and you take him with you and return to the man that you have the dispute with and confront him again. It is important that the Arbitrator know both of you, or neither of you, and then there will be no partiality in his judgment and the outcome will be just. This is the form that our constitutional system was formed from, but down through the years it has been replaced by another form which we now have. We could call our legal system today "the monkey law", monkey see, monkey do. We have allowed the Kenite minds to place the monkey law on us, and we accept it. I Corinthians 6:4 "If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church." Paul is using a little irony here, he is saying if you want to use those heathen in the courts to make the decisions over you, then why don't you pick the least educated and of the lowest esteemed in the church to make your decisions on such matters. Of course it is ridicules to even considering such a thing. Paul is saying, go and get the ones that are not to sharp, the ones that are all tied up in their own troubles and let them try to resolve your problems. Paul is using this as a comparison of what it is like having a heathen court do the judging. I Corinthians 6:5 "I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?" Paul is saying that he is disgusted with what is going on at the church at Corinth by the letters that he had received. Don't you have anyone in that church that is able to judge fairly with the brethren that are with you? The answer is that God will always provide an arbitrator for settling disputes between Christians. If you seek one, then God will provide one for you. Someone that has the ability to keep the peace, and be fair while settling the differences. I Corinthians 6:6 "But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers? Why do you make the unbelievers make your decisions for you? I Corinthians 6:7 "Now therefore, there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?" When you do this, there is a great loss to both of you. There is no winner, but all are losers when the unbelievers do your judging for you. They take from both of you what is rightfully yours. Paul is saying it is better for all you to take a loss, than have your differences aired out in public scorn. Instead of going down to the courts and letting some crooked attorney beat you out of everything, why don't you just say to your brother, go ahead my friend, it is yours; and letting him have it. Paul is saying that you would be better off by giving the matter in the other Christian brother's favor, and keep the money or property in the hands of the Christian, than to let old long fingers, the judge, have it. The attorney is trained to separate you from your money by words, and he will not hesitate one moment in taking your money because he considers a large chunk of it to be his. This is not aimed at those many Christian attorneys that do seek to do things right. However they themselves know that this problem does exist in the legal system. So Paul is saying that even the dumbest person in the congregation will give you a better shake than you will find in the heathen courts of non-believers. Proverbs 20:22 "Say not thou, "I will recompense evil;" But wit on the Lord, and He shall save thee." Proverbs 20:23 "Divers weights are an abomination unto the Lord; And a false balance is not good." When you wait on the Lord, He will send you that arbitrator. We as Christian brethren must try to justify and try to make right that which is wrong. When two Christians seek help from another Christian brother to help settle the dispute, then both of the brethren will come out better for it. This is what the problem of the divisions within the church had brought about, some sided with those of the "Paul" group, some with the "Apollos", and still other with the "legal minds" to where they were disputing amongst themselves. There was only milk being taught in the church, and the minds of the entire church was that of babes in Christ. Paul is saying get away from those divisions amongst you, and all of you get back into the Word of God. They had become blinded to the Word through their listening and living in a tense and unbelieving world. I Corinthians 6:8 "Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren." Paul is saying here, that not only do you show a lack of charity [love] but justice as well. This also extends to your neighbors, for neighbors are valuable assets to have. When there is a dispute between neighbors, it is good to settle your problem with them in a just manner, with love and concern for their well being. We should look out for each others rights and property and security. Christians should even settle disputes with non-believers face to face, in seeing that wrongs are made right, with feelings of good will on both sides. The only thing that is not negotiable is our beliefs in Our Father Word, that is not up for discussion but anything dealing with this flesh world can be discussed. We should always be kind and honest in dealing with people, and show them the love of Christ that is within us. Your reputation as an honest man or woman is foremost, however that doesn't mean that you have to let anyone run over you. For when a person allows others to continually run over them, it shows fear within them. I Corinthians 6:9 "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind," If you are going out there to play the role with the unbelievers, to play their games of trickery, cheating, lying, and shortchanging your neighbor, then you are not of the kingdom of God. You will not inherit the kingdom of God nor have any of the part of the inheritance that goes with it. You are flirting with the losing of your position in the kingdom of God. The is trouble in the king James version of this translation here. This is also why those translators wrote the long letter to the reader of the King James version in the front of the 1611 Authorized version which warns the reader of the short comings of the Word. "Effeminate" are those that are so soft spoken that they will knuckle under to anyone that puts pressure on them, and the "abusers" in the Greek tongue is "arsenokoites", and comes from two words. It refers back to the "effeminate", and one of the words that goes to make up "arsenokoites" is "man" and the other "passings firm". The word "abusers" as used here should read "Sodomites", or "one that passes male sperm to another male". Sodomy is a discussing thing that God hates, and yet many churches today are allowing such action to go on right within their church. Paul is saying that those that do such a thing and those that accept it and turn the other ways and allow it to go on in their midst are just as unrighteous and shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven. The only places in the Bible where this word is used beside here is in I Timothy 1:10, and Romans 1:27 where Paul is addressing Sodomites. I Timothy 1:10 "For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured person, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine:" "Them that defile themselves" as used here is also "arsenokoites". This again is talking about the Sodomites, or better know today "as homosexuals", and God is telling you that any one that does those acts and accepts those things as common is not of His kingdom, nor do they have any rights of inheritance in the Kingdom of God. Romans 1:27 "And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet." Here in Romans 1:27, the word "arsenokoites" is spelled out in English; it is the sexual act of "men with men working that which is unseemly" which is just not natural. That act of filth will breed disease and death to those so stupid and perverted to engage in such a thing. So now we know exactly what Paul means when he used the world Abusers in the Greek to describe those that do not have a part in the kingdom of God. I Corinthians 6:10 "Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." If you get mixed up with the things of the world, and side tracked in their worldly events then you will be deceived into following things that are not of God, and believing that it just doesn't matter. However, God expresses how He feels on all matters, and when anyone defiles the holy things of God, they are not of God and thus shall not inherit the things that God is giving to the Just of His kingdom. Though this seems harsh, we have to understand the next verse to tie it all together. I Corinthians 6:11 "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." There is hardly a man alive that doesn't fall under one of these things named here by Paul. At one time we were all lost sinners under the condemnation of God's judgment, however the moment that we came to recognize our sinful state, and came to believe in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and repented to the Father in Jesus name, the blood of Christ cleansed us from all our sins. At the moment of repentance we became separated or washed of our sins, and became clean and pure in the eyes of our Lord and Savior. The word "sanctified" is to be pure and holy, for we are when we take on Christ's righteousness. We become "justified" in the eyes of God; The charges by God are removed and it is as if we had never done those acts in the first place, or the memory of those things are gone. For the blood of Christ washed those sins away and blotted them out of the books of judgment, and the only thing remaining in the book is your name in the Lamb's [Jesus'] book of life. On repentance, it is the Holy Spirit that will bring sinners out of those things. Upon repentance the Holy Spirit can even change the perverted minds of the Sodomites and drunkards and they can become good workers in the service of our Lord. The blood of Christ, and the Spirit of God can release you from the bondage of drugs or any other evil thing that binds your mind to Satan's system. God can change lives and make people useful citizens out of these sinners for both this age and the age or kingdom to come. It doesn't matter what your sin is, for that is what repentance is for, to change lives and mend souls for Him. To take what Satan has destroyed and make out of it something that is useful in the kingdom of heaven. A true Christian will not look down on you after you have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. After you have turned you life and mind over to Christ, to be molded and shaped by His Spirit, God has made you a new Creature in Christ. One that throws your old sins back into your face after you have repent to the Father in Jesus name, is not of God, but of Satan and his system. So don't ever allow yourself to be destroyed by those that call themselves Christians but do the work of Satan by throwing repented sins back into your face. Know them and get away from them. I Corinthians 6:12 "All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any." All sins that are repented are taken from us, and that is what gives us peace of mind. We can lawfully do all those things and eat all the things that God has designated that we can partake in. We rise above those restrictions that denominations place on their members, and seek only to please our Heavenly Father. Let your conscience be guided only by the Word of God, and what is lawful according to His Word is lawful within our conscience. I Corinthians 6:13 "Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats; but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body." Paul is saying that it is very natural for your stomach to want meats and be full, and that is what God created the meat for, to be eaten for food. In other words the things that are created for the body will only be around here for a short period of time, for this age of the flesh is very short comparing to the vastness of time in eternity. Soon the seventh trumpet shall sound and all flesh shall be changed instantly, and the need for meat and the things that concern the flesh will be gone and done with. The only thing that matters then is what is done for the Lord. There is also a play here on the health laws, and the using of those laws to keep this body of ours in good health and around for the time that God has given the flesh man to live. I Corinthians 6:14 "And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by His own power." This is what Paul wrote of in I Thessalonians 4, concerning our being brought back to him. It is where the church world today get their "rapture doctrine" from, for they have lost focus on what Paul is speaking of. In I Thessalonians 4:13-18 Paul is addressing the subject as to "where the dead are". The Thessalonians were starting to act like the heathen, thinking that the souls of those that have passed on were out there still in the ground. Some how the church world has allowed their so called scholars to lead them into using two words of this passage, and completely change the entire subject of Paul's teaching, for they document their own dogma. The next five verses lay the foundation to what is called "the rapture theory", and that is all it is, a theory, and unproven idea. As we look into these verses, set aside all your preconceived ideas that are in your mind about a fly-away doctrine, which is also called the "any moment doctrine." I Thessalonians 4:13 "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope." Now lets see just how willing you are to bet your soul on the rapture theory, when you take a look at how it was written in the Greek. Because that is exactly what you are doing when you look for an "any moment coming" of one calling himself the Christ. After Paul had instructed the Thessalonians to live right in their community, and search their souls for sin in their lives, and repent of those sins, Paul addressed then focused in on what happens when death comes to this flesh body. This topic is important to Paul, for it is the stabilizing factor to the Christian life. It removes the fear that comes from the unknown at ones death, which was the fear that came over the heathen in their ignorance of Christ and eternal life. In other words Paul doesn't want Christians stupid as the heathen are concerning death, and what happens to the soul after death. This concern is over "them which are asleep", the loved ones that have died and their soul departed from their flesh body. The heathen's fears come from their ignorance of God's Word, and the promises that He has made to those that follow Him. The heathen have no hope, for they believe it is all over at the burial, and placing the dead body into the ground. I Thessalonians 4:14 "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him." If we believe, as a Christian, that Christ set the example for us; so that we will follow Him and do as He did. To "sleep" is to "be dead" in this flesh body, and just as Christ died and rose to be with the Father so also when you die in your flesh body, your soul will go immediately to be with the Father. The subject of what we are speaking of here in these six verses is; "that ye not be ignorant as to where the dead are." To be specific Paul is addressing the Christians, for this is the very foundation of the Christian faith. If you are a Christian as you claim to be, then you know and believe that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and on the third day arose and came out to the tomb. Today Jesus Christ is alive and with the Father in heaven. If you do not believe this, then Paul classifies you as ignorant, and heathen [non-believer]. Forty days after Christ arose from the tomb, He ascended into heaven, and when he ascended into heaven all souls that were in the grave ascended with him. Some of those souls to be held in wait for the time of judgment, while others to the glory of God. Those souls that sleep are the souls that are not living in their flesh body because their flesh body died and went to the grave. Paul is telling us that when your flesh body is laid in the grave, your soul is not out there in a hole in the ground. The dead are with God; all of them. Ecclesiastes 12:7 "To be absent from the body [flesh body] is to be present with the Lord." Don't be confused with what Ecclesiastes 9 says about the flesh body, for when this flesh body is dead, the soul is gone from it, and the flesh is left to rot. So how a rapture theory can come out of such verses, when the entire subject is, where are the souls of the dead?" I Thessalonians 4:15 "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are asleep." "We which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord," is our gathering back to Jesus Christ, and as we will study later in I Corinthians 15, this gathering is at the time of the sounding of the seventh and last trumpet. Then there is no rapture but a complete changing of all souls from their physical bodies, into their soul or spiritual bodies as the Angels have. "Shall not prevent them", is better translated "We are not going to precede [go before] them." We will not precede them for a very simple reason; the dead are already there with God. It is the only logical fact that can come from this. If you do not believe this then you believe in "soul sleep", exactly as the heathen do. We will go much deeper in this in I Corinthians 15:50-54. I Thessalonians 4:16 "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:" The Lord is going to descend at the seventh trumpet, the last trumpet, and this earth age of the flesh will be over. There is no rapture of any sort prior to that time, except for the two witness as spoken of in Revelation 11:12, and their rising marks the end of this earth age. That is the final day of this age of the flesh. We can know exactly what will be taking place even three and one half days before the sounding of the seventh trumpet, for the entire world will be rejoicing with their father Satan, and Satan has just declared himself to be God, and committed the act killing the two witnesses of God. The church of this generation will be rejoicing right along with them, for they simply do not know the difference between the false christ Satan, the the True Christ. This is why Revelation is so confusing to the churches of today, and they hunt the prophecies for where the church is. They can find it, because the so-called church has given itself over to Satan, and they have become the great harlot of Mystery Babylon, the Mother of Harlots. They have not sealed their minds with the truth of God's Word to the point that they even know the times that they are living in, for they have substituted their traditions for God's Word, and the Kenites have pampered them into believing a lie. Today many people have images of massive numbers of people flying away, with all sorts of accidents taking place, however the Bible doesn't teach us it will be in that manner. Revelation 11 tells us that exactly three and a half days prior to the coming of the Lord exactly what is going to happen, and there is no mystery about it. On that day Satan will sit on his throne in Jerusalem, and declare himself to be God, and the world including the Christians will all believe him, all that is EXCEPT THE ELECT OF GOD THAT HAS THE SEAL OF GOD IN THEIR MINDS. That is when the two witness are killed and the entire world goes into a massive celebration over their death. We are going to cover several verses here for it is important that you do not over look the warnings of our day. It will happen in our generation, and most of those living today will observe this. Revelation 11:4 "These are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks, standing before the God of the earth." The two olive trees and the two candlesticks are one and the same, they are the two witness of the final days that shall give the warning to all people of the earth. The god of this earth is Satan, for all mankind on earth except for the "Elect" of God, will worship Satan as the true Christ. They will do it in ignorance because their traditions have taught them to do so. Revelation 11:5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies; and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed." Are you catching on? These witnesses are God's special witness to the people of the earth, giving a special warning that the people are not listening to, except for God's elect. Those that fool around with these witnesses are going to be killed on the spot. What ever manner that you seek to do them harm, that is the manner that God will use to bring about the death of those that seek harm to these witnesses. You heap the death coals right back on your own head. Revelation 11:6 "These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as ofter as they will." God has given these two witness the power to even control the elements, and call down plagues on those that defy God, and give them trouble. Revelation 11:7 "And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them." We know from Revelation 9 that the beast that had the key to the bottomless pit, which released the fallen angels out of that pit was Satan himself. He is identified in Revelation 9:11; "And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon." Those are names of Satan and "Abaddon and Apollyon" is translated in English, "death". Satan and his fallen angels are going to war against these two witness, and they will defy God and kill both of the witness. Revelation 11:8 "And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified." "Jerusalem" is called "Sodom and Egypt" because of the wickedness that is brought to that city, through Satan's reign from there, governing the peoples of the earth. That is where our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, and that is where these two witnesses will be slain. Revelation 11:9 "And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in the graves." Friend, if you are not one of God's elect and living in the flesh on that day, you will be one of those doing the celebrating during this three and one half days. There is no mystery as to who these men will be, for the whole world will know them for their testimony against Satan the Antichrist. Even the good reverend down the street in the church with the tall steeple will be bowing to Satan in ignorance. It doesn't sound like a rapture to me, but massive confusion and deception of Christ's church being led to the slaughter by their Kenite leaders and their traditions. Revelation 11:10 "And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth." Most Christians today don't really care what they celebrate, just as long as there is a celebration. It will be no different then as it is now. We celebrate Christ's Birthday three months after His birthday, yet the church world really doesn't care, for it is a time of celebrations and all the action and fairy-tales that make them feel real good. That is exactly how it is going to be at the death of God two witnesses. It will come and most so-called Christians will not give it a second thought. Revelation 11:11 "And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them." You may not believe any part of what is written here, but should you be living on that day when the spirit of life from God enters into these two witness, a fear will enter you that will be like no fear you have ever imagined, for you will know at that instant that you have given yourself over to the false christ Satan. You will realize that you have given your soul over to Satan. The fear spoken of here in the Greek is "epipipto" which is a "paralysing fear" that will strike terror in the hearts of all those that are here on earth. All that is, except the Elect of God, for the Elect know what is going to happen and we expect to see it come to pass exactly as it is written in His Word. Revelation 11:12 "And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, "Come up hither." And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them." This is the only rapture recorded in the bible, and this ascension will include only the two witnesses. The world will hear the calling up of these two witnesses, and the world will know that they have been deceived at this moment in time, as they watch the two witness disappearing out of sight. Revelation 11:13, 14 "The second woe is past; and behold the their woe cometh quickly. and the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world [age] are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever." Friend, instantly this earth age of the flesh is over at the seventh trumpet, and there is no more life in the flesh. This is when we are not flown away to some distant place, but changed from one form to another to remain right here on earth in the new kingdom of our Lord and Savior. We will discuss what happens at this time in I Corinthians 15. I Thessalonians 4:17 "Then we which are alive, and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord ." The clouds spoken of here that comes about at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, when the entire world is held in fear is a large gathering of people. It is right here on earth that we shall live our lives in the Millennium, and that is what the last eight chapters of Ezekiel is all about. It is the life that will go on in that kingdom of our Lord and Savior when Satan and all evil is removed from the earth for that thousand year period. I Thessalonians 4:18 "Wherefore comfort one another with these words." "These words" that Paul is writing here, is what we have to comfort ourselves with, as the world goes deeper and deeper in their ties to the deception that is getting a grip on the world today. We do have a hope in Jesus Christ, and the Elect that are sealed in their minds with the truth will wait for the coming of our true Christ and Savior, our bridegroom. I Corinthians 6:15 "Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid." Paul is telling the Corinthians that they are all part of that many membered body of Christ, and the members within that body should learn how to control their own body. There are some that just will not submit to other members of the body of Christ, but would rather run off to heathen courts to do their settling of their affairs. There is times when we all fall short of God's standards and do things that we later feel sorry for, and when this happens it is time for repentance. This is the beautiful thing about Christianity, that when we fall short and sin, there is forgiveness. Christ paid the price for all of our sins. This is why Paul didn't say that those that committed those sins listed above were doomed for hell, for Paul knew that when you commit those sins it is time for repentance. All of us were that way one time or another, locked into some sin that had us bound up. What ever righteous we calm of ourselves is just filthy rags, for the only righteousness that we can bring to the throne of God, is Christ righteousness, with our sins covered by the blood of Christ. I Corinthians 6:16 "What? Know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith He, shall be one flesh." Paul is now using the topic of marriage to show what is natural and what is unnatural: The time when the husband and the wife become one flesh. I Corinthians 6:17 "But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit." In this flesh body, when a man and woman are joined together in marriage they are one, and when a Christians is joined to the Lord Jesus Christ in the marriage of the bridegroom, they become one spirit. I Corinthians 6:18 "Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body." Flee immorality in your life. I Corinthians 6:19 "What? know ye not that your body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" It is the power of the Holy Spirit that brings about perfection within your mind and life, and changes those things that are important to you. Paul is saying that when you became a Christian, you were bought and paid for with the blood of the Son of God. You were paid for with the blood of Christ on the cross, and you are no longer your own man or woman. It is through the blood on the cross that we have repentance, which brings forth forgiveness and peace of mind. I Corinthians 6:20 "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." Friend, you belong to God because you are His child and He made you. It is God that placed your soul in the embryo of your mothers womb, and gave you life. God loved you so much that He sent his only Begotten Son to this earth just to pay the price to buy you back. Even though it seems that you do wrong much of the time, even when you set out to do that which is right, that is why we have repentance for when we repent it draws us back to our heavenly Father. Again it is real easy to put yourself on a guilt trip, but Paul gave us some real good advice. When there is trouble between Christians, don't go to court against each other, without first trying to resolve the dispute within the family of God, the body of Christ. Paul is not saying that it is wrong to sue somebody, for when someone that is not a brother in Christ defrauds you, it is time to take them to the courts and resolve the situation on their doorstep. There is a big difference between two that are Christians and two in a dispute where one is not. You are supposed to protect yourself and those of your family.
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