Mark 9:1 "And He said unto them, "Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power."

Most of the people in Jesus day, just like the people of today think of the time of the "kingdom of God" as the eternity, when all soul will be out of these flesh bodies. Well it is not. The "kingdom of God" came when Jesus Christ completed Him mission, died on the cross and arose the third day right here on earth. That mission is stated in Hebrews 2:14; "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is. the devil; "

To understand that mission, we have to go back into the first earth age, prior to the time that men's souls lived in flesh bodies. In Hebrews 2:14 Satan's name is "death", because Satan has already been sentenced to death. Satan is going to die, and there is no repentance for Him, for all hope was taken from Him in the first earth age. Ezekiel 28:12 tells us that our Heavenly Father created Satan [king of Tyrus], and that he was one of God's sons. God made Satan the full pattern of beauty and wisdom in that first earth age.

Ezekiel 28:12 "Son of man [Ezekiel], take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus [Satan], and say unto him, 'Thus saith the Lord God; 'Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty."

Ezekiel 28:13 "Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabreths and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created."

Satan was a created soul; created at the same time all other souls were created in the first earth age.

Ezekiel 28:14 "Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast waked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire."

Back in the thirteenth verse there are ten precious stones mentioned, and each of these stones are on the breastplate of the high priest. Before Satan's fall, he sat in an extremely high position of responsibility. Satan was anointed by God to fill that high position, and it was no accident that Satan held that position. Satan was created and anointed for that position.

The position of "cherub" is to protect the mercy seat of God. "Covereth" means to guard, in the Hebrew text. God is saying that "I set you there on mine own altar, and you walked before me." It is because of Satan's vanity and pride that he turned against God, and this pride caused Satan his sentence of death. When Satan fell, one third of all created souls chose to follow Satan, rather than worshipping God. It was because of this sentence that God also allowed for His own Son to come through this earth age in flesh and blood, live the perfect life, and die a sacrificial death. God Himself would pay the price for those souls that sinned and fell then, so that those that fell from God's grace can return to Him

Ezekiel 28:15 "Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee."

Ezekiel 28:16 "By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou has sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire."

This is the over-throw from the world that was in the first earth age. God told Satan that he was to be removed from the altar of God.

Ezekiel 28:17 "Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee."

Satan was created a child of God, just as all other souls are God's children, however when God created Satan, He built within him the full pattern of beauty and wisdom. Satan is a child of God because all souls were created by the Father. Satan, however, went bad because of his pride in his great wisdom and beauty. Satan was elevated to the highest position in God's kingdom, to archangel and the protector of the arch itself. He was one of the covering cherubs that protected the very seat of God [the mercy seat].

In as much as God is always as fair to one of His children as to another, if a soul that followed Satan in that first earth age enters into this age of the flesh through conception, God prepared a way for that soul for repentance. Each souls would enter this earth age in innocence, void of the first earth age, through the womb of a woman at conception. Then in this life in a flesh and blood body, choose whether they would follow God or Satan. However many souls even in this earth age simply do not have the right to choose because the truth of God's Word is withheld from them, and that is why there will be the Millennium age, when Jesus Christ will return and set up His kingdom right here on earth. Then all souls will be out of their flesh and blood bodies, and into an incorruptible body, that will have full knowledge. And during that thousand year period eternal life will be by their works only. Those of the elect and those that did not follow Satan in this earth age will receive their rewards at the beginning of this Millennium age.

Satan has had every opportunity that all souls have had, but he has refused them. Because of Satan's refusal, God has placed the sentence of death on him, and this sentence will be carried out at the end of the Millennium age, and the great white throne judgment of God the Father.

Ezekiel 28:18 "Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thy iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; there will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee."

Satan rejected all offers that God gave him, and because his fall in the first earth age, Satan was sentenced to die back in the first earth age. That is why he and only Satan is called the "son of perdition". This is also why Satan is called "death" by Paul, here in Hebrews. Though Satan was sentenced to die in the first earth age, God will use Him for the negative part of His eternal plan, and in the perfecting of His saints even in this age of the flesh, and also at the end of the Millennium age that will be upon us shortly. .

Hebrews 2:15 "And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."

God will release us and make us free and we can already participate in that freedom when we repent, love and trust Him. When we learn of His truth and trust in His Word we can expect many blessings. We become heirs to the promise that God gave to those that would repent and believe on His name, but you must individually claim what is rightfully yours. Those blessings are yours for recognizing that you are His child, in as much as God owns all things and we become heirs to them.

Hebrews 2:16 "For verily He took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took on him the seed of Abraham."

Jesus came to this earth to be born in the flesh, to show you that even in the flesh, you can overcome. Jesus came to be crucified, so that in His crucifixion he could destroy all death, that is to say, the devil. So the moment that Jesus Christ came out of that tomb, and defeated death, the kingdom of God came into being right here on earth. So this first verse is telling us that those that would be there, would see Him after His resurrection.

Jesus would teach them standing there, until the fortieth day after the resurrection, then He would be taken into heaven. That same kingdom is very much in power even today in all believers, even though Satan is the prince of darkness of this earth age. Once you believe on Jesus and repent of your sins in Jesus name, you step from the kingdom of darkness of Satan, into the kingdom of light, to the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Mark 9:2 "And after six days Jesus taketh with Him Peter, James, and John, and leadeth them up inot an high mountain apart by themselves: and He was transfigured before them."

"Transfigured" means that Jesus flesh body was changed by divine intervention into his spiritual body, but left in a dimension that Peter, James and John could see and witness. So why would Jesus say, "after six days", of what purpose is the six days? Peter gave us the clue in II Peter 3:8; "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."

At the end of the sixth day, in the eyes of God, the Millennium shall begin. The Millennium age is know as the seventh day, the day of rest, and all souls will not be in flesh bodies. At that time we will all be transformed from these flesh corruptible bodies, into our incorruptible bodies, that same spiritual body. The flesh will be put off, and changed, transformed into transfigured bodies. Remember I Corinthians 15:52?

I Corinthians 15:51 "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,"

"Sleep" as stated here comes from the Greek prime #2837 in Strong's Greek dictionary. "Koimao, to put to sleep, to to decease, to be dead." This is not talking about sleeping to gain rest, but when the soul leaves this flesh body, and it returns to dust at death. Paul is saying that at time is coming when all people on the face of this earth will not die, but be change into their incorruptible bodies that shall not age. This form of body is the same as Peter, James and John saw on that mount of transfiguration, when they viewed Jesus body change, and in the presence of Moses and Elijah.

I Corinthians 15:52 "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall souund, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."

At the sounding of the seventh and last trumpet the people living in their flesh bodies here on this earth are not going anywhere. They will all stay right here on earth, and heaven will be sealed for the next thousand years. However, all flesh will be gone, and all souls, good and bad will be in their incorruptible, spiritual bodies, just as Peter, James and John witness here in Mark 9:2. Christ is allowing these three men to witness exactly what He was speaking of in verse one. When they had seen the transfiguration, they had come real close to witnessing not only what takes place at His resurrection, but what will take place at the close of this age of the flesh when the seventh trumpet sounds.

This demonstrated why Christ's flesh body would not be left on this earth, whereby mankind could say or think that Jesus did not come out of the tomb alive. If Jesus' physical body was left behind, men would reject the resurrection, and point to that dead carcass as proof that He did not come out of the tomb. Jesus did not need to take away the flesh body to defeat death, because that is how it is with all of the dead. Their bodies go back to the dust of the earth, while their soul body returns to the Father that gave it at conception.

Ecclesiastes 12:7 "Then shall the dust [flesh body] return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God Who gave it."

To be absent from this flesh body is to be present with the Lord, but this was done for the sake of those that would have doubts. Christ was transformed and His flesh transfigured for the sake of His flesh to ascending back to the Father, so naturally they could not find Christ's body after the resurrection..

Today there is a lie that is being spread that Christ's body was taken away by His disciples, however upon Jesus resurrection, His body was visible see by hundreds of people over the forty day period prior to His ascension into heaven. Not only was Christ transfigured on that third day, but also many other souls which the people living on that day had known and lived with them that had died, were transfigured and walking the streets of Jerusalem on that day.

Matthew 27:51 "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;"

Matthew 27:52 "And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,"

Matthew 27:53 "And came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the holy city [Jerusalem], and appeared unto many."

These souls seemingly came out of the grave at the time of the resurrection, however, their souls were with the Father. God gave this visual aid to those present, of bodies coming out of the grave to prove one point. That point is, that Christ could conquer and defeat death. That should give you a real good feeling even today, for when Christ paid the price for all souls that would repent in Jesus name and believe on Him. That price was for all mankind going way back to Noah, to our present generation. So the transfiguration documents that Jesus Christ was the Son of God.

Mark 9:3 "And His raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them."

There is nothing on this earth that can give the divine appearance of brightness as Jesus appeared in His transfigured body.

Mark 9:4 "And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus."

"Elias" as stated here in the Greek is "Elijah" of the Old Testament. So why would Jesus confer with these two men? Elijah was the prophet of the prophets, and Moses was the law giver. It took both the law and the prophets to complete the Word of God. Christ was the Living Word that was prophesied and promised. In Jesus' life and death He fulfilled both the law and the Words prophesied by the prophets.

Mark 9:5 "And Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for Thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias."

Peter, James and John knew who these three men were. However the first thing that comes to Peter's mind was to build a monument for each of them on that spot that they witness this transfiguration taking place.

Mark 9:6 "For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid."

Peter was so shook up that he was just jabbering away at the sight of what was taking place, Peter didn't know what to say or do.

Mark 9:7 "And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son: hear Him."

The way that we hear Jesus today is through His Word, He is the teacher, and what He had to say is recorded in His Word. Jesus fulfilled the Word of both the law and the prophets. This is the same cloud that overshadowed Christ the day that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist back in Mark 1:11; And there cam a voice from heaven, saying, "Thou art My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased."

Mark 9:8 "And suddenly, when they had looked round about they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves."

Mark 9:9 "And as they came down from the mountain, He charged them that they should tell no man what they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead."

Jesus instructed Peter, James and John to say nothing of what they had see until after His resurrection. Then they were to bear witness of all that they had seen on this day. Though what Jesus had had following the resurrection, Peter was to assure the others that this is exactly what had happened up there on Mount transfiguration. Then it could be revealed that Jesus was in His divine body.

Mark 9::10 And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean."

Jesus had taken His disciples aside many times and told them that His life would be taken, and each time they indicated that they understood what Christ was trying to tell them. However, here again, they are talking as if they do not know about Jesus death on the cross, and the three days that He will be in the tomb. In reality they think that Jesus will be with them for ever here in the flesh. They were trying to block the crucifixion from their minds.

This is like those people of today that have been told all the events prior to Jesus coming. They know of the time of the the Jews returning to the Holy lands; of the time of the great deception; that the would will come under a one would system; and all the events that surround it, yet as all these things are taking place right before our eyes, they chose to ignore all the signs. It was prophecied by Amos that there would be a famine for the hearing of the Word of God, yet they can't see it happening, as the Word is being substituted by all sorts of traditions. Yes the disciples knew what Jesus was saying about His death and the resurrection, but they chose to place it to the back of their memory, just as many do today.

Mark 9:11 "And they asked Him saying, "Why say the scribes that Elias must first come?"

Jesus disciples are now asking Him why the scribes and prophets have stated that Elijah must come before Christ? They are still trying to sort all the information out. They still don't realize that there is a second advent coming. However they are starting to realize that Christ will be crucified and rise again on the third day.

Mark 9:12 "And He answered and told them, "Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that He must suffer many things, and be set at nought."

Jesus Christ is trying to let His disciples know that it is written in the Old Testament that these things must come to pass exactly as they are written. At the first Advent, He would be crucified and be raised from the dead, and then before the second advent Elijah would return and turn the hearts of the people to their fathers. Elijah would restore all things at his coming, and the hearts of all of the children would be turned completely to either of the fathers. There are two father spoken of here, Satan who is the false Christ, and the other is the true Christ, Jesus Christ. There will be no fence straddlers at this time. The elect and those sealed in their minds with the truth will know Satan in his role as the Antichrist [the instead of Christ], and those that are not seal in their mind, will believe Satan to be Jesus Christ. There is no fence sitters at Satan's coming, you either know or you do not know. If you do not know at Satan's coming, God will give you over to Satan for that time of deception for your own protection.

Psalms 22 deals with the first coming when Jesus would be crucified and raised from the dead, while the second advent comes from Malachi 4:5, 6 "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:" "And He shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."

Christ's death is given in detail over one thousand years before the fact, and then in Isaiah 53 God records every detail of the suffering of Christ before He went to the cross. There should be no doubt that God had His hand in making the sacrifice come to pass, and by His stripes, we are healed. Yes there are two comings of our Lord Jesus Christ and in Zechariah 9:9 Jesus comes into Jerusalem riding on a lowly ass, "and upon a colt the foal of an ass." Then in the next verse Zechariah records the second coming, when Jesus come riding on a great horse, ready to do battle, not as the humble servant about to be offered in sacrifice.

Jesus is trying to tell His disciples that the Scriptures must be fulfilled as they are written. He is trying to tell them that the Son of man must still suffer before He becomes that sacrifice.

Mark 9:13 "But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him."

We know that Jesus is referring here to John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, and Herod and his people killed John the Baptist the same as they will do to Christ. They beheaded John the Baptist. John the Baptist came in the spirit of Elijah.

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

Matthew 11:12 "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force."

Matthew 11:13 "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John."

Matthew 11:14 "And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come."

Matthew 11:15 "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."

Had the people received John the Baptist and what he was saying, he would have been Elijah, however we know for a fact that they did not receive him but killed him. Jesus is telling us that John the Baptist was the last prophet before Christ. So John the Baptist was an Old Testament prophet, even though He was named and written of in the New Testament. He was the last before the crucifixion and Christ coming in the first advent. Naturally Jesus did not restore all things as He will do at His second coming. The reason for this is that it just wasn't God's appointed time.

Elijah will return before the second coming of Christ at the second advent. The reason for this as we said above, was so that the hearts [minds] of all of God's children will be turned to their fathers. There will be no uncommitted then at Elijah's return for every soul on the face of this earth will either be committed to Christ, or to Satan. In ignorance many that call themselves Christians will commit to their father Satan, who will be coming at the sixth trumpet, and they simply will think Satan to be Christ. Their lack of knowledge of God's Word sealed in their minds [foreheads] will cause them to do this. Their own traditions will lead them to Antichrist.

Elijah will cause some to turn to the True Father, yet many will prefer to be deceived by their false messiah, Satan.

Mark 9:14 "And when He came to His disciples, He saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them."

The scribes are the Scripture lawyers of the day. These scribes are the ones that should know the truth, for they are the ones that are given the authority to safe guard the truths of God's Word. However as we know, they are not of Judah or Jacob, but of their father "Cain". They had substituted their traditions for the laws of Moses and of the prophets, as Jesus pointed out in Mark 7:11. Remember the word "Corban"? It was the taking of a law from the Word of God, and reversing it to be something else. In that verse it was the taking of a father and mothers wealth, and given part to the church, and keeping the rest while they threw mom and pop out in the street. The laws of God forbid such a thing, yet under these Kenite laws, it is permissible. Virtually all the laws of Moses were changed to where there was no right or wrong, but only shades of the truth. Much similar to what is going on in the courts today.

These scribes want to argue the truths of what Jesus is saying, through their traditions and legal systems, which go against God's Word. It does make a difference when the true Word of God goes forth.

Mark 9:15 "And straightway all the people, when they beheld Him, were greatly amazed, and running to Him saluted Him."

This happened right after the transfiguration, and Christ's countenance was still glowing. Remember when Moses came down off the mount after receiving the tablets of the law, His face glowed with the radiance of God, after being in His presence.

Mark 9:16 "And He asked the scribes, "What question ye with them?"

This is stated a little odd, for Jesus is asking them, What are the questions that you are discussing amongst yourselves? Remember that most of these scribes are Kenites and not of our brother Judah. They had taken over the duties and position of the scribes many years before, at the coming out of captivity in Babylon.

I Chronicles 2:55 "And the families of the scribes which dwelt at Jabez [Jerusalem]; the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and Suchathites. These are the Kenites athat came of Hemath, the father of the house of Rechab."

Two things to remember here is that the duties of the scribe was given by Moses to the tribe of Levi, and that the Kenites not only are not of Levi, but they are not even from the seed of Abraham. They are of their father Rechab, of the seed of Cain. They came from that sexual union between Eve and Satan in the garden of Eden. The sin in the garden of Eden was the sexual union with Satan, and it had nothing to do with apples or apple trees. The fig leaves were used to cover the parts that had sinned, and that was not their mouths. This is why it is important to learn the "parable of the fig tree", as Jesus stated in Matthew 24:32, for it opens your eyes to who is doing what to whom. It is time to come out of ignorance.

The duties of the scribes are under the control of Satan's children [these Kenites] at the time of Christ, as it is today, and not the Levites. So what is taught is the traditions of these Kenites, and not God's Word from Moses. These Kenite scribes are the ones that are questioning Jesus.

Mark 9:17 "And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto Thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;"

This man's son could not talk.

Mark 9:18 "And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with this teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to Thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not."

There is a certain bad spirit that the disciple had never come up against before. The nine disciples that were left behind when Jesus went up on the mount transfiguration tried to expell this unclean spirit, and they could not. The tried in the name of the Lord, but this spirit would not come out.

Mark 9:19 "He answereth him, and saith, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto Me."

Jesus is asking His own disciples, Why can you not understand My teachings? When any teacher is teaching a group of his students, and the material has been covered many time, the teacher expects the student to remember what was taught. When they forget, it was a disappointment to the teacher. The teacher is grading himself by the actions of the student, and how well the student has received the information. That's why Jesus was a little disgusted with His disciples.

Mark 9:20 "And they brought him unto Him: and when he saw Him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming."

When they brought this boy to Jesus, it was apparent that this spirit could not talk like other spirits. Even spirits can have infirmities, and any other spirit would have identified Jesus, saying, "Jesus the Son of God, Son of David, what have I to do with you?" This stupid spirit simply took his wrath out on the lad.

Mark 9:21 "And He asked his father, "How long is it ago since this came unto him?"

Jesus is asking the boys father, how long has this been going on? This is a demon of deception, and many have this demon from childhood. This is used as a type.

Mark 9:22 "And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if Thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us."

Now stop and ask yourself; Is there any faith in what this man is saying? This man is telling Jesus, "If" you can help us, will you do it? Do you ever ask God a favor in your prayers like this? God, if you can heal mom? If you can get me a job? If you can help me in school? If, if, and if has only one answer, "NO", for it shows doubt. God is the creator of all things, and He controls all things that happen. What you are praying with in your mind, you are presenting yourself as ignorant of His Word before the Father.

Mark 9:23 "Jesus said unto him, "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth."

Jesus is telling this man, if you put a little faith in your prayer, all things are possible before the Father.

Mark 9:24 "And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief."

It is no sin for an unbeliever to try to muster up a little courage to have faith. If you have no faith, than pray that your faith will be strengthened.

Mark 9:25 "When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, "Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him."

When Jesus saw that the people were being entertained by what was happening to this boy, He commanded that this dumb and deaf spirit come out of the boy and leave him alone.

Mark 9:26 "And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; inso much; insomuch that many said, "He is dead."

When the spirit departed, the boy lay there exhausted.

Mark 9:27 "But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose."

Mark 9:28 "And when He was come into the house His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could not we cast him out?"

As the disciples watched as Jesus cast this spirit out of the boy, they could not understand what went wrong. They didn't want to ask Jesus in public so they waited until they were all alone.

Mark 9:29 "And He said unto them, "This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting."

Jesus is referring to a certain kind of Spirit, and this kind of spirit is talked about in Matthew 17:15-21. This kind of spirit was a "lunatic spirit". There is a difference between the lunatic and the other unclean spirits.

Matthew 17:15 "Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water."

"Lunatick" comes from the word, "lunar", of the moon, the light of darkness. Satan is the prince of the darkness. This lunar spirit comes from Satan himself, if not the direct action of Satan. Before you start fooling around with spirit, you had better understand that there is a difference between the spirits. There is not a lunar spirit behind every bush, but when they are there, they are unique. This is the reason that the disciples could not cast this lunatick spirit from this boy. This is why the boy could not speak. It took the knowledge of fasting, feasting and prayer to cast the lunar spirit out.

Mark 9:30 "And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee; and He would not that any man should know it."

Jesus and the disciples are traveling trying to pass through Galilee, their home town and region without the population knowing their traveling through.

Mark 9:31 "For He taught His disciples, and said unto them, "The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill Him; and after that He is killed, He shall rise the third day."

Jesus is preparing the disciples for the final crucifixion. Jesus is telling them exactly what is going to happen when they arrive in Jerusalem. He is telling them that He will be delivered into the hands of the Kenites and they are going to kill Him. Then on the third day after the resurrection, He will rise from the dead. You would think that it is very clear by now for this same message was told them many times before.

Mark 9:32 "But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask Him."

You would think that Peter, James and John would understand what is going to take place after witnessing the transfiguration the day before, yet they still did not understand that Christ is going to be crucified. They were thinking in their minds that the kingdom of God was already here, and established on the earth, in that all that they had witnessed of Christ's miracles. Each of the disciples were familiar with the atonement or daily oblation for the atonement for sins, however they could not accept the fact that through Christ's death there would be no more daily sacrifices. They just couldn't understand that Jesus, the man standing before them was the sacrifice that would take place of that daily atonement that was so common to them. It was all human nature, done for the protection of their minds, and the fulfilling of prophecy.

Mark 9:33 "And He came to Capernaum: and being in the house He asked them, "What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?"

Jesus knew what they were thinking but He wanted them to put it to words from their own thoughts.

Mark 9:34 "But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves who should be the greatest."

All twelve of the disciples were following Jesus, and they now knew that Jesus kingdom was nigh at hand, however they didn't quite know how or when it would take place. Within this kingdom, they all know that they would have their own places, but they were disputing as to which one is most important in and to Christ's kingdom. There is only three of them that now understand that the kingdom is not of the flesh as the others thought, for the others were not given the opportunity to witness. Each had their own roles to play from the prophecies of the Old Testament. Remember Judas must betray Jesus, and we know that following the betrayal, Judas repented before the Kenites killed him.

Acts 1:16 "Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus."

It was prophesied that Judas would betray Jesus over one thousand years before hand, and the identity of that disciples was made by Jesus as they were dipping together at the last supper. Did Judas know his role before hand? It isn't given, however I'm sure what happened was completely within the will of God, for it was prophesied. Remember that Judas repented of His sin, and threw back the thirty pieces of silver, and this was not the unforgivable sin, for that sin cannot be forgiven until the last generation.

Acts 1:17 "For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry."

Acts 1:18 "Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out."

Peter was reminding the followers of Christ, as they were waiting for the ten days to pass and the day of Pentecost to come, that Judas was a part of the ministry of Christ. What Judas did fulfilled was a very important part of the prophecies given in the Old Testament, of David. After He finished with that part, he repent to the Father for the act that he had done, and God forgave him. Now with verse eighteen, we see that Judas did not die voluntarily, but the Kenites helped him, by slitting his stomach from the groin all the way to his neck, and then hanging him, and thrusting him to the point of having all his inside organs gush out. The ones that killed Judas are the same ones that plotted to kill Jesus, presented liars at the trial of Christ, and spit in Jesus face. These are the ones that took the knife and slit Judas open after his repentance, to keep the story quiet. So this is like the guy that committed suicide by shooting himself in the head twelve times, it just could not be done in reality.

Thomas was left with his doubts of Christ resurrection until after Christ's resurrection, this also fulfilled prophecy. Are you starting to get the picture? It was for a purpose that many things happened and doubts remained, for it was in God's fulfillment of prophecy.

In that Peter was already established as the one that would form the church, then right after this happened, Christ turned on Peter and rebuked him for things that he was saying. He accused Peter of allowing Satan to come into his reasoning. Each of these disciples had their eyes more on the eternal kingdom, than the realities of what was about to happen to Jesus. They are just using their flesh and human instincts of self preservation, to go along with a whole lot of ego.

Mark 9:35 "And He sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, "If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all."

This is the most important lesson that you must learn about the kingdom of God, and the kingdom of heaven. Though Christ is the Messiah, He still must serve all. It is for this reason that in John 13:5 that Jesus washed His disciples feet. It is also for this reason that Jesus would die on the cross as the faithful servant of all for all, to show His love for all souls. The more that God uses you in His service, the greater of a servant that you become in His kingdom to all of God's children.

Jesus never tried at any point in time about serving in any capacity to run from what He knew He must do, even to the point of giving his life on the cross.

Isaiah 53:7 "He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not Him mouth."

When the lies were present about Him, He opened not His mount for His defense, when they spit on him and placed that crown of thorns on His head, He took all the punishment so you and I could go free for the penalty of our sins.

Isaiah 53:8 "He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare His generation? for He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of My people was He stricken."

All of the lies and acts of cruelty of the Kenites that Jesus took, He bear gladly for the sake of you and I, and all of God children. He was a faithful servant even to the point of death. The greatest became the least, and this is why we should watch out for putting ourselves in a position of who is the greatest in the kingdom of God, for the greatest is the one that suffers the most in his or her role as Christ's servant. He set the example for us on this matter.

Mark 9:36 "And He took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when He had taken him in His arms, He said unto them."

Here are the twelve disciples sitting in this house and in the center of them is Christ holding this very small child in His arms.

Mark 9:37 "Whosoever shall receive one of such children in My name, receiveth Me: and whosoever shall receive Me, receiveth not Me, but Him That sent Me."

Naturally, when you have seen the Son, you have seen the Father. This is why we are to tend to the children, when they have questions on spiritual matters. You are serving the Father directly when you are tending to one of His children. It is far easier to teach a child than an adult, for they do not have preconceived ideas, and traditions that get in the way of their understanding. They listen to what you actually say, and they take it at face value.

Though we are to check everything out as an adult in the Word, but at a certain point in time we are to have faith in accepting the Word as being truth.

Mark 9:38 "And John answered Him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in Thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us."

These disciples are complaining to Jesus that there is another man out there from another denomination. He is doing the same thing that we are doing, and He is doing it in your name.

Mark 9:39 "But Jesus said, "Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in My name, that can lightly speak evil of Me."

Why is this? Because no man can heal of himself, but to heal another it takes faith in Jesus Christ. That man doing the healing, quite obviously did have the faith to heal in Jesus name, and thus he was of Christ also. Only Christ can do the healing. There are many people that do not believe exactly as you or I believe, but Christ will bless them just as He will bless you. We must accept that, and we must never single one out for this and persecute them, when they are planting seeds, for it is like hitting yourself. .

Mark 9:40 "For he that is not against us is on our part."

He that is not against us is part of our body, the body of Christ. In that body of Christ are all believers whether they believe like you and I our not. All those that have repented of their sins in Jesus name, and believe on Him are part of the same body of Christ. One will be given to one service while other have different duties and functions within the body of Christ. Only God can cause a miracle to happen, and a healing to take place. Paul talked about this in Romans 12:4.

Romans 12:4 "For as we have many members in one body [of Christ], and all members have not the same office:"

Romans 12:5 "So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another."

Romans 12:6 "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;"

So we must be careful how we talk against other denominations of believers, especially of their faith. The only factor that would cause discussion would be pertaining to their traditions. If you know that something is against God's Word point it out from God's Word, and if it is not accepted than just go your way. God will deal with them, and it is not your duty to change them.

Mark 9:41 "For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in My name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward."

Many people use this verse to beg favors of people, however we will see that there is more to it.

Mark 9:42 "And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in Me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea."

Many people will put you on a gilt trip because of the prior two verses. You know, they say, "I believe in Christ and I come to your door and expect to be fed, and so on..." and they say, "If you don't help me it will offend me." That is not what this verse is talking about here.

So lets look up the Greek word for "offend". In Strong's greek dictionary it is # 4624. "Skandalizo, skan-dal-idso; (to "scandalize"); to entrap, to trip or entice to sin, apostasy or dis-pleasure." The word comes from the prime # 4625; "Skandlon, to trap-stick (bend sapling); i.e., to cause to sin, to cause one to fall." It is from this that we get the English world "scandal".

When Jesus was talking here He was not taking about feeding anyone, but warning his disciples about teaching His little ones a bunch of junk. Teaching them fairy-tales instead of the Word of God. It means that you teach one of His little ones something to cause them to fall into apostasy, and away from Jesus Christ. Many today teach their little one to fear God because He will throw you in hell. They place scare tactics on their children, instead of teaching the love of God and that God cares for them. These verses are aimed at teaching false doctrine and of traditions and has nothing to do with eating, lodging and things of the flesh nature.

The point to make here is don't let some free loader, dead wood in the tree of life, force themselves on you because of this scripture. It is aimed that if a spiritually newborn in Christ came to you door, and you fed him with a bunch of traditions and caused him to fall, it would have been better if you would never have been born, in the eyes of God. This is a very serious thing in the eyes of God. There is no way that a true Christian would ever do this, to cause a new born Christian to fall from grace of our Father.

Mark 9:43 "And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life [eternal life] maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:"

"Hell" as used here in the Greek is "Geenna", it the garbage pit that was out side the city of Jerusalem where its fires were never put out. That is the valley where children were once sacrificed. This is the place outside the dung gate where they dumped the trash, and it smoldered and burned continually. Dead animals were thrown on the pit fire, the flys were thick, and the worms or maggots were everywhere. This place was a visual aid for Christ to teach this lesson.

The Word of God through the health food laws of Leviticus, teaches us that it is a sin to do harm to your own body. It is a sin to mutilate any part of your body, and you are suppose to eat properly, and take care of it at all times. So why would Jesus then tell you here that it would be better if you cut your hand off, than let it offend you? Well friend, it is not what Jesus is talking about here.

Jesus just finished telling us that there are many parts of the body of Christ, remember that man that was healing in Jesus name, and the disciples tried to cause him to quit. This one group over there does the work of the feet, while another group does the work of the hand. They are all part of the body of Christ, yet at one point if one of the groups, or one of the members of the body of Christ does something and teaches something that causes one of Jesus Christ little ones to fall, it is better that that part be cut off from the rest of the body.

Mark 9:44 "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."

Remember Hell is "Geenna", the garbage pit outside Jerusalem. The "worm" are "maggots", and they eat dead flesh carcasses that are rotting in the pit, outside the dung-gate. Most of the time, it is your flesh and your flesh nature that causes you to sin. Those that do things in this flesh life, that may cause you to sin, are the ones that you are to cut yourself free from. It doesn't mean that you cut off part of your own body. Your body is a temple of Christ, and of His Spirit, when He dwells within you.

Mark 9:45 "And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:"

If a foot, an other part of the body of Christ tries to drag you into things that His Word teaches against, it is better that you cut yourself free from that group than follow them into Satan's grasp, and end in hell fire. Don't listen to those groups that teach against the Word of God, admonish them, and stay clear of their grasp. Again this does not refer to mutilating any part of your body, but it is talking about those cults and branches of churches that would cause you to go places and do things that are against God's Word. This is not aimed at those doing good works that are blessed of God, that may be of another group. You must judge if they are doing a good of bad work, and cut yourself lose from those not following God's Word and Work.

Mark 9:46 "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."

Here again we are reminded of the garbage pit out side the city, and the maggots that are climbing through all the dead flesh. Don't allow the things of this flesh life drag you into their sins. Part of those things of the flesh are the traditions of men that are formed in the mind of man in the flesh. Christ wanted you to keep in mind a lesson of what happens to you when you get all involved with men's traditions. When you do, think of that maggot working in and out of the dead flesh carcass

Mark 9:47 "And if thy eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:"

The "eye" of the body is the part that is suppose to see the truth of what is taking place, and warn the body as to the dangers that are near it. The eyes of the body of Christ are the teachers and pastors that are suppose to know the Word and present it in a fashion to where the rest of the body of Christ can protect itself. We are nearing the end of this age of the flesh, and approaching the time of the sixth trumpet. Many of the events and things that the prophets have warned us against have already taken place, yet many pastors stand by and have failed to do their work as the eye for the rest of the body. Jesus is reminding us that when those that are suppose to act as our eyes, offend or bring us to the point of sinning and turning from God's Word, it is time to turn away from them.

The eyes of the body of Christ are the ones that know the events that we will be facing in our day, and when those events happen, call to our attention and relate them to the prophecies as they are written in His Word. Today the church world is turning away from warnings that Antichrist and his fallen angels are coming, and they are relying on fairy-tales of fly-away doctrines to protect themselves. They become like the ostridge, they think they can hide for the events rather than face them under the protection of our Heavenly Father.

If the eye, or the teacher does not use the Word of God, than that person is failing, and it is time to pluck it out, to get away from them. Again this has nothing to do with the mutilation of any part of anyone's physical body, but to the spiritual body of Christ.

Mark 9:48 "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."

This is the third time Jesus has warned us of the maggots, and not those that will enter into the fire. This is talking about a garbage pit, for maggots will not be able to live in the eternal hell fire. Any time you see people of a denomination, church or an affiliation that are not taught to bring their own bible to church with them, and follow along with what is being taught, and studying from that bible to get acquainted with the Word of God, it is time to get out of that church. That place is a play house and not a church. Cut away and get yourself into a bible teaching church. This is not about hell but an analogy about a garbage pit and what happens to the things of the flesh in the end. the reason that you must separate yourself from those that reject the entire Word of God, is that they are going to hell, and you want to be free from them.

Mark 9:49 "For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt."

"God is the consuming fire", This means that every one that loves God will be well salted with the salt of the Holy Spirit. Salt is something that you need to live, and when it is not present, you will die. Salt is what gives life to this earth, yet to much salt will also will also cause life to cease.

Leviticus 2:13 "And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt."

This goes back to the daily oblation, of that which was offered to God. God is telling them that any time you offer any meat offering to Him you always salt it. Salt in some place is very valuable, and here God is likening it to the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit is present in our offerings and gifts that we give to Him, it makes a difference.

Mark 9:50 "Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltiness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another."

Any Christian that has lost their touch with the Holy Spirit has become worthless to God. I hope you have not your salt and touch with the Holy Spirit. Whether or not you are popular or not, has nothing to do with whether you are salted or not. It is God's Word that determines whether you are salted. It is God's Word that you will not let people make light of, without putting forth a corrected hand. Setting the record straight when it spoken or done, and not allowing things to go unchallenged when God's Word is being distorted.

God is the creator of all things and all souls, and to allow His Words be insulted to go unchallenged when they are being made light of, someone has to step forward and make a difference. You and I as the salt of the earth are the ones God expects to set the record of His Word straight, and the point here is that we are suppose to make a difference in a very kind, gentle, yet firm way.