Thunderings of an inner group

Under the heading “The Twelve Chosen,” Halley’s Bible Handbook (Henry H. Halley, 1927) reads, “Why Jesus chose Twelve we do not know. Of these three were an inner group . . .  Of the Twelve four were fishermen. One a publican. One a zealot. We do not know what the others were. All were Galileans, except Judas the betrayer. There was not one professional religionist in the group, not one who advertised his piety by the kind of clothes he wore.”

For the name James, Halley notes, “Older brother of John. Jesus named the two, ‘Boanerges’, Sons of Thunder. Doesn’t it indicate that possibly Jesus had a playful sense of humor? Not much is known of James. He was the first of the Twelve to die; killed by Herod, 44 A.D. Traditions are that most of the Twelve died as martyrs.

*****

The “little flock” from the Four Gospels was “the true Israel of God,” and was led by 12 leaders; the ones who will sit upon 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel.

“The 12 princes that Numbers 1 and Isaiah 1 talk about being over the nation and restored in it; they were there, the princes in Israel, the leaders,” explains Jordan. “Peter, James and John represent those men and they later enter into an agreement that we will preach only to the circumcision; to the ‘little flock.’

“Reporting on Jesus’ choosing and commissioning of the 12 Apostles, Mark 3 says, [13] And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.
[14] And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,
[15] And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:
[16] And Simon he surnamed Peter;
[17] And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:

“Notice there are three of those 12 He gave special names. Now, it’s interesting that the three He surnamed are who? Peter, James and John. Who are we reading about in Galatians 2? Peter and John. Two of the guys He surnamed write I and II Peter; I, II and III John; the Book of Revelations and the gospel of John.

“Peter, James and John are that little triumvirate of guys who go with Christ; He takes them off  up into the Mount of Transfiguration and into the Garden of Gethsemane.

“J. Vernon McGee used to say these guys weren’t special; they just were extra-thickheaded and needed all that extra attention. That might be true, but they did get a lot of special attention.

“Now, you understand why Peter was surnamed. Matthew 16 reads, [17] And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
[18] And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
[19] And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

“The Messiah’s church is going to be built on a confession and on an understanding that Jesus is the Messiah. He’s the true vine and only those in Him are going to be the nation and get the kingdom.

*****

“James and John, as we’re told in Mark 3:17, ‘were surnamed Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder.’ What is thunder in the Bible? To be the son of something is to be the personification of it; the essence of it.

“When it says they’re going to be the personification of thunder, in the Bible thunder is a representation of the voice of God (Job 37 and Joel 3). Joel 3 says He’s going to roar forth; He’s going to thunder. In Revelation are the seven thunders.

“These two men are designed to be, set out especially to be, the voice of God. The literal personification of the voice of God to Israel.

“Acts 12 begins, ‘[1] Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.
[2] And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.

“Herod reaches out and takes James, who is the son of thunder. He’s the personification of the voice of God!

“Verses 21-22 say, [21] And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.
[22] And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.

“Who did Herod seek to be, by the way? HE wanted to be the voice of God. Herod, in rebellion against God, reaches out and strikes James down. Herod, a type of the Antichrist in the passage, is going to speak great swelling things, seeking to strike out against the voice of God, and literally seeks to destroy God’s message to Israel.

“After Herod killed James, it says, [3] And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)

“He saw the Jews were pleased so he went out and got Peter and was going to do him in too, and in the rest of the passage you read about Christ coming and taking Peter and releasing him. Jesus Christ isn’t through with Peter. There’s something Peter needed yet to do.

“Also, John escapes death. There are two things left for John and Peter to do. One man, Peter, who represents the Rock, the foundation, and holds personally the keys, the authority of the kingdom, and the other who represent the voice of God speaking.

*****

“They do two things. One, they endorse Paul’s ministry in Acts 15. As Galatians 2:9 says, [9] And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.

“Two, they write some very special instructions to those circumcision Believers living at that time, but living after their program had been interrupted. So, the things they wrote would have to be for the circumcision Believers once their program takes up again, which is future from where we are.

“They literally wrote some books in the one of the most unique periods of time in all of Bible history, the Book of Acts, where God had interrupted one program and started another program and yet the ‘little flock’ from that former program is still there.

“They write some books to prepare the people who are going to be in an exactly similar situation in the ages to come, after the dispensation of grace, but who are going to be aware there was a dispensation of grace.

“You understand, if all Israel had in the Bible to read and study was Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, how in the world would they know how to explain Paul’s epistles and what happened for 2,000 years?! But all you have to do is read II Peter and see how he deals with it in great detail!”     

(new article tomorrow)

Joy on FULL within the true fellowship

The only time in the Four Gospels we’re told Jesus Christ rejoiced is in Luke 10:21: [21] In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.

Jordan says, “It’s fascinating what He rejoiced in. There’s the ‘wise and prudent’ in Israel, but then there are some people who are like ‘babes,’ who have just simple faith; ‘childlike faith,’ as Matthew calls it.

“Christ says, ‘Be a part of that group of people who rejoice in the real deal. You’ve got a real reason to rejoice, not just in the things you’re able to accomplish, but in the fact that you’re really a part of something.’

“I John 1:3-4 says, [3] That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
[4] And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

“The purpose of the Book of I John is that the people he’s writing to would be able to have fellowship with the ‘little flock.’ Literally, the ‘we’ and the ‘us’ in the passage is the 12 Apostles.

“They’re the ones who declared and did the things in verses 1 and 2: [1] That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
[2] (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

*****

“God forms that ‘little flock’ through the ministry of those apostles and in the ages to come the 144,000 will be the catalyst comparable to the 12 back in the Book of Acts. The issue is coming to the place where you have fellowship with the Father and with His Son; that you’re a part of the real genuine fellowship in Israel: ‘And these things we write.’

“That expression ‘that your joy may be full’ is very important because it really identifies the purpose of the book and the group of people Christ’s talking to. In Luke 10 is a fascinating passage where the Lord sends out His disciples and they come back to Him.

“Specifically, Luke 10:16-20 says, [16] He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.
[17] And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
[18] And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
[19] Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
[20] Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

“In other words, they are a part of His program to dislodge the Adversary from his plan of conquest over God’s kingdom and authority and from Satan’s policy of evil to place himself in God’s position. They’re a part of that restoration and reclamation program to take away from the usurper that which he has and they’re invested with this authority.

“At this point, the kingdom of God has come in the person of Jesus Christ and His Spirit working through them and that’s why there’s this tremendous conflict between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light at that time. They have that power and they’re rejoicing in all that.

*****

“When Jesus says in John 15:11, ‘These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full,’ that’s a comment He’s making to the 12 Apostles.

"There are only 11 of them at the time (Judas has exited already), but this is in the Upper Room the night before He dies and He’s there with that inner group of people, the ‘little flock’ at its core, emphasizing, ‘I’m telling you these things so that your joy might be full.’

“He continues to talk to them in John 16:23-24: [23] And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
[24] Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

“Come to John 17 in the Lord’s prayer. Again, the Lord’s Prayer is not the 'Our Father' prayer of Matthew 6. It’s not the 'Disciples Prayer.' It’s the prayer that the Lord Jesus Christ prays the night before He dies as recorded in John 16. Here’s the REAL Lord’s Prayer.

“John 17:13 says, [13] And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.’ When He says ‘now come I to thee,’ that’s Christ coming to the Father. The ‘they’ there is going to be the 12 Apostles, in particular, and who they minister to, in general. Go back to verse 1: [1] These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:

“Seven times in this passage Christ identifies some people the Father has given to Him. We looked at Isaiah 8 where Isaiah prophetically quotes the Messiah as saying, ‘[18] Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.’

*****

“You can go back into the Old Testament and see this issue about the true fellowship with the Father and with the Son, how it was established, how it was corrupted and how it’s going to be restored. As you do that, you need to get these things kind of rolling around in your mind.

“That expression of Isaiah’s about ‘the children whom the Lord hath given me’; in John 13 He says to the apostles there, ‘Little children,’ identifying them. They’re the children, in the sense that they’re the leaders of this ‘little flock.’ The verse says, ‘Fear not little flock it’s your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.’

“As John 17:3 says, [3] And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

“That’s what Christ says in I John 1.  Our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son. They share something in common with the Father and with the Son; they share an identity together, they share LIFE together.

*****

“Don’t you ever misunderstand this issue of fellowship. There’s an old lie of the religious system that says, while you can never break your relationship with God, you can break your fellowship with Him, and that’s just a lie right out of the pit of hell from people who don’t even know the definition of the words in their own language.

“The word fellowship means partnership. Fellows in a ship. It’s when the same thing happens to everybody. You know what happened on the Titanic? It sank. You know where that left everybody? In the water. They all got wet. Now, some of them survived, but a whole bunch of them didn’t and the point I’m making is they were all in the same boat.

“Fellowship means a 'bunch of fellows in the same ship.' It means we share in a common lot together; a partnership. Communion is another word. Literally, to be in fellowship with God is to share things with God that belong to Him. If you don’t share God’s life, you know what’s going to happen to you? You don’t have life anymore.

“That business in Christian circles about being ‘in fellowship, out of fellowship, back in fellowship and then back out of fellowship,’ is a misnomer that, I was going to start to say snuck into the Christian life, but it didn’t sneak in; it just walked in with jack boots; a big noisy entrance!

“What it has to do with is an absolute complete misunderstanding of what ‘fellowship’ is in I John. It’s all this incorrect business about keeping a ‘short-accounts system,’ where you confess your sins to keep your fellowship with God going.

“Anybody who tells you, ‘You don’t have to worry about breaking your relationship, but just confess to keep it open,’ is somebody who never read the Book of I John!

"If you’re going to quote I John 1:9, don’t forget to quote I John 2:12, will you, because He says in that verse, ‘Little children, your sins are forgiven.’ There’s a verse written to Believers. I John 1:9 is not written to Believers; it’s written to identify who Believers are.

“What was it that John the Baptist called them to do? It was the ‘baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.’ They went to John confessing their sins—did exactly what Leviticus 26 and other passages said they were to do—in order to be restored back out of the corrupt, apostate religious system they had been taken by.

*****

“The great definition of 'eternal life' is in I John 1:3, but that’s also what He’s talking about with having a fellowship that is with the Father and with the Son; it has to do with possession of that life. John 17:3 says, [3] And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

“When He says in the next verse, [4] I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do,’ what work is that that He’s finished?

“It’s two more chapters before He hangs on the Cross and says, ‘It’s finished,’ so it can’t be that work; the work of redemption. It’s something else that He had to do. Do you ever wonder why Jesus ministered on the earth for 3 1/2 years? What was He doing?

“How did He know at the end of 3 1/2 years that it was time to quit and go to Calvary and die; that the hour had come for that to be accomplished? He was doing something during His earthly ministry, and He says the night before He dies, ‘I’ve finished it; the work that you gave me to do, I’ve finished.’

“What’s Christ talking about here in the passage? John 17: 6: [6] I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

“He says in verse 8, [8] For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

“You know what He’s talking about? He’s talking about the training, the work, the giving of the message to the apostles, and through them to the ‘little flock.’ That work is completed. Now, He’s completed His work as the son of David and now He, as the son of Abraham, can go to Calvary.

“In all of that you come to verse 12: [12] While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

“That’s one verse that will help you to understand who the Lord’s talking about; He’s talking about the apostles because one of them was lost. He’s talking about the ‘little flock’ in Israel.

“Verse 13-17: [13] And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
[14] I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
[15] I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
[16] They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
[17] Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

“Now, that’s the issue there. When He says, ‘I’m writing these things that your joy might be full,’ this is what He’s talking about: ‘So you might be a part of those the Father has given me; you might be part of the true fellowship with the Father and me.’ ”

(new article tomorrow)

Soft pillow for the stormy voyage

There are two fundamental emotions humans deal with in life—one is love, drawing us toward things, and the other is fear, pushing us away from things.

“Fear is a debilitating thing; in John 14, the fear of men kept people from trusting and believing even when they saw the truth of God’s Word by seeing the Messiah in their midst," says Jordan.

“Jesus said, ‘Let not your heart be troubled.’ What does your heart do? With a heart man believes. Then He says, ‘Neither be afraid.’

“Without having that turmoil down inside, you have the ability to just go, ‘Ahhh,’ and let it all hang out and relax inside; relax in the truth of God’s Word about who Jesus Christ is and what He’s accomplished.

“Why should you trust it?  Christ says, ‘Look at me; I’m trusting it!’

“He says in John 14:28, ‘Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.’

“Christ is saying, ‘You know why you ought to have your heart trust me and not be afraid? Because you’ve heard my Word!’

“He already told His disciples, ‘If you love me keep my commandments.’ 'I’m living in complete total dependence on the will of my Father,' is what He’s saying. Paul has a great phrase for that—he calls it ‘the faith of Christ.’

“Jesus Christ entered into a plan and an agreement with His Father about what He would do and said, ‘Now, my peace I leave you.’ He’s completely at peace. He has complete inner tranquility even though He knows the agony He’s going to face on the Cross.

"In fact, when He says in verses 30-31 (‘Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.

[31] But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence’), He’s saying in the vernacular of our day:

“ ‘Let’s git-er done! . . . Let’s get on with it! The Adversary, the prince of this world, has come to fulfill the conflict of Genesis 3:15 where the seed of the woman and the seed of Satan will be in personal hand-to-hand combat. That day has arrived, so let’s go!’

“Because He’s got nothing . . . ‘There’s no weakness in me at all; I’m ready to go.’

“He knows what the Scripture says is going to happen to Him and yet He doesn’t hold back. In Hebrews 12, it says, ‘Who for the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, despising the shame.’

“He had in His mind an understanding of what God had promised Him and believed it and confidently trusted in it. There’s no rebellion, no hesitation; He has that complete inner tranquility.

*****

“There’s a fascinating passage in Philippians 4: 9: 'Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.'

“You want the God of peace to be with you? What does that mean? Well, look at verse 7: ‘And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’

“Wouldn’t you get the peace of God from the God of peace? This is peace that BELONGS to the God of peace.

“When Paul talks in Philippians 4 about the ‘peace of God,’ that’s the peace that BELONGS to God. In Romans 5, he talks about ‘being justified by faith we have peace WITH God.’ That’s us and God; there’s not an argument between us anymore. God is no longer against me. There’s a cessation of hostility; no cause for God to be angry with me anymore.

“But the peace OF God is something different than that. That’s the peace that God Himself has. God is at peace with His own will. He’s at peace with His own plans. He’s at peace with His own word.

“And God’s peace; that total tranquility and inner calmness over what He’s doing, He takes that and gives it to us when we trust Him.

*****

“By the way, when it talks about the peace WITH God and the peace OF God, Melchizedek was the king of righteousness and the king of peace. Righteousness is first, peace is second. Because peace can only be based on righteousness; things have to be dealt with righteously.

“So you have peace with God where the righteousness of God is satisfied; then you can have the peace OF God.

“James 3:17 tells Israel, ‘But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.’

“First you have the righteousness, then you have the peace.

“Isaiah 32 says, 'And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.

[18] And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.'

“Righteousness has to do with being right. God’s word is right and I’m in relationship with it and the peace comes out of His righteousness.

*****

“John 14: 27 is the great illustration of the peace OF God.  Jesus says, ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’

“Jesus Christ is God in human flesh. Here’s God living in our humanity and He has complete and total peace—inner tranquility, inner calmness, a relaxed mental attitude in His heart that results in that faith, that total dependence on the Word of His Father.

“He’s going away to receive the kingdom. Remember the parallel in Luke 19? Remember the passage in Daniel 7 where the Son of Man comes before the ancient of days to receive the kingdom and the power and the dominion? He goes there to receive the kingdom and to return.

“Philippians 2:5 says, ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.’ This is a truth that Paul followers should be very clear about and should rejoice in.

"Paul goes on, ‘Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: [7] But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: [8] And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’

“He made Himself of no reputation. Who did that to Him? He did it to Himself. Voluntarily, He took up a position and took upon Him the form of a servant. Though He’s equal with the Father, He chooses to function in relationship to the Father as a servant. Did He have to? No, He willingly chose to.

“The next verse says, ‘He humbled Himself and became obedient.’ What does a servant do? He does what his master, his lord, tells him to do. So when Jesus Christ says, ‘The Father is greater than I,’ it’s in relationship to Jesus Christ coming as a servant. What He’s doing is owning His place as a servant.”

Here's an old blog piece from 2014:

In the gospels, Jesus Christ separates Himself from the multitude and takes His disciples and sends them into a ship across to the other side of the Sea of Galilee and then He goes up into a mountain to pray.

“Matthew 14:22-24 reads, ‘And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
[23] And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
[24] But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.

“If you look at Mark 6 and John 6, you’ll see they were in the middle of the lake. The Sea of Galilee at its widest point is just 10 miles across. It’s about 8 miles by 15 miles, so if they’re going across it, and they’ve only gotten half way, they haven’t got very far, and in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them.

“In other words, they go at 6 and the fourth watch would be three o’clock in the morning. They been out there rowing for 9 hours and hadn’t gotten but about four miles. That’s tough sledding, you know that?! I figure I could walk that far in 9 hours!

“The problem is there is a storm and these men are having a real tough time getting anywhere. Now Jesus has gone up into the mountain—a type of the ascension of Christ.

“Verse 25-26 says, ‘And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
[26] And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.’

“Have you ever wondered why they were troubled? Why wouldn’t they be happy? It says they ‘cried out in fear.’

“Now that passage is a great demonstration of the deity of Christ. If you want to talk about somebody doing something, talk about them walking on water.

“Job 9 very clearly identifies when you can walk on water, that’s a sign of deity. One of the demonstrations of the majesty and the deity--the strength, the power, the greatness of Almighty God--is Job says, ‘Who’s like Him that can tread on the waves of the sea?’

******

“Jesus comes along His disciples in the midst of a storm-tossed sea and He walks right across out there. And those guys knew the Old Testament. They knew those verses and they knew, or should have known, what that was a demonstration of in their midst.

"A tremendous declaration of the deity of Christ in front of them and what do they do? They’re troubled, they’re afraid, they’re bothered.

“You say, ‘Why in the world is that?!’ Mark 6:52: ‘For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.’ You know what the problem of those men was? Fear had mastered them. Fear had overtaken them. Fear controlled them and they didn’t expect to be delivered.

“They were out there in the middle of that ocean (or what it felt like to them) in the storm and they didn’t expect any deliverance. They were scared to death and when Christ showed up coming as the deliverer, they were all afraid.

"You see, they didn’t learn the lesson of the feeding of the 5,000. The doctrine He was trying to communicate to them was not that upon which they were operating; they were operating on human viewpoint and their own emotions, rather than having learned the lesson God was trying to communicate to them.

“That point needs to be well-taken. These things going on here, they’re not just stories to tantalize and tell little children in Sunday school. There’s some tremendous lessons being taught in the feeding of the 5,000 and Christ walking on the water. There are some tremendous prophetic truths; truths that affect the kingdom program that these apostles represent.

*****

“Christ comes walking to them on the stormy sea. That’s a type; a picture of the tribulation period, the time of Jacob’s trouble.

“Daniel 7:1-2 says, 1] In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.
[2] Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.

“It’s a night vision. Matthew 14 is a night experience. The wind is whipping up a storm on the sea and you know what the rest of that passage is? It’s a picture of the 70^th week of Daniel and the tribulation period and the Antichrist and the persecution and the torment raised by the Antichrist against the nation Israel and how he torments and persecutes and seeks to wear out the saints of the most high god in Daniel 7 and that’s just a picture.

“Revelation 13:1 says, ‘And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.’

“You see, he says, ‘I saw the sea,’ and a beast comes up out of the sea and all those kind of things.

“Again, the issue has to do with the tribulation and, as these men go out on the sea, they go out upon that time of Jacob’s trouble. It’s a night vision as the tribulation is. As Daniel 7 and so forth are. Christ appears to them. He comes down walking on the water. He comes treading upon Israel’s enemies and He appears to them as who He is—the Son of God, Jehovah Himself, to rescue them, and He comes walking on the water.

“All of these things are a type of what’s going to happen in the tribulation involving the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. What you’re seeing in the feeding of the 5,000, and Jesus coming to them in that fourth watch of the night to rescue them in that storm-tossed sea, is a picture of the Second coming of Christ, and when that ‘little flock’ gets into the real storm, and the real time of Jacob’s trouble, they’ll have some information to draw upon.

“The things He’s illustrating to them here will REALLY come about and they’ll have some lessons they’ve been taught to get them through that real time in the wilderness in the tribulation when He feeds them (Revelation 12).

******

“And then in the Second Coming of Christ is Psalm 93: [1] The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.
[2] Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.
[3] The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.
[4] The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.
[5] Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, for ever.

“When He comes back, the waves are roaring, the storm is tossed, the billows rage, and He comes back and He’s mightier than that and He just calms the whole thing down, and He fixes it and puts it to rest and brings peace.

“Revelation 12:6 says, ‘And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.’ Time wise, this passage is in the middle of the 70^th week of Daniel (chapter 9). It’s right in the middle of the tribulation.

“Where are these men in the sea of Galilee? In the middle. That’s half of the 70^th week. The woman Israel flees into the wilderness. Just like Christ took that multitude in the wilderness and fed them in the wilderness, He one day in that tribulation is going to take the nation Israel and feed them in that wilderness.

“In fact, Hosea 2:14-15 says that in the tribulation God is going to allure the nation Israel, bring them out into the wilderness, and deal with them in that wilderness just like He did when He brought them up out of the land of Egypt.

“The passage reads, ‘Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.
[15] And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.’

“The information is in Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy and He says, ‘Here in Hosea, the way I’m going to deal with Israel in the Trib is going to be just like it was back there, so if you want to know what’s going to go on over here and where you can go in your Bible to find some instruction, go to those books.”

'Jesus, Mary and Joseph!'

I commented at a women’s Bible study this morning that the last two hurricanes, Jose and Maria, are the names Joseph and Mary in English. Just one of those “Huh. . .” kind of things.

What’s infinitely fascinating is that in the genealogy of Mary, listed in the Book of Luke, there are 77 names that go all the way back to Adam and in the line of 77, Jesus was born of Mary at the appointed time. Galatians 4:4 says, [4] But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.

“In order to have His birth there at the right time, things had to be put into place 77 generations before,” explains Jordan. “Now, that means this was not an afterthought on God’s part by any means.

“There was a point in time God had preplanned the conception and the birth of Jesus and 280 days after the conception was the birth. That’s why God used the pagan ruler Caesar Augustus— He literally manipulated a godless, unbelieving devil-worshipping ruler to accomplish the political things in the earth in order that Jesus be born, not in Nazareth, where His mom and Joseph lived, but in Bethlehem where Micah, 700 years before, said Christ would be born.

“Part of the wonders of the birth of Christ, as natural as the surroundings were, was that there were supernatural things going on in the background ALL the time. God’s orchestrating, not just the timing but the place, and using ALL kind of people who have no idea they’re being used!

*****

“Mary and Joseph didn’t live in Bethlehem; they lived in Nazareth almost 100 miles north. As the verse says, ‘she’s great with child,’ meaning she’s ready to pop any moment and be delivered.

“God uses a pagan ruler to give the decree that all the world has to be taxed and people have got to go back to their hometown.

“What would have motivated Joseph to put his pregnant little wife on the back of a donkey, or in the back of a cart, and drag her a hundred miles in that condition? Because she had to go 100 miles for Him to be born where He’s supposed to be born.

“Everything about it is beyond human calculations. What that means is that, based on the mathematical, statistical laws of probability, the very science that you use to demonstrate that DNA conclusively identifies someone as guilty or innocent (DNA is all based on statistical probability), on that science of statistical probability that one verse there demonstrates.

“There are over 300 verses just like that! If you just took eight specific verses like that, you’d have the ability to identify in a court of law a statistical absoluteness that this is true; that He is who He said He was.

“To me that’s a fascinating thing, because surrounding the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ is the scientific, cultural, conclusive proof that He is who He said He was by the fulfilling exactly on time…how could a baby prearrange all that to happen? How did a baby pre-stage it?

“When He died on the Cross, and He’s dead, they take Him down off that Cross and bury Him in a rich man’s tomb just like Isaiah 53 said they would. His body lays there and doesn’t see corruption, just like Psalm 16 said it wouldn’t.

“He’s raised from the dead like Psalm 2 said He would be. He then ascends up into heaven just like Psalm 110 said He would. When He’s stone-cold dead on the market, how did He arrange to be buried where Isaiah said He would be buried? How do you arrange that for yourself?”

*****

“Jeremiah 32 is the 777^th chapter in the Bible. By the way, this stuff will only come true in a King James Bible. Jeremiah is going to be given a sign by God and communicate a sign about the return of Israel to her land.

“Just like there are 77 generations in Luke 3, now we’re in the 777^th chapter of the Bible and you’ll see the connection in a minute.

“Jeremiah 32 reports, ‘And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle's son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver.
[10] And I subscribed the evidence, and sealed it, and took witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances.
[11] So I took the evidence of the purchase, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open:
[12] And I gave the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the sight of Hanameel mine uncle's son, and in the presence of the witnesses that subscribed the book of the purchase, before all the Jews that sat in the court of the prison.
[13] And I charged Baruch before them, saying,
[14] Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Take these evidences, this evidence of the purchase, both which is sealed, and this evidence which is open; and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may continue many days.

“So He makes a written document. We would say, ‘I made out the deed to the land, had it signed and notarized and then sealed up.’ So I took the evidence of the purchase. I’ve got a title deed that I bought the land.

“He’s got two copies. One is sealed where you can’t get to it and the other is open for you to read. Israel’s fixing to go off into that 5^th Course of captivity, be taken out of the land, not just for 70 years, but for generations to come.

"But before God sent them out in Jeremiah, He said, ‘I’m going to give you a token. I don’t want you leave the land without any hope. I want you to know I’m going to bring you back in.’

“Jeremiah 30:1 says [1] The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
[2] Thus speaketh the LORD God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book.
[3] For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.
[4] And these are the words that the LORD spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah.

“Over 203 times, the Bible identifies God as the Lord God of Israel. There’s no other nation, no other religion, no other group of people on the planet in all of history that the God of the Bible ever said, ‘I’m their God, I’m their God, I’m their God, I’m their God.’

  

“God says, ‘Write the words on a piece of paper, scribe them and put them in a book.’ So God writes down some words and puts it in ‘the book of the purchase,’ as He calls in Jeremiah 32. I love that. God has scribed a title deed.

“You’ll see this book again in Revelation 5 when Jesus comes and unseals the sealed book. But what’s happening here in Jeremiah is you’re getting the title deed to the land and God’s saying, ‘I’m going to come back and scribe it in a book, put it into my book, and your land's going to be there.’

“He wrote all those words in a book and said, ‘I want you to have a hope. You’ve got one copy that’s sealed until the Second Coming of Christ and one that’s unsealed.’

*****

“Again, you’ve got two books. First coming and Second Coming. There’s the preservation of it. Now, this is one of those mind-blowing things--verse 14 says to take the ‘evidence which is open; and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may continue many days.’

“As soon as you see that phrase ‘earthen vessel,’ you think of II Corinthians 4:7: [7] But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

“Who’s the earthen vessel for Jeremiah? Where did God put His word? Go to Jeremiah 18 and He goes to the potter’s house and the potter makes the vessel and the vessel is the nation Israel. He says, ‘I’m the potter; you’re the clay.’

“So God entrusts His Word to the nation Israel, but you know what He’s done in the dispensation of grace? He’s entrusted that word to US. Why? So it can be preserved.

“One of the mechanisms God has used all through human history, all through His dealings with man--one of the designs of preservation--is to use His people. Not an institution, not an organization, not a big-fangled . . . 

"Rome says, ‘Well, without the church you wouldn’t have the Bible.’ No, without the Bible you wouldn’t have the church.' If you have the Bible, you’d never have any kind of monstrosity like the Roman church, Mystery Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and abominations of the earth.

*****

“Exodus 20 is the 70^th chapter in the Bible. Seventy is a multiple of seven and seven is the number of perfection in the Bible. You know what happens in Exodus 20? God gives Israel and the world the Ten Commandments. The 70^th chapter begins, [1] And God spake all these words, saying.

“He didn’t say God GAVE this message, this idea. It says God spake some w-o-r-d-s. You notice we read in Jeremiah 30 and 32 that He says to ‘write down these w-o-r-d-s.’ You’re writing down words on a page that God spoke.

“If you count the words in Exodus 20:1, there are seven. God is interested in the perfection of His Word. All of these words.

“Revelation 21:5 says, [5] And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

“The same thing’s going on all the way to the end of your Bible. That’s why you come over to Revelation 22:18, and I know people like to say, ‘Well, that’s just the Book of Revelation,’ but listen, if you read your Bible, and you study your Bible by reading it, ‘All Scripture is given by inspiration,’ and Revelation is part of a Book that goes all the way back to the Book of Genesis.

"In fact, most of the things that happen in Revelation found their beginning in Genesis. But God’s interested in the perfection of His words all the way through His Bible, so that when you get to the end of His Bible, as Revelation 22:18 says, [18] For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.

“You see that? There’s some w-o-r-d-s written down in a BOOK. That’s why we are ‘the people of a Book.’ That verse is the conclusion of an attitude that begins at the beginning! All the way through God’s Word, that’s the way God feels about His Word!

*****

“Listen, if you could take that title deed God gave Israel to the land that’s sealed today and Jesus will open one day . . . if you could change that title deed, if that evidence of the purchase was ever lost, the ‘god of this world’ would take over dominion in heaven and earth and Satan would get the heaven and earth that he desires, and be like the Most High and have it as his own.

“All that has to happen is ONE w-o-r-d from God. ‘I have spoken all these words.’ You better have a Bible where ALL the words in it are words God wants in it! That’s a Bible Believer’s attitude, and the only way you’re going to do that is to have a King James Bible.

“God’s Word is important, and when you see that genealogy in Luke 3, and you see the events in Luke 2, timing is everything with God, and one of the things you learn from that genealogy in Luke 3 is that the birth of the Lord Jesus--His conception, His birth, His coming--the events of His life and death and so forth; these things were not an afterthought on the part of God.

“People say, ‘Well, what happened was that God got caught by surprise.’ No, He didn’t. He had it ALL planned, and when the fullness of time--the right point in time--came, He sent forth His son. You have to understand that absolutely none of this (Christ’s birth, death, resurrection) caught God by surprise.

“Here’s a strange verse. Revelation 13:8 says, [8] And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

“So how long had Jesus Christ been slain? I Peter 1 says from the foundation of the world. Well, you know He wasn’t literally slain from the foundation of the world because He wasn’t born until 4 B.C., or whatever they say it was.

“Before God put the world into operation, laying the foundation thereof, He knew when, where and how His Son was going to die. It wasn’t an afterthought.

“I Peter 1:18-20 says, [18] Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
[19] But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
[20] Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.

“God planned this thing. He foreordained it. Now, when God foreordains something, He preplans and states that it’s going to happen.”

One podunk town EVERYBODY agrees on

“Where Christ came from was He already was," explains Jordan. "He didn’t have to be created. In the womb of Mary, God created a body in which He placed the life of His Son.

"The verse says, ‘But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.’ At the EXACT moment; this was a pre-planned event.

“When God sent forth His Son, He sent Him to a specific place. Micah 5:1-2 says, [1] Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.
[2] But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

“Micah lived 700 years before the birth of Christ. Seven centuries, longer than our country’s been in existence, before Christ’s birth, Micah writes this.

“He prophesies to the nation Israel, who were facing enemies coming in and taking them, invading their land. They were facing economic collapse, political upheaval, political corruption. You talk about a Middle East problem.

“You go 2,500 years back to Micah’s day and the same kind of conflict going on in the Middle East today was going on then and the goal of all the Gentile nations around Israel at that time was to destroy Israel. In the face of that, Micah prophesies to his people.

*****

“Bethlehem was a small, little, insignificant town. In fact, there were two Bethlehems in Israel at that time. That’s why he says it’s Bethlehem Ephratah. That’s like saying the name of the city and the county in which it resides. What God picked out was the itty-bitty one. The only claim to fame this town ever had was that a little shepherd boy named David was born there and that little shepherd boy became the king.

“Notice verse 2 says ‘yet out of thee shall he come forth.’ When Paul writes in Galatians, ‘God sent forth his son,’ that’s a reference back to this verse in Micah where he says it’s out of Bethlehem that He shall come forth.

“The verse says He is ‘to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.’ You see the ‘goings’ is plural? He had more than one going. It says He had 'been from of old.’ Now, if you’re old, you’re ancient. That’s talking about how long you’ve been around. It’s a reference to time.

“The verse ends telling you He’s ‘from everlasting.’ Everlasting is not time because time doesn’t last forever. You can go back to a place where time began, in the beginning. In the beginning of what? Of time in creation. The beginning of that continuum in which we live. Time and space.

“In the beginning God created, but this one that’s going to come forth in time comes out of eternity. This isn’t a human; this is God stepping out of eternity into time, into the clothing of our humanity. You see, that makes Him kind of unique. It makes Him a little different.

*****

“In Matthew 2 we’re told that when Herod the king ‘gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
[5] And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet.’

“He went out and got all the rabbinical scholars, brought them in and said, ‘Where’s the Messiah going to be born?’ and they said, ‘That’s easy! In Bethlehem of Judaea, for thus it is written by the prophet, and thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.’

“Now that’s a bunch of religious tomfoolery right there. Look at what they say—‘thou Bethlehem art not the least.’ Micah said, ‘You are the least.’

“These guys, they don’t want their king to be born in a little, insignificant, podunk place out yonder. They say, ‘You’re not!’ They actually changed God’s Word.

“You better watch preachers, religious scholars, because they’ll take God’s Word and twist it to make themselves look like the winner. That’s why you better look at the verses yourself. Don’t let somebody take a verse out of its context and stick it on a wall, or stick it in a book, and then impose another meaning to it. That’s what these birds did! But they got the town right. That’s because 700 years before, Micah had said it’s going to be Bethlehem.

*****

“Think about what’s happening here. Here’s a bunch of rabbinical scholars, the leaders of the nation Israel, who have no interest in Jesus Christ at all. When He shows up they’re going to hate Him and cry, ‘Crucify him, away with him, we’ll not have this man reign over us.’ And yet here they are, unsuspectingly, unknowingly, being the No. 1 witness to the fact He is who He says He is!

“One of the great proofs that God’s Word is true and that Jesus Christ is exactly who He says He is, is the accurate, exact fulfillment of predictive prophecy. If you can predict something down to the exact place, in the exact time, and 700 years later it takes place, you know what the world says? ‘Well, then it wasn’t written 700 years before; must have been written after the fact and just made to look like that.’

“Do you know you can have absolute historic certainty that cannot be argued with successfully in that one verse right there in Micah 5:2. Micah wrote 700 years before Christ.

"Somebody says, ‘Well, that’s just your guess.’ But I know this, according to every historian, I don’t care if they’re saved or lost, Christian or atheist, I don’t care who they are, the general understanding of all of history is that in about 250 B.C., the Jewish Bible was translated into the Greek language into the book that’s called the Septuagint. That Greek translation of the Bible contained the Book of Micah and contained that verse in Micah exactly as it is in your Bible.

“Every historical source you could find to document the historicity of the Book of Micah guarantees you that at least 250 years before Christ, and more probably 700 years before . . . but let’s just say you don’t want to believe anything Christians say. Okay, let’s take what the world says. What does the scholarship of the University of Chicago say? It says that 250 years before, minimum, and gives the exact same town. Now, do you SEE how improbable that was?”

*****

This is just a quick little aside, but it’s only a few verses later in Micah 5 that we are given the prophetic identification of the Antichrist as “the Assyrian.”

Micah writes in verses 5-6, [5] And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.
[6] And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.

To the laboratory with love, not fear

“The greatest happiness in life is the conviction that we are loved, loved for ourselves, or rather loved in spite of ourselves,” writes Jo Petty in her 1962 bestseller, Apples of Gold.

“The door to the human heart can be opened only from the inside . . . Scientists know only what loves does. Love, properly applied, could virtually empty our asylums, our prisons, our hospitals. Love is the touchstone of psychiatric treatment. Love can be fostered, extended, used to subjugate hate and thus cure diseases. More and more clearly every day, out of biology, anthropology, sociology, history, economics, psychology, the plain common sense, the necessary mandate of survival—that we love our neighbors as ourselves—is being confirmed and reaffirmed. Christ gave us only one commandment—Love. Now to the laboratory with love!”

*****

“Always remember, our ambassadorship is INSIDE of us living out THROUGH us," says Jordan. "It can NEVER be carried on by our outward man.

“Because there isn’t any kingdom to bring in, God dumps all of this stuff on us upfront so right now we can get used to operating in it, working in it, living in it. We’re operating in His mind and thinking, so that when we get to heaven, we’ll be ready to get on with the program.

"I John 2:5 says,[5] But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

“Where obedience exists, it’s the completion and the perfection of love. Love reaches its completion, it’s filling up, by being obedient to the will of God.

“Love is never complete without obedience and it’s a verse like that, and a truth like that, that says, ‘See, that’s what we need today! We need to be obedient so we need to completely . . . ’ and you take that principal and apply it to us and pretty soon people go into I John . . .

“I know grace preachers that use I John and believe I John is the greatest impetus to Christian living there could ever be and the way they do it is the way the Baptist brothers do it and it’s that they go into the passage and pull out verses like this but take a blinder to the other verses and what the passages really say, and instead they conclude, ‘See, if you really love Him then you need to obey Him.’

“Now, is that a true statement? Well, it’s hard to argue with that. But this passage is saying a WHOLE lot more than that.

“By the way, you notice verse 5 says, ‘But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected’? It’s perfected by their obedience, by their keeping the commandments. They’re going to need some perfected love.

*****

“Look at I John 4: [17] Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
[18] There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
[19] We love him, because he first loved us.

“Tell me something. If you had perfect love, would it be a benefit for these people? It'd cast out fear. It gives them boldness in the day of judgment.

“When the persecutions come on them they understand how; they have a mental attitude of understanding that gives them the ability to sustain through the problems. But how did they get their love perfected?

“Their love is perfected by keeping His Word. Because they kept His Word they had a mature, complete love; an obedience that came out of that love that gave them the capacity, when the persecutions came, to endure through them without the fear, without the paralysis, or the phobia.

*****

“You know what the problem is with these verses in I John?They aren’t the way God deals with us. What are they? They represent performance-based acceptance. That’s another way to say ‘the law’; legalism.

“It's all about how you’re accepted and blessed and get the reward because you served. That’s performance-based acceptance. Performance motivation. Conditional blessings based upon your performance. That’s what the law is. We’re not under the law system, so you know what they won’t do? They won’t motivate you today.

“In the dispensation of grace, Paul says in Galatians 5:18, ‘[18] But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. So if you try to use those verses in I John today, is that the Spirit of God working in you or something else?

“You see, you’ve got an objective standard in your Bible to tell you . . . boy, you never want to get very forgetful of Galatians 5:18. God the Holy Spirit never leads anyone to live under a performance-based system to gain acceptance before God, but your flesh sure will; religion sure will.

“What would the Spirit of God lead you to do? Live under grace. We perform not to get something but because of who we are, and how can we live any other way than consistent with who we are already?

“You see, we get it all dumped on us up-front. Israel had to wait until the end to get it out there. It has to do with the nature of the program with Israel and the nature of the program with us. Israel’s program is a literal, physical, visible earthly program where the blessings are the kingdom. For them, even eternal life is resurrection life in the kingdom. That’s their ultimate blessing and everything else they have is a foretaste of that.

“But you and I . . . you see, God isn’t in the real estate business today. He’s not reclaiming lands, houses and all of that. He’s forming a spiritual body of Believers. What happens to your flesh today—good, bad or indifferent—is not the issue today.

“Your ambassadorship is carried on in your inner man, in your new man. Your old man hasn’t even been saved yet. Your body is still of the earth, earthy. It won’t be redeemed until the Rapture.

“Now you tell me, if God works in my inner man and my outer man isn’t saved yet, which is the issue? See, that’s why all of the physical stuff isn’t really the issue.

"It’s the life that’s in us, and as that life in us lives out through our bodies of flesh, then the flesh gets to do something. Because it’s internally motivated by what God’s doing in our inner man.

“The way Planet Earth is set up to operate is on a performance basis. Go back to Genesis 3 and you see it. So is it any wonder that the reason God would deal this way with the nation of people who He’s ordained and established to reclaim the earth?

"How would you expect Him to expect them to operate? It’s on a performance basis because that’s the realm they’re going to operate in. You and I are going to operate in a different realm and that’s why we get a different kind of a system."