Tuesday, February 17, 2009

 
Chapter 64– The Power of the New Covenant Relationship
Pastor, no doubt you've been seeing the TV Commercials asking for donations and showing children dying of starvation all over the world. Thousands die from this and from disease every day. We also see the violence and terrorism portrayed on the daily News. As a Pastor, you are also keenly aware of the moral debauchery going on world-wide. We're living in troubled times! As a Bible student, you know that there is only one way to stop this entirely, and that is for Jesus to come. So, even though organizing efforts to feed the hungry children are wonderful; even though evangelist crusades are bringing people to Jesus all around the world; even though our Christian Churches and Denominations are spending mega billions for nice church buildings, and billions for evangelistic campaigns and feeding the hungry, almost 2000 years have come and gone since Jesus gave us His Gospel Commission and our world is not getting better, but rapidly worse. America's most famous modern evangelist was quoted 50 years ago saying, “If Jesus doesn't come soon, He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah!” So, in this Chapter we will again take up the Question, “Why Does Jesus Wait.” In the previous Chapter we skimmed the surface. Here we will try to cover the details and expose the fallacies of those who oppose what we believe to be the Bible truth, that Jesus is waiting for His people to reflect His Character as a witness to all nations. To do this subject justice, we would need a whole book, and many good books have been written specifically addressing this. This last Chapter will be rather long, and repetitious of much that we've already covered. The Powers of Darkness oppose vigorously what we present here. This Author has prayed over each Chapter in this Book, but none so much as here. Pastor, please pray for a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit as we proceed! Thank you SO much!
If you're a person that starts reading a book by going to the back of the book first, and then reading the other Chapters if you find the ending interesting, some of what we present here could be difficult to follow. The point of this Chapter is to show that, according to the Bible and according to Jesus Himself, He is waiting for His people to complete the tasks He assigned them when He left our Earth. We believe that, before Jesus comes back to take His people home to Heaven, they must truly reflect His Character by, “Preaching the real Gospel of the real Kingdom, and in so doing Witness (demonstrate) to all the world the saving and converting Power of that Gospel.” We've shown repeatedly throughout this book how Satan has opposed Christ's real Gospel with a false gospel that allows for, and even demands, disobedience to God. Sadly, some Ministers even claim that God is pleased with our disobedience. In Chapter 44, we carefully examined the Gnostics and how Christ's Parable/Prophecy of the Tares was fulfilled by these evil characters when Satan secretly implanted them into the Early Church. Jesus identified exactly the false gospel of these Tares, telling us how they would attack specifically the 10 Commandments God gave to Moses. We'll review this in a moment. In His Parable/Prophecy Jesus said these anti-10 Commandment false teachers, Tares, would continue their blasphemy in the Church until He returned at His Second Coming. He said that, like a farmer gathers his wheat at the harvest and casts the tares into the fire, so the Church's Tares will be cast into the Fires of Judgment because they “do iniquity.” Those words from Jesus in the Parable that are translated, “do iniquity” (Matt.13:41), are best translated, “Teach Iniquity.” That word “Iniquity” is “Anomia,” thus Jesus tells us that, “Teach Anomia.” is the sin of the Tares. Anomia is the Greek word that means, “attempting to annul the 10 Commandments.” Thus, by using the word “Anomia,” Jesus specifically referred to the 10 Commandments given to Moses at Sinai. This fact frustrates those promoting the doctrine of, “Grace Frees us to Disobey God's Law.” The Anti-Law promoters use Paul's statements about being “Under Grace and not under the Law,” as their proof texts in their attempts to reverse the Words of Jesus, but they offer no serious explanation for Christ's “Anomia” warnings. Pastor, to see the documentation that “Anomia” and “Anomos” are Greek words that mean, “to Annul God's 10 Commandments,” see Chapter 43, “Antichrist's Name.”
Additional “Anomia” Warnings from Jesus If Jesus warned us only this once about the Anomia/10 Commandment controversy, one warning would be sufficient. However, He actually warned us many times, and on three occasions, He specifically used that word, “Anomia.” We've covered all three warnings many times throughout this book, but as a quick review, let's look once again.
Not everyone that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he that doeth the will of My Father who is in Heaven. Many will say unto Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then I will profess unto them, I never knew you; Depart from Me ye workers of iniquity (Matt.7:21). Again that word “iniquity” in the original language is, “Anomia,” and that word “workers” is best translated, “teachers.” Thus the two words together are best translated, “Teachers of Anomia.” Notice Jesus said they will declare, “Have we not prophesied in thy name?” The context of these words from Jesus is where He is exposing “False Prophets” that would be present in the Church throughout it's time here on Earth (see vs.15), thus a translation of His words could be, “I never knew you!! Depart from Me ye False Prophets teaching that My 10 Commandments are annulled.” This Scripture comes from Christ's Sermon on the Mount which is His first recorded sermon. It was later during His ministry that He gave His Parable/Prophecy about the Tares. We've covered that, so, let's look at His last recorded warning about last day False Prophets/Teachers teaching Anomia. The following discourse occurred only days before Jesus was crucified.
And many False Prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity (anomia) shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Matt.24:11-12). Here Jesus told us exactly that the last day delusion would be False Prophets teaching “Anomia.” And so we have it straight from Jesus Himself from the beginning, the middle, and the end of His ministry, the exact deception Satan's False Prophets will declare throughout the Church Age till the Second Coming! Pastor, is it not clear that the popular doctrine of, “Grace is permission to disregard God's Law,” fits the last day delusion like a glove?
The Gnostics In Chapter 44, we carefully covered the Gnostics and how they openly attacked the character of the God of the Old Testament, the Creator God. Gnostics portrayed God the Creator as the evil God who also gave Moses the 10 Commandments. Gnostics called the Creator God, the “Demiurge.” We gave documentation of these Satanic implants attempting to annul the Sabbath in the Early Church because it was a Memorial of Creation. They said the “Demiurge” was the God of the Seventh Heaven, thus He instituted the Seventh Day Sabbath. They said the “High God” was the God of the Eighth Heaven, thus the “Eighth Day,” the day after Sabbath, was the Day Christ instituted to replace the Sabbath. Pastor, if you've not read Chapter 44, it would help you to understand this Chapter 64 if you took a moment to do so.
We truly believe that each of the previous 63 Pondered Questions address very important issues concerning last-day truths. We believe it is vitally important that we know and teach the Bible truth concerning each and every Pondered Question. We know absolutely that if anyone seeks God's Holy Spirit for guidance and prayerfully examines each Question, the truth of each will be clear. Bible Truth is, of course, what makes up the TRUE Gospel that Jesus said must be preached into all the world before the “end may come” (See Matt.24:14). However, we suggest that the issue addressed in this Chapter 64 is more essential than all of the other Pondered Questions combined. Pastor, you may be among those who believe and teach that we humans have nothing to do with the timing of Christ's return. We suggest that Jesus settled this when He said, “And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matt.24:14). Who is responsible for this preaching of the Gospel and this witnessing unto all nations? Would that not be us? When Jesus said, “and then shall the end come,” could He have really meant, “then, and ONLY then, shall the end come?” Does He mean that the “end” cannot come until the prerequisites are completed? Who did Jesus entrust the task of, “Preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom in all the world?” Is Jesus waiting for all nations to “Witness” His Gospel in His People so He can return? He addressed this to His Disciples, the founders of His Church and thus this same message would be passed on down to those who become believers through His Disciples. Again, that's us. Is it clear that Jesus is waiting for us to do what He said we must do. Let's look now at what Jesus meant by, Witness unto all nations.” There's no question that Satan has seen to it that the World has witnessed anything but a positive testimony from Christianity. Here we'll look at the real purpose of the, “New Covenant.” We'll see that it creates a bond, a Contract, between us and Jesus; a connection that transmits a special power to us so that, through God's imparted strength, we can overcome the Powers of Darkness so that we truly and completely, “Do God's Will.” and “Witness to all nations the Power of the Gospel.” First, for the Readers that have not read the previous Chapters addressing the New Covenant, let's quickly review five Bible facts concerning the New Covenant.
  1. Contrary to the Pre-Trib Theory declaring that the New Covenant is for the Jews only, and not for the Church in this “Grace/Church Age,” Jesus instituted the New Covenant with His Disciples at His Last Supper on the night before He was crucified. His Disciples were the Founders of His Church. For Bible proof that the New Covenant is for the Church and not a future generation of Jews, see Chapters 38, 39, and 40 of this Book.
  2. Contrary to the false Doctrine that the definition of the New Covenant is, “Grace Frees us to Disobey God's Law,” the Bible definition of the New Covenant is the Lord, “Writing His Law in our hearts, minds, and inward parts” (see Jer.31:33, Heb.8:10 and 10:16). Thus, the New Covenant is the exact opposite of what mainstream Christianity declares it to be and what Pre-Trib Dispensationalism declares it to be. Jesus warned us specifically that Satan's first and last delusion for the Church was and is the annulling of the 10 Commandments. Again, in Chapters 38, 39, and 40, we provide Bible proof of this.
  3. Because Israel rejected Jesus as their Messiah, the promises and prophecies made to them were conditional. Those prophecies and promises, on a much larger scale than the Old Testament portrays for the Jews, will be fulfilled in the Church. The Kingdom promised to the Jews was in an earthly setting involving mortals, while the Kingdom promised to God's people after Calvary will be heavenly and will involve only immortals after Christ's Second Coming. Again, see Chapters 38 through 40 and Chapters 3 through 5.
  4. The Bride of Christ, the New Covenant, and Israel cannot be separated. Thus when we see the New Covenant defined in Jeremiah 31 and in Hebrews 8 and 10, the references to Judah and Israel are references also to the Church. Judah and Israel ARE the Church and thus the New Covenant Bride of Christ. We show this from Scripture in Chapter 40.
  5. Isaiah prophesied that breaking the New Covenant will be one of three evil sins for which the Lord will literally and totally destroy the inhabitants of earth, including earth itself. This total destruction will begin at Christ's Second Coming and will be complete a thousand years later immediately after the Great White Throne Judgment. Note the following: “The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, and broken the Everlasting Covenant. Therefore (because of this) hath the course devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate; therefore (because of this)the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left” (Isa.24:4-5). The “few that are left is a reference to the “one taken and the other left (Matt.24:40-41) that Jesus referred to when prophesying of His Second Coming (see also Jn.14:1-3). Unless we are clear about these five Bible facts, much of this Chapter will be difficult to follow. We have covered the above Bible verse in many Chapters of this Book.
New Covenant Power Let's begin by looking at what the Bible really says about the Power contained in the New Covenant: "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead, our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the Everlasting Covenant, make you PERFECT in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen" (Heb.13:20-21).
The operative phrase is, “make you perfect in every good work to do His will.” Is there a connection to this phrase and the words of Jesus when He said, “For a witness unto all nations, and then shall the END come?” We suggest there is exactly, and this being so, Jesus is waiting for His people to fulfill the above Bible promise from Hebrews. Let's look at that Everlasting Covenant, also called the New Covenant. Pastor, as you know, almost all Christian Ministers tell us that becoming, “Perfect in good works and doing God's will,” is impossible in this life, no matter how much we seek help from God. These same Ministers angrily attack those who disagree with them. WHY? We'll examine this question in a moment. First let's look at when and with whom Jesus established the “New Covenant.”
"This is My blood of the New Covenant (new testament; KJV) which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matt. 26:28).
Jesus said this to His Disciples at His “Last Supper.” Jesus is the Founder of the Church, and His Disciples were the Co-Founders. We say this Pastor, as a reminder of the fact that Pre-Trib says the New Covenant is not really for the Church, but for the Jews after the Rapture. If you've read Chapters 38, 39, and 40, you've seen the documentation concerning Pre-Trib's doctrine stating this. If you've carefully studied the Scofield Bible footnotes, or most other Pre-Trib Study Bibles, you've seen the documentation. Pre-Trib says the only real purpose of the New Covenant is for a future generation of Jews after the Church has been Raptured to Heaven. The New Covenant, the Church, and the Bride of Christ are inseparable and any attempt to disconnect the three is not only an exercise in futility, it's a delusion and thus a trap from Satan. If the Reader has not read Chapters 38, 39, and 40, you might want to do so before proceeding.
Special “Victory” Strength Available in New Covenant “And I saw, as it were, a Sea of Glass mingled with fire, and them that had gotten the VICTORY over the Beast, and over his Image, and over his Mark, over the Number of his Name, standing on the Sea of Glass, having the harps of God” (Rev.15:2). Revelation gives little information about this scene. It does indicate that it is in Heaven, and for sure it is after a group of people accomplish the Victory over Antichrist (the Beast).” Victory is the key point. Somewhere, sometime in the future a group of people will defeat Antichrist. Of course they'll certainly not accomplish this in their own strength, but, with Christ's empowerment, they'll do it absolutely. As we saw in Hebrews 13:20-21, a special strength is available to those who enter into a New Covenant relationship with Jesus. We will now look closer at Mainstream Christianity's view of the New Covenant. Satan knows what will happen to him if Christianity truly discovers the real New Covenant. The Bible says a small portion of sincere Christians will use the Power available to them as they truly embrace Jesus and His New Covenant. When they do, they'll defeat Satan and Antichrist, after which Satan's days of harassing humanity will be FINISHED!! He will then begin his thousand year prison sentence.
Four “Christian” Interpretations of the New Covenant The Powers of Darkness know that someday they'll be defeated by God's people who've truly embraced the New Covenant, and these Dark Powers will stop at nothing in their attempts to distort the New Covenant! Sadly, they've been very successful. Even though the Bible definition of the New Covenant is clear, almost the entire Christian World is clueless. So, let's look at each of the four interpretations.
  1. The Church of the Dark Ages. When the Church apostatized by combining with Paganism, it took the position that the New Covenant was the 10 Commandments, BUT, with certain “adjustments.” The Commandment forbidding the creating of, and bowing to, images was completely dropped. Also, the Sabbath Commandment, although still very much in effect, was switched to Sunday, thus Sunday-Observance was strictly enforced. The Dark Age Church said little about Grace and pretty much promoted salvation by works.
  2. The Protestant Church Emerging in the Reformation. The main attack from the Reformers against the Dark Age Church was “Salvation by Grace,” which was correct, but Satan, as he always does, took it to the other extreme. So, the majority of Protestant Churches designed what they now define as “New Covenant Salvation.” The point is that the New Covenant is an abolition of the Old Covenant. The New Covenant, says most of Protestantism, is the new form of Salvation: “Saved by Grace and not by Law.” By distorting some of Paul's statements about Grace, they decided and taught that the Old Covenant was the 10 Commandments and other laws God gave to Moses, and the New Covenant is “Freedom from the Law, including the 10 Commandments.” It needs to be noted that only one Commandment in the Law is the focus of this group. That Commandment is the Sabbath. They tell us that the other nine are as binding as before.
  3. Pre-Tribulation Dispensationalism. And then, starting around 1830, Dispensationalism began to emerge. Pastor, if you are a Pre-Trib Minister, you know Pre-Trib's position concerning the New Covenant. If the Reader is not a Pre-Trib Minister, and finds it difficult to believe that Pre-Trib actually separates itself from the New Covenant, you may need to read Chapter 38, “New Testament or New Covenant,” and Chapter 39, “New Covenant - Church or Israel,” and Chapter 40, “The Bride of Christ.” Again, Pastor, as you know, the official position for Pre-Trib is that the New Covenant actually is not for the Church at all, but is for a future generation of Jews after the Church has been Raptured to Heaven. However, Pastor, as you also know Pre-Trib/Evangelical Churches promote Position #2, the general Protestant view that the New Covenant, “Frees Us from the Old Law.” Pre-Trib Ministers preach that the New Covenant, during the Church Age, is a declaration that the 10 Commandment Law is temporarily set aside because of Grace, but the Law, including the Sabbath, will once again become God's Command for the Jews, and actually for all Tribulation converts, during the Tribulation and during the 1000 year, “Millennial Kingdom.” The non-Pre-Trib Reader will find this very confusing, but the educated Pre-Trib Pastors and Ministers know exactly what we are explaining, and they know it is indeed the official Pre-Trib position. Now, before moving to position # 4, let's look quickly at something troubling with positions 1, 2, and 3. In Position 4 we will look at an Old Testament and a New Testament Bible definition of the New Covenant and it will be abundantly clear that the previous 3 have completely reversed what the Bible says about the New Covenant.

    In position #1, there were attempted changes made in God's Law. That is wrong and that is all we need to say about it. In position #2 there are several problems. First, it implies that Old Testament people were not saved by Grace, and in implying such, they are left with giving the impression that those living between Moses and Jesus were saved by keeping the Law. Pastor as you know, Pre-Trib aggressively opposes this accusation. Their official position is that everyone who will be saved will be saved by Grace, Old or New Testament. But, if Old Testament people from Moses till Jesus were saved by Grace, why did God require that they obey the Law, and then require that Grace Age people disregard the Law? And this leads into the real problem. After listening to literally thousands of Pre-Trib Ministers on the Radio and TV, and studying the Scofield Bible Footnotes, and reading Pre-Trib College and University Textbooks and material from many Pre-Trib Promoters, this Author has concluded that there is a simple test that must be applied to any Doctrine and the test works perfectly every time. The test is a question: “Does the Doctrine or Teaching attack God's Character?” If it does, it is false, period. So, what about a Doctrine that says God demanded obedience to His Law for 1500 years after Moses, but later, demanded the opposite? Let's look a little closer to be sure we know what the Doctrine says. Did God make a Law, a Covenant, with the Children of Israel requiring obedience to His Ten Commandments, and for the following1500 years severely punish them over and again for failing to obey His impossible Law, only to demand that His People in the next Dispensation disregard that Law? In Chapter 31, we illustrated this with a scenario of an evil father who gave impossible tasks to his eldest son and punished him over a period of years for his inabilities, then later told his second son he need not obey those impossible rules, telling him he only punished the eldest son in order to demonstrate how impossible the tasks were. The evil father even tells his second son he will punish him if he even attempts to accomplish the tasks assigned the older son. If the authorities became aware of this evil man, he would be featured on the nightly News for weeks, and finally he'd be tried, convicted, and sent to prison. So, if we portray God doing the exact same as the evil father, are we not, “Attacking God's Character?” We would absolutely, and, sadly, Christian Ministers are unwittingly doing exactly this! So what about the notion that the Old Covenant was the impossible Ten Commandments forced upon Israel, and the New Covenant is Jesus changing and abolishing those same Commandments? Should we even consider such a Doctrine, or should we see it for what it really is, an open and evil attack upon God? Is it not certain the Satan designed this doctrine?
    New Version Some in Christianity recognized the horrid image of God that their warped version of the New Covenant was portraying, so they devised a new version that, in their minds, accomplishes the goal of eliminating God's Ten Commandments, while placing all of the blame on the Children of Israel at Sinai. This new version is as follows: When God was in the process of giving Israel the Ten Commandments, it was His intent to let them know that it was impossible for them to obey the Commandments, and was preparing to give them a better plan; a method they could use to satisfy the demands of the Commandments. The New Version promoters claim that when God was on the verge of explaining to them their inability to keep the Commandments in their own strength, the Israelites literally butted in at that moment and before God could finish His sentence, they shouted back to Him, “Everything Thou hast Commanded we will do!” According to the “New Version,” God then stopped short of telling Israel about the impossibility they were facing, and, instead, allowed them to find it out the hard way. Thus He severely punished them for 1500 years because they failed to keep His un-keepable Commandments. This foolish notion requires we seriously stop and Ponder it! If God had a method designed that would give Israel the power and strength to obey His Commandments, do we really believe He would have refused to tell them about it for any reason? Pastor, is such a notion not accusing God of mocking and taunting the Israelites? The evil Gnostics clearly accused the God of the Old Testament of doing exactly this! They said He was an evil God and said He gave the Commandments to Israel as a sinister joke! Thus, if this new and latest version of the Old Covenant is correct, the evil Gnostics were also correct! But, Pastor, surely we know better! Again, Chapter 44, “The Gnostics,” explains this.
    As in all Doctrines invented by Satan, this new version has a small portion of truth, and Satan has exploited the tiny portion. It is true that Israel did not realize that they would be unable to obey God's Commandments in their own strength. But, had they sincerely wanted to obey, God would have provided them with the same power He has made available to us today. Thus when the Holy Spirit relayed to Jeremiah (Jer.31:31-33) (see also Heb.8:8-10) the definition of the New Covenant, He said, Not according to the Covenant I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of Egypt, which, My Covenant they broke, although I was a Husbandman unto them, saith the Lord” (Jer.31:32). Operative words are, “they broke.” Pastor, if anyone even hints that God did not offer to the Children of Israel the Grace and Power to be obedient, that person simply has not read the Scriptures!
    A very popular Evangelist correctly said recently, “If Jesus doesn't come back soon, He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah?” The same would apply here concerning Israel. If God actually did punish Israel for 1500 years for their failure to obey Commandments that He knew were un-keepable, He will have to apologize to the Israelites who lived during that Dispensation. Now Pastor, we know that is not going to happen! Let's be honest and acknowledge that Satan would love for us to believe such nonsense about God! Let's also be honest and admit that Satan has distorted the New Covenant.
  4. And Now the Fourth, and Biblical Definition of the New Covenant Pastor, hopefully you're tired of foolish false doctrines about the Old and New Covenant so let's look at what the Bible really says. In each of the above 3 versions of the Old and New Covenant Satan's workings are all too clear. Satan often tosses a smattering of truth into his Doctrines of Demons, and so he has done here. Of course it is absolutely true that the Israelites broke their Covenant with God. But to even hint in any way that the Covenant God made with Israel at Sinai was trickery and dishonest; to imply that God was unfair to Israel in the slightest is blasphemy! To design a doctrine hinting such foolishness in any way should be a red flag to us that the enemy of our souls is involved, big time, period! Throughout the remainder of this Chapter we will examine the Bible definition of the New and Old Covenant. The good thing about the truth is the fact that we need not insert any of our own rhetoric. Simply supply the Scriptures is all that's needed.
    The Real New Covenant First let's note what God said about Himself: “For I am the Lord, I change not” (Mal.3:6). With this Text in mind, we need only read the Bible definition of the New Covenant because no interpretation from anyone is necessary. Let's do it: "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; Not according to the Covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, which, My Covenant they broke, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord; But this shall be the Covenant I will make with the House of Israel: After those days, saith the Lord, I will put My Law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and will be their God, and they shall be My people” (Jer.31:31-33). And now from Hebrews “For this is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord: I will put My Laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts; and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people” (Heb.8:8-10). Next let's look at the time and incident of the enactment of New Covenant. It is the Lord's Last Supper: "This is My blood of the New Covenant (new testament; KJV) which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matt. 26:28). Finally let's look at what the “Blood of the New Covenant” can do for us: "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead, our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the Everlasting Covenant, make you PERFECT in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen" (Heb.13:20-21). Again, we need only to carefully and prayerfully read these four Scriptures to know exactly what the New Covenant really is. It is God offering us His power to obey His Law; to live to “do His will,” by “writing His Law in the hearts and minds of His people.” As we have said before, the notion or doctrine that God stopped short of offering strength to Israel so that they could obey His Law is actually an attack on God. The notion that God made an imperfect Covenant with Israel; the notion that God made anything imperfect is blasphemy!!
    The Real and Only Difference Between the Old and New Covenant When God said, “Not according to the Covenant I made with their fathers,” promoters of annulment of the Ten Commandments say this proves their point. They contend that their position is further advanced with the following Scripture: “For if that first Covenant had been faultless, then should no place be sought for the second” (Heb.8:7). We need to stop here for a moment and ask if we really want to proclaim that the Covenant God made; the Covenant He gave Israel through Moses, was bad or defective. We MUST be EVER so careful! It was God who was the Author; the complete Author, of that Old Covenant, thus it was perfect. That Covenant, however, did incorporated into it animal sacrificing and yearly feasts that pointed forward to the death of Messiah. From the moment Jesus died, the animal sacrificing was absolutely to cease. The rending of the veil in the Temple clearly signified this. From that time, the yearly feasts, however, were optional. Jesus fulfilled everything found in the Torah that pointed to His death. Nowhere in any Scripture, is there the slightest hint that the New Covenant is an annulment of God's 10 Commandments. A surface reading from some of Paul's letters might make it appear so, but a careful, prayerful examination clears up any such misgivings. If we keep this in mind as we read all of those admonitions from Paul that we think tell us the New Covenant is Grace freeing us from obeying God and His Law, it will all make perfect sense with no contradictions. Instead of Paul's letters telling us we have permission to disobey God's Law; instead of hearing Paul say God wants us to disobey His Commandments, we will read how Paul tells us we are free from the penalty of death that the Law demands. All Scriptures addressing the New Covenant reveal the empowerment God is offering us. In the rest of this Chapter, we will try to show this fact from Scripture. Certain points will be repetition, and we've tried to avoid this as much as possible. The subject of the New Covenant is very simple, but because the enemy of our souls has complicated it in an attempt to prevent us from understanding it, he has made it appear complicated. Sadly many Ministers have done the same. From here on in this chapter we will focus on the Power Jesus offers us as we “will to do His will.”
Power Available to Everyone in the New Covenant Relationship The following eight Bible Texts address everything in this Chapter. 1.“To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me on My throne, even as I also over came, and am set down with My Father on His throne” (Rev.3:21).
2.“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil.4:13).
3.“This Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come” (Matt.24:14).
4.“But Jesus beheld them, and said, With men this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible” (Matt.19:26).
5.“Now to Him who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding Joy” (Jude 24).
6.“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Do all things without murmings and disputings, That ye may be blameless and harmless, sons (children) of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world” (Phil.2:12-15).
7.“Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Eph.3:20).
8."Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the Everlasting Covenant, make you PERFECT in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen" (Heb.13:20-21).
The naysayers have no choice but to deny these Bible Texts, so they have several choices. They can distort the Texts. They can Ignore the Texts. Then there is of course their favorite; reverse the Texts! Pastor, if anyone truly understands the above eight Scriptures, he or she may not need to proceed any further in this Chapter. However, pretty much everything contained in these Verses is severely challenged by Mainstream Christianity, including Pre-Trib, so, let's look a little closer. Incidentally, the above eight Scriptures are a very small sample of Bible Verses saying exactly same about the New Covenant.
Mainstream Christianity and the New Covenant and New Testament
Modern Christians claim that their Churches are, "New Covenant Churches," or "New Testament Churches." We even see this as part of the names of many individual churches. Almost always when they stress this, they are actually trying to justify their position of setting aside God's Law, or at least a portion of it. As you know, Pastor, the words "Testament" and "Covenant" are exactly the same word in the Greek Text. The word for both is “Diatheke.” A general overview of Mainstream Christianity says the Old Covenant was the 10 Commandments, and the system Moses set up for the Jews, as opposed to the New Covenant, the system Jesus set up for the Church which include in one form or another, disregarding the Law and the 10 Commandments. Actually this is partly true. However, when the majority of Christians claim that Jesus excluded the 10 Commandments when He set up the Church, replacing the Law with"Grace," this is not correct. The Pondered Question here is, “Did the Church, in it's diminishing and eliminating of God's 10 Commandments, cut off the power available to them through the New Covenant Relationship?” And if they did, was this actually Satan's plan? The follow up Question would be, “In cutting off this Power, has Christianity actually delayed Christ's return?” We will show in this Chapter that this is exactly true.

Pre-Trib and the New Covenant
Pastor, we've already looked at this Chapter, and we've covered it in detail in Chapters 38, 39, and 40, but we need to look closer because it opens a serious un-answered and un-answerable Question. Since we are looking primarily at Pre-Trib, let's look at documentation concerning the New Covenant from the Scofield Study Bible. Many Scofield footnotes address the New Covenant, so let's look at one that sums up the Pre-Trib position: “Although certain features of this Covenant have been fulfilled for believers in this present Church Age, the Covenant remains to be realized for Israel according to the explicit statement of Verse 31” (Scofield Footnote for Jer. 31:31). The Scofield note is saying that the New Covenant has some principles that apply to the Church, but the real New Covenant, is NOT for the Church, but for Jews after the Church has been Raptured to Heaven. Pre-Trib says the New Covenant will be set in place starting with the Tribulation and continuing through the Millennium.
Pre-Trib Agrees - New Covenant Contains Power! Pastor, a close look at Pre-Trib's version of the New Covenant shows that they absolutely do believe the Covenant gives power to believers to live a very high standard of obedience, but says that Power is not available during this present “Grace Dispensation,” but will be available in it's full strength only to the Jews after the Rapture. Pastor, if you've carefully studied this subject from Pre-Trib Study Bibles and Pre-Trib Textbooks, you'll agree with what we are saying here. Pre-Trib says there are two reasons for their position. First, God forbids us to attempt obeying all of the Law because we are under Grace and not the Law. Second, Pre-Trib says obedience is impossible. Pre-Trib says that anyone trying to keep God's Law is not only attempting the impossible, they are actually denying the Grace that Jesus provided. As you know, Pastor, the general feeling of Pre-Trib advocates is that those in this Grace Dispensation are actually sinning if they attempt to obey God's Law. Pre-Trib says such persons are rejecting Grace in favor of that old Law.
Pre-Trib's View of New Covenant Power After the Rapture
As we mentioned, Pre-Trib says that, after the Rapture, the Jews will be the main focus of everything, both from Christ, and from Antichrist. Pre-Trib says Antichrist will declare an all-out war against the Jews during which time a very large group of Jews will accept the Gospel of Jesus. Then, says Pre-Trib, these newly Christianized Jews will fulfill John's Prophecy that says, “The Dragon (Satan) will be wroth with the woman, and will go to make war with the remnant of her seed, who keep the Commandments of God, and have the Testimony of Jesus Christ” (Rev.12:17)! Although Pre-Trib Promoters declare that Grace Age persons cannot, under any circumstances, obey God's Law, these same Pre-Trib Promoters admit that after the Church is Raptured, the newly converted Jews will be able to keep the Commandments of God, and will do so while being in an all out war with Satan and Antichrist!! The massive Pondered Question here is, “If God is able to give Jews, after the Rapture, the power and ability to obey His Commandments, why is He not able, or not willing, to do so for us Grace Age Christians? Has God chosen to keep us weak so that we continue to sin?”
The deeper Question to Ponder is, If there is a Power available to us Grace Age Believers, but God is purposefully holding it back from us, is He being fair to us now? Would Satan want us to believe this lie about God? He would absolutely!! Isn't Satan always inventing notions and doctrines to attack God's Character?” The even deeper Question to Ponder is, “If this Power IS available to us now, and if God wants us to avail ourselves of this Power, but we are refusing to seek it because we have Doctrines that tell us it is not available, what should we do about that Doctrine?”
Pondered Question of Christ's Bride Another Question to Ponder has been covered carefully in Chapter 40, “The Bride of Christ.” That Question is, “If God has two separate groups of Believers, the Church before the Rapture, and Jews after the Rapture, and God demands that the Church disregard (disobey) His Law in favor of Grace, but after the Rapture, He changes His standard for the Jews, demanding they obey His Commandments, and God plans to honor one of these groups throughout eternity, which group would it be more probable for Him to reward; those that disobeyed, or those that obeyed?” Pre-Trib says God will absolutely honor the Church with the highest reward available to created beings. Pre-Trib says that throughout eternity, the Church will be rewarded by becoming the Bride of Christ, while the Jew's reward will be to continue living here on this earth in mortal bodies for an additional thousand years. Pre-Trib says this entire earth will become a Millennial Paradise Kingdom. But, let's look at reality. Is this earthly reward to the Jews far inferior to that given the Church? The inconsistency of this is painfully obvious and needs serious Pondering. Also worth Pondering is the following Question. If the Church is allowed (demanded) to disregard (disobey) God's Law and be rewarded for their actions, why doesn't that same Grace exempt the Jews? That Question could be reversed. If God is going to give special, New Covenant Power to the Jews during the Tribulation, why would He refuse to give us that same power now? Does God enjoy seeing the Church disregard His Commandments? Seriously, Pastor! Do we need to re-examine that popular Pre-Trib view?
We could expand on these Questions but it is plain to see that if we hold to this belief that God is differentiating between the Church and the Jews, we are implying that God changes; flip flops in His dealing with His people. God says, “For I am the Lord, I change not” (Mal.3:6).
The Church and Grace
Pre-Trib says that removing the Law and replacing it with "Grace" comes from Paul repeatedly writing various forms of, "We are not under the Law. We are under Grace." Hundreds of thousands of popular Ministers tell their congregations every week that they are New Testament or New Covenant believers and God does not want them becoming entangled in that old Law. These Ministers expound over and over, “No more Law – Just Grace.”
Do Our Ministers Even Know the New Covenant?.
In 1999, this Author visited a Church in Atlanta Georgia. The Pastor was alerted that there'd be a Sabbath observer visiting that day. His entire sermon was all about the evils and shortcomings of the Old Covenant, but never did he even hint the Bible definition of the New Covenant. At the end of his sermon, his message could be summed up as follows:
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The Ten Commandments were unpleasant when God gave them to Moses, but now, in this Grace Age, all who attempt to obey the Law will be lost. Even desiring to obey God's Law is a sin.” Obviously he had no clue as to the Bible definition of the New Covenant. Sadly, many Minister do not. Let's look again at how the Bible defines the New Covenant and address the part about it being only for the Jews and not the Church:
"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; Not according to the Covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, which, My Covenant they broke, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord. But this is the Covenant I will make with the house of Israel: After those days, saith the Lord, I will put My Law into their inward parts, and will write it in their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people" (Jer.31:31-33)(see also Heb.8:8-10).
A surface reading might make it appear that Pre-Trib is correct about the New Covenant being for the Jews only and not the Church, until we look at when and where Jesus established the Covenant. It was at His Last Supper with His Disciples, who, along with Jesus, were the Founders of His CHURCH. Thus, if the New Covenant is for Christ's Church, and the New Covenant is Jesus "writing His Law in their inward parts and in their hearts," then the notion that, "Grace has freed us from God's Law and that Grace demands we set aside God's Law," is a complete contradiction. The popular version of the New Covenant is a complete reversal of what God said! Imagine the power Christians would have if they all had Christ's Law written in their minds and hearts! "All the world" would “Witness” the REAL Gospel?

Disclaimer!!
We must make absolutely certain there's no possibility for any one to accuse us of promoting salvation by works. We have not! We are not! We will not; EVER! We are discussing the power offered to us by Jesus through a Covenant He has made with us.
ENOUGH is ENOUGH is ENOUGH!
Bible Prophets tell us that someday a Remnant of Christian Believers (the Church, the Bride of Christ, the Elect) will declare, "We've had Enough of this Wicked World!" They'll be fed up with the Doctrines of Demons that Satan has implanted into Christianity. God will send His Spirit to, "Guide them into all truth...and show them things to come" (Jn.16:13), then God will supply them with the strength to be "overcomers" (Rev.21:7) and to "witness to all nations" (Matt.24:14) the life changing power (Heb.13:20-21) of the true "Gospel of the Kingdom" (Matt.24:14). Then, and ONLY then, God's people will have the strength to truly reflect the Character of Jesus and prepare for His Coming!

"Let the FOUR WINDS BLOW!"
When the above happens, God can then tell the 4 angels holding the "winds of strife" (Rev.7:1) to let go so the World and the Universe can witness for a final time how horribly wrong Satan has been with his lie that God's Law is impossible to obey. When Jesus defeated the powers of darkness at the cross, it was a crushing death-blow to Satan, but, Satan, through the workings of his evil Gnostics in the Early Church, cried foul. Satan, through his Gnostics, declared that Jesus was never human at all, and that He used His Divinity to overcome him and his demons. That Gnostic lie, in a slightly revised form, is now being proclaimed throughout the world by some of the most influential Ministers within Christianity.

"The Law of God was NEVER Made to be Kept"
.A popular TV Minister uses the above quote over and again in his weekly TV Sermons. He says the only reason God gave the 10 Commandments was to show us how weak we are. He is correct that, in our own strength, we cannot obey God's Law. But, Paul said, "I can do ALL things through Christ who strengtheneth me" (Phil.4:13). Are our Ministers saying the text should read, "I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me, EXCEPT obey God's Law?"
Which Law?
"I will put MY LAWS into their mind, and write them in their hearts; and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people" (see Heb.8:8-10; Heb.10:16; Jer.31:31-33). When God says He will put His Laws into their minds and hearts, could His Laws include the same Law that Christians are declaring, “Grace has Abolished” (See Matt. 5:17-19)?
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Another Disclaimer
We must never forget that it is not because we have determined to obey God's Law that we have the strength to do so. It is only because God, “puts His Laws in our hearts and minds,” that we obey. Satan has two blasphemous proclamations concerning humans ability to overcome sin:
1.Satan wants humans to proclaim that they can never and will never become overcomers, no matter how much they seek help from God.
2.Satan wants humans to declare that they can defeat him in their own strength.
These are lies directly from Satan, and Satan cares not which becomes our belief. Throughout Christianity, these two Blasphemes are declared, tucked away in various philosophies. Sadly, otherwise good Ministers are proclaiming various versions of these lies to their congregations. If our Ministers would expose these two lies from Satan and tell the truth about Christ's Covenant, Satan will be in for the battle of his life, and he will lose, big time, period!
Trapped in These Evil Bodies Satan inspires otherwise good Ministers to proclaim variations of his doctrine declaring God's Law is impossible to obey. Following is a version that is daily proclaimed throughout Christianity by otherwise good Ministers:.
"We are all trapped in bodies and minds so sinful and defiled that it's impossible for us to obey God's Law. We CANNOT and WILL NOT overcome sin while in this present world in these evil bodies. Even if God takes complete control of our minds and bodies, it'll NEVER happen. We'll CONTINUE IN SIN right up until we see Jesus come."
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Satan artfully sells this notion to almost the entire Christian world. Christianity has an ongoing debate as to how Jesus was able to live without sin and in so doing, defeat Satan and his demons. Satan has tried to promote the notion that the only reason Jesus defeated him was because Jesus never became truly human. The enemy of our souls would have us believe Jesus was victorious because He used His Divine Power. Satan would have us believe that whatever Power Jesus had, that Power is not available to us. He wants us to believe that we're “Trapped in Evil Bodies and Evil Minds,” that are incapable of obeying God. As in every doctrine that Satan invents, there's always that element of truth upon which he builds his case. The fact is, we all do have a sinful nature; a nature that cannot, in our own strength defeat the powers of darkness. But a nature that can say, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil.4:13).
Let's take a moment to look at when and where this, “Trapped in an Evil Body” notion entered the Early Church.

The Gnostics
Pastor, we again encourage our Readers to be sure to check out Chapter 44, “The Gnostics.” These evil implants from Satan are responsible for a great many false doctrines that are still prevalent in Mainstream Christianity. Here in this section we will focus only on the evil notion that Jesus did not “Come in the flesh” (1Jn.4:2). By using the Gnostic's proclamation that Christ did not come to earth in human flesh, Satan cleverly designed that evil doctrine declaring that Christ used His Divinity to resist sin. John wrote 1John and 2John primarily to expose the Gnostics in the Early Church.
Did Christ "Come in the Flesh"? Was He Human?
Following is what John wrote concerning the Gnostics. The actual name John gave these evil characters was antichrists. This is very important and we'll see why in a moment.
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1Jn. 4:1-3 "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God; And every spirit that confesseth NOT that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God; and this is that spirit of antichrist."
John repeats this same warning in his second Epistle.
"For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist" (2Jn. 7).

Notice that John wrote, “Jesus Christ,” here instead of “Jesus” or “Christ.” There is possibly a reason he used both names. The “antichrists” John wrote about in this Epistle taught that Jesus and Christ were originally two entirely separate entities. They actually deny the whole story of the birth of Jesus. They declared emphatically that Christ was not human and was not born of Mary. Many Gnostics claimed that Jesus may have been born as a human, but Christ absolutely was not born of a woman. They said the God who created this earth was evil, and His method of reproduction was proof that He was evil and perverted. They said if Christ had been born of a woman, it would mean He participated in the evil reproductive system designed by the Creator. Thus, said the Gnostics, Christ only pretended to be human, but was really an Angel type creature, and was actually the Son of the “High God.”

Pastor, if John says antichrists claim Christ was NOT human, and today's popular preachers proclaim something very similar, should we be seriously concerned? And what does this have to do with overcoming sin and the New Covenant? It has everything to do with both. Let's look.
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Why This Doctrine of Demons is so HORRIBLY Evil

Heb.2:16-18 "For verily He took NOT on Him the nature of angels, but He took on Him the seed [nature] of Abraham. Wherefore, in all things it behooved Him to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour (help) them that are tempted."
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Note also the following:
"For we have not a High Priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Heb.4:15).
Obviously it was important to John and Paul that we know for a certainty that Jesus came to earth in the flesh and was truly human, tempted as we are tempted. And, obvious it was extremely important to the Gnostics (antichrists) and to Satan that we believe Christ did NOT come as a human. Why?


Should we be concerned that our popular preachers say Christ's nature was different from ours, especially since the Bible says Jesus was, "made like His brethren?" Why does Satan care? He cares because the message was going throughout the whole world that Jesus had defeated Satan. Every angel in God's Universe now knew that Jesus lived His life here on earth as a human and did not sin. Imagine that! A Human, “overcame” Satan by asking for and receiving power from God. Underscore “overcame” because we'll come back to it next. Satan knows what will happen to him if all humans discover the, “Power from God” that Jesus used! When Paul wrote, “I can do ALL things through Christ who Strengtheneth me” (Phil. 4:13), that should have settled it. However, for the vast majority of Christians, it did not.

Is this Strength and Power to “Overcome” Unavailable To Humans?
Satan wants us to believe Jesus cheated by using His Divine power; a power we CANNOT obtain! If Satan is correct, Jesus is taunting and mocking us by saying things like, "To him that OVERCOMETH will I grant to set with Me on My Throne, even as I overcame and am set down with My Father in His Throne” (Rev. 3:21). What or who is Jesus asking us to “overcome?” Is it not clear that Jesus is saying we must overcome by using the same Power He used to overcome?
Our Modern Popular Preachers
Pastor, what we relate next is difficult to believe, but it happens very often. Ministers claiming that it is impossible to, “Overcome as Jesus overcame,” are sometimes confronted as to what Jesus meant. All too often our popular Preachers display their anger and retort that we must overcome the notion that God wants us to rid ourselves of sin. As is always the case when Ministers openly reject clear Scripture, their words make them look ever so foolish. These Ministers are actually declaring, “Jesus is saying you must Overcome your desire to Overcome!”
Such Ministers developed cute little phrases that are actually true, or partly true, some even quoting Scripture, but these phrases quoted out of context can send a seriously false message:
"You're Under Grace! Not the Law"
"Jesus loves you unconditionally" "God loves you just the way you are!"
"It is impossible to stop sinning in your own strength"
"Jesus overcame for you"
“There's nothing you can do or say that will make God love you any more or any less” "You can't behave your way into Heaven!" “All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God” "All our righteousness is as filthy rags"
What did Paul Say about an, "EVIL DAY Coming, SOON"
Eph.6:11-13
"Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore, take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."
And STAND THEY WILL! That "evil day" is the Great Tribulation, and it will be Satan's worst nightmare. When he makes war against those, "keeping the Commandments of God" (See Rev.12:17; 14:12), he'll lose, and he knows it, because he understands Bible Prophecy perfectly! He'll take his best shot at God's Remnant, but the Remnant will win, big time!
Did Jesus “Overcome” in His Human Strength!
JOHN 5:30 "I can of Mine own self do nothing... I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the Father who hath sent Me."
Obviously Jesus did not overcome in His human strength! If this is true of Jesus, then obviously we, of our own selves, can also do nothing. Let's look once again at what Paul said about this.

Phil.4:13
"I can do ALL things through Christ who strengtheneth me."
If we just compare these two Scriptures, we'll have a clear view of this whole subject. Although our popular Ministers don't come right out and say it, they actually dispute both of these Scriptures. Concerning Christ saying He can of His own self do nothing, our Preachers seem to be thinking, “No, John! That can't be what Jesus said! He would have said He could do everything in His own Strength.” And concerning Paul saying we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, based on our Preachers sermons, they'd say, "Nay Paul! Thou art Wrong! We Cannot overcome sin, even if Christ Strengthens us! Are the Preachers correct? Is “overcoming” an exception to Paul's promise?
Is Satan's Lie Repeated Today?
The Gnostic lie about Jesus' nature has been revised up a bit, but those evil seeds of blasphemy have blossomed. Many of our popular Ministers say Jesus wasn't really like His brethren. They say, "He looked like His brethren, He had flesh like them, but He wasn't REALLY made like them. He didn't have their nature."
Some modern preachers, when they see that the Bible completely disagrees with their position, have come up with what they think is an answer. They declare that, "Jesus had Adam's nature before Adam sinned." This explanation sounds believable, until we look again at what the Bible says about Christ's nature. "For verily He took NOT on Him the nature of angels, but He took on Him the seed [nature] of Abraham. Wherefore, in all things it behooved Him to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour (help) them that are tempted." (Heb.2:16-18). Pastor, is there any way to read this Verse and conclude that Jesus had Adam's nature before Adam sinned? Is there any way to read this and conclude that Jesus had a nature different from Abraham or His Disciples? The subject of this whole Chapter is to answer the question of why Jesus waits and what He needs for us to do so that He can return. It should be clear by now that Jesus wants us to do exactly what He told us in His message to the Laodician Church: "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me on My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set with My Father in His throne" (Rev.2:1-3:21). How important is it that Christ's people become “Overcomers?” Jesus told John to tell each and every one of the seven Churches that He wants His people to be “Overcomers.” Notice what He said:
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The Seven Churches - OVERCOMETH Jesus gave 7 messages to John for 7 Churches. Each Church was given different messages, but each and every Church was admonished to “Overcome.” Note the following:
(1) Ephesus"To him that overcometh, will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of Paradise of God. (2) Smyrna"He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death."
(3) Pergamos"To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna." (4) Thyatira"To him that overcometh... will I give power over the nations."(5) Sardis"To him that overcometh, shall be clothed in white raiment." (6) Philadelphia"To him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the Temple of My God." (7) Laodicea"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me on My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set with My Father in His throne" (Rev.2:1-3:21).


Overcoming” must have VERY important to Jesus because He repeated that same message again to the CHURCHES at the end of the Book Revelation. He said, "He that overcometh shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be My son" (Rev.21:7).
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Notice what Jesus said concerning the "Overcomers.""I will be his God, and he shall be My son. Now note in the New Covenant: "I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people" (Heb.8:10). Virtually the same words. The New Covenant is thus directly connected to, “Overcoming,” thus, victory over Satan!
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If the naysayers are correct; if Overcoming is impossible, even if we ask Jesus to give us the strength, why did Jesus say, “To him that OVERCOMETH” to all seven of the Churches, and then end the Book of Revelation with the same message? Pastor, this is a very serious Question! If Jesus said these very words to us eight times while knowing full well that overcoming is totally impossible, even if He supplies us with the strength, this would mean He is taunting us and mocking us! We know, of course, He did not! Jesus was Human, so, He asked His Father to give Him the necessary strength to “overcome” Satan. Obviously we must do the same.
Two Questions
We must ask the naysayers two Questions: (1) "Is God stronger than Satan?" (2) "Is there any sin so powerful that God Himself cannot give you the victory?"

The naysayers refuse to answer and attempt to counter the questions with the following
: "Well, I don't know about that, but I know the Bible says 'All our righteousness is as filthy rags,' and 'All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.' So the Bible says we can't stop sinning, so we're all going to Continue in Sin till Jesus Comes!"
Pastor, the true explanation of these two Bible texts is very plain, if we read them in context. But the explanation is lengthy, so we'll save it till the end of this Chapter.
Pastor, the Bible is full admonition for us to “Overcome,” and to live in obedience to God's Laws and His will. In each Scripture, we are promised strength. Note the following:

Promised Strength!
Eph.4:13-14 "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, cunning craftiness, by which they lie in wait to deceive."

JUDE 24 "Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy."
We are not able to keep from falling, but He is able to keep us from falling!

1PETER 4:1-2 "Forasmuch, then, as Christ has suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind; for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men but to the will of God."
TITUS 2:11-14 "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world (age), Looking for that Blessed Hope, and Glorious Appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity (anomia), and purify unto Himself a peculiar people zealous for good works."
The New Covenant is the weapon with which we defeat Satan.

Heb.13:20-21 "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the Everlasting Covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."

1 Cor.10:31 "Whether, therefore, ye eat or drink, or whatever ye do, do all to the glory of God."

When anyone expresses belief in these Bible Verses, Satan sees that such a person is called fanatic, legalist, and a host of other ugly names. Often otherwise good Ministers say,
"God loves you just the way you are!" "You can't behave your way into Heaven!" "All your righteousness is as filthy rags."
It is with these and many other clever sayings that Satan smuggles doctrines of demons into the Church. Believing Satan's lie instead of the Word of God was the first sin committed by the human race. Believing God's Word and exposing Satan's lies will be the final act of God's people. Let's do it! Let's ask Jesus to empower us so that we can reflect His character in everything we do. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatever ye do, do all to the Glory of God” (1Cor.10:31). “Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the Temple of God, him will God destroy, for the Temple of God is Holy, which Temple ye are” (1Cor.3:16-17). When we take these tasks seriously, and ask God for the strength to “do ALL to the Glory of God,” He will answer our prayer and soon He can come and takes us home.
Paul warned us of last day delusions and what such delusions will do: 2 Tim.3:1-5 "This know, also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, Having a form of Godliness, but denying the power thereof; from such turn away."
Underscore, denying the power thereof! Pastor, is this not exactly what is happening? Are Christians denying that God will give them the power to obey Him and overcome Satan?
Everything we own, we should give to God. Everything we do, we should do for God. Every TV program we watch—all of our music—all of our friends—everything we eat—drink—everything must be turned over to God. Eyes have not seen nor ears heard the power available to those who are willing to give their all to God.
Naysayer Movements Within Christianity Pretty much the whole of Christianity opposes the Bible Truth about God's people becoming “Overcomers.” There are, however, two debates that we will touch on briefly.
Lordship Salvation” There is an ongoing debate within Christianity called, “Lordship Salvation.” The majority of Christianity understands that in order to be saved we must declare Jesus our “Lord and Savior.” However the enemy of our souls has introduced into Christianity the notion that Jesus is our Savior, but not necessarily our Lord. Satan has taken this debate to its ultimate extreme. The word “Lord” implies that Jesus is our Boss, and as our Boss, He requires certain things from us. It is on that word “requires” that the opposers take issue. They say that any “requirements” constitute “works,” thus if we say Jesus is our Lord, we must do all that He requires. They go on to say we are not saved by works, thus making Jesus our Lord is denying Grace and in so doing, we are sinning. Pastor, it is likely that you've heard of this debate, but if not, you can Google, “Lordship Salvation,” and discover a great many Websites describing it.
Hyper Grace” This debate is almost the same as the Lordship Salvation debate. One of the key issues in Hyper Grace is a claim that, after the Cross, Christians need not ask God for forgiveness when they sin. This notion is a way of emphasizing that when Jesus died on the cross, His death forgave all sins for everyone; sins that are past, present and future. Those promoting this movement have opened the door to Universalism, the belief that eventually everyone will be saved. Hyper Grace promoters have developed certain wording in order to downgrade those who do not accept their doctrine. They tell us how they oppose, “Behavior Salvation,” which is just another way of saying, “Salvation by Works.”
It is our belief that the enemy of our souls is directly responsible for both of these debates within Christianity. Pastor, let's be honest. Actually such attacks against true Christianity are the inevitable outgrowth of the old original doctrine of, “Grace Gives Us Permission to Disobey God's Law.” Again, Pastor, if you are not familiar with the Hyper Grace Movement, the internet is full of more detailed information.
Two Bible Verses Quoted by the Naysayers
Millions of times throughout Christian History, in an attempt to justify their proclamation that overcoming is impossible and that sinning is acceptable, Naysayers have quoted the following two Scriptures thinking these verify their point. “All our Righteousnesses are as filthy Rages” (Isa.64:5-7), and, “All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God” (Rm.3:23). Pastor, anyone prayerfully reading these Scriptures in their context, all the way through, will quickly see that, instead of agreeing with the Naysayer's position, both texts completely and absolutely deny it. Let's look.
"All Our Righteousnesses are as Filthy Rags"Isa.64:5-7 "Thou meetest him who rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those who remember Thee in Thy ways; behold, Thou [God] art wroth; for we have sinned; in those who is continuance, [Continue in Sin] and we shall be saved [we THINK we shall be saved even though we Continue in Sin, in our FILTHY RAG condition]. But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our RIGHTEOUSNESSES are as FILTHY RAGS; and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities [annulling God's Law], like the wind, have taken us away. And there is none that calleth upon Thy name, that stireth up himself to take hold of Thee; for Thou hast hidden Thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities [Law Annulling]."
The text actually says that those making no effort to correct their filthy rag condition will be destroyed"consumed." The people Isaiah is addressing place themselves in a group that God will destroy after the Judgment. Isaiah is saying that if the filthy rag group would, "call upon the name of Lord" and "take hold of Him," their righteousness would no longer be as filthy rags and they would not be "consumed." But their "continuance" in their "filthy rag" condition forces God to "hide His face from them." What did Isaiah say about those who overcome? God will, "meet him who rejoiceth and worketh righteousness and remember Him in His ways."


Why would anyone quote this passage to support the notion that God's people will not, can not, become overcomers? Every time this passage is quoted as proof that we can go right on sinning till Jesus comes, those quoting it are actually condemning themselves! Isaiah points out that they are actually flaunting their sinfulness and claiming they need not correct their filthy rag condition. Again, if anyone reads the whole Scripture passage, it becomes clear that Isaiah is describing perfectly the condition of today. We suggest also that Isaiah was actually covering three time periods with this prophecy, thus there are three applications.
First Application: Isaiah wrote before the Babylonian captivity. God told him to warn Israel that if they remained in their filthy rag condition, and refused to repent, He would use the Babylonians to destroy Jerusalem and their Temple as a punishment against them. But, like today's "Grace frees us to disobey God's Law" promoters, it is clear from Isaiah's words that Israel was actually proud of the fact that they were ignoring God's Law. Perhaps this is why Isaiah used graphic words like filthy (bloody) rags.
Second Application: Even though God punished Israel by allowing Babylon to take them captive for 70 years, their filthy rag condition continued on right up until they rejected and killed Jesus. Filthy rags is not even graphic enough to describe people who kill the Savior of the World. Notice that in the first application, God warned that their Nation and their City and their Temple would be devastated. And of course it happened exactly as God warned. Sadly, the same thing happened again after Christ's ministry because they again ignored the fact that their righteousness was like filthy rages!
Third and Final Application: "Righteousnesses as filthy rags" is directed at the last days just before Jesus returns. In other words, today! The Prophecy speaks directly to the very people using the Prophecy as an excuse to reject the Bible proof that God will have a people just before Christ's coming that totally reflect His Character! Today's last-day professed believers are bragging that they'll be saved in their filthy rag condition—bragging that "Grace" covers their open rejection of God's Law! They refuse to ask the Lord for strength to overcome, choosing rather to latch on to the very Scripture that rebukes their Doctrine of Demons.
Now let's look at the other so-called “Proof Text” quoted by the Naysayers. We'll see that it too is actually a scathing rebuke to any notion that God's people will keep right on sinning till Jesus returns.

All Have Sinned and Come Short of the Glory of God”

Rom.3:23
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God."
Paul said we've all sinned, but he didn't say we could Continue in Sin. He said, "sins that are past." Over and over again, throughout his letter to the Romans, Paul stressed his position. He even used the exact words, "continue in sin" when identifying this evil doctrine. He wrote: "Shall we continue in sin, that Grace may abound? God forbid! How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer in it" (Rm.6:1-2)? Paul packed his letter to the Roman Church with disclaimers making sure we understand that Satan, not Paul, invented the demonic doctrine of, "Grace frees us to disobey God's Law." He wrote, "What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the Law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness" (Rm.6:15-16).
How many times must Paul write, "God forbid," before we understand his message? Paul says we have a choice: "Sin unto death," or "Obedience unto righteousness."
Thus, for Naysayers to quote, "All our righteousness is as filthy rags" and "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God," should only impress those who've never carefully read their proof-texts. Our popular preachers, and all other naysayers, should carefully study these, their proof texts, because the Verses do not support their position, period. Not a single Scripture anywhere in the Bible remotely supports any version of the doctrine of, “Grace means we can Continue in Sin.”

Conclusion "And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." Pastor, this Author and all those who've helped put this Book together will be praying for you and the other Pastors who read this Book. We'll be praying that you and the other Pastors will prayerfully consider what we've presented. Let's pray together for God's Spirit as we uphold our positions as, “Watchmen” (Ezek.3:17). God has arranged for certain persons to come in contact with you and the other Ministers, and He expects us to warn everyone we possibly can about the things that are coming. If we refuse to warn them, and they die in their sins, God will, “require their blood at our hand” (Vs.18). May God give us the strength to allow Him to “write His Law in our hearts, our minds, and our inward parts” and implant within us the love necessary to be His witnesses. May we love as Jesus loved. May God give us the strength to obey His Commandments and wisdom to teach others to do so also. May we be true compassionate witnesses to those with whom we disagree. Thank you SO much, Pastor for spending this time with us and considering what we've presented in this Book.

Your Brother in Christ
Walter C. Martin Jr.

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Disclaimer to the Naysayers
Naysayers and popular preachers say we claim that humans can defeat Satan in their own strength. This author has NEVER made such a claim, nor will he ever! Claiming such is blasphemy. These powers of darkness proclaim that humans can never and will never become overcomers, no matter how much they seek help from God.
.See Is The Church Israel and The Bride of Christ. ..
Do Little Sins Really Matter?
Some say, "Just get save." They add, "Of course you need to give up those obvious sins; murder, robbery, burglary, this kind of thing. But those little things that only the legalist and fanatics worry about are no big deal. God loves you unconditionally." They quote Paul, so let's look at what Paul really says about little sins.Text #10— 1Cor.6:9-10"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God? Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the Kingdom of God."
A little sin like coveting could keep us out of God's Kingdom? Paul says more:


Text #11— Gal.5:19-20"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations [envy], wrath, strife, seditions [divisiveness], heresies, drunkenness, revelings, and the like; of which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they that do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God".
Getting mad? Bad temper? Envy? If all who do such "shall not inherit the Kingdom of God", what must we do? We can ask for and receive cleansing and victory from God, or we can cling to Satan's doctrine of Continue in Sin.
Paul's statements are too important to miss. It's true that: "We cannot behave our way into Heaven". It's exactly true, but those saying it are trying to excuse little cherished misbehaviors they don’t want to give up. The saying was coined by Continue in Sin promoters. But Paul's wording in our study text says he is getting annoyed with telling them over and over again the same thing. He wrote, "of which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they that do such things shall NOT inherit the Kingdom of God." Paul says there are behaviors that can and will keep us out of Heaven. Let's not say "Nay Paul. Thou art wrong again!" This is serious and Paul's NOT WRONG!!
It is ironic that preachers and teachers promoting the Continue in Sin doctrine are on a never-ending quest to declare that all disagreeing with them are destined for Hell. In the Chattanooga Tennessee area there's a popular, Continue in Sin, preacher who, in one of his sermons, was denouncing those disagreeing with him. He became extremely irate and in a very harsh tone said his opponents would be lost and burn in Hell, the very thing Paul said would happen to the promoters of Continue in Sin. After displaying his bad temper, the preacher apologized for his inappropriate behavior. He made it very clear, however, that he was sorry only for the manner in which he spoke, and not at all sorry for what he said. In all his sermons he uses examples of how he rescues discouraged people because they feel Christian requirements are too difficult. He tells of people who've stopped attending Church and given up on Christianity, but then are delighted by the new-found freedom he offers them. It's not new-found! The serpent introduced it to Eve in the Garden!



Text #12— 1PETER 2:9 "But ye [the Church] are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an Holy Nation, a people of His own, that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (KJV; New Scofield).

The Holy Nation's Constitution
The Sermon on the Mount
Text #13— Matt.7:24-27"Therefore, whosoever hearth these sayings of Mine [the Sermon on the Mount], and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house on a rock. And the rain descended, and winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell not; for it was founded on a rock. And everyone that heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it."
Anyone reading the Sermon on the Mount knows Jesus outlined some very difficult tasks there. Paul said, "we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us" (Phil.4:13).

Things we can do ONLY "through Christ", NEVER on our own!

Text #14— LUKE 6:27-30,34,35

"But I say unto you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to them who hate you. Bless them that curse you, and pray for them who despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek, offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak, forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again" Vss.27-30). "But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be Children of the Highest; for He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil" (Vss.34-35).
Doing such in our own strength is impossible. Even when we ask for and receive strength from God, the above can suck the very life out of a person. Must we reach this point in order to be saved? Jesus said, "EVERYONE that heareth these sayings of Mine, and DOETH THEM NOT, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand,... and great was the fall of it" (Matt.7:26-27). Every Christian is responsible to live the Sermon on the Mount. If a doctrine says you can ignore these words of Jesus, get as far from it as you can. Run for your very life—your eternal life. Hundreds of Biblical tasks are impossible, but we must do them! Paul said, "We can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens us" (Phil.4:13).

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Check Our Other Websites:

Pre-Tribulation Rapture
Post-Tribulation Second Coming of Jesus
Will We Eat Pigs During the Millennium?

Planet Earth WILL be Destroyed After the 1000 Years!
New Jerusalem - How BIG is It?
Great White Throne Judgment Seat - When and Where
Christ's Kingdom - Millennial or EVERLASTING?

Hell Fire
Is God Torturing People Now
Did Jesus Suffer ALL of Your Hell?
The Rich Man and Lazarus?
Death
The Dead - Dead or Alive - What is Death?
Did Jesus Die YOUR Death for You?
Will Satan Ever Die - Bible Says "YES!"
Testing Our Doctrine About Death
The Dead Stand Before Great White Throne Judgment Seat

The Gnostics Attack the Sabbath
Were Gnostics Really Christian?
Were Gnostics Satan's Implants into the Church?
Is Gnosticism Alive and Well in Today's Churches
Church is Israel - Israel is Church
Is the Church Israel and Israel the Church?
Is the Bride of Jesus the 144 Thousand?
Did Jesus Offer the Jews a Millennial Kingdom in His Ministry?
Will New Jerusalem Sit in Israel? How Big is It?
Christ's REAL EVERLASTING Kingdom is for ALL Believers!

The Sabbath
Is it a Sin to Observe the Sabbath?
Is There a Connection Between the Rapture and the Sabbath?
Will the Sabbath Be Observed By God's People During the Tribulation?
Who REALLY Changed the Sabbath in Early Christianity?
Un-Answered and Un-Answerable Sabbath Questions For Popular Preachers
How to Test Your Doctrine Concerning the Sabbath

Heaven
Marriage in Heaven - Millennial Kingdom?
Strange Animal/Demons the Millennium?
Why Jesus Hasn't Come to Take Us To Heaven?
Teachers of Anomia (Law Annulling)
Good Ministers Teaching Against God's 10 Commandments?
Teaching of Anomia - The Reason Jesus Hasn't Come Yet?
Pre-Trib Rapture and Sabbath
Pre-Trib Rapture and the Sabbath?

Walter C. Martin Jr.
Everlasting Gospel Ministries

These are just a few of the questions we examine in our Websites.
Thank you, Dear Reader,  for checking them. Please feel free to give us your comments and feedback if you look at our Sites.  If you send us your questions or comments, we will try to answer and add your question to these Websites. We will Not give your name or E-Mail address to ANY ONE or ANY Church Group or Denomination! Nor will we send you ANY annoying E-Mails!! It is NOT our purpose to get you to withdraw from your present Church, but to invite you to present things you learn here to your Pastor and Friends.
Let's pray that God will continue sending His Holy Spirit to guide as we prepare for Jesus to come. Thank You!
Your Brother in Christ!
Walter C. Martin Jr

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1 comment:

  1. This is a very insightful and thorough study and I enjoyed it. Thank you for taking the time to put this website together for truth-seekers to use.

    Madelyn Mathers

    ReplyDelete