Peace you holy brethren, who have endured all
things and a you who are striving to, enter into that
rest. Remember and take note of the holy prophets, apostles and brethren gone before,
concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
b The apostle Paul, Who holds the office of the ministry to the reconciled, has warned us concerning the coming of our Lord, hence:
c ”Concerning the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you,
brethren, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or
letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has
already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come
until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man
doomed to destruction. He
will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is
worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to
be God.
Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell
you these things? And
now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper
time. For the secret
power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will
continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one
will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his
mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will
be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit
miracles, signs and wonders and in every sort of evil that deceives those who
are perishing. They perish because they refused to love
the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them
a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned
who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.”
But we ought always to thank God for you, brethren loved by
the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the
sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you
to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ. So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to
you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who
loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage
your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
d Many have preached that our Lord has
already come, and thereby, overthrew the faith of many. Antichrist is not
coming, he has already come. for the rebellion has already occurred and is still
going on. He has been working from the beginning, of the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
Here brethren, the truth of God is understood by
the kingdoms and religions of this world as images and delusions. They, the kingdoms of
this world, did not and do not love the truth, so God has sent them and is
still doing so, a strong delusion to believe the lies of antichrist and be
damned. For we read in: e 2 Thessalonians: And for this
cause God shall send them a strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness. Here is seen
the abomination of desolation,
spoken of by Daniel the prophet. For in their
rebellion, antichrist worked in a mystery ¾ this God allowed to bring
out their and our true nature ¾ then as their true nature became evident, God sent them
a strong delusion to believe the lies, they loved so well and be damned. The damned were those and are those,
who were partakers in the good and holy things of God, as is written in: f Hebrews: For it is impossible for
those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were
made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the
powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto
repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him
to an open shame. g You, those that are called to the election are
the Temple of God and He will destroy those who defile it.
They are liken to those recorded Matthew: h The apostles said unto him, why do you speak unto them in parables? And he answered
and said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom
of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever has to him shall be
given, and he shall have abundance: but whosoever has not, from him shall be
taken away even that which he has. Therefore speak I to them in parables;
because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they
understand. And unto them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which says, By
hearing you shall hear, and shall in no wise understand; And seeing you shall
see, and shall in no wise perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross (calloused). And their ears are dull of hearing, And their eyes they
have closed; Lest haply (by chance) they
should perceive with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with
their heart, And should turn again, And I should heal them. But blessed are
your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. For verily (in
truth) I say unto you, that many prophets and
righteous ones have desired to see the things which you see, and saw them not;
and to hear the things which you hear, and heard them not.
When the lies in them that perish, have had their
perfect work, i then God causes
the mystery to be removed from the
iniquity. That we his people, may see the delusions and who stands in the
temple of God. Then our Lord Jesus Christ destroys antichrist with the splendor
of his appearance and the Word of his mouth. It is like the sun shining into
darkness, the darkness swiftly fades away. There is no more place for those
that love lies and delusions.
j But
John says: you have
an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know
the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth.
Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man
is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son
has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
See that what you have
heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in
the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us—even eternal life.
I am writing these things to you about
those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received
from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his
anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not
counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him
k The coming of our Lord is in the Spirit, for he is a spirit and the sprit is not subject to the laws of the flesh, and we are spirit. As it is a day of salvation, even so, it is a day of resurrection ¾ l shall a nation be born at once? ¾ m The resurrection is not an event that we are going to, for our Lord himself is the resurrection. When he looked into the face of Martha, when she confessed that Lazarus would rise in the last day, this is what was said:
“Lord,” Martha said to
Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I
know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus said to her,
“Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in
the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus
said to her, “I am the resurrection
and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever
lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she
told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come
into the world.”
n Now our Lord is not procrastinating his coming, he is coming in like manner, as described in Acts: antichrist would have us to think he is never coming, like all the kingdoms of this world do. For them, he is always coming, but it is always put off ¾ his coming is in spirit and truth. God, our God is not the author of confusion; there is only one kingdom of God and it is spirit, within us.
In Acts it is written: Now
when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a
cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward
heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also
said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same
Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner
as you saw Him go into heaven.”
o Enoch also, the
seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his saints.
How could he come with a great multitude, unless he had resurrected them already? As we follow him into the regeneration, when the time comes, we are caught up to him. We do not follow the world in their delusions.
Even as Steven carried out the will of our Lord, he was obedient to the end:
p But he, being full of
the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfast into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and
Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens
opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried
out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one
accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the
witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.
And they stoned Stephen. And Stephen calling upon God, and saying, Lord
Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice,
Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell
asleep.
Had not Stephen prayed for those, putting him to death, there would not be any Gospel of reconciliation preached to us. Thank God for his love and obedience. As he called to our Lord to receive his spirit that was infallible proof that our Lord was and is the resurrection and that he comes every time with his Saints, He will never depart from us. For, as the word is spiritual, so is the resurrection, not as the nations ¾ that are carnal in all that they believe and do, for they are God’s evil to test and try us ¾ they are as nothing, as the small dust on the scales.
Jeremiah 1: 14-15: Out
of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.
For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, says the
LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the
entering of the gates of Jerusalem,— Jerusalem is the covenant — and against all the walls
thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.
In Isaiah it is written: q Hear the word of the LORD, you that tremble at his word;
Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the
LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.
A voice of noise from the city, a voice from
the temple, a voice of the LORD that rendered recompense to his enemies. Before
she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a
man child. Who has heard such a thing? who has seen such things? Shall the
earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation
be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her
children. Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? says the
LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? Says your God.
Rejoice you with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all you that love
her: rejoice for joy with her, all you that mourn for her: That you may suck,
and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that you may milk out,
and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. For thus says the LORD,
Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles
like a flowing stream: then shall you suck, you shall be borne upon her
sides, and be dandled upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforts,
so will I comfort you; and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. And when you
see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like
an herb: and the hand of the LORD shall be known toward his servants, and his
indignation toward his enemies.
For, behold, the LORD
will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his
anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by his
sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be
many. They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens
behind one tree in the midst, eating swine’s flesh, and the abomination,
and the mouse, shall be consumed together, says the LORD. For I know
their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations
and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory. And I will set a sign among
them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to
Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to
the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory;
and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles. And they shall bring all
your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon
horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts,
to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the LORD, as the children of Israel bring
an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD. And I will also take
of them for priests and for Levites, says the LORD. For as the new
heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me,
says the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to
pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to
another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, says the LORD. And they
shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed
against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched;
and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
As for the nations and what they think, they are as
nothing, for we are not carried about with their dilutions.
r Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and
meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a
measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? Who
has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counselor has taught
him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him
in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and showed to him the way of
understanding? Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are
counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he takes up the isles as
a very little thing. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the
beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. All nations before him are
as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.
Brethren be sober, awake, full of faith, charity and the love God. For when we follow our Lord into the regeneration, he comes quickly, and we will not be ashamed.
Here is what has been and still is transpiring, since our Lord came into the flesh and two of the main reasons he came into the flesh: One reason was to create the nations, to drive us into exile ¾ that is to create a basis for antichrist to work, for everything from the virgin birth to the crucifixion and everything in between was a type and shadow and not the very real. Without this the nations would not have been created. See Hebrews, chapter six for the real crucifixion. The other reason was to show us how to follow him into the regeneration.
In Joel it is written: you can see the kingdoms of this world and
how our Lord is using them and why they were created: s Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill.
Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is
close at hand — This is why our Lord
said: t I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day:
the night comes, when no man can work: this is a darkness of when the sun is put out, ¾ u our Lord is crucified to those who do not love
him. ¾
v a
day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading
across the mountains, a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old,
nor ever will be in ages to come. Before them fire devours, behind them a flame
blazes. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, behind them, a desert
waste— nothing escapes them They have the appearance of horses; they gallop
along like cavalry With
a noise like that of chariots they leap over the mountaintops, like a crackling
fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army drawn up for battle. At the sight of
them, nations are in anguish; every face turns pale. They charge like warriors;
they scale walls like soldiers. They all march in line, not swerving from their
course. They do not jostle each other; each marches straight ahead. vv They plunge through
defenses without breaking ranks. They rush upon the city; they run along the
wall. They climb into the houses; like thieves they enter through the windows.
Before them the earth shakes, the sky trembles, the sun and moon are
darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The LORD thunders at the head of his
army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty are those who obey his command.
The day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?
‘Even now,‘ declares the LORD, ‘return
to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.‘Rend your
heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious
and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from
sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a
blessing— grain offerings and drink offerings for the LORD your God. Blow the
trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly Gather the people,
consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those
nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her
chamber. Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the temple
porch and the altar. Let them say, ‘Spare your people, O LORD. Do not make your
inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say
among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’‘
Then the LORD will be jealous for his
land and take pity on his people. The LORD will reply to them: ‘I am sending
you grain, new wine and oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I
make you an object of scorn to the nations. ‘I will drive the northern army far
from you, pushing it into a parched and barren land, with its front columns going
into the eastern sea and those in the rear into the western sea. And its stench
will go up; its smell will rise.‘ Surely he has done great things. Be not
afraid, O land; be glad and rejoice. Surely the LORD has done great things. Be
not afraid, O wild animals, for the open pastures are becoming green. The trees
are bearing their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their riches. Be glad,
O people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn
rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring
rains, as before. The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will
overflow with new wine and oil. ‘I
will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten— the great locust and the
young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm— my great army that I sent
among you. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise
the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will
my people be shamed. Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the LORD
your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed.
And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on
all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream
dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and
women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders
in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The
sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the
great and dreadful day of the LORD.
And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved;
for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has
said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls.
Dear friends love the Lord God with all your heart and give thanks to Him
for the truth, for many have given
their lives for it,
a Luke 13:23-30, b Galatians
2:7, c 2
Thessalonians 2:1-17, d 2 Timothy 2:18, e 2
Thessalonians 2:11-12, f Hebrews 6: 4-6,
g 1 Corinthians 3:16-18, h Matthew
13:10-17, j 1 John 2:20-26, k Thessalonians 2:6, l Isaiah
66:8, m John 11:24-25, n Acts 1:9-11,
o Jude 1:14, p Acts 7: 54-60, q Isaiah 66:5-24, r Isaiah 40:12-17, s Joel
2:1-32.
t John9:4, u Heb
6, v Joel 2: 1-32, vv Hebrews 12:25 – 29, 2 Peter 3: 10, Matthew 24.
Amen,
Wallace F. Ingram