Break #52
WRITTEN STUDY NOTES
The Final
Straw
Here go - R U ready
for this? The grand finale... well, not really all that 'grand' actually
- and in so many ways, it just makes complete sense - simple complete sense.
Honestly, I tend to think that we are the ones who tend to make this particular
subject so hard to 'swallow'...
Be sure you are aware
that I am certainly not saying to stop loving and caring about anyone who
rejects God, KJB, Paul's stuff, a true Christian walk, etc.. It just
means that when all else fails, don't be afraid to let this last thing
take place in the lives of those people in whom you do love and care.
Besides, it isn't you making that choice for them - it is all done by their
own choosing. We just have to be willing to 'let it happen' and not
let it discourage us or lose any faith over it.
Paul just never really
did 'give up' on anyone except for a few and those 'few' we can learn how
Paul 'let em go' and to whom did he let them go.
So,
my final point is this: I often hear of parents, friends, family, and misc.
acquaintances in the 'modern Christian religion world' who say they just
"turn people over to God." "God knows what they need..."
"God will know what to do with them...", etc. and they just seem to
figure that their magic Jesus will fix those people, too. In Scriptural
reality, Paul just turns them over to the world - and I say world because
the god of this world is Satan, and so for Paul to turn over someone to
Satan, then Satan will just 'bless' these folks with his deceiving deceptions,
a false fun and a hopeless hope.
According to the Scriptures,
God is not going to 'take over' or 'work over' anyone's life to try to
get them to change their life and begin to follow Christ, through a KJV,
following Paul, etc. First of all, we know from reading Genesis
to Revelation, that:
-
God 'put the hammer' down
on the Jews in the OT - that didn't work!
-
Jesus Himself told people
to follow Him during the gospel days, 'or else.' That didn't work.
-
Jesus told his apostles
to go to the world and tell them the Messiah did come but that they killed
Him! That didn't work.
-
He told Peter to tell
them that He would still be there again for them, IF... and that didn't
work.
-
In the future, He will
be going to the Jews / 'His people' during the time of Jacob's trouble
with the law again - and even will be there for them IF they walk in his
steps, follow the law and reject the mark, etc. but we know by how they
'receive' him when He returns, that won't work either.
-
And then, as Charlie Brown
would say, "Good grief!" - even during the Millennium, with the
devil locked up and with Christ right there face to face with those people,
even that won't work for many of those people!
People continue to prove
that what we learn from history is that we have not, do not and will not
learn from history.
So, to make my point
into common sense / observation, during today's dispensation of grace,
why would we think God would use that 'severity' to get through to those
who have rejected Him just because some of us shed a few tears and pray
for them when it never worked in the past dispensations and won't even
work in the future ones?
In fact, even today
there will still be many who will even do a 'fast' for others but will
later continue to wonder why even that didn't work.
It
is Scripturally obvious (to me, anyway) that during the dispensation of
Grace, it is the "goodness of God" that will lead people to repentance,
not the severity of God.
In fact, many of us
are beginning to notice that even the goodness of God isn't working much
more these days. I am sure glad it did for me - and for you - but
as we look around, we see fewer and fewer willing to behold God's goodness
(Romans 11:20) - the lost people sure
don't see it (Romans 2:5) and surprisingly,
neither do most of the so-called Christians. (I
Corinthians 3:10+, Romans 2:16).
We seem to forget that
this world is STILL CURSED! This isn't God's place... yet.
It is Scripturally obvious that Satan is the god of this world and while
we hear the 'modern Christian' constantly preach about God's sovereignty,
etc. people tend to think that God is the one making things happen today.
Not so!
And no for those who
lived during the "60's", God is not dead - God is alive and well, but He
is allowing His goodness to rule, not His severity!
-
He is allowing stupidity
and blindness to grow.
-
He is allowing preachers
to preach lies.
-
He is allowing denominations
to get the media coverage and teach false doctrine about Him!
-
He is allowing all the
modern bibles to grow in use and popularity!
-
He is allowing the devil
to physically 'bless' and 'guide' people in the (false) name of God because
He (and we) KNOW that is what the devil will be doing as he tries for the
top spot on the throne - be like the most high.
-
What has He allowed in
your life and you know you have not been chastised for it; you have reaped
what you sowed, but God didn't make you pay for what you did!
We know that the devil
will be gathering his army together until the day Christ arrives.
Today, he is gathering them spiritually but during the Tribulation, he
will be gathering them physically. (Revelation
16:14; Revelation 19:18-21 at the great supper - as they find
out THEY are the menu!).
We should know the
devil himself is an angel of light and that his preachers, teachers, etc.
are deceitful workers, transforming themselves
into the apostles of Christ (II
Corinthians 11:13,14). If only we were to dare tell those
'wonderfully talented speakers' who 'love' their congregation with their
good words and fair speeches that they are actually a false apostle, a
deceitful worker - a minister of righteousness but the wrong righteousness
- and that their end will be according to their
works... If only we were courageous enough to do so...
(Romans 16:18; II Corinthians 1:13-15)
So,
let's look at these two big verses:
I
Corinthians 5:5 and I Timothy 1:20.
When Paul had 'come
to the end of his rope' for certain folks, he did NOT say to turn them
over to God and let God work on them! What he did say was:
-
To
deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the
spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. II
Corinthians 5:5
-
...
Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that
they may learn not to blaspheme. I
Timothy 1:20
He turned certain
folks over to Satan!
Ok, so allow me to
explain...
First of all, the 'such
an one' in II Corinthians 5:5 - who
is that referring to? I will do a separate break study on that subject
in the near future because I tend to think folks don't quite get that one
correct. But without a doubt, the one he is turning over to Satan
seems to have done a horrible thing - and those that knew about it, didn't
really care.
So whoever Paul is
referring to here (a break will come up soon and surprise you who this
is) is Paul turing this guy over to be killed - the destruction of his
flesh? Quite possibly, actually - but we also have to remind ourselves
that Corinthians was written BEFORE 1611, so anything that was to be done
physically then is not the same today - when that which is perfect is come...
and it HAS come - but today things will be somewhat different when compared
to the Corinthians days. We will be looking a spiritual things today, etc.
not physical application as it was during the Corinthians days.
(PS - Who do YOU think
Paul is referring to when he says, "...that
wicked person" in verse 13?)
So destruction of the
flesh today? No - but I see that it is our kids, our friends, our
family that just seem to so badly desire to get themselves out into the
world that belongs to Satan and will just have to learn some hard lessons.
Hopefully, they will eventually see that their lives are just feeding their
flesh. Someday, we can hope that they will 'wise up and rise up'
to their own flesh and see that the things of this world just don't prove
to be as great as they were first made out to be. It is called becoming
mature - growing up, etc. Not thinking like a child anymore, as Paul
states it. I Corinthians 13:11.
Honestly, folks out
'in the world' will just have to find out the hard way - letting the devil
treat them - it won't last forever, at least we can hope and pray.
Difficult as it is though, we tend to keep enabling those that have rejected
God for the ways of the world by 'helping them' in the name of Christ;
by giving them money and verbal ok's and support, etc. All that type
of loving support just keeps them struggling within the devils world!
Really, they will never see a need to let their flesh be spiritually' destroyed
if family, friends and good folks just keep helping them. We even
have a welfare society now that instead of strengthening their hands, just
gives them the support and money - which only keeps them as slaves to the
world!
Ok! So next we
have I Timothy 1:20 turning over Hymenaeus
and Alexander unto Satan, that they may learn
not to blaspheme. Those two guys are also mentioned
in II Timothy 2:17 - two guys that
didn't rightly divide that Paul uses to compare with those who preach profane
and vain babblings: for they will increase
unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker:
of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; Who concerning the truth have erred...
I would suggest that
you read the complete context of those two Scripture references and you
will be able to see just how dangerous those people are - and then seeing
that Paul just sends them to Satan... can you do that with the ones
you love?
I can honestly apply
those two verses to 'every' person I know that has departed from the truth
- exited to the bondage of this world and to the ways of Satan - even as
'good a person' that they are - and even though their lives seem to be
going well because of a good job, good health, good times, I recognize
the truth about what is going on in their lives.
It is exactly as Paul
warned: they are 'bearing with' another
Jesus, another gospel and/or
another
spirit. And actually, for some folks I know, I am
seeing a few 'signs' of them weakening within that world. Just maybe
they are getting tired of having their flesh used and abused - and/or maybe
they are learning not to blaspheme God, the KJB and truth anymore.
maybe...
Well,
don't forget to check the 'list' of things you can do / and should do -
DAILY for those of whom you do care. But if any of those folks finally
just fly the coop - hit the road - fly a kite - take a hike - vamoose from
the scene - and are no longer (if ever were?) interested in the truth of
God, the KJB, etc. and are willing to follow those modern deceivers, etc.
in this world that belongs to Stan, the god of this world, then rest assure,
you need to just let them go. It is exactly what God says they need!
In
the meantime, keep your eyes and feet on that list in break #53 and keep
praying for your family and friends, etc.!
-
Pray that your own or
someone else's correct testimony of the gospel of the Risen Saviour in
one's life is witnessed by your loved one 'out there' - one whose life
is truly the one as described in I Thessalonians
1:9 - For they themselves
shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned
to God from idols to serve the living and true God; (and
I am not talking about the so-called 'Lordship Salvation' baloney, either!)
-
Pray that they have learned
enough about the goodness of God from you that when they see and hear the
threats of today's preachers throwing false doctrine of the severity of
God at them, they can recognize the falsity of that preaching.
-
Pray that somehow and
someday they decide to read the KJB - and hopefully you will have at least
shown them or someone will show them rightly dividing in that KJB.
If they get desperate and want to turn to God, the ONLY way today is to
turn is through a rightly div / author / preacher, etc. who also has been
deceived, etc. But evil men and seducers shall
wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. II
Timothy 3:13.
-
Pray that someone will
come into their lives that will be able to 'reach them' and help them hear
'again' the truth. How then shall they call
on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him
of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful
are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings
of good things! Romans 10:14,15
But when you have to let
someone go, remember you are not 'letting them go' to God - you are letting
them go to Satan - to the world... and God will leave them alone to do
what they want.
Now, if they were to
have a KJB waiting for them when they 'give up' and seek God again, then
and only then will God begin to work on them. Hopefully, they can
read and will read and will know 'how to read' a KJB properly or they will
just get caught up into just another religion, even a so-called Bible Believer
religion - and will just join the ranks of the deceived being prepared
for the coming of the antichrist in Revelation
6, not the true Christ in Revelation
19.
And then the devil
would still win!
