Let us now see one typical example from the chosen nation of Israel. It is written that the city of Jericho and all that was in it was accursed to the LORD except Rahab, the harlot, and all that were with her. God clearly commanded Israel to keep away from the accursed things lest they become accursed themselves. (Jos. 6:17,18) But Achan took the accursed things and hid them in his tent and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel (Jos. 7:1)… not only against Achan himself, but against the whole nation! It cost Israel the lives of 36 innocent men (Jos. 7:5) and Achan (the son of Abraham, the son of Isaac, the son of Jacob … the son of Carmi) with all his sons and daughters and oxen and asses and sheep and his tent and all that he had, was destroyed! He and all his family were stoned with stones and then they were all BURNT WITH FIRE! (Jos. 7:24,25) This would not be considered a righteous judgment in our days, would it? Well, the loving, merciful, good and righteous God did it! Do we understand it? NO!
What’s more, let us SEE and comprehend that Achan was not even given any chances to repent and not repeat such sin! God never told him: “I love you, you are My people, so, please, do not commit that again; confess your sin and I will forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness”. (1Jn. 1:9) Why did God not speak to him like that and in His Grace and Mercy give him a chance to repent? And why his whole family had to be killed? Did they participate in his sin? Were they judged so severely because it took place in the Old Testament? REALLY? God did exactly the same thing right at the beginning of the New Testament with Ananias and his wife Sapphira (Acts 5:1-10) who dropped dead without any appeals from God to confess their sin, repent and be forgiven and cleansed from their unrighteousness! Is that true? I must repeat it: IS THAT TRUE? Do we understand it? NO!
What is your natural sense now? What is your reasoning, understanding and your righteousness? What is your judgment? Do we truly know the Lord as the Scripture says? NO! Our own natural thoughts, imaginations, reasoning and understanding are all FALSE! Natural believers have the same clue about the true Character of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit as clay has about the potter! ALL THREE PERSONS OF THE GODHEAD ARE ONE. THEY WERE NEVER DIVIDED INTO A “TERRIBLE” GOD OF THE OLD TESTAMENT AND A “MERCIFUL” GOD OF THE NEW TESTAMENT! THEY DO NOT CHANGE FROM THE OLD TO THE NEW TESTAMENT! (1Jn. 5:7// Heb. 13:8// Mal. 3:6) Our natural soul may keep speculating and striving to understand, but in the eyes of God our natural soul knows nothing, understands nothing and it is nothing! Why? Because…
“if a man think HIMSELF to be something, when HE IS NOTHING, he deceives HIMSELF.” (Gal. 6:3)
This is assuredly not a pleasant Word for our PROUD SOUL; hence, it is NEVER PREACHED AND EXPLAINED to believers in truth as the Spirit means it! Why not? Well, ask the preachers.
God has never changed! His Love, Patience, Compassion, Mercy, His Character, Nature, Holiness, Righteousness and Truth have never changed. BUT in the New Testament, God introduced NEW Commandments for believers, NEW ways to live, walk and behave; much higher and greater Commandments and ways, SPIRITUAL Commandments and SPIRITUAL ways. (Mt. 5:21,22,27,28, 31-34,38 ,39,43,44) While some of the Old Testament Commandments could be kept by a zealous and desirous natural soul, the New Testament ones CANNOT BE KEPT BY ANY NATURAL SOUL! It takes the Nature-Character of Christ to keep the New Testament Commandments and walk the New Testament ways! God brought us FROM THE NATURAL (PHYSICAL, MENTAL) REALM OF THE OLD TESTAMENT TO THE SPIRITUAL REALM OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. The “New” Ways, Commandments and Judgments of the New Testament express this fact… and we seem to understand nothing of it.
Furthermore, you cannot say that in the New Testament God never sentences His people to death. God has been allowing His people to be killed also in the New Testament… by the millions!... and not only Jews or those that lied to His Spirit, like Ananias and Sapphira, but also those that had done His Will and faithfully kept His Testimony! (Rev. 6:9-11) Is this also logical, quite understandable and acceptable to our human soul? Is it acceptable to our sense of justice and righteousness? IS IT REALLY? NO!
The example of Ananias and Sapphira is clear as to their sin, but it is not clear why God, again, did not give them any chance to repent and be forgiven. God sentenced them to death right at the beginning of the New Testament to show that He, as God, had not changed, His Ways and Judgments had not changed. His Love, Grace and Mercy had not changed, except that natural souls, despite their studies, cannot SEE and understand any of it! Therefore, they preach His Word according to their understanding and deep desire for God’s “unlimited and unconditional love, grace, mercy and forgiveness…” which would give believers an extra large measure of irresponsibility and comfort and freedom to do as they please… never mind God’s True Purpose, His Will and pleasure and desire.
Let us take another example, this time with the disciple of the Lord, who lived in the Presence of the Son of God for over three years – Judas Iscariot! Would our natural, human soul understand his case? NO, never!
Read Jn. 13:21-27 and tell me what you see in it. Do you see there an “unconditional love of the Lord for His own Disciple”? NO! Why not? The Lord did not tell him “Now, Judas, do not do what you are plotting to do, but change your thoughts, change your mind and repent of your intention, and I will forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness”. ON THE CONTRARY, the Lord gave him a sop after dipping it and then He told him:
“What you are about to do (by your own will), DO IT QUICKLY”! (Jn. 13:26,27)
Here the Lord commanded Judas saying to him, in effect: GO AND BETRAY ME QUICKLY… DO YOUR OWN WILL AND INTENTION OF YOUR HEART. And then He could have prophesied to him saying… AND THEN YOU WILL GO AND HANG YOURSELF AND BE DAMNED FOR EVER! (Mt. 18:7// Lk. 17:1)
Jesus knew what Judas would do (Jn. 6:64) and so He permitted him to do it, even told him to do it QUICKLY without one word of stopping him in his way and intention! Does our natural soul understand this truth of the Scripture? NO! And do not tell me that Judas was later saved. Oh, no! He LOST HIS SALVATION because after he had received the sop from the Lord’s hand, Satan entered into him (Jn. 13:27) and he became the son of perdition. (Jn. 17:12)
Let us SEE and realize that Judas had the same opportunities as the other eleven Disciples. He was not excluded from anything that the other eleven were exposed to, but all was made open and available to him in the same way and measure. The Lord made no difference between Judas and the others. This is truly a FRIGHTENING REALITY showing us that a believer may “sit in his church”, be exposed to all the light and truth as the whole congregation is and end up as Judas! Why? Judas refused to deny himself, his ideas, thoughts and convictions, his understanding of Jesus and of His mission and to be an Overcomer; and that despite walking with the living Son of God for over three years! He thus opened his spirit for Satan to return and RECLAIM HIM. (see also Jn. 6:70,71)
IF WE DO NOT GO WITH THE LORD, WE GO WITH SATAN. THE LORD TOOK HIS SPIRIT FROM JUDAS AND CAST HIM AWAY FROM HIS PRESENCE. (Ps. 51:11) This took place at the very end of the Old Testament and just few hours away from the New Testament!
When the Lord did not spare him, on what Scriptural basis would He spare those of like heart, mind and will, who also keep refusing to deny their self and overcome? Can you tell? (2Pet. 2:4-10) They will also be cut off and damned, if they abide in unbelief! (Rom. 11:20-23// Jn. 15:6// Rev. 3:5; 21:8) Our humanistic soul cannot receive and believe such a “terrible truth” about God, His Justice, Righteousness and Judgments. Most believers cannot believe this truth because they do not know God and His Holiness, they do not fear Him and they have no true reverence toward Him! But spiritual reality with God is something far more and far deeper than our human sincerity, zeal, earnest desires, honesty, noble intentions or works. The decisive factor is our faith, fruits of the Spirit and obedience to the Word of God, to what GOD says and not to what we think! The same severe testing is coming to us now at the end of this Dispensation and the beginning of the Tribulation with its unspeakable sufferings and the FIRE of God’s Judgments on the world and also on the Church – the House of God which shall be judged first. (1Pet. 4:17,18)
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To be continued next week in chapter 3 – part 6
brother Hanola
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