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The Day of the Lord Rev 20:6 “Blessed and holy [is] he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” It will last through 1000 years – “Millennium” or “Kingdom Age.” It will be a time of preparation for the Bride, the New Jerusalem, to come to the earth as the eternal dwelling place of God. This day begins with a resurrection and ends with a resurrection. The first resurrection must be attained. The second one is a general resurrection that will determine who is to be brought into the new heaven and earthly reign of the Christ and who will be thrown into the Lake of Fire and separated forever from God. John 3:16 is not a message on heaven and hell. The word PERISH is talking about our inward, spiritual nature, our soul; it cannot perish. It can be tormented, but it cannot perish. Our physical body can perish. But it shall be raised again eternally. When the Bible speaks about life or living, it often is referring primarily to the body. (Rev. 20:4) “They came to life” (at the coming of the Lord when they get their bodies.) (Rev. 19:20) alive = with bodies. These are real people. If the Antichrist and False Prophet are thrown into the Lake of Fire with bodies, then there must be a convergence of the physical and spirit realms at the conclusion of the church age. The spirit, soul, and body will perish for eternity. Why is this important? What we have done in our bodies is what we will be judged for. We had better learn to live in the power of His resurrection. We must choose to share His sufferings and be conformed to His death. Just because we make profession of Christ does not mean we will be raised up when He appears. It is not Biblical. Revelation 2 & 3 are assigned to the overcomers and tell us what to expect. Too many are living by the False Prophet. (John 5:28-29) Divine grace does not alter the fact that if we practice evil, we will not be spared. Do not add to the Word of God. The plan is simple – let the old man return to dust and let the new man be formed in Christ. When our inward nature meets God’s standard of righteousness, holiness and obedience to God, we will be resurrected in the power of Christ. This is spiritual and natural. We will attain resurrection from the dead. We will obtain the rest of Father in our being. To pursue the change into Christ’s moral image and to seek to live in the Father’s will is the goal of true believers. The teaching that says we are righteous, holy and obedient only by imputation is false. (Rom. 2:6-8) Do you want unrighteous people to be given a body like Jesus Christ? Can you imagine what they would accomplish with their morals? First we must recognize that our body is dead, cut off from eternal Life because of the sin resident within. But if Christ be in you then there is a Spirit of life. (Rom.8:10-11) We are supposed to have resurrection life in us now because of Christ. We must not continue to give in to the lusts of the flesh. We are obligated not to live by it. If we choose to continue to obey the sinful desires of the flesh we will lose the resurrection life given to us in the beginning when we were first saved (parable of the sower). (Rom. 8:13) It is those who continue to follow the Spirit that are sons of God because they are led by the Spirit. If we kill our spiritual nature by not keeping the commands of Christ and His Apostles, what will be done with us when Christ appears? He cannot clothe us with a glorious body of Divine Life. We shall then reap exactly what we have sown, either incorruption or corruption. (Luke 12:47 & Daniel 12:2 & Matthew 5:29) How would you like to enter eternity with corruption while all around you are great fellow believers clothed in glory and righteousness? Instead of hearing, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” you hear “Shame!” That is what it means to be saved by fire. Or you might hear, “Get away from me, you worker of wickedness.” You may have done miracles in “My Name, but I never knew you.” The important thing is to know Christ – most important is for Christ to know you. The best this generation can hope for is to be saved by fire. Most of the inheritance will be burned away and they will enter eternity a naked spirit. Why? Because they have not served Christ. Most of the punishments outlined in the Gospels are directed toward believers not unbelievers. How deluded are we? It is not too late to turn from lukewarmness: “He that has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” (Rev.2:7 & 20:6 & 12) 4-points The day of the Lord begins with a resurrection and ends with one. It last 1000 yrs. The resurrection at the beginning is for the royal priesthood, the victorious Saints. This resurrection must be attained. The resurrection that occurs at the end of 1000 yrs. is a general resurrection. All who were not included at the first will be included at this time. TODAY IS THE DAY OF SALVATION. GET READY! - Pr. Steve August Newsletter 2004 | The Day of the Lord | Walk with God | Pastor's Journal August 2003 The Passion Within part 2 of 3 | Impartation and Increase part 2 of 3 |
Biblical Counseling for Leaders
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