You Shall Not Go Very Far Away - Part Eleven Mar 28, 2021 by: John Herbert | Series: You Shall Not Go Very Far Away Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T045_20210328.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Ex 8:28 So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away……… Today we will look in a general sense, to see how far away the Church has gone at the end of this dispensation. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday March 28th 2021 You Shall Not Go Very Far Away Part 11 1). Ex 8:27 We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He will command us.” 28 So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away……… We can see from these now very familiar verses that Pharaoh was quite content for Israel to sacrifice to the Lord their God providing they didn’t go very far away, providing that they did not make the journey that would find its conclusion in the 3rd Day. a). And as we consider Pharaoh’s words, because he is a type of the god of this age, we cannot help but find them fraught with significance with respect to the ‘nation’ called to produce fruit for the Kingdom of the Heavens – the Church – Mt 21:43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. If those called to produce fruit could be deceived into not doing so, but still believe they were ‘sacrificing to the Lord’ their God, only to find themselves separated from the 3rd Day, having not gone very far away from Satan’s kingdom at all, then no doubt the one typified through Pharaoh would think himself victorious. b). And it is Satan’s attempt to accomplish this end by keeping the eternally saved within his dominion through the corruption of the Word of the Kingdom that we had begun to look at last time. c). And it is so important that we understand that the Word of the Kingdom is key to understanding the Church as it is today, and our place in it. d). The phrase ‘the Word of the Kingdom’ is introduced in the Scriptures by the Lord Himself and is used within a very specific set of circumstances. Jesus had left the house, the House of Israel, and had gone to sit by the sea, symbolizing the Gentile nations, from whom, primarily, the Church would come – Mt 13:18 “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom………. The first four of these parables in Matthew Chapter 13, beginning with that of the sower, provide a dispensational overview of the Church that was given before the Church came into being. And because the Church is central to this teaching, we can clearly see that the Word of the Kingdom is something exclusively for the Church, with regards to the purpose for which the Church was called into being – to produce fruit in order to receive a position of rulership with Christ in the 7th Day. e). The Word of the Kingdom, although essentially dealing with the same thing, is not the same message that had been taken to Israel – Mt 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Although repentance is always an excellent idea, within the context of national Israel, repentance had to do with the change of mind of an already adopted firstborn son who for centuries had been unfaithful and disobedient. f). And repentance by the adopted firstborn son was absolutely essential because the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. The One born King of the Jews, the greater Son of David, was physically present among the Jewish people, personally offering the Kingdom to them. g). Even though the establishment of the Kingdom of the Heavens is now very close in time, we cannot say that it is at hand because the circumstances are now different. The establishment of the Kingdom is not dependent upon Christian repentance, but on the completion of the 6000 years of Man’s Day. h). The Word of the Kingdom then is synonymous with what Paul called the gospel of the glory of Christ and is the substance of the mystery revealed to him to make known to the Gentiles – 1 Co 2:6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. It is the hidden wisdom of God in a mystery, ordained before the ages for our glory, that is the substance of the Word of the Kingdom. And as we had seen last time, it was when those Christians hearing this message began to produce fruit because of it, looking to obtain a position of rulership, that Satan began his attack against it. i). If we look at the parable of the sower, we will see that all the eternally saved in this parable heard the Word of the Kingdom – Mt 13:19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. 20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. The immediate work of the enemy is to prevent fruit being produced in the first place, and this is exactly what we see in these verses. The eternally saved seen here are prevented from producing fruit and no further Satanic action is required against them. They could continue doing whatever religious activity they were doing prior to hearing the Word of the Kingdom, because with respect to becoming a ruler in Satan’s place, none of this would have any consequence. j). However, the same was not true for another group of the eternally saved – Mt 13:23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” The fact that this group was producing fruit meant that they were making the 3 days’ journey, they were putting distance between themselves and Satan’s kingdom and were aligning themselves with the One who will remove the crown from Satan’s head. And so, it is the fruit producers who are the subject of Satan’s attention – Mt 13:37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. It is the work of the ‘tares’, the sons of the wicked one, eternally saved Christians with a contrary message to that of the Kingdom who are seen introducing leaven into the 3 measures of meal, who are responsible for the Ephesian church leaving its first love, who depart from the faith and give heed to deceiving spirits and the doctrines of demons. k). And as we had seen last time, it was within 400 years, that the fruit producing Church, which was making the 3 days’ journey towards Christ’s Kingdom, was brought back within the boundaries of Satan’s domain. Still enthusiastically engaged in ‘Christian’ activity, but all within the borders of ‘Egypt’ - 28 So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away……… 2). 2 Pe 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. Over the course of the 2000 years of this dispensation things have changed so dramatically that the only message that was taught, the way of truth, the Word of the Kingdom, is now blasphemed. The leaven has done its destructive work – 2 Ti 4:1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. And consequently there is an uncomfortable parallel between Christendom now, at the end of the dispensation, awaiting the Lord’s return for His Church, and Israel awaiting Moses return from the mountain – Ex 32:1 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 2 And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!” 5 So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD.” 6 Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 7 And the LORD said to Moses, “Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ ” 9 And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people. Moses’ delay in coming down from the mountain parallels the 2000 years that the Lord has remained in Heaven and as the Jewish people said, as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him. So, Christians have asked 2 Pe 3:4 ……. “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” Gold is a metal used to symbolize Deity and seen in connection with the ears in Exodus 32 we would see in it the Divinely perfect Word of God given to the nation. In the breaking of the gold earrings to form the golden calf we can see the corruption of that Divine word to re-create God in the image the people wanted. Here we can find the leaven, the itching ears and the blaspheming of the way of truth within a Christian context. a). And in Aaron’s response we can see the pastor/teacher, early in the dispensation, who had not heeded the command Paul gave to Timothy but had instead given the people what they wanted to hear. And had then reproduced himself, after his own kind, time and again, over the years. b). This scene presented to us in Exodus Chapter 32, is perhaps the clearest example of what Pharaoh had in mind when he told the sons of Israel that they should not go very far away. Although the nation made a literal, physical journey, they did not accomplish that which their journey symbolized. c). The molded calf, that came right out of their time in Egypt, was the subject of joyous and exuberant worship and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play The people were content and happy, but their contentment and happiness were short lived – Ex 32:30 Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” 31 Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! 32 Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.” 33 And the LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book. 34 Now therefore, go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. Behold, My Angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit for punishment, I will visit punishment upon them for their sin.” 35 So the LORD plagued the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made. Re 3:5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. 6 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’ The overcomers’ promise to the Church in Sardis finds an obvious parallel in Exodus Chapter 32 and looking at this particular overcomers’ promise will lead us to the 7th of the 7 Churches seen in the Revelation, the Church of the Laodiceans – Re 3:16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— Let’s remember that what we see here is the inevitable consequence of the corruption and perversion of the Word of the Kingdom, the leaven placed in the 3 measures of meal, the way of truth blasphemed. d). And to make sure we are clear one more time, it is towards the Word of the Kingdom that the Laodicean Church is lukewarm, a condition that gives rise to the graphic and shocking image of the Lord vomiting these lukewarm Christians out of His mouth. e). The Laodicean Church of the end of this dispensation is poignantly pictured in Exodus Chapter 32 and no doubt when the sons of Israel sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play that day, they felt that they were rich, had become wealthy and had need of nothing. f). But this was not the way God perceived things then and is not the way He perceives things now, you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— 3). Now, with the way things currently stand within Christendom as described at the end of Revelation 3:17 in mind, let’s consider this – Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. The spiritual warfare is inextricably connected to the Word of the Kingdom as it concerns the means of victory over the enemy that presently occupies the Heavenly land which we are promised. a). To put on the whole armor of God necessitates an ‘epignosis’ knowledge of these things, building from the type of Israel at Kadesh Barnea. b). To say this very simply, without the ‘epignosis’ knowledge of the Word of the Kingdom it is not possible to put on the whole armor of God. c). So, let’s now look at the reason Scripture gives for putting on this armor that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 1 Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith……… Putting on the whole armor of God and being steadfast in the faith are two ways of saying exactly the same thing, and again the purpose is to resist the devil. d). Ordinarily, we look at this from a personal standpoint, which is a perfectly correct thing to do. But let’s stand back for a moment and think about this from a corporate standpoint, within the context of the ‘Church’ at large. What would it mean if the Church, Christendom in general, was not steadfast in the faith and had not put on the whole armor of God? Simply, because of what the Scripture says, the wiles of the devil couldn’t be resisted. e). And we have seen again today that over the course of the last 2000 years, the Word of the Kingdom has become almost completely leavened, pictured in the condition of the Laodicean Church. And as we see that condition described as being ‘naked’, let’s think of the Church in general not having on the whole armor of God, and not just being without a wedding garment. f). To continue this same thought - Mt 5:11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. We will remember from a couple of weeks back the reason the Lord gave for what He described in v11 – Jn 17:14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. The Word that the Lord gave to His disciples, the Word He has given to His Church, as we have seen from the Matthew 13 parables, is the Word of the Kingdom. Being doers of the Word of the Kingdom must result in persecution and reviling because of what it is. f). Also, it is those with this Word who are described as the salt that seasons the earth, seasoned through its proclamation. But what if the salt loses its flavor? What if the Word of the Kingdom is no longer proclaimed as it was intended? It [the salt] is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. Lk 14:33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. 34 “Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? 35 It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” The Lord then repeated this same picture with respect to the Word of the Kingdom through a different metaphor. This time those with the Word of the Kingdom are described as ‘the light of the world’ – 2 Pe 1:19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; But what if those with the Word who were to provide light to the world are no longer on a lampstand but under a basket? – Re 2:5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. If this is the case, then according to the Scripture, their light would not so shine before men, and the world would not see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. 4). One last thing. We had asked the question a few weeks ago as to the reason why the world in which we live is in such a deplorable condition, with depravity, rebellion and violence being rampant on an unprecedented scale. Well, if we make the connection between what we have just looked at and what we find here in Thessalonians we will have our answer - 2 Th 2:3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. These verses have to do with a false report the Thessalonians had received claiming that they were already in the 7th Day, and Paul is reminding them of what he had previously told them when he was with them concerning these things. a). When the son of perdition is revealed, with his revealing will come the complete collapse of the world system, plunging the planet into such a time of horror that mankind will be on the brink of annihilation. But Paul reminds the Thessalonians ‘you know what is restraining’. You know what it is that is preventing the revealing of this man. b). And that which is restraining will continue ‘until He is taken out of the way’. The ‘He’ would refer to the Holy Spirit, but only in a very specific sense. This would be the Holy Spirit removing the Church into the Heavens having completed His search for the Bride in the antitype of Genesis Chapter 24. c). But we should not see this restraining power just in the Church’s physical presence, but specifically with respect to its function, to stand against the wiles of the devil, resisting him steadfast in the faith. And as the leaven completes its work so the salt has become almost flavorless and the light, now under a basket is a dim flicker. Consequently, without the fullness of the restraining action of the Church, through the Word of the Kingdom, the mystery of lawlessness is already at work and Satan can take matters as far as he can in all directions until the removal of the Church plunges the world into total darkness and all restraint is gone. Here then is the answer to our question. d). And what about us, in this time that we find ourselves, at the end of this dispensation? – 1 Th 5:4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. 11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing. We will continue – as the Lord wills. You Shall Not Go Very Far Away - Part Eleven Mar 28, 2021 Speaker: John Herbert Series: You Shall Not Go Very Far Away Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T045_20210328.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Ex 8:28 So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away……… Today we will look in a general sense, to see how far away the Church has gone at the end of this dispensation. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday March 28th 2021 You Shall Not Go Very Far Away Part 11 1). Ex 8:27 We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He will command us.” 28 So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away……… We can see from these now very familiar verses that Pharaoh was quite content for Israel to sacrifice to the Lord their God providing they didn’t go very far away, providing that they did not make the journey that would find its conclusion in the 3rd Day. a). And as we consider Pharaoh’s words, because he is a type of the god of this age, we cannot help but find them fraught with significance with respect to the ‘nation’ called to produce fruit for the Kingdom of the Heavens – the Church – Mt 21:43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. If those called to produce fruit could be deceived into not doing so, but still believe they were ‘sacrificing to the Lord’ their God, only to find themselves separated from the 3rd Day, having not gone very far away from Satan’s kingdom at all, then no doubt the one typified through Pharaoh would think himself victorious. b). And it is Satan’s attempt to accomplish this end by keeping the eternally saved within his dominion through the corruption of the Word of the Kingdom that we had begun to look at last time. c). And it is so important that we understand that the Word of the Kingdom is key to understanding the Church as it is today, and our place in it. d). The phrase ‘the Word of the Kingdom’ is introduced in the Scriptures by the Lord Himself and is used within a very specific set of circumstances. Jesus had left the house, the House of Israel, and had gone to sit by the sea, symbolizing the Gentile nations, from whom, primarily, the Church would come – Mt 13:18 “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom………. The first four of these parables in Matthew Chapter 13, beginning with that of the sower, provide a dispensational overview of the Church that was given before the Church came into being. And because the Church is central to this teaching, we can clearly see that the Word of the Kingdom is something exclusively for the Church, with regards to the purpose for which the Church was called into being – to produce fruit in order to receive a position of rulership with Christ in the 7th Day. e). The Word of the Kingdom, although essentially dealing with the same thing, is not the same message that had been taken to Israel – Mt 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Although repentance is always an excellent idea, within the context of national Israel, repentance had to do with the change of mind of an already adopted firstborn son who for centuries had been unfaithful and disobedient. f). And repentance by the adopted firstborn son was absolutely essential because the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. The One born King of the Jews, the greater Son of David, was physically present among the Jewish people, personally offering the Kingdom to them. g). Even though the establishment of the Kingdom of the Heavens is now very close in time, we cannot say that it is at hand because the circumstances are now different. The establishment of the Kingdom is not dependent upon Christian repentance, but on the completion of the 6000 years of Man’s Day. h). The Word of the Kingdom then is synonymous with what Paul called the gospel of the glory of Christ and is the substance of the mystery revealed to him to make known to the Gentiles – 1 Co 2:6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. It is the hidden wisdom of God in a mystery, ordained before the ages for our glory, that is the substance of the Word of the Kingdom. And as we had seen last time, it was when those Christians hearing this message began to produce fruit because of it, looking to obtain a position of rulership, that Satan began his attack against it. i). If we look at the parable of the sower, we will see that all the eternally saved in this parable heard the Word of the Kingdom – Mt 13:19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. 20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. The immediate work of the enemy is to prevent fruit being produced in the first place, and this is exactly what we see in these verses. The eternally saved seen here are prevented from producing fruit and no further Satanic action is required against them. They could continue doing whatever religious activity they were doing prior to hearing the Word of the Kingdom, because with respect to becoming a ruler in Satan’s place, none of this would have any consequence. j). However, the same was not true for another group of the eternally saved – Mt 13:23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” The fact that this group was producing fruit meant that they were making the 3 days’ journey, they were putting distance between themselves and Satan’s kingdom and were aligning themselves with the One who will remove the crown from Satan’s head. And so, it is the fruit producers who are the subject of Satan’s attention – Mt 13:37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. It is the work of the ‘tares’, the sons of the wicked one, eternally saved Christians with a contrary message to that of the Kingdom who are seen introducing leaven into the 3 measures of meal, who are responsible for the Ephesian church leaving its first love, who depart from the faith and give heed to deceiving spirits and the doctrines of demons. k). And as we had seen last time, it was within 400 years, that the fruit producing Church, which was making the 3 days’ journey towards Christ’s Kingdom, was brought back within the boundaries of Satan’s domain. Still enthusiastically engaged in ‘Christian’ activity, but all within the borders of ‘Egypt’ - 28 So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away……… 2). 2 Pe 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. Over the course of the 2000 years of this dispensation things have changed so dramatically that the only message that was taught, the way of truth, the Word of the Kingdom, is now blasphemed. The leaven has done its destructive work – 2 Ti 4:1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. And consequently there is an uncomfortable parallel between Christendom now, at the end of the dispensation, awaiting the Lord’s return for His Church, and Israel awaiting Moses return from the mountain – Ex 32:1 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 2 And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!” 5 So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD.” 6 Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 7 And the LORD said to Moses, “Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ ” 9 And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people. Moses’ delay in coming down from the mountain parallels the 2000 years that the Lord has remained in Heaven and as the Jewish people said, as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him. So, Christians have asked 2 Pe 3:4 ……. “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” Gold is a metal used to symbolize Deity and seen in connection with the ears in Exodus 32 we would see in it the Divinely perfect Word of God given to the nation. In the breaking of the gold earrings to form the golden calf we can see the corruption of that Divine word to re-create God in the image the people wanted. Here we can find the leaven, the itching ears and the blaspheming of the way of truth within a Christian context. a). And in Aaron’s response we can see the pastor/teacher, early in the dispensation, who had not heeded the command Paul gave to Timothy but had instead given the people what they wanted to hear. And had then reproduced himself, after his own kind, time and again, over the years. b). This scene presented to us in Exodus Chapter 32, is perhaps the clearest example of what Pharaoh had in mind when he told the sons of Israel that they should not go very far away. Although the nation made a literal, physical journey, they did not accomplish that which their journey symbolized. c). The molded calf, that came right out of their time in Egypt, was the subject of joyous and exuberant worship and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play The people were content and happy, but their contentment and happiness were short lived – Ex 32:30 Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” 31 Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! 32 Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.” 33 And the LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book. 34 Now therefore, go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. Behold, My Angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit for punishment, I will visit punishment upon them for their sin.” 35 So the LORD plagued the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made. Re 3:5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. 6 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’ The overcomers’ promise to the Church in Sardis finds an obvious parallel in Exodus Chapter 32 and looking at this particular overcomers’ promise will lead us to the 7th of the 7 Churches seen in the Revelation, the Church of the Laodiceans – Re 3:16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— Let’s remember that what we see here is the inevitable consequence of the corruption and perversion of the Word of the Kingdom, the leaven placed in the 3 measures of meal, the way of truth blasphemed. d). And to make sure we are clear one more time, it is towards the Word of the Kingdom that the Laodicean Church is lukewarm, a condition that gives rise to the graphic and shocking image of the Lord vomiting these lukewarm Christians out of His mouth. e). The Laodicean Church of the end of this dispensation is poignantly pictured in Exodus Chapter 32 and no doubt when the sons of Israel sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play that day, they felt that they were rich, had become wealthy and had need of nothing. f). But this was not the way God perceived things then and is not the way He perceives things now, you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— 3). Now, with the way things currently stand within Christendom as described at the end of Revelation 3:17 in mind, let’s consider this – Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. The spiritual warfare is inextricably connected to the Word of the Kingdom as it concerns the means of victory over the enemy that presently occupies the Heavenly land which we are promised. a). To put on the whole armor of God necessitates an ‘epignosis’ knowledge of these things, building from the type of Israel at Kadesh Barnea. b). To say this very simply, without the ‘epignosis’ knowledge of the Word of the Kingdom it is not possible to put on the whole armor of God. c). So, let’s now look at the reason Scripture gives for putting on this armor that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 1 Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith……… Putting on the whole armor of God and being steadfast in the faith are two ways of saying exactly the same thing, and again the purpose is to resist the devil. d). Ordinarily, we look at this from a personal standpoint, which is a perfectly correct thing to do. But let’s stand back for a moment and think about this from a corporate standpoint, within the context of the ‘Church’ at large. What would it mean if the Church, Christendom in general, was not steadfast in the faith and had not put on the whole armor of God? Simply, because of what the Scripture says, the wiles of the devil couldn’t be resisted. e). And we have seen again today that over the course of the last 2000 years, the Word of the Kingdom has become almost completely leavened, pictured in the condition of the Laodicean Church. And as we see that condition described as being ‘naked’, let’s think of the Church in general not having on the whole armor of God, and not just being without a wedding garment. f). To continue this same thought - Mt 5:11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. We will remember from a couple of weeks back the reason the Lord gave for what He described in v11 – Jn 17:14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. The Word that the Lord gave to His disciples, the Word He has given to His Church, as we have seen from the Matthew 13 parables, is the Word of the Kingdom. Being doers of the Word of the Kingdom must result in persecution and reviling because of what it is. f). Also, it is those with this Word who are described as the salt that seasons the earth, seasoned through its proclamation. But what if the salt loses its flavor? What if the Word of the Kingdom is no longer proclaimed as it was intended? It [the salt] is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. Lk 14:33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. 34 “Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? 35 It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” The Lord then repeated this same picture with respect to the Word of the Kingdom through a different metaphor. This time those with the Word of the Kingdom are described as ‘the light of the world’ – 2 Pe 1:19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; But what if those with the Word who were to provide light to the world are no longer on a lampstand but under a basket? – Re 2:5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. If this is the case, then according to the Scripture, their light would not so shine before men, and the world would not see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. 4). One last thing. We had asked the question a few weeks ago as to the reason why the world in which we live is in such a deplorable condition, with depravity, rebellion and violence being rampant on an unprecedented scale. Well, if we make the connection between what we have just looked at and what we find here in Thessalonians we will have our answer - 2 Th 2:3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. These verses have to do with a false report the Thessalonians had received claiming that they were already in the 7th Day, and Paul is reminding them of what he had previously told them when he was with them concerning these things. a). When the son of perdition is revealed, with his revealing will come the complete collapse of the world system, plunging the planet into such a time of horror that mankind will be on the brink of annihilation. But Paul reminds the Thessalonians ‘you know what is restraining’. You know what it is that is preventing the revealing of this man. b). And that which is restraining will continue ‘until He is taken out of the way’. The ‘He’ would refer to the Holy Spirit, but only in a very specific sense. This would be the Holy Spirit removing the Church into the Heavens having completed His search for the Bride in the antitype of Genesis Chapter 24. c). But we should not see this restraining power just in the Church’s physical presence, but specifically with respect to its function, to stand against the wiles of the devil, resisting him steadfast in the faith. And as the leaven completes its work so the salt has become almost flavorless and the light, now under a basket is a dim flicker. Consequently, without the fullness of the restraining action of the Church, through the Word of the Kingdom, the mystery of lawlessness is already at work and Satan can take matters as far as he can in all directions until the removal of the Church plunges the world into total darkness and all restraint is gone. Here then is the answer to our question. d). And what about us, in this time that we find ourselves, at the end of this dispensation? – 1 Th 5:4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. 11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing. We will continue – as the Lord wills.