(09/13/2019) In The Last Days

Today, reply is on understanding Bible language that speaks to “the last days.” Christians are to grasp, we are living in the last stages of a profound transformation. Rather than a time-period or a season marked by catastrophe and upheaval, the last days frame the maturing and ripening for harvest of those who belong to Jesus Christ, and who will be removed from the earth at the Savior’s appearing. Mankind joined to Christ is to be released from mortality. The last days are the present condition and stage of the transformation of mankind to permanently exist as a companion to divinity. It is written: 1^st Thessalonians 4: 16-18, King James Version (KJV): 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words. One of the fighters in the “Yahoo! Answers” public forum on Religion and Spirituality who uses the ID “Anonymous” (no profile is shared) posted the following:

Christians, does bible say we are living in last days?

THE GOLDEN ARROW: Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1^st Corinthians 15: 50-57, King James Version, KJV)

THE DOUBLE DAGGER: “Normal” For the World (09/10/2019); Recognizing The End Times (04/16/2019); Messiah Already Has Come (04/14/2019); Divine Preparations for Advent (03/17/2019); “The End Is Near” (03/14/2018); Sharing The Correct Message (01/30/2017); About The End Of The World (08/30/2015)

“Anonymous”, there are multiple proclamations, promises, and prophecies throughout the Bible that speak of events that will occur in the “last days” for this Creation. The things recorded and written are not shared to detail and foretell future human events that are yet to happen so much as they are to provide further revelation of the divine character, process, and substance of divinity. Divine fullness (we also say, divinity; the Godhead; the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit) is immortal, and there will be no end of GOD. Discussions of the last days are not presented to belittle, frighten, or intimidate sinners; and they are provided as “prophecy” to comfort, edify and exhort. Discussions of the last days are to establish continuing consciousness of divine prerogative, unchanging eternal purpose, and the sovereign will of GOD. While there will be an apocalypse to complete and settle unresolved conflicts that exist between the Creator and all created beings and living creatures, and there will be the reconfiguration of heaven and earth, the operations of GOD will manifest judgment having finality, impartiality, and righteousness, rather than condemnation, punishment for sins, or warfare against rebellion. Consider again the following that uses language from the Bible:

1. Genesis 49: 1-2, King James Version (KJV): 1 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. 2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.

2. Micah 4: 1-3, KJV: 1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. 2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 3 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks:

3. Acts 2: 16-21, KJV: 16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come: 21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

4. 2^nd Timothy 3: 1-5, KJV: 1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

There is far more that should be said, correctly examined, and spiritually apprehended. (For example, 5. Hebrews 1: 1-3, KJV: 1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:) Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful. Be it unto you according to your faith.

AN AFTERTHOUGHT: Where Christian believers focus on the “the last days,” it is more correct we acknowledge that those on the earth who belong to Jesus Christ, and are mature/ripe for harvest are in the last stage of their preparation to be made immortal companions of divinity. Therefore, it is not a cause for alarm; and believers should not be careful regarding how long the duration of the last days, or when there will be the conclusion for the passing of some finite and predetermined period whose length continues to remain secret and unknown.

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THE BLACK PHOENIX

Washington, DC

(09/29/2017) Rebirth, Growth and Transformation

Today, reply is on reconciliation and salvation as divine operations that go forth in stages.  There must be a complete transformation of a sinner’s spirit content from GOD before they acquire the full strength of will to eliminate sin in the life.  Believers are to make every honest effort they can; endure suffering and occasional uncertainty; and persevere on the basis of faith, nourishment and trust that have been provided through proclamations, promises, and utterances from GOD, more than on the basis of events in the carnal, material, and social arenas.  The fighter at “Yahoo! Answers” using the ID “PopPrincezz014” (Level 1 with 5 points, a member since July 03, 2009) posted the following:


God loved us while we were sinners, so god loves us now as we believe?

My thing is I'm human and tho I try not to sin I do sin, I know some of my sins aren't what god would want me to do but that doesn't mean he leaves me? Right? I believe but sometimes I give in to other things? God understands right? It's eating at me


THE GOLDEN ARROW:  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.  (Romans 5:  8-10, King James Version, KJV)


THE DOUBLE DAGGER:  Our Glory From GOD (09/24/2017); Obstacles To Developing Believers (07/24/2017); Meekness, Mortality and Salvation? (07/13/2017); Discernment, Focus and Meekness? (07/07/2017); Transformation Not Obedience Alone (07/02/2017); Conforming to Divine Standards (06/18/2017); Testing and Divine Process (06/12/2017); The Process of Forgiveness? (10/21/2015)


“PopPrincezz014”, be encouraged!  Believers must endure an intense process of re-creation and renewal (as with the removal of a rib from Adam to make the woman) that is anchored in divine utterance (praise, prayer, proclamations, promises, prophecy, etc.).  Salvation is not a “one-time” event in the life of a sinner.  Becoming a mature believer in the things of GOD through Jesus Christ is done only through multiple stages of gradual change, growth and learning.  There must be a separation from secular knowledge and life experience organized by the frameworks of time and space.  This shift is so great that believers say, You must be born again!  Through the sacred operations of baptism, there are the death and burial of ones inborn spirit, its resurrection, and their re-emergence having divine DNA, so to speak.

In place of the familiar things of flesh (e.g., appetite, senses, emotion/mental functions) and the material world, one must install sacred knowledge centered upon divine spirit.  Every believer must receive a fresh endowment of “life essence” (breath, spirit, word) from the makeup of divinity.  Included are such inseparable aspects of Deity as faith, holiness, longsuffering, lovingkindness, righteousness, wisdom, and wrath against sin.  Those who are “born again” also must “grow up again” and become ripe for harvest (i.e., balanced, complete, sober, stable).  Those who are mature will be taken from the earth by going to meet the Lord in the air (we say, Advent, the Rapture, the Second Coming).  Their transformation (perfection) that has been ongoing from before the founding of heaven and earth will be completed in the “twinkling of an eye.”

While the salvation of mankind and the earth have required the Incarnation of divinity (GOD using flesh to appear among the living); the death of Jesus on the cross, his resurrection, and ascension as well as the imparting of gifts and operations by the Holy Spirit, sin is still not totally eliminated.  The operations of sin oppose the continued existence of divine law, the Law Giver, and the entire universe.  Sin does not exist as a physical object that may be destroyed; yet, sin displays direction, effect, and presence; and sin may dominate awareness and self-will (willpower) in created beings and living creatures.  The finite human tools (e.g., emotion, intellect, logic, philosophy, carnal reason, and science) are not enough to correctly recognize, reject and resist sin.  Through Christ, sinners may receive fresh deposits of the divine will that are not subject to sin.  Consider again the following that uses language from the Bible:

(1.)  1st Peter 1:  13-23, King James Version (KJV):  13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;  14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:  15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;  16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.  17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:  18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;  19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:  20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,  21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.  22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:  23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

(2.)  2nd Corinthians 5:  17-19, KJV:  17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:  old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;  19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

There is far more to be said, correctly examined, and spiritually apprehended.  (For example, (3.)  Romans 8:  5-9, KJV:  5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God:  for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.  8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.  9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.)  Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful.  Be it unto you according to your faith.



THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC

(04/27/2013) Repentance Must Come Before Resurrection

      Focus today is upon whether one may repent at the time they appear in judgment, and there is more on the possibilities for humans to have binding contracts with devils. The “Yahoo Answers” writer using the ID “Matt” (Level 2 with 414 points, a member since March 28, 2013) posted the following:


When God Judges us after death and we have sinned.. will we have another chance to repent in front of him?

I know a friend who believes that…


THE BATTLE AXE: Not of Legal Age? (04/26/2013)—(5.) Devils do not benefit, defend, justify, protect, or serve the wicked. Because they have neither the mind of Christ, nor the mind of man, they are more likely to accuse, antagonize, attack, betray, and condemn the righteous, the wicked, and one another. No contract or covenant with any devil has legitimacy in the judgment of GOD.  Before the second resurrection and judgment of the wicked, the devil first is cast into the lake of fire. All sinners are then examined on the basis of their own sacred content, and the record of their own deeds written in the books of life. See Isaiah 28: 15-22 and Revelation 20: 6-15, KJV. (6.) Comparative studies of philosophies and religions are only safe where one is first anchored, centered and grounded in mature understandings that integrate and up-build ones defining spirit content. Otherwise, hopping between and among belief systems is inescapable self-destruction. See 1st Corinthians 9: 16-27, KJV. (7.) The devils promote a false equation that fun, joy and the full experience of youth, in fact, are the same as defiance, depression, lack of self-discipline, repeated failure, rebellion and sin. Deceivers insist that there must be such behavior as cursing and swearing, distrust, drug use, drunkenness, envy, fornication, intoxication, lying, faithless risk-taking, and violence. See 2nd Timothy 2: 22-26 and James 4: 1-10, King James Version. (8.) Neither angels nor devils carry on relationships with mankind apart from GOD. The account of Job describes the challenge and investigation of a man’s spirit substance that was carried out by Satan with the permission of GOD. As with plagues proclaiming divine judgment, and other displays of divine wrath against sin, all legitimate analysis and testing that comes upon mankind is in accordance with divine law, and continues to be under the authority of GOD. Christ has met all the legitimate demands of divine law that were against mankind; and while men have debt and owe one another in the economies of the World system, through the Son of GOD, mankind can never be indebted or obligated for its continuing existence to any other created beings and living creatures. See Revelation 19: 1-10 and Revelation 22: 8-9, KJV. (9.) The dark spirits that have lost their first estate can in no wise offer a future filled with light to mortal men. Devils are neither immortal nor mortal, and continue to exist by divine discretion, not by their own nature and substance. The devils have no part as joint-heirs with Christ, and will not be made immortal and incorruptible with believers harvested from the earth. The devils who have walked in the Garden of Eden, the Promised Land, and the courts of heaven, will never be allowed to set foot within the New Jerusalem. See Matthew 25: 41, Revelation 20: 4-10 and Revelation 22: 14-16, KJV.


THE GOLDEN ARROW: For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9: 24-28, King James Version)


THE DOUBLE DAGGER: When Jesus Comes Back? (04/19/2013); What’s The Way Out (04/20/2013); After the Rapture? (11/01/2012); Opportunity to Repent (11/02/2012); After We Die? (10/04/2012); Does GOD Feel? (10/05/2012); Life and Death (09/26/2012); Mob Rule and Violence (09/27/2012); Chances for Change (09/15/2012); What He Died For (09/14/2012)


      Matt, here are some points derived from the holy writings that are endorsed by many mature Christian believers:

(1.) The “final judgment” is accomplished in three stages. The first is ongoing (i.e., happening now); and is our most important chance, because it is the only one we are given. The present judgment focuses upon all created beings and living creatures who have ever participated in covenant relationship with GOD as well as those that presently exist upon the earth, and within the heavens. This first stage of judgment is completed through what is called “the first resurrection,” and the harvesting of the righteous from the earth.

(2.) Jesus has been appointed as the Supreme Judge over mankind, and will oversee all stages of judgment (see Acts 17: 29-31 and 2nd Timothy 4: 1-2, KJV). Satan does not appear as accuser, executioner, jailer, King of Hell, ruler of the underworld, or prosecutor. Before the second resurrection, Satan is cast into the lake of fire to be utterly destroyed; this is an aspect of what is called “the second death.” (See Revelation 20: 1-15, KJV.) In effect, sinners appearing before Christ are only challenged to display their spirit content, and their own record of spiritual deeds from the books of life.

(3.) The righteousness of judgment requires that all appear to answer charges against themselves that come from the record of their deeds. Therefore, all who are not resurrected from the dead at the Advent of Christ (also called “his appearing,” the Rapture, and the Second Coming) will be gathered in the second resurrection to appear as living before the throne of judgment. The second resurrection is also called “the resurrection of the wicked,” and gathers those who were not approved in the first stage of judgment.

(4.) The third stage of judgment follows the casting of the wicked into the lake of fire, and focuses upon distributing rewards for service to those who have been approved for eternal life. Only those raised at the Advent of Jesus, who have been transformed and are now immortal and incorruptible appear in the third stage of judgment. See 1st Corinthians 3: 11-15, KJV.

(5.) Repentance is not a “one-time” event, and is achieved only through operations by the imparted, indwelling spirit from GOD, the Holy Ghost. A pattern must appear within the record of ones life whereby the spirit content that was in Jesus is seen through the behavior, conduct and substance of those in judgment.

      There is far more to be said, correctly applied, and spiritually apprehended. (For example, (6.) Prior to the coming of Jesus in the Advent, all upon the earth will receive a mark that seals the spirit content of their being so that their spiritual substance can no longer be altered, or changed. The unsaved will receive the mark of the beast in their right hand, or their forehead. Those belonging to Christ will be known by not having the mark of the beast. See Ezekiel 9: 1-11, Revelation 13: 11-17 and Revelation 22: 10-12, KJV.) Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful. Be it unto you according to your faith.


THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC