THE SPIRIT LETTERS

Message Thirty-One - Book Five:  SOMEWHERE BEYOND BELIEF

When the time approached for Jesus of Nazareth to sacrifice His life on the Cross, He spoke endearingly to followers, saying:

“Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go you cannot come; so now I say to you. A new commandment I give unto you. That you love one another; as I have love you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another” (Jn. 13:33-35).

 But it was clear that Apostle Simon Peter was of a mind to follow Jesus right then, and he asked the Master where He was going. Jesus answered, saying:

“Where I go you cannot follow me now, but you shall follow me afterwards.” Peter then said to Him, “Why can I not follow you now?  I will lay down my life for your sake” (Jn. 13:36-37). At that time, Jesus was due to be taken up into heaven and to be positioned at GOD His Father’s right hand, to be empowered over heaven and the earth (Mt. 28:18). But His Apostles had no idea what was to happen to Jesus, even though the time was at hand. Jesus then uttered his remarkably prophetic words that were destined to echo and re-echo through time:

 “Let not your hear be troubled: you believe in GOD, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And whither I go you know, and the way you know” (Jn. 14:1-4).

These four prophetic verses constituted a hugely important prophesy of things due to transpire in this current period when the time for the return of the Son of GOD is falling due: when He is to return in the Cloud to take hands-on dominion over all the earth; and to receive the spirit souls of all those who had truly believed in Him and faithfully followed Him and the New Covenant Gospel He preached.

 Thus when the loyal Peter asked Jesus why he could not follow Jesus at that time, Jesus, knowing that it was almost time for Him to be taken up into heaven to be empowered by GOD His Father to save the souls of those who believe in GOD and also in Him, He admonished Peter in accordance with Jn. 13:36-38, supra. Jesus knew Peter and knew that he was to be taken up into heaven later, after He, Jesus, was empowered to do so; but he knew that as of the time the conversation took place it was not yet time for Peter’s Ascension to take place, for which reason Peter could not right then go where Jesus was going. Once Jesus’ Spirit was empowered by GOD to save souls, He began to freely save the souls He knew were worthy of His Father’s consideration.

 An example is seen in that case of the man who was on the Cross with Jesus to be crucified. He pleaded with Him, saying, “Jesus, Lord, remember me when you come into your Kingdom,” for he was convinced that Jesus was Christ, the Son of GOD, and that He could save him. As was written, “And a superscription also was written over Him, Jesus, in letter of Greek and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on Him, saying, ‘If thou  be Christ, save thyself and us.’ But the other answering rebuked him, saying,

“Dost not thou fear GOD, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly: for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man has does nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto you, today thou shalt be with me in paradise” (Lk. 23:38-43).

It is noteworthy that at that time Jesus did not save the man’s soul: rather, He relied upon GOD to save the man’s soul when he came before Him in heaven for judgment.

We know from the Holy Bible that it is impossible for flesh and blood bodies of human beings to be saved into heaven — to inherit the Kingdom of GOD (1 Cor. 15:50). Thus it is evident that no man in his flesh condition can be saved into heaven: it is the human spirit, the soul, that is enabled by the Holy Spirit Energy of GOD the Father and that of Jesus Christ, who receives GOD’s Holy Spirit without any measure or limitation (Jn. 3:34-36), that is able to quicken acceptable souls into eternal life in GOD’s and Christ’s Light. As the spiritually enlightened Apostle Paul noted:

“There is one GOD and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of gift of Christ” (Ephes. 4:5-7). But those who come to GOD must believe that HE is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek HIM, for without faith it is impossible to please HIM.

 And so, when Christ the Son of GOD returns in the Cloud to receive unto Himself all souls that are His, they will be received right into His Spirit — which is what is implied when it is written that those who are Christ’s are to be in Him! These saved souls will be absorbed into His Spirit Body, to be with Him to reside where the Son of GOD resides. There, He the Son will wait until His enemies be made His footstool, for by one offering He — His sacrifice on the Cross — He has perfected forever those that are sanctified (Heb. 10:13-14).

To Be Continued….

Message Thirty - Book Five: SOMEWHERE BEYOND BELIEF

Apostle John inscribed that Jesus had declared:

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in GOD, believe also in me.. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself: that where I am ye my be also.” (Jn. 14:1-3).

This remarkable comment by Jesus carried a greater meaning than is generally attributed to it! When Jesus uttered these words, He revealed a clue to a great mysery: that when He returned He would receive all those souls that were His “unto Himself!” Now, the Spirit in Jesus was that of GOD the Father, which He receives without any measure, as explained in Jn.3:34. Because the Father loves HIS Son, HE has given all things into his hand; so that He that believes in the Son has everlasting life (Jn.. 3:35-36). Because Christ the Son of GOD has the Spirit Energy of GOD the Father, the Son is in His Father — His Spirit Energy is contained within that of His Spirit-Father. Christ the Son as Jesus was able to be “raised up” to GOD His Father’s right hand in heaven, where He was empowered over heaven and the earth (Mt. 28:18). Those souls incarnated in flesh bodies on the earth — as the Son of GOD was as Jesus of  Nazareth — are situated as stepping stones leading to their being raised up into heaven where the Son of GOD is positioned in the heavenly hierarchy.

Christ the Son of GOD has been empowered to raise up those souls incarnated in the earth plane, in the same way GOD the Father raised up the soul of Jesus Christ: who now is able to raise up souls which are “quickened” by His Spirit Energy. The Son does not possess all the power of GOD the Father; but He is able to save souls, as the Bible discloses. Those saved souls can be raised up where the Son of GOD is — a stepping stone leading upward into the highest of heavenly dimensions. Each level is one of the rungs in “Jacob’s Ladder (Gen. 28:12-15):

“And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of GOD ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereof thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed: and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west and to the east, and to the north and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all the places whither thou goest, and will bring you again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken of thee” (Gen. 12-15).

It is widely believed that these above words were uttered by GOD the Father, but in truth they were given by the Son of GOD, who is the Word of GOD. The Son of GOD was the Maker of all things for GOD the Father, as the Bible discloses when it is understood by its spirit, not by its letter (2 Cor. 3:3-6). It is confirmed by Apostle Paul after his enlightenment on the Damascus Road (Acts Chapters 9,21,26), when he wrote to the Corinthians:

“But to us there is but one GOD the Father, of whom are all things, and we in HIM: and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him” (1 Cor. 8:6).

When it was written in the Holy Scripture of truth that Beloved John had quoted Jesus Christ as having declared that He would return again and “receive those of His ‘unto Himself,” it meant that the Son of GOD would return when it is time, and would actually receive the souls of those who are His INTO HIS OWN SPIRIT. This time is not very far off, and those whose desire it is to be in heaven forever can improve themselves spiritually between now and then, so they may be members of the “sheep” of whom Jesus spoke, who are to be with Him in Heaven; rather than one of the “goats” described in Mt. 25:32. As written, we do not go to heaven, we grow there! Jesus Christ has opened the way into heaven; as stated in Jn. 14:1-4, and He admonished us that where He went ahead of us we know, and The Way we know (Jn. 14:4). Whether or not we choose to follow it, is a choice for each soul to make.

To Be Continued

Message Twenty-Nine - Book Five: SOMEWHERE BEYOND BELIEF

He is to return in the Cloud — as the Bible records that He has before returned over the people of Israel — as has been foretold in Isaiah 35:10, and Isa. 51:11. It has been variously inscribed how the Son of GOD is to return from His place at the right hand of GOD the Father in heaven, is to return to take dominion over all the earth when it is time; as biblically inscribed. The time of His return is often referred-to as The Rapture, when He is to return in the Cloud to restore order over all the earth, and establish His New Covenant Gospel of love, truth, light, and fairness in all matters, and receive all souls that are His and have attained to eternal life.

The enlightened Apostle Paul, after his spiritual rebirth experience on the Damascus Road (Acts Chapters 9 etc.) states that at a certain time a trump will sound, at which time what has come to be commonly known as “The Rapture” will take place. This raises the question as to what will take place at that time. Apparently human beings and their flesh bodies are not to be raised up into heaven because Paul, after his rebirth experience by which he gained knowledge of many truths previously unknown on the earth, taught:

“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of GOD; neither does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in the twinkling of an eye, the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall all be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption; and that mortal must put on immortality. So when this corrupted 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. Oh death where is thy sting? Oh 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 gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:50-58).

Paul’s above-reported ideas suggest the possibility that all saved souls are to be raised up at one time, as an addition to the heavenly congregation. But Paul in another place indicates that each soul is to be raised up from the dead individually, and in a particular order:

“For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming” (1 Cor.15:21-23).

The simple explanation of this is that the first Son of GOD was also the “firstfruit” whose Spirit incarnated in the body of  the first Adam, and later as the second and last Adam was quickened and resurrected by the force of GOD the FATHER’s Holy Spirit energy (1 Cor. 15:45-47). All those died who were “in Adam,” but after the Son of GOD returned as Jesus Christ of Nazareth in His perfected spiritual state, the situation was changed.

Paul completes his spiritual chronicle by indicating what was to take place after Jesus Christ was raised up to GOD’s right hand and empowered over heaven and the earth (Mt. 28:18). Paul writes:

“Then cometh the end when He (Christ) shall have delivered up the kingdom to GOD, even the Father, when He shall  have put down all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For HE hath put all things under His feet. But when HE saith all things are put under Him, it is manifest that HE is excepted, which did put all things under Him. And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto HIM that put all things under Him, that GOD may be all in all. (1 Cor. 15:24-28).

When Paul writes that “Then comes the end,” it appears that he refers to the end of the earth testing of souls…

To Be Continued….