I put up a thread a while back and today I thought I would put this question up.
We live in a supernatural world. Yet we seem to be afraid of it. Christians seem to deny that the enemy can do stuff supernatural and if he does its a sin or something to talk about it....All things that God does is supernatural. Look..Talking donkeys, floating ax heads, people walking on water, a burning bush that is not burnt, a staff that turns into a snake, food falling out of the sky, a staff buds like a sapling, people shouting a city's walls down. Or a man being fed by ravens, the water of the Red sea being parted, The waters of the Jordan river parted, a hundred men fed with 20 loaves and 20 ears of corn, 5000 men and their families fed with 5 loaves and 3 fish......a sundial running backward, three kids in a fiery furnace....Need I go on? This is only a crumb compared to all the supernatural stuff that happens in our world.
So....Why all the fear? Why all the denial? No. I'm not talking about occult. I am talking about the simple facts of our life.
Because it was prophesied that in the latter days some will depart from faith .....
1 Timothy 4:1Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;[SUP]2 [/SUP]Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
Paul spoke about that iniquity as the cause of this falling away from the faith in 2 Thessalonians 2nd chapter...
2 Thessalonians 2:1Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,[SUP] 2 [/SUP]That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.[SUP]3 [/SUP]Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come,
except there come a falling away first, ..........[SUP]7 [/SUP]For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
How many tongue speakers say that by "opening themselves up" to let the Lord work through them or receive the Holy Spirit after a sign of tongues which comes with no interpretation?
he who now let will let until he be taken out of the way? Who? The Restrainer? The Holy Spirit? No. He forever abides.... but the restraining part.. allowing something to enter... that it? You discern with Him as we continue...
[SUP]9 [/SUP]Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. [SUP]11 [/SUP]And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: [SUP]12 [/SUP]That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Saved from what? Since the Holy Spirit is still in them for falling away from the faith and can never lose Him. Saved from what is coming next on the earth; the coming fore and the great tribulation after the pre raptured event.
Damned are those saved believers left behind because they can never be received as vessels unto dishonor in His House but to be received later on as vessels unto dishonor in His House for not departing from this iniquity.
Damned for believing the lie that you can receive the Holy Spirit separate from salvation or again for a sign of tongues and that is why God permits that strong delusion to occur in this falling away from the faith.
Paul reminds believers of this reproof towards that lie that you can receive the Holy Spirit again or for the first time apart from salvation.
2 Thessalonians 2:[SUP]13 [/SUP]But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning
chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: [SUP]14 [/SUP]Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. [SUP]15 [/SUP]Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
That is the tradition we have been taught and so any preaching of receiving the Holy Spirit as apart from salvation is a lie and the iniquity that is causing many to fall away from the faith.
If anybody thinks tongue speakers are not saved... think again. Paul did not say that. And I did not apply the scripture in saying that either as explained.
In the 3rd chapter of Thessalonians, Paul continues to address those that will fall away from the faith, not after the tradition taught of us. and are disorderly... to withdraw from them.... as a commandment from the Lord touching us as in helping us to do that when it is time... as 2 Thessalonians 3:1-7 testifies, but in 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15, we are to withdraw not to treat them as the enemy, but admonish them as brothers still.
The Lord will lose none of all the Father has given Him ( John 6:39-40 ) and so because of the falling away from the faith, God will judge His House first ( 1 Peter 4:17-19 ) as we can trust Him as our faithful Creator in the keeping of the souls of His saints left behind that will suffer the coming fire on the earth ( Luke 12:40-49 ) & the subsequent coming great tribulation as a result ( 1 Corinthians 5:4-5 )
1 Corinthians 5:[SUP]4 [/SUP]In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
[SUP]5 [/SUP]To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
So anyway... do you see my concern for the body of Christ in these latter days where faith is hard to find or not?
God can still recover some from this snare of the devil while the door to the Marriage Supper is open. I am hoping in Him that He will, while keeping me abiding in Him for I place all my hopes and trust in Him as my Good Shepherd to help me to follow Him in all things by the grace of God.