That's Kingdom Hall doctrine. But not Biblical!
Satan loves it when his messengers convince people there is no everlasting fire that Jesus clearly warned us about!
Luke 16
19 "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.' 25 But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.
Dear Jack,
Scripture is written in the spiritual language of Christ which uses spiritual symbols to teach its messages. If you can't believe that truth, there is nothing I can say to help you accept it. A person must receive the Latter Rain for their spiritual blindness to be healed. Once it is healed, they will have "eyes that can see" and "ears that can ear". Only then will the spiritual language of scripture will open up to them and they will see Christ (God's Word) for the first time.
Heb 9:28 So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
Christ appears to a new believer
in the flesh after they receive the Early Rain. This means that they can only see Christ
carnally. From that carnal understanding, the true Christ will remain
concealed. Because all called out believers remain spiritually blind after receiving the Early Rain, it is easy for Satan to masquerade as Christ and deceive them. Satan does this through the spirit of anti-Christ. It is that spirit which devoured the entire church shortly after the Apostles died. This is the apostasy which Paul said was coming to the church. After the church became apostate near the end of the 1st century, it has spiritually killed all new believers who have been "called out from the world". When Christ comes a second time to them (if they are one of His Elect), He will pour out the Latter Rain upon them which will heal their spiritual blindness. Only then will the true Christ appear to them. This is their moment of salvation/redemption/conversion (First Resurrection).
The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares teaches this truth which I have explained above. The story of the possessed man in Mat 8:28-32 also teaches this truth.
Christ also teaches this truth in the scripture below:
Mat 12:43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself SEVEN other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
The spiritual symbol of an unclean spirit represents a spirit which teaches Satan's false truth through lies and deceptions.
Since a new believer remains
spiritually blind (
Mark 8:21-25) after receiving the Early Rain of the Spirit (the Holy Spirit of Promise,
Eph 1:13-14), they cannot replace their worldly false beliefs with the truth of Christ. ONE unclean spirit leaves but comes back with SEVEN more. The number "seven" represents perfection. In this case, the number seven represents the perfection of Satan's lies/deceptions which come to a believer by the indwelling of the spirit of anti-Christ. Now, instead of ONE unclean spirit within the believer, they now have EIGHT. The number eight is a spiritual symbol which represents a
new spiritual condition. In this case, the new spiritual condition is
worse than the first.
This "worse than the first" spiritual condition causes the believer to become a
False Prophet, a
Man of Sin, a
Minister of Satan and a
Seven Headed Beast with Ten Horns & Crowns. This is what caused the church to become apostate and why it is necessary for Christ to "come again" to His Elect. When He comes to them, He will bring salvation and conversion.
There really is no point in continuing our discussion if you are not starting to see Christ spiritually.
Paul had the same trouble with the churches he started:
1Cor 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 3 For ye are yet carnal...
Until a believer receives the Latter Rain and is converted, the truth of scripture (even the milk of the Word) will remain concealed to them.
Joe
www.christianityboard.com
