Dear Earburner,
You said:
I perceive that by your words: "the fallen away Gentile Elect" aka "the fallen away believers:", you are meaning the Protestant religions.
Correct me if I am wrong.
The "church" means the "called out ones" and is anyone who has received the Early Rain. When called out believers group together, it makes no difference by what name they call themselves. The last I heard, there are around 2,000 different denominations/sects of Christianity in the world. They all claim to have the correct understanding of the truth but, in fact, none of them do. They are places were the "blind lead the blind" and because they are blind, Satan easily deceives them by teaching them his false gospel. Satan's gospel of "works" is very pleasing to mankind's carnal nature. Because it is, a spiritually blind believer will easily and quickly accept it as being the truth of Christ.
Christ said this:
Luke 5:39 No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, the old is better.
When a person is called out from the world and enters the "church", their carnal nature remains in control of them. The earnest amount of the Spirit is not strong enough to destroy their carnality. Because the new believer remains carnal, they will drink the Old Wine because it just makes more sense to them, regardless of what scripture actually teaches.
The Old Covenant is based on the outward "works" of man to make themselves acceptable to Christ. Satan re-enforces this preference by the deception of the spirit of anti-Christ. It is a very powerful deception which keeps the believer under the Law and in bondage to sin. Only when Christ comes and gives the believer the Latter Rain, will they prefer the New Wine. The New Wine represents the blood of Christ which He shed for the New Covenant of Grace through Faith.
Here is one place where Christ teaches what happens to a new believer after they receive the Early Rain:
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 new "worse than the first" spiritual condition is called a Man of Sin. The pathway to salvation (since the corruption of the church in the 1st century) requires that all believers come under Satan's deceptions and become a Man of Sin. In this condition, a believer will outwardly look like Christ but inwardly, they are not.
2Cor 11:4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
You said:
Edit 1: As an open minded born again Christian, I do hear what you are saying, and could almost be partly there for full understanding, but only time and the Lord's Spirit will help me to digest it fully for correct discernment. I DO NOT trust in the wisdom of men, but rather only those things that He confirms by His Spirit. 1 Cor. 2:5. So, I am careful in where my faith stands.
I say to only trust in God's Word (which is Christ) and in the truth it reveals by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. If anyone wants to convince me of anything, they must present a double witness of scripture.
After a called out believer receives the Latter Rain, their spiritual blindness will be healed. This gift of "eyes that can see" is one of the keys to salvation. Understanding the truth of Christ from scripture is what "reveals" the Man of Sin and is what causes us to "see" the Abomination of Desolation - both of which have occurred to the believer while he was spiritually blind. With the truth of Christ, its knowledge will bring judgment to the Man of Sin and destroy him. Also, with the gift of the Latter Rain, the believer's marred spiritual nature (Mystery Babylon the Great Harlot) will also quickly be destroyed. The destruction of both happens quickly, in "one hour" (Rev 18:10). With their destruction, the believer is "born again" and is converted. After they are converted, all that is left of their judgment is the judgment of their carnal mind. Its thoughts and beliefs must also be destroyed and replaced with the truth of Christ. It is a slow spiritual process. In the end, the believer will have the "mind of Christ".
John the Baptist, who is a "type" for the Old Man (the carnal mind, the head) said this:
John 3:30 He (Christ) must increase, but I (Old Man) must decrease.
And Paul said this:
Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our Old Man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Crucifixion is a slow death. It happens by the chastisement of Christ and by receiving stronger nourishment from Christ (bread & meat) instead of milk.
Once a believer is converted, they will no longer be able to fellowship with any believers in the apostate church. For that reason, I do not attend any church and haven't since I was converted in 2005. The Elect are very "few" in number and are difficult to find. I know a few Elect believers online but distance prohibits any in-person fellowship.
These verses apply:
Luke 16:26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
2Cor 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
Make no mistake, the churches in the world are NOT Christian. They are walking in darkness and are under Satan's complete control. They have an outward appearance of Christ, but within, they are full of dead men's bones:
Mat 23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
Have you ever studied the pathway to salvation which is presented throughout scripture? It is presented mostly "here a little and there a little" (Isa 28:10) but there are some teachings which provide a good portion of the details. Paul's conversion experience is one of those teachings.
Paul received the Early Rain on the Damascus Road and the Latter Rain in Damascus. There are many details presented in between him receiving the two Rains.
Scripture even says that Paul's conversion is the "pattern" all the Elect will follow:
1Tim 1:16 Howbeit for this cause, I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
The "longsuffering of Christ" occurs up until the Elect believer is converted. As I said, I was in the apostate church for 32 years before I was converted. Christ's suffered with me for a long time. But of course, I did not realize it at the time because I was dwelling in "peace and safety" under Satan's deceptions.
If you want me to post Paul's conversion experience, I can do so.
Joe
