Come and See
Chapter 10 of the Gospel of John
Verily, Verily
Part v
Shall Never See Death
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. (John 10:1)
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Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men. (Psalm 66:5)
For I [know] their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see my glory. (Isaiah 66:18)
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He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about tenth hour. (John 1:39)
And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. (John 1:46)
And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. (John 11:34)
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Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; (Philippians 1:27)
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And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.(Revelation 6:1)
And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.(Revelation 6:3)
And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. (Revelation 6:5)
And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. (Revelation 6:7)
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Introduction
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Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. (John 8:51)
  In our study of John 10:1, I mentioned, Verily, verily, or truly, truly, or Amen and Amen, and I am moved to return to this important point. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. (John 10:1) In the racing world, it would be known as a pit stop to prepare our car for what is ahead, to open up our chances to see the invisible. So, I am moved to return to this point of importance not only for the value of Verily, verily, but how the Spirit of Christ uses this combination throughout the gospel of John, and ONLY IN the gospel of John. It is evident that the three gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke are predominately of the earth. However, John by the Spirit of God takes us into the unseen world, into the mind of Christ, and into the revelation of God. We pass from the temporal world to the spiritual world in the first three gospels in that we can see the horizon of the earth: Matthew being the gospel of the king, Mark reveals God’s faithful servant in every way, and Luke unfolds the Son of man in a divine form as the Man from heaven. However, in John, we have heavenly things such as the eternal Word being made flesh and being God. Angels ascend and descend upon the Son of man as the Spirit of God looks down from above wherein the three preceding gospels it is the world looking up. In the gospel according to John, it is the Spirit of Christ opening to us spiritual truths found nowhere else in the Scriptures. This reveals the very importance of Verily, verily in the gospel of John. Before we begin, I will list all the verses that have the words Verily, verily.
1. And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. (John 1:51)
2. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.(John 3:3)
3. Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and [of] the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (John 3:5)
4. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. (John 3:11)
5. Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. (John 5:19)
6. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24)
7. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. (John 5:25)
8. Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. (John 6:26)
9.Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. (John 6:32)
10.Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. (John 6:47)
11.Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. (John 6:53)
12. Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. (John 8:34)
13. Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. (John 8:51)
14. Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. (John 8:58)
15. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. (John 10:1)
16.Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. (John 10:7)
17. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. (John 12:24)
18.Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. (John 13:16)
19. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. (John 13:20)
20. When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. (John 13:21)
21. Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice. (John 13:38)
22.Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. (John 14:12)
23.Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. (John 16:20)
24. And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give [it] you. (John 16:23)
25. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry [thee] whither thou wouldest not. (John 21:18)
  The different subject matter found with each Verily, verily is extremely important. The Spirit of God emphasizes these verses so that we might know and understand the mind of the Spirit of Christ. Let’s take each Verily, verily together, and open the mind of the Spirit so that we might understand and receive of the glories of Christ. This will take some time, but I believe that this will be our only opportunity to see these truths within the veil. I suggest that you read the previous articles on Verily, verily.
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He IS . . . .
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Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. (John 8:51)
  I ask, Who said this? It was the Son of God, who has the power of an endless life WITHIN Himself, the divine Being who possess life . . . ALL life WITHIN Himself. Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. (Hebrews 7:16)
the Prince of Life
But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; (Acts 3:14) And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. (Acts 3:15)
the Bread of Life
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. (John 6:35)
the Light of Life.Â
In him was life; and the life was the light of men. (John 1:4)
the Power of Life.
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: (John 11:25) And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? (John 11:26)
  He LIVES in that life through the power of His OWN resurrection because within His divine Person is both the Resurrection and the Life. When the Lord Jesus made the statement If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death, the Jews stated that He had a devil.
Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? (John 8:48)
Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. (John 8:49)
And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth. (John 8: 50)
Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. (John 8:51)
Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. (John 8:52)
  Prior to verse 51, in verse 48, the crowd (all the people) declared that the Lord Jesus had a devil. And after this, Verily, verily of John 51, the Jews, the crowd in verse 52, again declared that He had a devil. This is the way of Adam. For there is no righteousness within man. This is the way of the world, the flesh, and the devil. They condemn Christ for what they are themselves: children of the devil.
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. (John 8:44)
 Man in Adam (whether Jew or Gentile) cannot stand the righteousness of God. In contrast, as an example, it is like putting a burnt-out wooden log with all its blackness up against the purity of light on a white linen cloth. The unrighteousness of man has darkened his eyes. Man is so consumed with the earth that there is no room in his heart for a supernatural spiritual life given by God. Just for an example, if there was a snake oil salesman in John 8:51 selling an elixir of great value that would give life and when anyone purchased this elixir, they would never see death, the line would be endless. We, however, know the nature of the snake oil salesman for the serpent himself (the devil) gives his bite in his tainted elixir of lies.
  Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. (John 8:51) Who but the Creator and Fulfiller of ALL things could make such a profound statement. He is the Center, and ALL things radiate from Him both the seen and the unseen, both the carnal and the spiritual. Even the devils recognized Him as the Son of God. How would they identify Him? They saw the image of God, and they knew the likeness of His eternal image of the invisible God.
And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, (Mark 1:23) Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. (Mark 1:24)
  It was not only the Pharisees and of the Sadducees who did not believe, but unbelief also included ALL the Jews who were present at that time. It is amazing that this meeting or proclamation took place within the temple. What better place to discuss life everlasting. However, the subject of life was IN Christ, not in them. The Lord Jesus stated If a man keep my saying, which are many through the course of the history of mankind, that the soul who believes in the Lord Jesus SHALL NEVER SEE DEATH. This is confirmed by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself in John 11, verses 25 and 26. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: (John 11:25) And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? (John 11:26) The words shall never die, dove tailed with the words of John 51, SHALL NEVER SEE DEATH. Once again, these words take us into another world: into the world of the unseen, and the miracle of the power of God.
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The Power of God
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  Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. (Matthew 22:29) Christ is the power of God not only in life, but also in death. It is through and by Jesus Christ that ALL things were made. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:3)
 He also (as the God of creation) upholds ALL things that He has made with the word of His power. 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; (Hebrews 1:2)
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; (Hebrews 1:3)
  The world, and they who dwell therein, have been under God’s power THROUGH the Lord Jesus Christ since the very first revelation of God to mankind, In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1) All that He created was under His power, both the things in heaven and the things on earth. He molded both the seen and the unseen according to His will and purpose. God continually directed the very power and purpose of His own will through the history of creation, and the history of man.
  Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. These words should thrill the hearts of all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ for this would be the eternal work that Christ would fulfill on the cross of Calvary according to His divine power when He removed sin out of the world and overthrew death by His own death upon the cross.
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; (Hebrews 2:14) And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (Hebrews 2:15)
And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. (1st John 3:5)
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2nd Corinthians 5:21)
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)
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The Power of God Through the Lamb of God
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  In the very first Chapter in the gospel of John we are led by the Spirit of God to see the day of atonement in the Lamb of God. In the eternal realm of God this Lamb is His beloved Son, and Christ, and before the foundation of the world He (Christ) was determined by God to be the Lamb of God. The determinate counsels of God fulfilled the work of redemption on the cross of Calvary by the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)
  Think on this scene when John proclaimed to the whole world that THIS IS THE LAMB OF GOD. THIS IS THE SACRIFICE. THIS IS THE SIN OFFERING. We know that John was sent of God, we know that his conception and his birth were also supernatural. It was beyond the power of man. John was placed at that moment of time to present to the world and to Adam’s race the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. John was fulfilling all the Old Testament prophetic writing concerning himself, and the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. John, himself, was proclaiming a prophetic future, he was heralding that THIS Lamb of God would be the sacrifice of God to take sin out of the world. Adam had cursed all of mankind by bringing sin into the world. Christ had come to take sin OUT of the world, and to give life everlasting.
 This great announcement took place at a specific location: the river Jordan. This revelation of God was revealed to Israel and to the world at the exact spot where the nation of Israel entered into the land. Why there? All were there (whether or not ALL knew what they were about to see) because they were to be witnesses to a scene set between two realms: the realm of the seen and the realm of the unseen: where the past would be completed in the present, and the present would be achieved in the future. John the Baptist and Christ the Lamb of God met together at the river Jordan to accomplish and to witness the power of God in righteousness. The following references set the stage.
These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. (John 1:28)
In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,(Matthew 3:1)
And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 3:2)
For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. (Matthew 3:3)
And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. (Matthew 3:4)
Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, (Matthew 3:5)
And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. (Matthew 3:6)
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (Matthew 3:7)
Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:Â (Matthew 3:8)
And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. (Matthew 3:9)
Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. (Matthew 3:13)
But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? (Matthew 3:14)
And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. (Matthew 3:15)
And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:Â (Matthew 3:16)
And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:17)
  There was another unseen witness to this scene at the river Jordan. And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. (Matthew 3:9) These stones! What stones? John referred to the twelve stones that laid unseen under the waters of the Jordan, and to the twelve stones that were visible piled on the ground. And these twelve stones still witness every day to all who read Matthew 3:9. These stones still have a voice, and they still speak as witnesses to the greatness of the power of God in the Lamb of God.
  Here is the revelation of these twelve stones: on the day that the children of Israel passed THROUGH the Jordan, Joshua (Savior) told the men of Israel to take twelve stones from the bed of the Jordan and place them on dry ground to be a witness that God brought Israel THROUGH the river of death to a new life in a new land. That was the scene, however, in the prophetic picture on the very spot that the priests stood holding the Ark of the Covenant Joshua told the men of Israel to take twelve stones FROM the dry land and to place them (in the waters of the Jordan) at the very feet of the priests who bore up the Ark of the Covenant. This is the unseen. History then passed by, and again another throng of Israelites gathered at the Jordan to be baptized by John (who was the true and last high priest of Israel). Can you prove any of this preacher?
There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. (Luke 1:5) And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. (Luke 1:6)
  In verse 5 we see that Zacharias was of the course of Abia. When you trace Abia in the Old Testament you will find a direct line with the genealogy of Aaron, then we have Elisabeth. God makes sure that we understand that she was of the daughters of Aaron. This is a confirmation that her genealogy (as Noah’s genealogy) was pure back to the days of Aaron, the first high priest of Israel.
Side Note: the baptism of the Lord Jesus is recorded in both the gospel of Luke and in the gospel of Matthew: Chapter 3 in Luke, and Chapter 3 in Matthew.) Let’s move from Matthew Chapter 3 to the book of Joshua Chapter 3. ♦ End of Side Note.
Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. (Joshua 3:11)
Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. (Joshua 3:12)
And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap. (Joshua 3:13)
And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; (Joshua 3:14)
And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) (Joshua 3:15)
That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. (Joshua 3:16)
And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan. (Joshua 3:17)
God sets before all of humanity the way of life and the way of death.
 In these verses in Chapter 3 from the book of Joshua, the Holy Spirit has a lot to give us from the unseen. There are spiritual lessons in the children of Israel passing over the river Jordan. In verse 14, the children of Israel pass OVER Jordan. In verse 16, the people passed OVER, and yet, we see that they passed THROUGH the Jordan on dry ground. Why did the Holy Spirit (through Joshua) use the words passed over, the Spirit of God wants us to see that the presence of the Ark of the Covenant was their PASSAGE THROUGH death. These waters were NOT PARTED (as the Red Sea parted in their exodus from Egypt), the northern section of the Jordan WALLED up as a HEAP by God’s own powerful hand for Mercy and truth was the presence of the Ark of the Covenant. The waters to the south, however, flowed away down into the Dead Sea. This brings us to the verse in Jeremiah21:8 And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death. God sets before all of humanity the way of life and the way of death.
  Can you not see (with the eyes of your minds) the huge wall of water on one side, able to crush and drown those under its power, and then on the other side, see the horrendous force of death in the waters that flowed downward into the Dead Sea where salt and brim destroy all life?
  God used these two symbols (life and death) as a message to the nation of Israel (and to us) that in the Jordan was the Ark of the Covenant, the feet of the priests standing in the waters of life and death and holding the Ark of the Covenant preserved the nation of Israel from death. God was declaring that He would give them life, and that He was also the minister of death. However, the Ark was mercy and truth to the nation of Israel just as in the gospel of John grace and truth came by the Lord Jesus Christ.
  There are so many lessons in this section of Joshua Chapter 3. At the very point where the waters stood in a heap, the Holy Spirit stated that it was very far from the city Adam. The Ark of the Covenant in this symbolism divides the nation of Israel from the realm of Adam’s sin. This is a foreshadow of the Lord Jesus delivering not only Israel (the Jew) but the Gentile as well. A little-known fact that among the children of Israel who came out of Egypt there were Gentiles among them; thus, as we have been given the New Testament, we can see that both Jew and Gentile passed over the Jordan in type of the True Ark of the Covenant, the Lord Jesus Christ, giving eternal salvation to both Jew and Gentile. At this place far from the city Adam on the edge of the river of death stood life in the Ark of the Covenant and in type removing both Jew and Gentile from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and presenting the tree of life to all those who put their trust in the Ark of the Covenant.
Side Note: Priests in Joshua Chapter 3. Seven (7) times the word priests are recorded. There is no mention of a high priest, or of a single priest, but seven times we have the mention of priests. Why? Because Israel’s True High Priest was the Ark of the Covenant. Here in Chapter 3 is the deliberate absence of the mention of a physical tangible visible high priest because ALL of God’s righteousness and holiness is centered in the Ark of the Covenant, God’s presence with them. He was Priest and King.
Now of the things which we have spoken [this is] the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; (Hebrews 8:1)
Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. (Zechariah 6:13) ♦ End of Side Note: Priest in Joshua 3.
  Let us follow the trail of the unification in type of the seen and unseen in the high priest of Israel. Both Zechariah (John’s father) and Elisabeth (John’s mother) were direct descendants of Aaron, the first high priest of the nation of Israel. John the Baptist was the last high true priest of the seen for the unseen (the True High Priest Christ) had come. There would arise another priest after the order of Melchisedec in Jesus Christ. But let us not get ahead of ourselves. Not only the genealogy of John is the proof, but the miracle of his birth also shows God’s divine purpose in his life. John Chapter 1 states that John was a man SENT of God, and John also stated of himself that God had spoken to him concerning the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Lamb of God. So, what must take place? Jordan MUST be parted. I’m speaking of the unseen: remember the twelves stones UNDER NEATH the river Jordan all those years as the waters had flowed over them. But now was the time that the True Ark of the Covenant was to be revealed, and the true high priest of Israel (which was John the Baptist) would reveal HIM, the True High Priest. The Lord did not come to the Jordan to be baptized unto life; He came to be baptized unto His own death yet to come at the cross of Calvary. It was HERE in the symbol of His death by baptism that the righteousness of God would be displayed in the Person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. John wanted to be baptized by the Lord for John KNEW that there stood One among them, One greater then ALL men, ONE who was from above, ONE who had been manifested from the unseen and was displayed as the image of a holy and righteous God. The Lord Jesus (knowing the fullness of time) instructed John to baptize Him, so that they both would take part in fulfilling all righteousness.
Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. (Matthew 3:13)
But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? (Matthew 3:14)
And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. (Matthew 3:15)
And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: (Matthew 3:16)
And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:17)
  Now both John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus went into the Jordan. The feet of John approached the hidden twelve stones that had laid there for all those years WAITING for the fulfillment of the very promises given to Abraham. (All twelve sons of Jacob were represented in these twelve stones.) Matthew’s gospel is the gospel of the King and He had come to deliver Israel; yet they would not receive Him, however, God openly displayed His Son as the vehicle of true righteousness. Let’s return to the twelve stones on the shore. What did John say as it was documented in the gospel of Matthew? God is ABLE of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. WHAT STONES? It was THESE STONES, these TWELVE STONES crying out, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world as a witness of the precepts of God and His determinate counsels. Now, both John and the Lord Jesus went into the river of death where the Lord Jesus was baptized unto His own death upon Calvary’s cross. Think of the action that took place. John laid hold and cradled the Lord and submerges Him beneath the Jordan. The true seen yet unseen high priest (although neither recognized, nor acknowledged as being Israel’s true high priest) bearing the unseen yet seen True High Priest and the True Ark of the Covenant (although neither recognized, nor acknowledged as being Israel’s true High Priest and King) to fulfill God’s righteous plan of redemption.
 At this phenomenal moment in time when the Lord returned from under the waters of death, the Spirit of God descended upon Him, and the heavens opened. And for the first time since the last words from Malachi, approximately four hundred silent years were broken to the nation by the voice of God the Father from heaven saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. This was not the angel who declared the Lord’s birth, or the angel who spoke to Mary, or the angel in the temple who spoke to Zechariah, or the angel who spoke to Joseph in a dream. This was God the Father opening the windows of heaven and proclaiming, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. God was broadcasting to Israel that her Messiah had come, that her King was in her presence, and that He was sent to deliver them. He was in the world, and the world knew Him not, He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. What a wonderful occasion: the river of death revealed life in Jesus Christ. The voice from heaven proclaimed the authority of heaven, proclaimed without any restraint that THIS JESUS CHRIST was the beloved Son of God SENT to the nation of Israel and to the world. THIS WAS and IS the Son of God’s love. Remember, that this was at the EXACT spot that Israel crossed over into their new land. In the Jordan we have both death and life. Death is buried under the waters in the twelve stones, and life is revealed in the twelve stones on the dry land. John made a specific statement concerning the twelve stones on the dry land that God is able to raise up children BOTH to Himself and to Abraham OUT of THOSE twelve stones which symbolized the twelve sons of Jacob; therefore, God is able out of a dead nation, out of a nation who had rejected God to raise up children unto Himself. The true high priest (John) and the True Ark of the Covenant (Priest and King) met at the very spot that God withstood the waters of the Jordan and the nation passed over on dry ground. Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. (Zechariah 6:13)
But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;Â (Hebrews 9:11)
Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. (Hebrews 9:12)
For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:(Hebrews 9:13)
How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:14)
And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. (Hebrews 9:15)
For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. (Hebrews 9:16)
For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. (Hebrews 9:17)
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: (Hebrews 9:24)
Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; (Hebrews 9:25)
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. (Hebrews 9:26)
  Peter, by the Spirit of God, gives us another view of the Lamb of God. Peter relates the SAME infallible proof in his 1st epistle in Chapter 1, verses 18-23.
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;Â (1st Peter 1:18)
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: (1st Peter 1:19)
Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, (1st Peter 1:20)
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. (1st Peter 1:21)
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: (1st Peter 1:22)
Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. (1st Peter 1:23)
  Peter gives us a postscript concerning the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. When Christ on the cross removed sin, removed Adam, and removed death we were not redeemed by corruptible things, nor by the tangible things of this world such as silver or gold. Nothing of this world of corruption (whether they are the traditions of men or of the fathers that continually perverts the word of God for their own gain) could redeem man from the evils of sin. Neither the tangible (the wealth of this world) nor the intangible (the lies and traditions of this world) can redeem mankind from sin. We are redeemed (and Peter puts it right to the heart) with the precious blood of Christ. Peter reached back to the time at the Jordan and shows us the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. Only a sinless One could remove sin; therefore, Christ had no blemish within, and He was without spot without. As the Song of love states of the Bridegroom, Thou [art] all fair, my love; [there is] no spot in thee. (Song of Songs 4:7) There was no taint of sin, nor of Adam IN or ON the Lord Jesus Christ. He was the Lamb of God which was the MANIFEST IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD. He was foreordained to His position as the Lamb of God BEFORE the foundation of the world. He was manifested in these last times for us who live by the power of the Spirit of Christ within.
  In 1st Peter 1:23we have a very important message from the Spirit of God. Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. First, we must be born again, and we cannot be born again by the corruptible seed of Adam. Secondly, it is by the incorruptible Seed of God, that holy thing, that was SENT from heaven’s glory and implanted in Mary’s womb to be the Son of God. This is the incorruptible Seed which we find in Galatians 3:16. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. We learn of this Seed, this incorruptible Seed by the word of God, the Living Word of God which liveth and abideth forever. In the two seeds, we have one that is corruptible and has been corrupted, this is the seed of Adam and all of humanity. And because the very seed is corrupt by sin, there is no hope within Adam. But then we see the incorruptible Seed, this Seed comes from above, and has no eternal connection with the genealogy of Adam, or the human race. The Seed is a heavenly Seed given of God and manifest in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah 6:9, For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
  You see the mystic of the Spirit of God in Isaiah 9:6. For unto us a child is born. This is the holy Seed from heaven. The next section of this verse verifies this, unto us a son is given. This takes us to God’s beloved Son, the Son of His love being the incorruptible Seed, and through HIM this corruptible will put on incorruption. This mortal will put on immortality, and will have life in Christ, and SHALL NEVER SEE DEATH.
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Who Is The Eternal?
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  The word of God is not just one revelation. It has many revelations throughout its pages. Although the last book of the Bible bears the word revelation, it is the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave to Him. This takes us back to BEFORE the foundations of the world when Christ according to Peter was foreordained to be the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. Christ was the divine Seed in all purity. He was SENT from above as the heavenly Man to replace Adam for Adam must go, Adam had to be removed for flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Flesh and blood are under the judgment of God because of sin. Sin corrupted all the seed of mankind, so it was needful for God to send His Seed into the world to fulfill all righteousness, to cast OUT Adam and SIN, and to overthrow DEATH.
  In Galatians 3:17 we have the everlasting covenant that was given to Abraham in the Lord Jesus Christ. This was four hundred and thirty years BEFORE the Law. All these divine promises given to Abraham are met in this Seed which was SENT from heaven in Christ Jesus. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. We have the everlasting covenant that was given to Abraham and all the promises that are written in the word of God concerning Abraham will be fulfilled, and they are met in the Seed from heaven which is Christ. In the life of Abraham, we have the visible or seen written in the pages of Scripture both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. God wants us to see the tangible and moveable life (God called him out of Ur of Chaldees to the land of promise) of Abraham within the Scriptures. God also wants us to see the precepts of the heavenly in the unseen world, many of which are revealed in the New Testament. Stephen in the book of Acts, Chapter 7, reveals that Christ manifested Himself in a physical form at the call of Abraham. It was the God of glory who appeared to Abraham according to Stephen in Acts 7, now if we want to understand the God of glory let’s turn to the book of Hebrews, Chapter 1, verse 3, here the Holy Spirit of God tells us that Christ is THE FULLNESS of God’s glory, therefore, it was the Lord Jesus who appeared to Abraham in Ur of Chaldees. Abraham SAW Jesus Christ while he was still in Ur of Chaldees. This was a divine call to Abraham for out of Abraham came the future seed which would be fulfilled when both Abraham and Sara were beyond childbearing. This seed would be Isaac, which would be a revelation of a divine Seed to come, and those who are born of this divine Seed are heavenly citizens and created beings of the most high God. Abraham understood the promise of eternal life.
By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, (Hebrews 11:17) Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:(Hebrews 11:18) Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure. (Hebrews 11:19)
  This was explained to Abraham at his meeting with Melchisedec (in His position of divine priesthood) in the bread and in the wine. And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. In this meeting in Genesis Chapter 14, verse 18, the Lord Jesus revealed His day, and Abraham rejoiced in THAT day, for Abraham understood that God was going to send a Seed to redeem man from sin. This is proven in Hebrews 11 verses 8 – 19.
By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.(Hebrews 11:8)
By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: (Hebrews 11:9)
For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. (Hebrews 11:10)
Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. (Hebrews 11:11)
Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. (Hebrews 11:12)
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. (Hebrews 11:13)
For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. (Hebrews 11:14)
And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. (Hebrews 11:15)
But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. (Hebrews 11:16)
By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, (Hebrews 11:17)
Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: (Hebrews 11:18)
Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure. (Hebrews 11:19)
 Later after Abraham, Aaron was made a physical and earthly TYPE of the divine priesthood that was from ABOVE in Melchisedec. The Lord Jesus Christ, Melchisedec, was ordained from ABOVE. Christ was anointed with the oil of gladness, and this anointing bore the eternal name: Jesus THE Christ, and He was confirmed with an oath. And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest: (Hebrews 7:20) (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:) (Hebrews 7:21)
 What do you think of when you read Psalm 110? It is a psalm of perfection. We see this in the SEVEN verses.
<<A Psalm of David.>>Â The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. (Psalm 110:1)
The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. (Psalm 110:2)
Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. (Psalm 110:3)
The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. (Psalm 110:4)
The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. (Psalm 110:5)
He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries. (Psalm 110:6)
He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head. (Psalm 110:7)
 It is not only prophecy looking forward into the future, which was confirmed by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself in Matthew 22:42 – 46, but it draws eternity and time together around the Perfection and Person of Christ.
Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. (Matthew 22:42)
He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, (Matthew 22:43)
The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? (Matthew 22:44)
If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? (Matthew 22:45)
And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions. (Matthew 22:46)
  This Scripture in Matthew took place when the Pharisees had gathered themselves together reminding us of Psalm 2. The Lord Jesus asked them a question, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? If you read the text, you will see that they had no answer to the Lord’s entire question. The Lord Jesus reached back further then the annals of human history, when He recited Psalm 110:1, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. This is a very important lesson: for Psalm 110 begins from the foundations of the earth to the future eternal state when all is gathered together in Jesus Christ, and all His enemies are vanquished. This prophetic writing in Psalm 110 not only looks forward but looks back through the clouds of history as the Old Testament reveals ALL the enemies of God. Understand that this was a crossroad for the Pharisees in the very question that He asked. What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? We are so fortunate today although this question still confronts every person born of Adam, this question has been completely addressed in the book of Hebrews Chapter 1 where, again, we find the Son of God sat down and His enemies are made His footstool.
  The apostle Paul, through the Spirit of God, reveals the eternal Christ as both Son and God for in verse 8 He is addressed with ALL deity, with ALL righteousness, and He is on His throne and anointed with the oil of gladness above His fellows. Also, we see that the foundations of the world were put in place by the Lord Jesus Christ. We see that the heavens have been metered out by the works of His hands. And don’t forget the first word that begins the book of Hebrews, the word is GOD! The very first word transcends the entire Chapter as an introduction to the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ as GOD HIMSELF. God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, (Hebrews 1:1)
  In Matthew Chapter 22:42-46 the Lord draws from Psalm 110. This Psalm is not only a prophecy, but the quote of the Lord in Matthew 22 points back BEFORE the foundations of the earth. This is the foreknowledge of God that ALL the enemies of God will be laid at the feet of His Son, Jesus Christ. Psalm 110 also goes all the way to the Lord’s second advent. We should understand that this statement that was made, and which the Lord quoted, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool was first a statement made BEFORE the foundations of the world. His enemies were forecast and later revealed in Psalm 2 where we see the enemies of God listed in the heathen, the people, the kings of the earth, and the rulers that they ALL counseled together against the Lord and against His anointed (Christ anointed with the oil of gladness).
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? (Psalm 2:1) The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, (Psalm 2:2) Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. (Psalm 2:3)
 Verse 6 of Psalm 2 looks further into the future (which will take place during the history of man) Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. However, the King already existed in eternity as God’s beloved Son. He is the Eternal King before time. Man (because he is a creature of time) thinks that God in Christ had no existence before time. Boy, is man wrong! The Bible, God’s Word, has much to say about the period BEFORE creation. But man does not want to see because sin has blinded his eyes to the God of all eternity. The time of man in Adam is but a small ink spot on the fabric of eternity. The Lord Jesus is the Center of all God’s revelation to mankind. For Christ as Jesus Christ created man in His own image, in the image of God created He them. The He is Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God. Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. (Colossians1:15) This makes the manifestation of God in Jesus Christ upon the earth a Supernatural manifestation. He must be the Supernatural God with the power of an endless life to make a promise as in John 8:51, or the promise of resurrection in John 11:25 and 26.
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:Â (John 11:25) And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? (John 11:26)
  These are promises of a Supernatural God that will bring His will to pass giving life to those who love Him and raising those who have committed their lives to Him. Anything less, He could not be, a Being with the power of an endless life. (Hebrews 7:16) The Lord Jesus is quite capable of fulfilling life, and He is capable of fulling ALL of His promises. The promise in John 8:51 is to EVERY believer keeping the sayings and the commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ that they will NEVER SEE DEATH.
 This presents to us two groups: those who will not see death, and those who will see death. Let’s examine these two groups. First, we have those of John 8:51 who SHALL NEVER SEE DEATH. These are the children of God. They have been born anew by the Spirit of God not of blood, nor by the will of the flesh, nor by the will of man, but of God.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:Â (John 1:12) Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:13)
  Therefore, we must have a spiritual birth because flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (John 3:6) Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. (1st Corinthians 15:50) This removes Adam at the cross, and gives life in the very words, It is finished. It is finished is the divine finality of the Lord’s redemptive work ALL of which took place on the cross. This completely fulfilled what God counts as the culmination of the FULLNESS OF TIME. But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law. (Galatians 4:4) (Let’s think really hard, you know that time just before you get a headache.) From the beginning was the Word in Jesus Christ, He was WITH God, and God the Father and WITH God the Holy Spirit, they ALL embraced each other as the FULLNESS of the Godhead bodily; thus, the manifest image of God would be FATHER, SON and HOLY SPIRIT. I know these words are up hill for many, but nevertheless, it is CHRIST who IS THE FULLNESS of THE GODHEAD BODILY. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. (Colossians 2:9)
  God made the fullness and completeness of His power in the revelation of His Son to mankind. The FULLNESS of God’s power was IN Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. The same power of reconciliation spoke the worlds into existence. Christ is the very power of God’s creatorial Word. He SPOKE the words, and He upholds ALL things by the WORD of HIS POWER. 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; (Hebrews 1:3)
For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:Â (Colossians 1:16) And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. (Colossians 1:17)
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:11)
  This brings us right back to the Center of God’s divine counsel. The Center point is Christ. ALL revolves around Him. When it comes to the brightness of God’s glory it is Christ who possesses this glory. (Hebrews 1:3) This includes the express image of God IN Jesus Christ the Son of God on earth. What man could not see does not mean that it was not there. For man is blind to the spiritual things of God because of sin. When the Lord took the disciples to Mount Sinai and revealed His glory to them their eyes were opened. They were on the mountain that Peter referred to as the holy mount. Christ would be transfigured on this mount because He was separated from the world of sin. It HAD to be the mount of His Law for He had come to fulfill the whole Law. He had come to bring righteousness to man, and to fulfill ALL righteousness. And once again, God the Father spoke from heaven, from out of the cloud, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, here ye him. In John Chapter 11, the Lord Jesus spoke of His power in resurrection, and He has the power of an endless life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. (John 8:51)
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Power Over Death
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  We see in the endless life of the Lord Jesus the very possession of life. In John Chapter 11, we have the raising of Lazarus. What was so unusual about this was that Lazarus was in the grave for four days. The four here speaks of the world and all of mankind because death comes upon all men for it is appointed unto man once to die, and then the judgment. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27)
  This was a promise that the Lord Jesus gave to Martha, AND to the whole world, if they would but listen. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: (John 11:25) And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? (John 11:26) These are the words of DEITY, the Creator of life and the UPHOLDER of life. In this power of an endless life (Hebrews 7:16) (and by being Life) Christ has POWER OVER DEATH. In the power of resurrection, we have the power over death. Christ told Martha that WITHIN HIM, within His Person, IS the resurrection and the life, and He went on to demonstrate His POWER OVER DEATH in this same Chapter in verses 43 and 44.
And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. (John 11:43) And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. (John 11:44)
 In John 11:43 and 44 the Lord demonstrated His power of resurrection. Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days decaying, and yet, the power of an endless life commanded death to flee away. He commanded in such a way that He cried out, Lazarus, come forth. For IN Him is both Life and Light, this is not a physical reference BUT a reference to the POWER of life and the illumination of light that is within Christ Himself.
 The Creator breathed LIFE into man in Adam. And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7) Every child receives breath from God, and every person exhales their last breath under the power of God. This is why we should understand that which is flesh is flesh, and that which is Spirit is spirit. When we (as believers) are born again, we receive the promise of an endless life in Jesus Christ. It is not in our power but in the Lord’s power of life. One of the wonderful portions of Scripture is when the Lord Jesus told His disciples that Lazarus sleeepth.
These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. (John 11:11)
  This verse shows the omniscience of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of man. He had divine faculties because He was God in the flesh. He not only showed His power by bringing forth Lazarus from the grave, but He gives assurance to those who trust Him as the resurrection and the life. In 1st Thessalonians we have those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. In 1st Corinthians 15 the Spirit of God elaborates on how this will all happen.
And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. (1st Corinthians 15:49)
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. (1st Corinthians 15:50)
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, (1st Corinthians 15:51)
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. (1st Corinthians 15:52)
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (1st Corinthians 15:53)
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. (1st Corinthians 15:54)
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? (1st Corinthians 15:55)
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. (1st Corinthians 15:56)
  In verse 49 we have two images. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. We have the image of the earthly in Adam, and the image of the heavenly in Christ. Many read right through this, but this is a great thing, you see that Adam is gone forever, and we will bear the image of the heavenly IN Jesus Christ. There are many Scriptures that relate to the eternal life of the believer. These were all given by the Spirit of God so that man could not interfere with your spiritual life in man’s erroneous doctrines of temporary eternal life; show me the sense in that. This is the falling away doctrine that man likes to perpetrate: that two minutes ago you had eternal life, and then two minutes later you no longer have eternal life. This is the attempt to take away the authority of the power of an endless life from the Lord Himself. When anyone is in Christ, and Christ is in that person, then that person possesses the power of an endless life in Jesus Christ our Lord. Man not only denies his own Creator, but then subjects His Creator to the mere power of man. The darkness that has come over the eyes of Adam and over the eyes of his race has blinded man to the power of the Most High God, Possessor of heaven and earth.
  The Spirit of God (through the Scriptures) wants the born again Christian to experience his endless life in Jesus Christ, not at a future date or time, but NOW. This power of an endless life removes the fear of death as in Hebrews Chapter 2. We are not subject to the bondage of death because Christ has set us free from death. We are those who keep His sayings, and we lay hold of the promise in John 8:51 that we SHALL NEVER SEE DEATH.
  The wonder of this corruptible putting on incorruption, and this mortal putting on immortality has already begun in the child of God born of the Spirit of God. The first thing that the newborn child cries for is to drink milk, the food for growth; in the spiritual realm, it is the Word of God which is the milk from the heart of God. It is the Word of the Spirit within the Lord Jesus Christ. This is why we grow in grace and growing in grace means that we grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. This takes place in two ways: First, with the sincere milk of the word of God. Secondly, it is the divine teaching of the Spirit of God through our knowledge of the Word of God. Of course, man cannot see this. This is part of that unseen world. It takes place in our inner being, in our heart, in our soul, and in our spirit. When anyone lays hold of the Word of God and allows the Spirit of God to teach them, they will behold ALL the wonders which are in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This gives us confidence that we, the sons of God, will not only be translated or called into His presence, but the wonder is that we will be like Him, and we will be like Him in the power of an endless life.
  Christ becomes THAT tree of life that was hidden from Adam, and yet revealed in the manifestation of the Lord Jesus Christ in the image of God. Although we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, it is only a shadow, for the Lord Jesus stands between us and death in the power of His endless life. We have that which is incorruptible, the incorruptible seed of God, and that which is corruptible. The difference between these two seeds is that one is of Adam, (the corruptible seed) and the other seed is the Seed from heaven, which is incorruptible in the Man from heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ.
 Adam’s seed has three flaws: the first flaw is sin. The second flaw is that it is corruptible and has been corrupted. Thirdly, Adam’s seed has no eternal life because it is founded on death. Those who are in Adam and of his seed shall not see life. Death will surround them, and the finality of death is the second death which takes place at the Lord’s great white throne referenced in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. We should understand the corruptible in its fullness. We get a preview of this through the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16: 19- 31.
There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: (Luke 16:19)
And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, (Luke 16:20)
And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. (Luke 16:21)
And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; (Luke 16:22)
And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. (Luke 16:23)
And 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. (Luke 16:24)
But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. (Luke 16:25)
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. (Luke 16:26)
Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: (Luke 16:27)
For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. (Luke 16:28)
Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. (Luke 16:29)
And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. (Luke 16:30)
And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. (Luke 16:31)
Side Note: Why long sections of Scripture. In the articles that I post there is a reason for quoting long sections of Scripture. You might not have a Bible present with you, or the one that you have might not be the STANDARD that the Spirit of God works through. I always use the King James Bible simply because through the centuries it has been well proven to be the STANDARD. The new kids on the block do not seem to have the fruit of the Spirit, or you could say, they don’t taste the same. So, to keep everyone on the same page, I try to use as much Scripture as possible for you definitely do not want a one verse preacher (of which there are many). ♦ End of Side Note: Why long sections of Scripture.
  In Chapter 16 of the gospel of Luke, we have a profound tragedy. We see the future life of the damned. There was a rich man, and according to James this should send up a red flag of despair. Although this rich man had much, in hell there are no possessions of wealth. There is a dominion where the damned go. It is not purgatory, it is hell. This is one of the reasons that the Spirit of God has magnified this portion of Scripture (Luke) to man in Adam so that they might realize the tragedy of sin and death and the absence of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. The interesting part is that when you allow the Spirit of God to teach, you understand that this rich man having died and buried and finding himself in hell he lift up his eyes, that he was not concerned about the loss of his house, his land, his riches, (maybe his fame), but he has realized that he has lost his soul, and he is in torment. I always wonder about those who joke about hell. They think that hell is a place of friendship where they will enjoy their friends. Notice the surroundings of the rich man in Luke 16. He is all alone in a place which is a location of torment meaning that all around him is torment. He is in eternal darkness with only the flames of judgment, and these flames of judgment torment him. We could call these flames, the flames of sins past. We should also notice that there is no time frame in hell. The clock in hell is called torment. It defines the time with agony. Torment without end. Notice also that with Lazarus there was no mention of a barrier. Lazarus walked THROUGH the valley of the shadow of death through the power of the Lord’s endless life. There were no friends to greet the rich man. The jokes were over. He was all alone in the timelessness of flames of torment and judgment. The everlasting God had sent His angels, (and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom) note that is angels (plural), what a greeting committee to bear Lazarus away on angels’ wings. God the Holy Spirit informs us that they carried him to Abraham’s bosom. What is interesting here is that the rich man looked UP from hell, and said, Father Abraham, this puts Abraham in a figurative spot. Since the man was in hell, then Lazarus was in the bosom of the Father, which is the unseen world of heaven itself. Lazarus was taken to a place prepared for him. This was confirmed by the Lord Jesus in John 14:1 – 4.
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. (John 14:1) 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. (John 14:2) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:4) And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. (John 14:4)
  Notice the plurality of the many mansions in John 14. What Lazarus did not have on earth, he now has in heaven. When the rich man was buried, the world gave him a great send off, still believing that he would be with his friends. The similitude of Abraham’s bosom is, of course, to Israel because all of Israel considers Abraham to be the father of their nation, and the father of the people of Israel. For God is not the God of the dead, He is the God of the living which we see at the burning bush when He proclaimed that He was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And the Lord Jesus reaffirmed this in Matthew 22:31-32.
But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, (Matthew 22:31) I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. (Matthew 22:32)
  The Lord Jesus Himself magnified the power of resurrection and the power of an endless life for God is the God of LIFE and not death. However, Lucifer, that old serpent – the devil, is the god of this world, and it is he who brought sin and death into the world by his works to Adam. You see the great deceiver, the devil, overthrew the kingdoms of man when Adam brought sin into the world THROUGH the works of the devil. How is this, you say? Well, he lured them to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and he took and deceived the weaker vessel in Eve. It is a progression of sin, Lucifer and his rogue angels: sin in heaven trying to tear down the throne of God. So, Lucifer was cast down to the earth, and his rebellious angels (all of them) were cast down to hell and bound with chains where there would be no escape. Now God had made Adam (not Eve) the Federal Head overall of creation. Satan knew this; therefore, his goal was to overthrow the realm of Adam and to have dominion over Adam. Adam would now be subject to the prince of this world, the prince of darkness that old serpent, the devil. The devil’s plan went through as he had planned. He first tempted the weaker vessel, and then the weaker vessel overthrew the dominion of Adam by passing him the fruit of sin and death, and they both did eat of this fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; thus, establishing a dominion of death because of sin. This world is a world of sin, this adds to the words Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. The Bible says that there is a dominion of death, however, it has been overthrown by the dominion of life in the Spirit of Christ who has made me free from the Law of sin and death.
  The Lord Jesus had a place for Lazarus, a mansion, and in these mansions each and every child of God has a placed. There was a place prepared for Abel, as there was a place prepared for ALL who love God. This included Lazarus, and Antipas, and every overcomer bought with the blood of Christ has a place in the Father’s house, this place is within Christ, whose house are we.
But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. (Hebrews 3:6)
  The Lord makes us aware of all the possessions of the rich man that his life was stupendously endowed with luxury. Everything around him pleased him, but it was a life without God. In Luke 16:23, the rich man lifted up his eyes in hell. He would have been better to lift up his heart and eyes when he had been on earth. Now, being in hell, he is allowed to see what he had missed in heaven. The world uses many poisons to destroy the soul. It uses riches, it uses fame, it uses pride of life, and most of all it uses all the things of covetousness: the possessions of the world. All these blind the eyes to the things of God. If a mind and a heart is consumed with all the things of the world, then there is no room within for God. Every day the heart, soul and spirit of the rich man was engrossed with what he had, and how he lived. This is the corruptible seed of Adam. His eyes are glued to the treasures of the earth, The world in general (the populace) does not want to hear the truth and will go to great lengths to justify themselves and their sin. If anyone thinks that they can embrace the world and embrace Christ at the same time, then they are greatly deceived. Although a multitude of churches are in harmony with the world, they are not in harmony with the Lord Jesus Christ. They are a number one candidate for Luke 16, and the fate of the rich man. Those who find their joy and comfort in the world will find themselves among the flames of judgment of sins past. The following references from the epistle of 1st John, Chapter 2, verses 15 – 17 describes those (without exception) who love the things of the world.
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1st John 2:15)
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. (1st John 2:16)
And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. (1st John 2:17)
  Reading is one thing, but do you believe it? The Spirit of God says that this is the hour wherever you are in the world. This is the hour to separate yourself from the world. The theme of separation flows through the Word of God beginning in the very first Chapter of the book of Genesis. Moses is an excellent example of separation: he was separated from his mother (for a short period of time), he was separated from Egypt, he was separated from the wilderness, and he was even separated from the people of Israel as he led them out of Egypt. He desired that they would have the same separation that he had within his heart for the Almighty God. He was among a people opposed to God and they did not want the truth of God. Throughout his lifetime the spiritual line of separation was continually enforced by God in visible actions. Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who [is] on the LORD’S side? [let him come] unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. (Exodus 32:26) All the servants of God from Abel onward had to face the challenge of separation. This principle of separation is obvious in 1st John 2:15 – 17. Love not the world, love not the enemies of God and the enemies of Christ for these enemies exist and propagate their evil in this present evil world. Gargoyles are more than mere grotesquely carved figures spouting wastewater from roof gutters, but they wear costly suits and prance in the halls of government and religion where they buy and sell their vomit and waste. These walking gargoyles have minds carved by sin (as the mind of Pharaoh) forcing the world and the nations into slavery.
  Just a foresight of things to come, they have initiated their power over you by demanding that you get the shot of death. This is a prelude to the mark of the beast. There are countries that have launched a system to control buying and selling by ordering a certificate or proof of vaccination in order to buy or sell.
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: (Revelation 13:16) And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. (Revelation 13:17)
  The next step is to take away all tangible property. They have already revealed to us their minds and hearts; the primary doctrine or the motto of their new world order program of the so-called world counsels or coalition is . . . .  “you will own nothing and be happy.” Here we go again, dancing around the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The evil seed is in control. The corrupt seed has dominion over mankind today.
  But what does our verse say, Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. (John 8:51) The words of the Lord Jesus Christ convey eternal life for those who keep His saying because they SHALL NEVER SEE DEATH, nor will they be haunted by death. And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (Hebrews 2:15)
  We have been set free in Christ to not only live IN Him, but to live WITH Him. As Lazarus had a place in Abraham’s bosom, our home is in heaven, the dwelling place prepared for us by Christ Himself. There are many mansions on earth, but when heaven and earth pass away and all is engulfed and dissolved, then those in Christ, however, will be at rest and peace in Jesus Christ our Lord. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:3) You see, in the Lord Jesus, we as the children of God have found our resting place IN the express love of God in His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen and Amen
If a man keep my saying,
—— HE SHALL NEVER SEE DEATH. ——
© Copyright 2021, Michael Haigh
This article may be used, but not for gain. Freely ye have received, freely give.
All Scripture references are from the King James Bible. (KJV)