Creating a New Wineskin would be akin to creating a vessel for Noble Service in a Royal Home.

In the spiritual sense, a noble vessel would be filled with the glory of God. In other words, your vessel would be filled with the Holiness, Love, and Righteousness of God through the vehicle of the Holy Spirit living inside of you. That is the #1 greatest new testament promise. (John 14:15-18)

Now, here comes the question: If the Holy Ghost Power of God living inside of You? Is He manifesting the Power, Love, Grace, and Truth of God, through all your thoughts and deeds, and has He given you a burning desire to see the Lost saved, the blind see, the mute speak, the and the dead raised to new Life. Has He empowered you to go and bear much fruit, fruit that will last for eternity? Has He given you treasures that you can take into Heaven? (John 15:1-8)   (See cool quick clip on this here.)

 

 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour [to be filled with fine foods and beverages at the masters table], and some to dishonour [to be filled with urine and excrement]. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet [ready] for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.

2 Timothy 2:20-21 (KJV)

In the above verse: Who is doing the Purging? Who is getting themselves ready for the Master’s Use? Who is choosing to sanctify himself in order to be a vessel of Honor in the Master’s Service?

In every case, it is the man who has discarded the old wineskin, and has become a new wineskin ready (and meet) for the Master’s Service.

 

In the previous chapter we met two men devastated by Life’s Hard Knocks, not knowing that those hard knocks were actually God’s Will. These hard knocks would be the very things that God would use to shape them into the vessel of honor that he wanted to see prepared for use in his kingdom.

In chapter 2, here, we will get to see some of the prophecies fulfilled from God’s Perspective that were previously blocked from these two men’s perspective.

This was due because they were spiritually blind. Why?  This was due to the fact, that their old wineskins had not yet been discarded, and were blocking their New Covenant Understanding of seeing the Messiah in fact fully fulfilling his current mission even on the Cross. Therefore, instead of celebrating, they were walking about in mourning.

Just for the record: 

The Messiah did not come Down from heaven, and die on a cross, so that men could be rich in this world. So that men could be prosperous in this world. So that men could be comfortable, and could have great jobs, or great political power, or gain great military strength, or promote great religious followings. The Messiah didn’t come so that men could live in peace with no conflicts.  None of these things are the reason for the Messiah’s First Coming. None!

As a result of false motivations: False Doctrines are being Taught, and false beliefs are being spread throughout the entire world. Many who think they are preaching the message of the kingdom of God, are not. Instead they are preaching their own pet doctrines, and are blocking men and women from entering into the True Kingdom of Heaven:

By inviting men to become a part of a counterfeit kingdom, 
Run by Men, and Not by God.

 

[Personal Note: If I am a part of group of people that are being guided by men, and not by God, I am not walking in God’s Kingdom. As a result, I am not being guided Christ’s Word, Work, or Will. And that is not a good thing.]

 

 

In the previous chapter we met two men devastated by Life’s Hard Knocks, not knowing that those knocks were actually God’s Will. What these men didn’t need was humanistic psychological therapy. They needed a spiritual reformation, and we shall shortly how and if they got one.

 

In chapter 2 here, we will get to see some of the prophecies fulfilled from God’s Perspective that were previously blocked from these two men’s perspective. This was due to the fact, that they were spiritually bound, to their own spiritual blindness. This was due to the fact, that their old wineskins had not yet been discarded, and were blocking their New Covenant Understanding to seeing the Messiah, fulfilling his current mission.

Just for the record:

The Messiah did not come so that men could be rich in this world. So that men could be prosperous in this world. So that men could be comfortable, and could have great jobs, or great political powers, gain great military strength, promote great religious followings. The Messiah didn’t come so that men could live in peace with no conflicts.  None of these things are the reason for the Messiah’s First Coming. None!

As a result of false motivations: False Doctrines are being Taught. Many who think they are preaching the message of the kingdom of God, are not. Instead they are preaching their own pet doctrines, and are blocking men and women from entering into the True Kingdom of Heaven, by inviting them to become a part of a counterfeit kingdom run by men, and not by God.

 

In Luke 24:

These two men, on the road to Emmaus, were still trying to live in an old man-made mindset. That mindset blocked them from seeing the Kingdom of God. That mindset was blocking them from living in the whole Heavenly adventure offered to us, in the Whole of God’s Word, the Whole of God’s Will, the Whole of God’s Mission here on Earth.

That Mission our Messiah completed. He finished his work on the Cross: when He said: “It is finished!” Then He intended to pass His Mission on to us. The Mission Messiah completed in His life is also the same Mission he has called the disciples to complete in their own lives. And that mission is waiting to be fulfilled in everyone of our lives. Not to see this. Not to understand this. Not to want to pursue this: Reveals a deep lack of understanding of what the Blood Covenant of God is all about.

There is a baton of life needing to be lit and passed on. From the Messiah to the Apostles. From the Apostles to the Disciples. From one disciple to another unto the end of THE AGE. From one generation to another. From one nation to another. And the Work is not done yet. For as long as there remains one unsaved, unreached, untransformed sinner in this world, there is still work to be done. And iN many cases, there’s a very small window of time, in order to get the job done. Jesus time and ministry was short, only 3 1/2 years.

Jesus’ mission ended unlike anything the original apostles and disciples could understand, comprehend, or follow at the time. Why is that? Because they had a big, huge stone, of “false belief” blocking their way, just like many today. That caused them to have hardened hearts, and dull minds, creating dim lights and dim wits. The were not at all ready to be the Torch Bearers of God, that God were called to be. Nothing was going forward, until the huge blockage of ‘False Belief” could be cleared out of the way.

In a sense, each and everyone of the disciples of Christ, had to die to their old ways of thinking and doing things. Or else they would never be able to become noble vessels in God’s royal household, that they were intended to be. They could never truly be filled with the fullness of God’s Spirit, and then go out and change the world the way God had ordained them to, without first emptying themselves of everything that needed to go (needed to die, needed to be surrendered, needed to be overturned, and cast out). 

 

The Root of Unbelief

 What was at the root of the false belief? What was causing so much grief and heartache, when in reality these two disciples should be radically rejoicing?

These disciples believed that the Messiah would come and overthrow the Roman government, and put all Christ’s Jewish disciples in places of authority to rule, and reign and be judges and governors over the people of Israel, and the whole world. These disciples believed that the kingdom of righteousness would come and relieve them from their bondage and taxes. They wanted their Messiah to overthrow the governments of men that were corrupt.

The Romans were:

1. Forcing evil pagan religious beliefs and traditions to pushed on the People
2. Inflicting military abuse
3. Imposing political pressure to become more like pagan anti-christ Roman citizens.
4. Raising Taxes to bleed the people out of house and home, food, and animals.

Overthrowing these kingdoms of darkness would not be such a bad thing, if pure hearts were able to do this, and create the heavenly presence of God here on earth. But replacing evil Roman rulers, with corrupt, selfish, vain glorious, Jewish rulers, was not the reason Jesus came into the world. And that is exactly what would have happened if these men’s false beliefs, were not crushed by the word of God, and the work of the Holy Spirit. And the world would never have known about the true Messiah, and his true followers, and his selfless leaders, who walked with God (even as Jesus, walked with God, the father) who would give their own lives for the kingdom of God, just as their master had done.

So, how did these men ever become the leaders God originally intended them to be? 

What happened to root out their false belief?  Their Messiah died on the cross in front of them. That’s all it took. This thus dashed all their hopes and dreams to bits for a new government, and their new positions in the kingdom of God in their lifetime. In other words, these two men had no idea what was happening “in” and “all around” them. They couldn’t even see who it was, that was standing right in front of them? Do you see him? Cleopas and his unnamed brother did not see him at all.

Doesn’t this sound like most people throughout history? Everyone who is following their own false belief system will be devastated, sooner or later. What is ironic, is that it’s far better to have our false belief systems devastated sooner, rather than later. The sooner we humble ourselves, and receive the Plan and Will of God for our lives, the sooner we can start building up treasures in heaven, and storing them up to be enjoyed for all of eternity.

So, how did these men get relieved from their own false belief systems? They met the Truth, face-to-face. They finally began to see THE ONE  who is the way the truth, and the life, from God’s perspective. How did this happen? The Truth took on Human form, and then took HE, time out of his busy schedule that day, and walked with these two men for 7.5 miles, showing them the Way, the Truth, and the Life–and yet they didn’t even know who he was, or why he was talking to them, until the blinders had been removed from their eyes. AND THAT DIDN’T EVEN HAPPEN, UNTIL AFTER HE HAD LEFT THEM.

 

The Stranger they meet on the Road [possibly around noon or maybe a little later] would change their lives by changing their perspectives. 

The Stranger is about to confront these two weary travelers, and give them a dose of the Kingdom of Heaven, that will jumpstart their Faith, once again. This new revelation that is coming will prepare them to become true and noble vessels able to handle His New Wine, in new wineskins, in His New Kingdom.

While being humbled, cleansed, and transformed from the inside out, his new servants Will be given: New Powers, New Authority, New Promises, along with New Trials and Tribulations, with a spirit and a mindset that can overcome them. God’s heavenly point of view is about to blow away all of these men’s old, religious traditions, and some platinum supplant them, with one true new glorious and intimate revelation of who the son of God truly is, and what the son of God truly came to accomplish, and exactly what he passed on to his own disciples to become, and to accomplish.

It’s been said, that you can only know another man, by what that man is willing to reveal to you about himself. Unless that man opens up and shares his intimate secrets with you, you will never truly know that man, nor that woman, nor the child, nor anyone that you may think you know. Because it is left up to the individual to reveal himself to others. That is what has happening on the road to Emmaus. The son of God is choosing to reveal who he really is to two travelers who don’t know who they are, who don’t know where they’re going, and don’t know why they are alive on the planet yet. But after Jesus reveals himself to these two travels, they become glorious saints that will shine like the stars in heaven.

Due to his disciple’s new revelation, with a totally new heavenly perspective, they will joyously give themselves to be New Servants in their Masters House. This New Revelation will carry them all the way, through all their fears, and all their doubts, temptations, persecutions, and Heavenly confrontations, earthly tribulations, and bring them safely into the eternal kingdom of God’s heavenly Rule.

 

That being said, Let’s now get into the story:

 

Luke 24:13 (KJV)

13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs [three score = 60 furlongs which equals 7.5 miles, 1 furlong equals 1/8 of a mile].

Ok, now we have 1) two actors, 2) the time, and 3) the place along with the mission to set the stage for the drama that is about to unfold.

• The two actors, soon to be revealed are Cleopas and his friend
• The time, is “that same day”
• The mission, is to walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus, a 7.5 mile journey.

So what information is missing thus far in this set up in this divine drama? We don’t know what “that same day” is referring to. So for that, we’re going to have to back up a little bit and read the introduction, and soak in all that has just happened this same day, because all of it will apply to what is happening in the minds of these two travelers on their mission to reach their village called Emmaus. And what is going to happen there shortly.

OK, so here is the whole set up for the story: pay careful attention to detail as you read.

Luke 24:1-2 (KJV) 1 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.

[Note: “very early in the morning” is where many churches get their idea for holding sunrise services, which are actually quite a beautiful Biblical worship practice.]

[Please note: the Jewish calendar never gave pagan names to the days of the week. But always referred to them by their number and their association with the first seven days of creation. The pagan influence upon western Christianity,  imported the naming conventions of the Roman calendar, which is based on pagan worship cycles, devoted to the days of the week and months of the year.]

[Mark this down: What happens when the Church/People of God, allow pagan worship symbols and pagan terminology to come in and mix in with the pure Word of God, and the pure testimony of God? In a word: synchronism. What is synchronism?]

 

What does the first day of the week mean? You probably already know. It is the day of the Messiah’s Resurrection. Sadly, many pagan minded people don’t have the framework of the Blood Covenant deeply embedded in their spiritual mindset. Therefore, they may call this day “Easter Sunday.” … But no true 1st Century believer would call it so. Why?

First of all, Easter (aka, Eostre/ Ishtar/ Astarte/ Ashtoreh/ Asherah/ Aphrodite/ Ostara/ …and the list goes on and on): These are a pagan fertility goddesses devoted to sexual immorality, and celebrated in the Spring around the very same time as Passover. This is exactly why no true believer should celebrate Easter egg hunts, or share chocolate Easter bunnies with children, on Easter Sunday, or any day of the week. Why? Because these are the symbols related to fertility Goddess worship practices of many pagan religions. In other words, Easter, bunnies, eggs on Easter, are all a cult symbols used in pagan worship.

Virtually every pagan religion has its own fertility goddess that is worshiped in Spring around the world. Pagan religions all recognize springtime as a time of rebirth. [In fact, many religions have more than one fertility goddess.]  Pagan fertility goddess worship often involves sexual immorality, performed by drug induced sexually trafficked children, who have become sex slaves to their temples of worship.

This fertility worship is celebrated in one form or another, in almost every pagan culture around the world. This is not something any true believer would want to mix in with the Pure Gospel of Christ. So no. No right minded, gospel believing true believer would thoughtfully mix pagan symbols used in pagan fertility cults to represent the most miraculous, time changing event in all of history. They would in no way want to confuse, dilute, or denigrate the message of Christ’s divine resurrection by using such terminology, symbolism, or imagery.

Second of all, Sunday: is designated as a Roman Pagan Worship Day, devoted to the pagan worship of the Sun god  “SOL”.

Latin Roots

• Origin: The name “Sunday” comes from the Old English word “Sunnandæg”, which means “Sun’s day.” This naming convention is derived from the Latin “dies Solis”, meaning “day of the Sun.”
• Latin Influence: In Latin, the days of the week were named after celestial bodies and deities. “Dies Solis” was dedicated to the Sun, reflecting its importance in Roman culture and religion.

All that is to say that: it is not a good idea when reading the gospel, studying the gospel, teaching the gospel, sharing the gospel with unbelievers to in anyway, cause confusion by mixing in false religion and idolatry. Although the Catholic Church has done this throughout its entire history, just adopting the pagan deities of the culture they enter into, and changing their names into their so-called Saints of God: this is clearly an anti-biblical practice. In fact, it could easily be called a demonic deception, run by the church itself–from the top pope to the lowest priest. Even the priesthood, run by the Catholic Church, is indirect opposition to the teaching of Jesus. It is another demonic misuse of religious authority, completely condemned by Christ, and the apostles before there ever was a pope.

Now that we have hopefully exposed a few of these common false teachings: let us remove them from our spiritual mindset. Let not these things pollute the gospel message, that would cause confusion and disruption down the road. Let us be thankful that we have a Bible that has not been corrupted, that can lead us safely into the arms of Christ, and into the home of his father, without adopting demonic, doctrines, used to divert men and women away from the one true Christ, and the one true father in heaven. (John 4:23-24)

 

Back to Luke 24:

3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: 5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, 7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.

It is interesting, to see how many people have tremendous mental blocks that hinder them from understanding, or even hearing the words of God, even when they are directly coming from the mouth of God.  Even now, it is the angels who have to preach the gospel to the people present at the burial place of Christ.

Who are these people? Who are the “they” that entered the tomb? It appears they are all women. 1) Mary Magdalene, the first mentioned, was a former prostitute from whom Jesus cast out seven demons. 2) Joanna, most likely, the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward. She was one who supported Jesus’ Ministry financially. And 3) who is Mary the Mother of James? Most likely  not Mary the mother of James the brother of Jesus, but Mary, the mother of James the younger, the second James of the original 12 apostles.  (See Mark 15:40) There is also a fourth woman mentioned by Mark and Matthew, named Salome, who appears to be the mother of James and John the Sons of Zebedee, that would make her the wife of Zebedee, and she is recognized as one who also supported Jesus’ Ministry financially. But Salome is not mentioned here in Luke’s Gospel. Nor are the other women named that also came to the tomb.

 

It is significant to note here: that a woman’s testimony did not amount too much in the first century, Roman Empire. Why is this significant in the gospel? Because God himself uses the voice of women to be the first ones to share the testimony of the resurrection of Christ. And God uses the voice of a former prostitute to be the first one listed as a divine witness, of the resurrection of Christ.

And what God does, God gets away with. And this one instance, God raises the value, and immortalized the value of women in society. They were the heroes of faith in His story.

This just goes to show you: this is not a gospel message for the rich and famous, nor the mighty and powerful. Worldly leadership would despise such a message and give it little honor or attention it. Why? Because it elevated the position of the poor, lonely, less educated, and common people. But humble men and women, recognized its character and embraced its message entering into the kingdom of heaven, even before the Pharisees, the sauces, the religious zealots, the scribes and lawyers, and the leadership running the whole religious system of Judaism, and the whole Roman system. 

Matthew 21:31-32 (KJV) Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.

That is also why Jesus said:

Matthew 19:24-26 (KJV) And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

For a man to go through the eye of a needle, such a man must strip himself worldly attitudes, and evil prejudices, and economic, as well as racial bias. These are all such things that will block a man from being an effective witness, in sharing the gospel in spirit and truth.

And according to James, the half brother of Jesus, the leader of the church at Jerusalem: men must not elevate the rich and powerful in their community. This teaching goes against all worldly wisdom. It flies in the face of almost all universal social systems.

James 2:1-9 (NKJV) 1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. 2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, 3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” 4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? 7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? 8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; 9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

So here, we can see that God is not just creating new wine skins for individuals, but he is interested in creating new wine skins for whole faith-based communities. Spiritual Families that treat each other with the holiness and goodness of God by preparing men, to live within the new wine skins that God has ordained for them to live in.

Check this out: this is how men are saved from their sins, by not showing partiality, they do not commit sin. This message is eternal life. And it literally goes beyond the boundaries of time and space. It rises above cultural prejudices. It transcends social and educational oppression. It blows down the doors that were once maintain by the gatekeeper’s elite few. Even as Jesus said, “The first shall be last, and the last shall be first.” And in this next passage he lays it all out in living color.

 

Back to Luke 24:

8 And they remembered his words, 9 And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. 11 And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not. 

It is significant to note this fact:

1. Who are the heroes of faith in this Gospel right here?
2. Who are the first to believe?
3. Who are the first to speak and proclaim Christ’s Resurrection?
4. Who are the first carriers of the message of new life?

I can tell you firmly who were not the heroes. It is significant to note, that the Apostles and the male disciples and followers of Jesus were not the men of faith, in this particular scenario. They were men of unbelief. So who was carrying the torch, the light of God, at the darkest hour of enemy attack? It was not the men, but the women of faith who kept the light burning brightly.

Their faith, their sacrifice, and their devotions have been immortalized in the Gospel of Christ: As the heroes in God’s sight. In this case, the women were chosen by God, to be exalted, and praised, and honored by their own belief, in the word of God.

But, the men were not so honored. It appears that the men despised the women’s testimony by thinking their stories were fairytales, but God was behind the women, and they were preaching the truth, and all the men had to wear egg on their face, because they refused to believe the word of God coming from the women.

In essence, God was exulting the women and breaking the old wine, skin of prejudice and oppression in the family of God. And this had to happen before the true new Wine skin could come forth.

 

Back to Luke 24:

12 Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.

In other words, Peter was stupefied, along with John and all the male apostles and disciples. But instead of choosing to trust in the word of the Lord, coming from the women, and humbling themselves before God’s heavenly servants, they still had to be humbled and disciplined by Jesus himself.  They needed a heavier hammer, and hotter fire to break their own stubborn unbelief. Their hard hearts and old wineskins, needed a heavier hand to be broken. before the light of God, was going to be shed abroad in their hearts.

 

Back to Luke 24:

13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore [60] furlongs.14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.

Ok, now we get into the fun stuff. Two numbskulls are walking with Jesus and they have no idea, who it is that they are walking and talking with. 

I think God has a generous sense of humor.  You can almost feel his muffled chuckles from here. I wonder how hard it was to keep a straight face while walking with these two lost lambs.

Thankfully, Jesus had a serious mission to perform, and didn’t have time to indulge in the comedic side of this situation, and instead dove straight into to the midst of their problem, and started to sort it out for them.

Again: What was their Problem? Lack of Faith. No. Incorrect Faith? Yes. Misguided Faith? Yes. Man centered, and man influenced faith? Yes. An Old Wineskin? Yes.

But all of that will quickly be resolved.

 

Back to Luke 24:

16 But their eyes were holden [blocked/blinded] that they should not know him. 17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? 18 And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?

What all is going on here behind the scenes? Why would Jesus conceal his true identity or better yet? Why would his disciples not know it was him with whom they were talking?

I find it interesting to see how the Spirit of Unbelief truly blocks a man from seeing and receiving all that God has ordained for him to possess. Do you see him? Here we can ask the question. Many claim to see him and claim to know him, but How many truly do see him? How many truly do know him? Many claim to be God’s friend, and claimed to have an emotional, or a spiritual bond with God how many claims are legitimate? Jesus tells his plainly, that many claims are not legitimate.

How many are truly a part of his kingdom in heaven? And how many think they are part of his kingdom, and yet they are not?

In other words, what is the specific criteria? God will use to judge between those who have a legitimate claim and those who have an illegitimate claim?

Jesus makes this the main point, the pivotal point of his teaching, in his most famous sermon, the sermon on the mount. In Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7. In Matthew chapter 7 he makes this extraordinary and chilling, prophetic prediction:

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven …   Matthew 7:21a (KJV) 

What did Jesus just say? He just said one of the most frightful things in all of the gospels. He simply said in plain English, that not everyone who calls him Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. What we can learn here? What we must learn here is this: not everyone, who says Lord Lord, to Jesus, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. In other words, he’s addressing the false belief, and the false wineskin of false religion being preached around the world that, God loves everybody, and accepts everybody just as they are. This is clearly not the teaching of Jesus, but the false wineskin of man-made tradition, which literally opposes the word of God.

The truth be told, Jesus says here: Not everyone will enter heaven. Even those calling him, Lord Lord will not enter the kingdom of Heaven. Is it possible that literally millions today, even billions of people today who are calling him Lord Lord will not enter into the kingdom of heaven? So how do we know ourselves, that we will be one of those chosen to enter the kingdom of Heaven?

Jeremiah 23:29-32 (KJV) 29 Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? 30 Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. 31 Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith [when God never said any such thing]. 32 Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.

In just a moment we will see that most of the people, possibly the vast majority of people both inside the church and outside the church, who think they are well prepared and ready for heaven, have completely been deceived. Why is that? Because they are trusting in an old wineskin, based on the traditions of men, and not the word of God.

The very reason Jesus came, was to burst the old wine skins that were leading God’s people astray.

Now, we’re about to see how God is going to burst the wine skins of falsehood in his followers, and in his own chosen people. And this is the true work of God. It is no joke. It is deadly serious. Those who pass the test of true faith will enter the kingdom of heaven, will have rooted and grounded, their faith upon deep foundations, in the word of God.

Those who fail to pass the test of true faith, who have built their ideas about faith and the kingdom of God upon the false ideas and words of man, will fail to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Simple as that. According to the very word of Christ. 

Jesus word came to be a hammer to break down the false foundations of man. His word came to be a fire to burn up all the dross of false teaching, and idolatry, trying to mix itself into the pure word of God.

was intended to be burst and ruined, so that they could actually become a new wine skin, and carry the truth and fullness of the word of God with them everywhere they went. 

So how do we know for sure if we are going to heaven or not going to heaven what is the true criteria, the unfillable, fully reliable, and never changing criteria that every soul needs to meet in order to enter the kingdom of Heaven? This might be the most important question. Any person can ever ask of themselves or anyone else.

So let us look at these words very closely, and not skip a beat, and not miss one word that Jesus is wanting us to know. So that we can fully answer the question how can I be certain and no beyond any shadow doubt, that I am acceptable to heaven, and will be entering heaven by the traditions of man, but by the very word of God?

Thankfully, Jesus answers this question with perfect clarity, and the second part of Matthew 7, verse 21.

 

Matthew 7:21 (KJV) 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

 

 

 

19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: 20 And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. 21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. 22 Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; 23 And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. 24 And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not. 25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? 27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. 28 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further. 29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. 30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. 32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? 33 And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, 34 Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. 35 And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.
36 And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. 38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. 40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? 42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. 43 And he took it, and did eat before them. 44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. 45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, 46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And ye are witnesses of these things.

 

 

, (in a certain sense), because Jesus didn’t turn out to be the person that they were hoping that He was. Can anyone say, “The missed the mark by a mile.”

Why did so many close friends and faithful followers of Jesus basically lose their faith while Jesus was busy fulfilling all the prophecies in every detail, that God had spoken about what His Son would accomplish on his first mission to planet Earth.

 

Jesus gives us the answer in: Luke 24:25-26 (KJV) 

Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?

 

In other words, Why did Jesus disciples stumble and fall into unbelief? It was because they had a false understanding of the Mission of their Master.

In other words, their flesh was resisting the message being given by the Spirit of God through the Word of God.

Although Jesus had clearly spoken about what was going to happen, (Luke 9:23-26)–not one of disciples truly understood what he was saying or what he meant. One reason for that is: They did not understand their eternal Blood Covenant relationship with God. 

Mark 8:31-33 (KJV)  [also recorded in: Matthew 16:21 ff; and Luke 9:22 ff]
And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he spake that saying openly.

And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. 33 But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.

 

A Side Note: One thing that can be easily missed in the testimony above is how humble and gentle and non-threatening Jesus must have seemed to Peter and his disciples. How vulnerable, and available he was to his disciples, on a personal friendship level. The fact that Peter felt comfortable enough that he could straight away rebuke Jesus, and try to convince Jesus of his wrong thinking–is a marvel to behold.

The fact that the Almighty God should shroud all his power, all his holiness, and all his heavenly nature in the form of a humble servant, so that men might mistake him for being a mere mortal man, not recognizing that he has no beginning, and no end, that he is truly the Alpha and the Omega, the one who created the heavens in the Earth, and put the stars in place, created all the animals, trees and flowers, kittens and puppies, men and women and little babies. He is the one who gave us our breath, our sight, our taste, hearing and ability to reason. Yet, he hides all that, in the holy shroud of a common, somewhat poor, and lowly servant, without house or home on earth–without “pomp or circumstance.” And if he hadn’t raised his own self from the dead, and ascended into heaven, with the promise to return at the appointed time, we never would have believed him, and would still have no idea who he was and is, and forever shall be.

Now, that was a bid deal–that Peter felt comfortable enough to rebuke the Creator of the Universe–and not be fried up like a crispy burnt piece of bacon for his impudence.

Now we see that Jesus did not hesitate to rebuke Peter openly and in front of all the other disciples. Why? To protect his honor among thieves? Not in the slightest, but to protect the Truth from being stolen by the Evil One.

Jesus wanted his message to be heard by all of them. Why? Because they would all be tempted to think and believe the same things that Peter thought and believed, and Jesus knew he needed to pull the lies out of Peter’s mind and the minds of all who would be attacked with him, including us today.

We must remember, Jesus spoke nothing for his own benefit. He came as a servant to do the will of His Father in Heaven, and to complete the mission assigned to him. That is why Jesus rebuked Peter. He was preparing to make Peter into a New Wine Skin, in order to be able to Contain the New Wine of the Spirit, that He intended to send to Him. And without this rebuke, Peter would not have been prepared. Neither he, nor the rest of His disciples, nor you and I, today. Therefore, Jesus set down an example in His conversation with Peter that should never be forgotten, nor misunderstood, not only to reach Peter, but to reach the whole world.

Why? Because it was clear to Jesus that Satan was trying to get a hold of the faith and beliefs of his very own disciples.

Now, if Jesus let that happen, he would guilty of enabling his disciples to fall into enemy hands. This Jesus would not do. So instead, he took the bull by the horns and rebuked Peter openly before all his disciples, who was one of his top three disciples.

This begs the question: How many modern believers need this very same bold and direct rebuke of Jesus?

1. How many modern preachers savourest not the things of God, but the things of men?
2. How many modern pastors are ready to lay down their lives for their sheep?
3. How many modern sheep are ready to pick up their cross and follow in Jesus’ footsteps?

My guess, by looking at the state of the modern church is: 1) MANY, and 2)  not many, and  3) not many.

Jesus himself said, “Narrow is the road, and few there be that find it.”

I would dare say that is ever more applicable today, and even more so than in Jesus’s day.

That deep concern lies behind every sentence in this presentation.

For some: This is clearly going to be a hard teaching. If your wineskin is not prepared, like Peter’s Wineskin was not yet prepared, you are going to baulk at such teaching:  That Jesus is going to the Cross. And in the same stage, Jesus tells his disciples if they do not pick up their own crosses and follow him, they are not worthy of Him.

Now, I have a choice …

Now, I can reject that teaching of Jesus, right? Just like Peter did. But I must make a clear distinction about: “Whose Word am I rejecting?” Not man’s, but God’s.

If what Jesus says is true, we have a choice to make:

1) I will accept His Word at face value, or

2) I will reject it–at face value.

We will either eat, swallow, and digest the whole banana, or take a few bites of it, and let the rest of it rot on the table, become brown, filled with flies, and a source of unclearness in our homes.

---

That concludes the introduction to the need for a New Wine Skin, now we are going to get into the Meat of this Message. Going forward …

Jesus humbly catches up with two men running away from Jerusalem, frightened, disillusioned, and without hope, having all their faith, and trust, and reason dashed upon the rocks of the reality of the Gospel. And they are exactly where the LORD God needed them to be, broken vessels, unable to hold the New Wine of the Spirit, but still being prepared for that very purpose.

On the Road to Emmaus

The same difficulty that was resting on Peter, also rested on these two men on the Road to Emmaus: Cleopas and his unnamed brother–and that same difficulty rests upon us.

The faith of these two men was in the fire of purification. As it stood, their faith was too shallow to handle their current crisis. In the depth of the water they were swimming, we could say, they were drowning. They needed a life boat to save them..

They were swimming in unbelief. The fact that their Messiah died, and had not ushered in the kingdom of God, was killing them. It was a problem far too big for their small minded souls. But this problem was not too big, nor too difficult for Jesus to handle.

Jesus had just that day risen from the dead. He was now living in his resurrected body.

Jesus was more than well, equipped to handle the minor problems of his major disciples, but only if they would let him help them. The key to receiving the help that he had to offer, was to remove the blockage of unbelief from their heart. This was no small task as we read about in the gospel of Christ.

The recently Resurrected, Son of God, had to take into his humble capable hands–the doubts, the fears, the deep insecurities of the sin of UNBELIEF and its attending darkness was invading the souls of his friends.

Jesus gently and humbly corrected these two men who were like two sailors lost at sea with a broken rudder.

By using his own testimony about Himself, that had been pre-recorded before his miraculous birth, Jesus broke open to them the scriptures that Jesus was “the Lamb of God,”  who was destined to die, in order to take away the sins of mankind. Jesus was at the center of the Blood Covenant all along, and ALL the Prophetic Promises connected to it from the Very Beginning.

Overcoming our Monster of Unbelief

Why did Jesus need to teach them his Testimony?  Because, All their hopes and dreams had been shattered, as they needed to be. Why? Because: They had built their spiritual houses upon a false understanding of the Plan of God, that was deeply embedded in them, that was taught by men.

Their false religious beliefs were like walls standing upon a cracked foundation that was destined to crumble. They expected the Savior to Crush the Roman Empire and Setup His New Kingdom to replace it. That was their hope and eager expectation.

Yet, they missed the part about becoming His Holy, Humble, Grace Filled Servants First, able to Prepare the Entire World for the Coming of the King of Heaven.

What they soon learned was that the plan of God was completely different from what they believed at this time, and at this season. Yes, the Kingdom of God will replace the Kingdoms of Men, but the world was not yet ready to receive the Kingdom of God, nor were the people of Israel yet ready for the Fullness of the Kingdom of God. They were not yet made pure, and clean. They had not yet made their garments as white as snow. They were not yet ready for the Holiness of God, for they had not yet become new wine skins to receive the New Wine of Heaven, but soon, they would prove to the World that God’s Way was right, and superior to man’s, in every way, shape, and form.

The evidence was clear: When they should have been rejoicing, they were full of sorrow and dismay.

Jesus used the prophecies of the Old Testament to correct their wrongful thinking, and to give them a true foundation, and a right perspective upon which to be grounded into an Eternal Faith, one that will never moved. It may get shaken, but only that which is not worthy of the Kingdom of God will be removed (and shaken off), everything else that is in Agreement with the Word of God, and the Kingdom of God will remain, and become the eternal treasure they will possess forever and ever.

This is something that we all need: All those who will choose to follow Jesus as their Redeemer, LORD, and King.

In short, Jesus used his own Testimony to repair these men’s damaged and wounded faith, by pointing out to them the Old Testament Scriptures that relate to Himself.

Mark this down: Wise men do no put new wine into old wineskins. If they do the Wineskins will break open, and the wine will run out. When men are following false hope created by false teachers, and a false understanding of God’s Ways (that come from a false man-based religious system), then they are not ready for the New Wine.

When we have false identities, and hide behind false premises, we are not ready for the New Wine of God. We must prepare our lives to become containers for the new Wine. Anything to do with a false image of God, and every false and fake image of ourselves needs to go. (The Lord calls this pruning.) We need to get down and dirty and into the nitty gritty, and purge ourselves of every wrongful unclean thought, word, and deed we possess. We need a single eye for the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:22-23). We need to confess who we truly are before a Holy God, so He can make our sins as white as snow!  

In the Blood Covenant of God: Those who follow Christ prepare themselves, through repentance and faith, to become faithful workers in his Vineyard, by becoming holy vessels that are filled to overflowing with his life.

 

We will come back to the road to Emmaus message after laying down the pathway to overcome the monster of unbelief that keeps people blocked from receiving the prophecies of God laid out to lead us deeper into his presence.

 

This is not just the pastors job, nor just the missionaries job, nor just the Sunday school teachers job. This is the calling of every individual in the Kingdom of God. Everyone who wants to fully participate in the Blood Covenant of God, and share in its blessings, he must also share in its persecutions, walking in real fellowship (see Real Relationships), and the real sufferings of the Messiah of Israel. Jesus said:

Matthew 16:24-25 (KJV)
If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

We should not only want our sins made white as snow, but we need to know how to make them white as snow.

We need to participate in the plan of Salvation, and once we have gotten our own clothing clean and bright, we should be able to tell and show others how to do everything we have learned to do.

That is only doing what is right. We should be like those who pay it forward: Those who give back to show our appreciation and deepen our connection to the One who saved us and called us to follow Him. Should we not?

In the Blood Covenant of God: We need our garments to be made as white as snow, to shine like the brilliance of the Sun, clean and pure. Our garments are a symbol of our faith, and how pure, and true, and right it is.

Below the testimony of one church that represents all the believers in one whole city. And yet, only a few appear to be saved, and walking with Jesus in genuine faith and repentance and spiritual life. Only a few. This echoes the teaching of the narrow road. Only a few there be that find the narrow road that leads to life, and follow it, but many are they that follow the wide road that leads to destruction. This wide road can be found inside the four walls of many a church. This just shows that church membership gives us no real assurance for our eternal salvation.

Is it possible that the description below accurately portrays a church you have gone to, or the church you are now attending?

Revelation 3:4-5 (KJV)
Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. 5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

Make a Note: That’s a big deal. You want to be identified as One who Overcomes: What do you need to overcome? You need to defeat the world, the flesh, and the devil (James 3:15; 1 John 2:16), all of which want to deceive you, trick you, and keep you out the Kingdom of Heaven, away from the Power, Love, Authority, Truth, Healing, and Freedom of God.

You also want Jesus to “confess your name to His Father.” You want him to be your advocate, your heavenly attorney on the day you stand trial for your deeds done in the body.

Revelation 3:4-5 is a significant passage: It teaches we can have our names written in the Book of Life, but due to rebellion, laziness, and ignorance, resulting in disobedience and sin, we can have our names blotted out of the Book of Life. That is why we need to learn, and know, and practice, how to keep our robes as white as snow. Yes? This doctrine is not often taught or well understood in the modern day church, but it is central to the Gospel of Christ. Jesus said:

Revelation 3:18 (KJV)
I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

Please note: Who is doing the buying here? It is the motivated believer. It is by his action, his faith, his work. He is ready to buy gold from Jesus. He is ready, willing, and obedient to receive new clothing from Jesus. He is ready to buy eye salve, in order to prepare himself to see the work of the Kingdom of heaven and to do it (he is to prepare his wineskin in order to contain the New Wine of Heaven). In order to have a single eye, his sight must be cleansed, must be healed, must be made new. (Matthew 6:22-23)

Revelation 16:15 (KJV)
Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

Again, this is not a common teaching in many modern churches. Jesus will come at a time unexpected, and he that is fat and lazy, or just too busy to care about the hour of Jesus’ Visitation, will not have prepared himself (like the five foolish virgins), therefore, he will not have “kept his garments clean and white, pure and spotless.”

On the Day of Judgment we will be exposed for who we really are, and for what our lives really stood for. Some things we truly don’t want to be known for in Heaven are listed below, and yes this is a short list:

 

1. a hypocrite,                          (Matthew 6:16; Mt. 23:13-29)
2. a false convert,                    (Matthew 7:22 ff)
3. an unfruitful branch,           (John 15:1-7)
4. a tare among the wheat,    (Matthew 13:24 ff; Mt. 13:37 ff)
5. a foolish virgin,                     (Matthew 25:1 ff)
6. a lazy steward,                     (Matthew 25:26)
7. a goat among the sheep,   (Matthew 25:44)

 

Mark this down: This is not name calling. This is not judging others. This is not being critical of others beliefs. This is simply speaking the Truth in Love. We cannot prepare ourselves if we don’t know what is at stake.

 

We can’t make necessary changes

if we don’t know what changes need to be made.

 

So Jesus is simple calling out and identifying problems for what they are. Of course, He sees everything from an eternal perspective, and often what he sees will hurt our feelings. That’s because our feelings need to be hurt, so that we can see the solution to our problem, through the pain and the tears.

The purpose and motivation of exposing the truth is so that nobody gets a fearful surprise on the Day that matters most.

The most important Day of our lives is coming in a flash, in a twinkling of the eye, we will soon be transported into the Courtroom of Heaven.  We will stand in His heavenly courts. We will have an adversary, (a prosecuting attorney–that would be Satan the accuser of the brethren who accuses them day and night before the thrown), and an advocate, our eternal defense lawyer (that would be Jesus). If we are “in Christ” our lives are protected by Jesus’s Blood, [the Blood Covenant of God], and the purchase price for our lives has been paid in full, so we can go free from the condemnation of the enemy.

But, if we are not “in Christ” we are not covered by the Blood Covenant of God, then every infraction of the Law of God will be used and judged against us. So the critical factor will be this:

1. Are we really a true and full participant in the Blood Covenant of God? or
2. Are we just pretending to be “in Christ.” Or,
3. Have we fully rejected Christ from the git go.

If the latter two apply to us (pretending or rejecting), the Lake of Fire judgement will also apply to us. 

 

Can you see from Heaven’s Perspective what is going to soon take place? Every soul should make it his or her duty to know this for sure. Know where you came from … Know where you are going … Know why you are here now … and know the consequences of your eternal decisions that you will make every single day of your life starting today, like unto the last day of your life.

Be Cognitive. Be Alert. Be informed. Then, you can make your wisest most informed decisions on every matter that comes across your decision making desk.

John 3:18-21 (KJV)
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

It is a simple equation:

 

1. 1. believeth on him          =   not condemned
   2. believeth not on him   =   condemned already
        

Light is  come     [but]      men love darkness

1.  
   1. doeth evil             =      hateth the light
   2. doeth truth          =      cometh to the light 

 

Why do men hate the Light? Simple. The Light exposes them. It reveals their deeds are evil, selfish, carnal, not of God. And those in darkness don’t want to be exposed. If you walk with God, you will come into the Light, you will expose everything dark thing in your life, an it will become cleansed from you.

Then you will become one of His Lights, you can’t help it. And you will help others to become lights too:

 

Matthew 5:14-16 (KJV)
14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

 

But … becoming God’s Light, carries certain risks. When you become a light, by doing the truth, you expose the darkness, and you expose the lie. This is upsetting to many people. As result, you can, and will predictably, become an object of contempt, of scorn, of ridicule, and often receive the abuse of those who hate the light.

So what will be the normal response to this situation? You will tone down your light. You hide it under a bushel, if you don’t know and walk in the Blood Covenant of God.

 

If you walk in the fullness of God’s Blood Covenant–You rejoice when persecuted. You consider it an honor and a privilege to share in the sufferings of Christ, and you become even more bold, and  more brilliant, shining the light of God deeper into the Darkness, so that all can see and hear of the Glory of God. (Acts 4:18-31; Acts 5:40-42, Hebrews 12:1-2)

 

Matthew 5:10-12 (KJV)
10 Blessed are they which are persecutedfor righteousness’ sake:
            for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you,
            and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven:
            for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

 

If you know, and understand, and walk in the Light of the Blood Covenant of God, you will rejoice when men revile you. You will rejoice when men persecute you, when men say all kinds of evils against you falsely, because you are reflecting the Light of Jesus, the Son of God to Them and everyone in the World. Great is your Reward in Heaven!

 

What does it mean “To Believe”

in the only begotten Son of God?

 

Please make this a personal challenge: Learn what the Bible means when it says “to believe” in the Son of God.

A lot is riding on this one word.

If you miss the correct understanding of this word, and what it means you could actually miss the whole truth about the Kingdom of Heaven.

I believe the Devil truly wants to corrupt the Word of God (he has been diligent in this work from the very beginning, and yes he is still doing his work today).

The devil has diligently placed many of his own servants in places of leadership in many modern churches and denominations with his teaching: a faith and practice that is not what the original Teacher Jesus, or His Apostles taught or practiced. If anyone doubts this, just compare the fruits of the early church, to the fruits of the modern church. 

You can tell a tree by its fruit.

We will need to talk about John 3, Verse 18, later in the Blood Covenant. But here, we need to make the point that the idea of believing comes from the Hebrew Culture and Mindset.

Believing in Hebrew has to do with obeying the Commandments, being “firm” in them. (in our case “firm in”  Jesus’ Commandments, which by the way were oftentimes far stricter than the OT commandments. When One believes Jesus Word, he obeys Jesus’s Word, as such he remains “firm” in Jesus’ Word, and we say he is  “in Christ.”

He is abiding in Christ. One who doesn’t believe, doesn’t obey, nor remain “firm” in Christ. He is not abiding in Christ. It is that simple. Why Obey? To gain “browny points” with God? No. We obey, because of our Blood Covenant Relationship demands it. [I wonder how Google will translate “browny points” in different languages.]

 

You can tell if someone believes something by what they do, not just by what they think or say, or believe in their mind, or believe in their heart. All that may be immaterial–depending upon their actions.

And Yes. Jesus says a man’s beliefs will be judged by his actions, or his works. And this is the very clear, very serious, very final word of God on the matter of the judgement of a man’s beliefs. I dare say it Is the clearest and most vivid picture we can use to look into this matter:

 

Revelation 20:11-15 (KJV)
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

 

I dare say, that is the final word on our salvation. We will all be judged according to our works, aka, What We Did? Or what we failed to Do? (See Matthew 25:31-46).

 

Some people have been falsely taught that “good works” do not need to attend to their salvation. God’s word does not say that. To answer the question: Do our works Matter to our Salvation? See: Every Man Rewarded According to His Works.

           I know people who are deceived into believing they themselves are saved, but their lives do not bear the Fruit of Salvation in Christ (you may know some as well). Jesus told his disciples you can tell a tree by its fruit. No Fruit? No Salvation. It is pretty simple.

In modern English, a person can easily BELIEVE (think or say) one thing, but then DO THE OPPOSITE.

The devils so this and tremble:

James 2:19-20 (KJV) 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

 

It has been common throughout church History for men to say they believe, but show no proof of their Salvation by the lives they lived. In fact, their lives were proof that they had no genuine, authentic biblical faith or obedience to Jesus, the Holy Spirit or His Word, ergo, the Crusades, the Inquistion, the Holocaust, the World Wars, the Christian Wars, Constantine, you name it, The unbelievably Evil heretic Popes, and wicked Catholic Church leaders, as well as the many corrupt and evil Protestant World Leaders, playing politics and power with their religion and holding dominion over the people (the Nicolaitan System). It all falls under the category of that kind of “believing,” that produces bad fruit.

 

Saying one thing, Doing another–
That is self deception of the highest order.

 

This is not acceptable in the Hebrew Mindset.  The western idea of believing, (mental ascent) really doesn’t apply to the word “believeth” in this sense above, in John 3:18. Much of Western Christianity has cheapened the Blood Covenant of God, turning it into “A Mental Happy Social Club” where we meet and share happy thoughts, but don’t do anything that requires Biblical Faith, or Biblical Action, Biblical Repentance, or specific obedience to the Word of God and the Spirit of God–dying to ourselves and living God. This is not Biblical Believing. More on this later.

 

Being Prepared

If we know we will stand before God and must give an accounting of our lives, whether we were true to him or false: Then we should also know all of the criteria that will be laid upon our account for which we will need to give an answer. 

 

If we be true, and obedient, we will receive his reward, and his commendation.

If we be deceived, and false, we will receive his condemnation.

 

The evidence will be plain and sure. Nothing will be hidden on that day. We will either:

1. Stand before God Clothed in White Raiment, radiant, glorious and radiant or
2. Stand before God as naked and ashamed, just as he has said.

This is all plainly laid out in the Blood Covenant of God.

I dare say, millions if not billions of so called believers, have not taken seriously that this day will come upon them. And I dare say, they are not ready for it.

 

Those who have not so ordered nor structured their lives and works around the fact that they will be judged according to their works, or by the lack of them–will be in for a terrible surprise on the day that matters most.

 

Many will say: Lord, Lord …
But He will say: Depart from Me, I never knew you, ye workers of iniquity.

 

Understandably, these are not fun and popular teachings in the modern church.

Therefore, they are often overlooked, or only barely mentioned, or completely buried, and never mentioned.

 

Self-deception a common enemy attack

Self deception is one of the most common realities of the human experience. That is why the Kingdom of God is being so specific, and so repetitive, and so exacting to tell us in advance in undeniable ways, that we are going to be judged, and then we are going to be rewarded according to exactly what we have done, with the 2 commandments: 1) To Repent. 2) To Believe.

Revelation 4:4 (KJV)
And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

As we can see, heaven is populated by people who have made their robes white, they have washed away their sins, in the Blood Covenant of the Lamb, and they have turned away from all former agreements they had made with Satan, and the World, and the Flesh, to serve them.    

They have broken off every lie, sin, self indulgence, unclean habit, unclean thought, evil word, and deed, and then they have entered into the Labor of the Lord as a Good Servants of God Most High.

And like the twenty four elders, we are wearing white robes that cover our nakedness, and show our worthiness to walk with Jesus, and be in this presence, and enjoy his favor, and live in His Glory. No dark thing will be allowed in His Presence. No Evil wicked, secret sin, will stand before God. No lie, no rebellion, no ingratitude, no self-justification, no excuses, no false representations, no hidden skeletons in the closet will be allowed in His Holy Sanctuary.

So now is the time to get clean. Today is the Day of Salvation. I can only imagine this message will infuriate many so called “do nothing” believers, that still believe, that they believe, but have no fruit to prove their faith.

It seems many a man has been sitting in the pew for 30 plus years, taking in all kinds of teaching that tickles the ear and fills the church coffer, but doesn’t demand faith in action;  doesn’t require taking up your cross and following in Jesus footsteps; doesn’t require the believer to do anything, but just believe.

 

To Just believe in the imagination
of one’s heart is not Biblical Faith.

 

“Just Believe, Do Nothing Faith” is not part of the Gospel of Salvation. As you can see in the Blood Covenant of God, bearing good fruit for the Kingdom of Heaven is not an option, it is a mandatory requirement.

 

Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away:

and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it,

that it may bring forth more fruit.

John 15:2 (KJV)

 

Jesus never promised it would be easy, he just knows that it will be worth it.

Jesus makes no excuses and no placations, He simply gives us the Word from Heaven, plain, bold, and undecorated. He has no desire to tickle any man’s ears. His Father didn’t tickle His ears. He did not tickle his disciples ears, and they don’t tickle our ears. Hope that all makes perfect sense.

But many modern preachers, tickle the ears of their congregations. This keeps them complacent, and less likely to discern that the Kingdom God is not really operating in their congregation.

From my experience, most gospel messages are intellectual in nature, not requiring obedience as Jesus taught his disciples. This is not acceptable in the sight of heaven, but it is common in the fellowship of men. 

Revelation 7:9 (KJV)
After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

As you can see, the great multitude of believers, who were granted their entrance into heaven, were all clothed in white. And remember they chose to make their garments white. They chose to take on the challenges of the Gospel. They chose to become obedient and holy, just and true, righteous and faithful servants of the most High God. They chose to carry God’s Light into the Darkness. They chose to bear witness to the Word of God. They chose to suffer for the name of Jesus. They chose ridicule over praise. Abuse over comfort. Honor from God, over the honor of men. As such, they looked forward to the day and the hour when God will say to them:

 

“WELL DONE MY GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT.
ENTER INTO THE JOY OF YOUR MASTER.”

 

Notice, that Jesus says, “well done,” not “well imagined,” or “well pretended.” To get the praise from God, of “WELL DONE” there is the requirement that something must have been “done well.”

I firmly believe, “Well Done” are the two words you and I will want to hear in our own ears, on the day that matters most to us, in all the days of our total existence.

I believe, you and I should want to graduate into the Halls of Heaven, and be honored guests at the Great Wedding Supper of the Lamb, and hear the words: “Well Done, my Good and Faithful Servant. Enter into the Joy of your Master.” 

          Are we slow of mind and heart? Yes, but we don’t have to continue down that path. Remember the original apostles were slow of mind and heart at the beginning of their journey with Christ, but the key is they didn’t stay that way.

They persevered through trials, temptations, overcoming all kinds of sins, and self centered egotistical thinking, but they endured and overcame their selfish nature. If they can do it, so can we. Their holy vessels took years of diligent application of the Word of God, and holy obedience to the Will of God.

Revelation 19:14 (KJV)
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

You may not be aware, but if you are in Christ, you are part of a vast army, one that wins battles. One that is victorious. One that never backs down. Never gives in. Never gives up. Never turns and runs away from the enemy. And they win their battles not by swords and spears, bows and arrows, but by Faith and Deeds in God’s Miraculous Kingdom. We learn to use spiritual weapons, and spiritual armor. We do not fight against flesh and blood …

Ephesians 6:12-13 (KJV)
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Today, is the day to stand. Today, is the day to fight. Tomorrow is not promised. You can win over the darkness every time you decide to stand in the Blood Covenant of God, every time you participate in the fight of faith.

Now you might be wondering why list all these specific references to white raiment, white garments, clean and white clothing, white linen, white robes, and the like. What does this have to do with the Blood Covenant of God? It actually has everything to do with the Blood Covenant of God.

It is a suspiciously missing teaching from much of modern christianity. Do you know what white raiment, white linen, white robes, clean and white garments represent in the Kingdom of God?

Every believer should have this simple teaching down pat as a part of the backbone of their  daily operation of faith in the Son of God.

White linen represents the righteousness of the saints. They represent the good works they have performed, and the sinless nature and character of God they have inherited. It is the very ground the saints walk on: The very foundation of their lives, the very necessary work of the Kingdom of God. It includes their own personal sanctification, but it doesn’t stop there. It continues to invoke their prayers, their faith, their mighty works, their heavenly fruit, and their personal sacrifices that Jesus promised would be a part of their testimony in the Kingdom of God, that it would be visible to even the lowest and darkest sinner.

It would be evident to all, that their white robes clean and bright were a result of their clean lives, the removal of all worldly filth, worldly lusts, worldly pursuits, worldly greed, worldly idolatry, worldly vanity, worldly pride (anger, hostility, violence, avarice, and licentiousness), and the removal of any desire whatsoever to participate in the worldly lies, ways, lifestyles, fads, trends, and temptations that pollute every person living in the world.

So why is this teaching mysteriously and conspicuously missing from the majority population in the Body of Christ. 

A True Teacher will teach these things, but He will be held accountable by his flock for Living out these things. That would put a lot of pressure on a compromised teacher, one who says one thing and does another. So many preachers avoid taking about something that will make them accountable. Whole churches have been raised or built on such a foundation. But guess what. That cracked foundation is going to break, On the Day of Judgment every idle word, and every false teacher will be exposed, cleansed, and removed from the Body of Christ.

Revelation 19:8 (KJV)
And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

 

Those who break away from all false idol worshipping images of religion, will want to build their lives upon a solid foundation, upon the perfect, clean and holy Rock of God.

Deuteronomy 32:15 (KJV)
15 But Jeshurun [Israel] waxed fat, and kicked:

[when Israel became prosperous, they turned their backs on God,
as a result, they became materialistic, and left the Way of God.
They began to dive into sin, idolatry, and serving other gods,
and following the practices of the heathen (“the world” around them’),
indulging in the lusts and pleasures of the world, 
sadly the Western Church has followed in their footsteps]

thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness;
then he forsook God which made him,
and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.

 

God’s faithful and true followers will not lightly esteem the Rock of their Salvation. Rather, they will trust in their Rock, and hold fast to Him, and “be firm.” They will call upon Him and they will be saved. They will know Him as their Savior. They will honor Him, and cleave to Him, and call upon His Name.

 

2 Samuel 22:2-4, 47 (KJV)     [Also recorded as: Psalm 18]
The LORD is my Rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;
The God of my rock; in him will I trust:
He is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge,
My saviour; thou savest me from violence.
I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised:
so shall I be saved from mine enemies…
The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock;
and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation.

 

Making God our Rock: This will take some effort on the part of the believer. Some streams of modern Christianity teach that if you put effort into your faith, it will be the works of the flesh and rejected by God, but: Where does their teaching come from?  Compromised religion? Or genuine faith based Biblical Living?

The Saviour himself told his followers to pray for laborers to go into the harvest. He told his followers that they were to bear much fruit, and this would be a sign that they were following Him. He also said, the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

          A laborer is someone who puts effort in the the work he is doing, and because of his work, he becomes skilled and well equipped, and trained in doing the Work. That is why his is called a laborer, and that is what makes him fruitful. True laborers are those who prepare themselves, and their world, for the harvest of God that is happening in their generation.

Mark this down: Bringing in the Harvest of Grain, and Fruit, is some of the most difficult work, and needs to be handled with care and expediency, or the harvest could be ruined. And yet, it is the most joyful and satisfying work, because the results of the harvest are coming in. All the fruits of the Labor are being realized in real time. The hope the laborer had has now become a reality. The same efforts go into harvesting souls for the kingdom of God, it is hard work, and it needs to be done with care and precision, but their is great joy in seeing the work manifest in the fruit of salvation.

 

This teaching is also conspicuously missing from modern church christianity.
         The sheep are told to bring people to church, but few are trained to go into the world and be a witness to the Kingdom of God. Which is the central point of the whole message of the Gospel of Christ. As a result, even fewer laborers are raised up, even fewer trained and equipped and able to rightly handle the word of God, and share the message of Repentance and Faith, and the Judgement to Come.

 

Our job as believers in Christ is to expose lies, tear down strongholds, and plunder the strong man’s house, and take away his goods, and his protection. And to bear much fruit in so doing.

           How can we do this if we are not actively training ourselves to become excellent laborers in God’s Heavenly Harvest? How can we bear the Fruit of Heaven, if our eyes are solely focused on the things of the Earth? How can we bring the Kingdom of God into Our Lives, if we don’t even know how to make our raiment as white as snow? How can we teach others, what we don’t even know ourselves? 

 

Who can answer these questions with integrity, honesty, and faith? 

 

It will take a bold spirit, a bold faith, a bold and courageous heart and mind that will fully face and fully accept responsibility for the full counsel of God, and not just blame it all on their pastor or their church, or their denomination. As we have seen, even whole churches in the Apostles day, only had a few true followers of Christ. How much more worse could it be in our day? 

Like Moses and Gideon and Josiah, they knew that the work of the ministry of God was not going to be done unless they took the bull by the horns. They chose to wash their clothes, they chose to take their lives into their hands, and then hand it over to the King of Heaven. They chose to make God, the Lord and Master of their Lives. And they chose to do the will of God in their day, even as God had called them. They chose to break down the false idol worshipping practices in their day. We are called to do the same.

 

We too are called to tear down our false images, fake teachings, and idol worshipping practices today.

 

Like Abraham, Abel, David, and Elijah, we can lay ahold of the Blood Covenant of God.   We can rightly prepare our vessels for the New Wine of the Spirit, like Cleopas and the Early Believers. We can choose to change the face of our nation through our witness of the Gospel, and participate in the Salvation of His great harvest of souls.

It takes One, to reach One.

 

Making disciples who make disciples, who make disciples, who make disciples in Christ, in the Spirit of Truth and Humility and Holiness, doing the will of God the Father from the heart, is the Will of God for the Church today, just as it was the Will of God for the Church in the first century. Nothing has changed.

Once a believer truly enters into the harvest of Heaven, bringing souls out of darkness into light, there will be nothing in this world that will compare to that holy and sacred experience. And once one decides to devote his entire life and all his time and energy to such a task, as becoming a faithful laborer in the Kingdom of God, all of his energy, focus, and food will be to continue the work.

It will be the most exciting, challenging, growing, and deep learning experience of one’s Life, guaranteed, that is if he shall endure to the end, and not give up or remove his name from the Lamb’s Book of Life, through temptation, disillusion, or any dark attack upon his faith or his person, or his family.

The truth be told, the enemy will come and attack every true believer. The enemy will deceitfully use every tool available, which is often the very members of a man’s own family. The enemy will often use even his own wife and children, his friends, his employers, and government officials, to stop him from serving God and sharing God’s Word. This is the very predictable expectation of the world. Stop every man, woman, and child from sharing the World of God, from speaking the word of God, from bring the Conviction of the Word of God upon the hearer of the Word, and transforming them into a doer of the Word.

We should expect to face the same enemies Paul and the Apostles faced, if we truly Walk with God on the Road of Salvation. Our job discription from Heaven’s Thrown is to assail the gates of Hell, to bind the strongmen, to plunder and tear down their strongholds, to plunder their treasuries, and set the captives free. But the enemy won’t lightly give up his possessions and his positions without a fight, don’t ever think he will.

Those who are not ready to step into the warfare of becoming a full fledged soldier of Christ, still need to be pruned and purged in order to become a fruitful vine branch in the Vineyard of the LORD. This is a calling from Heaven. It is an invitation to become who you were born into this world to be, by the grace of God, and the message of the Kingdom of God, you shall become all that God has for you, if you simple enter into a true Blood Covenant Relationship with the Holy One of Heaven.

May this calling not be overwhelming. Let your Life and your soul absorb just one step at a time, one day of progress at a time. Little by Little, the War is Won. Little by Little the ground is taken back from darkness to light, in our own lives first and then in the lives of everyone around us. This is the Calling. This is the Challenge. This is the Blood Covenant of God. 

 

Wise men put new wine into new wineskins,
and both are preserved.
(Matthew 9:17 )

 

Shalom,

 

BT Halson

 

To keep reading click link for Chapter Two.