Redemption Revealed - IV
We've seen that God, being omniscient, knew all things before the foundation of the world and therefore He could predestinate. And we see predestination looks back to foreknowledge, and foreknowledge looks onward to destiny.
In our gathering together today, we'll consider the Book of Life and the Lamb's Book of Life. The Book of Life is the genealogy of the first Adam, God's first son, and the beginning of human life. Jesus Christ died to redeem this man, and when He did, his entire race was potentially redeemed, because all of his seed were in him at the beginning, so was Eve (I John 2:1). But as God is no respecter of persons, each of his children was placed on the basis of free moral agency like Adam, to choose obedience and the Tree of Life, or disobedience and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, resulting in death.
Therefore names can be removed from the Book of Life. Indeed the majority of Adam's race will be removed from this Book which was written in the foreknowledge of God before there was a world. Once a name has been removed from this Book it cannot be returned and is transferred to the books of the sinners, who will be separated to Jesus' left, and cast into the Lake of Fire.
As the Book of Life is Adam's genealogy, the Lamb's Book of Life is a section in that Book representing Jesus Christ and His Offspring otherwise known as the elect of God. Adam and those of his race who were accounted in Christ on Calvary are the elect of God. They can never again come to judgment because they were justified in Him when He raised from the dead (Romans 4:25). No names can ever be removed from this Book as they are a part of the Logos or Word and eternal Life.
Unlike the Church age saints we who are of Christ's end-time Bride will not see death in the flesh, must recognize our position in the Body and grasp the reality we are Word, and if we abide in the Word, the "third pull" will operate: whatever we speak will come to pass, for we are only asking for what we are. We are expressing God's will, for His Word, the mind of Christ, to come to pass for His glory.
From the foregoing we see that some of Adam's race were foreknown as written epistles of the Word for their day, and placed in the Lamb's Book of Life from the foundation of the world. Others did not reach the mark of God's high calling for one reason or another and were not born-again but remained under the blood poured out on the sacrifice altar, on the Book of Life, and will be granted into eternal Life at the White Throne Judgment. Whilst a third and far more numerous group will have their names removed from the records of Life, and be lost.
Cain and his race are unrelated to Adam, and their names have never and will never be written on the Books. Jesus said those whose names were not written in the Book of Life will worship the beast (Revelation 13:8; 17:8). "I am come in My Father's Name, and you receive Me not: if another shall come in his own name, him you will receive" (John 5:43). Pharaoh is among this Serpent's seed group whose names were never on the Book of Life (Romans 9:17-22; Job 21:30; Proverbs 16:4; An Exposition of the Seven Church Ages, p. 284:3).
The Serpent seed was necessary in the plan of God to test His attributes in His children. God being a Saviour, it was needful that He predestinate a man who would require salvation in order to give Himself reason and purpose of being.
God's law of reproduction states that the Word can only reproduce what was spoken. Genesis 1:11, "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so".
The Serpent was Word, and will be with us throughout eternity in his present form. But the hybrid of his original man-like form now comprising the majority of the human (non-Adamic) race, has no relationship to Adam, and not being in the Book of Life is without a Redeemer. It is an hybrid, and was never Word, never being one of God's creative thoughts. Like the mule, it cannot be redeemed and is "cherem," or devoted to destruction.
Revelation 22:18-19, "For I testify to every man who hears the Words of the prophecy of this Book, If anyone adds to these things, God shall add to him the plagues that are written in this Book: And if anyone takes away from the Words of the Book of this prophecy, God will take his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the Holy City, and from the things which are written in this Book".
This speaks specifically of the revelation of the Seven Seals that was revealed through the prophet of Malachi 4:5-6. His Message was Christ, the fullness of the Word Paul called "that which is perfect." The revelation of the Seven Seals brought Christ back to earth in W_O_R_D form. If we add to the Message of William Branham, the prophet, which is the "sayings" or "words" of the prophecy of the Book of Revelation (Revelation 22:10), we make the Logos what It is not. And because the elect cannot be deceived on the revealed Word of God, these non-elect will go into the tribulation. If we take from the Logos, we diminish Christ, which is blasphemy, and to have our names removed from the Book of Life.
Romans 12:1-3, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith".
There's a wise note of caution from Paul. We are to bring our mind, the five senses of our mortal spirit under submission to our Word-quickened soul; in turn it will bring the five senses of our body under subjection that our lives become written epistles read and known of all men. Transformed by the renewing of our mind, into conformity with the image God foresaw in His mind.
If you've been following these teachings, you will know that these things first came to view in God's great thinking by foreknowledge before the foundation of the world. Sin originated in heaven when God foresaw Lucifer, the son of the morning, exalt his beauty and wisdom above Michael. And as we saw, the Serpent's seed was necessary in the plan of God to test His attributes in His children.
He thought God dwelt in senses: beauty, the lust of the eye and of the flesh; and in wisdom or the pride of life, rather than a clear revelation of His Word. The battle began on earth and in us when Satan chose to pervert God's creation for his own glory. And the battleground is the human mind, because decisions are made in the mind and the battle's been raging ever since (Greatest Battle Ever Fought, p. 13:1, 5).
So the Book of Life was written in God's thinking before the foundation of the world. No names can be added to It because His foreknowledge is omniscient and changes not, but by foreknowledge He knew some, most names, will be removed.
"It is not the person (or soul) that comes predestinated eternally from God, IT IS THE WORD, OR SEED. (And by foreknowledge, God knew which soul would receive and become written epistles of the Word for their day). That's it. Way back there, too far back for the human mind to grasp, the Eternal God with eternal thoughts, thought and decreed, "JACOB HAVE I LOVED, BUT ESAU HAVE I HATED, (Romans 9:13) AND NEITHER WAS BORN, AND NEITHER HAD DONE GOOD OR EVIL."
See, it was the THOUGHT, and then that thought became expressed, and God bought back Jacob, because Jacob alone was SEED. Jacob, alone had the seed (or revealed Word); that is why he had respect to the birthright and covenant of God. If you are true seed, you will hear that Word; the Spirit will baptize you into the Body of Christ, filling you and empowering you, and you will receive the Word for your day and age. See how clear the true evidence becomes when the Word is revealed to you? Again, note, Jesus was the Royal Seed. He lived in a human body. When the Spirit called to Him (the Word-Manifested Thought), He went to Jordan and was there baptized in water. Upon obeying the Word, the Holy Spirit came upon Him and the Voice said, "This is My beloved Son, hear ye Him." The voice did not say, "This has become My Son," Jesus WAS the Son. The Holy Ghost positioned Him as that Son before them all. Then having been filled thus (and the same pattern holds at Pentecost and ever after), He went in demonstrated power, receiving the full revelation of God and from God, for that day (ibid, p. 154:3).
The true evidence of being baptized with the Holy Ghost is for the believer to receive the Word (or seed) for the age in which he lives. And to identify so closely with that part of the Word that he and that Word become One. Amen! An epistle written by his own life, read and known of all men. That's the Token on display.
"From BEFORE the foundation of the earth the purpose of God was to share His Eternal Life with man. Ephesians 1:4-11, "According as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He has made us accepted in the beloved. In Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace; wherein He has abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He has purposed in Himself: that in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him: in Whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him Who works all things after the counsel of His own will".
Revelation 13:8, "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him (Satan) whose names are not written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."
But that Life could not, and would not, be shared in any other way than through the way of "God manifest in the flesh." This was a part of His eternal and predestinated purpose. This plan was to be to the praise of the glory of His grace. It was the plan of Redemption. It was the plan of Salvation. Now listen closely. "God being a Saviour, it was necessary that He predestinate a man who would require salvation in order to give Himself reason and purpose of being." That is one hundred percent correct and multitudes of Scripture bear it out as does the very pointed verse of Romans 11:36, "For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are ALL THINGS: to Whom be GLORY forever. Amen." Man could not directly come and partake of that Tree of Life in the midst of the Garden. That Eternal Life of the Tree had to become flesh first" (ibid, p. 102:2).
God's hidden mystery and purpose was to gather glory to Himself by displaying and proving His attributes in His family. Hence we have the adoption or placing of those who prove themselves worthy to be called Sons. Galatians 4:6-7, "And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore you are no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." By having pre-eminence in us He reflects His glory through us in perfection which is why He chastens us.
Manifested sons are "junior gods." Jesus said, "Is it not written in your Law, I said, You are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the Word of God came, and the Scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:34-35). If the Word is coming to you, then you are a son of God. Then by God's Law of reproduction (Genesis 1:11), you have got to be a little "god." Sure, you're a flash of Fire off the Logos.
"God made his angels ministering spirits, and His ministers a flame of Fire" (Hebrews 1:7, 14). What is the Holy Spirit in you? It's your angel, the reality of His foreknowledge of your glorified form already seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, inspiring or ministering to your soul? Of course it is (Psalm 34:7).
Hebrews 2:1-18, "Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the truths we have heard, lest we should let them escape. For if the Word spoken by angels (the Old Testament prophets) was always vindicated, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty; how shall we escape, if we are indifferent to this great salvation; first announced by the Lord Jesus Himself, and confirmed to us by the angels (or witnesses) who heard Him speak" (Luke 1:2; Acts 1:21-22; 2:22)?
"Besides these evidences, God also bore witness with signs and wonders and with various miracles, imparting the gifts of the Holy Ghost to believers, according to His own will?"
"And the future world of which we speak won't be controlled by angels. But one angel, the prophet David (Psalm 8:4-8), said in a certain place, What is man, that You are mindful of him? or the son of man, that You visit Him? You've made us marginally lower than God and the angels, You crowned us with glory and honour, and set us over the works of Your hands: You have put all things in subjection under our feet." [Genesis 1:28, "Multiply and fill the earth, subdue it and have dominion over it"].
"In that He put all in subjection under man, He left nothing that is not put under us. But for the present we see all things aren't yet put under us." [Because Christ's brethren have to overcome like their Forerunner, and death will reign till the restoration of all things. When God's elect 144,000 Israelites make an end of sins in Daniel's Seventieth Week, and death is cast into the Lake of Fire at the White Throne Judgment, all things will be under our feet. And we'll be under God (I Corinthians 15:23-28; Acts 3:19-23)].
"But we now see Jesus, the first adopted or placed Son, Who was humiliated by His own people and made a little lower than the angels (or junior gods?"elohim") to suffer a sinner's death, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it was fitting to the Divine nature that God, Who made everything for His Own glory, in bringing many sons unto glory, should make the Forerunner of their salvation mature in the human experience [to fit Him for His office as High Priest] through sufferings."
"For both Christ Who makes men holy, and they who are born-again, now have the same Father: which is why He is not ashamed to call us brothers, saying, "I will talk to My brothers about God My Father, and together we will worship Him" (Psalm 22:22).
"And again, I will put my trust in Him (Psalm 18:2). And again, Behold Me, and the children which God has given Me" (Isaiah 8:18).
"And since God's children are human beings made of flesh and blood, He likewise partook of the same nature, that as a mortal man, and by His death and resurrection, He might break the power of Satan who had the power of death; And deliver and set free all who through fear of death were throughout life subject to bondage. For as we all know, Christ did not take the immortal nature of angels [theophany]: but came in the flesh form of the seed of Abraham."
"And it was essential for Jesus to be like His brethren in every respect, in order that He could be a High Priest sympathetic to us and yet faithful to God in dealing with the sins of His people."
"For since He Himself has suffered, being tempted in His humanity, he is wonderfully able to help us" (Hebrews 2:1-18).
The Holy Spirit in you is your angel, a Messenger from the Lord with a Message for your soul, which is the feminine of God. Your angel is your ministering Spirit, your lick from the Logos or Pillar of Fire [manifest visibly over each of the elect in the upper room on the Day of Pentecost]. It is your Part of the Word, your representation of predestination, your Husband-part?Christ in you. When you are born-again you have been re-united to God through Christ. You've heard from your theophany.
In the end-time, manifested sons or "junior gods" will put sin out of their minds by coming under pre-eminence to God and His Word. Giving Him pre-eminence by transformation and surrendering of the "battleground" between our ears, we'll have faith for rapturing grace to speak the Word. And what we say, God will do in the manifestation of the Sons of God.
When the Voice of the Archangel and Captain of our salvation is in control of us so that we speak only what we hear from the Son, and do only what He's revealed to us by inspiration, dream or vision, then we're mature and in condition for the manifestation of the Sons of God. When the Trump of God shall sound, Satan will be cast down to earth, Los Angeles will sink beneath the Pacific, and there'll never be another Gentile saved. We look forward to that time and to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb in the Sky. bb840417.htm
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