God's Two Greatest Mysteries
Chapter 4

Truth is demanding. Before Jesus ever comes in the air He is going to come in us as a witness, as a standard and every eye shall behold Him in us. You may be saying in your heart right now, "Pastor Johnson, I just do not believe that." If this is so, then what you are really saying is that you deny that Jesus Christ IS come in the flesh.

Do you want to release the Christ nature that is within you? Then what you are really saying is, "Lord, let this word that is within me become flesh and live in my body." I Cor. 6:19 says,

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?"

Jesus Christ is right now coming in the flesh. The more you learn of Him and the more you allow His life to be expressed in you is the degree that You allow Him to come in your flesh. Notice who is the one controlling His coming in your flesh. Your carnal mind. This is why Paul said in Romans 12:1-2:

"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."

Yes, He will come in the air, but even now He is coming in the flesh to live and dwell in you so that the world may know that God has sent Jesus (Jn. 17:23). The Word is being made flesh right now in apostles, prophets, evangelist, pastors and teachers. There are those that deny this and sit in their temples as God and are rebellious. However, This does not alter the fact that there is a people on the face of the earth that are saying, Yes, Lord, I believe!

So many charismatic are hung up on the authority/submission teaching that has been prevalent for the past few years, but even this is a part of the curse. The whole concept of authority and submission is under the curse and only when we come into maturity will this curse be lifted. In Gen. 3:16 God said to Eve,

"I will greatly increase your pains in child bearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband and he will rule over you."

Before the fall Eve was not under Adam's authority. God called their name Adam. They were one! There is something greater than obedience. Obedience is better than sacrifice, but there is a greater dimension than obedience. To have a need for obedience, there must first be two wills involved. When Jesus became a man He descended into the realm of obedience and submission. And He did it as a pattern. When He ascended, He again became one with God. He also gave gifts to the church of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers for the maturing of the church until we all come into the knowledge of the Son of God, and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will all become one with each other and one with Jesus and there will be one will and that will be the will of God.

What does all this have to do with the mark of the beast? Everything! Because any spirit that denies that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is an antichrist. Or against Christ. Jesus said, "I am truth!" Anytime you stand in opposition to the TRUTH, you are antichrist. A spirit that denies the existence of the Lord's five-fold ministry is an antichrist. The spirit of antichrist takes the place of Christ as God, and says in a spirit of rebellion, "I don't believe it." I Sam. 15:23 says,

"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry"

If I am rebellious, I am practicing witchcraft. Also if I am stubborn, I am worshipping idols. Those thoughts and ideas in my mind that will not submit to His will.

Rev. 13:16 says,

"He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If any one has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666."

Whether you ever have a literal mark on your hand or on your forehead makes very little difference to me. The important thing to me is that you understand the spirit of the antichrist. In order to understand the mark of the beast we must read Acts 17:22-29:

"Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: `Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and observed your objects of worship, I even found an alter with this inscription: To An Unknown God. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and exact places where they should live.

God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have being.' As some of your own poets have said, `We are his offspring.' Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone - an image made by man's design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.'"

When the men designed these idols, where did the image first originate? It first had to appear in their minds, in their imaginations. What your mind sees or creates or produces, your hand will make. The word 'Mark' in Rev. 13 is the same Greek word that is interpreted graven or designer in Acts 17:29 The word -'mark, design, or graven' means the same thing.

The Greek word is CHARAGMA #5480 from which we get our English word character, and it literally means a stamp or a mark or an impress. Where was the mark of the beast? On the forehead or on the right hand. What were these idols graven by? KJV says by art and man's device.

The Greek word for art is TECHNE #5078 from which we get our English word technical or technology, and the literal meaning is something made from man's hand. The Greek word for 'man's device' is ENTHUMESIS #1761 and means man's inner thought. How were those idols formed in Athens Greece? First of all, some man formed them in his inner thoughts and perhaps wrote or drew his thoughts on paper with his right hand. Then some technicians or sculptures formed the image with rock. Those idols were produced by man's mind and man's hand. I wonder what would be formed if we had God's mind and God's hand?

Rebellion is as witchcraft, and stubbornness as an idol. My way, my thoughts are idols. My will is an idol. I have met many men, women and children who in their minds thought like beasts and in their hands, as it were, acted like one. King Nebuchadnezzar, in the book of Daniel, was a man who became a beast. When Adam sinned, man became a beast and began to act like one. Animals will not even do what some men do. The word beast in the book of Revelations literally means a wild beast.

Have you ever seen anyone who looked like a wild man and acted like a wild man? Have you ever heard a parent say, "My kid is wild!" Sure he is wild! He has inherited your nature!!!! Why is he out in the world and so wild. Because he is following your nature, and example of you and your church doing your own thing.

When Nebuchadnezzar became wild, he had long hair and ate grass. Men have long since stop eating grass. Now days they smoke it.

In Gen. 16, Ishmael was a wild man and an idol. Let us see where he came from. What did God promise Abraham? A son. Who was the son of promise? Isaac. Abraham tried to help God out by listening to his wife and what he produced with her thinking and his own strength was a wild ass. Ishmael means a wild ass. Gen 16:12 says,

"He will be a wild ass of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand will be against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers."

Isaac, on the other hand, was a product of God. Ishmael was a product of the flesh but Isaac was a product of faith in God. Ishmael had a natural birth and Isaac had a supernatural birth. Gen. 16:1 says,

"Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had born him no children. (She failed her walk by faith because of the circumstances.) But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar: So she said to Abram, The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maid servant; perhaps I can build a family through her."

The sad thing is that Abram could not pass up a deal like that. Notice the words [perhaps] or [maybe I can]. This is where a lot of charismatics are today. Maybe I can be healed tonight! Maybe I can be blessed tonight! If you are full of maybes it is because you are full of your ways.

Ishmael is a product of two things. Sarai's thinking. Abram's strength. Where did Abram get the thought to go into Haggar? Sarai gave it to him. After he found out she had conceived, he strutted around the camp for days and you would too if you were in your 80's.

What most of us fail to realize in this story is that God worked a miracle in Abram's life in order for Abram to have his own way. God worked a miracle for Abram in order for him to produce something in the flesh. We are in covenant relationship with God, and sometimes if we insist, he will work a miracle in order for us to have our own way.

Where is the mark of the beast? In your forehead and in your hand. Where did Ishmael come from? Man's mind and man's hand. The mark of the beast is man's wisdom and man's ability. The right hand is man's ability and the forehead is man's wisdom.

People right now are receiving one of two marks. Right now marked or stamped or impressed upon your life and your mind is either man's way of thinking of God's way of thinking. Right now in your life you are either trying to work out your life in your own ability and strength, or you are by faith trusting God to work it out with His ability and His strength.

Every time I do what Abram did by trying to help God out, I use man's wisdom and man's ability. (Thus an Ishmael is created.) Once you create an Ishmael; you have to live with him. Ishmael will always persecute Isaac. Today you can see man's wisdom and man's ability marked all over churches. This is how the beast thinks. "What new programs can we think up or dream up to reach the young people? We have to get them all in before the rapture."

There are three spirits in the world today.

1. God's Spirit
2. Man's spirit
3. Satan's spirit

Jesus defeated Satan, therefore that leaves only two spirits. God's Spirit and man's spirit. And these two are in conflict with each other for the control of man. In Galatians 5:17, Paul says,

"For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want."

Who is going to win? Will Jesus be Lord or will you be lord? Will His will be done, or your will be done? Will His way be Lord or will your way be lord? Will He sit in your temple as God or will you sit in your temple as the spirit of antichrist?

You will find out whether God is ruling or whether you are ruling, because God is sending His delegated authority to you in the form of His five-fold ministry. These are men of a broken spirit. They are not dictators, because the place of the greatest authority is the place of the greatest humility. They will lay down their lives for the brethren without a question. We will pour out our life for you because that is the will of God. This is difficult for most to understand.

Right now there are one of two marks on your forehead. Engraven in your thinking. On some lives it is just beginning to appear and on other lives it has been impressed for some time. This is either the mark of the beast, or the seal of the Lord.

If the mark of the beast is upon you, then you are a person like Abram who becomes very stubborn and impatient. You say, "Lord, I know you promised me you would do this for me, but I want to help you out." You, like Abram, will let the human reasoning of Sarah and the human ability of your own loins produce the answer. You just can not wait.

However, there will be some who will say, "I will do nothing of myself, I will do only that which the Spirit of the Lord leads me to do because I have been marked with the seal of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Heb. 1:3 says that Jesus is the expressed image of the Father. This word image is the same as the word graven. This simply means that stamped and impressed upon the Son of God was the nature of His Father. And Jesus said, "As the Father has sent me; so send I you."

What image has been impressed upon you? The nature of a beast or the nature of the Christ? The nature of the beast is full of fear, bondage, and condemnation. The nature of Christ is full or righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit!

What does it mean in Rev. 13:17 when it says, "They can not buy or sell?" What I am preaching about the Kingdom of God, many will say, "Oh, I do not buy that" There is nothing I can do for them if they refuse to hear the Word of the Lord! I can not convince them if the Spirit of the Lord can not. He can only deal with a broken spirit.

Proverbs 23:23 says, "Buy the truth and sell it not." So many ministries freely receive from God revelation, and then want to copyright it and sell it for gain. Paul said in II Cor. 2:17, "Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit." The traditions of men make the Word of God to loose its effectiveness, and I will not buy that. Nor will I sell it!! You say, "But Brother Johnson, everybody is teaching traditions. I will not buy that!

Rev. 13:15-16 says,

"He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refuse to worship the image to be killed. He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his hand or his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name."

First, note that this beastly antichrist spirit will always seek to kill the prophets. Secondly, no one will be allowed to teach or minister or hold any position unless he goes along with the harlot (denominational) system.

Does this passage of scripture have anything at all to do with the natural flow of commerce? I don't know; but I do know this: Jesus went into the temple one day and looked around. What do I do when I meet someone? I go into their temple and look around by the discerning of spirits, which simply means seeing though. You cannot put a mask on in this walk and not be detected because Jesus said, "By their fruits you shall know them. I want to see the fruit of your ministry. And I don't mean your mailing list or how many are going to your church or how many souls you have saved. No matter how many of these you have, if there is no fruit of the life of Jesus in your life there is no ministry!

You say, "Well, why do you want to go into the temple anyway? Because the message I have received from the Lord is for the purpose of cleansing it of all that is not of Christ. Jesus Christ is in your temple and is sending His Anointed Word in order to cleanse your temple. This is why there is such a stir in some of you. The Bible says that Jesus cleared out all those who bought and sold. All that has been engraved and imbedded in your thinking by man must be destroyed. Paul said in II Cor. 10:3-5,

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

There are a lot of Christians buying and selling and trading with the world system and as a result they have the mark of the beast on them. Nevertheless, there are people in this world right now that do not have the mark of the beast on them. They are a product of God's hand. That is, His apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers

You must realize that you are the workmanship of God. He has designed you and His hand is going to build what He has designed. His hand is going to create what His mind has purposed. If you reject this message of the Kingdom and choose to hold on to your traditions, it will be impossible for you to mature and fulfill God's desire in your life. As a result, selfishness will become the God of your life and cause you to end up with the mind and nature of a beast.

Right now in the World System and in some churches, there are men and women who think like a beast. Beast is the Greek word THERION (#2342) and means a wild untamed beast.

1. A beast that is strong willed and wants to do its own thing.
2. A beast that refuses to be corrected.
3. A nature that refuses to be disciplined, and refuses to see its need of growth and development.

In the book of Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar was a perfect example of the fullness of man's government. The very highest that man could achieve in self government. And yet, he became a beast. This fulfilled what the Psalmist declared. "That man in his best state is altogether vanity."

Men are forever behaving like animals. Paul used other terminology for the beast nature.

1. The old man.
2. The unregenerated nature.
3. The nature of the first Adam untouched by the Holy Spirit.
4. The first Adam became a living soul.

This beast nature is operating in men and women today. Anyone who behaves in a carnal way, and thinks from the carnal mind, has already begun to take on the mark of the beast. And yet, most of the Church world today, makes the mark of the beast futuristic. What all the future implications of the antichrist spirit are, no one knows. But I do know that John said that the spirit of antichrist was in the world in his day and it is still in the world today.

In I John 2:18 John said,

"Dear Children this is the last hour, and as you have heard that the anti-christ is coming, even now many anti-christs have come."

This is how we know it is the last hour. Are you are worried about a mark tattooed on your hand or on your forehead? I personally think you should be more aware of the present day reality of THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST in you THE HOPE OF GLORY versus the mystery of iniquity, the man of sin.

In our lesson text [Luke 13:10-17] we noticed that there was a blind ruler in the synagogue. Let's take a closer look at this blind ruler. Paul said in II Cor. 4:3-4,

"And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The God of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."

Notice here that there is a blinded mind and a blinded mind is always a carnal mind. Paul also said in Romans 8:5-7,

"For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh: But they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be Spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God. Neither indeed can be."

The carnal mind is actually an enemy of God. It is hostile to God and actually hates God. Paul is telling us here, that we must be aware of the danger of following after the carnal mind. Because the carnal mind is a rebellious mind and will not submit to God's will.

Just as Paul said in II Cor. 4, there is a veil of flesh over the minds of many people which makes them blind when they read the Bible. The reason why is because they have an unteachable attitude (spirit). They are not interested in hearing anything that disagrees with their personal desires.

In II Cor. 2:9-14, Paul said that the mind without the Spirit can not understand things that are written and inspired by the Spirit. The things of the Spirit are foolishness to the carnal mind. This is the problem with the blind ruler of the synagogue. The deeper things of God are foolishness to those who are blind.

There is coming a day when the Christ in you is going to rebuke your carnal mind and your body is going to be straightened out and the result will be a glorification of your body. Your only hope of deliverance is the Christ in you. In the fullness of time, the Christ in you is going to rebuke your carnal way of thinking, [the blind ruler of YOUR temple] and you will be set free from your bondage to sin once and for all.

Your carnal mind is an adversary to the Christ nature in you, and when the Christ nature in you rebukes your hypocritical carnal mind, He will humiliate your way of thinking and your flesh will be set free from the bondage of sin and death.

The Church world today, as a whole, is looking for a fire escape. There is a spirit that prevails, even among Spirit filled Christians, which is irresponsible and rebellious. Our churches are filled with people who have a nature of wanting to do their own thing. They are untamed, rebellious, obstinate and stubborn. Samuel said that rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness as iniquity and idolatry.

Any Bible scholar will tell you that the antichrist spirit is intermingled and intertwined with concepts of the occult and witchcraft. What is the spirit behind the occult? What is the spirit behind witchcraft? It is the spirit of stubbornness and lawlessness and rebellion.

What you must understand is that Jesus Christ is the only door, the only gateway into the spirit realm. Jesus said,

"I am the way, the truth and the life and I am the door."

Jesus is the only legal, valid entry into the realm of spirit. Satan's greatest deception is to get Christians to want to be independent of Christ's way and door. What is Christ's way and door? Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers. And their purpose is to mature the body and to bring government and order to His people.

Jesus is the only way to the Father and He said that no man could come to Him unless he was drawn by the Spirit of His Father. There is only one way to move in spiritual arenas and that is by His Spirit. If you enter into the spirit realm any other way, such as the occult, mediums, and drugs, you are a thief and robber and a rebel.

The carnal natural mind of man is hostile toward God and is filled with unrighteousness and ungodliness and always pouring forth the traditions of men which make the Word of God non-effective. Romans 8:6-8 says,

"For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God: For it does not subject itself to the Law of God (rule of God), for it is not even able to do so; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God."

Notice that the mind set on the flesh is a rebellious mind. Hostile toward the will of God, and it is not able to submit. Galatians 5:17 says,

"For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do what you want to."

Remember that God breathed into Adam and Adam became a living soul. When the Spirit and the flesh came together, Adam became a living soul. Paul declares here, that there is a war going on between the spirit and the flesh. He also declares that the flesh is antichrist, antispirit and rebellious.

James 3:13 - 4:10 says,

"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice."

"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You quarrel and fight."

This is nothing more than the manifestation of the carnal mind.

2 Thess. 2:1-4 Says,

"Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the Day of the Lord has already come. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He opposes and exalts himself over everything that is called God or is worshipped, and even sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God."

This letter was written to the Church at Thessalonica to correct the any minute teaching concerning the coming of Christ. In the following discourse, I want to point out several things that Paul said must happen before this can occur.

In the first verse we want to look at the word 'gathered'. This word 'gathered' is Strong's No. 1997 and is the Greek word 'Ep-ee-soon-a- gog-ay' and means a complete collection. Specifically a church meeting for worship--assembling (gathering) together There are two places this Greek word is found in the New Testament. Here and in Heb. 10:25 which talks about not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together. It is taken from a root word No. 1996 'Ep ee- soon ag-o' meaning together and is found seven times in the new testament.

In Matt. 23:37 Jesus said,

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children TOGETHER, as a hen GATHERS her chicks under her wings."

In. Matt 24:21 Jesus said,

"And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they shall GATHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

Jesus Christ is appearing in the saints even now, which is the unveiling of this first mystery of Christ in You, but there is also going to be an appearing of the Lord in the air.

In verse 2 of II Cor. 2, Paul said,

"Don't become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come."

There were those, in the early days of the Church, who were going around shaking people up by teaching and sending letters with Paul's signature forged on them saying that Jesus had already come back. Even so today many are trying to predict the day and hour when Jesus will return. Let's look very close to what Paul was teaching here concerning the second coming of Christ. Paul preached two mysteries. The present day reality of Christ in you, and he preached a present day reality of the antichrist-the beast nature in you. Paul said in verse three,

"Don't let anyone deceived you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction." (NIV)

The KJV says, "Until there comes a falling away first." Let's take a look at this word 'falling away'. In Strong's concordance it's No. 646 which is the Greek word 'Op-os-tas-ee'-ah' from which we get our English word 'apostasy' from, and means 'forsake'. It is only found in the New Testament two times. Here and in Acts 21:21 which says,

"They have informed us that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to TURN AWAY FROM Moses.."

It is taken from a root word 'Af-is'-tay-mee' and means to depart from. Afistaymee is listed fifteen times in the New Testament; the most notable listing is found in I Tim. 4:1 where Paul said that some would depart from the faith.

The reason that I have looked up this word, 'falling away', with you is that many believe and teach that there is going to be an incarnation of Satan, himself, as the man of sin, the antichrist. And also there are those who teach that the next thing that is going to happen is that we are going to be caught away from the earth or Raptured. They also teach that the falling away first is the departing of the saints or the Rapture which must come first before the Man of Sin can be revealed.

This word falling away means just what it says. There has already begun an apostasy, a falling away from, even among Spirit-filled people! Jesus said in Matt. 24 that the love of many would become cold or wax cold. Surely, in the light of what is happening through out the Body of Christ right now, you would have to admit that the love of many Christians is growing cold!!

If there is going to be a falling away, there first must be something to fall away from. In Rev.3:20 Jesus is seen standing outside most churches and cannot get in because of their man made programs and man made governments and stands outside the door and knocks with His HAND!!! His apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelist... He is trying to get in but the Church, on the whole, is stubborn (idolatry) and rebellious (witchcraft) and will not listen to His delegated authority that He has sent.

In Rev. 3:20 Jesus said, "If you will hear My voice and open the door, I will come in." Listen to me charismatics, God always speaks to His people through His messengers: apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers and evangelist. You had better stop your rebelling against God's delegated authority because this is His voice to you. But you have got your door shut. Jesus is standing outside most of what is being done today in His Name.

Jesus said also that there would be false prophets in those days, but you cannot have a false prophet unless you have a true prophet. This calls for discernment and a knowledge of God's word. The bible says that darkness will cover the earth and gross darkness the people. Darkness is speaking about ignorance of God's will and God's way. Ignorance of God's two greatest mysteries.

There is going to be a manifestation of the Man of Sin but what most people don't understand is that the Man of Sin is a Corporate Man. That Man of Sin, that beast nature, the carnal mind is being revealed. The Man of Sin and the Son of Perdition is Corporate just as the New Creation Man, the New Man in Christ, is Corporate.

In verse 4 you will find out what this Man of Sin will be doing when He is revealed.

"He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God."

Earlier we showed you that your carnal mind is at war with your spirit. Rom. 8:6-7 says,

"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."

This beast nature in you, your carnal mind, will oppose or exalt itself above all that is called God or that is worshipped so that he, as god, sits in the temple of God, you, showing himself that he is god.

The generally accepted teaching is that there is going to be a temple built in Jerusalem and that there is going to be a world wide dictator and he is going to have an image that talks. There are two Greek words for temple in the New Testament Greek. First, the Greek word 'Hieron' which is used consistently in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts and in I Cor. 9:13 and means a literal building. Every other place in the New Testament where you find the word 'temple', it is the Greek word `NAOS' and it means a Spiritual building or the inner sanctuary of God. Know you not, that your body is a Temple of the Holy Spirit??? In Eph. 2 he said we are growing into a holy Temple in the Lord. This is the same Greek word used in II Thess. 2:4 when he said there is some one sitting in the temple.

We are the temple Paul is talking about here and it is not some temple over in Jerusalem because it is a Spiritual temple. The one that is sitting in the temple is, for sure, the antichrist. He is the spirit of antichrist. He opposes and exalt himself above all that is called God and if you listen to him, if you let that stubborn, obstinate, carnal mind rise up in you; and if you, by tradition, continue to walk in the vein conversations that you received from your fathers, the result is inevitable.

Stubbornness, (which is as iniquity, lawlessness), and rebellion, (which is as the sin of witchcraft), will take control of your carnal mind and will cause you to be blinded to further revelation from the Spirit of the Lord (I Sam. 15:23). This beast nature, this carnal mind, this traditional way of thinking, opposes and sets itself up against all that is called God.

I want to give you seven key words in this passage from II Thess. 2:1- 12.

1. In verse 2 the word `WORD'
2. In verse 4 the phrase `ALL THAT IS CALLED GOD'
3. In verse 8 the phrase `HIS MOUTH'
4. In verse 10 the word `TRUTH'
5. In verse 12 the word `TRUTH'
6. In verse 15 the word `WORD'
7. In verse 17 the word `WORD'

These words and phrases are those things that the carnal mind does not want to hear. For if they are accepted it means the carnal mind will be renewed. Carnal minds do not want to hear the truth and the truth is, that we the Church, are not ready to meet Him!!! You are not ready to meet the Lord and I am not ready to meet the Lord. We must all come into maturity and we cannot do that if we are in rebellion to the authority that God has placed in the Church to bring us into maturity. Paul said in Eph. 4:11-16,

"It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the Body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son Of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."

We must mature!! Paul said in Gal. 4:19,

"My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you...."

What is holding back and what is restraining? That one that is sitting in the temple. That thing in you that opposes and exalts itself above all that is called God and says, "I don't care what the word says, I am going to believe what I have been taught all my life." Well, go ahead if you want to, but if you do, you will become a part of a system that God has labeled The Man of Sin, The Son of Perdition. We do that every time we allow our carnal mind to rise up in arrogance against the Word of God. Peter said in I Peter 1:18-19,

"Forasmuch as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, such as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ....."

Jesus said in Mark 7:13,

"Thus, you nullify (or to make to none effect), the Word of God by your tradition that you have handed down."

When we follow the traditions of men instead of the truth contained in the bible we are exalting our carnal minds above the Word of God which He has elevated even above His name.

The problem with the truth is, that if we accept it, then we are going to have to change our worship, we will have to change what we believe and we will have to change our life style. The Church is not in the need of a Rapture, we're in the need of a cleansing. What would you think if you went to a wedding and the bride came in and had not taken a bath for a year and had her hair up in curlers and an old worn out bath robe on?

The scriptures say that the Bride has made herself ready. We are doing God's people a disservice if we tell them all they have to do is to be born again. The traditions of men have kept the Church in the shackles of humanistic bondage for two thousand years now.

(continue to Chapter 5)