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  • Who Was the “wicked man” that God Set over Judas?  from Psalm 109:6

    Hey John!

    In Psalm 109:6, it says: “Set a wicked man over him, and let Satan stand at his right hand!”  Who was the “wicked man” that God set over Judas?  Would it have been Caiaphas the High Priest?

    Thank you,

    Billy H.

    ==========

    Hi Billy,

    I have never had that thought, Billy, but it makes sense because when Judas tried to repent, Caiaphas and his fellow priests turned him down, sending Judas into the depths of despair.  Then he committed suicide.  That is a question worth asking, and a thought worth thinking!

    Thank you,

    Pastor John

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1811751989371429190

  • The Spirit in the Old Testament

    Pastor John,

    I was trying to find the scripture that somebody confused me on.  He was telling me that someone in the Old Testament had the Holy Ghost and spoke in tongues…  I wondered if it was a different language or something because it was written in the scripture what he was saying.  I can’t find it.  I thought he said it was Samson, but I haven’t found it.

    ============

    John said in John 7,

    1. On the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink!
    2. He who believes in me, as the scripture said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water!”
    3. But he spoke this about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were going to receive, for the holy Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified.

    Nobody, not even Jesus’ own disciples, received the Spirit before Jesus was resurrected, ascended into heaven, was accepted as a sacrificed for our sins, and glorified.  That is why Paul said in 1Corinthians 15:17, “If Christ is not risen, your faith is pointless; you are still in your sins.”

    The Mormons teach that all the righteous from the foundation of the world received the baptism of the Spirit, but that is false.  Jesus was not glorified until Acts 2.

    Your friend may be thinking of the story in Daniel when there was handwriting on the plaster of the wall in the king’s palace: “MENE MENE TEKEL UPHARSIN.  But that was written in a language that everybody present understood.  They just could not interpret the meaning of the words.

    Other than that, I have no idea what could make anyone think that people in the Old Testament received the Spirit and spoke on tongues before Jesus paid the price for it.  That simply is not true.

    ============

    My second question is another thing that kind of throws me off.  The truth tells us that the Holy Ghost came after Jesus presented himself as a sacrifice to God so he can send it down to us.  I believe Jesus gave me an answer on this question already, but I wanted to ask you anyways. My question is, did God allow the Holy Ghost to fall on certain people just for a time before Acts 2?  I thought yes, but only for a small time.  But wasn’t sure how to think about it.  I appreciate your help!  Thank you Pastor John!

    Isaac M.

    ============

    The Spirit came upon everyone whom God used in the Old Testament, but none of them received the Spirit so that their nature was changed.  None of them was born again.  None of them were made new creatures in Christ.  Thast blessing came at a price which none but the Son of God could pay.

    Thank you for the questions.

    Pastor John

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1811748849708351893

     

  • No Rites and Rules in Heaven

    Morning!  I am feasting on what we proofread last night in the Father and Son book from the section “God’s Righteousness: No Rites and Rules.”  Here is what it says:

    There are no rites or rules in heaven, and there never have been any.  God’s nature governs everything in His presence…

    Shew!  That really hit me like it never has.  “There are no rites or rules in heaven [now] and there never have been [ever].  God’s nature governs everything!”  After we read that last night, the question then was, “What nature are you being governed by?”  The flesh is against everything that is in us from Jesus ––everything –– and the only way to be free from the flesh is for God’s nature to govern us.  If we have that nature in us and let it rule in our hearts, we can overcome the world! – really!  It’s not “rites and rules” that give us God’s nature but the love of God for us through His nature that rites and rules would obstruct.  There are no rites and rules in heaven, and there never have been.  I cannot stop thinking about this!  It is filling up my heart.  There was something in it that was quite liberating.

    Me smiling…..

    Amy B.

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1810836958111052285

     

  • Old Meeting Notes (1972), Parts 1 & 2

    John, I just completed reading your meeting notes 1&2 from the old meetings.  Wow.  I’m trying to describe how it made me feel.  Even though it was written on paper/email, there is a “sound” with this kind of truth.

    When I hear a minister speak who has been influenced by the spirit of Christianity, there is a sound I can hear right away.  There’s something that comes with it the repels my Holy Ghost, and I have to turn it off before long.

    When reading these notes and the pearls of wisdom in it, there’s also a sound that comes to the Spirit.  It’s the comforting and even challenging voice of my shepherd.  It cuts through.  I’ve been blessed many times to hear it from these old CDs, and over the years and even up until now, in the meetings and writings from you.  It’s such a blessing. I feel so touched when I hear this “sound”, and it really perked me up to read this and hear that.  Thanks for sending.

    Gary

    ============

    I wish everybody on earth felt the truth that is in this simple message from long ago.  It is found at www.pioneertract.com, beneath the heading: HTML5 Audio MP3 Stream for Newer Browser.

    Pastor John

    ============

    Good morning, John,

    Thank you for sending these notes out.  That must’ve been a wonderful time in that little room with the power of God falling and revealing truthful things about Himself.  I feel it right now, all over me!  So thankful that when Jesus came knocking at my door, I let him in!

    Thank you for all your hard work over the years to bring this truth into our hearts.  It’s priceless!!!

    Jim K.

    ============

    This had to be one of the best meetings ever.  I wish I had been there and been in a condition to receive these things!  I was just a 19-year-old fool.

    Whew.  God, we beg you to keep our lights burning!

    Pastor John

    ============

    THIS was the most profound paragraph for me.  

    I just LOVE it! . . .

    “There’s not a thing that you believe that you can prove. You can only prove what you know.  There’s not anything that you believe that you know to be the truth.  You don’t believe anything that you know.  John said, ‘I write unto you, little children who

    believe so that you may know.’  It’s the happy privilege of every child of God to know the things of God.”

    I seem to recall a story where a man asked Uncle Joe if he believed in God and he replied, “No.  I used to believe, but now I KNOW there’s a God.”

    It breaks my heart how many well-meaning souls are stuck in Xty …believing rather than receiving the blessing that would confirm their belief, therefore , never really knowing that God’s power is real.  

    Ohhh how blessed we are to have had Preacher Clark’s anointed teaching–and yours, John!

    Brad

    ============

    John,

    I would like to make an additional comment about the meeting notes.  One thing that struck me is the story of your father meeting an old man who said he belonged to the Methodist Church.  It was too far for him to attend so he went to the Pentecostal Holiness Church instead, “since they quit hollering and hooping and chattering….”

    God help us! That is a very sad story, but could become a reality with us if we don’t follow the Spirit. I am grateful for your father and those old saints who held on to the truth and passed it on to us. 

    Thanks again for making these meeting notes available to us.

    Tom 

    ===========

    Pastor John,

    What I came to appreciate by listening to the old meeting notes was just how much I heard old saints say, in some cases verbatim, what we say in our meetings to edify each other. Or perhaps I should say, I was encouraged to hear that we still remind each other and encourage each other in the same truth. I’m thankful that the truth is the same today as it was in Paul’s day and while Preacher Clark was preaching. I’m thankful that you and others like Brother Earl have held on to it and pass it on to us. I feel someone off the street could walk out of Preacher Clark’s meeting and into ours and know that we are one. 

    Michael

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    John, I love this!!  It is that simple.  What I love about it is that it is what God put in us, and to deny it, I would have to deny who I am.  In turn, I would be denying who he is. 

    Stuart 

    ============

    Thank you John! These are so good!  I felt sad when I reached the end of Part 1, but I was happy that there was a Part 2 coming soon!  I feel such a close connection to those folks at Grandma’s house.  They are my ancestors, just as surely as Abraham, Moses, and David are!

    Billy H.

    18 – 1971 Gary’s CD-1 PDF (Part 1)

    19 – 1971, Part 2 CD-1 PDF (Part 2)

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1810483189653144063

     

     

  • Question about the Book of Jude

    Hey Pastor John,

    I was reading in Jude and had a question about a verse. Your translation of Jude 1:9 says, “Yet, Michael the archangel, when opposing the Accuser, disputing about the body of Moses, did not presume to bring against him a railing accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.””

    I am curious what Jude meant by this. Are there any other instances when this dispute between Michael and Satan is mentioned? Is this related to Moses having a role as one of the end-time witnesses that are mentioned in Revelation? Just wondering if you know of any additional context that I am missing.

    Thanks,

    Caleb

    ===========

    Very good questions, Caleb!

    First, Michael’s phrase, “The Lord rebuke you,” sounds to us like “a railing accusation”, but it was not.  It was a way of saying, in this instance, “God has refused to give you what you want.”  In Zechariah, when Satan lost his court case against Israel’s high priest, the angel said the same thing to Satan, “the Lord rebuke you”, which was also not “a railing accusation”, but only an announcement to Satan that he had lost his case.

    Michael’s rebuke of Satan may indeed have something to do with Moses being one of God’s Two Witnesses in Revelation 11.  That is an eye-opening thought, there.  Thanks for that.  It’s obvious that Satan wanted Moses’ dead body for something, even though we are not told what his reasons were.

    Later in the Father and Son book reading, you will see that Michael and Satan have never gotten along well, but that insight has to be pieced together from a number of scriptures.  It is interesting to me that in the end, Jesus will grant Michael the honor of casting Satan and his angels out of heaven.  That almost seems like a reward for all the trouble Michael has had with Satan though the millennia.

    Thank you for the questions.

    Pastor John

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1810473925454733553

     

  • Young Paul, a Son of the Accuser

    Hi, John.

    In re-reading the opening paragraph of Wednesday night’s reading (7/3/2024), the phrase stating that Satan was “a stern and obedient servant” of God made me think of Paul (Saul) before his conversion on the road to Damascus.

    Saul was a son of the Accuser during his persecution of followers of Jesus.  He obediently followed the orders of the priests and Pharisees who “believed themselves to be acting on God’s behalf.”

    As you pointed out, “When tares occupy positions of authority over God’s people, they often reflect the merciless spirit of Satan.”  Young Paul was like that.  He also believed that God would not treat him the way he treated followers of Jesus.

    As you point out in your new paragraph, a new birth is required to change.  The new birth is required to even have a chance to not be a tare.

    Allison 

    F&S Reading for Tonight PDF

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1809381142501491164

  • “The Unifying Bond of Peace”

    Hi Pastor John,

    Thank you for sending out the blog, “The Unifying Bond of Peace”.  It is very interesting and feels so right to me.  It reminds me of what we know to be the Kingdom of God, in that it is specifically the sum of peace, joy and righteousness in the holy Ghost and not literally just principality where God is king (though He is!)  I looked up what other translations have for these verses in Ephesians 4:3, and I see that most end verse 3 in a period and start verse 4 with “There is”.  In many versions, “There is” is in italics, which I believe means they took the liberty to insert it there when it was not in the Greek. Is that true? 

    Thanks,

    Michael

    =========

    Yes, Michael, italics in translations always indicate that words have been added.  To do so is necessary and acceptable in very many cases, simply because of the difference in languages.  Sometimes, however, we have discovered that italics are sometimes added by some translators in order to promote a doctrine in which they deeply believe.  We have prayed for help from the Lord to avoid making a mistake in that regard, and simply communicate what He was actually saying in the holy Scriptures.

    Thank you for the question.

    Pastor John

    The Unifying Bond of Peace PDF

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1809377439321125053

  • God of This World

    Pastor John,

    Was Satan always God of this world?  If not, when did he become God of this world?

    Margarite

    ========

    Hi Margarite.

    The Bible does not tell us when Satan became god of this world.  God may have put him into that office to begin with, or he could have made him god of this world after Adam sinned.  I just don’t know.  It had to be early, though, because Satan appears to have been god of this world throughout the Old Testament.  He certainly was God of this world when Jesus came, and he still is.

    Thank you for the good question.  Wish I could give you a definite answer, but that’s all I know.

    Pastor John

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1809371777035907301

  • The Levitical Priesthood

    Hey John,

    During the time of Exodus 19, the Levitical priesthood had not yet been established.  So my question is, what priests were God referring to in Exodus 19:22 and 24?

    Billy H.

    ==========

    Hi Billy.

    Before the Levitical priesthood began, the head of each clan/family acted as priest for that clan/family.  That is why Moses’ father-in-law offered the sacrifice instead of Moses or Israel’s other elders in Exodus 18:12.  He was the elder in Moses’ family, and Moses was considered the head of Israel.

    Incidentally, in case you are wondering about it, God changed the system from having the elder of each family to having the Levites as His priests in Exodus 32, after the golden calf incident.

    Pastor John

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1807798644554256616

     

  • Father and Son Reading (June 19,2024)

    By the time I got to page 10 in our reading from last week, I found myself praying for Jesus to totally convince me of the worthlessness of my flesh every day, like in the dream I had years ago.  I felt like only then I would know what to pray for, to be able to pray asking in his name.

    Jimmy T.

    ==========

    Amen, Jimmy!  That portion of the Father and Son book is very sobering.  God help us take it in!  And there is more of the same to come.

    Pastor John

    God Had a Son, 12 PDF

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1807795769358831988

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