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  • Satan Giving Up His Body

    David C. asked a very good question in the meeting last night that I didn’t have an answer for.  His question was something like, “If Satan was so proud of his beautiful heavenly body, why did he abandon it to possess Judas?”  After the meeting, somebody suggested to me that Satan didn’t mind giving up his beautiful body to possess Judas if he thought that he was going to be given an even better body to sit at God’s right hand and reign with him.  That was something that I had not thought about it, and it might explain why Satan was willing to possess Judas.  He knew, of course, that Judas’ body would die at some point.  So, he was thinking either of having another body given to him, or he was thinking that being elevated to sit at God’s right hand was such a great honor that it was worth giving up his beautiful body.  Exactly what he was thinking is one of those things that has not been revealed.

    Note: Please add your comments and questions during the meeting when we are discussing the subject.  If you tell no one but me after the meeting, I’m the only one that benefits from it.

    ==========

    Hi Pastor John, 

    In giving up his body to possess Judas, Satan could not reoccupy his beautiful heavenly body?  Or could he?  Why could he not just go and repossess his former body?  If he could not, does this mean Satan is now without a body since Judas died and since Satan didn’t get the promotion he anticipated?

    Jenny

    ==========

    It appears that the heavenly beings who possessed men in order to mate with women (Gen. 6), they were not allowed to return to their first bodies (cf. Jude 1:6).  It would be the same for Satan.  He is now, as Peter said, walking about like “a roaring lion”, seeking whom God will allow him to “devour”.  But he is also waiting for that man called “the Beast” to come, so that he might possess him and continue his onslaught against the Jews and those with the Spirit of God (Rev. 12:13–17, where the woman is Israel).

    Pastor John

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1816889808184058076

     

  • Us!

    Good morning!

    I have been listening to the Old Testament classes on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNb4hCN3ATs&t=251s) and I have very much enjoyed it.  The stories and the abundant amount of truth and love, and then, just listening to us!  I LOVE us!  This morning, I was listening to the class where we went over whether or not the Sabbath Day was moral, ceremonial, or civil.  I remember this so well, just like I was sitting there again.  I love listening to us go back and forth and then laugh at ourselves as we finally come to understand the true answer.  AND your patience with us as we go about it. It makes me thankful to have you, a teacher, to guide us!  Just listening to this one class lets us know we would be easily persuaded or moved or not confident in ourselves.  Thank the Lord for sending us a guide!  No one can understand the Bible and our history without being taught by the anointing of God.  And what a story it is!

    I loved listening to us this morning.  “We are characters….”

    Amy B.

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1816575214542618737

  • Revelation 12:9

    Pastor John.

    Recently at the beach (with you) we read about the temptation of Eve in The Garden of Eden. We then considered at length whether the serpent there was Satan, or just a creature influenced by Satan.

    Tonight I read this in Revelation 12:9:

    “The great dragon was cast out — that serpent of old called the Devil and Satan, who deceiveth the whole world. He was cast out onto the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

    Is that verse referring to the serpent who was with Eve in The Garden?

    Jerry

    ==========

    Hi Jerry.

    The answer is yes.  That verse in Revelation is one reason I say that Satan was involved, one way or the other, with the serpent in the garden of Eden.  The Bible doesn’t give any detail about what kind of connection there was, unfortunately, but there had to be one.

    Pastor John

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1816115823666253912

     

  • Being a “Help Meet” for a Husband

    Good morning Pastor John.

    I have been talking to Jesus and “digging my hole” for him to plant truth in.  My new prayer is, “Help me be a help, meet for my husband.”  I found a few things interesting during the dig: 

    • God told Adam not to eat of the tree of life before He created Eve.  I didn’t know that.  Somewhere in my mind, I pictured God gathering them together and laying out the rules.  That is verse 16 &17 of Gen chapter 2.  Then immediately after that, God says it is not good for man to be alone and the next 7 verses are God creating a help meet for Adam.
    • Eve was created after there was not a help meet for Adam found among the animals (Gen. 2:20). 

    I tried to look up the Hebrew word and meaning of “help meet” and found ezer kenegdo.  Over and over, I found that dictionaries tried to turn that meaning into something more of “I am woman! Hear me roar,” which is not what God says in

    Genesis 3:16.

    When it is all said and done, I know in my heart what a “help meet” is.  Not saying I am great at it because I think there is a tendency in women to be a “help-mat” more than a “help-meet”.  It all comes back to the perfect order of God.  If every heart is in its place, then God’s perfect and wise design naturally occurs.

    That is the part I love the most.  God really has everything set up so that even “fools shall not err.” It is all perfectly designed for success — if we just live in our places.  There is a lot of love in that!  A lot of love in knowing God wants us to succeed so much that He designed everything so we can. 

    God is rooting for us! I love that! 

    Beth D.

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1816113627138548005

     

  • The New Source of Water

    Hi, Pastor John.

    I thought this was interesting when I was reading about the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4: 1-25.  The well was dug by Jacob close to the city of Sychar, which doesn’t mean much, only that it’s by a well dug by Jacob.  However, when you look it up geographically, it sits between two famous mountains that Israel had to pass through when God commanded blessings to be declared from Mt Gerizim on the south side of Sychar and curses declared to Israel from Mt. Ebal on the North side. 

    The disciples went into Sychar to buy some food when Jesus and the Samaritan woman met and had their conversation.  Jesus spoke to the woman and said in John 4:22, “Woman, believe me, an hour is coming when you’ll worship the Father neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem.” 

    Centuries before, God’s laws were read from these two mountains as Israel passed through them, but now, God has written them in our hearts so that we my hear God’s Spirit tell us what is truly good and evil.  No wonder Jesus said in John 4:13-14, “Everybody who drinks this water will get thirsty again, but if anyone drinks the water that I will give him, he will never thirst again.  No, the water that I will give him will become within him a fountain of water springing up into eternal life.” 

    I think it is really interesting that he replaced that outward well to draw from for thirst with a living “spring” flowing from the inside out.  No more worshipping on a mountain or in Jerusalem, but it’s “spiritually and truly” from the heart.  I think it’s pretty neat, knowing the geography and then how things connect from the Old Testament to the New Testament.  Nothing was by chance. 

    Billy

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1816108610465763626

     

  • A Conscience before the Spirit Came

    Pastor John,

    My daughter and I were talking this morning about the law and ceremonies as being a shadow of what God was going to write on His children’s hearts after the sacrifice of Christ.  I told her that God used the law to teach His children about Him and to prepare their hearts for being led by the spirit. She asked a question and I don’t think I was able to make it very clear. 

    How would you answer this?

    Her question: 

    So before the sacrifice, they didn’t have a conscience? 

    Beth D.

    ==========

    Hi Beth.

    Yes, people had a conscience before the Spirit was given, unless they had done so much evil that their hearts were dull to shame.  Israel got that way, and God complained that, like a harlot, they could no longer be made to blush (Jer 6:15; 8:12).  No sin was shameful to them.

    What is important is that the conscience of ancient people would bother them if they had not obeyed the rules they had been taught.  They were taught what was good, and if they didn’t do that good, and they still had a heart that could feel, they were ashamed.  This holds true regardless of whether or not what was taught as good was, in fact, not good in the sight of God.  A lot of Gentile nations were like that.  Remember, God told Jonah (4:11) that the Ninevites didn’t know their right hand from their left (as far as good and evil were concerned).

    Because of Jesus, the Spirit now creates a true knowledge of good and evil in our hearts so that we need not be taught rules of conduct by others.  This was prophesied by Jeremiah: “This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their heart.  And I will be their God, and they will be my people.  And they will no longer teach, each his fellow and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord!’ For they will all know me, from the least of them even to the greatest, says the Lord” (Jeremiah 31:33–34).

    Hope that helps.

    Pastor John

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1816103945699238078

     

  • Old Testament and Father & Son Thoughts

    John,

    I love the consistency and simplicity with God’s law! In the Old Testament class, we have started learning about the law and how most of it was the same before, during, and after the old covenant! It’s so great to know how simple it was/is for God’s people if they followed these laws. (Old Testament Course (Pt. 1) – Going to Jesus.com) Then, during the old and new covenant, He gave us examples in the Bible where He forgave people for disobeying the law because He saw their hearts. God’s order is so perfect! God also put the civil law on hold after the new covenant until we reign with Him again! What a burden it would be right now to try to manage the civil situation just in the US (much less, internationally) with the state of this world and the division among God’s people. It’s another example of God’s mercy towards us.

    I went back and listened to the first chapters of The Father and Son readings. One of the things you discussed was the kind of life that each being has.

    I was thinking about it in parallel with the reading from Wednesday. Jesus was born biologically to Mary and we were born biologically to parents here. At that point, we were all given a natural human being kind of life. But, then, when the dove descended and Jesus experienced what he called being ‘born again’…that’s what happens to us when we receive the Spirit. THAT’s the birth we need to be celebrating and running with…that’s our family, our feelings, our thoughts. That’s when life really begins!

    Wendy

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1815046270479667650

     

  • Old Testament Study

    Pastor John

    I wanted to share some good feelings I have had during my Old Testament study this week. (https://www.goingtojesus.com/gtj_otcourse-1010.html)

     We read Psalm 119 to see how many times David used the words testament, precepts, judgments, and others as synonyms to the word “law”.  I got to the place where I was looking for the word “word”, and after reading several scriptures I heard, “In the beginning was the Word.”  Where I could, I started replacing “word” with Jesus.  Here are just a few:

    Ps 119:42 So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me: for I trust in thy word (Jesus). 

    Ps. 119:74 They that fear thee will be glad when they see me because I have hoped in thy word (Jesus). 

    Ps 119:160 Thy word (Jesus) is true from the beginning and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth forever. 

    This felt so good to me!

    Also, while reading and listening to “The Introduction to the Law”, I came to the part where you mention Matthew 12:1-4 where Jesus talks about David eating the shewbread.  I started tearing up with thankfulness that I know that story.  Before you taught me the Old Testament back in 2002, the only Old Testament book I remember reading was Psalms.  I knew nothing about these stories.  But because you have taught me, I now know these stories when they are mentioned in the New Testament.  Thank you!

    Julie P.

    ==========

    Jesus said that if we do not believe Moses, we would not be able to believe him.  But how can we believe Moses if we do not know what he said?  It is a blessing to know the Old Testament.  Learning it prepares us to hear from Jesus, and I am glad you are doing it!  That is wisdom.

    Pastor John

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1816100131243954617

     

  • Jesus’ Birth

    Pastor John,

    On Wednesday, I was working in the night shift, so I only had the opportunity to watch the meeting the next day, on Thursday afternoon.  I have a comment and a question about the meeting and the things that were said there.

    First, I was very, very blessed by seeing Allison’s happiness in Jesus during Bro Gary’s song.  It touched me deeply and made me ask Jesus to please let me feel what she feels! 

    The second is a question about the discussion y’all had on why Jesus’ birth had to be a virgin birth. Back in the early to middle 2000’s, when I was regularly attending church, I heard a theory about that topic that, I guess, I just accepted as truth, but now it resurfaced in my mind during the Father and Son reading.  The theory states that Jesus had to be born of a virgin because the sinful nature of the human race is inherited through the blood of the father, not the mother.  And since Jesus had to be a “spotless lamb”, he had to be born with a sinless nature, that is, without an actual earthly father.

    Some weeks ago, you shared the story of you asking your father whether Jesus was sinless BEFORE his new birth, and your father said: “It doesn’t matter” because by being born of the Spirit “old things are passed away”.  I loved that; it felt so right, and it already made me question whether that whole theory about Jesus’ need to be born without a sinful nature was valid.  I still would like to hear your thoughts about this.

    Thank you!

    Zoli

    ==========

    Hi Zoli.

    The apostles used the term “blood of Christ” to refer to the holy Spirit because it is the Spirit that gives life to the body of Christ and, as God said, “the life is in the blood” (Lev. 17:11).  That blood, Jesus said, we must drink (Jn. 6:53), explaining later that he was speaking figuratively of the Spirit (Jn. 6:63).  Because many believers are ignorant of that simple truth, they think that when Peter said that the blood of Christ is incorruptible (1Pet. 1:18–19), he was talking about the physical blood of Jesus’ fleshly body.  Then they have to invent novel doctrines to justify that view, such as that a sinful nature comes through the blood of the father.

    The sinful nature of man is in his flesh, not in his blood, and Jesus’ entire fleshly body, including his blood, came from his mother, Mary, and everything about that body was human: his hair, his fingernails, his eyelids, and his blood.  God just got the process of Mary’s pregnancy started, but that is all.  And God doing that does not mean that Jesus had a divine nature instead of a human nature.  

    The truth about the blood of Christ being the holy Spirit is fully explained in my gospel tract here: https://goingtojesus.com/gtj_tracts.html?tname=tract-095-bloodofchrist.

    If we hold on to the truth we know, it will lead us to more truth still.

    Thank you for the letter.  I am glad to hear that you understood what I was saying.

    Pastor John

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1815067798319833563

     

     

  • Matthew 8:28-34

    Hi, Pastor John.

    Where did the demons go that were in the swine that drowned after they were cast out of the men?  After that, were they seeking new bodies or do we not know?

    Thank you,

    Billy

    ==========

    Hi Billy.

    Demons want a body; they left theirs to possess humans (Gen. 6:1–2; Jude 1:6) and God will not allow them to have it back.  So, when a demon is cast out of a body, or when the body it possesses dies, it searches around for another body to live in.  Jesus taught this in Luke 11:24: “When the unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through dry places seeking rest.”

    Thank you for the question.

    Pastor John

    Tell us what you think:

    https://x.com/WitnessofSpirit/status/1815064088675815854

     

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