In order to clarify a much-misunderstood point, it is necessary to clarify the difference between the “earth” and the “world.” The “earth” is the ball of dirt, rock, water, etc. suspended in the heavens. The “world” consists of the man-created organizations, nations, families, etc. that occupy the earth. Since the transfer of the world’s rulership from Adam to Satan, the Biblical God’s enemy (the devil/serpent) has owned and operated that world system. The Biblical God created the Garden of Eden from which He intended for man (Heb.–Adam) to rule the both the earth and the world that their offspring would create. But the Serpent, using Eve, talked Adam into sinning, thereby relinquishing control/ownership of the earth to him (Satan) and his fallen angels. Satan now owns and controls the world systems run by the spiritual descendants of Adam and Eve, many of whom believe themselves to be God’s people, even as did Adam and Eve after their fall. Note in Genesis 4:1 that Eve said that her son Cain was “from the Lord.” After their fall, Adam and Eve still recognized Him as THE Lord even though He was no longer THEIR Lord.
The truth of the matter is that God controls only a minutely few members of the human race. These are they whom Jesus identifies as His spiritual “brethren.” These are they who: “Do the will of My Father in heaven” (Mat. 12:46-50). These are they who are led by His Holy Spirit, whom He identifies as “sons of God” in the same way that He is the Son of God. Sons of God are they who “do God’s will” as detailed in His Holy Bible. These few souls are they who have entered the “strait gate” and walk the “narrow way” of the Lord (Mat. 7:13,14). These are they whom Jesus calls His “friends” who “do whatsoever I command” them to do. These are true sons of God who “are led by the Spirit of God” and are thereby true “sons of God” (Rom. 8:14). Only these few souls are owned and operated by God, just as He owned and operated Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus made it clear that He did nothing on His own, that His words, thoughts and deeds were dictated by God. This made Him God’s Son– “the FIRSTborn (begotten–conceived) of the Father. See who BEGAT who in Matthew 1:1-17. “Begat”=”fathered.” If there was a FIRSTborn Son, then there must be OTHERborn sons. It is these otherborn sons who have taken God as their LORD AND MASTER, just as did His FIRSTborn Son–Jesus of Nazareth. These, and only these are the true sons of God. These are they who have embraced God as their LORD (master/absolute ruler) during this life so that He can be their SAVIOR at the end of it and forever thereafter. Unless Jesus is our LORD in this life, He will not become our SAVIOR upon His return. The Apostle Matthew makes this clear in 2:6 where he wrote that Jesus came to RULE (govern) God’s people Israel–His church (Gal. 6:16). To spiritually, “govern” means to totally control. Read 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1. God has either total control (governance) or no control. Man cannot serve two gods. God does not share rulership with Satan. Jesus belonged to God 100%. If we claim to be His brethren and friends, we must “walk even as He walked” (1 Jn. 2:6) and “… overcome even as I (Jesus) overcame (Satan) ….” (Rev. 3:21). Read the first 13 and 14 verses of Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 respectively for a clear and precise degree of control God commands of those who are truly His. We are His people only if we obey His commands, as the remainder of those chapters prove. His Words to ancient Israel were written and preserved to serve as instructions for “us”–the church (the “Israel of God”) of these end times (1 Cor. 10:11). Ephesians 2:20 declares that the New Covenant Church was founded on the writings of the PROPHETS (including Moses) and the apostles. Moses’ words in Leviticus and Deuteronomy are as relevant to us as they were to our Israelite ancestors. Relative to the writings of the prophets, we are told that Jesus came to “confirm the promises God made to the (Israelite) fathers”–Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Those promises are recorded in the writings of the Old Testament prophets whom Peter described as “holy men of old who spoke (and recorded) what was spoken to them through the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet. 1:21). Satan has successfully nullified those promises (like those found Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28) in the minds modern church people by convincing them, as he did Adam and Eve, that God’s Words are to be taken with a grain of salt, weighed in man’s intellectual balances, sifted through his truth filters and edited until they fit into man’s various doctrinal belief systems.
Those people not owned and operated by God constitute the “world” that serves the god of the world–Satan, the Serpent, the owner and operator of the world who controls its individual citizens as well as their corporate manifestations, including the whole of Catholicism/Protestantism. Because of Satan’s lordship over them, they are “ever learning but never coming to the knowledge of the Truth” (2 Tim. 3:7). For this reason the Apostle Paul told Timothy to diligently study the Holy Scriptures (2 Tim. 2:15) in order to be approved by God. Satan has deceived religious man into following in the spiritual footsteps of Adam and Eve who substituted their intellectual reasonings for God’s Word. NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF SATAN OVER PROFESSING CHRISTENDOM.
I never listen to preachers. But the Lord finds ways for me to hear or read their words. For example, I recently “just happened to hear” a “Bible scholar” say that the Lord was not concerned about man’s sins, that He was so interested in saving man’s soul that He did not consider man’s thoughts, words, deeds, etc. Man, we were assured, was too important for God to allow man’s sins to affect His (God’s) attitude toward him (man). And I am sure that all who heard this false prophet agreed with him. Again, Satan is not to be underestimated. L.J.
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