IN TIMES of WAR there are usually certain “RULES of ENGAGEMENT”
Spiritual Warfare is no different.
His instructions for Following Him in True Discipleship will develop in us,
“A Code of Conduct” that almost guarantees success. And to be effective His participants need training, approved skills, and Good Sound equipment.
After walking with Him and seeing Him demonstrate some of the powers of The Kingdom of God, He then choses a certain Twelve and empowers them to do the same.
And He Called The Twelve to Himself,
and Began To Send Them Out Two By Two.
And He gave them Power over Unclean spirits.
Having “Power over Unclean spirits” is an important part of the remedy for Sin. Unclean spirits were produced in Enoch’s days when the 200 Fallen Watchers took wives of the beautiful daughters of men. Watchers were appointed to watch over mankind in his early days when numbers were few. Wives were not appointed for the Watchers and their illicit offspring gave rise to GIANT children and Unclean spirits. These giants consumed all that mankind could produce, and there was much violence and bloodshed on the Earth because of this hybrid union of the Heavenly with mankind. The Judgement on the wicked of those days came via Noah’s Global Flood in which all that had the breath of life perished. Only eight souls were saved by Noah’s Ark. Some of the giants and unclean spirits were permitted to continue after the Flood Waters had subsided as a test for mankind.
“Who will you serve O man?”
These Signs of The LORD’s authority were an important demonstration of The Power of God’s Salvation and healing of the soul. He further says to them:
11. “And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in The Day of Judgment than for that city!”
Mark 9 continued:
So, they went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.
Luke Chapter 9 Is Similar But With More Detail:
Then He called His Twelve disciples together and gave them POWER and AUTHORITY OVER ALL DEMONS, and TO CURE DISEASES.
And He sent them to preach The KINGDOM of GOD and TO HEAL THE SICK.
Previously, in The Jewish Temple Service (when it was working properly), any sick would show themselves to the priests, who would discern if the sickness was “Clean and curable” or “Unclean and needing isolation for seven days”. This is the reason that the Pharisees were so astonished that He, The Holy One of God, touched the lepers and MADE then Clean. The Cleansed lepers were still required to show themselves to the priests and make an offering as a testimony to the priests.
The priests (Aaron’s sons), Levites, Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes were “The Elders of Israel.” So, (as per James 5) “If any is sick let him call The Elders” is a continuation of Temple Service today in The Church which is His Body.
Being completely ‘Green’ to The Scriptures, it took me two years to read the whole Bible. New and Old. During which time I had said to myself, “I will not form any opinions until I have read what He thinks and says.” And, nowhere New or Old, does it say, “If you are sick call a doctor.”
“Calling The Elders” has worked for me in several times of Great Pain.
I treat it as “A Simple Obedience” and it is also an encouragement to the Elders to be used in His Lovely Healing Ways.
The first was about 2004. I had been working in a furniture recycling charity and had developed two hernias. They became very painful, and my dear missionary wife from The Sunshine State of California
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said late one evening, “Roy it’s time to call the doctor!” I said, “Okay. But Call The Elders first.” And two lovely people from our House Fellowship came over from Neath, about 10 miles away, and it was nearly midnight. They prayed over me and anointed with oil as it says in James 5. I said, “Thank you. I’ll be alright in the morning.” But they also knew the ‘Emergency Route’ into the local Health Services, and so we all went along. Sure enough, two abdominal hernias showed up on the X-Rays. They offered me morphine, but my wife intervened saying, “That’s much too strong. He doesn’t even take aspirin at home.” They could only give me ‘Pain Killers’ and they lasted just 4 hours. It was so painful that I was on the floor under the bed in the night. But, in the morning, I was okay. Had to wait for the doctor to do his rounds though. And then got clearance to be “Discharged”.
I was one very happy cookie.
Another time was here in Rugby. I had back-ache and was expected to accompany my building buddy to France for a long weekend to assess some houses for ‘Refurb’. My own Elders were away, and there was no way I could survive several days on the hard rear seat of a strange car. So, I consulted ‘The Free Evangelical’ at one of their Wednesday evening ministry meetings. “Yes, they had Elders.” And after the meeting I was taken into ‘the office’ and questioned. The pastor had the good sense to ask, “Roy, are you willing to repent of any sin that might have let this in?” “Oh YES” I said. And we got through the weekend with absolutely no discomfort.
Praise The LORD for His Goodness and Mercy.
James 5 also says, “Is anyone afflicted, Let THEM Pray.”
And I have been afflicted with witchcraft several times. It is everywhere. And needs to be taken seriously as a cause of many afflictions. The LORD has often reminded me, “Roy, don’t forget to use the angels. They are Ministering Spirits to the Heirs of Salvation”.
This is another line of defence against afflictions. But, again, it has ‘A Code of Conduct’ attached to it.
Just one example from my recent work as a labourer in a local factory. Labouring is a lowly kind of employment, but it is also multi-Skilled by nature. And it involves ‘pushing and shoving’ for eight hours a day. I am driving the Fork-Lift and a big black bag of I don’t know what falls off the forks. I stop and return it to a better position. But suddenly, and with no over-stretching, the back goes! It was so sudden it was visible to a colleague a few yards further up the roadway. He later said to me, “It’s like a Stab in the Back isn’t it.” And straight away I knew that it was witchcraft! Someone somewhere had made a cloth doll of me and had stuck a pin in it (as they do). So, I remembered, “Don’t forget the angels.” There was no way I could ‘push and shove’ for the rest of the shift. And I had no idea where the cloth doll was. So, I asked first. And then said to the angels, “Angels, please go and find this cloth doll. Remove the pin and destroy the image. And I release Love and Forgiveness down the lines of attack so that they too may know this Great Salvation!” And before I got to the corner, THE PAIN HAD GONE.
I was FREE to work as normal.
Praise The Living Lord God of Israel for His Great Mercy and Compassion to me, a Sinner Saved by Grace from Great. But, instead, gives us opportunities to forgive others as He has forgiven us.
There will be more on Witchcraft and its Remedies on the Arizona Page. (Coming Soon).
We often quote this lovely Scripture:
“He is The Same Yesterday, Today, and Forevermore!”
He does not change. There is One LORD. One Faith. One Holy Spirit, and One Water Baptism of Full Immersion.
So, if Our Lovely Messiah was here amongst us right now, in The Flesh, “Would He teach that self-same Sound Doctrine that turned the world upside down?”
Yes, He would, He has not changed One Bit.
To propagate His Power and Authority to All creatures, He told them,
“Teach others everything that I have commanded You.
Even to the Ends of The Earth.”
We are Most Definitely “A CHOSEN PEOPLE”
“You did not choose Me. BUT I CHOSE YOU.”
“And as The Father Sent Me, so I Send You.
AS SHEEP AMONG WOLVES!
Therefore, BE AS WISE AS SERPENTS and as Harmless as Doves!”
In His three Glorious years of ministry on Earth Our Messiah Chose Twelve Disciples by name and trained them to go “Two-by-two” into the world and do The Work that He was Sent to do. Even before they received The Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, they were preaching the gospel of the Kingdom to the poor, casting out demons, and healing all kinds of sickness and disease!
His basic invitation to all of them was,
“Come, forsake all and FOLLOW ME and I will MAKE YOU FISHERS OF MEN.”
“The Harvest is Huge, but the labourers are few. Therefore, Pray that The LORD of The harvest will send forth labourers into His Harvest.”
I have often found that when I pray such things, He then requires us to “Put our feet and mouths where our words went.”
He Appointed Seventy Others Also!
Saying,
And, when the Seventy returned with joy saying,
“Lord, even the demons are subject to us through Your NAME.”
Jesus rejoiced also and said to them,
“I saw Satan fall from Heaven like lightening.”
Our Wonderful Messiah had restored, through their obedience, The Kingdom Authority and Blessing that mankind had lost through their temptation and disobedience in The Garden of Eden. And He saw Satan, and his angels, Thrown Out of Heaven. Yes, there was WAR in Heaven! Michael and his angels fought, and the devil and his angels fought but did not prevail. And no more room was found for them in Heaven.
Such is The Power of Obedience to His Word!
And He also said to the Twelve, “Take nothing for the journey. Neither staff nor bag nor bread nor money. And do not have two tunics apiece.”
So, they departed thus, Fully Empowered, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. (Luke 9:1-6.)
In other words, it worked!
His empowerment for such wonderful works, WORKS.
So, What are the Weapons of Our Warfare?
Let’s look at 2nd Corinthians chapter 10.
For though we may walk in the flesh of our Earthly bodies, we do not WAR according to Earthly reasoning. For the Weapons of Our Warfare are Not Carnal or controlled or Empowered by mere human desires. BUT are MIGHTY IN GOD’s reasoning for PULLING DOWN The STRONGHOLDS of Invisible Satanic influence, CASTING DOWN ARGUMENTS and EVERY HIGH THING that Exalts Itself against The Knowledge of God, BRINGING EVERY THOUGHT INTO CAPTIVITY To the Obedience of Christ, and Being READY To Punish All Disobedience when Your OBEDIENCE Is Fulfilled.
Secondly, He says,
“Wait until You are endued with POWER from on High.”
In order to manifest these “Miraculous Works of Power” there must be a “Growing in Faith” and maturity through a prolonged Fellowship with Him, Our Messiah.
2nd Peter Chapter 1 puts it this way:
“To Those Who Have Obtained Like Precious Faith with Us:
His Divine Power has given to us All Things that pertain to Life and Godliness, by which have been given to us Exceedingly Great and Precious Promises, that through these you may be Partakers of The Divine Nature!
“For this very reason, GIVING ALL DILIGENCE
ADD to your Faith virtue.
To Virtue knowledge.
To Knowledge self-control.
To Self-control perseverance.
To Perseverance Godliness.
To Godliness brotherly kindness.
And to Brotherly Kindness LOVE.”
For if these things Are Yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in The Knowledge of Our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things has forgotten that he was Cleansed from his Old Sins.
In these Last Days, we have Two Very Powerful and Supernatural Kingdoms working in the nations and in our lives.
The First and Foremost of these is “The Kingdom of Heaven”.
The Second and opposing kingdom is that of Satan.
Both kingdoms are invisible. But both are Discernible.
“Discernment of Spirits” is a gift of The Holy Spirit.It is often given with The Laying On of Hands, and mine was given on the condition that, “I would communicate to The Eldership of The Church, whatever The Lord enabled me to discern.” This is done for the benefit of all the members of The Body of Christ because it helps Greatly to know who or what is opposing us.
“We do not wrestle with ordinary people who are just flesh and blood (No matter how miraculous the abilities of the flesh might appear to be). But we have pitted against us certain Principalities, and Powers in the Heavenly Realm, and also “The Rulers of the Darkness of this Age!” Things like that are usually invisible to the natural eye, and therefore can be very deceptive and dangerous. Deception is one of the enemy’s main weapons. So, in order to be effective in the kingdom of Heaven we first need to know His Calling on our lives. What is Our Place and Gifting given for His purposes. The Whole House of Israel is an army of Soldiers. And we, as Gentiles, are grafted into The Same Body. The Same Vine. The Same Army, and with The Same Purpose, employing The Same Rules of Engagement.
First:
“You MUST Repent of Your SINS and Believe on The LORD Jesus Christ as Your Personal Saviour!”
These are The Two Basic Requirements for Salvation which means,
For the Body, Soul, and spirit. Total Healing!
“Repentance” is having a Sincere Regret for The Things that You Have Done, said, or thought, that may have injured Your Chances of Eternal LIFE.
SIN Separates us from The Lord God of Israel! The ONE TRUE and Living God!
“There IS NO OTHER GOD LIKE ME! Forgiving sins and iniquities, and NOT Rewarding My People according to their SINS!”
“Flesh and Blood CANNOT Inherit The Kingdom of God!”
THIS IS The Main Reason for The Turn Around that is A MUST!
“We MUST ALL be Changed In The Twinkling of an Eye! For this corruption Must Put On INCORRUPTION.”
(1st Thessalonians 4, and 1st Corinthians 15.)
Corruption Cannot Cure itself. Nor can it put on incorruption.
“For ALL have SINNED and Come Short of “What?”
Answer, “We come short of The GLORY of The LORD!”
This ‘shortage’ needs an Atonement for Sin and a Restoration of “ALL Things Pertaining to Eternal Life and Godliness.”
But that Atonement has been Made by Our Jewish Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, on The Cross of Calvary (in the Hebrew, Golgotha).
And He has Made that Provision for YOU in The Form of a Passover Lamb of God, who has been Crucified for Your SINS and Iniquities!
“A Spotless Lamb of God was Required to be Offered Once and For ALL, to Take Away Our SINS and The Death that would have resulted from The Judgement of it, and GIVE US FREE of CHARGE, ETERNAL Life with Him.
This is Most Excellently portrayed in The Words of The Prophet Isaiah 53.
“He was led as a Lamb to The Slaughter, and He opened not His Mouth.
When The Father sees The Travail of HIS Soul, He is SATISFIED”.
TOTALLY SATISFIED!
He needs no more sacrifice or offering, and Our Sins are Truly Forgiven!
There are MANY Scriptures that associate SIN with Sickness!
And that is WHY The Lord often says to the sick,
“Your SINS are Forgiven. Go in Peace.”
And –
“Why do you marvel at this?
Is it easier to say, “Your SINS are forgiven you”
or “Rise up and Walk!”
Second:
“YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN!”
To Repent and Believe opens The Door to being “Born Again” as Our Messiah explained to Jairus, a Teacher of Israel who Came to Him by night.
“YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN.
Are you a Teacher in Israel and do not know these things?”
Repent and Believe on The Lord Jesus and, You Will Be Born Again from Above. That is, BY THE SPIRIT of The LORD GOD of Israel.
ALL that are Led by The Holy Spirit are called, “The Children of God!”
And if we are The Obedient Children of God,
then We are Joint Heirs WITH The Son
who was Also Obedient even to The Death of The Cross!
This “Death on the Cross” was The Final Offering for SIN! And it was ACCEPTED in Heaven. This was indicated by The Holy Spirit when The Veil of The Holy Temple on Mount Moriah was TORN IN TWO from TOP to Bottom!
An Impossible Task considering that it was a FOUR-INCH-THICK weaving!
The Holy Spirit indicating that “The Way into The Holy of Holies was MADE!”
Once The Holy Spirit is Given to fill us, then we can say,
“Greater is He who is in YOU, than he that is in The World!”
This Means that Satan, that Serpent of Old, the devil himself, is NO Longer in Heaven above, but Cast Out to The Earth after “There was War in Heaven! The devil and ALL his angels were CAST OUT. And there was no longer any room found for them in Heaven!”
Now that The Holy Spirit is within us, and is Greater than anything in the World,
we can Put into Operation “The Authority Given to men!”
And take heed to “HIS Directions and RULES of ENGAGEMENT”.
So, this Discipleship to The LORD Jesus has a very Military Principal behind it.
Even the Roman Centurion likened The Lord to himself, “As a man Under Authority! And able to say to one, “Go” and he goes!
So, it is in The Lord’s Army!
Once Inducted into His Service, we may become Foot Soldiers, Infantry, Trench Warfare Specialists, or even Airmen. To Take the Battle in The Air or To Take the High Ground is a common Principal in war. “Observation” and “Intelligence Gathering” is usually done at a Higher Level, and with Trusted Parties. Sometimes done Underground and In Secret Circles.
In the Military this Process of Selection and Training is Begun in BOOT CAMP.
Joining “The Military” is to Sign Up to a “New Management!” and You will Serve Your Time for “King and Country.”
This can be a Drastic Change of Culture! But should be regarded as a Much-Improved Culture that Prepares us to Serve Him in His One Thousand Year Administration from Jerusalem.
This is “Why” He says, “Forsake ALL and Follow ME!”
And “It is NO Longer I that lives, but Christ that LIVES in ME.”
Your new Commander In Chief will now assess which of His Own Capabilities can be Made to Work through YOU. “The Spirit dividing severally as He Wills.” But The Same Spirit working in all. HE WILL TRUST YOU with Problems and Situations that are Only Solvable by Your Own Diligence to engage with The Exceedingly Great and Precious Promises, by which WE become PARTAKERS of The Divine Nature! This indicates that Your DNA Code was Written and Designed to enable you to achieve Certain Tasks of Good Works before you were even formed in your mother’s womb!
Not many Believers realise that “They Came from The Eternal Realm to Perform a Particular Function whilst in The Earthly Realm and to Return to Your Appointed Place in The Heavenly Realm when The Work on Earth is DONE.”
And Consider this! That ALL who left their appointed tasks, even the Angels that Fell, suffered a Very Severe Judgement! The 200 Fallen of Enoch’s Days are Reserved for Judgement and are held in Everlasting Chains!
Do not expect to Live in luxury and comfort in this life, or even to be with “Your Loved Ones and Wife” in the After Life! “For in The First Resurrection, they are NOT Given in Marriage! But are as Virgins and Pure before The LORD of Glory!”
“Had they Known they would NOT have Crucified The LORD of Glory.”
In the Gospel of John chapter 20:19-23, After His resurrection, and when the doors were shut, Jesus appeared where His Disciples were gathered for fear of the Jews, and said to them,
“Peace be with you! As The Father has Sent Me, I also Send You.”
And He breathed on them and said, “Receive The Holy Spirit.
If You forgive the Sins of any, they are Forgiven them.
But, if You retain the Sins of any, they are retained!”
Luke 24:45. And He Opened their understanding, that they might comprehend The Scriptures! “Thus, it is Written, that it was necessary for The Christ to suffer and to rise from the Dead the Third Day, and that repentance and remission of Sins be preached in His Name to All Nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
And You are witnesses of these things.
Behold, I will Send The Promise of My Father upon You (The Holy Spirit). But wait here in The City until You are endued with POWER FROM ON HIGH.”
Even before this dynamic Day of Pentecost His Chosen Ones were endued with a Great deal of Authority, such that they too were doing miracles and healings!
Luke Chapter 9 tells us of The Divine Enablement that He Gives for HIS CHOSEN Twelve Apostles.
Then He called His Twelve Apostles together and Gave them Power and Authority over ALL demons, and to CURE Diseases. And then, He Sent them too, to Preach The Kingdom of God to the poor and to Demonstrate its Power and Policy to HEAL the Sick.
Here are Our Creator’s Instructions for them – and for US!
“For He is The Same Yesterday, TODAY! And FOREVER MORE!”
He said to them, “Take Nothing for The Journey!”
“We are to Prepare Ourselves for “The OFFENSIVE Push of Power.”
“Take neither Staff [to assist walking in the hilly rough country]
Nor bag nor bread nor Mammon’s money!
And do Not have Two Tunics apiece.
Whatever house you enter, Stay There until you Depart.
And whoever will NOT Receive you, when you go out of that City, shake off the very dust from your feet as a Testimony Against Them.”
So, they Departed and went through the towns, Preaching The Gospel of Dynamite and Healing Everywhere! Exactly as Instructed.
A Thought For The Day:
“Shall I Be a Mary or a Martha?”
“Why dwell on The Unknown, The Uncertain, and The Unclean?
When You CAN WALK and LIVE With Him who Knows ALL THINGS!”
Job 22:24. “Acquaint NOW Yourself With HIM and Be AT PEACE and ALL GOOD THINGS shall Come Upon YOU. Lay Up HIS WORDS in your Mouth ALSO AS IF THEY WERE GOLD and Silver of Great Value! Declare His Word that it May Be Established. And SAVE the Humble, we Pray.
“DILIGENTLY Hearken To The Voice of The LORD.
For I AM The LORD that HEALS YOU.”
Concerning Our Inherent Tendency to SIN
(as did Adam and Eve even in The Garden!)
As the precious Children of God, we are NOT Tempted of The LORD to enter Battles that we are not Equipped for.
But we are Called to GROW and become Mature in The Faith and Knowledge of The Lord Jesus, until we are no longer called “children” tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine, but, as in The Book of Ephesians 4 and 1 Corinthians 12, have been Nurtured in Love and Fully Equipped by The Ministries and Spiritual Gifts that have been Given to Men and SET in The Body for The Edification of ALL.
THEN, and only then, as true Soldiers and Ambassadors of Christ, we can be Drilled and Trained Diligently in The Scriptures for Spiritual Battles that are Way Beyond any Earthly Imagination!
For this to be Fully Effective We MUST be Sensitive to The Leading of The LORD and accept The Equipping of The HOLY Spirit.
He has MANY Gifts for men. See, Ephesians 4 and 6.
And especially 1 Corinthians 12:24-30, for “God’s Ordained Order for The Church which is His Body.”
But God composed The Body, having given greater honour to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in The Body!
Now You are The Body of Christ, and Members individually.
And God has appointed these in The Church which is His Body!
First Apostles,
Second Prophets,
Third Teachers,
After that Miracles!
Then Gifts of Healings,
Helps,
Administrations,
Varieties of Tongues.
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?
Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?
But the inference is, “No. not all, but we need them in The Body that it may function as He intended it to function, as a Demonstration of His Kingdom of Heaven and its delightful Authority on Earth!”
That’s why He taught His Disciples to pray like this:
“Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name.
Your Kingdom Come, on Earth as it is in Heaven,
by Proclamation of your Word, by Sending angels and men with Your Message and The Gospel of Salvation to All nations. A message they will understand and receive so that Faith may come By Hearing, and that Hearing comes By The Word of The LORD.”
And, by Twelve men, going two by two, He Overturned the World.
I like that a lot!
And more to the point, He likes that a Great Deal too.
Roy Victor Harvey is the name that my mum and dad gave me in 1946.
It reflects that “I was His First Born” as Adam was.
“He makes Us More than Conquerors and gives Us The Victory!”
Harvey, when we looked it up means, “Worthy in Battle” and dad had been in Battle in Belgium in 1939. He was one of the last off at Dunkirk. (A Royal Artillery Driver). And is now “ENJOYING THE VICTORY OF HEAVEN!”
A chance for A Pic of the Gun and Dad.
Some Rules of Engagement for Reading and Study.
COMMENT: Beware of Bible comments and margin references.
This is a lesson learnt from using “Undocumented DOS”.
Undocumented DOS is a manual of commands for computer programmers and technicians. When a computer starts, or “boots Up” it is programmed to run through files like, win.exe, and config.exe, line by line. So, if Windows in not needed in the Start Up process, he adds COMMENT: in front of the command line that says, win.exe and that line is skipped.
That is great when time needs to be saved.
But it is not good if you are reading “The Makers Instructions” and need to see all The Commandments of His Instructions in their right context.
Qu: Can I find an example of this?
Yes. There are many.
Behemoth has only one mention in Job 40:15.
It is indexed in the margin as, “A large animal, exact identity unknown.”
Leviathan has 5 mentions: Job 41:1, Psalm 74:14, Psalm 104:26, and Isaiah 27:1.
It is commented in both Psalm 74:14 and Psalm 104:26 as, “A large sea creature, exact identity unknown.” Psalm 74:13 links Leviathan to “sea serpents” which are “sea monsters”.
Isaiah 27:1 gives a bit more info.
“In that day, The LORD with His severe sword, great and strong, WILL PUNISH LEVIATHAN the Fleeing Serpent. Leviathan that TWISTED SERPENT, and He will SLAY the REPTILE that is in the sea.”
From this we now know that Leviathan is definitely the reptile that is in the sea. A fleeing and twisted serpent. Not an animal or great fish.
In Strong’s Concordance Leviathan is figuratively, ‘the constellation of the dragon’ and ‘a symbol of Babylon’.
Neither ‘dragon’ nor ‘Babylon’ are good connections.
The red dragon in Revelation 12 is the one who seeks to “devour the Christ child as it is born!” An extremely dangerous beast.
In Revelation Chapter 17:1-6, Babylon The Great is The Mother of Harlots.
“Come, I will show you The Judgment of The Great Harlot who sits on many waters, and the inhabitants of the Earth were made Drunk with The Wine of her Fornication.” And on her forehead a name was written:
MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints
and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.
In Revelation 18:2-8 “Babylon The Great is fallen, is FALLEN, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit. COME OUT of her My People, lest you share in her SINS, and lest you receive of her PLAGUES.
For her sins have reached to Heaven and GOD has remembered her iniquities. And she shall be utterly burned with FIRE, for Strong is The LORD GOD who judges her!”
So, if I only read the COMMENT: in the margin you may end up on a course that is ignoring other reliable sources rather than on His Liberating Truth. Ignorance can dwell in a person and will take up an awful lot of room and time, if You let it.
There is a vast amount of Biblical Quality revelation available through the ancient records provided via Enoch, the seventh from Adam.
The Book of Enoch was considered a “Lost Book” for about 1400 years. And indeed, it was “lost” for a long time. But recently it was discovered, in multiple copies, in both Ethiopia and amongst The Dead Sea Scrolls found in the caves of Qumran. Multiple copies suggest that it was taught and used as a textbook. Enoch is quoted in the gospels and by the New Testament writers. Enoch prophesied of these days to come. Enoch walked with The LORD for 300 years! And Enoch had to do with The Watchers in the days leading up to The Global Flood of Noah’s days when “the windows of Heaven opened and the fountains of the deep opened too!” So that even the mountains were covered and all the wicked were removed from the Earth!
Only eight souls were saved.
This extract is from 1 Enoch (The Ethiopic Book of Enoch)
Copyright © 2010 Joseph B Lumpkin. All rights reserved except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews (as here).
This edited quotation is from Chapter 60: A Fragment of The Book of Noah:
In the year 500 in the life of Enoch, I saw how a mighty quaking made The Heaven of heavens to quake, and the host of The Most High, and the angels were disquieted with a Great Disquiet. And Michael said unto me: “Why art thou disquieted with such a vision? Until this day He hath been merciful and long-suffering towards those who dwell on The Earth. That day is prepared! For The Elect a Covenant, but for Sinners an Inquisition. The punishment of The LORD of Spirits shall rest upon them and it shall slay the children with their mothers and the children with their fathers.”
And on that Day Two Monsters were parted!
A female Monster named Leviathan.
To Dwell in The Abysses of The Ocean over The Fountains of the Waters.
And a male Monster named Behemoth.
Who occupied with his breast a waste wilderness on the east of The Garden where the elect and righteous dwell, where my grandfather (Enoch) was taken up, The Seventh from Adam.
And I besought the other angel that he should show me the might of those monsters, how they were parted on one day and THROWN, the one into The Abysses of the sea, and the other into the dry land of The Wilderness.
This tells us more about the environment they operate in. that they have been forcefully separated (possibly to prevent them breading), and that there is a severe punishment awaiting them.
A COMMENT that is very much delayed.
In the book of Job there are 42 chapters in all.
The first 2 chapters introduce us to Job as “a man blameless and upright, and one who fears God and shuns evil.” In a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before The LORD, Satan also came and The LORD said to him, “Have you considered MY SERVANT Job, that there is none like him on the Earth?” Satan answers and incites The LORD to destroy Job without a just cause. He challenges Job’s household as a hedged life of wealth and prosperity. The LORD delivers him into the hand of Satan and when Satan afflicts Job with “painful boils” he sits in the midst of the ashes. In all this adversity Job does not sin with his lips.
His three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, come to mourn with him and to comfort him. As real friends would. But none of them know of Satan’s challenge or of The Lord’s approval.
After seven days, and in chapter 3 Job begins to “curse the day of his birth!” There follows 29 chapters of reasoning over Job’s self-justification. Then the words of Job and his comforters are ended.
In chapters 32 to 37 Elihu, a man younger in years, begins to answer them because they had not found an answer to Job’s suffering, and yet had condemned him. Elihu has waited with respect to their age and listened carefully to all their reasoning and his young but Godly reasoning is urgently wanting to be heard, and he says,
“There is a spirit in man and the Breath of The Almighty gives him understanding. Men of many years are not always wise, nor do the aged always understand justice. Far be it from God to do wickedness. If He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath ALL flesh would perish and man would return to DUST. I WILL ASCRIBE RIGHTEOUSNESS TO MY MAKER. He does Great things which we cannot comprehend. By The Breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen. He scatters His bright clouds, and they swirl about, being turned by His Guidance, that they may do whatever He commands them on the face of The Whole Earth. Whether for correction or for His land. STAND STILL AND CONSIDER The Wondrous Works of GOD.”
Only in chapter 38 does The LORD answer Job saying,
“Who is this who darkens My counsel by words without knowledge? Where were you when I laid the foundations of The Earth? Tell Me if you have understanding. Who determines its measurements? Have you commanded the morning since your days began? Have you entered The Treasury of Snow, or of Hail, which I have reserved for The Time of Trouble, for The Day of Battle and of War? Or can you guide The Great Bear with its cubs? Have you given the horse strength? His majestic snorting strikes terror! Would you indeed nullify My Judgement that you may be justified?”
“Look now at the Behemoth, which I made along with you! See now his strength and power. His bones are like beams of bronze. He is the first of the ways of God. Only He who made him can bring near His Sword.”
“Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook? Will he speak softly to you? Smoke goes out of his nostrils. His breath kindles coals. On Earth there is nothing like him. He is king over all the children of PRIDE.”