Bible Believers' Newsletter #157

"We focus on the PRESENT Truth -- what Jesus is doing NOW . . ."                       ISSN 1442-8660

We greet you in the wonderful Name of our Lord Jesus Christ and appreciate your fellowship.

This newsletter serves those of like precious faith, and whosoever will receive the truth is welcome to feed their soul from the waters of the River of Life. However it is well to remember there is a powerful minority with neither morality nor scruple who love to hate. Their International Criminal Court (which recognizes six genders) will be able to overrule the laws and sovereignty of all nations once sixty countries become signatories. And there are moves to make 'hate crimes' a part of international law. A 'hate' crime is a situation wherein one feels they may have been offended.

Christianity is hated, but the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. Search engines with 'attitude' already seem blind to politically incorrect information and some websites seem to be black holes. So before Big Brother blasts Christ out of cyberspace, lay aside Spiritual food in due season with Bible Believers' web site on CD.

Everything presented should be confirmed personally in your own Bible.

Your brother-in-Christ . . . Anthony

God Gave Evil an 'Even Chance'

Melbourne, September 1, 2000 -- "Harry Potter is not just a best-selling children's series. It is also a modern morality tale. Lord Voldemort, Muggles and Hogwarts have much to teach us about good and evil and the struggle for redemption" said Rabbi Noson Weisz. "According to Jewish perspective, evil is not repulsive. On the contrary, to ensure that it has an even chance to present us with free will choices, God made evil attractive, giving it tremendous sex appeal" (Australian Jewish News, p.32). Full story: http://aish.com/issues/arts/Harry_Potter_and_the_War_Between_Good_and_Evil.asp

Sharon's Election will Ensure World War III

DAMASCUS, Syria, February 7 (UPI) -- Syria's official newspapers said the election of right-wing leader Ariel Sharon as Israel's new prime minister was a "declaration of war." The Al-Baath newspaper, mouthpiece of the ruling Baath Party, said peace in the Middle East was almost impossible to achieve as the "victory of the bloody terrorist, war criminal and butcher Ariel Sharon is like an official declaration of war." "By choosing Sharon, Israel is choosing escalation, terrorism and aggression while it pushes the region again in the cycle of bloody violence," the newspaper said. "It also put the fate of peace in the whole world under the mercy of a war-crazy general."
Full story: http://www.vny.com/cf/news/upidetail.cfm?QID=158149

ZA-NEWS February 8, 2001 -- The Middle East has been plunged into a maelstrom of uncertainty after right-winger Ariel Sharon, a man vilified across the Arab world for his brutal conduct in the past, was catapulted into power as the next prime minister of Israel. "It's a disaster for Israeli democracy and the Israeli people, because they totally want something Sharon is unable to deliver," said Knesset member Yael Dayan.
Full story: http://www.mg.co.za/mg/za/news.html#hawks

As it was in the Days of Lot

Durham, NC (AP) December 29, 2000 -- Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, is now allowing same-sex commitment ceremonies in its famous Gothic chapel. Duke is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.

Unitarians, United Church of Christ and some Baptists have demanded the same-sex ceremonies, which will be limited to students, staff, alumni, and faculty. Other universities such as Harvard and Stanford also allow such ceremonies.

God's Abundant Grace and Mercy

About fifteen years ago I was teaching in Michigan on the close of the Church Ages and the 1963 'parousia' Coming of the Son of Man. Upon seeing the revelation, an elderly Sister in the congregation interrupted to asked me if this meant the end of grace and mercy. I have been asked the same question since we published 'Redemption is Over' in Newsletter #147 so I thought we should revisit this subject.

Grace is God's unmerited favor to man. Mercy, His forbearance and compassion to us who are in His power and who have no claim to receive His kindness or disposition to forgive. When we receive God's grace, we receive His mercy. When we reject that grace, His wrath and judgment await us.

Before there was one speck of star dust, God knew every son of Adam and the choices each individual would freely make during their earthly sojourn. The Book of Life which is the record of Adam and his kin, and the Lamb's Book of Life which is the joint heirs or Spiritual genealogy of Jesus Christ, were foreknown or 'written' from the foundation of the world (Psalm 119:89; Luke 10:20; Hebrews 12:23; Revelation 17:8).

In God's foreknowledge, Jesus was crucified from the foundation of the world to redeem the elect of Adam's race who were foreknown as manifesting the Word for their day and therefore accounted in Christ the fullness of the Word when He fulfilled that prescience on Calvary almost 2,000 years ago (Revelation 13:8). Paul taught, "The love of Christ keeps us from falling because we contend that if One died for all, then were all dead. Therefore any man who is in Christ, is a new creature, (whose soul is Spiritually risen from the dead in earnest of the resurrection): therefore his old desires have passed away and a new life has begun" (II Corinthians 5:14, 17; Ephesians 1:13-14).

As Attributes of the Word we were crucified in Christ on Calvary. Therefore we were judged and paid for our sins in Him Who said, "God did not send Me into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Me might be saved. He that believes on Me is not condemned: but he who believes not is condemned already. . ." (John 3:17-18). "Who so eats My flesh, and drinks My blood (or unites with My Word and Spirit in the new birth), has eternal Life; and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:40).

If we died in Christ we were also justified in Him when God raised Him from the dead (Romans 4:25). We ascended in Him and are seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, the Word (Ephesians 2:6; Revelation 5:8-14). God does not see His elect in these bodies of sin. He hears our voice asking His help, but He sees us glorified in heavenly Places. Hence as He yielded up His mortal life Jesus declared, "It is accomplished! Sin's price is paid; I have reconciled God's elect" (John 19:30).

"We know that all things work together for good to them that love God and are the called according to His purpose. For those whom He fore knew He predestinated to be molded into the image of His Son, that He might become the firstborn among many brethren (Hebrews 2:10). And those whom He foreordained, He also called: and those whom He called, He also justified: and those whom He justified, He also glorified. What shall we say to all this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He Who did not withhold His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will also with Him freely give us all other things (Romans 8:17). Who shall bring any charge against God's elect whom He has justified (Romans 8:28-33)?

When we see this certainty we rejoice. This is God's grace to His elect, unfailing mercy we can rest upon. His elect are not merely forgiven, we are justified which is as though we never sinned in the first place. The prophet David said, "Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin" (Psalm 32:1-2).

No wonder Paul said, we "are sealed to the day of our redemption" (Ephesians 4:30). It is impossible that anyone born of the Spirit can miss the first resurrection and translation. We are all one Body. Without one member it is not perfect or complete. Without you or I, there can be no first resurrection. So the Church Age saints are awaiting the completion of our number as the Old Testament saints waited for Christ to redeem us (Hebrews 11:39-40).

The purpose of these revelations is to show us who we are so we will meet our high calling with the Token or evidence of the Life of Christ on display now, and have boldness in the near future to use the 'third pull' or spoken Word. Our lives can not express the Word unless we know which part of the Word we are -- the Capstone Bride who mature in the fullness of the Word for the manifestation of the Sons of God. Then we will be under pre-eminence to the Word. What we say will be THUS SAITH THE LORD, and God will do it.

Jesus Christ is the beginning of God unfolding Himself in creation while the New Testament Church is the continuation of the creation of God into glorified flesh. Jesus Christ was the first God-Man, the Word made flesh. The elect Church is the flesh becoming manifested Word. His elect is the New Jerusalem that descends from heaven as a bride adorned for her husband. The 'saved' dwelling without, will worship God through eternity in the form of His glorified Family -- Jesus Christ and His Bride of all Ages. Through our Spiritual marriage union we are One with the Word. Together we are God manifest.

The first Adam knowingly and of his own free will, surrendered his own life to redeem his wife who was already dying, having forsaken faith in God's Word for human reasoning by Lucifer's lie (Genesis 2:17). By faith Adam knew he was the son of God, an Attribute of God who could no more be lost than God can be lost. By faith Adam knew that somehow, sometime, God must redeem him, and since God had reunited him to his wife in holy matrimony, Eve would also be redeemed.

The first Adam was the type for the last Adam Who also came from eternity into time as the manifested Word of God. As God put Adam to sleep and took his wife from his side in the form of a rib then reunited them as one flesh, He put Jesus Christ to sleep on Calvary, taking His wife from His side in the form of the Holy Spirit, reuniting them as one in the Word for their Age (I John 1:7; Revelation 2:7, etc.,).

The last Adam redeemed the first Adam. And when he was redeemed, all of his seed, the Book of Life, was potentially redeemed except for those who had already lived and made decisions that caused their names to be removed through unbelief. The balance of Adam's seed on earth and yet unborn would, in time and by their own free will, make the decisions that would determine their destiny, already known to the omniscient God, thus retaining or forfeiting their place on the Book of Life, and in salvation.

Every soul in Adam's race is born 'saved' from their mother's womb because when Jesus redeemed Adam, He potentially redeemed all of his seed. Regardless of their size, shape or color, all are in the Book of Life -- Adam's family tree. Grace is the unmerited favor God has already provided in His plan of salvation and redemption. By grace God sacrificed two lambs before He drove Adam and Eve from the garden in token that He would purchase the redemption of Adam and all of his seed. In mercy He gave those who died before Calvary believing unto Christ provisional covering under the blood of natural lambs.

The Old Testament saints were all 'saved' by grace through faith -- justified, sanctified and filled with the Spirit (Isaiah 63:11; Hebrews 1:1; II Peter 1:11). Their sins were remitted and they were born-again after the Lamb was slain and His blood applied in the cleansing of the heavenly temple. Sin is not imputed to those who are foreknown as God's elect (Romans 4:6-8).

As the Old Testament saints died before the Wedding reunion or new birth of the Bride and Christ they are God's servants, while the 144,000 Israelites who will be born-again after the Wedding, like eunuchs to a harem, will be special servants to the Bride. The twenty-four elders are the Old Testament Patriarchs and the Twelve Apostles. By the grace of God, we receive our crowns as members of Christ's Bride and through the marriage union are joint-heirs in all that He is, and to all that He has.

The Spirit which filled the Old Testament saints is the Spirit that filled the New Testament saints "God is one Spirit" (John 4:24). However before Calvary and Pentecost He could not remit sin and regenerate the soul because "without shedding of blood there is no remission of sins" (Hebrews 9:22); God's Law requires a holy and acceptable "Life for a life". Bulls and goats are not kin to man. A kinsman Redeemer was required, and until Jesus Christ, no man was worthy to fulfill the righteousness of the Law. For this reason the Old Testament saints could not be born of the Spirit and they sealed their destiny in their own death. After death man makes no further choices so the righteous dead stood no longer lose their salvation.

Following Calvary and from the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was able to remit sin because of the substitution of Christ's Life for the sinner. The Church Age saints laid hands on their Sacrifice, uniting with the Word for THEIR day, and God honored that faith by remitting their sins. "God and the soul that is joined together with God is one Spirit" (I Corinthians 6:17). The Holy Spirit sealed the PART-Word Bride from Pentecost to the end of the Church Ages. Christ's Mediation finished, He claimed the Book of Redemption (Ephesians 4:30; Revelation 4:1-5:8). The end-time Bride and the 144,000 were fully redeemed in Christ on Calvary, and as we receive the fullness of the Word through the revelation of the Seven Seals, and the 144,000 receive It through their Feast of Seven Trumpets during the tribulation, we do not require a Mediator for ignorance (I Corinthians 13:10; Revelation 10:7).

No saint can 'miss the rapture' which commenced in 1963 with the "Shout" of the Message calling us out from denominationalism after the end of Church Ages and concludes with the "Trump" calling us to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb in the Sky at the close of the Gentile dispensation (I Thessalonians 4:16). Paul explains this by typing the natural marriage of the first Adam with the Spiritual marriage of the last Adam. Joined by God in holy union we can no more be separated from our Husband than Eve could be parted from her husband (Ephesians 6:24-33; Genesis 2:24).

While the Bible was sealed with Seven Seals our merciful God made provision for the Church Age saints, ordaining Christ a mediator from Pentecost until the last saint ordained to the Laodicean Church Age had received his redemption, or new birth. Provided the worshipper understood and was living the Word for his Age, Christ placed His Scriptural ignorance under the Blood and accepted the offering of his faith by which he was born-again. This mediation was God's grace to the Church Age saints without which they could not have been redeemed.

At no time was Christ a Mediator for sinners, foolish virgin or other non-elect among the "saved". He interceded only for the ignorance of those elect who would be born-again under the dispensations of PART-Word whilst the Book was sealed.

Grace or unmerited favor is God's 'objective' or means by which He will achieve His motive. His 'motive' or purpose is to gather glory to Himself by displaying the attributes of what He is -- His gloriously perfect nature -- and so receive worship or EMULATION in the lives of the Family of faith who are transformed into His image as a Christian wife under submission becomes the glory of her husband by reflecting his nature and character. But ultimately to be worshipped by the "saved", in the form of Jesus Christ and His glorified Church.

The Mercy Seat only benefited the elect who would constitute the Church Age Bride as foreshadowed under the Law, where the sacrifice and ordinances pertained only to those under but in breach of the Covenant. The Mercy Seat levelled the playing field for those who were prevented, so long as the Book was sealed, from possessing the perfect mind of God. Through ignorance they fell into error by reasoning. Christ's mediation atoned for these errors of the Church Age Saints who became equally acceptable before God as ourselves and the 144,000 Hebrews who are born again under the fullness of the Word. The Bride and the 144,000 received full redemptive grace at the cross, being foreknown as identified by perfect faith with the fullness of the Word.

The Mercy Seat was only available to those who approached God with the proper and acceptable 'password' or revelation of the Word for their day. It had nothing to do with the non-elect and was a means whereby God could fully atone the sins of the Church Age saints who were technically sinners still and at war with Him by denying His Word (for Trinitarian and other false beliefs) and presuming the hidden mysteries by human reasoning. Christ's intercession made them right with God and potentially able to pass beyond the veil. But the Church Age saints must enter the Presence by the grave and wait under the Golden Altar pertaining to the Holy of Holies whence they will return for the first resurrection, then uniting with us, pass beyond the veil to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb in the sky.

When their last member was redeemed, the blood came off the Mercy Seat, transforming it to a judgment seat. His mediation fulfilled, Christ changed from Lamb and Sacrifice to the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He claimed the Book of Redemption which is the Book of Life and the Lamb's Book of Life, tore open the Seals and revealed their mystery through His prophet to the end-time Bride (Revelation 4, 5 and 10:1-7). This revelation brought Christ back to earth in Word Form in His second or 'parousia' Coming as King of kings and Judge.

The elect of God can not be deceived on the revealed Word of God and will not follow a deceiver. And since we now have the perfect interpretation of the Word through the revelation of the Seals we no longer require a Mediator for ignorance (Matthew 24:24; John 10:1-5).

Christ's mediation had nothing whatever to do with salvation. It pertained to the new birth, and only the elect can be born-again. So with respect to the salvation of the non-elect nothing has changed except the revelation of the Seven Seals began the end-time (Daniel 12:4, 9; Revelation 10:4) in which the 'saved' will be required to lay down their own lives in martyrdom in order to maintain their place on the Book of Life (Mark 8:35). Every seed in Adam's race is potentially 'saved' simply by being a son or daughter of Adam as their names are in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world. The decisions they make after they reach the age of accountability will determine whether they retain their salvation or are blotted from the Book.

Redemption is quite different to salvation. To 'redeem' means to buy back. All those whose names are on the Lamb's Book of Life are absolutely redeemed. No names can be removed from this division of the Book of Redemption because It is the Lamb's Book and eternal with Him. Jesus died to redeem Adam and therefore all of his seed, but specifically His Bride. Adam was his type. Adam died to redeem his own wife. (Period). Until the White Throne Judgment only God's elect are bringing redemption to reality, recognizing their place in the Word and finding their position in the Body. Or realizing 'who' they are and conforming to the image of that part of the Word.

Redemption finished at the opening of the Seals in 1963 because at that point Christ's Mediation for the saints predestinated to the PART-Word Ages was over. He could not fully redeem them at the Cross because during their lives they could NOT conform to God's Word since only a portion of the vision was unveiled to their dispensations and the saints made their own interpretations. Unfortunately their thoughts were not His thoughts (Revelation 22:18-19). But provided they had the revelation God was unfolding to their Age Christ 'winked' at their ignorance of other Scriptures, placing it in the sea of God's forgetfulness so they could be born-again or redeemed.

God's grace was Calvary. Mercy is received by grace through faith. Mercy is still present. Because of God's mercy to Adam's children, their names and those born to them after the Gentile dispensation will still be on the Book of Life but because of the sinfulness of the world and increasingly evil world conditions, multitudes of those names will be removed on account of the wrong decisions they will make. Children born after that time, even those who live until Armageddon, remain on the Book of Life and are 'saved', at least while they are below the age of accountability. So God is just, and He is merciful.

All whose names remain in the Book of Life will rise with the sinners in the general resurrection when there will be a judgment. Those whose names are found in the Book will receive God's mercy and be granted in to the Eternal Life that Adam would have grown into had he not identified with fallen Eve. They will never be on the Lamb's Book of Life or enter the City which is that Book manifest in glorified flesh. Those whose names are no longer on the Book of Life will be cast into the lake of Fire for annihilation with those whose names were never on it. These are the physical Serpent's seed that have no part in God's plan of salvation, not being the manifestation of His spoken Word, are therefore not redeemable and, as I understand God's Word, "Cherem".

There is mercy today as there has always been. However, Christ is no longer a Mediator for the elect. For the non-elect things are unchanged. Jesus was never their Mediator but God's mercy extends to several groups of the non-elect:

  1. There is mercy in God's Word for Adam's children who because of geography or our failure to deliver the Gospel never heard of the Lord Jesus. God would be unjust to remove their names and damn billions of Adam's children. Providing they lived up to the best moral standards of their culture and in good conscience, they will be granted into eternal Life at the Judgment (Romans 1:18-20).

  2. Those of Adam's race who die before the age of accountability are 'saved'.

  3. Those who are good and kind to the Bride -- Buddhists, Muslims, and whoever, honor the manifested Word (Matthew 25:34-46), sanctifying their names on the Book of Life.

  4. The foolish virgin by living all the 'letter' of the Message they know, are justified and sanctified -- 'saved' -- but not born-again. (Matthew 25:1-13).

  5. The Fifth Seal Israelites descended from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob but blinded by ignorance and the prejudice of generations of false clerics, and know nothing of the PRESENT Truth, but from Calvary to the close of the Gentile dispensation they held to the Law and the prophets (NOT the Talmud), surrendering their lives in martyrdom. Since God allowed them to be blinded in order that His grace and mercy might redeem the Gentile Bride, they receive mercy and eternal Life at the White Throne (Revelation 6:9-11).

  6. Those who do not receive the mark of the Beast by accepting his doctrine or doing his service but suffer martyrdom in the great tribulation also retain their salvation (Revelation 13:15-18).

During the Gentile dispensation whosoever was on the Book of Life could secure their 'salvation' or be born again, thanks to God's abundant grace and mercy. Once that dispensation closes, only the elect 144,000 Hebrews will attain to the faith necessary to be born-again. And all men will have to choose between between taking the 'Mark of the Beast' in which case their names will be removed from the Book of Life, or refusing, with certain death for their faith (or moral principles for those unfamiliar with the Word). For these noble souls God grants grace and mercy for "For whosoever shall lose his life for Jesus' sake and the Gospel's, the same shall save it". nl157.htm

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Brother Anthony Grigor-Scott is a non-denominational minister. He has ministered full-time since 1981, primarily to other ministers and their congregations in various countries. He pastors Bible Believers' tiny congregation, and is available to minister in your church.

For Further Information Contact:

Bible Believers' Church
Currabubula, NSW 2342, Australia
e-mail: ags@biblebelievers.org.au
URL: http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/