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2 JOHN
KJV
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2Jn 1-5
(50db) Judgment >>
Last Days >> Great Endtime Revival >> Jews lead the world into revival
>> Prophesied to unite the body of Christ at the end of the age –
Please read Revelation chapter 12 with this phrase in mind, "chosen lady and her children."
The chosen lady is Israel, and her children
are the gentile Church. Although
Gal 3-28 says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor
free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ
Jesus,” yet in the last days God will make a distinction between Jews and
gentiles again. He will call His Jewish people with one more purpose, to lead
the nations into a Great Endtime Revival. Israel had their
Messiah crucified, yet they became a beacon in the First Century to the rest of the world and preached
the gospel of the kingdom, which first came to Israel, starting in Jerusalem and
then spread into all nations of the world. The very same scenario will play-out
again through a Jewish led ministry of evangelism in the last days. It has always been God’s plan for Israel to be the exemplar nation of the
world in things pertaining to God in bringing many gentile sons and daughters to glory
(Heb 2-10), who are physically related to their Messiah. In the beginning of Christianity she proclaimed the
excellencies of him who called her out of darkness and into His marvelous light
(1Pet 2-9),
but Israel since then has fallen silent in unbelief. Yet, God will have His way with
Israel at the end of this age when she will lead the world into the prophesied Great
Endtime Revival, the gentiles having distorted the doctrines
of the faith centuries
ago. These things will
take place during God's judgment against the world for martyring the saints and
for worshipping and serving
the antichrist. The
Jewish led endtime revival will not recognize
any denomination, so if anyone wants to go to heaven, he will have to forsake
his former beliefs and join this Jewish ministry. Gentile mainstream religiosity
is
mostly a forgery in the evolution of its doctrines over the millennia. God does
not fault the gentiles for dropping the doctrinal ball, since Israel did it too,
being the reason they didn’t recognize their own Messiah. It is inevitable
this happens, and so God is not angry, therefore we should concede to the Jewish ministry.
See also: Salvation is from the Jews; 2Jn-1; 136i
2Jn 1-4
(109a) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Revelations of the Holy Spirit >> Spirit reveals
the Father
2Jn-1,2
(80h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Know the word to minister to God >> In your
inner man
(224c) Kingdom of God
>>
Illustrating the kingdom >> Description of
heaven >> Describing the kingdom after he makes
all things new >> Description of the new
creation
(243k) Kingdom of God
>>
The eternal kingdom >> The indestructible
kingdom >> The head of the body is
indestructible >> The word of God is
indestructible
2Jn-1
(123h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Love >>
Spiritual affection >> Ministry of the saints >>
Caring f or each others needs -- This verse goes with verse
4
(124m) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Love is the action of
faith >> Love is the motive of faith --
This verse goes with verse 3
(136i) Temple
>>
Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body of
Christ >> Body of Christ is the Church --
This verse goes with verses 4-6. The
chosen lady is in reference to believing Israel, and her children refer to
believing gentiles. Christianity is a Jewish religion, and we have come from her; we are her offspring. This is an
important way of describing the Church in that it speaks in terms of its
Jewish roots, which is something the gentile Church has conveniently
forgotten, starting with the Catholic Church. Failing to recognize our Jewish roots,
we have come to believe the Church is all about us. Many gentile
believers have familiarized themselves with the Old Testament, but do they understand that Jews wrote it, and they also wrote the New Testament. Basically, the attitude of most
believing gentiles is that Jews can believe in Jesus if they want, but they must take a
back seat to gentiles, since they are managing the gospel. The proper
gentile attitude should be one of gratitude that we have been grafted into
their Jewish salvation (Rom 11,17-24). See also: Salvation is from the Jews; 210h
(210h)
Salvation >> Jews and gentiles are being saved >> Salvation is
from the Jews >> The Jew first
>> Jews lead the world to faith in Jesus -- This verse goes with verses
5,6.
There were many centuries when the Jews considered the gentiles less than
dogs, and actually they got that idea from God. He never called the gentiles
dogs but instructed Israel not to associate with the nations, so as not to
adopt their idolatrous ways and not to interbreed with them but to keep their
generations pure, and from this the Jews developed a negative attitude toward
gentiles, but they missed the point. God never taught them to hate other
nationalities, but taught them to hate their ways. While it is a fact that
Jews by and large rejected God’s purpose for themselves in the
gospel, God by-passed them, yet this does not negate the fact that Israel
was called long before the new covenant was born, “to whom belongs the
adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law
and the temple service and the promises” (Rom 9-4). There are some gentile
believers who go so far as to think that Jews cannot be saved, as though they
are not even welcome to the gospel, when in fact the gospel was given to them
first, and it actually belongs to them. Gentile believers stem from the woman
(Israel); we are beholden to her. Paul wrote in Rom
11-18, “Do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant,
remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports
you.” The root of Christianity is the Jewish nation of Israel. Jesus came to
the Jews; He was a Jew Himself. Salvation is for the Jew first and also for
the gentiles in that order (Rom 1-16). Once we get this straight and our
respect back for the Jews, they may be more inclined to be saved.
(219c) Sovereignty
>>
God overrides the will of man >> The elect >>
Man is a spectator of his own salvation >> God
has chosen us -- This verse goes with verse 13
(237e) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom
>>
The rapture >> Selective rapture -- This
verse goes with verse 13
KJV
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2Jn-2
(109j) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Spirit and the word >> Spirit the teacher >>
Spirit of truth is our teacher
(132a) Temple
>>
Your body is the temple of God >> Holy Spirit is
in God’s people >> Spirit of God in the spirit
of man >> Spirit of the Father
(238g) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The kingdom is transferred to
the Church >>
Jesus will never leave us –
Jesus is the embodiment of truth, who lives in us through the Spirit, and He will
never leave us or forsake us, meaning we will live in His presence forever in
heaven. At the White Throne Judgment,
though, where He judges the wicked, who will stand before Christ, their
experience of Him will not be heavenly, for they are not in His grace. So heaven is better defined as being in God’s grace and mercy, and
we are already there; hence, to be in His grace is heavenly beyond
description. Those who have the Spirit of God dwelling in them know the truth,
and they go to heaven, because God has accepted them, and they experience His
presence as heavenly, but those who have rejected the Spirit of God cannot
know the truth or the grace of God; rather, He finds fault with them. They will stand in His presence to be eternally judged. Hell is a horrible place of misery and
torment, yet it is actually a haven from the presence of God. In other words, His
presence is worse than hell to those who are not in His grace (Rev 6,15-17).
After seeing Him, they will be happy to receive their eternal dwellings in
hell, for hell is the only place
where God's presence cannot be felt in the new creation, though He knows all that happens
there.
See also: Hell (Presence of God is worse than hell to the wicked); Rev 4,2-11; 88i
2Jn-3
(124m) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Love is the action of
faith >> Love is the motive of faith --
This verse goes with verse 1. John
is describing heaven to us. Heaven is a place of grace, mercy and peace from
the Father through the Son. The epitome of His presence is love, and the
definition of His love is acceptance, and His acceptance of us is based on the
truth. So if we reject the truth, He cannot accept us and we cannot know the
love of God, and we will never see heaven. As it is, we live and
walk in truth, and this affords us His grace, mercy and peace in heaven.
2Jn 4-6
(86h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Obedience >> Be doers of the word >>
Clothe yourself with the word of God >> Obey
the truth
(92c) Thy kingdom come
>>
The narrow way >> Trail of good works >>
Practice walking a straight line
(136i) Temple
>>
Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body of
Christ >> Body of Christ is the Church --
These verses go with verse 13
(156b)
Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of salvation
>> Loving God is evidence of salvation >> Keeping His commandments
– The old covenant had Ten Commandments,
and Jesus summarized them in that we should love God and love
our neighbor (Mat 22,37-40; Leviticus 19-18). The other eight served as an expansion of the first
two. Therefore, the old covenant had essentially two commandments: to love God
and our fellow man. Then Jesus came along and reiterated the old commandment
to love one another, and now we fulfill that commandment, not as a law, but as
a promise, for the new covenant is by nature a promise that has been fulfilled in the gift of the Holy Spirit.
He leads us to fulfill the old covenant law to love our neighbor. So, why didn’t
Jesus command us to love God as the old covenant did? The essence of the new
covenant is the Holy Spirit, who gives us a desire to love God,
making any commandment obsolete.
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2Jn-4
(33g) Gift of God
>>
God is our Father >> Children need a Father to
care for them -- This verse goes with verse 13. There
are just a handful of people who are truly serving the Lord in every church;
the rest have just enough faith to squeeze through the pearly gates. They
believe the Scriptures, and they have entrusted their souls to God for their salvation,
but they are afraid to entrust their flesh in service to Him. Apparently, they
don't believe God will
take care of them while they serve Him. Those who serve God
with all their hearts and those who merely trust Him for their eternal souls,
both their needs are met, so why not trust God with our flesh as we promote His
kingdom, knowing He will supply our needs as we obey Him?
People find it very difficult to trust God with their flesh; they are deathly afraid of poverty and hunger and living
under a bridge, but serving God doesn’t cause this. Psalm 37-25 says, “I have been young and now I am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging for bread.”
See also: Trust in God;
Rev 19,1-6; 40l
(123h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Love >>
Spiritual affection >> Ministry of the saints >>
Caring for each others needs -- This verse goes with verse
1
(239g) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge
of the kingdom >> Teachers >>
Teachers are construction workers >> God raises
up teachers to raise up the body –
John was glad to see some of God’s children walking in truth.
“Some” means less than half. Of all
the people in the body of Christ, John was glad to see just a handful of them
walking in truth, meaning this is all we can expect. The vast majority of
people in any church will not walk in truth, but that didn’t bother
John, because he never expected everybody to obey Christ to the fullest, only
a few, and he confessed they were God's children. John was glad to find a strong nucleus
in the Church
who were walking in truth; that is all it takes for a church to flourish,
but a sick and dying nucleus is a sick and dying church. Jesus said, you are
the salt of the earth; that is, we are the salt of both the Church and the
world. We are the salt of everyone alive, Christian and non-Christian.
Those who have committed their lives whole-heartedly to the Lord are the
nucleus of God’s plan and purpose for the Church in the world. God’s plan
for His nucleus is that they should be busy in leadership
positions helping build up the body of Christ (Eph 4-13). A strong nucleus is all God needs to accomplish everything He wants to
do with His people. The nucleus of the Church is allotted charge of the sheep.
2Jn-5,6
(90j) Thy kingdom come
>>
Keeping the law >> We do not nullify the law
through faith; we fulfill it –
John spoke in a similar way in 1Jn 2-7,8, “Beloved, I am not writing a new
commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the
beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard. On the other
hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you,
because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining.”
The Ten Commandments of the Old Testament have been made new by revelation of the Spirit; it is
new in the revising of the law that said, “You should love you
neighbor as yourself,” that now says, “Greater love has no one
than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15-13). Love that Christ expects from His people is greater than
that of the old covenant;
the new commands us to sacrifice our lives for the sake of the
brethren. If it means we must be martyred for our faith, then so be it, and
if it means we must do the will of God to the point of sacrificing our own hopes and
dreams to fulfill God's calling, then so be it. The one who is martyred is a hero, and it
encourages others to serve God
all the more through proven faith. Conversely, the one who commits
his life to his faith often goes unnoticed, though he leaves his mark on the
Church, and in the resurrection of the righteous God will reward him for his
service.
(210h)
Salvation >> Jews and gentiles are being saved >> Salvation is
from the Jews >> The Jew first
>> Jews lead the world to faith in Jesus -- These verses go with verse 1.
This “lady” in the strictest sense refers to the Jewish
Church, but in a more relaxed sense it refers to the gentile Church too, in that the woman is considered the bride of Christ. In the first
century the Jewish Church in Jerusalem represented the Church overall. She was
keeper of the truth back then, and she will be the keeper of the truth in the
last days. The Jews have been disobedient, and it has been detrimental to
the Gentile Church throughout the age of grace. The result of their
disobedience has allowed the Catholic Church to set up their world religion
with headquarters at the Vatican of Rome. The concept was similar to
the Jewish Church having headquarters in Jerusalem, ensuring an even
dissemination of doctrines, teachings and rules throughout the Church. This is how it
was in the first century, but after the persecution the Christians
were driven from Jerusalem. The Jews mostly gave up believing in Jesus, though there are many Jewish Christians today, more than
ever, which is a sign of a coming revival that will be headed
by the Jews and will affect every man, woman and child on the face of the
earth and give every person an opportunity to believe in Jesus and be
saved from Satan’s tyrannous reign in the last days.
See also: Salvation is from the Jews; 2Jn 1-5; 50db
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2Jn 7-11
(79l) Thy kingdom come
>>
Know the word as a sword in spiritual warfare >>
To defend yourself from religion –
The title “Son of God” means God in human flesh, which was the
result of the Father overshadowing Mary and conceiving a child in her
womb. Anyone who denies this, John says is under demonic influence and is deceived, and we cannot
dissuade them from their beliefs, because they have been seared into their
consciences as with a hot branding iron (1Tim 4-1,2). The minute we hear
someone teaching that Jesus is not God in human flesh, we should get up and
walk away, or better yet run. We are just wasting our time trying to reach
them with the truth, for demons are involved in their un-belief system.
The more we argue with them, the more opportunity
the demons have to forge inroads into our lives, and it is not worth the risk.
Remember, Jesus didn't argue with the devil in His hour of temptation. After
a conversation with a person like this, invariably the Christian feels dirty
inside, like he needs a bath, but the only thing
that helps is prayer and study in the Scriptures to be reminded of the truth.
They are caught in a trap, and they
will not escape except by a miracle from God.
(164a) Works of the devil
>>
Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >>
Entertaining demons by rejecting the word of God
(177b) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> False doctrine >>
Distorting Scripture >> Distorting Scripture to
avoid the truth
(179j) Works of the devil
>>
Practicing witchcraft >> Wolves >>
Unworthy servant >> Unworthy of eternal life
(180b) Works of the devil
>>
Practicing witchcraft >> Wolves >>
Wolves lead people into a cult >> Wolves bypass
the cross –
The teachings that John meant for us to embrace were the things that Paul also
taught, along with the rest of Scripture. Of course, look at all the denominations today; which
one should we believe? Some denominations are relatively non-toxic,
whereas others are venomous and can kill our faith. There is the cult that is
based on doctrine, and then there is the cult that is based on spiritual
abuse. In both cases they use a rendition of the
truth in effort to gain an advantage. John is talking about doctrinal cults saying,
if anyone does
not bring this teaching. The only difference between a behavioral cult and
a doctrinal cult is that a doctrinal cult often forms entirely new teachings,
leading to the potential formation of a new denomination, whereas behavioral cults, being more common,
occur within the framework of a denomination's teaching and doctrine. John is encouraging us to stay with
Scripture and be not swayed by strange teachings and
practices.
(198b) Denying Christ
>>
Man exercises his will against God >> Man
withers when he is in control >> Unteachable >>
Too busy being a teacher to learn anything –
The spirit of antichrist invariably denies that Jesus Christ came in
the flesh. There were people saying this even in John's time, called
Gnostics, hence their religion was called Gnosticism. It was one of the first
false regions of the First Century, and it centered around the body of Jesus
Christ, questioning its telluric properties. Was He a man of flesh and blood
like us or was He of some other earthlike material? The reason for
concern revolved around His resurrection; they doubted He was of flesh and blood
like us, before and after His resurrection. They doubted He could have risen from the
dead if His body were like ours, so they assumed He was of
another substance. The Gnostics’ unbelief
in His earthly form signified their lack of understanding in Jesus’
relationship with His Father, who raised Him from the grave. For them to
get this wrong also means they denied the trinity, meaning they didn’t understand anything about God or His
reasons for sending His Son, proving they were completely in
the dark about the gospel of Christ. For this reason their teachings
were dangerous to those who believed the truth. Those who come to such erroneous conclusions
have ulterior motives for their unbelief, which consistently revolves around
money and power. See also: Gnosticism; 198d / Gnosticism
(Simon [Megus] the magician); Act 8,9-13; 159k
(198d) Denying Christ
>>
Man exercises his will against God >> Ordained
by man >> Men place themselves in positions of
authority >> Men who have no business in the
ministry –
John obviously had a dim view of the Gnostic beliefs of his time, calling them
antichrists. They claimed to have
special powers, being why John warned us to “Watch
yourselves”! We have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, but that doesn’t
give us special powers. If any miracles are performed, it is through Christ
and not through our own abilities (Act 3-12). It is anyone’s guess what
the Gnostics taught was their special gift and how they were able to convince
people of it. Their whole game was trickery and deception for the purpose of
drawing away the disciples after them (Act 20-30), carrying them away (Heb 13-9). In the insect and animal world some creatures have
toxins they use to paralyze their prey, which after injecting them, carry
them away to a favorite perch to consume them. Heretics and false
prophets do the same with their victims. Their doctrines are toxic; they
inject people’s minds with their venomous teachings, paralyzing them before
sucking out their sustenance through greed, lust and pride. There is nothing genuine
about them, and their teachings are founded on deception with
no sincere faith in God. See also: Gnosticism; 2Jn-7,8; 183k
(201a) Denying Christ
>>
Whoever is not with Jesus is against him >> He
is against Christ who does not receive Him >>
Whoever does not receive God’s word is against Christ
2Jn-7,8
(24c) Sin
>>
Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Anxiety >>
Fear of losing spiritual territory
(183k) Works of the devil
>>
The origin of lawlessness >> Spirit of Error (Anti-Christ / Anti-Semitism) >>
Truth is the enemy of the spirit of error >>
Spirit of error rejects the truth
–
All false denominations and religions deny the
trinity, which we use to evaluate them as cults. Everybody who
rejects Jesus Christ as God in human flesh believes teachings from Gnostic
origins. Demons are ultimately responsible for any teaching asserting that Jesus Christ did not
come in human flesh but in some other form. This is the one thing that Satan
doesn't want us to believe, because it best describes his defeat by the Son of
God, and it best describes the gift of God to mankind. Clothed in the weakness
of human flesh, Jesus defeated Satan, being no other way to do it, and it
simultaneously established our glorious future in Christ. That is, after God
made us in His image, He visited us in our image; He became like us that we
might become like Him (2Cor 8-9; Eph 2-6,7). Antichrists throughout the ages have all denied
Jesus Christ coming in the flesh, yet when the antichrist comes in
the last days described in 2Thesselonians chapter 2, he will claim to be God in the flesh,
the very thing he denied about Jesus throughout the millennia, showcasing his
hypocrisy. His deceptions will be geared directly at the Jews, who are
still waiting for their Messiah. There have been false christs throughout the
centuries, but none on such a grand scale as the one in the
last days. Not every Jew will be duped by Satan; the Bible says that Jerusalem
will literally be broken into three parts by an earthquake, which will
represent three sects: orthodox Jew, messianic Jew and secular
Jew. The antichrist will target orthodox Jews who are still waiting
for their Messiah; he will enter the temple and
venture into the holy place as though he were God; and when he exits the
temple, all hell will ensue in the form of martyrdom against the saints of both
Christian Jews and gentiles, because he failed to deceive the true Church. The
reason for trying to deceive the world was that there will be a Great Endtime
Revival in progress, and he will attempt to stop it, giving the world an
alternative to accept him as their messiah instead of joining the Jewish-led
revival. See also: Gnosticism; 2Jn-7; 37c / See also: Deception
(Satanic delusion);
1Cor 1-10;
158d
2Jn-7
(37c) Judgment
>>
Jesus’ humanity >> He had human flesh –
The Bible teaches that Jesus had human flesh just like our own and that the
Father raised Him from the dead after His crucifixion. This is in the
Apostles' Creed, which they wrote in response to all the hearsay that was circulating
around the believers and upsetting their faith. The
Apostles' Creed is a carefully crafted statement of faith that was adopted by all the major Christian
denominations throughout the world to counteract the lies and deceptions that
were accumulating in Christendom. This way they wouldn’t have to assemble
long debates with every rogue teacher spreading misconceptions,
but simply quoted the Apostles' Creed to them as their statement of faith and ended
the argument. See also: Gnosticism;
136e
(60e) Paradox
>>
Two implied meanings >> They do not acknowledge
Jesus as God in human flesh / They do not acknowledge Him defeating sin in
human flesh
(136e) Temple
>>
Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body of
Christ >> Jesus’ fleshly body >>
The flesh of Jesus’ sacrifice – The spiritual ramifications of Jesus coming
in the flesh pertained to the war between God and the devil. The terms and conditions that the
Father defined as victory over sin required Jesus to defeat sin in the flesh
(Rom 8-2,3).
It was the only way to defeat sin, hence the devil, for the power of sin is in the flesh. Deceivers who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ
coming in the flesh consequently teach the antithesis of love, which is the
law of the new covenant, for if Jesus did not defeat sin in the flesh, then neither does God love us. When
the Father conceived Jesus in the Virgin Mary, He was born in a completely human
body inherited from His mother, Mary, who was completely human. Therefore, the
primary attack against Christianity is in the denial of Jesus divinity as the Son of
God; and the second is like it, the denial
of His humanity as the son of man. The cross loses its power to forgive sin
when deceivers remove humanity from Jesus, who teach that He came in a form
other than our own. If Jesus wasn’t crucified in the flesh, then sin was not defeated. See also: Gnosticism; 2Jn 7-11; 198b
/ Spiritual warfare (God is at war with the devil and man is in the middle);
Rev 12,7-17; 50ha
(164h) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> The world is at
enmity with God >> The world does not know God
(199k) Denying Christ
>>
Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >>
Rejecting Christ >> Unwilling to receive Christ >>
Ignoring Christ
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2Jn-8
(7g) Responsibility
>>
Protecting the gospel >> Defending your
territory – We
can do great and wonderful things for the Lord and then backslide; all the
kindness we have done will remain, but our backslidden days will bear no
fruit, so we will not receive a full reward. God wants us to live for
Him throughout our lives, not come and go in our faith. Jesus said, “that your fruit should remain” (Jn
16-16). He wants us to be consistent, that we might receive a full reward,
not have holes in our walk with God. This is common to us
all, yet it is undesirable to God. He commands us
to walk a certain way, though none of us can do it. He wants us
to live for Him the best we can, though we all falter in many ways with inconsistencies
throughout
our service to Him. See also: rewards; 79g
(79g) Thy kingdom come
>>
Renewing your mind >> Watch yourselves –
According to this verse we can lose our heavenly rewards. The
apostle John spoke similarly in Revelation chapter three (v11). He was obviously
convinced that Christians could lose spiritual ground to the point of even losing their
salvation. Some Christians today say this is impossible, but it is
possible. Others de-emphasize the rewards of obedience and say they only
care about getting into heaven, but those who blow off the rewards don’t
care about salvation either, but are merely trying to squeeze into heaven. By not pursuing heavenly rewards they are
attempting to skirt around faithfulness toward God. That is, they believe in the false notion of eternal security,
which suggests that if they decide not to live a life of obedience toward
God, it doesn’t matter, because they can’t lose their salvation. This
allows them to be sluggish and maintain their old lifestyles, but this was not the experience of the
disciples or of the early Church. The Bible
teaches that when we meet Jesus, He changes us from the inside-out (Mat
13-33), but if that is not our experience, then maybe we haven’t really met Him.
See also: rewards; 101i
/
Mat 12-37; 45j
(84b) Thy kingdom come
>>
Be on the alert >> Remain on duty >>
Keep watch
(101i) Thy kingdom come
>>
Ambition >> Be an ambitious businessman for
God >> Investing spiritual currency –
A good reason to pursue the rewards is that when we meet the Lord, we have an offering for
Him through a life of service in gratitude for saving us. Jesus gave His life for
us. There is
nothing we have that He needs or wants, except our heart, but how does God
have our heart if we don't serve Him? When we pursue the rewards of faithfulness, God is
glorified and we have something to offer Him, so
it is a win-win. Many Christians who don't value the
rewards claim it is
selfish to pursue them, but it is far more selfish to live for self and
spite the rewards and have nothing to offer in the end. He doesn’t value lip service. We can say, ‘I
love God,’ but if we never show it, He says we don't love Him. See also:
rewards; 227e
(118j) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Eyes of your spirit >> Giving God your
attention >> Resolutely focus on the glory of
God >> Focus on eternity
(170k) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Outward
appearance >> Vanity >>
Vain effort >> Effort frustrated by failure
(227e) Kingdom of God
>>
Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of heaven >>
God rewards endurance >> Keeping our rewards
through endurance – The
majority of Christendom today does not recognize the value of perusing heavenly
rewards, and as a result most people in the Church do not serve the Lord. They are
right when they say making it to heaven is the greatest reward of all, but God wants to reward us
beyond that with a better resurrected body that will house our spirit (Heb 11-35). Each person will receive a body that precisely emulates the
inner person with varying magnitudes of glory, reflecting their relationship
with God that they developed in this life by faith. Some will shine brighter than others,
as Paul said in 1Cor 15-41,42. God will also distinguish us by other means
to the degree of our faithfulness. For
example, God will reward us with a ministry of service.
Jesus taught that the Kingdom of God is a place where the greater serves the
lesser; that is, our greatest heavenly reward will translate to opportunities for
service. God will call on those first who were faithful in this life and took
the last place for a better service to Him, and
they will wait hand and foot on those who barely squeezed into heaven, for
greatness in heaven is measured in service to others. Since
we don’t know God’s plan for eternity, the future worlds He will call us
to oversee will open many opportunities for service. Therefore, John
cautions us from backsliding, losing forward progress and consequently a
full reward. See also: rewards; 7g
KJV
WEB
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2Jn 9-11
(40f)
Judgment >> Judgment of Christ
>>
God’s word judges the world >> It does not
hear Him
(72j)
Authority >> Hierarchy of authority >> More authority the more
responsibility >> The strong shall help the weak – John doesn’t want us inviting people into
our homes who come with strange teachings, such as Jehovah Witnesses and
Mormons, etc. This is for appearance sake. He is not telling us for our
own good, but for the consciences of others who may be watching us. We don’t
want to give a false impression to onlookers who are weak in faith that we
consent to their heresy. Paul taught in 1Cor 8,7-13, using idol worship as
his example, that though these things may have no negative spiritual impact on
us or release demons into our homes, and though we do not concede to
their doctrines, yet those who observe us dinning in an idol’s temple, or
inviting cult leaders into our home, may perceive us as accepting their
teachings and be tempted to do the same. John instructed us to have nothing to
do with them, for they are more destructive than unbelievers. “The one who
gives a greeting participates in his evil deeds,” suggesting that we will
partake of their judgment if we inadvertently cause any of these little ones
to stumble. So, it is better to shun them, to communicate the correct message
and avoid their false teachings. For us to inadvertently influence our weaker
brother in the wrong manner is equivalent to teaching them false doctrine ourselves. Instead, God wants us
to protect our weaker brother by
serving his faith.
(107k) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >> hearing from God >>
The Bible will lead you to truth >>
The Scriptures are factual – This passage has as its premise the idea that
we must first know the truth before we can know when someone is lying. 2000 years of false teachers have ravaged the Church, creating factions and
fractures at every level of doctrine. The Church down the street teaches
something completely different from the church around the corner. Who knows if our
church teaches the truth? Someone who comes to us with a strange
teaching could actually be preaching the truth and most of us wouldn't know
it! We still have the
Scriptures in good form, thank God for that, and we can read the Bible for
ourselves, but there is a problem of interpretation that the early Church
didn't have. The truth is lost in a myriad beliefs after taking a cavalier
stance to protect the truth from false prophets and heretics. Unfortunately,
the truth is no longer something we can easily possess by simply reading the
Bible; it is elusive now,
like the lizard which “you may grasp with the hands, yet it is in kings'
palaces” (Proverbs 30-28). Many things people believe today are presumptions
about the truth; most don’t even know what they believe. Truth is
discerned by the Spirit of God, and many people who call themselves Christians
want nothing to do with the Holy
Spirit, not realizing that a person cannot go to heaven unless he is born-again. We
must first know the truth before we can know
when someone is lying to us. False teachings poison our spirit, yet
people are willing to believe just about anything. They pick a religion, and it becomes truth to them. They
don’t realize the value of truth, that it has the power to set them free,
and without truth there is no freedom. The Bible can lead us to truth, but
we must commit our lives to it or it will elude us.
(179c) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> Hypocrisy >>
Jesus rebukes the Pharisees >> The world runs
into the Church to escape God’s judgment
(182g) Works of the devil
>>
The origin of lawlessness >> Deception >>
Three causes of interpreting Scripture falsely >>
Because they want to be approved by men
2Jn-9
(139k) Temple
>>
Temple made without hands >> Hiding place >>
Abiding in Jesus
(157a) Witness
>>
Validity of the believer >> Evidence of being
hell-bound >> Rejecting God >>
Rejecting the truth – John said, "Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God."
If he didn't go far enough, he wouldn't have God either, and what did John say
was the outcome of adding or subtracting from the Scriptures? "I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book."
(Rev 22-18,19).
(176k) Works of the devil
>>
The religion of witchcraft >> False doctrine >>
Extremes >> Truth is never found in your
thinking on either extreme of any subject
(239e) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge
of the kingdom >> Teachers >>
Teachable students >> The teachable are taught
by God
(253h)
Trinity >> Relationship between Father and Son >> Father and Son
glorify each other >> Father and Son represent each other – John taught the word exclusively through the
trinity, so where is the Holy Spirit in this? He is in the teaching itself!
The Holy Spirit is in the word of God in that He initially revealed the word to John, and He reveals the word to
us that John wrote. Not only does He bring
about the accurate doctrines of Scripture, He also brings the revelation of
these things to our inner man, that we might walk in them and live by them.
KJV
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2Jn-10,11
(9c)
Responsibility >> Prevent disunity within
the body of Christ >>
Prevent discord within the Church – One way to prevent discord in
the Church is
to keep conflicting doctrines and teachings from taking root and stirring
up people’s minds, hindering them from believing the truth. John
was saying that he has taught us the truth, so if anyone comes with another
doctrine that contradicts what we have heard, we know he is lying. We are
not even to give him a greeting. Note that when John wrote this
epistle, people held church in their homes. Therefore, to say, “Do
not receive him into your house” is to say, ‘do not let him into your
church.’ We are to shun him in hope that he gets the message to
repent (2The 3-14,15).
(29f) Gift of God
>>
God is our advocate >> Delivered from spiritual
impoverishment
(46g) Judgment
>>
Spiritual warfare >> Fall of Satan >>
Removing Satan’s obstructions – False teachers have only one goal in mind, to
draw away the disciples after them, which almost always has the motive of money.
During the time of the original apostles, everything was perfectly
spelled-out. They were the last true light the Church would see until Jesus
returned; after they passed away the Church fumbled through the age of
grace (Act 20-29,30). The last thing the apostles would allow
was false teachers planting seeds right under their noses, so they were
extremely dogmatic about the teachings they “once for all delivered to the
saints” (Jd 1-3), saying that anybody who would as much as say hello to a
heretic makes himself suspect by association.
(62h) Paradox
>>
Anomalies >> Being clever >>
Do not commit yourself too hastily –
We are not to assume that people who teach false doctrine are brothers in the faith,
nor are we to accept them for the sake of the brethren, who might get the
wrong idea that we approve their doctrines. More
importantly, lying deceivers may notice that we are approving them in the
sight of others and perceive an opportunity to exploit the weak.
They will find inroads into the hearts of the unsuspecting at our approval,
sealed with a simple
handshake. We should not try to win them to Christ at the risk of losing those
who already believe.
(70a) Authority
>> Righteous judgment (outcome of discernment) >> Passing judgment by the
word of God
(89f) Thy kingdom come
>>
Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Deeds
of wisdom
(122l) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Boldness to rebuke the Church for unbelief
(154g) Witness
>>
Validity of the Father >> God bears witness
against the world >> Witness that the world is
rebellious against God >> Witness against sin
(158c) Works of the devil
>>
Essential characteristics >> Divide and conquer >>
Strife >> Contentions –
People caught in spiritual deception refuse to admit they are wrong. Who
is right and who is wrong should be kept in the mathematics department, for spiritual matters do not
reduce to right and wrong but to what is good and evil. That is, the person’s
motive for teaching a lie is more significant than
the lie itself. In
other words, if we argue with somebody about spiritual matters on the basis
if right and wrong, our debate is in disregard of the truth. Heretics will
invariably bait us into an argument of this nature, but falling to their
temptation is equivalent to giving them a greeting, which the apostle John
condemned. Instead of trying to win arguments, we should preach the
truth in love to those who are open to the gospel. Associating with a false
prophet is dangerous and trying to win a heretic to Christ is a waste of time. Winning
people to Christ is a concerted effort by
everyone working together to accomplish the common goal of unity, and when the
heretic sees God's people uniting, he will see no avenue of infiltration and
leave.
(159b) Works of the devil
>>
Essential characteristics >> Counterfeit >>
Counterfeit godliness >> Love sickening sweet >>
The kind of love that replaces wisdom
(168c) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Do not conform to
the world >> Do not conform to the world’s
rejection of God
(171h) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Outward
appearance >> Decorating the outside to simulate
the inside >> Simulating the outer man to
portray the inner man – Both John and Paul
agreed that heretics, false prophets, cult leaders and spiritual deceivers are
worse than unbelievers, warning not to even shake hands with them. It is like
the scene in the movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, when George Bailey
shook hands with Mr. Potter, and then looked at his hand and wiped it on his
pants. That’s what it’s like to shake the greasy paw of a wolf in
sheep’s clothing. People who breed spiritual lies and beguile the saints bring confusion
to the Church, so people
don’t know what to believe. A person can converse for an hour about his
faith in Jesus before it is finally revealed that they don’t know
the truth.
(194f) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Turn from sin to God >> Hate evil >>
Condemning sin >> Judging evil
(253c)
Trinity >> Relationship between Father and Son >>
Jesus is equal with the Father >> Jesus has all
the external qualities of the Father >> Son is
inherently equal with the Father –
Virtually every heretic distorts the identity of Jesus Christ, acknowledging
His status as the son of man but denying Him as the Son of God. They usually put Him in high regard as
perhaps the greatest prophet the world has ever known but still deny His deity.
It is like comparing the distance from the earth to the moon with that of the
Andromeda Galaxy. There is simply no comparison, and neither is there
comparison between Jesus the prophet and Jesus the Son of God. To denounce Him
as a mere man is to take the gospel and crumple it into the wastebasket; there
is nothing left of it. To argue with
heretics is on par with arguing with the devil himself; even if we theologically backed them into a corner,
they would just change their colors like a chameleon and walk away unscathed
by the truth.
KJV
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2Jn-12,13
(123g) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Love >>
Spiritual affection >> Ministry of the saints >>
Emotional benediction toward helpers
2Jn-12
(61c) Paradox
>>
Two implied meanings >> Author—Paul or John /
Jesus –
This is clearly John writing to churches he wanted to visit, telling
them that he longed to see them. Paul also wrote letters to churches he had
previously established, telling the saints how he longed to see them again.
This verse could also be seen as an analogy of Christ longing to see His children
face to face. Obviously, there was
something postponing John from visiting them, and we could say the same
for the Lord, that there is something detaining Him too. He is being delayed
by the foreknowledge of the Father, who has set a day for Christ’s return,
who said, “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour”
(Mat 25-13). So we know that He is being detained by the date set by the
Father, but there is something else detaining Him, and that is us; we are not
ready for His return; we are detaining the Lord through our unwillingness to
invite Him back to earth. Part of the reason He has been gone
for 2,000 years is that the Church has been unfaithful. There has not
been a generation the world-wide Church has prepared herself to meet the Lord. When we put these two together: the Church’s disobedience and the date set by the Father, we see that God knew
from the beginning that the Church would flounder throughout history. Shedding blood through endless
wars has been more prevalent than faithfulness through the centuries,
and many of those wars were actually fought in the name of Christ, proving the Church's
apostasy.
(104j) Thy kingdom come
>>
Pure in heart shall see God >> Shall see Jesus >>
We shall see His face –
We read in Daniel 10-13 about the angels warring in mid-heaven and being
detained by satanic forces that controlled entire nations. Much of satanic wars
are fought because of man’s
disobedience, but it is also fought by the saints through prayer, which represents the
epitome of divine faithfulness. The angels only have as much power as we
give them, fighting for God’s cause, the earth having been given to man on
the basis of a stewardship. When we look at the historical way that God has
dealt with mankind, He simply does not go back on His word. God gave us
the earth as a possession, and He won’t take it back (Genesis 1,28-31).
Scripture indicates that He changed His mind once, maybe twice, because of
Moses pleading with Him for Israel (Exodus 32,11-14). God had deep respect for
Moses’ humility, yet for nobody else throughout all time has God changed His
mind. Not even for Moses would He change His mind about giving the earth to
man. He gave it that we might be in absolute control of it, and God has been
hands-off ever since. In the ages to come we can be sure that when He gives us a planet as our inheritance (and He surely will give us each
a planet, and then a galaxy...) that He will not take it back, and He has given us power and freedom
to do whatever we want with it. Case in point, man has been destroying the
earth since the industrial age, starting in the late 1700’s. Apart from the
date set by the Father, Christ will return as a result of
man becoming too chummy with the devil and enacting mass
genocide on the saints in the last days. Had man not sided with the devil
and martyred the saints, this age may have continued indefinitely. See also:
Inheritance (We will reign with Christ); Heb 9,15-22; 26i
(112j) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Light >> Being in the presence of truth
(125e) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Joy >>
Joy is the result of partaking of the Holy Spirit >>
Joy of the revelation of Jesus Christ
(245n) Kingdom of God
>>
Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >>
Literal manifestations >> Spirit realm
superimposed upon the natural realm >> The
spiritual manifesting into the natural
2Jn-13
(33g) Gift of God
>> God is our
Father >> Children need a Father to care for
them -- This verse goes with verse 4
(136i) Temple
>>
Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body of
Christ >> Body of Christ is the Church --
This verse goes with verse 1. The
“lady” that John mentions is in reference to Jerusalem, and her chosen
sister refers to the Gentile Church in the city where John is writing this
letter, Ephesus. The
fact that the Gentile Church is sister to the Jewish Church is an indication
that it was not responsible for the salvation of the Gentile
Church; otherwise they would be her children. Revelation chapter
twelve speaks about a woman and her child, the Gentile Church, and her
children are gentile Christians. They directly resulted from the
ministry of the woman, the Jewish Church. In this case, though, they are sisters,
being equal, whereas children are subject to their mother.
(219c) Sovereignty
>>
God overrides the will of man >> The elect >>
Man is a spectator of his own salvation >> God
has chosen us -- This verse goes with verse 1
(237e) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom
>>
The rapture >> Selective rapture -- This
verse goes with verse 1
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