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2 JOHN KJV WEB 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 WEB / Navigation Bar 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. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 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 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 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 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 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 / Navigation Bar 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. How do we know if our church teaches the truth? Someone could come to us with a strange teaching and we wouldn't know he was actually preaching the truth; that is how far we have drifted! We still have the Scriptures in good condition in our Bible; thank God for that, and we read it, 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 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. Someone picks a religion, and it becomes truth to him. He doesn't realize the value of truth, that it has the power to set him 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 WEB / Navigation Bar 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, especially about words (semantics) – 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 WEB / Navigation Bar 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. God simply does not go back on His word. He 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 gave the earth to man, and 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 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. 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