LIVING WITH THE WRONG WOMAN

Photo by Kathy of her two kittens in Congo

 

 

 

551- 2 LIVING WITH THE WRONG WOMAN 

June 15, 1980


Henry F. Kulp


 

Proverbs 2: 12 - 22 To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things; Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked. Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths: To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life. That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous. For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

Wisdom is speaking here, and it says in Verses 10, 11 When wisdom entereth into thy heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul, discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee.

So wisdom is what every young person, teenager and adult should be seeking. The Word of God hidden in the heart, coupled with the fear of God, so you will obey wisdom.

1/ Then starting in Verse 12 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:

Two enemies are seen. These enemies are for the young person. First is the evil man, in the next few verses, then the strange woman. These two enemies are very real to young people.

2/ Who is the evil man? Romans 5: 12 Who speaks perverse things? Who leaves the path of uprightness to walk in the way of darkness? Who rejoices to do evil? This, of course, is society. Here this man speaks of society as it tries to deal with the problems of life. We have it in the New Testament—the world—the world system. It seeks to answer all the problems of life, the desires of life, and all it does is lead to destruction.

3/ A young woman is taught by society, and of course society is contrary to the Word of God. It doesn’t love the Word of God, it doesn’t want the Word of God. It doesn’t believe or accept what the Word of God teaches.

4/ We learn everything we know in three ways. First of all it is by faith. This is the first way we learn as a child. A child is told by its parents certain things, and because that child trusts its parent, it believes what the parent teaches. Then it goes to school, it takes the teachings as true. One plus one equals two. It doesn’t questions it for a minute. This becomes the basis for the whole system of mathematics. Educators tell us 75 to 80% of all we assimilate before we are nine years of age is by faith.

5/ EMPIRICISM This is the scientific approach of life. Learn by observation and experience, and from this we draw conclusions. We use our five senses, we use what we see, hear and taste, feel and smell.

6/ RATIONALISM Then as a child grows and thinks for himself, he comes to conclusions. He leaves out faith and empiricism. It is only what he thinks that counts.

7/ All three of these ways of perception are part of the world. The world system—then in Proverbs 2

Teach faith—believe what we say. Then they also teach you the scientific approach, and then the rational approach. Faith can be a very dangerous thing. It can destroy a person if you have faith in the wrong thing.

8/ I Corinthians 2: 9 Eye hath not seen, neither hath entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for him.

You cannot find God’s Word by faith in what man says, by the system of empiricism, by the scientific approach or by rationalism. Thinking your way through—You must have the Word of God.

9/ Colossians 2: 8 Beware lest anyone spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit.

Philosophy is something that mankind has exalted. It has almost worshipped it. Notice, the company that philosophy keeps—vain or empty deceit. You have often heard it said, you can tell a man by the company he keeps, and also that is true of words, by the company they keep.

10/ Empty deceit is about as much emptiness as you can put into words, and philosophy is linked with that.

11/ Is philosophy dangerous? Certainly it is, for philosophy is man’s explanation of how things came to be. Here is a world, there are the heavens, there are billions of planets and stars, there are millions of people, animals, insects—what is the explanation of it all? Man has tried to give an explanation. God said, I created them, and those who believe the Bible accept it. That is not philosophy, that is revelation. The philosopher says, I will tell you how it came to be. It started this way or that way. The greatest example of philosophy we have is evolution, and someone says it should be spelled with a “D”—there is not an atom of truth in it. Nevertheless the world accepts it as true.

12/ But yet there is another part to the world system—tradition. Tradition is something that is accepted, but it has never been proved. Tradition is not just found in religion, in spiritual things, but it is also found in everyday life.

13/ II Corinthians 10: 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Here is the answer to the whole problem of Proverbs 2 Casting down Imagination— and that could be reasoning, and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God.

You are to refuse everything that doesn’t help you to know God or doesn’t give God the glory. Any theory, any teaching that doesn’t exalt God and put Christ in the place of preeminence, we are to cast down and cast out.

14/ Verse 14 Who rejoice to do evil and delight in the perverseness of the wicked.

You say that’s the world? Yes, that is the world system. The world system loves wickedness. Just pick up your newspaper—listen to your TV, and see if wickedness is not loved. Society exalts the wicked.

15/ Here is the second enemy, the strange woman. Here is the attack upon the morals of the teenager. This is an attack upon the institution called marriage. Read it and see if it is not so. And would you not say this is happening right before our eyes today? The strange woman who lures to the enticement of sexual sin. Why is she called strange, and why is she called a foreigner? Because it is written to God’s people. This is not the way God’s people were to act. God has set very rigid rules when it comes to sexual behavior.

16/ This woman, of course, is an attack upon the program of God. The relationship of man and woman.

17/ GODLY MARRIAGE STARTS WITH THE IDEAS THAT ARE PLANTED IN THE MIND OF A TEENAGER AND HIS ACTIONS WHILE HE IS YET A TEENAGER.

18/ The relationship between man and woman in marriage is to be based upon love, not upon passion. Passion has a part in it, but it is not the basis of the relationship.

19/ Let me ask you very important question. What is marriage? Someone will say it is a partnership, but marriage is far more than a partnership. Marriage is A TESTIMONY OF TWO PEOPLE IN LOVE. Actually, the Bible meaning of marriage is a testimony of two people in love, and in the Hebrew it means, it is the celebration of love. This is much better than the idea of partnership in marriage. God expects a husband and wife, to be constantly celebrating their love one for another. Why is this true? For many reasons, but let me give you a basic one.

I Peter 4: 8 And above all things have fervent love among yourselves, for love shall cover the multitude of sins.

When two people live together, they have many things that will annoy the other, but true love will be able to overlook those grating, hard problems, and cause them to live together in victory.

20/ Love means a testimony to the outside world that we love one another—we are in love. This strange woman, this foreign woman is an attack on all that God has ordained.

21/ Genesis 2:18 And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

Notice the words, it is not good that a man should be alone. God placed in man the need for companionship, and there is a very good reason brought out for this in this verse. God said, I will make him an help meet for him. The word, help meet is an old English word; and it really doesn’t mean too much to us today. It is a good word but it doesn’t mean much in our vocabulary at this present hour.

22/ What does help meet mean? I’ll give you what it should mean, I WILL GIVE HIM A COMPLETION TO WHAT HE IS. In other words, a man is only half a human being until he gets married to a woman. A woman is only half a human being until she gets married. It takes a man and a woman united in marriage to make one human being.

23/ There are to be no cross overs—men are not to be feminine. Women are not to be masculine. There is to be no unisex. The whole thing is blasphemous.

24/ A man and a woman are to compliment one another.

25/ Genesis 2: 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

This union is shown very clearly here. A man shall leave the father and mother and shall cleave, be glued to his wife, to be cemented to his wife, and they shall be one flesh. This strange woman is an attack upon the institution of godly marriage.

26/ This woman flits in and out of the book of Proverbs.

Proverbs 5: 3 - 5 For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two- edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.

Here it says she is so sweet as far as the flash is concerned—so attractive—her kisses are sweet. She has an allure about herself. She has the fragrance of perfume. But don’t look at what she is now, and what she can do for you now, but look at the end. Her house is the land of death.

27/ Luke 15: 14 - 16 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. and he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

Look at the prodigal boy. This is the end of the sinful practice of this world. Sexual sins that know no restraint.

28/ But does she speak of anything more than impurity and uncleanness? I believe that is the primary meaning, and it is clear from the book of Proverbs. I think there is another meaning to be taken from the many warnings about the strange woman. And the secondary sense, it the matter of religion. All through the Bible you read about Babylon the great, the mother of harlots. Religion is such an evil thing.

29/ Revelations 17: 1, 2 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying, unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitters upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

Here we see the great harlot that sitteth upon many waters. She is a religious system— the many waters according to Verse 15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

This is the final end of religion. Religion that started away back at the Tower of Babel, and here she is seen controlling the world, being the outstanding force.

30/ Revelations 17: 2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

Fornication everywhere in the Bible is a common term used for the sin of idolatry. Religion is idolatry. Religion which is human works does not worship the God of the Bible, but it substitutes another god for the God of the Bible. A god either made with hands, or with imagination, but definitely made, and religion consists of human merit, of pleasing this god made with hands or the imagination or the mind.

31/ Let us go back to the foundation of mystery Babylon, the religious system that is in this world.

Genesis 10: 9 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.

Here is the source and origin of all idolatry. Nimrod is the founder, he is called a mighty hunter—that could be translated, A MIGHTY REBEL BEFORE THE LORD and so he gathered to him those who were rebels against God. They fashioned their own god and built a system around this god that they fashioned.

32/ Nimrod married Semiramis, and had a son by the name of Tammuz and when you go back to the Old Testament, you will find that the enemies of Israel, the Philistines, were great followers of this mystery Babylon religion. Semiramis believed Tammuz was the incarnation of Nimrod, thus, she was both wife and mother to Tammuz.

33/ Here the Israelites are warned against the strange woman. Against this foreigner, this one who was religion that seemed so beautiful with its ordinances, it’s rites and its rituals, and its clothing are so beautiful, but yet so damming.

34/ Proverbs 2: 20 - 22 That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous. For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

Not only will wisdom deliver us from evil man and the strange woman, but it will guide the Israelites into the way of good men.

35/ All the Israelite young people and young people today have Joseph as a picture of what it means to resist through wisdom the evil woman.

Genesis 39: 2 - 4 And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.

Genesis 39: 7 - 9 And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?

Notice when Joseph was tempted by his master’s wife, and I imagine she was a very beautiful and attractive and seductive woman. He said, I cannot do this great wickedness and sin against God. He had wisdom and the fear of God in his mind.

36/ This is to go back under the point of the world. How bad is the world system? Let me show you something that I am sure will truly amaze you.

John 17: 9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

Jesus Christ in His high-priestly prayer said I pray not for the world. Notice, Jesus Christ did not say I am going to make a better world, we are going to straighten out the world system. He said, I pray not for the world, but for those thou hast given unto me.

Be careful, and don’t live with the wrong woman. Don’t live in idolatry.

AMEN

Ref: 06/15/1980/ 551-2 LIVING WITH THE WRONG WOMAN / 11/12/2021

THE REVIVAL OF A FORGOTTEN TRUTH

Photo by B Smith from the patio

 

154 - THE REVIVAL OF A FORGOTTEN TRUTH

MAY 15, 1963

PASTOR HENRY F. KULP

 

I Thessalonians 4: 13 - 18 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Here, Paul speaks about the Rapture of the Church or the translation of the Church into Heaven. He tells us that at any time, God could descend with a shout, the voice of the Archangel, the trump of God, and the Church will be caught up to be with Jesus Christ. Now it is necessary for us to see three things before we get into the heart and study of this passage. 

1/ The first of the three things I want you to see is that truth was forgotten for a long, long time. During the Dark Ages, when the professing church was anything but Christian—this truth, along with salvation by grace through faith without works was completely forgotten. The church put tradition in the place of the Bible, and, of course tradition does not center upon Godly things, but upon fleshly things. And then the church had the glorious awakening in the Reformation and salvation by grace plus nothing was presented. They failed to see this truth about the Rapture of the Church. It has only been at the turn of the century that this truth has again been proclaimed. For all those hundreds of years this truth was hidden. It is necessary to see when you have a recovery of truth, it is always progressive, and many new things are found out as people turn back to the truth. 

2/ The second thing to see is that this is not the Second Coming of Christ. Many folks, as the truth was recovered from the Dark Ages, mixed up the Second Coming of Christ, and the Rapture of the Church. But they are two entirely different events. Then the third thing to see is that this truth is Pauline. This is a special doctrine that God gave Paul to reveal to just the Church, which is His Body. 

3/ The companion passage to I Thessalonians 4 is I Corinthians 15: 51, 52 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

You will notice here it says, I shew you a mystery. A mystery is something that has been hid in ages past and is now being revealed. It is not that this is too hard to understand, it is not that it takes a lot of intelligence to comprehend it, but the fact that it has been hid before and now it is being revealed, and Paul is now revealing, a brand new fact, that a day is coming when those who are members of the Church which is His Body, shall be caught up into Heaven. 

4/ In the Old Testament and the Gospels we have much about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, but we have nothing concerning the Rapture of the Church of Jesus Christ. For example, as I read about David as he draws his finger across the golden harp strings, we can hear him sing as he lifts his voice, Psalms 96: 13 where he sings, He cometh, He cometh to judge the earth. This is the Second Coming. This is not the Rapture of the Church of Jesus Christ. 

5/ Then as the Old Testament comes to a close, the very last chapter, we have the Lord’s Second Coming, not His Appearing for the Church. 

Malachi 4: 2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

Then we go ahead to the ministry of Jesus Christ, and he does not mention the Rapture. He does not talk about it. 

John 11: 23, 24 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

We have Martha answering Jesus Christ by saying, I know my brother shall rise again in the resurrection in the last day. That is all she knew about the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, she knew nothing about the Rapture. Then notice what Christ taught when He was upon earth. 

Matthew 25: 31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

When He says, The Son of Man shall come in His glory and all the holy angels with Him, and then shall He sit upon on the throne of His glory, and before Him shall He gather all nations. This is the Second Coming of Christ. 

Luke 21: 25 - 28 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

When He talks about signs in the sun and the moon and in the stars and on the earth distress of nations, and then He says, then shall they see the Son of Man coming in power and great glory. This is the Second coming of Christ. 

6/ I Thessalonians 4: 17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Here we read the dead in Christ shall be raised first. Last week we spent some time talking to you about this—that the dead in Christ shall rise first, and the dead will be resurrected before the living are changed and caught up to be with the Lord Jesus Christ. 

But this morning I am primarily interested in the dead in Christ. What does that phrase include? What does it mean to be in Christ, and who are the dead in Christ? Obviously, the dead in Christ are those who in life were in Christ and died a physical death. This expression, in Christ, occurs about 40 times in the New Testament, and in most of these instances refers to our position in Christ. When a person receives Jesus Christ as Saviour and trusts Him as the Son of God, he is in Christ. 

Lewis Sperry Chafer in his book “Salvation” lists 33 things that occur, instantaneously, the very moment a person puts his trust in Jesus Christ. One of the things that occurs is that we are placed in Christ, we are baptized into one body, we are baptized into Christ, and this occurs the instant we put our trust in Christ. 

7/ THIS IS A SELECTIVE RESURRECTION, IT IS NOT WHEN ALL DEAD WILL BE RAISED. IT IS VERY CLEAR THAT THE UNSAVED WILL NOT BE RAISED. THE UNSAVED WILL NOT BE RESURRECTED UNTIL MANY YEARS AFTER THE TRIBULATION AND THE MILLENNIAL REIGN OF JESUS CHRIST IS ALL OVER. 

8/ Now does this dead in Christ, mean all the saints who have died up to this time? Does it include all the saints from Adam on through? 

Dr. C. I. Scofield who proved to be a blessing to many people, notices in Thessalonians 4 tells us that the dead in Christ includes all saints—that means the Old Testament and the New Testament saints. 

Lewis Sperry Chafer, who for nearly two decades Scofield’s associate, he came to a different conclusion. He said the dead in Christ refers to only those in this present dispensation, and then John Valwoord, who is now president and the head of the same school that Chafer founded, Dallas Theological Seminary, says the very same thing—it cannot possible include the Old Testament saints, and to this I heartily agree. The dead in Christ refers to only the Church which is a Body of Church. 

9/ You will always find that the resurrection of the Old Testament saints has to do with the Second Coming of Christ. And this is not the Rapture of the Church which is His Body. 

10/ Isaiah 26: 16 - 18 Lord, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them. Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O Lord. We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.

Here we have Israel in trouble, receiving the chastening of the Lord, and they are speaking of their conflict during the tribulation and deliverance. And in Verse 19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.

We have shown that after the tribulation, the time of chastening, at the last day, the dead shall live. If you eliminate the supplied words that the translators put in, the word, men, and together with, then recognize that the word, body, is in the plural and it should be bodies, we have Verse 19 reading this way. Thy dead shall live, my dead bodies will live. This means the dead bodies of Jehovah’s people. So here you have the resurrection of the Old Testament saints, it is after the tribulation, but we are going to be resurrected before the tribulation. But they shall be resurrected just at the beginning of the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ. 

11/ Ezekiel 37: 1 - 5 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:

What are these bones that are to live? The explanation is given to us in Ezekiel 37: 11 

Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.

Here it is the whole house of Israel. That means the dead as well as the living saints. That means the Old Testaments saints as well as those who are living at the time of this portion of Scripture. The Old Testament saints will be resurrected along with those who are living at that time, and the whole nation, Israel, shall be back in the land. This has to be the resurrection of Israel at the start of the tribulation. 

12/ Daniel 12: 1 - 3 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

Danial tells us of the tribulation. For Michael shall stand up with the Jews in that great time of trouble, and he says at that time when they are in this great time of trouble, they shall be delivered. Then in Verse 2 many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, and again we have the Jewish resurrection, but it is after the tribulation—Not before the tribulation as is the Rapture. So you can see the resurrection is different from the Rapture. 

Then if you turn to Daniel 12: 3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

We have brought it out that after the resurrection there will be rewards for the nation of Israel, rewards, such as ruling over ten cities, or whatever it might be. This is exactly what Jesus Christ told the nation Israel. He did not tell it to the Church, He told it to the nation. 

13/ Luke 14:14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

Here Jesus Christ says they shall be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. You will notice that Jesus Christ is definitely talking to the Jewish nation. He is talking to Israel not to the Church here. And the resurrection of the just is not the Rapture – it is not the mystery, it is the Jewish nation being raised from the dead, and then being rewarded. 

14/ Hosea 13: 9 - 14  O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help. I will be thy king: where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities? and thy judges of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes? I gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath. The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is hid. The sorrows of a travailing woman shall come upon him: he is an unwise son; for he should not stay long in the place of the breaking forth of children. I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.

Here again we have it brought out that Israel will have God as its helper and as its King, and God will save them. In verse 14 He tells them, I will ransom them from the power of the grave, I will redeem them from death. Here again, the millennial hope and physical resurrection are associated one with the other. 

15/ We know the Old Testament saints will have to be resurrected before the Millennium, and not at the Rapture of the Church, for take the Twelve—They are to take part in the earthly Kingdom. 

Matthew 19: 27, 28 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Here Peter says, we have forsaken of all to follow Thee, what are we going to have? This was a natural question, this comes out of the flesh, it can’t help it. They had just heard the rich young ruler turn down our Lord’s offer for He told him—sell all that you have. 

In Verse 21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

Peter says, Lord, we’ve done that. What are we going to get out of it? The rich young ruler wasn’t willing to do it—he has his riches now. So Peter is saying, Maybe we had better do the same thing. 

What is it going to profit us if we do not do it? He says, they are to sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel during the Millennium. They are to be rewarded by sitting upon thrones, so they will be rewarded right after the resurrection from the dead. 

16/ All the faithful Jews will be rewarded just prior to the setting up of the Millennial Reign of Christ and the finish of the Tribulation. 

Luke 19: 11 - 19 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.

Here you will have to admit this has to do all about the Second Coming of Christ. About Jesus Christ, a certain nobleman, who went into a far country, Heaven, for to receive Himself a Kingdom and to return. He had to return to have this Kingdom and so here it is. Those who are faithful prior to the setting up the Kingdom, will be rewarded when the Lord comes. Some will receive the award of ruling over five cities, some over ten cities. So this has nothing to do with the Church, but with the nation Israel. 

17/ Now let’s notice, Isaiah 40: 10  Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

Here again, we have the faithful Jews who will be rewarded when he comes back to earth to set up His Kingdom. This is in harmony with Luke 4: 14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.

18/ Matthew 25: 21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

Here it tells us the very same thing, for the good and the faithful servant will be made a ruler over many things. But, of course, this is the Old Testament saints who were faithful, and the faithful Jews during the tribulation just prior to the setting up of His Millennial Reign.

19/ It is true that when Jesus Christ catches us up into Heaven that we will be at the Judgement Seat of Christ and we will be rewarded. But our rewards are heavenly rewards, not earthly rewards. We are not told that we are going to rule over five cities, we are not going to sit upon any thrones. We are going to be given a heavenly reward, or award. 

I Corinthians 9: 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

We find that Paul tells us about rewards we can gain. It is an incorruptible crown for those who gain mastery over the old man. In other words learn how to control the old nature, and not have the old nature control them. 

And then, I Thessalonians 2: 9 For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.

A crown for soul-winning, and actually it is brought out here as we told you before that the believer who wins another person, that person is his crown. 

Then II Timothy 4: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

A crown of righteousness for Loving the Lord’s Appearing. So you can see that we will be rewarded, but all those rewards are heavenly. They are not earthly like they are with Israel. 

20/ We read, I Thessalonians 4: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

We shall be caught up together. Here is the true ecumenical movement. There will be no ecumenical movement of God until this point when His Body will be united. The believing Jew and Gentile—dead and living shall be united, caught up together. No more separation—not even by physical distance.

What a glorious, wonderful truth this is! We will be united in Jesus Christ with all those loved ones and friends who have gone before us. Never to be separated again.

Complete victory over death.

AMEN

Ref: 05/19/1963 / 154 - THE REVIVAL OF A FORGOTTEN TRUTH / 10/19/2021

THE DEVIL’S HOPELESS JOB

Photo by B Smith from the kitchen window

 

30 - THE DEVIL’S HOPELESS JOB

July 4, 1965

Henry F. Kulp 

 

Romans 8: 28 - 34 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

We have come to the portion of our study where Paul asks the question—What shall we then say to these things? And he gives us seven things we can say. If God is for us, who can be against us? And then he says, because He delivered up His Son for us all, He will freely give us all things. 

Last week we finished by studying that He spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all—God the Father, delivered up Jesus Christ, and He delivered Him up to the powers of darkness—the powers of evil, and there he was made sin for us. Yet you must understand more about this doctrine of God the Father delivering up God the Son for us all. 

Let us go to Galatians 2: 20 where we are told—I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself up for me. 

The word, up, ought to be in there. We should have it—He gave Himself up for me. It is the same expression, the same word in the original that is translated delivered up in Romans 8: 32 God delivered Him up. After He got through the Garden of Gethsemane He was willing. He said, Father, and He said it three times—Thy will be done. Then He 

went out and delivered Himself up to His tormenters. He did that for us. No one could describe what the Son of God went through—it was an awful experience as He gave Himself up for you and me. 

1/ Now let us turn to Hebrews 9: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God?

Blood is mentioned 12 times in this chapter. It is called the blood chapter in the Bible—it tells us just what the blood does and its importance. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission. In our day men are trying to put aside the blood of Christ, but you can’t do it and believe the Bible and its message. Blood is the foundation of our salvation, and you must fully trust in the blood. 

2/ I have no hesitation in saying that salvation is God’s greatest work. There is no work in creation anywhere that we know about that cost God anything. God could at this very moment create a new universe, and it wouldn’t cost Him anything—but there was something that made God poor because God the Son was delivered up by the Father and He willingly gave Himself. 

3/ Now notice the rest of this verse—who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God. You have the same word here that you have in Romans 8: 32 and Galatians 2: 20 It should read, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself up without spot to God. The word, up, was left out by the translators. And so the teaching here is that Jesus Christ had to have the help of the Holy Spirit to offer Himself up as a sacrifice, and right away you see God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit all working together in order that Jesus Christ might be offered up for our sins. 

4/ Romans 8: 32  He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Notice the last part of this verse—how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things. When God delivered up His Son, He gave everything that He had when He gave His Son. I noticed in looking it up in the original that the expression, freely give, is translated by the words, free grant, or without a cause, or without a wage. Let’s understand right at the very start. God is not selling anything. God is not bargaining with man to get something from Him. God is giving something away. God has a gift for mankind—so the best translation I can get for freely give is a free grant. If you go back to the early days for our nation, when the government gave free grants of land, and all one had to do was go into that land, and possess it—that was all. There was nothing to pay—there were no strings attached—you got a free grant from the federal government—a certain piece of ground. That is the word used here—freely give all things. God has made us a free grant of everything that He possesses with the giving of His Son. That is why it is written that all things are ours. If you say Christ Jesus is mine, and you have the right to say that—then you say the creator of the universe is mine. He belongs to me—and, of course, you have to see that you belong to Him. And this is true. When God gave the Lord Jesus Christ, He made a free grant of everything in the universe to those that trust Jesus Christ. But, and this is important, you must trust Jesus Christ. 

5/ There is a story I like to tell. I have told it before, but don’t think it will hurt to tell it again. The story is about a man who was very wealthy. His wife died and left a little son. The son was the whole life of the man. He had a housekeeper come and take charge of the home and see to the rearing of the boy. She got to love that boy very much. The boy became like her own son, and, of course, this would be quite natural. The boy grew to nearly 20 years of age, and then suddenly died. The man was left brokenhearted. He felt he had nothing left and he didn’t live long after that. No one could find out what he did with his money. They searched through papers and they could not find any trace of a will, and they were about to have the government take it over, for there were no heirs and there was no will. So they had a sale—they sold the house furnishings. The housekeeper came. She stood in the back, she didn’t have much money. She couldn’t buy the expensive furniture, but there was a picture of that boy hanging on the wall, and she looked at it, longing for it. It was a very good likeness of the boy and she loved the boy. When it was offered for sale, no one wanted it—she bought it for just a few cents. She took it home and took it apart to clean it, it had been hanging on the wall for years, and when she opened the back of the picture, some papers fell out, and it looked to her like they were very important papers. She took them to a lawyer. The lawyer said to her, Madam, this time you have fallen on your feet, for this man left everything he possessed to the one that loved his son enough to buy that picture. He gave everything. God gives you everything if you love His Son, and you must love His Son, He gives you everything freely, as a free grant. 

6/ Romans 8: 33 Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.

At this point you must remember how this chapter begins and it is used right here. In Verse 1, it says, There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, and right here in Verse 33 He has given you a confirmation of that, for He says, if you don’t believe you are in the place of condemnation. I want to ask you a question. Who is it that will condemn us? Who can possibly condemn us? If God justifies us, who is there that can condemn us? God is the judge of all—God is the Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court has passed on your case, I guess it is settled. The Supreme Court has acted, for God is Supreme, and it says, it is God who justifieth. That means to clear you of everything, and if the Judge has cleared us, who is left to condemn us? 

7/ Let us look at a very wonderful verse. 

Acts 13: 39  And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

And by Him—that is by Christ—by Him all that believe. 

That is not the folks that do the very best they can—or the folks who join the church, but all who believe, and we have to hold it down to that. Nine out of ten folks that you ask if they are saved will say, “I am doing the best I can.” God doesn’t save that kind. All that believe are justified, from how many things? All things. If you are justified from all things—who can find anything with which to condemn you? 

8/ Now let us turn to the chapter that everybody likes to use.

Revelations 12: 10 I heard a loud voice saying in Heaven now is come salvation and strength and the Kingdom of our God and the power of His Christ, for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 

Here in the tribulation, Satan is accusing those who are preaching the Gospel—the 144,000. Here he is the accuser, and he will be cast out of Heaven, out of his domain in the end of the tribulation. But actually, I believe he is doing the very same thing today. You remember what he did to job. 

Job 1: 8 -11 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.

Here, Satan accuses Job to God. He didn’t do it until God mentioned Job—the devil wouldn’t dare to do that, but God said, have you seen Job? The devil replied, yes, but you have put a hedge about Job and I cannot touch him. Then the devil said, if thou wilt let me touch Job and take away all that belongs to him, he will curse Thee to Thy face, Verse 11 God said, go and do it, but don’t touch his body. He took everything he had in the world, Job said, Job 1: 21 Naked came I out of my mother’s womb and 

naked shall I return thither. 

Don’t you see, the devil was proved a liar? He said, he will curse thee to Thy face, but Job didn’t do it—so one of the main things we learn about Satan in the book of Job is that he is a liar, and when he accuses people, he lies. 

9/ Then again, God asked him if he had seen Job, and he said, yes, Job 2: 4 - 6 And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.

But you touch Job’s body and he will curse thee—skin for skin. Let me touch his body, Satan said. God said, yes, but don’t take his life. Then he left Job scraping himself for a little comfort on an ash heap with boils all over his body. I suppose he thought at the time that a boil was the worst thing in the world. So he left Job there a wreck—a physical wreck. Yet in all that, Job did not condemn nor blaspheme the Lord. Again Satan was found to be a liar. When he accuses the child of God of certain things before the Father, he is a liar. 

10/ What if Satan does accuse us before the Father. What if he turns and says, just look at some of the things that Christians have done down there. It is not only the fact that Jesus Christ died for us, but the fact that He is now seated in Heavenly places interceding for us. What happens if Satan comes to God the Father, and says, look at that person—Mary Smith or John Jones down there on earth. They are Christians, they are folks who have believed in Jesus Christ, and look what they are doing—look how terrible they are—look how filthy they are, But Jesus Christ says, I know all about it—they are mine, I am here to intercede for them. I died for them—I have paid the price for that sin. It was put upon Me. Satan tries to bring things up but God says, He has cleared us of all these things. Do you know the devil can’t prove that you are guilty. Oh, I believe he knows he has a hopeless job. He knows what the Bible says, that our sins have been put away. That God has cleared us of every charge. You say, surely the devil can prove that I am guilty of some things—no, the devil can’t prove that because the Lord Jesus Christ took your guilt. Was He not made sin? Again I can’t get away from this verse.

I John 4: 17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

And of course, Colossians 2: 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

11/ In the Greek, WHO DARES ACCUSE US NOW? THE JUDGE HIMSELF HAS DECLARED US FREE FROM SIN. If anyone wants to point at your sin, they have to point at Him—and who would dares to do that? 

I Peter 2: 24  Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Who dares to accuse Him? Yet, He is the one to accuse. He took our sin. He suffered for it. 

12/ Hebrews 10: 11, 12 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

Hebrews contrasts the work of Jesus Christ with the work of the priest in the Old Testament, and every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices which can never take away sin—but this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever sat down on the right hand of God. 

Notice, when Jesus Christ went to Heaven, He sat down because the work was done. Did you ever do a hard day’s labor, then you came home, you were able to sit down and rest—it felt so good. Jesus Christ was made sin for us, He was crucified, resurrected from the dead, and He ascended into Heaven, and He went home—He sat down, because the work is done. And to accuse any believer of something that he has done, is saying first of all that the work of Jesus was not done—it is not sufficient. But His work is done, so if you want to accuse anyone, you must point the finger at Jesus Christ, you must accuse Him. Never accuse one of His children. 

13/ Then notice, He is interceding for us, but He is seated as He intercedes. He doesn’t have to work up a lather—He doesn’t have to get all steamed up when accusations are made against us, because the work is done. He just keeps saying—I died for that person, I died and paid the price for that sin.

We are free, yes, free indeed!

AMEN

Ref:  07/04/1965 / 30 - THE DEVIL’S HOPELESS JOB / 10/19/2021