WHO ARE YOU
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL THIS TIME

C. Gordon Wolcott

Published (ca. 1976) by Brother of Jesus

La Jolla, California USA

This study includes teaching on resurrection and judgment which has been and is being omitted by the Church. (Heb. 5:8-6:3) Because of both quality and content of church teachings, we need first to build a foundation. It should be recognized and accepted that those who have learned some things ought to be teachers of those less learned and, most particularly, those who know next to nothing should be willing to receive new teaching.
Let us begin with a stress on the importance of starting all over to let God teach fresh and new out of His Word and of being willing to put aside and reject all which man has taught us about the Word and about God's plan for complete deliverance.
During this exploration there will be reference to several categories of those who follow Jesus and can thus be truly labeled "Christians." Jesus referred to the 30 fold, 60 fold and the 100 fold. He clearly was not speaking of man's outward works, but spoke of the fruit generated from within which could then be on display to any who wish to look--the fruits of the Spirit's work on man's nature. (Mk. 4:8-9, 28, Matt. 13:19) These categories can also be seen in association with the geometry of the Wilderness Tabernacle, because that Mosaic Tabernacle was designed as a type of the individual man whom God would later indwell by His Spirit. (1 Cor. 3:16, 2 Cor. 6:16, 5:1-4).

BASIC CATEGORIES
30 fold. The number "3" speaks of the mind and, therefore, the teaching of the Word. The number "30" denotes the spoken or written Word of God reaching into the soul. The soul is responsive to the mind and vice-versa, but in the 30 fold there is yet no contact with Spirit. The 30 fold person has a mental acceptance of Jesus Christ as a Savior.
Those who have begun to come toward Jesus Christ, but have not yet arrived at Him, or into Him, represent the 30 fold fruit of the Spirit’s Work. The 30 fold are those who have heard the call to come out of "Egypt" and responded. (Ex. 16: 1) They have entered into God's agreement of accommodation, but it is only an agreement of accommodation for as long as they wish. They have been passed over by the death angel by remaining under the protection of the blood of the Lamb, and they retain the promise (not inseparable possession) of ongoing life as long as they do continue to come toward the Holy Mountain or Kingdom. (John 6: 37) Although they can turn away, they are on their way toward Mt. Sinai--the Mountain or Kingdom of God. They have no binding contract at all, as yet, which they have willingly executed with the living God, but only an agreement of accommodation for as long as they wish. In the Tabernacle, it was the outer court, the Common or Profane Court (as contrasted to the Holy or set apart Place), which was the place of the 30 fold people in their relationship to their God. They were within the outer perimeter of the Tabernacle, but as yet had no intimate association with God. The 30 fold people have no part in the Millennial inauguration of the earthly Kingdom.

60 fold. The number "6” speaks of the human struggle on earth to be free of bondage. The number "60" denotes the "6" in subservience of mind to the soul, resulting in a desire to conform to the Plan of Jesus Christ for man’s well-being.
Those who do not turn away and who do continue in their coming toward Jesus Christ and arrive at Him or into Him, by forming a contract in heart-union with Him, represent the 60 fold fruit of the Spirit1s work. The 60 fold people are those who have journeyed on through the wilderness, eating of the food from above, and have arrived at the foot of Mt. Sinai, the Mountain or Kingdom of God. (Ex. 19:2-6) They do not have the right or authority to go up into the heights of the Mountain, and so they must remain at the foot or beginning of the Mountain as long as they remain in the 60 fold category.

However, by contracting with the Lord to accept His ruling Lordship over every aspect of their lives, they begin a priestly function in His Master Plan. Once the contract has been properly finalized with the honest "signature" of the willing man (God pre-signed it), it is a legal document enforceable under Law. Then there is no escape from its provisions, for it will be enforced--for man’s benefit. When the 60 fold are united to Christ, they are "planted" with the gift of His immortal seed. (1 Pet. 1: 23, James 1: 21) They have then permanently passed from death to life and possess, as a free gift, on-going life in the soul. (Ro. 6:23, 10:9-10, John 5:24, 6:47-48, 10:27-29) They have a desire to be obedient. In the Tabernacle, the people admitted to the outer court were not permitted in the Holy Place. The Holy Place was reserved for the occupancy and work of the priests and only the priests. They of the 60 fold have entered the category of priests to God and therefore may (are expected to) minister to Him by performing His will as best they can and, through that, minister to the Body needs of the people in the outer court. In the 60 fold they are limited to participation in the earth Kingdom of Christ, having no part in the Jerusalem which is above.

100 fold. The number "100" displays the subservience of both mind and soul to the life of the Spirit. It speaks of God's manifestation in man. Those who continue on beyond their response to the contract phase of heart union, and permit Him to work a full setting apart exclusively for His purposes (sanctification), represent the 100 fold fruit of the Spirit's work. The 100 fold Christians are those who have arrived at the foot of the Mountain and then, in obedience, having aspired to the heights of the Holy Mountain, hear the call to come up and take on the divine enabling to escape the limitations of remaining earthbound at the foot of that Mountain. (Ex. 19:19-25) These alone have the right and authority to ascend into the very presence of the Lord, a privilege beyond what is granted to the priests. (Ex. 19:24)

The ministry of those in the 100 fold is to become a special ministry, especially toward those who are the priests. It is the Lord's call that summons one to come up when that one has made himself ready for the enabling. The greater enabling is through an additional work of the Holy Spirit, and it is with "fire." It is Jesus Christ alone who is the Baptizer with the Holy Spirit, which baptism releases one to come up onto the heights of the Mountain. (Matt. 3:11-12) It brings power as a consuming "fire" to begin reflecting His purity (Acts 1:5, 8) so that one can prepare to see Him as He is. (Matt.5:8) In the Tabernacle, it was the Holy of Holies cubicle which contained the glory or power presence of the Lord, and only a person in the High Priest position had the right or authority to approach that Presence in the Holy of Holies.

Now with the precise patterns in mind, those established by the Lord instead of in man's intellect, let us take up a few basic questions. What concept have you been taught about death of the soul? Do you share the belief that the soul continues living on and on after any man loses his physical body in death? From where did the teaching come to many that the soul does continue to live on and on after physical death, even though previously having done nothing to introduce new and permanent Life? (Ezek. 18:4, Matt. 10:28) What concept have you been taught about the preservation (saving) of the soul and the permanence of that preservation, once received? When you gain possession of that on-going Life in the soul, can you subsequently lose it? What is the difference between a provisional or conditional promise and an outright gift? What is the difference between a provisional agreement of accommodation and a detailed and signed and dated contract? What is the difference in the lawful position of the parties involved, if one wishes to weasel out of his agreed-to commitment?
Having your answers to each of these questions, now let us do some careful reading of Scripture. The Bible is the Word of God and He does not lie. He says exactly what He means and He means exactly what He says (He has a superiority of intelligence over man). The Word of God in the Bible is to be accepted as a harmonious whole, with no part at a difference with the whole of it, or it is not the Word of God. Therefore, if we see a verse on one page which seems to conflict with a verse or verses on another page, we are to understand that the interpretation we are using is at variance with what was in God's mind when He had it spoken or written. The Bible is harmonious throughout, or it is not the Word of God. Man-provided interpretation is almost always in conflict with God's; but man continues to provide interpretation and so God commanded men to cease interpreting the Scripture. (2 Pet. 1: 20-21) Shall we cooperate, or shall we hold on to concepts which argue with the whole of the Scripture?

Perhaps we are now in position to carefully read some of God's statements on the 60 fold and the 30 fold estates (they both have an initiation, but they both are also a process before their course is completed). Passing from one fold to another lifts the potential for attainment.

The first subject is that of the 60 fold and concerns all who have signed a formal contract with the Lord Jesus Christ as their living God. The terms are clearly spelled out and the covenant has been completely executed. The rights of both parties to enforce the agreement are also a matter of known law. The result of completing the contract brings, as the first responsibility, an action from Jesus Christ in the form of a free gift to the one who has signed with Him. (John  5:24, Ro. 6:23, Eph. 2: 8) In a righteous man’s eyes, a gift is a gift and not a loan, and that is also the view of the Lord. (Ro. 11:29) Because Jesus was fully aware of the can tract terms while He ministered in a physical body on earth, He made mention of the permanence of the gift, once received. (John 10:28)
The enlightened Paul also emphasizes the same thought in stating there is no pressure or temptation which can separate us from the Father-love. (Ro. 8:35-39) Peter too wrote of this permanence for those who have contracted with Jesus Christ--the Word of God, by likening it to the result of a husband-wife relationship in intimacy. (1 Pet. 1:23) The seed implanted is an undying glorified seed from the glorified physical body of Jesus and by it He makes pregnant in the soul so as to bring forth new life. He also cares for His “wife” so there will be no miscarriage; and, of course, with an immortal pregnancy having a new life already in being, there is no way provided to abort.
Therefore, John writes again that God abides in, dwells in, continues to stay in the one who has contracted with Him. Because of the indwelling, it is impossible for that one to habitually practice sin--it will become too rough on him through the contrary pulls. (1 John  3:9) The contract is legally enforceable, and God is able and determined to see its terms fulfilled, no matter how long it takes and no matter how much disciplining needs to be applied.

Next, we look at the 30 fold. This fold includes the one who has discovered that the living God, Jesus Christ, is Savior and Preserver. This one has taken an interest in living more ethically and being preserved from his concept of "hell" or soul-death. Therefore in mental awareness, he begins coming toward Jesus, perhaps doing a bit of Bible reading, a bit of praying and a bit of listening to words spoken on the Way of the Lord. At least, he begins cleaning up his external lifestyle. Of this fold, John wrote when he related the fact that Jesus will never reject or cast out anyone who continues to come toward Him, not yet having arrived into Him. (John 6:37)

Each one coming toward has the sure promise of later possessing on-going life, if he continues to come toward Jesus. It is the entering of his agreement of accommodation. Therefore, in a real though tentative sense, he too has passed from death to life, just by believing on Jesus. (John 5:24) Later, if he continues coming toward the Savior, he will believe into Him and gain the possession of Life for all time. But during this drawing closer to the Lord in a mind-type association, he can change his mind and split away, for there is yet no binding contract to be enforced. So we see warnings posted in the Scripture for our benefit. (Rev. 2:5, Hos. 4:6, Lk. 12:45-46) Jesus Christ died on the Cross expressly so any man can begin in the 30 fold, can continue to come toward Him and so pass from death into life.

If at some later time, the 30 fold one fully determines to no longer come toward the Lord and does deliberately walk away after once acquiring the mental awareness of and association with the Truth, he runs the risk of completely losing the life perpetuating impartation from His Redeemer and Preserver. That willfully rebelling one is, in effect, placing himself outside of the blood-sealed house, providing free access for the death angel. Nevertheless, and even then, if there is are-thinking and weighing and if there is a turning back to implement the truths revealed, he can re-enter the house protected by the blood of the Lamb and there be preserved from the death angel. (Ex. 12: 22) Ours is a loving and forgiving Father, eager to give new chances to His erring children, whenever they become interested in cooperating.

However, we must continually understand that our loving Father insists on controlling every mutual relationship. He has no compulsion to win a popularity contest among sensual and un-regenerate men. Therefore, He will compromise His plan of life for no man. His messenger, the Holy Spirit, is sent to guide men into the understanding of the Truth-content of His Word and to activate the conscience toward good. Therefore, if and when the 30 fold man persistently turns away from the Messenger of God's Presence (the ultimate is, "I will not"), the Holy Spirit gives way. It becomes a challenge to delegated authority which the Holy Spirit will not forgive. In fact, He cannot forgive, because all judgment is placed solely with Jesus Christ during this age. (Of course, mistakes and weaknesses do not constitute sins against the Father or offense against the Holy Spirit).
The challenge may encourage a seeking of more opportunity to challenge (an unclean spirit), not caring, and refusing the Spirit's work of truth-bringing and conviction in conscience. Without conviction, there can be no repentance. (2 Thess. 2:10-11) Without repentance, there can be no forgiveness. And forgiveness can only come, exclusively, from the Father of our spirits, Yahweh-Jesus. If and as long as a working against God's plan and efforts of the Holy Spirit are so firmly and deeply set in that repentance is unwanted, there can be no forgiveness. But the age of the "unforgivable sin" completes and totally terminates with the valid repentance of turning again to the path laid out by the loving Father. (Mk. 3:29-30, 28) The heart made and kept callous against His revealing, He cannot forgive and still live by His own rules. But Jesus Christ is eager to forgive any sin when approached in the repentance of changed response.

All of these verses, with respect to on-going life in the soul, necessarily apply to the 30 fold only, because the 60 and 100 folds are under specific contract which the Lord is well able to enforce. The 30 fold is the only one of the three categories which does not permanently possess the indwelling life, by having become pregnant with the immortal seed of Jesus Christ. To the 30 fold man alone, on-going life is but a promise yet to be possessed, if and when he decides to sign the contract releasing; that Life. But those in the 60 fold and the 100 fold also can lose some of the potential opened up for them. The 60 fold Christian cannot in any way lose the immortal Life in his soul, but he can forfeit the promise of immortal life on earth for his physical body. So also can the 100 fold Christian. But the 100 fold can lose more than the 60 fold, because his is the heavenly calling (a prize), while the 60 fold remains limited to the earth plane.

The 100 fold estate is not received as a gift. It is a trust which is given when the occupant of the 60 fold determines he is going to do every last bit of his part in fulfilling the terms of the contract; the trust is founded on dedication. The 100 fold experience begins at the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and is for the purpose of enabling the 100 fold Christian to then complete the contract as rapidly as he cares to, coming more and more into a reflective testimony or witness of the Lord’s purity, the likeness of Jesus Christ. (Acts. 1:5, 8, Matt. 3:10-11) It is a stewardship trust, but a steward must be found faithful in his stewardship, if he is to continue in it. (1 Cor. 4:2) The Baptism enablement for the heavenly calling can be forfeited, but not the basic contract for Life in the soul. (John 10:28) From where then did the Church teaching come on the great danger of losing one’s preservation for his soul, once the gift from God had been possessed? It is clearly not supported by Scripture and it just as clearly is for the purpose of producing fear and a dependence upon and subservience to the man-established priesthood. Fear is not one of the fruits of the Spirit! (Gal. 5:22-23)
What is your concept of the conditions established to enable your arrival in Heaven, which is assumed to be our goal? Look at 1 John  2:28 3:3. The context is our action in anticipation of the Lord IS coming. What are some of the things involved in being made right and in becoming pure so we will not need to shrink away from His presence? Little and big lies. (Ps. 101:7-8, Rev. 21-27) Thought, attitude, purpose and action. (1 John  3:7) Stealing, especially from God. (Mal. 3:8-9) The Sabbath spent exclusively for Him, a part of the Ten Commandments. (Ex. 20:8-11, 31:13) No dilution of His will. (Ex. 19:5, 1 Pet. 1:15)

LAW AND GRACE

What about our keeping the principles of that Law which was given to Moses by God on His mountain? You may think about that for a long time; but in the meantime look at Matt. 5:18 and Lk. 16:17. What ordinances of that Law did Jesus fill up (a better rendition than fulfill)? One was the daily sacrifice of animal flesh; but does this release man from a requirement of a daily sacrifice of flesh--his "flesh” which is his human nature in opposition to God? Jesus also brought us the ability to cooperate with Him in the keeping of all the principles of the Law, through the power of His Spirit. (Ro. 8:2-4) It is true that we are under Grace and not under Law (Ro. 6: 14-15), but still the Law must be fulfilled. (Ro. 11:22, 2:13, 3:31, 1 Pet. 1: 22, Ps. 119: 142) The prophets and the Law carried through the time of John the Baptist; then the Kingdom was preached. (Matt. 11:13) But during the transition from the Law into Grace, Jesus verbally lashed the Jews for not putting children (fairly grown-up children) to death for continually dishonoring their parents. (Mk. 7: 10-12)

The era of the Law terminated on Calvary's cross, but that made no change in God's righteousness. If it did change, then it is quite all right now to lie, steal, murder, etc. The Lamb of God did fill up the ordinances of the Law, which was given to dramatize for us the basic principles of life; and, therefore, we no longer butcher sheep and cattle to atone for our sins. But each man's relationship with God was not adjusted from the era of the Law through the era of Grace. (Ro. 7:6-7, 12, 14, 16, 22, 25, 3:29-31) It follows in the same way as the earthly son and father relationship. When the child is old enough to partly understand and also old enough to do wrong, his father establishes some rules or law for behavior. Then the child receives disciplinary action, if he plays with fire or steals, etc.
Since the child is too young to understand the self-destruction in such error, the law is spelled out for guidance--until he comes to better understanding. When the child becomes a little older and arrives at understanding, he is no longer under the law, but under grace. There is no longer a need to bring out the whip or even threats. If the up-bringing has been carefully worked out, the young man understands and takes the same interest in that which is right as does his father. (1 Tim. 6:14) But, because the father has set aside the severity of the law, there is still no sense of any latitude in making it right if the young man steals or burns up the family's property. All that was right under severe law, remains equally right throughout the lifetime.

For the same reasons, God’s laws for righteousness given to His Chosen People remain equally as true and as righteous age after age. God does not change His mind or His design. Until death is fully overcome by all and the last vestige of sin cast out, God is waging and will wage constant war against every phase of error and evil. His goal is in the same perfection on earth as is in Heaven. His will is to be done on earth as it is in Heaven--and that goal will be attained one day. But in the meantime, grace is for the older child who understands some things. Nevertheless, even during the same period of time, his younger brother may require the law to keep him out of trouble and keep him safe. Today, an example would be the deterrent of capital punishment for murder.
The principles of the Mosaic Law and its severity hold wherever there is deliberate and persistent rebellion. But the severity of the Law is not necessary wherever there is a docile spirit ready to follow the training and teaching from the Father. Note that the righteous ways are the same under the Law or Grace.

The Law brings swift retribution as a result of persistent and unyielding violation. Grace enables a patient working in love with the docile and willing spirit of man. The Law installs teeth in the righteous pattern for growth. Grace is the means for presentation and encouragement for an eager student. Law leads to an inescapable awareness of there being a righteous way. Grace can then take over during the process of bringing about the fruits of that way. But once understanding and truth have been received, there is no longer any excuse for a departure from the righteous way, and Law comes into play again to enforce the choice.

The replacement of Law by Grace came for the Body of Christ when Jesus purchased or redeemed all men from the severe consequences of the Law. Grace fully comes into effect when the individual honestly accepts the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ and His guiding through the Holy Spirit, even when he does not like it. The principles in the Law lead toward unending life, toward undying life on earth. (Ps. 119:144, John 14:6, 6:58) But when there is a full growth into earthly immortality, there can then be no excuse for infractions of the righteous way and again the Law takes over. Then even a single infraction of the Law will bring death. (Ro. 6: 23, 1 Cor. 15: 54, Isa. 65:17-20, Ezek. 3:20, 18:24) During the coming Age, the message will be the Gospel of Everlasting (eonian well-being), the Gospel of immortality in human flesh on earth (Rev. 14:6 literal: having an eonian well-message to announce).

TRAINING AND DISCIPLINING

What was God’s purpose in having children? That of maturing them by His tutelage under the ministering of the Holy Spirit. How many of those human spirit beings given birth by God will make it through to the consummation of His plan? Will He be successful with a select few-the smart ones, and utterly fail with the many who prove too difficult and tough to handle? Is your God Almighty and adequate for every need (El Shaddai), or is He as limited as both His natural and spiritual Israel continue to make Him out to be?

What is God--just a power or force? Is He a soul? The Bible tells us that God is a Spirit. (John 4: 24) What then did He father? Being a Spirit, He could father only spirits. (Heb. 12:9) Is He a good Father, will He forsake any of His children? (Heb. 13:5, Ro. 2:11) Did He not reconcile all men to Himself? (2 Cor. 5:19) What then was His purpose in clothing spirit children with physical bodies and soul bodies? The only answer has to be the more rapid completion of a phase of maturation through experience, understanding, and strength--and through sorrow and pain, if necessary. The garments are designed to enable rapid maturing, but these garments for the human spirit can be preserved for its on-going use, or, through improper care, they can be lost, resulting in nakedness and a need to sometime be re-clothed. (Matt. 7: 26-27, 2 Cor. 5:1-5)

Was anything of God f s making faulty? No, it was all seen to be good. (Gen. 1:31) The Bible describes God as Almighty and all sufficient and as a most efficient Planner. Is it conceivable that He would admonish man to layout his plans in advance for all that is necessary before committing himself to action in building a house, if the King Himself would not do the same? (Lk. 14:28-31) Is it conceivable that God would begin anything He cannot finish exactly as He planned it? Can anything of His making be too big a problem for the Almighty to cope with? Does the earthen vessel control the Potter? Can you, or any other child-spirit exercise control over the Father? Again, what was His goal in fathering spirits? Maturity for all of them. Will He fail even once in reaching the goal He set?
Since the Gods (Father and Son) decided to bring man in to their image and then bring man into their likeness, we should be able to look at man and learn much about God. The Bible says and we see that children in the human family are not all born at the same moment in time, nor do they all mature simultaneously to the intended level of growth. Neither do all spirit children begin their existence at the same moment, nor do they all reach that God-planned level of maturity even during one lifetime on earth. For some, physical life terminates prematurely for various reasons. Some other physical lives are brought to a close by Divine Intervention. (Gen. 15:16; Deut. 2:34, 3:6) Why? So that those human spirits may be released from the earth and returned to God for His corrective action, in order that they may become ever more willing to return to the course of the maturing process He designed. (Eccl. 12:6-7)

Who are the spirits of your children? You are parents of the outer garment only. The spirit is chosen by God and assigned to incarnate when the bones of the new body have been formed; it is then that the unborn babe takes on its own life. (John 6:63, James 2:26, Eccl. 11:5) That spirit is selected by God to indwell a human body because it is by then ready to take on specific experiences of human life for the purpose of continuing on and potentially completing the first phase of the maturing into the likeness of the Father. You parents are stewards in charge of only a portion of the child-spirit’s maturing process. Your children are accorded great privilege among all spirits by their taking on outer garments through which there can be extremely rapid movement toward God’s goal for all His children. For their benefit, God has assigned somewhat more matured spirits in human bodies (parents) to help the younger ones chart their course. Therefore, children, appreciate and give thanks for the stewards who have responsibility assigned by God for guiding and helping.

Attaining even the first major step toward coming into the likeness of the Father--a retention of a full complement of permanent garments, surely must require more schooling and training of the young spirit than can be accomplished in the 3 score and 10 years of human life--even more than all the 6000 years since Adam. But does the Scripture speak of that? God has said that to Him 1 day is as 1000 years to man. Ps. 90:4, 2 Pet. 3:8) God said Adam would die within the same day of his disobedience; Adam did die well within that 1000 years, as is recorded. That is when Adam experienced the losing of his "garments," because he had not learned to properly care for them.
The Lord spoke of another moment, just a moment in His sight for the developing Body of Christ, which extended through the Dark Ages and is not quite terminated yet by the full return of the Lord in at least a few. (Isa. 54:6-8) That brief moment has encompassed 1900 of our years.
We who are born of God and are planned by Him to come into His likeness, send our children to school many days, before they even approach a coming into our likeness. Would you agree that God expects you to attain adult sonship in just 100 minutes of His time? Come, let us reason together in His Word. (Isa. 1: 18) You weigh and evaluate what is right. (Lk. 12:57) A man's life span of 70 years, ln God's "day," which is 1000 years of man's time, is only 100 minutes on God's clock. During much of even those 100 minutes, man is mentally too young to understand much of what is really available for his completion of the maturing into adult sonship. The Bible tells us what we already know, that man on earth is scarcely planted and then he is taken away--even those we would consider fairly mature. (Isa. 40:23-24)

God said His Spirit shall not always strive with man, for he is also flesh. (Having a physical garment for his spirit, man will come along with fair rapidity--as compared to the spirit being without it.) But his days (literal) shall come to be 120 years. (Gen. 6:3) God did not say He would not always strive with that people or that generation contemporary with Noah, which is just what God would have recorded if He meant that. He said "with man” or all mankind. The life-span of mankind has never been recorded as being 120 years, though a few, like Moses have lived that long. He had been striving with mankind up until that day (now be careful not to limit this to a man’s life-time of physical existence on earth), and He continued striving with (training) mankind through the ministry begun by the Apostles. (Isa. 57:14-16) Even today, God has not yet ceased striving to mature mankind. So what was God thinking about in His application of the 120 year term? Shall we approach it gradually?
The Passover lamb for ancient Israel was shut up on the 10th day of the month and guarded until the close of the 14th day. For 4 days, the young male lamb with no blemish was kept in readiness to be sacrificed for the people's deliverance. (Ex. 12:2, 3, 6) A day in the Lord's time is as 1000 years in earth time, so the 4 days in God's time are 4000 years in man's time. The application here is the 4000 years from Adam's fall, when a redeeming sacrifice became needful, to the coming of Jesus Christ, who became the Lamb of God for a deliverance for all people. From the 10th to the 14th were 4 days, but there were also 10 days in that month prior to the 4th. Therefore, we know there were at least 10,000 years of God f s plan in operation preceding Adam's fall. Further, the Bible does not specifically mention whether or not there were other days and months and even years to that 1st month of God's new phase of His work.

Adam was the first man of a new race, the beginning of a new phase of his work. (1 Cor. 15:45, Eph. 2:15) This revelation of God points up the error of man's teaching the theory of a 6000 year young earth, or even only 6000 years of humanity. The statement of Gen. 1:27, "Male and female, He created them," conveys no illumination to us--if He meant "men and women…”
Each one was made "male and female." We should not think that God was such a loafer as to be doing nothing at all through eternity past, until just 6000 years ago.

In the very ancient eons, the Gods (Father and Son) talked over their plan for bringing spiritual children "to birth" and into their likeness. "Let us make mankind in our image, after our likeness." (Gen. 1:26) Thus, a portion of their plan is revealed to us in the Record. In the same day-year symbolism, the Gods in conversation revealed another portion of their plan for mankind in the record of Gen. 6:3. It was revealed at that time because men were departing from God's design for their schooling. The measure of time which God then foresaw that His Spirit would continue to strive or work with mankind, in order to bring up man into paths of righteousness so that the spirit of man might grow into his Father's likeness, was to enclose 120 years.

A "day" is 1000 years and there are 360 days in a prophetic year. Therefore, 120 years in the Lord's time would be 120 x 360 x 1000 or 43,200,000 earth years. During this period of time, God would train these particular offspring (there were also other waves of begettings) into a recognition of Truth and to a stage of maturity requiring no more striving with them to pattern their lives in the Father's plan. From the analysis of another portion of God's record of beginnings, we can arrive at approximately 367 million years ago as the minimum time when He began to develop on the then already existing planet earth, a fit environment for His children. If we then add the vaster reaches of the manifest creation, we can just begin to realize that the Gods have been very active over staggeringly lengthy eras of a past eternity. "In the beginning," says the Record. Who could ever compute that fantastic era of time?

God calls for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven and He says the earthly is to be a pattern-replica of the heavenly. (Heb. 8:5, Ro. 1:20, Matt. 6:10) He designed the human family. He gave human parents instructions for raising and maturing their own children and for being faithful in stewardship. In this divine pattern, what parent would beget numerous children only to commit most of them to hideous torture from an earthly and immature life into forever, just because of some disobedience or weakness which at that particular time prevents fully living up to a strict code of an exacting father? To impute such intentions to a loving heavenly Father would picture Him as such a bestial and sadistic parent that, by comparison, the most depraved of humans would appear as saints.
This horror concept still being preached from pulpits by those who have the clear testimony in his hands (though not in their minds) came to us out of the Dark Ages. The consistent and unrelenting policy of both the ecclesiastical and political rulers to bring and keep the common people, the laity, in abject servitude and in terror of a vengeful God searching for opportunities to punish, had the demonic motivation of power and wealth behind it. (Lk. 11: 52) This teaching did not come out of the Bible as it was given to the Prophets. Again, it is pointed up that all who would follow Jesus in His new work, as He is now leading on into the full preservation which is our inheritance on earth, must discard all of what man has taught and begin again to allow God to teach new and fresh through ministries He Himself has chosen. Even so, all men should search the Scriptures daily to see if these things being taught are truly from God. (Acts. 17:11, John 5:39; Isa.34:16)

Very similar to our scheduling of our own children in their earthly schooling is the scheduling of the spirit children of God. If a portion of the required schooling results in flunking out, the course must be repeated. But when one term of instruction is successfully completed, there is the next school term which comes after a period of resting and settling. In the plan of God, there is a tour of duty or learning on earth which must be successfully concluded in the physical body garment before attaining Sonship maturity. This phase requires more time for some individuals than for others, because of varying mixtures of rebelliousness and willingness to cooperate, also because of differences in diligence or concentration on the matters to be learned. This concept is stated to prepare us to consider what God's word has to say about the assignment and reassignment of spirit children into physical bodies on earth.

A sharp distinction must be drawn between Bible Truth, at which we will look, and the Eastern teaching known as reincarnation. According to the Eastern teaching, the spirit reincarnates times without number, until eventually perfection is attained and the spirit enters "nirvana. “ It is taught that the spirit learns and gets progressively better just by the passage of time and the gathering of more and more of whatever experience is available. The Bible does not back this teaching, nor is it in the plan of God. If age leads to progressive betterment, then Lucifer and his spirit hosts should be quite good by this time. The Bible says not. The Bible declares there is a "Lake of Fire" prepared for them when their wickedness is filled up--and it is not for consuming the good out of them.

We know that our spirit development can be affected by the environment. One brought up in a home where “anything goes,” where there is a disrespect for law and order, develops into lawlessness in most cases. One who is watched over carefully and disciplined into obedience to that which is right is most certain to become an asset to society. Impudence comes naturally to those in a state of ignorance. Also it is much easier and much simpler to drift with the tide than to swim against it. Lawlessness was entered into through ignorance by those in the successive begettings of waves of young new spirits; then their easily anticipated course was that of drifting with the lawless tide. But drifting for time without end could not bring them to perfection. Likewise, human society in any of history could never have approached even its perimeter of perfection, except under strict law which is enforced. Strict law and its enforcement, to the degree it has been used, has been society's only means of survival.

God did not plan unlimited reassignments for erring spirits just to see them go from bad to worse, but rather a limited number of earthly re-entries ln human babies' bodies, until the pressure brought to bear on them (both on the physical and soul bodies) would cause them to hate the drift with the tide. Then in their extremity they would turn to the Father and cry out, "Save me from the mess and this hell, and cause me to become your son-in-Truth."

When that extremity is reached and when that call goes out, there is a turning away from the career in evil. Then Divine help and guidance comes forth, leading into a readiness for the reception of the glorified and deathless Life-seed from Jesus Christ. The immortal seed is spoken or engrafted into the human soul, and a new generation within is commenced. (James  1:21, 1 Pet. 1:23) When the deathless seed is there in the core of the soul body, the soul cannot die and its aspirations will ever be for good. Then time is the only remaining ingredient to bring about the reaching of the goal. Once the spirit has a deathless garment or vehicle in which to continue on into maturity, there is no further need for again entering another premature human baby, no need for another rebirth; though at times such are sent back for specific purposes. (Mal. 4: 5) The eventual goal is then certain. (John  10:28)
The Bible states that Yahweh-Jesus actually picked us out individually, before the foundation (literally--the fall) of the world, to become blameless in His sight. (Eph. 1:4-5, 11, 1 Pet. 1:20, Ro. 8:29-30) The Bible relates that each of us should have understood the folly of rebellion from the time at which the world was founded. (Isa. 40:21) Yet the same Word tells that even those who have been consistently rebellious will be trained and eventually brought forward into complete preservation by a loving Father. (Isa. 46:3-4, 57:16-18) In the light of all this so far, we surely must begin to see something of the necessity for much training prior to our physical birth in human flesh. We must surely begin to see the folly of a concept that every newborn human baby is an inexperienced spirit freshly begotten by God. How could we dare to think that any human spirit would mature into the likeness of His Father within 100 minutes after birth?

Who are we then among the billions and billions of spirits to whom Yahweh gave "birth" in succeeding waves? The Lord said to His Apostles that they were (literal translation) bondslaves, individuals who through poor judgment had been taken in by their own ambitions and piled up so much debt that they could not pay it out for their release. He inferred that, because of bankruptcy, they had had no choice but to take upon themselves an unconditional term of enforced servitude to Lucifer. (Luke 17:5, 7-10) We of earth humanity are indwelt by those spirits whom Lucifer deceived. We are the rebels, the rebellious against God (it still shows in major or minor degree) who willfully chose to serve Lucifer in the dim ages of the past. We were seduced by the subsidiary light of the realm who promised wisdom (He offered the same to Eve), hitching our cart to a star--the wrong star, becoming numbered in Lucifer's tail (his followers). So we were cast down to the earth environment as Lucifer's bondslaves, until we work out our deliverance. (Phil. 2:12)

We are bondslaves whose ambitions exceeded their judgment and grabbed more than they could manage or handle--too ignorant and untrained yet to consider the day of reckoning. Therefore, we were taken over into slavery under Satan. (Isa. 14:17) Nonetheless, the loving Father came to make a great sacrifice which would open up a shortcut back into the realm of the King, to them an unforeseen, ahead-of-time deliverance for all who would renounce the false "star" and cling in faith to the Redeemer. The bond slavery to Satan was paid off in the immortal blood of Jesus Christ and, in place of that bondslavery to Satan, we can choose to serve the Father. We are purchased as bondslaves, and as bondslaves we may continue, but under a new and benevolent Master. We come as bondslaves to enter our new life under the new Master, Jesus the Anointed, but we emerge as sons. (Matt. 18:25-27, Phil. 2:12, 15, Ro. 8:12-13, Matt. 6:12, Luke 15:18-24)

The Apostles then, and the many members of the developing Body of Christ now, are chosen spirits--people chosen to infiltrate and sabotage the enemy's kingdom. Having been grossly unfaithful in the past, we therefore must now prove our repentance of that past willful disloyalty to our Father by laboring hard and patiently to faithfully carry out all He has commanded to be done. That is our duty if we are bondslaves in His house (His Church). That is primary. If, over and above this, it becomes apparent that there is an eagerness to go out of the way to help, comfort, nourish and maintain others, then the Father will gradually add to that one's faith so as to provide better enabling for him to help those who are eager to return to the Father's estate. Then after the bondslave has proven repentant, continuing to do all the Lord has commanded, and has proven himself faithful, continuing in the additional enabling form the Master, when the Lord comes and sees him so doing, He will serve him. (Luke 12:36-37) Joyful conformance releases the Lord's love toward him.

Yet one can often see humble and upright folk laboring with great patience, but making no headway, many ending up tragically. Some of them moan over their "fate." And we hear the comment, "How could a just God in heaven allow such a thing to happen to that good man?" From man's limited perspective, such a question seems proper, yet, without spiritual vision and understanding, the judgement is based entirely on the present, the short term. We are in almost complete ignorance of the indwelling spirit's past in willful disobedience to the Father and his long trail of works in evil.
Perhaps we can now begin to rightly weigh the abysmal error of church dogma which postulates a virgin spirit and soul fresh from the hand of God at the birth of every human infant. Fresh and innocent? No! (Ps. 58: 1-3) If not so, then when was the experience accumulated? But bonds laves taken over to work but a portion of incalculable debt? Yes! However, let us remember that, through the grace of God, He established cyclic years of release for slaves. After His cycle of 7 had repetitively continued to the square of 7, the 50-year Jubilee was celebrated by restoring all forfeited property. Then all rested and rejoiced in the full rights and liberties which were restored. Soon--in this generation--we are coming to that Jubilee Age of joy and peace over all the earth. From the Noah flood to our generation is about 5000 years. The Lord's number of freedom is 5. The world was sold out to death, but the world will be released from death.

The more we read and digest Scripture, the more it is evident that God is just and righteous. (Jer. 9:24) He decrees a just retribution for all peoples, even the Canaanites, Egyptians, Babylonians, etc., all of whom were without His Law. Since He is a just God, His righteousness must be carried into action also for the spirits who have departed their earthly bodies. Thus, His righteousness immediately rules out a punishment by burning as the only alternative to becoming "saved." God planned His own fatherhood. There could be no trace of irresponsible conduct on the part of an Omniscient Being; therefore, He could not possibly enter into fatherhood until He had first planned the future for His offspring, the ways and means for their eventually attaining to their Parent's stature, and their entering into His own joys and glories. (Eph. 4:12-13, John 17:1-5, 21-23)
To postulate that God is willing, but helpless to save souls from utter torment in a furnace of fire, time without end, is to declare Him an irresponsible weakling. If we say that He can prevent that outcome, but won't, we label Him a sadistic monster for sure. To claim that God would stand idly by and let His children run into an everlasting fire of destruction, just because He does not wish to tamper with man’s free will (Rev. 22:11), is to accuse Him of being baser than any human. (Phil. 2:13) No righteous human parent has ever placed temptation before his child for the purpose of exploiting the weakness of the moment so the parent can then beat him for ever and ever. There is no such teaching to be found in the old manuscripts. (Lam. 3:31-40) Such teachings were invented by a carnal priesthood in the years of spiritual darkness to hold the common people in abject serfdom. The power of horrible fear has been used as the crowbar to separate wealth and lands to the holdings of the Church.

This is not to say that God in true love of His children will not discipline them into correct ways of growing up. As evidence of His planned fatherhood, did not the Lord say that He was the first One in His family, and still is, but did He not also say that the last one in the family is to be with Him? He will be with the last one. (Isa. 41:4) His plan is all inclusive from first one to the last one--none are left outside His wondrous plan.

Would any normal parent do differently? See also Isa. 46:4 again. Those are the words of a loving Father. He has produced; therefore He will uphold; He will carry and He will deliver. But if we will not perceive the message in earthly things, which are patterned after the heavenly things, how can we possibly understand the heavenly design. (Ro. 1:19-20, John 3:12, Eph. 3: 14-15) God works according to pattern of His work and from that we can deduce the unseen things which are the realities. The seeable pattern is the shadow of the spiritual reality. (Heb. 8:5, 9:23, Ex. 25:40, Rev. 15.5).

God is just. He had made opportunity for a small group of the older spirit children who had remained faithful to Him to attain a limited maturity in the individually complete bodies of the primitive humanity pre-dating Adam. Therefore, it was just in God’s sight that spirit children who had remained faithful to Him to attain a limited maturity in the individually complete bodies of the primitive humanity pre-dating Adam. Therefore, it was just in God’s sight that spirit children from those who had entered rebellion with Lucifer’s host would also be given opportunity for attaining limited maturity in human bodies on earth. Because these younger spirit children had entered subversion and spread subversion, in justice they themselves would be subjected to subversion on the physical plane of being. In addition, because of having been set outside of God’s school, by joining themselves to Lucifer’s rule, they had to be reclaimed by God, redeemed.

In carrying out His justice toward His children, He judged or weighed each one and thereby divided the house of Lucifer into two folds, the folds of the sheep and the goats.  See Matt. 25:31-46 for His pattern, applicable to the past as well as to a future event, for god does not change. The sheep fold was composed of those who had recognized their folly and grieved over the error of their disobedience. But since their eyes had been opened through disobedience (instead of through obedience), it was impossible or God to take them back into His own fold in that condition. Even on earth today, a man who has proven himself unfaithful cannot be trusted again, until and unless after much time he has truly turned to faithfulness (repentance) through suffering in one way or another. In the other fold of Lucifer's camp were the goats, those who were head-strong and willful, delighting in the ways of their error. In them there had been no self-recriminations.

Since those in the sheep fold have grieved over the error of their ways, God told them they could have opportunity for redemption without having to go through the decontaminating fire. Their scanty clothing of soul vestments had already been contaminated so those spirit children could not ever abide in God's presence, nor go on into maturity--in those garments. Either the garments must be destroyed in fire following that great and still future day appointed for total evaluation (judgment), or the sheep-fold spirits could dispose of the contamination through being born into human bodies. In that process of opportunity, a new, clean and vital soul-body is formed within the new physical body to be fused with the older and thoroughly contaminated soul-body. Thus the embodied spirit-child would partake fully of both good and evil, until that day on which God would open the fountain for His cleansing and complete restoring.

Two anti-rebels who had sought to break free from Lucifer's rule were chosen to be the heads of the sheep-fold and to lead the homeward journey in time. They were embodied in those two single-sexed beings, Adam and somewhat later, Eve. Incomplete, single sexed beings, typed by Adam and Eve instinctively reach out for their complements--and that was the avenue for Lucifer's incursion. His foresight was keen and he quickly reached his immediate goal, but he did not know the depths of God's strategy.

In time, tens of thousands of human beings had given birth to new vehicles for indwelling spirits from the sheep-fold of Lucifer's camp. Simultaneously, these humans provided a battlefield for the goat-fold of Lucifer, in conflict with the army of obedient spirits sent by God to direct humanity into the ways of Truth and righteousness. Even today one force vies with the other to secure obedience from its wards, one toward their destruction and the other toward their restoration. (Eph. 6:12)
This field of battle has become the military academy for both the angels of God and for those of Lucifer's camp, while those of the sheep-fold from Lucifer's domain have taken up the Homeward journey. The journey back is long and painful, but the more that is suffered, within the capacity to bear, the more deeply impressed is the bitter lesson that wrong and evil bring their own recompenses in suffering. (Isa. 5:18) So that the incarnating spirits would learn to value and revere the sanctity of the body-garment which God made available, He permitted disease to make its inroads, adding to suffering and shortening of human life. Being unpleasant, suffering eventually is shunned (righteousness accepted). Becoming more aware that the journey back home takes time, eventually more care is given to extend the lifespan now shortened by disease. But God is not a Spirit-monster to wish suffering on any being, no more than a righteous human father would take pleasure in the suffering of any of his children. Nevertheless, two facts stand out. The spirits involved were from the rebel camp which had not hesitated to bring suffering upon the world for selfish reasons. Also, pain is a whiplash in the hand of God to be used to correct His errant children and thereby sooner restore them to Himself. (Lam. 3:31-40) The human body is God’s masterpiece, designed to function for thousands of years, until its indwelling spirit has gained full dominion. But since disobedience brought about the body’s death, the conscious spirit within has to be taught the importance of the proper care of the body. The instruction for most, if not all, can come only through disease and its consequent pain. That stern taskmaster, pain, must rule until the rebel spirit has been whipped into line and in heart is ready to kneel before the Father in all sincerity to follow wherever He leads. Of that day, it was written that then there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain. (Rev. 21:4)

The present humanity is the training ground for once rebel spirits in Lucifer1s camp. The Apostles, you, and I are out of that host of renegades, with a heart that is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked through long practice. (Jer. 17:9-10) The sea of the human soul is in the heart. It is little understood, but the new human soul partakes of the qualities of disobedience in wickedness at birth. These qualities are inherited or passed on, not from the human's natural parents, but from the older soul which had its prior experience in Lucifer's army. (Ps. 58:2-4, Ezek. 16:1-6) To be deceitful and treacherous comes naturally to the resultant merged soul, for the primitive soul of the spirit in Lucifer's legions is fused with the new human soul generated by the life processes within the womb.
Before any grafting, the primitive soul is undying-even though steeped in deceit and treachery. The primitive soul differs from the human soul in that its life sustaining force is derived from an undying spirit (deathless because in the image of the God-Spirit). It can be likened to an aura or field around a steel-cored magnet. With passage of time, the primitive soul densifies in the field of its accumulated experiences: but since the "steel-cored" spirit is not subject to death, neither is its primitive soul structure--with two exceptions. There is the eventual dissolution brought about by the fires of Gehenna; that is ultimate discipline and loss. Then by the mercy of the Father, there is another possibility. If, as and when the spirit is incarnated in a human baby, a better choice is available. The new choice is far preferable to the other, because it brings many chances for a way out from losing everything.

When there has been a fusing of soul substance in the baby's body some months after conception, the primitive and the new soul become one. Its life force then becomes dependent on the flow from the physical body. But upon death of the physical body, the soul will starve to death. It will die, unless something new has been added. By the grace of God, a life-saving addition is available to all mankind. Today, it is the new source of Life from the body of the sacrificed Lamb of God. But without that preservation from the body of Jesus Christ, the composite soul becomes subject to dissolution or death after loss of the physical body, without the ultimate necessity for the most drastic process in the flames of Gehenna, the Lake of Fire. Again, it is because the human soul is dependent on the physical body for its life-sustaining force. (Gen. 2:7, Eccles. 12: 6-7) However, short of the ultimate in the Lake of Fire, the repenting spirit seeking to return to his Father is presented with up to several opportunities in new human bodies to cover the ground. Such is the love of our Father!
A spirit alone is likened to a flame of fire in the general shape of the human body. A flame alone is incapable of any expression which garners experience and maturing from experience. (Ro. 1:19-20) At least one vessel or engine in which the spirit can work is required, if there is to be any experiential knowing or understanding. Therefore, the first major step for us must be receiving and retaining a full complement of permanent garments, in order that we may be able to continue in the learning and attaining process through which the loving Father will take us.

Basically, there is no difference between the objectives and responses of a fully normal earthly father and those of our heavenly Father--or it is a lie that man was made in the image of God. (Ro. 1:20, Eph. 3:14-15) Or did God fail to achieve His intention? On the contrary, He beheld all of His works and found them to be very good. (Gen. 1:31) But a right and normal father is not satisfied until his son has an education suitable for his environment and has acquired the skills which are good and needful for his future activities. The acquisition calls for many days, running into a great many years.
The father, who is a carpenter or builder, patiently teaches his young son how to drive a nail and cut a board to a line. As the young son progresses, he learns how to construct simple objects and then systematically goes on into more complex projects requiring a highly finished craftsmanship. The true parent is not satisfied until he beholds his son equally as capable and skilled as himself. What volumes were conveyed to man in the single sentence, "Let Us make man in Our image and after Our likeness." We would do well to dwell on these words every day, during every spare moment, until the spirit of sonship or daughterhood blazes up within. Then the zeal for that becoming shall give no peace outside of the striving to be like the Father. Then the infilling and overflowing joy of that vision will bring a new song on our lips, leading to the transformation of life. But the process takes time.

God said that all your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children. (Isa. 54:13) Why did God relegate the peace from His teaching only to the future? Did He not teach in the past? Is He not doing so now? Of those who would choose Him, He said, “I will sow her for Myself in the land.... They shall be My people and I will be their God.” (Hos. 2:23) He has sown previously, and He sows now. Why did He reserve the fulfillment of this for the future? Hear also now, “… the days of our mourning shall be ended. Your people shall all be righteous. They shall possess the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified.... I, the Lord will hasten it in its time.” (Isa. 60:20-22) Why was this too to be only in a future age in which all of His people are to be righteous and to enjoy the untold fruits of that righteousness? He manifested through Moses for the purpose of calling a people into righteousness. He sent many prophets to teach righteousness to His people--and to the world at large, and they chose the other direction.
Why was this planned righteousness for all His people, and the glories that go with it, to be in the then distant future? It is not because of the lack of His atonement during those earlier years, for we see now, 2000 years after His redeeming work, that there is not so much as one tiny community where all are righteous. In fact, it is difficult to find even one fair sized family in which all are righteous.

On Patmos, John also saw the time as a distantly future day. (Rev. 21:1-4) Man has had a long-term concept of God as a magician who waves His wand and all things are instantaneously new and different and fully developed, but that is not the God presented in the Bible. If He operates in this pattern, then why the billions of short, miserable human lives spent in ignorance, want and disease--and usually in the evil which goes with that? Why the thousands of years of hell-bent humanity, if God can instantly teach man and make him righteous at His own pleasure and if He can even instantly bring about the super-utopia of no sorrow, suffering, pain, or death?

To bring a young son into the likeness of his father takes time. It takes time for children to grow up. It takes much time for schooling and training a boy to fill his father's shoes. And it takes vastly more time, if that boy has spent so much of his conscious life with neighborhood hoodlums that the father's vision of righteousness and joy for him has been distorted into delinquency and crime. To such a delinquent one, a right father might order a long and very severe discipline to bring the son's vision of life into proper focus again. Then in that distant day, when he would have become a son after his father's likeness, he would know again the joy of his father's fellowship and the fullness of his love. All that the father has would become his. That is the process which would be in harmony with God's promises of untold bliss in a distantly future day. There is no other possible explanation conceivable to the mind of a thinking man.

God created man in His own image and after His own likeness. If man will hear His word, discarding that which the ecclesiasts fabricated for keeping a populace in servitude, and if man will receive God's word in his heart, instead of the reiterated distortions, then all of life's vexing problems dissolve. Monstrosities in concept and absurdities will flee into the night, and the unreasonable fabrications of man will give way to a glorious creation of which God, the loving Father, is the author and upholder. Then fears transform to joy and life becomes an incessant song of praise, and thanksgiving and glorious anticipation.

When God's Word is received, you will see our earth-sphere as the arena for a portion of the rebellious but now virgin spirits who were misled by Lucifer and who are now working out their own salvation. (Phil. 2: 12) At the same time, the other portion of the rebellious spirits is still in the unseen or soul world, working against the interest of man. Here are two armies in contest, one learning lessons through victory, the other through defeat. The Great Father of both will see to it that each faction learns its required lessons, although through very different situations and leading to dissimilar harvests.

God is Almighty, He never stagnates, nor does He ever fight a losing battle. He arranges the raising of the one against the other so that both may receive their just dues--whether those be good or otherwise. Note in Ezek. 29:19-20 that God declares how He gave Egypt and her spoil to Nebuchadnezzar and his army for the service performed in fighting against Tyrus. Egypt became the wages paid for service rendered, yet judgments were also pronounced against Nebuchadnezzar which later came to pass. (Jer. 51: 1-2, etc.) God employs the same basic pattern to all the spirit children, with or without physical bodies. He balances the one against the other in such a fashion that their respective lessons may be learned, and to each He gives a reward (wages) for service rendered and to each He weighs out a judgment (penalty) for willful failure. All is a part of the schooling and training incidental to growing up into the likeness of the Father.

THE REALM OF THE DEAD

The Father realizes that the youngster must grow in understanding and develop in dexterity and skills over a long period of time, before he attains the mastery which will fit him to assume the responsibilities of life. Everything that contributes to that growth is gradually introduced, and from time to time, so that eventually the lad may fill his Father's shoes. Schooling by private tutor or in public school is also arranged. The Father does not expect the lad to master all studies in one day; and, in fact, the lad may, from time to time, have to brush up on lessons long since received. As his clothes wear out, he gets new ones. If by chance, the lad gets his clothes contaminated to the extent they are considered unsafe or unwholesome for further use, they get destroyed--likely by fire. Perhaps the lad himself also gets disinfected. In some instances, he would even get shut up under quarantine for a time.

God's original plan -- still operative -- was to bring humans onto the earth-sphere so that they might live as obediently as Adam and Eve did initially and as a result then grow rapidly into spiritual maturity on earth. At the conclusion of that growth, the vibratory pitch of their physical bodies is to be so stepped up as to launch them into the next plane of existence. We who fell into Lucifer's net in the eons of the dim past had our cycle for manifesting in earthly bodies chosen for the right time and in such a way as to serve, and learn conformity through the suffering resulting from disobedience.
However, for many of us this process could not be achieved without the engrafted perfection seed from the physical body of the glorified Savior. We had previously dipped so deeply into the sin of disobedience, it had been so long ingrained, that the suffering of itself would not convert us. It would only bring us to the stage of weakness and yearning from which we would reach out for help, being willing to believe and receive. Yet in our midst there has also been a group still more tenaciously gripped in Lucifer's power. They too have heard, but refuse to receive, being too obstinate to repent. Their garments of soul and body have become so contaminated as to be unwashable and the future for them necessarily must be the symbolic Lake of Fire processing, by which both soul and body garments will be completely and permanently destroyed: From the necessity of this process, God came to save.

From that process, the spirit eventually emerges denuded and humbled before the Father, yet bearing within the inburnt essence of all past experience, to which has been added the distillation of unspeakable remorse consciously lived out during the Lake of Fire process. Then comes a rest for them in the Father's presence (a Sabbath). (Eccl. 12:6-7) Sometime afterward, they will be prepared and again have the chance to go out for proving themselves in a new cycle of manifestation, in order that they too will come into the stature of sons or daughters of God their Father.

Growing up and coming to understanding-in-righteousness are the twin ambitions of any right parent for his offspring. So it is also with God the Father. Two armies are locked in battle, in which one wins and the other loses, and yet either side learns as much through its experience as does the other. Whether aggressor or defender, the lessons learned in battle approximate the same. The messengers (angels) of Lucifer are locked in battle with the angels of God. Lucifer's host is seeking to enslave the defenseless humans, while the angels of Light battle in their defense.

Sometimes there are massings for great battles, but usually the action is that of guerilla warfare. However, whether in victory or defeat, both sides learn at approximately the same rate. The great difference is in the direction of their growing up process. The angels of Light grow as they serve in righteousness. Thereby, the organization and texture of the soul-structure is very gradually being matured and brought into perfection. The growth direction of Lucifer's host is much different. They too grow in understanding, but it is better understanding of stealth, of destructive strategy and of human weakness and response. Their soul-bodies also develop in texture, sensitivity and increased power, but the essence of the learning for the immediate time, is negative.

Since the Father (He is their Father also) cannot permit evil to gain a lasting victory, He has prepared the Lake of Fire for the Lucifer host--especially for the Lucifer host. (Matt. 25:41) Is His purpose that of vengeance on His children-in-training? No! We know that humans learn through suffering pain as a consequence of error, but, as yet, Lucifer's host has not known the meaning of suffering. Members of Lucifer's army have not made the first contact with pain.

The Lake of Fire is for the purpose of filling that corrective need. It is not a place, but an energy process, and the mode and zone of the vibration within it is exactly opposite to the energy process which builds in creation. The process of the Lake of Fire is that of disintegration. Since the soul structure of those in the host ruled by Lucifer has been built up slowly over an exceedingly long period of time, it will require an immensely longer measure of time (still finite) for that soul-structure to fully disintegrate. The lengthy time of disintegration of soul-structure for the host of Lucifer is in marked contrast to that to be experienced by obstreperous humans who also wind up in the same Lake of Fire process. Just as the human learns and matures spiritually through suffering, so will the growing-up phase for Lucifer’s host commence when it enters the Lake of Fire. There, growing-up pains will become factual experience. Just as the oak tree through its inner life builds itself into the acorn, which later outbuilds itself into another oak, so does the law of life for Lucifer's host apply. All of the past growing in error is inbuilt in the soul structure. Therefore, as that soul structure proceeds to disintegrate, the pain brought forth by its unfolding, or playback, sears itself into the central atom of the soul and builds a consciousness of right and wrong into the spirit's mind. Then can the growing up and coming to understanding in truth and righteousness go forward at an exceedingly fast rate.
God is just. His judgments are righteous and constructive, and He remains a loving Father to all whom He has fathered. The Lake of Fire is "hell" for all who partake of the process, but the concept of that word has been warped beyond belief, along with many other church words. The torment, as is vividly dramatized by the artists of the school of fire and brimstone, is a fiendish exaggeration initially formulated in our age by a power-hungry, self-serving priest-caste. Unfortunately, that same concept has been carried forward into our time through a pervasive and unfaithful leaning on the dictums of man.

The closest and most accurate description we have of the Lake of Fire process is found in Rev. 14:11, which relates that they in it have no rest day or night. Much the same description is given of people on earth when in the advanced stages of leprosy--and some other diseases. They also are in "torment,” finding no rest. The torment-with-fire process refers to the activation of the "sea" for the individual by the Spirit of God. Brimstone is an ancient form of expression for Sulphur which was used as a purifying agent. It was used against leprosy, also for purifying metallic ores. Following purification, there is the testing under pressure for determining purity attained, as in the use of a touchstone which grinds beneath the surface to test for purity and genuineness. Thus, the sense is that of smelting and burning up the dross in His furnace of fire (the fire of His Spirit) so that nothing but the pure shall emerge. We will see from Scripture that it is not an excruciating punishment; beyond God’s caring, forever--and ever--and ever.
God is fair, requiring no more of one child than another; He is not prejudiced for or against any child of His; He is a loving heavenly Father. To the extent that it is necessary for learning, humans go through a two-fold hell, if we can use that word as it is commonly understood. First, they endure it here on earth, more or less, according to the spirit’s age in maturity and its need for conditioning. Second, they who need it endure a measure of suffering again when their soul-bodies disintegrate in the soul-world (Hades) after death of the physical body. The foregoing statement in no way has any reference to the Lake of Fire; it refers only to the state of the soul not having had the impregnating by the immortal seed of Jesus and therefore being subject to dying when the support of the physical life is separated.
However, the persistently recalcitrant and unyielding humans are due for a third hell and that is the treatment or process of the activated Lake of Fire on the soul body. Again, it may be necessary to repeat that God is just and He is equitable. As we look upon the lot of humans and the measure of suffering they may go through here and in the hereafter, repeatedly, until they rise up to return to the Father, we would scarcely be justified in saying that the eventual suffering during the Lake of Fire procedure awaiting the host of Lucifer will greatly exceed that of humans. We have had ours in small doses, interspersed with periods of enjoyment. They have been enjoying a continuous good time in glee, but they now face a prolonged suffering. The two lots are not greatly different, for they approximately balance one another.
However, after their "uttermost farthing" has been paid out (Matt. 5:25-26) and they emerge from the fire as denuded spirits, they do not enter into the Glory which has been prepared and reserved for those who love their God (that love defined in John 14:21). They will then be fully conscious of that inburnt essence (concentrate) of their entire past-in-error, and they will then have a will-into-righteousness; but their estate is nakedness. Their first lot will be a sabbath of rest, lasting 1000 years or more. Thereafter, they will have their chance to begin again to build up a fresh soul-body for expression in whatever arena of manifestation the Father has decreed for them. But their subsequent progress in growing up will be vastly speedier than that of their virgin spirit brothers who remained true to the Father. That can be the payoff of rigid discipline on a child. Being numerous eons behind their brothers in commencing a constructive growth, they will need all the speed their Fire experience has engendered, just to catch up.
The lot of Lucifer (also a spirit-child of the loving Father who is faithful to all His children) will be similar, but far more intense and of vastly longer duration, though still limited. Lucifer had his beginnings back in the earliest eons of this universe. In the pattern of the sons of Isaac (a type of Yahweh), Lucifer was the twin brother of the third being in the heavenly house who is known to us only as the Holy Spirit (the Spirit set apart for special work). Since Lucifer was of age in maturity and entered into sin volitionally, he must bear greater responsibility. His vesture of soul-body had previously been perfected (Ezek. 28:12-16), but now it is case-hardened with sin--hard as the finest steel. Therefore, it will require long processing in the Lake of Fire to utterly take apart and reduce to nothing the entirety of his vesture and bring him to a fully denuded state, bowing before the Father--just as those in his "tail" will have previously done. Lucifer is to be among the first to be cast in (he started the revolt) and the last to come out. He will be in process in the Lake of Fire until the eon of the eons. (Rev. 20: 3, 10, Jer. 25:26) Garments polluted through and through by evil and unwashable, must be fully destroyed--just as must be done on earth. During the process, the spirit within has no rest day or night. This is God's final resort for burning home the great lesson, and that He will effectively accomplish. As to Lucifer's destiny in the dimly distant cycles to come, that has not yet been revealed here.
Before proceeding further in the development of what God had in His mind when He caused the contents of the Bible to be recorded for our instruction, we may need to back up a little. Look again at the picture of a good father. (Ro. 1:19-20, Matt. 6:10, 7:11, Eph. 3:14-15) He has many children and vast possessions. The business of administering the estates and developing their resources is colossal. In addition to the attention needed by the children, he must supervise vast numbers of men and women employees. His numerous and growing sons range from little toddlers to others well up into the teens.
Quite logical is the keen desire in the father's heart to see his sons eventually become a functioning part of the business management. These positions are loaded with responsibility and so the father is vitally interested in the sons receiving both an education and preparatory training which will fit them for their future posts. As a man who has experienced the hard knocks, having suffered treachery from every quarter of his interest, estates and business, he is keenly aware of the vital importance of integrity and character in a man's relationship with man. Therefore, he will be attentive to tutoring which will inculcate the right principle.
Is it likely that such a father will personally speak to his sons in language which is beyond their understanding, and requiring a hired interpreter? Would he speak to them of most important and vital issues in ambiguous words and involved language which could only confuse their youthful and childish minds? He knows full well that the children with probing minds would ask questions and seek explanation from this one and that one of his hired help, and would receive conflicting interpretations of his involved statements from people with various perspective and mental caliber. As a man of attainment and vast responsibility, he will understand the vital importance of the youthful mind's absorbing the correct understanding of all which is in his heart to commit to them. Therefore, he will be sure to speak clearly. Here is a reasonably fair parallel between this father and our Heavenly Father. (Lk. 11:11-13, Matt. 19:28, 25:21)
In the early years of the Lord's called-out people, there was much education given by the Father and presented through ordained Prophets. During the time of Jesus of Nazareth, education responsibility was assumed by men who were known as the Scribes and Pharisees (lawyers). Because the masses could neither read nor write, they became dependent on these teachers for everything pertaining to God. But because of the dependence, the teachers rapidly became a ruling caste, exercising power and oppression throughout the land. Through them, the Laws of God Almighty degenerated into a formal ritualism. (Matt. 23: 14-16, Lk. 11:52)
Today, we also have the man-trained theologians who have taken away the key of understanding from the masses. They do not enter in themselves and work to prevent those who seek to enter--even to the forbidding of the reading of Scripture. Again, we see a ruling caste system which, in all the years of Christendom, has not led the masses to God, but has led to the brink of world suicide. Through the establishment of institutions for propagating man's erudition, they have brought in gross darkness and idolatry under the oppression of ecclesiastical oligarchies. In addition, they have become an incessant confusion of a thousand discordant voices, all claiming to be the "it" of God.
How is the key of understanding to be returned to each child? He has already answered: Get into the Bible; return to the Word of God. Has God the intelligence to say what He means; has He the honesty to mean what He says? Get back to the Bible and search the Scripture diligently and see for yourself what actually is the Truth. (John 5:39, Acts 17:11) The Bible states you will find it, in its wholeness in no other book. The Truth stands alone! (Deut. 4:2, 12:32, Rev. 22:18) Today is the day of learning. Almost everyone in the western world is fully capable of discerning the Truth unaided. The only difficulty is that of how to fully cast out the bias and the preconceived ideas gathered through prior indoctrination. As long as those specific ideas and concepts rule within, that long Jesus will not be permitted to fully rule, and that long will Truth evade the child of God.
Can you conceive of a righteous and loving heavenly Father who uses confusing double-talk with His children, requiring a special caste to interpret the Scripture? Any decent Father speaks to His children in language they can understand. So get back to the Bible . Can we have hundreds of sects and denominations within Christendom, divided in their opinions, and yet all of them be right? Our Lord said none are right, including the associations most now have. (Lk. 18:8, Rev. 12:9) Therefore, go back into the Bible. The present Babylonian system, the system hindering God’s work within Christendom, is founded in interpretation; without it, the system crumbles. In straight talk, the foundation of the traditional Christian teaching is lies colored to look “good. “ The system's theology is injected with interpretations from opening to closing. Therefore, God gave a very clear and explicit denunciation of man's practice of placing interpretation on Scripture, which means precisely what it says, (2 Pet. 1:20-21) God, as the Government, reserves the right to exclusively interpret His own enactments. (Gen. 40:8) Private citizens of Government have no right to interpret the declarations of that Government. God must be the interpreter of His own declarations, if and when interpretation is called for.
There is no Scripture which man has the slightest right to interpret. Such passages which appear in need of interpretation are to be illuminated clearly and indisputably by some other portion of God's Word. But most passages, instead of interpretation, merely need an understanding of the words employed. Frequently that necessitates referencing the oldest texts in the Greek and Hebrew. Yet often these have been translated to bring out the ideas of the translator, rather than to bring out the Divine Word originally given. Nevertheless in by far the most instances, it will be found that by possessing an expanded knowledge of the whole of Scripture there will be recognition of mistakes in translation, for the Scripture is a harmonious whole and thereby has a self-correcting nature.
With this additional background fresh in mind, we can now return to examining the world of the dead. In the Old Testament, there is but one Hebrew word for this realm, Sheol, usually rendered "hell" in our English texts. Stripped of its acquired connotation, which has been used as a tool-in-trade by an oppressive ecclesiastical hierarchy over hundreds of years, Sheol simply means a chamber. To the materialistically minded, it meant the cave, or tomb, or grave, which became the chamber (Sheol) for the dead. When the Hebrew was translated into the Greek about 300 B.C., the word Sheol became Hades. By that time, the word's meaning had enlarged slightly from the chamber concept and took on the meaning of an underworld for the dead, but its simple meaning is still just the unseen world. It is the world experienced by soul-clad spirit-beings, without physical bodies. It is the soul world. There is no passage, none at all, in the Old Testament where the concept of torment is associated with Sheol. Only through type, and associations with the type, can suffering be linked to Sheol.
A different word in the New Testament has also been translated as hell, and it had reference to the Valley of Hinnom outside of Jerusalem which became known as Gehenna -- the land of Hinnom. (Matt. 5: 22, 10:28) This was the city dump, a place of burning for refuse, garbage and sometimes dead bodies. In the New Testament record, Jesus introduced this word in connection with life beyond the grave, and He used it in its metaphorical sense to link that life with suffering, but primarily with disintegration. However, suffering is usually the forerunner of disintegration. The Lord also spoke of "eonian fire" (Matt. 25:41), and later He spoke of a "Lake of Fire." (Rev. 19: 20) We need to consider each of these terms.
In the Garden of Eden, God warned Adam of the consequences of eating forbidden fruit, but there was not the faintest allusion to any "hell" awaiting him after death. If hell was to be part of the consequences, the loving heavenly Father would have most sternly warned Adam then and there of the hell into which he would precipitate himself and his offspring, if he ever were to eat of the forbidden fruit.
Probably the only extensive Old Testament reference to hell is in Ezek. 31 and 32. A careful study of these chapters reveals a most exhaustive commentary on Sheol and the Pit but there is not the faintest hint about suffering and surely nothing on torment. God never spoke to the Old Testament prophets about the "tortures of the damned." According to His Record, the Lord Jesus was the first to associate any suffering with the after-life. The man-inspired dogmas of hell were later inventions for the purpose of controlling and ruling the masses of people through fear.
Fear has always been the superweapon used to cow ignorant masses. The "everlasting torments of hell" were used to frighten the people into the ecclesiastical net from one side, while a visionary and grandiose "heaven" was the alluring reward to all the faithful who would not desert the flock that financially supported the Church. Thus, the double-barreled weapon of hell and heaven brought its harvest into the Church of Rome. Of course, for this approach to retain maximum effectiveness, the people had to be kept in ignorance of the Truth of the Scripture. Even as late as 1536-1555 in civilized lands, Tyndale and Rogers were burned at the stake for having translated the Scriptures, even portions. Were it not for the Spirit of Christ in the hearts of civil authorities who throttled the power of ecclesiastical authorities, there would still be mass fryings in the name of Christ our Lord.
Since Jesus Christ is Christendom’s prime authority for the concept of the suffering linked with hell, we should first carefully seek to understand His words, in order to learn what He taught. "Eternal" and "everlasting" and their variants are scattered throughout both the Old and the New Testaments, and they are not confined to the sayings of the Lord Jesus. The Hebrew word is olam or oulam and the Greek word is aion. These words mean eon or age, and these and their derivatives are the Scripture words rendered eternal, everlasting, forever and ever, etc.
It is not too difficult to understand that that which never ceases can only be in the singular. There cannot be even two everlastings for anything. Therefore, if these Hebrew and Greek words for eon meant time unending, there never could be more than one eon, but we see many places in the Scripture where the plural is used. By this we are plainly told that, of sheer necessity, any one eon is, or any accumulations of eons are, limited periods of time. Our theologians would have us believe the word translated "forever" means time unending, but it becomes impossible to attach to time unending another equal period of time unending through the words translated "forever and ever." Praise God for the self-correcting characteristics within the Bible!
Let us now try this reasoning out on the Scripture. Most Christians will agree with the concept that Jesus Christ will continue to reign as King eternally or forever. Paul is said to refer to Him as the King of eternity. (1 Tim. 1:17) Peter also refers to the eternal Kingdom of Jesus Christ, at least in the words of our translations. (2 Pet. 1:11) In both of these instances, the words "eternity" and "eternal" are derived from the Greek word "eon." Similarly, we are told about the eternal or everlasting nature of destruction in store for those who do not know God and who refuse to obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thess. 1:9) Here too, the word for everlasting and eternal is derived from the Greek word eon. This use of the word eon may sound plausible and may be accepted, but it does not stand up in examination under the light of the Scripture.
What did God have in His mind when He had these words written? Would He not have been consistent in the use of His words so that the children would understand what He sought to impart? Then we should be able to get that information from other portions of Scripture, where the same words and phrases are used. In this case, the disposition is truly simple. To see the truth of the matter, it is only necessary to turn to 1 Cor. 15:24-25. It is Paul again referring to the reign of Christ, and he describes its conclusion, its end! The language is simple enough for any child to understand. The reign or rule by Jesus Christ is to be of limited duration, coming to a termination at some future date when He shall have put down all other rule, having overcome the last enemy which is death. If, in the plainest language we are told that the eonian rule of Jesus Christ is to be of limited duration, then we are forced to admit that the eonian extent of suffering in hell is similarly limited. We must surely conclude that the use of the word eon or eonian is similarly limited wherever it is used--even when applied to the suffering in hell.
Neither the lawyer nor the rich young ruler asked Jesus how they could escape "torture" in the life beyond death, for they had never heard of such an atrocious doctrine. To them, their great Yahweh was not a monster. They merely wished to make sure their continued conscious existence beyond the grave. Emphatically, Jesus answered them that the means had been provided to all through the Law of Moses. (Lk. 10:25-28, 18:18-23).
But what about Matt. 23: 33? How can one escape the damnation of hell? The Lord here said nothing about damnation. This is the fear-inducing word attributed to our loving heavenly Father by men. No one even slightly familiar with the Greek language can find anything remotely akin to damnation alluded to in this passage. Transliterated, the phrase reads, “…from the judgment of Gehenna's.” The Greek word translated "damnation" means judgment. This judgment is an impartial sentence based on the facts of the case. The judgment may be corrective, punitive, or even entirely favorable. As today, judges often mete out exonerating judgment. Although in the Matt. 23:33 passage, we might infer that the judgment might be unfavorable to serpents and vipers, yet we have no right to place words in the mouth of our Lord contorting judgment into damnation.
The Lord Jesus counseled His disciples not to be jittery in the presence of those able to kill the body of flesh and yet after that have no power to kill the soul. (Matt. 10:28) Rather, He said to stand in awe and respect before Him who has the power to destroy (meaning to disintegrate or bring to nothing) both the body and the soul-body in the flames of Gehenna.
Observe that He did not include the spirit of man in that disintegration. When the last remaining body of the spirit, the soul-body, is disintegrated, then once more the spirit is naked, yet free, to once more bow before its Father.
One of the most used passages in the New Testament by those who pronounce "fire and brimstone for ever and ever" is Mk. 9: 43-44. It speaks of Gehenna and a fire that is never quenched (literally--not, neither; therefore never), where man's "worm" does not die and the fire is not quenched. If we accept these as being the words of the Son of God, then we must also accept His statement that none of His words were His own, but entirely and verbatim what He heard from the Glorious Father. If that is so, then we must consider the words with the utmost care. We are not justified in postulating that the Omniscient God would speak to His children in careless language which would convey a different meaning than the thought He had in mind.
So let's see what He did say. "Into the fire that never shall be quenched." If there is a literal Lake of Fire prepared for the devil and his messengers, we might well suppose that its flames are enduring and could not be choked out by a squirt of water. But we should be able to see some of the truth by also applying another analogy. If a body falls into a large river in which the flow of the water is continuous, that does not mean that the body also must remain for always in the continuous flow of the river. The body can be washed upon the shore, or can be removed from the current by another force. Let us be careful not to ascribe to God a meaning which He did not voice.
“Where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.” What is this worm which continues to live in the flames? This is the Lord's dramatizing, for the purpose of driving home an understanding of His design for bringing His beloved children into His image. Be certain of remembering the importance of the love of a righteous Father for His progeny. A worm is among the simple forms of life. It tunnels in the earth. It processes an immense amount of soil to extract its small requirement of energy and growth. It is the unseen life within the clod of matter, emulsifying it and growing. Thus, the worm becomes a beautiful portrayal of the spirit within man, that Life which is deep within and unseen, and which is processing immense amounts of earth-experiences from which to extract its energy and slow growth.
The spirit, within man is continually breaking up the dense carnality of its earth-engine, emulsifying the coarseness of the earth-man's baser propensities. (Gen. 2:7) The spirit is that little Life-worm continually working toward eventual and entire amenability (making the earth arable) of the physical man to the spirit within. Surely, by no stretch of the imagination can we postulate His intending the "worm" to typify the physical body, for the body is of the earth elements, and the Lord spoke of the disintegration of that body and the soul-body in the flames of Gehenna. Neither can we suppose that factual worms are having their fill on bodies in hell, for factual worms do not feed in fire. Therefore, since it becomes imperative to concede that Jesus was using figurative language, we cannot separate the "worm" from the spirit without doing violence to reason.
Now we can see that the meaning of the Lord’s words were almost opposite to that which the "brimstone" theologians preach as "for ever and ever." First, Jesus declared that the "fire" is a spiritual fire, which can never be quenched. All factual fires known to man had a beginning and have had, or will have a termination. Second, He said that within that "Gehenna of fire," God is well able to utterly annihilate through disintegration both physical and soul-bodies. But then He spoke of the spirit Life deep within, of which we are scarcely aware, that worm-like spark of Life which is working for the sublimation of the forces within the physical body. He said that "worm" within will never perish in the flames of Gehenna. When that spirit-worm has lost its clod of matter in which to live and work, it is then free and returns to the source from which it sprang. (Eccl. 12: 7)
Is there any other Scripture to indicate that the spirit becomes freed, and not eternally fried? Ample! With the same subject matter in mind, the destruction of body and soul in the fires of Gehenna, we should consider the words of Jesus given in Matt. 5:25-26. "Agree with your Plaintiff quickly (literal translation), while on the way with him, lest at any time the Plaintiff deliver you to the Judge and the Judge deliver you to the officer and you be cast into prison.... Truly I say to you, You shall by no means come out from there, until you have paid the uttermost farthing (possession).” The Judge is God. Because the words “adversary" or “accuser" are usually linked with Satan, the word "Plaintiff” has been used. It is better here to use the word Plaintiff, because the Lord was not talking about Satan.
God is the Judge, and the Holy Spirit is the Plaintiff--for God. Almost from the opening to the close of the sacred Record, we find a continuing account of the Spirit of God pleading with erring, obstreperous and transgressing man so that he might mend his ways and live. (Gen. 6:3, Ezek. 33:11, 18:31-32) Nowhere can we establish by the Record that Jesus discoursed on man's politics or penal practices, nor was He talking about lawbreakers and man-made prisons here. Man has not made prisons yet from which there can be no escape. And even in the ancient and barbaric times, clemency was occasionally extended to prisoners. (Matt. 27:26)
But here the Lord stated emphatically that there could be no possible escape from the prison of which He spoke (by no means), and not even the slightest clemency (until the "uttermost farthing” is paid). Quickly agree with the pleadings of God's Spirit, He said, while you still have the time and chance. (The Lord never, never recommended agreement with Satan.) At any time (Death needs no appointment), you may be turned over to the Great Judge who, having judged you adversely, turns you over to the angel in charge to deliver you into hell (prison) , from which there is no escape until both body and soul have been consumed In its flames (the uttermost farthing paid). Peter used the same word for prison in 1 Pet. 3: 19, when speaking of spirits. It is a common dogma that the soul of man is deathless and will be tormented in the flames of hell for ever and ever. On the contrary, God has repeated Himself again and again, the soul that sins, it shall die! Since God has said that the soul which sins will die, there remains no room for us to say the soul is deathless and shall be tormented through time unending. Man has been given no right to interpret Scripture (2 Pet. 1:20-21), yet man is willfully stubborn and disobedient, and most are woefully gullible to believe the lies.
We read that the worshippers of the "beast." are to be tormented with fire and brimstone, and the smoke of their torment ascends up for ever and ever. (Rev. 14: 10-11) Is God a deceiver, causing a hallucination to be seen for ever and ever? If not, then let us wholeheartedly accept His Word. Smoke is not a mirage, nor a dream. Smoke is the visible evidence of matter being rapidly disintegrated at elevated temperature. How can there be true smoke without there being matter in the process of disintegration? Where there is smoke, there is fire. And where there is fire, there is also disintegration. But when the disintegration is complete, there is no more smoke from the disintegration of matter! The Lord warned man to fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in Gehenna. He is able to do so and will complete that disintegration--but the smoke will have to cease when the process is finished!

WHY HELL?
What then is the purpose of hell in God’s plan? Our entire concept of hell must be revamped to agree with the Divine revelation, and the same must be said of creation also. The creation of our theologians and the hell of their teachings are enough to discredit a devil, apart from giving glory to a good God. Let children of Light awaken to glorify their Father. In the opening account of creation, we learn that God commanded the humans to subdue the earth and to gain dominion over the fowl of the air and the beasts of the earth. (Gen. 1:28) It is proper that we should consider those words in their literal context, yet, if we stop there, we fall far short of understanding God’s meaning. Man has caught and trained some of this earth life, but has not gained dominion, not by a long sight. Gaining dominion is not synonymous with the power to kill. Jesus took the Pharisees to task for the same error. He approved of and commended them for observing the letter of the Law, but He severely excoriated them for stopping with the literal and neglecting to enter into the spirit or principle of the Law.
As we enter into the symbolic language of God, we find that the earth speaks of the physical body of man, for it has been fashioned from those very elements. Then the beasts of the earth become the bestial propensities of the earth-man. The denizens of the deep typify our emotions, our desires. The birds of the air picture our thoughts. All these, He said, we are to subdue; we are to gain dominion over every carnal thought and emotion. Later, when there should have been an understanding of the Truth's original decree, the Son of God more explicitly commanded "You be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect." (Matt. 5: 48)
Into the head of the earth-man, God spoke forth His own Spirit. God was then a Father, having begotten His own kind. Millions of fish, birds, beasts, or even man could not constitute a Father of One who is Spirit. Therefore, when the God-Spirit begot infant spirits, then had He become a Father. (Gen. 2:7) And we are also told that man became in the image of God, after His own likeness. Are not children begotten by humans like their parents? And do not normal parents labor, sacrifice and bend their utmost efforts to the end that their children may attain to the stature of their own in the physical, in the mental and in the cultural? Thus, when we behold a good and normal human parent sacrificing self that the offspring may attain to its proper stature and good in life, we are but beholding the God-nature finding its expression. (Ro. 1:19-20, Eph. 3: 14-15)
Man has been brought forth in His image and after His likeness. That was the reason for God's begetting. He said it was not good for man to be alone and, if so, then neither for God. He wanted children in sons and daughters, to eventually attain to His own stature so that His ineffable glory might fill all space, crowding out all darkness and imperfections. As yet, that Divine injunction has not ceased to impinge throughout the reaches of space, but neither has it yet fully seized the central vortex of man's consciousness: “Be ye perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect."
Then why should hell enter into the drama of infant enroute to God-consciousness? Again, the answer lies within the realm of our own observable nature and experience. Ordinarily, the parents who shower their offspring with unceasing sweet patter, and who never resort to discipline, but merely gush that which is called "love," bring up brats who disgrace society and bring grief upon both self and parents. The ever progressive standards and ideals set by society can never be attained by the infant unaided. Prolonged tutelage, encouragement, coaching and correction are all called for. Similarly and even more so, this must be for the infant spirits begotten by God, whom He ordered to subdue the earth-body's propensities and gain dominion over every carnal instinct, desire and thoughts-in-error.
On the lowest plane of possible consciousness, we are under the power-drive of opposites. You could name heat and cold, as well as scores of others. Yet let us lump it all into "good and evil." The power-drive can be likened to a titanic force such as could be illustrated by the cyclone or tornado. Warm bodies of air capped by cold air generate tremendous air currents. When such bodies of air meet in intimate contact, the twister is often the result and there is fury and devastation. This world of opposites might be labeled God's tornado arena for the children of His begetting, to the end that, being caught in the swirling power of the tornado, the child-spirit may ever and increasingly yearn to get out of the conflict by drawing on his native God-power. With more and more practice, induced by the persuasion of stress, there is a centripetal pull or drawing toward the central core. In the shaft of that central core, there is a sweet calm.
That central core is God. For those who are ever drawing toward the central core, there is no need at all for the "hell" of correction. This Truth, Christ voiced when He stated that He will in no circumstance cast out that one who continues toward Him. (John 6:37) In the relationship of child-spirits to God, we see the same problem among human children. They are willful, headstrong and contrary to the love and counsel of the parent. Such children need more drastic treatment. The mild and primary stage of more drastic persuasion is encountered in Hades, after the spirit has lost its physical body through death and where the soul also becomes subject to death. The extreme corrective measure awaits those, at a more distant day, who obstinately will not yield to the loving Father's call of "Come to Me," even after several opportunities have been given. This final and most drastic correctional measure is the Lake of Fire treatment. To describe it, the Lord Jesus chose pictorial language which His people could understand, calling it Gehenna and the Gehenna of Fire.
God's grander objective we have already glimpsed. The God Spirit begot infant spirit-children and He planned for and anticipated that they would grow into the maturity of His own likeness. To facilitate the process and greatly speed it up, He designed means for their expression. Garments or bodies or engines for the begotten spirits were designed and fashioned by Infinite Intelligence and provided as physical bodies. This physical body is God’s masterpiece, designed and built to withstand the stress of time and to function perfectly throughout countless thousands of years. Yet even this approach into maturity was a slow process. Therefore, having foreseen, God decided to take advantage of Lucifer's rebellion. In order to utilize and turn it to good account for His children, He decided to use the power in the stress of opposites, good and evil, to accelerate the process of coming into understanding and constructive response.
However, the rebellion of Lucifer and consequent disobedience broke the Divine symphony of the "tabernacle" built for the spirit, and the result was death of the body. (Gen. 3:22-24) Note that the loving Father did not think it good for His spirit-children to dwell in immortal bodies after disobedience had been engaged. We must understand that the will of the Divine Parent for His offspring was all good and for their good. Therefore, He decreed that the spirit in error should not have an immortal “engine" by which to develop and grow in evil, crosswise to His path of perfection. Also we must realize that the engine designed by God for His spirit-children contains potentials and assets which He will not lightly dismiss as a bad mistake. He is determined to exploit to the full the opportunity into growth of understanding made possible for the spirit through in-dwelling this tabernacle--even while on the pathway in error.
So there was a problem. He would not permit the Adam of by-gone ages to live forever in an engine which powers into disobedience. Since then God has not changed, nor has Truth changed. Disobedience netted death in the first instance, and a little later it also yielded death to the secondary, or soul body. Whatsoever was good and right in God’s perfect will yesterday remains good and right in His will today and throughout time. God does not change. As the body which entered into disobedience must die, so also the soul body which sins must die. (Ezek. 18:4) It must die, unless its root and core of disobedience can be completely eliminated or purged away. God will not and cannot permit the roots of disobedience to become permanently entrenched, growing into an opposing force which would foil His plan and wreck all of creation. Therefore, it was imperative for Him to provide Sheol-Hades and also the Lake of Fire.
The physical body is like a house for the spirit. To live in a house which has become radioactive to the extreme, or polluted with virulent disease, leads to grief and death. Unless it can be successfully decontaminated, it should be destroyed. That polluted house is the "tabernacle" of the human body for the spirit within and it is virulently contaminated by the sin of self-will which runs at cross purposes to the will of God. Yet God has implemented a plan whereby this house could be successfully decontaminated while living, and the "engine,” which it is, could then go on toward the glorious destiny planned by its Designer. But if the spirit willfully rejects the decontamination plan, then must its engine for self-expression be utterly destroyed, with nothing remaining to be used by the spirit for again building another body geared into disobedience. Though there is a disintegrating process in Sheol-Hades, the utter and final destruction of a rebellious spirit's two-fold house, polluted through and through, takes place in the Lake of Fire.
THE NATURE OF HADES
All men who have never accepted Yahweh's ordinances into Life in ancient times, and all men who have never entered into the New Covenant of Life, become basically typified by the rich man in the parable of Lazarus. (Lk. 16:19-31) The death of which we know is for the physical man. Dependent on its form, the loss of a consciousness is but for moments. For the briefest moment there is a blackout like that of a deep sleep. But when the physical body is fully dead, its life forces cease to nourish the soul substance, and what might be called the soul's umbilical cord is broken (the silver cord--Eccl. 12:6-7). Then the spirit, encased in its soul garment, commences to withdraw from the body of flesh.
Consciousness begins to gather, as in a confused dream. Gradually the confused state yields to ever increasing consciousness, as the spirit commences to function solely through the brain counterpart within the soul-body. Light increases until the "eyes" of the soul are opened. (Lk. 16:23) Although the amount of light in the soul world has a considerable range, for the average awakening soul, it is like but a small fraction of the bright sunlight of the terrestrial realm. There is no sun to be seen, and they in it are not dependent on its light. The light of their world is more like that of ours before the breaking of a storm, when heavy, black clouds roll low. But there is faint color in the diffused light, varying according to the strata in which the soul awakens.
The soul world (Sheol-Hades) is a vibrational sphere interpenetrating to the very core of our planet and also extending beyond the surface of the earth out to about 4,500 miles. (Eph. 2:2) But the inhabitants of this sphere do not live on its outer surface as do the beings on the material earth planet. Perhaps it can best be pictured in the similitude of the oceans being the sphere of life for the fish and the atmosphere being the sphere of life for the birds. These creatures can select the altitude at which they wish to be, within limits. We can see from many Scriptures that God has correlated the fish and the ocean to the soul world.
Since souls have feet, they can walk; however, they soon learn to travel by means of propulsion made possible through the counterpart of the physical solar plexus. There is distance in the soul world. Space and distance and time are as real to souls as to physical bodies. Souls may dreamily float along at 3 to 5 miles an hour, coast at up to 8 to 10 miles an hour, or zoom at speeds of 30 miles an hour or more. But the soul cannot choose its own altitude in this sphere, except within limits. The height and depth range is strictly limited and is dependent on the individual soul's own vibrational pitch.
The viciously evil, such as Stalins and Hitlers, strike the lowest chords of vibration, and human derelicts and debauchees are not far above them. All these find themselves at the depths within or below the surface of our earth, where the light is sparse and lurid. Their world is monstrous and without beauty. It is a sordid projection of what they were in earth life. Many of their caverns of habitation are not too unlike what we sometimes caption modern art. (We might well wonder if now the whole world is so close to a fusing with hell that the pit's chaotic unbeauty impinges on the consciousness of many.) These more evil ones do not find themselves in the company of the just and good who were unsaved. They had nothing in common on earth and they have nothing in common in Hades. Vocations practiced on earth have nothing to do with the soul's vibrational pitch. The soul's degree of harmony with good or evil natures is what determines its vibrational pitch and thereby its level or location in the unseen or soul world.
People whose earth lives are snuffed out in war or by accident will regain consciousness in the awareness of friends and earth conditions, from which they shortly recede or ascend to their own vibrational level. The very aged, or those whose interests in life have largely ceased, have but a fleeting vision of the fading earth life as they quickly sink or rise to their own level. The higher or farther away from the earth center their stratum is, the greater their light and the less of the lower pit’s malformations and unbeauty.
Sometimes we hear an evangelist raving about hell's lava and the absence of love in hell. Completely unfounded! There is no molten metal or stone in hell, not even in the Lake of Fire. There is every whit as much love in .Hades as we find here on earth, perhaps greater. In the strata of the "Stalins," it is sadly wanting, but such extremes in humanity are comparatively rare. By and large, love is a vital factor in Hades and helps to make that world more hellish. (Lk. 16:28) If we accept the verdict of the Lord Jesus, we perceive and must admit that whatsoever the true inner man may have been while on earth, that he is and continues to be after so-called death. Immediately when the rich man realized that nothing could be done for him, he pleaded on behalf of his brothers, lest they also come into this place of unrest. The realization that loved ones are similarly heading into the same tragic lot adds to the portion of suffering in Hades. Love receives a new awakening to sear its unrequited distress (its inability to demonstrate) into the very spirit itself. The human child manifests no change in nature inside the house or outside, in his topcoat or out of it. Similarly with the human spirit, the child of the Father, being inside the physical body or out of it does not make that particular spirit one bit different.
At the death of the physical body, the "silver cord" is broken and the streaming life forces of the physical body no longer course through the soul body. A change takes place which is similar to that which takes place when one goes on a long fast. The body reaches into itself for sustenance when the external source is shut off. "The grass withers, the flower fades, because the Spirit of the Lord has reversed in it.”  (Isa. 40:7 literal) The grass represents the physical body, while the flower typifies the soul. (1 Pet. 1:24) The soul shall fade away, even as the grass body withers. The current flow is reversed and the atoms making up the tenuous structure of the soul are no longer being bound together. The bonding of its elements dissipates.
The description here is related to the unsaved soul and its dying, not to the Lake of Fire process. Those who have been given to look into the soul world have observed no difference in the state of a disintegrating soul in Hades from that seen in the malignant and advanced stage of leprosy here on earth. Slowly, exceedingly slowly, the skin and outermost layers commence to fray, hang loose and drop away. This relentless process continues until there is not a vestige of the soul body left. What remains then is the spirit, a naked flame in the rough silhouette of human form. The slowness of that process and the discomfort of it is the "fire" and the "flame" and the distress of mind in which the rich man found himself. Included in this suffering are also the pangs of remorse, as well as the mental agony brought by love.
The "flames" of hell are 100 figurative language, giving a picture our minds can grasp of consuming and disintegration, a reversed process of construction and of growth. The uncleansed, unpreserved soul body in Hades shall perish, as if it were combustible material in a flame. When the life-current of God Spirit has reversed in it, the flame of its disintegration is felt throughout its structure, and it is somewhat painful. Elsewhere, His Spirit has better described it for us in the words, "They have no rest, day or night.” (Rev. 14: 11)
The time element involved depends largely on the age and strength of the person at the time of the transition into Hades. The soul of a young and strong person contains more cohesive force than that of one well advanced in years. A person dying at age of about 55 might continue 200 years in Hades before his soul has disintegrated and his spirit is ready to return to God. (Eccl. 12: 7) Those who live out a full life span on earth have a very short remaining soul life after death. But because of that soul body's rapid disintegration, the state of its unrest is more intense. Remember, the unsaved person's soul-life and suffering in Hades is not one and the same as that endured later in the Lake of Fire, at which we will again look further on.
In earth life, one person may suffer from cancer and another tuberculosis and still another leprosy. In none of these does a normally rational person conclude that an infuriated God is seeking vengeance and inflicting torment. He recognizes that such illnesses and suffering are the natural outcome of the violation of the law of physical well-being. Similarly with the soul in Hades, it is but enduring the inevitable outcome of violating God's laws. (Ezek. 18:4) The soul dies because the rules for its health were not observed.
Father Abraham told the rich man that there was balance in God's plan for His offspring. (Lk. 16:25) But the Greek word translated "tormented" never should have been rendered in that way. At the worst, its meaning is pain. The lexicon gives the meanings of "pain of mind, grief, distress." However, the indoctrinated translators of Scripture lost no opportunity for paralyzing the people with stark terror of a demon-God. It should also be pointed out that the Greek word translated "torment" in Lk. 16: 23 can lend itself to that rendering, yet that is not true to its original meaning. Originally it had to do with the applying of a touchstone to gold for trying its genuineness. By analogy and with reference to people, it had to do with cross-examination and/or the placing under duress to obtain a true confession.
In this parable, the Lord was pointing out how the rich man found himself in duress to obtain a true confession. This applies even to the trying of the gold with the touchstone, because gold symbolizes spirit. Here the spirit's genuineness and worth were being tried, as it was forced to shed its refuge of lies. It should be clear to any thinking person that the laws of God are designed to bring about balance. The rich man had enjoyed the good of the earth, though we may surmise that he misused the blessings. As a result, the balances swung toward the counterbalance beyond death. During the process, the rich man had ample time to reflect upon and come to an understanding of God's immutable laws of Truth and justice. During the earth life, Lazarus endured much, and yet through it he had found his Redeemer and his God, as shown in the meaning of his name--whom God helps. Thus, beyond death, the balances swung toward Lazarus being consoled.

EXPERIENCE IN PARADISE
Lazarus is a type for people in the 60 fold, those who have formed a contract with the Lord during their earth-life. Father Abraham continued to explain that, between his own realm and the lower zone of the unsaved, there had been fixed a "great chasm" so that there was no passage from one zone to the other for dwellers in either zone. Of course, balance could not be realized by those in the unseen world, if all would be able to intermingle and partake of the same conditions. Therefore, there was a gulf between them. Bear in mind how the Lord said that, after death, Lazarus was carried by the messengers into the bosom of Abraham. (Lk. 16:22) By himself in the comparative density of his soul body, Lazarus was no more able to ascend into Paradise than the fish of the sea to soar up onto the mountains where the birds nest. But in Paradise, there is a learning about the environment. In the fullness of their time, as Abraham has done, those of the Lazarus type learn to master the lower soul strata--even as some birds, such as geese, are masters of the high airways as well as the water depths. But such power and proficiency in travel cannot be granted the Lazarus types until they have come to understanding, rising far beyond the shallow and agonizing confines of the “me and mine” which are so ingrained within the realm of Lucifer. Otherwise, their paradise would soon be transformed into hell. In the parable, Abraham had entered into that understanding, being able to dispassionately behold his son suffering in the nether realm. Observe that we are not told of Lazarus, or any of his bedfellows, beholding the rich man. In an earthly parallel, we understand that light penetrates the water depths and can be seen by those within the water, but the birds in the upper air see little, except the blackness of the ocean.
What is the destiny then of people in the 30 fold, those who have recognized the Savior but have not contracted with Him to be His? Today's bulk of Christendom is made up of those in the 30 fold. Yet all of them have not retained their estate; some have broken the blood-seal and have gone back into the darkness of night. Those who have stuck to the Christian code of ethics, keeping alive their hope for salvation through the Son of God, thus continually and to the last staying within the blood-sealed house through the night, are also led forth or carried from the "Egypt" of this world by the empowered messengers of God to the foot of the Holy Mount from which the glory of God can be seen.
Those in the 30 fold partake of peculiarities. They have not received ongoing life for their soul-bodies, yet these soul-bodies are preserved for them through the application of the immortal Blood, in which they had a measure of faith. But conformance is still required of them, if they are to retain their preservation. They are still "under Law,” if we may use that expression. Therefore, their arena of service and testing is at the base of the Heavenly Kingdom (the Holy Mount). We might describe it as the buffer zone between Paradise and Hades. Ask for the helpful study, "What Do You Mean, Born Again.” Theirs too is a period of rest from their earthly labors and an entering into a measure of greater understanding. Thereafter, they do battle for their Lord, for the boundaries of Paradise are still beset by enemy spirits. Not until their own "Battle of Armageddon" shall the power of the Almighty God, through Christ our Lord, sweep clear those portions of Paradise and bordering strata of all that is in conflict with His plan. (Rev. 12:7-8, Matt. 6:10) In the meanwhile, those in the 30 fold unsheathe the sword and battle the foe. Theirs is also messenger service, in minor capacities. The great moment for the 30 fold does not arrive until the time following the 1000 year Sabbath, the Millennium now approaching. (Rev. 20:5-6)
We are spirits, possessing nothing but body and soul. But even these may be lost, unless preservation (salvation) is received. To the possessions of the body and soul, we can only add experience which brings understanding and strengthening attributes. (virtue - 2 Pet. 1:5) See the utter detachment voiced by father Abraham over his "son" in distress. (Lk. 16: 25-26) Father Abraham had been in the "me and mine" environment long enough to know the score. His knowing must also be learned by others still strong in earth loves, even though having their place in Paradise.
There is a partial exception. Those in the 100 fold category are carried directly to the uppermost strata. There, they immediately re]01n loved ones gone on before, providing the loved ones were also of the 100 fold. But because of their great love for their Lord, they quickly learn to dwell in the glory-consciousness, loving all those in the realm of Light on a par with their love of their own loved ones. The Lord foretold it that the "flesh profits nothing." Following their adequate rest and course of studies in the upper realm, those of the 100 fold again take up service to their Lord. Principally it is teaching, instructing, and consoling. There are many there in Paradise in need of consoling and instructing; for example, the parent suddenly taken away from a large and growing family. While in such shock, it takes considerable time, instruction and comprehension to fully accept that God is in His Heaven and all is right with the world. After the much-needed rest, the heaven of the 100 fold hums with activity.
There is no idle loitering in the spirit realms of God.  In the course of time, those who have their soul bodies preserved, either through their response during the dispensation of the Law or during the Christian dispensation, learn to serve our God in multitudinous ways. A few examples are given in the Bible, such as that of Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration, and the messenger who told John he was one of his brothers, having previously lived as a Jew. (Matt. 17:3, Rev. 19: 10)
God is not temperamental, or even partial, so what He decrees to one, He similarly decrees to others. Since it is specifically recorded that Moses and Elijah served Him long before their deaths, so are others to do, when they have been prepared to do so. That serving is the great objective of God's devising a means for the preservation (salvation) of our soul-bodies. Without an engine, how can power be developed? Without power, what can we do to serve; what action can result? The spirit within is but light (understanding) and fire (life). It needs machinery and containers to employ and house the understanding and the life. It needs bodies (vehicles or engines) in which to develop power emitters to channel the light and the fire.

PURPOSE OF EARTH EXPERIENCE
But if we can serve God and grow in understanding in the spirit realm, why are we to spend this time in earth life with its multitude of griefs? It is because of the time factor. As an approximation, a spirit in its native realm requires 100 years to garner the same essence of understanding as it does with the physical body in one solar year, while about 10 years are required in the soul-realm to match the equivalent of one year of adult earth life. The spirit learns by observation and from the impressions received. Alone, it is in too great a state of flux to readily formulate a pattern or to be shocked into awareness, such as takes place on the earth-plane in a physical body.
This principle can be illustrated by the properties of steam. Steam is invisible water vapor and it cannot be shaped or controlled, unless it is introduced into a container strong enough for the purpose. When steam is reduced to liquid water (comparable to the soul), its flux is reduced and it can be shaped and controlled even in an open vessel. If the vibrations in the steam are reduced beyond that resulting in water, the form is that of ice which is comparable to matter and earth life-forms. The ice is subject to being easily formed and needs no further container for control. Ice is sensitive to impact and can be readily molded or sculptured into the pattern within the mind of the designer. Therefore, the reduction through the strata of vibration for the spirit onto the soul and the earth planes is for the saving of hundreds of millions of years in coming into the Parent's stature, as well as to ensure that the patterns are clearly etched upon the spirit core.
In the mental and parent, men process of moving toward the moral stature of a revered and women go to school and are trained during many days, adding up to months and terms and years. And how far beyond was it until most of us came to that status? For most of us the termination of our formal education did not itself bring qualification for victoriously meeting life. Then what about God’s school and advanced work? A thousand years are as but a day to the Lord. (Ps. 90:4, 2 Pet. 3:8) To the Lord, the 70 years of life span of man are only 100 minutes on His clock. The Lord pleads with man to come and reason with him in His Word. (Isa. 1:18) where did man leave his reason, if he thinks that God expected man to attain to sonship maturity in 100 minutes?
Man is exhorted to judge what is right. (Lk. 12: 57) When did man stop to judge what is right and true, before he accepted the man initiated teaching that a soul fresh from God enters earth in a condition of ignorance, spends there 100 minutes in the sight of God, and then a spirit monster assigns the young soul to the tortures of the damned for time without end--because of its ignorance? Adam was warned of death coming on the very day of his disobedience. Did he die in that 24-hour day in which he ate of the forbidden fruit? He lived hundreds of years beyond! But he did die within that specific 1000 year "day" of God.
We, who were begotten of God and are destined to come into His likeness, send our children to school many days. An immense number of days are allowed to pass before we even wonder if our children are actually coming into our image and likeness. Why not credit God with having as much sense and being as reasonable? He has told us of the length of His days with reference to man. (Gen. 6:3) In the course of eternity, would it be impossible, or even difficult, for the Almighty Being to apportion many school "days" on earth to each child? Wouldn’t the many be especially important when the child got into bad company which led him into disobedience? Surely that child might require many disciplinary days on earth!
Now observe the Word of God. "Before I formed you ... I knew you, and before you came forth out of the womb, I sanctified you and designated you a prophet to the nations." (Jer. 1:5) The words "know you" used by God have far more significance than foreknowledge or awareness. They are the same words used in the days of Moses concerning Israel, indicating how He wanted to test them and try them so that He might experientially know them as to what they would do. (Deut. 8:2) In this way, He said He knew and had experience with Jeremiah before he was formed in the womb! Does that match the concept of a brand new soul, fresh from the hand of God? The statement boldly declares a pre-existence with God; otherwise, it would have been impossible for God to so "know" the spirit of Jeremiah before he was conceived.
Again, the Lord spoke of Rachel weeping for her children, for they were not. (Jer. 31:5-15) The "were not" implies they were dead. (Matt. 2:17-18) But the Lord also said that they will come again from the land of the enemy. (Jer. 31:16) In the following verse, God uses a transposition of the same principle given in :16, assuring Israel that the children of the dispersed would again come to their own border. (Jer. 31:17) Be careful not to confuse and mix the two statements. Verse 17 begins with the word "And," which does not annul, or interpret the previous verse, but leaves it as stated. What did He state? Children of Rachel were to be slain, occasioning great grief and lamentation. Their spirits, clothed in soul-bodies, would be precipitated into the land of the enemy, a common expression for the realm of death (Sheol). But God spoke comfort to Rachel, “... for they shall come again out from the land of the enemy!”
Should it be incredible that an Almighty Father would wish to send back to school a group of youngsters which had been abruptly dismissed? So He comforts Rachel, giving assurance of great reward because of this sacrifice. Her children shall come again from the land of the enemy by entering new, infant human bodies. God conforms all His operations to a central pattern; He cannot vary His conduct in principle. Therefore, He set these two verses side by side so that we would not fail to see the comparison. He expects us to understand the one by the contrast to the other. Weep not for your slain children, for they shall come back to you from the land of the dead. Despair not over the future of the children carried to Babylon, for they shall return again to this, your land.
God spoke of giving a new heart (soul) and putting a new spirit within, so there could be the walking in His statutes and the keeping of His ordinances. (Ezek. 11: 16-20) If you say that the heart and the spirit here refer only to a different mind and nature to be put there by God at a time of His choice, you have made Him fully responsible for all the evil and degradation of humanity up to the present moment. If it lies within His power to make some future generation good and holy, then He is fully responsible for all of the "hell" out of the past and up to this moment.
On the other hand, if you will come and reason together with Him and if you will judge what is right, then you will perceive at once that the iniquitous generations of the past have been indwelt by young, obstreperous spirits in the early days of their disciplinary schooling. The coming generations, which He predicted would be obedient to Him, are to be indwelt by spirits coming toward the end of their school days. They are in process of coming to understanding. When you reason with Him, you will realize at once that He meant exactly what He said about a new heart and a new spirit. Figuratively, the heart is used throughout Scripture to denote the soul, for the soul has its seat in the human heart. That future generation with new (purified) souls and another (matured) spirit will hear His word, even as our own children in their maturity will hear the parent's word.
He brings out the same thought and truth again through Isaiah in His forecast of the desolations of Egypt. Have you supposed that your "magician" God merely said in His displeasure, "Egypt, you now go to the dogs,” and then, bang, they went to pieces? How did God know they were heading toward ruin? First, that was His righteous judgment upon that people after they had served their great purpose in His will and plan. So He commanded a host of younger and rebellious spirits to incarnate in the Egyptian babies, which would bring about the planned destiny for the land. (Isa. 19:14) It is like putting an inexperienced baseball team on the diamond, or sending in young cadets to take charge of an army locked in battle. The tragic results are inevitable. Egypt was the great nation which had led the world. But when God commanded a wave of immature spirit-rebels to have their day in Egypt, her greatness was a thing of the past.
As we read more and more of Scripture, the evidence increasingly proves God, is just and righteous. He decrees a just reward or discipline to all peoples--even to the Canaanites, Egyptians and Babylonians, all of whom were without His Law. Therefore, since He is a just God, we must also carry His righteousness into action for the spirits who have departed their earthly bodies. To postulate that this “equity” is to be meted out to them in a furnace of fire, where they endure the tortures of the damned through time without end, is but to postulate a spirit-monster at least one million times worse than Satan.
What does His Word really say? Speaking of those who were without the Law, He said, “When I cast him down to Sheol (the unseen) with them that descend into the pit all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth.” (Eze. 31:16) "They have set her a bed in the midst of the slain, with all her multitude, her graves are round about her, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword and they bear their shame with those who go down to the pit." (Ezek. 32: 25) Read the whole chapter. "Hell" and the "Pit" come from Hebrew and Greek words which mean the unseen world, and they have not the faintest connection to our current association with torment. Here God speaks of a bed or resting, and also of being comforted. Nowhere in the chapter is there any hint of torment, or even punishment, but rather a state of waiting and resting from the previous labors.
Speaking of the time when Lucifer is to have his great spree on earth, God said, "Sheol from beneath (in the nether parts of the earth) is moved, or stirred up for you, to meet you at your coming. It rouses for you the shades of the dead, even all the chief ones of the earth. It raises up from their thrones (in the Pit) all the kings of the nations." (Isa. 14:9) Here is one instance of a reason for waiting. The purpose for these abiding in the unseen world is that of being roused and raised up, to be caused to ascend from their beds or their thrones, in order to incarnate on earth at the right time to be kings of the nations and rulers, in one class or another. This is Bible Truth, with no other alternate thought possible, unless we wish to enter into interpretations--which God has forbidden. See also Ps. 68:20-23. God promises to bring back the enemies from the depths of the soul-world, so that they may be crushed in human bodies.
Those Christians who believe in the Word of Jesus will realize that He declared the same truth, when He said to His disciples that in John the Baptist, Elijah has already come. (Matt. 17:11-13) God gave another example of the same truth through His Chosen People by sending them into dispersion and, much later, bringing them back to their land--for another chance. Fundamental religionists turn purple at the mention of another chance. Yet God is always a loving Father. Have not even the purplish religionists themselves granted their own children another chance, time and again? Are they better than God? Should they get livid when someone dares to point out that God is at least as good as they are?
“In the day you eat of it, you will surely die.” "The soul that sins, it shall die.” Since the body of Adam died within the 1000 year "day" of God, we know that his soul-body also perished within the identical day. In the case of Adam, there were but 70 years left for his soul to survive--at the maximum. Then the spirit was left denuded to await the time when God had another day prepared for him. We have an additional noting of this class of denuded spirits in 1 Pet. 3:19-20. The liberated Christ-Spirit went and preached to the spirits in prison, those who were disobedient in the days of Noah. The flood at the time of Noah closed one dispensation, and, as it is on earth when a school semester closes, there was a time of waiting before those in training would go back to school again. Two and a half thousand years later, these same rebellious spirits were still putting in their time away from the earth-school (in prison) and waiting the time for their next chance (another day).
Every so often we hear the substance of Ex. 20:5 questioned by Christians who are looking for an understanding of their God. They do not see a loving Father reflected in One who would inflict the sins of fathers on their children, even to the fourth generation. An answer is not easy to present, because Christendom is still in the swaddling cloths of infancy, though some have progressed in understanding to the stage of kindergarten. Two thousand years ago, even the Chosen People of the Lord were such spiritual infants that He refused to speak to them of the Truth behind the scenes. (John 3:12) Prophets of old lamented the duties of their ministry, because people would not hear. The life of the prophet then came into jeopardy--and even so now. Ministers of Truth do suffer, because of Christendom's spiritual infancy and brattishness. To care for the question, even in measure, calls for much to be considered.
Hear the words of the Ever-living One. The Lord God is merciful and gracious, long suffering and abundant ln goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression of sin. Yet that will by no means justify the disobedient, for He shall visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon the children’s children, to the third and to the fourth generation (if we understand the span of meanings in the term "generation"). There the Father declared Himself. (Ex. 34: 6-7) But do not to stumble over these words, even though many have seriously erred because of knowing neither the Scripture nor the Father's undying love.
Contrast His words elsewhere that the fathers would not be put to death for the children. Neither would the children be put to death for the fathers. Every man shall be put to death for his own sin. (Deut. 24:16) Then read that the father's eating of sour grapes will set the children's teeth on edge, but everyone shall die for his own iniquity. Every man that eats sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge. But there is a new day when the Lord promised a new covenant. (Jer. 31:27-31, Ezek. 18:3) He tells us most clearly that the son shall not die for the sins of the father. (Ezek. 18: 18-20) How is it then that the iniquity of the father is visited upon the children and the children's children? Because of man's carnality, this has never been understood. That which the theologians and the spiritually blind have consistently ignored and rejected is the pre-existence of the spirit within man--previous to its present manifestation in a body of human flesh.
Now let us bring in another statement. Therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah” (1 Sam. 12:10) How could the sword perpetually remain raised against the House of David, unless his sins were being visited upon his descendants? There are also numerous other instances also. David numbered Israel, but 70,000 other men died of the plague. (2 Sam. 24:13-15) Under the leadership of Joshua, 36 men of Israel died, because of the sin of Achan. (Josh. 7:5-11) The entire household of Achan also was slain. The Lord said to Jehu that because he had slain the entire house of Ahab, without mercy, Jehu's children of the fourth generation would sit on the throne of Israel. (2 Kings 10:30) Through His prophets, the Lord spoke against Manassah, king of Judah, and spoke of great evil which He would bring on Jerusalem and Judah, because of Manasseh's wickedness. (2 Kings 21:10-13, 24:3-4) But the severe punishment upon Jerusalem was about 50 years removed from the sins of Manasseh. (2 Kings 24:1)
Throughout the chronology of the Kings of Judah and Israel, and repeatedly in the books of the Prophets, we find that God visited His people with dire calamities, because of the sins of some certain evil ruler. Sometimes it was not especially a sinful ruler, but because of some foolish sin by a good and godly man, such as David's numbering Israel or taking the wife of Uriah. Can we view these many instances of record in which the members of a family were punished because of the sins of its head, or the thousands within a nation who suffered because of the sins of its leader, and still reconcile it to the clear-cut word of God that the son should not die for the sins of his father, and vice-versa? We remember that the Lord did say of the servant who knew the will of his lord and did not prepare himself and did not according to his will, he shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who knew not, and did things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. (Lk. 12:47-48) Yet to resolve this seeming paradox, we must dig much deeper into the Word than the modern school of theologians is prone to do.
In practice, how can God punish, and even kill, countless thousands of people because of the sins of another, and still be true to His own clearly expressed judgment that everyone shall bear his own iniquity and that the son shall not die for the sins of his father? Perhaps you would understand why the head of a plant would place one man in charge of operating a certain machine, while he would place another man to trouble-shooting different machines. It is because these men have had the previous training and experience to especially qualify them for these particular assignments. Or, let us say that a father orders one of his boys to wash the kitchen floor. Ordinarily, we would expect the mother of the household to do that, or one of her daughters. There could be several reasons. One reason could be that the boy, whom we would not expect to wash the kitchen floor, had previously and deliberately made it very dirty, contrary to explicit instructions.
According to our theologians, every human birth represents a soul fresh from the hand of God. To them, physical birth is the beginning, and life is for a fleeting moment. Then, everlasting bliss is the lot of some few, but unspeakable torture through the everlastingness of eternity is the destiny of the masses. Such a concept of God, the loving heavenly Father, is monstrous by nature. That concept certainly cannot resolve the apparent paradox we are considering. It is completely up to us then to choose whether we will believe the Word of God and in His expressed qualities of justice and righteousness, or believe in the guesses and theories advanced through man's native "brilliance." Did not our Lord say that night would come when no one should or could work? Therefore, we should emphatically cast aside the theology which has been conceived in the stygian night. We must come back to the Bible for a fresh discovery of what was in the Lord's mind when He had these things recorded for our benefit. It is the Bible which is the glorious Word of the living God, not the things that men have invented around it!
The fact of pre-existence is boldly stated in the first clause of Jer. 1:5. "Before I formed you in the womb, I had experiential knowledge of you. Before you came forth out of the womb, I sanctified you (a process) and (because of prior qualification) appointed you a prophet to the nations." You tell us now, if you will, how God could experientially know Jeremiah before he had been formed in his mother's womb? If you have not been blinded by the learned theologians, who have spent their lives trying to figure out their own "truths of God," you will realize that the spirit which God commanded to enter the infant body of Jeremiah had a pre-existence with God. In that way, God knew him. God did not speak here so much of what Jeremiah was to do, but rather of what he had been. God knew him before he had been formed in the womb, even as He "knew" the experiences of Israel after leading that people 40 years through the wilderness. (Deut. 8: 2) Because of a pre-existence (yes, you have lived here before), many persons in disobedience and sin have stored up for themselves serious lessons to be learned. Our Father‘s plan is the ultimate in wisdom. Such disobedient spirits are commanded by God to go back into human flesh, once more to be born as helpless babes, born to earthly fathers who also willfully walk in similar disobedience and sin. In that way, God the Father gets "two birds with one shot,” because He can speak with double effect to a parent's heart through the child.
Now turn to Isa. 19:14, where God speaks of a once-glorious Egypt. Here, God did not say that He had sent in unclean spirits to obsess the Egyptians. He said that a perverse spirit had been mingled within Egypt. Through the meaning of the word "mingled," we realize that He meant an integration with the others. And, in the last part of the verse, the singular sense changes to the plural when He says that they have caused Egypt to err in every work. Look at Isa. 14:9 again. Who are these whom Sheol stirs up to be set upon the thrones of the nations? Bear in mind that the word "hell" in many of our Bibles actually means the unseen. We can find help in answering the question in Ezek. 32:21-29. Here they are the strong among the mighty. They lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword. They are in the sides of the Pit, Assyria, Elam, Meschech, Tubal and Edom, with their hosts. Clearly, it is told that the mighty ones of the nations, together with their companies, eventually wind up in the unseen with their graves set in the side of the Pit. These are the ones who God tells us through Isaiah are to be stirred up in the unseen and placed upon the thrones of the nations.
These, if you will receive it, are those rebellious spirits referenced in Isa. 19:14 where we are told that He had mingled or integrated a category of perverse spirits in the midst of the world "Egypt" for the purpose of bringing about the downfall of the glory and the kingdom of "Egypt.” In this prophecy for our time, we are clearly told that the unseen beneath is moved to meet the devil at his coming and that the unseen has raised up from their thrones in Sheol the kings or rulers of his puppet nations. Lucifer's henchmen from the pit are now at alert, waiting to greet him at his coming. Such are the ones ruling Poland, Hungary, Rumania, Egypt, Yugoslavia and many other lands which will constitute the diabolic head and horn conclave of evil in the days now approaching. (Rev. 17:7-8, 12-13)
Many will raise their hands in horror at the declaration that we all lived before, and that many people now on earth are destined to live again. Yet you cannot evade the clear-cut statement of God that the unseen stirs up this one and that one within it to seat them on the thrones of nations, and others to be mingled, or integrated, with the peoples of a nation. (Isa. 19:14)
But let us go to Jer. 31:27, where the Lord says He will sow the House of Israel and the House of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast (carnal men). This is to the end that the entire House of Jacob may be rebuilt and flourish gloriously. (Jer. 31:27-28) Therefore, it follows by inference that to bring about the downfall of the House of Jacob, He had to sow the nation with spirits of a perverse or inferior category, just as He did in Egypt to bring about the downfall of that nation.
If we are to understand God’s glorious plan for man, we must accept without reservation the Word of Truth by the glorious Yahweh, and we must disassociate our minds from the dreams which theologians have had in the night. When we do this and assemble the multitudinous revelations of God to man into an integrated whole, we find that you and I are members of a Spirit life-wave, begotten in the dim eons of the past. This earth was chosen as our classroom, having been prepared for our school of experience.
Christendom loosely uses the term "salvation" and works up a nightmare when something is mentioned about a second chance. Truly, "salvation,” as it is commonly used, is not the objective of creation. Perfection is the grand objective for all the spirit children begotten by the creative Word of God. (Matt. 5: 48) Perfection, and nothing short of perfection, is the grand objective of our earth-school experience. "Salvation,” as the word is ordinarily used, is a gross misnomer. "Preservation" is the proper rendering of the original word. It refers to the preservation of the soul and body as an absolute necessity--in order that we may then go on to quickly achieve the perfection, which is the entrance into full-grown sonship and daughterhood to God. When we once understand this glorious truth and gain a vision of a glorious God and Father, we behold Him as the Master at chess who places, plucks up and cleans the board at will--for bringing the greatest ultimate benefit to His children. We behold Him commanding a group of spirits to incarnate in the babes of a certain nation at a given time, in order that they gain that particular lesson He has in mind for them, the lesson needful for them at that time. In this fashion, God integrates the judgment on nations with the judgment on individuals.
Jesus Christ said that the blood of all the Prophets, shed from the very first, would be required of this generation. (Lk. 11: 49-51) According to history, that generation did pay to the hilt. But how could a just God avenge the blood of all the Prophets on that one generation? It is simply answered when we recognize the truths He has patiently tried to hammer in. The spirits of the guilty ones out of the past had been commanded to reincarnate in that generation so that He might deal with all the culprits at once and show His judgment to both Jew and Gentile. The same view is presented of those who died because of Achan's sin, and the 70,000 who died because of David's numbering of Israel, and the hundreds of thousands who suffered and died and went into captivity because of the sins of Manasseh and other wicked rulers of Judah and Israel. They did not suffer and die because of the sins of someone else, but the infinite and omniscient Father above placed them there, because of the lesson they needed and had earned for themselves through the past.
In the earlier days when the world population was small, denuded spirits had to wait longer in the unseen before coming back. But during more recent millennia, physical bodies have been more available; the waiting line is shorter. An approximate 1000 years has been the customary interval between earth lives, since man's life-span dropped from its early record highs. Yet this varies immensely in some cases, especially where someone has been cut off in early life. There has been reassignment in as little as a decade in some instances.
Now look at the contrast in Rev. 6. John saw under the Altar of God the souls of them who had been slain. There, he specifies souls. Those were not denuded spirits, because their soul-bodies had received the atonement by the blood of the Lamb. They were not subject to death. It was said to them that they should rest for a little while longer. (Rev. 6:9-11) From what does a person rest, if not from his labors? For what does one rest, if it is not to enter fresh labors? Yet we must also bear in mind the Word of God in Rev. 3:12. There we read of the sixth promise to His Church. Six is the humanity number. "He who overcomes, I will make a pillar in the Temple of My God, and he shall go out no more."
What plainer words could we require? It is the overcomer, and only the overcomer, who does not need to go out any more for earth experience in training, either in new baby bodies or in the resurrected full-grown physical bodies. Christians now dying are blessed, because they shall rest from their labors, and their works do follow them (they shall receive their wages). But those who overcome in the power of the humanity number, 6, are given a place and permanent position in the Temple of God and assured that they shall no more go out to labor. Their earth schooling has been satisfactorily completed.
We have the clearest of illustrations in Scripture, underscored by the direct Word of God through His Prophets, that countless peoples suffered and died because of the sins of another. And in parallel, we have His assurance that everyone dies because of his own sins! We have the clearest word from Jesus that Elijah had returned in the person of John the Baptist. We have the specific word from Yahweh that David will yet be raised up to rule over nations from the throne in the city of Jerusalem in Palestine. (Jer. 30:9, Ezek. 34:23-24, 37:24-25, Hos. 3:5, Amos 9:11-12) Yet willfully stupid Christendom has decided to accept only the portions of God Word which fit in with the concepts reasoned out by man, preferring a monster for its god, one who is a mass of contradictions and iniquity from the beginning of man's life to the fiendish unendingness of eternity's sadistic triumph.
Make room for God's plain and simple word to His little children, the words of a loving Father. They depict the spiraling road through many eons of time, ever leading homeward and to the glory of returning sons and daughters when the Father meets them afar to welcome them home. To make this meeting possible, He personally came, worked, suffered, bled and died for the preservation of the receptive human's soul and body, in order that we may better serve the Father. But the persistently unreceptive have their lot in the fires of Gehenna, for the destruction of both soul and body, until once more they stand denuded as a naked, living "flame," before the Father, anxiously awaiting the new lot which He has prepared for the tardy and the obstreperous. Every person who suffers and dies does so for his personal sins. We must learn the required lessons in life's earth-school of experience. Where we are swayed and led into error by others, it is but the law catching up with our past to deliver an impressive lesson on our road to the Father's perfection objective. (Matt. 5:48)
With reference to Yahweh's planting of people, He said through Hosea that He would sow Jezreel (immortal seed of God) for Himself and those who were not His people would thereby become His people. (Hos. 2:22-23) In Isa. 60, we see an enlargement of the glory of that sowing, consummated in a perpetual and absolute righteousness. (Isa. 60:1-3ff) Has it taken God these thousands of years of seeing untold human suffering to bring Him to repentance so He would then make His people "good?" Is He unrighteous? Yet precisely that becomes the inevitable conclusion through logic, if we accept the teaching of the leaders in Christendom, in place of the straight-forward teachings of our Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ brought out the same truth in His parable of the sower. (Matt. 13:3-8, 19-20) In most translations, the word "seed" is freely used, but in none of the eight oldest Greek manuscripts is the word "seed" to be found. It can only be inferred that a sower would be planting seed and that it was seed which the birds came and devoured. By carefully observing His wording in these verses, it can be seen that people are the ones being sown. (Matt. 13:20, 22) In the following Parable of the Tares, He did use the word "seed,” and there He specifically stated that the good seed are the sons of the Kingdom. (Matt. 13:37-32) In both of these parables, it is stated emphatically that God sowed people into this world, into different conditions. Manifestly, it is man who sows the seed for the physical body, but it is God who plants in them the spirit beings from His own storehouse. Naturally, those who are spiritually of age are those who receive or hear His Word of Truth and bring forth fruit according to the degree of receptivity (maturity).
But let no one conclude that he has to wait for his spiritual maturity before he may "arise to return to the Father." This arising is a matter of the will. The uncounted eons of the past lived by every incarnate spirit in the world today are far more than sufficient for all to be full-blown saints of the highest order. However, the depth of delusion and embroilment in Lucifer's disobedience has hardened and estranged the spirit to such an extent that deep and prolonged suffering is required for their "coming to themselves" in weakness and repentance. It is repentance which opens the way for a return to the Father's estate, into the embrace of His love.
Christ said in His parable that the good seed are the children of the Kingdom (Matt. 13:38), corroborating what He had spoken 700-800 years earlier through Hosea. (Hos. 2:22-23) The seed for the physical body is planted by man, but the spirit which comes to indwell that body is sown by God. It is He who decides what class of seed is to be planted, where and when. So long as there are immature spirits in abundance, mostly in the power of Lucifer, that long will we see rampant evil wherever we look. And so long as God sees it good and needful for the learning of lessons that a certain people or nation be predominantly foolish, obstreperous and evil, just that long He will sow that people with the particular spirit seed which will bring about the planned environment and lessons for that class of spirits.
God is the sower of spirit seed throughout the earth and, in that way, He controls the training of man and of nations. It is not for us to conclude that He should sow the earth with all good seeds. Even in our institutions of higher education, all cannot be university graduates simultaneously. Of necessity, they must grow up first. Therefore, we find those having "arisen" in kindergartens, elementary schools, junior high schools, high schools, colleges and universities. It would be inane folly to charge our minister of education with evil, merely because we don't find all pupils in the top class at the same time. As a Christian believer, how have you ever been able to justify your God or even retain respect for Him, when reading such passages as Isa. 6:9-10? Jesus quoted those words, saying they were being fulfilled then and there. (Matt. 13:13-16) Did He plummet out of Glory to take on a lowly slave form, to be rejected, abused, humiliated, beaten, and tortured to death for the salvation of people, and yet deliberately "harden their hearts, If lest they become converted?
Come let us reason together in His Word. God wanted the heart of that particular people hard at that specific time, in order that His plan might lurch into gear for benefitting all of the world. Therefore He had selected younger and obstreperous spirits with which to sow the house of Israel-Judah in preparation for those days so that they might bring about the planned dramas--while simultaneously learning some hard lessons. Similarly at all times and places, He thus brings about the detailed national dramas and the events in human life which He has carefully considered in the Throne Room and weighed in the balance of His justice. He arranges for the most appropriate and also the utmost lesson in truth to be taught in class at the right time and place for all concerned. And at the end of the semester, those who fail in their exams must restudy the previous texts.
Even from the commencement of the Holy Scriptures, God has given us the same message time and again. To Abraham He said that the orbit in iniquity which he had granted to the Amorites and other Canaanites had not yet been completed. But when it would be completed, He would release the descendants of Abraham to swarm into the land and execute the richly deserved disciplining which God would decree upon the Canaanites. (Gen. 15:16) In these nations, many individuals were to go through needed lessons during approximately three score and ten years. A little later through Moses, He voiced the same immutable justice in declaring "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" (Ex. 21:24) so that "evil will be put away from you.” (Deut. 19:19)
That is not vengeance, but rather God's just method in administering a sorely needed lesson. Naturally, what they have not perceived in this earth life, they must come back to acquire later, until they arrive at that stage in which, through the weakening of self-will engendered by suffering, they come to repentance and then healing at the hand of God, the Savior. Then a deathless soul-body becomes their permanent vehicle for expression and another rebirth in a human baby body is needless. In their deathless soul bodies, they can go on into perfection.
However, we must distinguish between a true spiritual repentance and one which is but skin deep, being occasioned by the duress of the moment or by some emotional experience. The criminal who is caught may be ever so repentant over his folly, perhaps after each of a hundred repetitions' but has he repented? The youngster caught in a lie or misdemeanor may be ever so repentant when taken to task by a stern parent, and he may repeatedly promise "never again." But parents are sadly aware that only too often both repentance and promise are of no value. Emotional experiences may appeal to that which is better within. They may bring forth the pronouncement that henceforth there shall be the "turning of a new page," but rarely in such instances do we observe a transformation; usually nothing.
This is what God was saying in Isa. 6:9-10 and what Jesus chose to emphasize in Matt. 13:13-15. There is a time for true repentance and the consequent conversion from the paths of evil. There is a measure of experience in evil, with its consequent anguish and suffering, which an indwelling spirit must pass through, before it reaches that spiritual maturity which makes a true and lasting conversion possible. It is not that God deliberately and arbitrarily "hardens the heart" of man, "lest he be converted and becomes healed.” It is rather that his spirit is still too foolish in immaturity, and his soul too attuned to Lucifer's realm to permit an effective repentance. God had a peculiarly important drama for His chosen nation to execute in His overall plan for the nations.
Therefore, He had hardened their national heart by means of the individual apathy to righteousness which is common to the immature spirits from Lucifer's ranks. To fit that portion of His plan, He selected and commanded spirits of that immaturity still needing the specific lesson to incarnate and rule in that particular era. Yahweh declared the same truth in the days of David, refusing to allow David to build a house for His God. (1 Chron. 17:4-5) David loved the Lord, and he yearned to build the Temple for his God. Was God a bit temperamental, or shortsighted? He did not want David to build the Temple-sanctuary, but reserved that for Solomon. Yet David was by far the nobler character, except for his one great sin which God put away. Here Yahweh was trying to show us by word and through drama, how His Spirit had gone from tent to tent and from one tabernacle to another, until the fullness of time arrived. Then He would settle down into a permanent dwelling! The tent-to-tent phase of God's wandering with Israel as a nation is the type or picture of God's Spirit with the spirit in man, as man's spirit goes from one physical body to another "tent" which is set up later.
While human spirits are in the phase of learning, or state of the spirit of David whose name means beloved, God watches over them carefully and smooths the path before them. Figuratively, those spirits are then in the state of the prodigal son when he had come to himself and decided to return to His Father's house. When the spirit in man arrives at that milepost, he becomes greatly beloved, as was shown by the father who ran to meet his returning son in an embrace of eternal love. Nevertheless, that "David" is not permitted to build a house for his God. Why should the beloved one not build a house for His Lord? It was because tents were the temporary dwelling places. They picture the short-lived human bodies which are wrecked by sin and go down into the grave. In contrast to the poor appearance and short life of the tent, stands the enduring house for God, overlaid within by pure gold, built of choice stone and oil-impregnated cedar and set with precious gems. This house pictures the immortal human body) in which the human spirit may dwell forever, going out no more. (Rev. 3:12)
Why should that house be built by Solomon instead of David? It is because Solomon means peace. Solomon depicts the overcomer who has attained to a perfect peace with God. He is the one who enters into immortality here and now. Although the prodigal sons on their way home, with a right thought in their hearts, are greatly loved (David), yet they have not entered into the stature of the absolute overcomer and, therefore, cannot enter into immortality of the house. That is the lot of the "Solomon.” Yet David made great provision for the building of the house for God. We read how he warred against his enemies, overcoming them and carrying off great booty--all manner of vessels of gold and silver and brass. David dedicated them all to the Lord, along with the silver and gold he brought from all these nations. (1 Chron. 18:10-11) This gold, silver and brass went into the building of the house of God. The gold portrays spirit and all for which the Spirit of God stands. The silver indicates the soul qualities; and the brass depicts the framework of the human body. Thus, God shows us through this account how our warring with the vicissitudes of life and overcoming them enables the carrying off the booty of gold, silver and brass. These are to become dedicated to God, in order that His permanent house may be built when the son of peace (Solomon) has fully taken over.
While God did provide for a repeat of training in flunked courses and a makeup in the case of temporary dropouts, His plan does not include an unlimited series of such replays. He is able to bring pressure to bear which will motivate the lagging pupil toward Himself, insisting on his completing the course. (Heb. 12:6-12) Then the Lord can guide and help him get ready for receiving the Divine and deathless Life-seed from the body of the Glorified One. Then a new generation comes into being--a Divine generation.
But, just as after birth a human infant does not demonstrate the likeness of his father for a great many years, so similarly does the Divine transplant require a great many years to rebuild the soul geared into evil into that which perpetually manifests the goodness and the truth of God. Since the core is good, the aspiring of that soul in rebuilding is certain to be good. As strength through growth is acquired, so will the weaknesses and the falls diminish, giving way to the manifestation of the sons and daughters of Jesus Christ, to His glory.
RESURRECTION
The converted person may die, seemingly an incalculable distance from the eventual goal of perfection, but that is not disastrous. A deathless seed is at the core of the soul-body. Never again can it die. Ever, its aspirations will be toward good. And that is all any father looks for in his child. Through time, the goal will be achieved. When the spirit has obtained a deathless soul, it has an engine or vehicle in which to carryon into maturity, because its soul-body is no more subject to death. Therefore, the 60 fold Christian has no more need for rebirth as a baby; although, at times, such are also sent back. A variety of situations and reasons may arise which occasion such spirits to again come back in infant bodies, but there is no further need for it. The Divine vortex within the soul-atom then channels its energies toward God. Then the prodigal s saying becomes truth for that spirit: “I will arise and return to my Father.” Although the "distance" may call for several thousand years of "travel," or one to several cycles, the eventual goal is certain! This is true for the 30 fold believer, also, having and maintaining conditional preservation.
In case of death, beyond the aspect of the soul preserving, the 60 fold spirit did possess a physical body at the time of its soul entering into a deathless estate. That physical body also had a central seed element keyed to the pitch of all that the body has been. That specific seed, although it partakes of the physical, is of Divine origin (“the Word made flesh”), and thus is indestructible--except in the flames of Gehenna. At the death of the physical body, through ignorance of the laws into Life, this seed element is freed with the soul-body. Then later, when the time arrives that suits the Divine plan, God sounds the note of the required pitch which activates afresh the central seed that was in the physical body which had by then decayed. Almost instantly the elements swirl and transform into a perfect replica of the previous physical body. Biblically, this process is termed the resurrection, or upstanding of the dead. Such sons of the resurrection are also deathless, their undying soul having been utilized by the spirit to progress into sonship maturity during the stay in Paradise.
This physical resurrection process in God's plan becomes the second reason (the first is the undying soul) which obviates the need of rebirth and reveals the lie of the reincarnation theory as it is commonly taught. First, the soul-body is to have become a deathless vehicle with an ever God-ward aspiring, Divine vortex at the time of the person's born-again step on his return path home. After the discard of the physical body through its death, the soul-body is then to serve the indwelling human spirit as an engine through which to direct its energies in the service of the Father, until the specific time arrives that the Divinely empowered physical body should be retaken. Since the entirety of the person's aspirations is then toward God, immortality is in place. But since a minimal perfection is required by the Father, life on the earth-plane must continue until self and all of its earth elements are fully mastered. The Father's decree, to go forth and gain dominion over all the earth and all that is in it, must be fulfilled. The greatest of these tasks is self. However, once the Divine vortex takes over, nearly all one's time and energies become channeled to that very end. Even as in our childhood, time and energies are then directed towards growing up and getting prepared for life.
Many with a scientific turn of mind have stumbled over the resurrection body. They claim that when the dead body has returned to its primitive elements, it becomes scattered, some of its elements even going into the makeup of cells for other bodies. Therefore, they claim that the body's resurrection would become an impossibility, even for God. In a measure, they are right. But let us view it from another perspective--God's perspective.
A little child has a gaily colored and beautifully painted balloon, well inflated and tied with a silver cord. In the course of time, the silver cord is broken, the rubber vessel empties and the balloon is no more--at least so the child thinks. The child is in great sorrow, but, sometime later, daddy arrives. The child finds comfort in the words that “Father will give it to him anew.” Later, the rubber balloon is once more inflated and securely tied. The child sees no difference. No one can see the slightest difference. Is it the same balloon? Most would answer with a yes, but the air inflating that balloon is made up of different atoms and molecules!
In another example, we could look at a scientist with a mold from which he turns out human-like ice figures. One day in his absence, the temperature rises too high, the ice-man melts and the water runs away. Is the scientist dismayed? Not at all. He merely runs more water from the same tap into the same mold and places it in the quick freeze. Soon, the ice-man stands before him again, and not even with a microscope can any difference be detected. The ice-man’s every perfection and every flaw is the same as before. Even a chemical analysis shows it to be the same. But is it the same? Whatever your answer may be, that is a figure of the resurrection in truth.
The first resurrection is an event shortly impending. It is the prelude to the Millennial reign which answers to the Lord's Sabbath of 1000 years. We can easily note from Scripture that certain of those "called out of Egypt" will not enter His rest, not having completed the required courses during the "work week" of schooling. He took an oath that those of the Church in a certain status shall not enter His rest. (Heb. 3:9-15--from Ps. 95:7-11)
Immediately at the close of the Millennial Rest, the Kingdom era opens in its work-week phase, during which the Lord once more withdraws His presence from the earth. The second resurrection then commences. Throughout how long an era of time it will continue has not yet been revealed, but we should not be dogmatic in insisting that the Kingdom era concludes in 9000 A.D. (another seven-cycle). Nevertheless, this much is certain that the Great White Throne judgment and the activation of the Lake of Fire (the second death) does not fulfill until a time beyond the Kingdom era and beyond its concluding sabbath--not until after 10,001 A.D. (Rev. 20:11-15) The second death is distantly beyond the second resurrection, which itself commences immediately following the Millennial Reign. (Rev. 20: 5) It is also stated that the second death has no power over those partaking in the first resurrection. (Rev. 20:6) Here the Lord implies that distinct possibility for those not in the first resurrection. From this we see the possibility of some members of the 30 fold category entering the Lake of Fire because of their earlier firm election to turn away from the Lord’s plan and His blood seal.
How can we know that this possibility among believers is only applicable to the 30 fold category? The Lord forecast that the Word planted in the heart would bring forth 30, 60 and 100 fold, within the heart. (Matt. 13:19, 8) These distinctions correspond to the Israelites under the blood who were told not to leave their houses until the morning, to the Israelites when they had received the manna and the Law, and to the High Priesthood, respectively. These also correspond to the three fold division of the Mosaic Tabernacle. These also match the words of our Lord describing the growth of the seed in the earth, bringing forth first the blade (like grass), then the ear and finally the fully filled-out ear. (Mk. 4:26-28)
While in the symbolic 0 to 30 fold bracket, Israel was under the blood, but was forbidden to leave the house on pain of death. The symbolism shows that in the 30 fold they had not yet entered into Life. We see that they spent 30 days in the wilderness. Just before the thirtieth day out, the Tree was cast into the bitter waters for the sweetening. Conformance to the Lord's commands is expected. On the 30th day, manna came to them from heaven. The Lord stated that He was and is the Bread of Life. Here it is shown that not until the 30 day milepost of the 30 fold category has been left behind does the Christian receive the Bread of Life. Thus we understand that Life is conditional while in the 30 fold, but a secured possession from the moment of entering the 60 fold category. Of course, the Bread of Life cannot yield death and the one possessing that Bread has (present perfect tense) Life. (John 5: 24) Life for all of Israel when leaving Egypt was conditioned on their going forward. God has no pleasure in those who turn back. (Heb. 10:38) Therefore, if there be those in the 30 fold category who do turn back before they have gone far enough forward to enter into Life, they are in danger of the fiery furnace in which both soul and body are fully, permanently and irrevocably disintegrated. (Matt. 10:28)
The 30 fold believers will not be partakers of the first resurrection, because they lack the possession of Life, but they do come forth on earth (the wilderness) during the second resurrection. When they of the 30 fold are resurrected, they stand up in full-grown, mortal physical bodies. (The 60 fold resurrections are to be in immortal physical bodies.) As long as the 30 fold believers continue to come toward the Lord Jesus Christ, they will not be put aside. (John 6:37) As a loving Father, He sets them on earth once more, in order that they may prove themselves during an era of light and understanding. If in that era they are willfully unmindful of His Truth and righteousness, it becomes obvious that they must be given the more severe lesson of denuding the spirit of all it has ever gained.
Those who follow through merit His continued indulgence and eventually enter into Life. Those who are left in the wilderness, who have their lot on earth during the eons impending, will be on earth both before and after the second death. They will manifest on earth during the Kingdom era which precedes the second death. However, unless they forge ahead and get taken by God, even as Enoch did, they must go through the transitional fire (Rev. 20:9), emerging into the newness of earth's renovation. (Rev. 21:5) Following the transitional fire, they continue to manifest on earth in service to the City which becomes the headquarters for the Bride of Christ. (Rev. 21:9-11)
THE LAKE OF FIRE
Is the transitional fire on earth identical with the Lake of Fire? Not for those who have continued coming toward Jesus Christ. As a result of the purging and purifying of the transitional fire, the heavenly Kingdom headquarters merge with the earthly Kingdom headquarters. Those yet in the 30 fold who have not turned back remain on the earth to function in a serving capacity. They will be changed in the transitional fire, for there will no longer be an atmosphere as we know it, but their spirits are not denuded in that fire. (Rev. 21:1-3) In contrast, those former 30 fold who have persisted in turning away, who refuse to repent, whose hearts have become callous, will be killed in that fire and the seed element of the physical body will be thoroughly disintegrated in the incandescent heat. For them there can be no later resurrection body, for there is then no seed from which to build it. After the physical disintegration, their spirits will then go through the process of being denuded of the last vestige of the soul body. The absolute disintegration is the Lake of Fire process. (Rev. 20:14-15)
The judgment and sentencing at the time of the Great White Throne highlights the most awesome part of God's plan for rebellious man, as well as for Lucifer’s host. But because of its being still in a distant day, there is yet much time for countless multitudes to come to repentance and enter the 60 fold estate. All in the no-fold and the 30 fold will have had adequate time to move into 60 fold or better. All whose names are not by then written in the Book of Life (30 fold or higher), have their fate precisely stated in God’s Revelation to man. (Rev. 20:12-15) They must go through the transitional fire.
All who have previously lived here on earth and yet willfully persisted in paths of error, are destined to be resurrected or live again before the cataclysmic event of Rev. 20:9. As they again take on physical bodies, their soul-bodies once more reform. Subsequently, the Gog-led hordes conceive the plan to wipe out the “camp of the Holy Ones”--the Glorified Ones. (Rev. 20:8-9) By then the scientists will have perfected their third generation super-nuclear bomb. This will be catapulted into the Holy City of the saints for the purpose of disintegrating Jerusalem and fully doing away with the yoke which the Holy Ones have placed on them.
This bomb is destined to be gloriously successful, beyond the fondest expectation of man. God Almighty will permit those men to trigger the ignition of the earth's entire atmospheric envelope. The bomb will initiate a chain reaction which will cause the whole atmosphere and the earth's elements to blaze up in incandescent heat. Jerusalem, as man has known it, shall be gone forever. Gone shall be the camp of the Holy Ones. Gone also shall be the Kremlin of that time and all of the Gog-led hosts, wherever they may be near or far. With the consuming of the atmosphere, the oceans will also go up (Rev. 21:1) and the present world, as we know it, will be gone.
All forms of life, as we know them, will be extinct. Yet we see in Rev. 21 that the earth will again be populated by a new humanity--deathless beings not dependent on air or water. (Rev. 21:3-5) Our scientists make the perpetual mistake of assuming that, unless a planet has an atmosphere and temperature similar to our own, it cannot support life. Life is not thus handicapped. After our earth has been renovated by fire, and the atmosphere and oceans are no more present, then will a new humanity of creators-in-the-making pass through their final schooling, working with the primitive elements and gases, which men are now studying, to refine and change them and create new elements.
Factually, it will not be a picking up of the sea by the hand of God to be cast into the Lake of Fire, nor will the unseen world be cast off into a cauldron. (Rev. 20:13-15) When our planet itself lights up with incandescent heat, the sea and multitudes of people who will by then be living in ocean depths, as well as all the unsaved on the surface of the earth, will find themselves instantly in that Lake of Fire. Yet the incandescent heat deals with but the physical body, causing the architype form or seed element for it to be fully disintegrated. Any resurrection of those bodies would thereafter be impossible, even with the power of God. Their physical bodies reduce to atomic elements in but an instant of time. The seed element or archetypal form, too, probably experiences its final dissolution within a comparatively brief time.
But their souls are not affected by earthly fire. The souls are instantly released and immediately enter into their own Lake of Fire process which God activates for the entire unseen world. Here again, the souls experience suffering, but this time for a two-fold purpose. When their souls were previously lost in Hades, it was only the natural consequence of the laws for soul health having been broken, similarly as death eventually results for the mistreated physical body. But in the Lake of Fire process, God sears home the lesson for keeps. The slow disintegration process again commences, but it is drawn out over a much, much longer period of time, running into thousands of years for some.Here, what we could term the "seed element." of the soul unfolds its register so that the encased spirit re-lives its earth life. The spirit sees and then understands. Its remorse is deep-etched into the mind of the spirit. Its own life-fire is quickened. The spirit is straightened, or distressed. Its brattish proclivities are corrected. Its willfulness is killed, and eventually its soul is dead. At long last, it again crosses the borderline of the unseen realm, now an absolutely denuded spirit, this time fully humbled, repentant and meek, but having an unquenchable fiery zeal within to do the Father’s will. But its estate is nakedness, even though it then has a will into righteousness.
Its first lot will be a sabbath of rest, a thousand years or more. Thereafter, it will have its chance to commence afresh to build a soul-body for expression--in whatever arena of manifestation the Father has decreed for it. But then the progress in growing up of those naked spirits will be far speedier than that of their spirit brothers who previously remained true to the Father. Being many eons behind their commencement into good, they will need all the speed the fire experience has mustered, just to catch up.
Members of Lucifer's host also have their portion in the Lake of Fire. Although they have never lived on earth, they have acquired an undying “vestment” or "vehicle" through which to operate. Back through uncountable eons of time, they too have lived out their lives, though on the spirit plane of being. But they are to be cast down from spirit to soul plane, on which the waves of the Lake of Fire undulate to bring about their soul's dissolution. Based on the period during which they acquired their unclean vestments, their time in the Lake of Fire takes on the inverse ratio of 10 to 100.
For many of them, their sojourn in this Gehenna “fire” will be much longer than for those who acquired their soul garments on our planet through earth life. The duration will be longer, but their pain will be less intense; God equalizes. Nevertheless, the objective for them is precisely the same as that for rebellious mortals--that of searing into the spirit mind a zeal for the Father's will and fully destroying their soulish vestments and their core of sin. They too eventually emerge and are then approximately on a par with their earth-brother spirits in the zeal for righteousness and fitness for service in the Father's vineyard.
Now let us again look to the Word of God for His view of the "everlastingness" of the "torment" in the Lake of Fire. The Greek language has a word which can be rendered as continuous, or always, or perpetual, and that word (pantote) is used 42 times in the Bible. (See 1 Thess. 4:17) A thinking person would ask, if God meant that the confinement to the Lake of Fire is to be "pantote” why didn’t He say so? In Rev. 14:11 and 19:3, our translations indicate that the smoke of the torment and burning goes up for ever and ever. Admittedly, few Christians are qualified to go into the Greek and Hebrew texts, but, if we will use our God-given intelligence, we can see by the English renderings that the "forever and ever" readings are false. If forever means time without ending, then there can be no such things as "forever and forever.” Yet that is how the Word of God is garbled in our translations of Rev. 14: 11 and 19: 3.
Another similar handling is found in Jonah 2:6, where we are told that the bars of the earth closed about him for ever! It was but a 72-hour period at the maximum! If the three-day period of Jonah in the sea monster was "for ever," then you know that word does not speak of time unending. And when we read of "forever and forever," you have been told the same truth that an "aion" must be a time period of limited duration. Also, when the Lord speaks of past eons and of coming eons, making many of them, it should not require the wisdom of a Solomon to deduct that the eon is of limited duration. Either God has spoken carelessly and therefore the translators of our various texts, being more intelligent than God, have made His muddled language understandable to us; or God has spoken with precision and accuracy and in the fullness of truth, but man has contorted His blessed word into jargon in a portrayal of man's own stupidity and a monstrous concept of Deity.
Now for some additional verbatim consideration of a few passages where the word aion (eon) is used, containing both the singular and plural and combinations of those forms. In Rev. 1: 18 and 5: 13, the phrase literally reads "into the eons of the eons,” - both plurals. It can also be read "for the eons of the eons." The phrase indicates one set or cycle of eons as more important than other sets. Both the Old and New Testaments use the Hebrew and the Greek word for eon in the singular and the plural forms; in both there is therefore a limitation implied. Even the most unlearned mortal alive should be able to discern its time limitation in Jonah 2:6. In no case did God choose some different expression when speaking of the corrective measures for His people--or for those in the Lake of Fire. We must surmise that God had sufficient education to speak his mind clearly, and that He always possessed enough native honesty to say what He meant. He speaks of time before the eons, and He says that the eons will be concluded or finished and thus cease to be. From these passages, we can only conclude that the eons are designations of time eras which God uses to express that sector of eternity, an eternity divided into many different sections, in which He deals with sin or in which He brings about a manifest creation and guides it into a state of absolute perfection.
Therefore, the eons cannot be synonymous with the total expanse of time, but speak only of a sector of time during which God performs a certain work. The translators, most of them, have not shown the slightest respect for true word meanings; they have but voiced their own indoctrinated beliefs, contorting the inspired Word into half a dozen different and illogical renderings of the identical Hebrew or Greek word. In most of our translations, we read "for ever," "everlasting," "always," "eternal," "forever and forever," and even "world" for the word eon. These foreign thoughts were but to cover up and make a little more plausible the monstrous god of man's own creation.
Paul wrote of times before the eons began. (2 Tim. 1:9, Titus 1:2, 1 Cor. 2:7-8) The eons have limits, if there was time before them. He also wrote of the ending of the eons. (Heb. 9:26, 1 Cor. 10: 11) However, we must understand that, in these passages, the consummation or end was not at that specific moment. Paul was speaking of the great work of Atonement which had come to pass, the work of God that would permit a speedy and glorious wind-up of eonian times. These references were to the eons--plural. Jesus spoke of the end of the eon (singular), but the translators dishonestly warped it into "the end of the world." (Matt. 13: 39-40, 49, 24:3)
In the Record, wherever the God Spirit actually meant the world, we find the Greek word kosmos, not aion. In agreement with His description of the end of the eon, He also spoke of the coming eon. (Mk. 10:30) Paul, too, wrote of a future eon (singular) and the coming eons (plural). (Heb. 6:5, Eph. 2: 7) It was not a lack in the Greek vocabulary which forced the use of the word "eon." The Greek has the word "chronos" to indicate the expanse of time. The Spirit of God is precise. He says what He means. Because He was speaking of a specific sector of eternity, during which He is working with His children to bring them to perfection, He had to stick to the word defining that sector, instead of words which could refer to any distant age, even beyond the end of the eons.
In the Old Testament where the Hebrew equivalent of eon refers to God, the rendering is "from everlasting" and its variants. (Ps. 25:6, 41:13, 90:2, Isa. 63: 16) But when the same word refers to man, the translators invent different renderings. (Gen. 6:4, Josh. 24:2, Ps. 119:52, Isa. 42:14) In all of these latter instances, precisely the same word is rendered "of old,” “long time,” "beginning of the world," etc. They couldn't speak of man as being from everlasting, and presumably they did not want to speak of God as being of old. Nevertheless, when we study all such passages and understand the way in which His Spirit uses this word, it becomes apparent that this use does not adversely reflect upon nor limit Deity. Its use is quite proper in connection with the sector of eternity during which He begins to bring His children to the glory of sonship and daughterhood in the stature of Christ. It is doubtful that man could understand much of God and His Being before these eons began. Neither is it useful for man now to ponder much on God and His Sons after these eons have been consummated in glory. Christ Himself spoke of more than one eon at various times, and He spoke of two almost in one breath. (Matt. 12:32) Translators have rendered it "world,” but the Greek had another word for world which Christ also used frequently. (John 3:17, 19, 6:33, 51, 9:5, 11:9)
Do not be confused by a multitude of words let loose by tongues which only repeat what man has invented. The theologians and ministers have an axe to grind; they have a sect to uphold, a job to preserve and a face to save. Therefore, they speak according to the prescription. Should truth ever loom on the near horizon, mortal terror fills their souls. Their dogma has nothing in common with truth; creed was not invented by Christ; new sects and man-appointed “Divines” He strongly forbade. Nevertheless, never hate the peddlers of evil and lies, but do take issue with the evil and the lies--every one. (Prov. 24:14-15, 1 Thess. 5:21-22)
Is it truth you want to receive in your soul? Then use your head! Refuse to swallow the hook, line and sinker offered by the theologically learned, for they are but repeating what man has been teaching and repeating for decades and centuries. Search the Scripture, as Christ commanded you; do just that, but do so with mind in gear! And when God Himself makes the truth plain to you, receive it immediately, instead of coming back with a dozen "buts" and "ifs" until you have muddled yourself away and farther away from His Truth.
The concept common among church people is that man lives here but a few days and in sin. Their sin angers God so much that in His fury He casts those people into a cauldron of fire to torment them time without end. If man were to conceive of the greatest number of years he could imagine and then multiply it by the same number, it is claimed that would still not measure more than a scant beginning of the eternity during which the soul of the unsaved is to be punished by God in indescribable torments measured out by the wrath of God. This is the concept foisted on man by a carnal priesthood, which at the same time proclaims "God is our Father, a Father full of loving kindness and mercy."
As already shown, the word for "torment" in the Greek distinctly implies a trying for soundness and an examining and testing under pressure to produce the true confession, to bring out the truth. Even an earthly father, who has true understanding and much true love for his off-spring, may bring pressure and even much pain upon an errant child, in order to bring that one to a recognition of truth and right and to a cessation of evil. A wise and benevolent father does that to correct--for the child's future good. The child is neither punished nor tortured as an end in itself because of the father’s wrath; the painful duty is taken up by the parent because of his true love.
This extraction of truth, upon which the Father is determined, may in some cases involve a great deal of time. Also, we can presume that in all cases it will be a painful process, involving much loss as well. (From all this, Christ came to save us.) The time duration of discipline is spoken of as eons. By context, these eons are real time, an indefinite, though limited period of time. Jesus Christ summed up its duration as succinctly as possible in Matt. 5: 26. "You shall by no means come out from it, until you have paid the uttermost farthing.” That word “until" speaks volumes. But when the desired result--the required result--is obtained, then the "until" has come to pass with the wayward child on his knees before the Father. What a far cry from "everlasting torment!” When will humanity come of age and honor God? There is not the slightest intention here to promote the concept that sin is immaterial, neither that there is no future judgment. Much to the contrary. There is also the eventual Lake of Fire process for the unyielding and recalcitrant souls who will not give in to Christ. But that Lake of Fire persists only until the "last farthing" has been paid. Christ described this last farthing to be paid out in expiation of the penalty for sin as a destruction of both soul and physical body in Gehenna. (Matt. 10:28) To pay is to part with one's substance. The only substance or tangible possessions of the spirit are its body and soul. These, He said, were subject to disintegration in the Lake of Fire. Therefore, fear Him who is able to bring about that disintegration. But the objective of His coming was to save us from that colossal loss, lest the spirit once more stand denuded, as in the original day of its begetting.
PARADISE
By now we have seen that there are two phases to what is commonly called hell. There are also two major divisions in what people think of as heaven. Our Lord referred to the first of the heaven zones in the parable relating how the angels carried Lazarus into Abraham's bosom. This is the same zone to which Jesus referred on the Cross when He told the repentant thief that he would be with Him that same day in Paradise. It is also referenced in Rev. 6: 9-11 as the place under the Altar, where souls of those slain for the Word of God are to rest for a little while. The "rest" for them is the same as the "being comforted" for Lazarus. Paradise is a word of Persian origin and refers to the royal grounds outside the palace enclosure. A person in Persian paradise could enjoy the beautiful grounds, its select company and the delights of the royal estate; yet he had no access to the palace, nor to the inner lawns reserved for the royal house-hold, unless and until the guard opened the special entry gate. But of course, that gate would only be opened on an order emanating from the palace.
Abraham, as the father of the Covenant People, is represented as awaiting the atoned-for souls in the first heaven-world. His "bosom" typifies shelter, nourishment and comfort. Similarly as for those entering hell, who in unrest reflect on their earth life, those in Paradise also have ample time to reflect on the why's of their woes while on earth. They will be comforted by explanations of God's Laws received from those who have long preceded them, who have entered into increased understanding.
This Paradise in the heavenlies is indeed a sphere-zone of rest, deep serenity, joy, beauty and abundant peace. Still its environment is far from identical with the crystal gold of Rev. 4:6 and 21: 18. Neither does it provide the heights of freedom, glory and power of those to whom the Inner Gate is opened. But bear in mind that as yet the Temple has not been opened to any of the waiting ones. The waiting souls have been instructed to wait for the balance of their brethren. This is further confirmed in Rev. 15:5, at which point in time the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony in heaven is opened. This occurs some time following the opening of the seven-sealed book and following the bugling by the seven trumpeting angels. All of these events speak of end-of-our-age developments here on earth. Six of the Seals have already been broken and all except the 7th Trumpet have blown, but as yet it is only Paradise which openly awaits the atoned-for soul.
This realm of Paradise is a spherical zone superimposed upon the realm of hell, which we have already viewed, and it is far larger. It commences about 4500 miles out from the earth's surface (the extent of the oxygen sphere) and extends further outward through the hydrogen sphere about 10,000 more miles (15,000 total). Neither the unseen world (Sheol or Hades) nor Paradise are fixed placements in space, but are zones within a larger sphere centered on our earth and are carried about through space with our earth in its journey--just as its atmosphere and stratosphere remain about the planet in its orbit. We see the agreement of the unseen world with the earth planet and its atmospheric envelope, over which we are told Lucifer has dominion. The physical is but a replica of the spiritual. Beyond the outermost layers of rarified air lie the ionic and other strata which the scientists are now investigating.
Beyond the distant periphery of Paradise, approximately 15,000 miles out from earth, begin the strata which we might call those of divine spirit. These strata teem with the higher orders of spirits in the Lord’s service. We can only surmise the dimensions of that Divine Realm, its formation and its relationship to our earth planet, this solar system, our galaxy, or system of galaxies. This Divine Realm, in placement and power, would probably be the central vortex of our galaxy, or conceivably the central vortex of multitudinous galaxies.
This matter merges into the far more profound question of whether there are Gods for other galaxies--other than our own God. But it is a question which does not produce a conflict with Scripture stating, "I AM, the First and the Last, and beside Me there is no God...” However profound and intriguing that matter is, it is nevertheless beyond the scope of this study and it is also one we may well let rest--because it is of no concern to us.
In the realm of Paradise, the souls rise outward from the earth as do the souls in Hades, but at a more rapid rate than the unsaved ones in Hades. Souls of the 30 fold are in the entrance strata or boundary zones between Hades and Paradise. Those of the 60 fold are in the intermediate strata of Paradise, and those of the 100 fold are in the uppermost strata. In Hades, the soul garment deteriorates; but in Paradise, the souls remain complete. Although there is no shedding of soul-substance by those in "Abraham's bosom,” they too purify--in a sense--and rise accordingly.

Most of them, when leaving the earth-life, still had strong desires, ambitions and personal attachments, unless they experienced death of the physical body at a very old age. Since such coursings through the soul are foreign to heaven, they find themselves in the lower strata, and require time there to become detached from earth loves and ambitions. As they become detached and oriented toward God, they commence to rise.
During the waiting period in the lower strata, the purifying takes form, being symbolized by their being given white robes. (Rev. 6:11) Don't ever assume that there is magic in death which changes the ego in the slightest. Whatever the person was by nature previously, he also is following his physical death. Therefore, it is vital that every Christian hears the command of Jesus Christ our Lord, "You be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect." The more diligently we set about to hear (conform to) that Word of His and to work out our own salvation, the sooner and deeper shall we enter into the approaches of His emanating glory.
Will the souls passing on be reunited with loved ones beyond death's portal? This varies much both in Paradise and Hades, though especially in Hades. The placement of each one is determined by the vibrational pitch of the soul. If the transition of loved ones is spaced not too far apart in time and if their "rungs on the ladder" are not too far apart, they can reunite. In Hades, such reunions bring no happiness. In Paradise, their meeting brings a considerable measure of joy, but still nothing near to that which would be anticipated by earthlings. In Paradise, awareness of Truth rapidly increases, which leads to the same detachment evidenced by the words of father Abraham. The joys experienced in and through our loved ones on earth is purely a condition common to earthlings. God is Light; Light reveals the facts of Truth. The closer our approach to God, the more completely the illusion of the "me and mine" is dispelled to be replaced by the "Thee and Thine." The "me and mine" is wholly an error of the carnal (self-willed) mind. In the light, we adore the Light, rejoicing in its Author and glorying in the joys and beauty of those similarly clad in His Light. That is the joy in heaven, as well as in its approaches through the upper strata of Paradise. The joys common to heaven in all strata are founded in Light and understanding, not in past earth-ties and in "the flesh which profits nothing."
But let us not be so naive as to imagine that death and the entry to heaven open all knowledge to the saved. Following death, one is just as uneducated as previously, except for the strange things he beholds. It is much like traveling to an utterly strange country here on earth. Entering the new country does not increase native intelligence or understanding, except with reference to the things observed.
The arrival in Paradise is similar. However, since the entrance is not just for a visit but for citizenship, enrollment in God's University becomes a requirement. This institution of learning is in the pattern of the Tabernacle pitched by Moses in the wilderness, for that Tabernacle was conformed to the heavenly design. The inner-most cubicle of the Tabernacle was the 10X10X10 Holy of Holies, with the Shekinah Glory as its Holy Spirit. It typified the God Zone. The Holy Spirit is the Principal of the University; on rare occasions only does he himself commune or instruct. The members of his functioning "High Priesthood" are delegated to instruct the appointed ones in the Holy Place. They in turn minister to those in the outer court.
YOUR FUTURE
We are now in the very last portion of the "work week" of man, the ending of the 6000 years during which mankind, through a representative number, is to have been trained and brought to graduation from mortality into immortality, from difficulty in wresting a living from the earth, and from pain and sorrow into an absolute freedom from the former curses. (Gen. 2:17, 3:17-19, Heb. 2:14-15, Acts 3:20-21) The seventh 1000 year day will follow as a rest from the completed work and to prepare and attune for the fully established Kingdom era on earth.
Beginning with the seventh day, the Gospel of Grace and Salvation, as we know it today, will be no more. (Heb. 9:28) Then evangelists will go forth to preach the Gospel of Immortality in human flesh on earth (Rev. 14:6--literally, announcing the message of eonian well-being). The great objective of the Kingdom era is that of men becoming full-blown, unveiled sons of God; and that means immortality in human flesh--right here on earth! (Ro. 8:11, 19-23) Here we are not speaking of the deathless estate of those who become "sons of the resurrection," but of mortals of today, who become immortals without tasting of death. Nor are we speaking of those who pass through what biblically is termed “translation of the saints.”
The Gospel of Everlasting deals with immortality in human flesh for the here and now--and it deals with its corollary of immutable Law! Grace and mercy are toward the ignorant adolescents, but when a full understanding of Truth is achieved and its fruits are everywhere manifested, then there no more remains an excuse or reasonable motivation for error and sin. Then the inexorable Law takes over. This is in harmony with and preparatory for the later era when the Son yields up the Kingdom to the Absolute. (1 Cor. 15:24-25)
We should not make the mistake of assuming that conditions during the next "week of days” will be the same as now. The whole world will be on a new cycle wave of increased devotion and spirituality. The truly religious then today would be classed as extreme fanatics. Then children will be born as mortals, equally subject to death as are those today. Yet through careful training and instruction into Life, they shall never grow old, but shall grow into maturity and enter a full sonship to God before the age of 50. From then on, they will continue to live unchanged for thousands of years, until an absolute mastery has been achieved over every potential within, as well as over all of that which is outside. God will surely see to it that His injunction to man on dominion will be fully realized. (Gen. 1:28) Every spirit indwelling a human body was begotten by the Father of Spirits. (Heb. 12:9) God is perfect and He is a Creator. Therefore, the Father's Master Plan is that His children shall eventually attain to His own perfection (in His image and stature)--to become creators. (Matt. 5:48) Yet to become creators in the likeness of the Father, the rebel spirits inhabiting human bodies must come to an understanding and mastering of all the elements. Our training and experience in that approach during the early cycles of our spirit life were broken off when we disobeyed the Father and chose to follow Lucifer. Therefore, we must complete our elemental studies on earth so that, as sons of God, we shall possess the understanding which qualifies us technically to become creators.
Millions times countless billions of spheres in space, now and still to come, are and will be waiting the young creators to take charge of elemental and form developments. Whole environments suitable for the chosen life form must be shaped and developed--as was the case here on earth. The vastly magnified power which the future sons of God shall be able to wield will be in marked contrast to that now possessed by virgin spirits or even older spirits with only an evolved soul-body. The elemental development and the evolutionary perfection of form will be greatly accelerated, in comparison to the time needed for the results in preceding cycles. In addition, following the future transitional fire and renovation of the earth and many other spheres, the sons of God shall constitute their perfect humanity and become the teachers for multitudinous waves of younger brethren.
That is God's operational method. The elder shall serve the younger. Today, parents and teachers and well-trained adults in various fields watch over, instruct and carefully train their charges. In this way, the youngster of today has the opportunity of learning during the first twenty to thirty years of life as much as he would have learned through the first 6000 years or more of human experience, had he been placed on earth in a deathless body by himself, or even if he had started out with several other similar beings.
Because it is God’s plan for saving much, much time in schooling, we see now and from the records of history how here and there and everywhere a few righteous stalwarts struggle to teach and discipline the lawless into paths of rectitude. From such stalwarts of the past have stemmed our civil laws and constitutions so that the younger and obstreperous might be guided and even herded into ways of righteousness. Through God's law of the elder serving the younger, the younger spirit-waves learn and become disciplined by the elder, to the end that their homeward trek becomes greatly accelerated.
But let us be careful to understand that the entrance into full sonship is the acquisition of immortality in human flesh. It is available here and now, but necessitates an absolute conformity to God's Law into Life. It calls for immensely more than living a "good Christian life." It even calls for more than strong persuasion or faith. It calls for a complete understanding of the Law into Life, and then living up to it. So far, the Church and its ministers are almost utterly devoid of anything close to that understanding. Therefore, the living of that Law today would be labeled as an extreme of fanaticism.
Because immortality in human flesh on earth will be coveted during future ages to precisely the same extent as many today fervently seek salvation, we can at least begin to understand why the spirit will then be manifest to "fanatically" live a Holy life. Now we are under grace, and so the weak and erring Christian is prone to be lax; "My Lord is merciful and He understands.” But when there is full understanding as a result of sound teaching, grace will be a thing of the past and the Law will be fully operative.
Therefore, there will be the fear, less laxity in the standard of conduct might tempt one aspiring to immortality to deviate one iota from the Law into Life. With that Law broken as much as once, death will be the consequence. Thus there will be a "fanatical" strictness in the code of conduct lived out by those adhering to the "camp of the saints" in Jerusalem. (Rev. 20:9) The very word “saints” means the separated ones. The very keynote of their laws will be the words of the Apostle, "the friendship of the world is enmity with God." (James 4:4)
How lamentably few in Christendom have ever realized the awe-inspiring truth and the terrific dynamic of God’s words, "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God created He him." Since we are not to worship the image, we know that the begotten spirit within man is destined for the stature of its Divine Parent--eventually to become a creator similarly as is his Father. We, the rebel spirits who were once in Lucifer's tail, had our basic training in handling the primeval gases cut off. The cooperating angels completed theirs. In contrast, we might be compared to youngsters of today who, because of a hideous misdemeanor, were expelled from school permanently when in the third grade. But through the unfathomable love of a Father and the unspeakable suffering of a Savior, the way has been prepared for our reinstatement and the finishing of our education. For those of us who accept His sacrifice, this final tutoring will take place on the renovated earth in the eons yet to vault from His fire.
But what a difference there will be in our catching up! Then, incidental to our being cast down to earth (matter), we have come into possession of and have garnered experience through a physical body engine. The powers of that engine shall become transcendent so that, in our graduating exercises on the renovated earth, we shall approximate the power potential of the Archangels who are older than we by countless eons! All of this is ours because our Father and Savior paid the terrifying price, even to its suffering-most "farthing" for you and for me. To speak of our salvation does nowhere near justice to what He accomplished for us. He actually and factually clipped an "eternity" from the days of our schooling and growing up!
The new humanity man, after his schooling is completed on the renovated earth, will have fantastic capabilities. Today a trained surgeon may slash open a chest to massage a faltering heart back into action, but the citizen of the renovated earth would simply increase the vibration of his hand sufficiently to dip through living flesh in a bloodless operation. Instead of the grueling hours for a specialist to remove a brain tumor, the new humanity man could dip through the bone, sear off the tumor and take it out. Today our scientists have their atom smashers, stupendously powerful cyclotrons, in which they have brought about the formation of elements new to man. With these machines, they have brought about changes in the elements on the physical plane through controlled vibrations. On the spirit plane, God brings things into being also through controlled vibrations, though on a tremendous scale and scope. A son of the new humanity will need no such contraption as a cyclotron, for his physical body then will have become a "cyclotron" so fantastically perfected that, by comparison, the most advanced and most powerful of today's machines are but crude toys. The spirit within will be the power-house substation, for God alone is the one and only power-station from whom all must draw. The sons of the new humanity will not only be able to smash atoms as our scientists do, but they will be able to design and assemble them according to the desired functioning and planned purpose.
Today we have motorized equipment--mechanical and electronic. The new humanity will be able to incorporate into a machine living material as sensitive as our sympathetic nervous system. Such a machine would fully obey every thought of its maker. It could be used by an angelic being as effectively as we use our bodies today. The graduating Masters of that age will also be able to instantly dissolve material objects and reassemble or materialize them where wanted. In fact, that is the ultimate destiny of this very planet. When in the eons to come, a sufficient number of its Master-Sons have graduated, the combined power from their emitters shall be adequate to fully transform the entire earth substance. It shall then flux at their will, like living substance in the hands of God. That will be the commencement of a new, or super-physical, universe, the Edenic Paradise arena for the full-grown Sons of Jesus Christ!
For us He sacrificed and paid to the uttermost as much as it is possible for even God to do. Therefore, there is transcendent glory for all who fully accept Him and go on into the consummation of overcoming. With the ultimate of this vision in mind, perhaps the blundering and suffering mortal of today will understand, in measure, the depth and scope of the Father's reasons for permitting what we might think of as our "debacle in sin.” Agony wrenched moments have walked with the children of man, and anguish and sorrow have haunted his pilgrimage on earth--until the human soul has cried out in stark despair.
That was not the Father's will! The angels who kept their first estate remained in the Father's will. We have but reaped the consequence of willful error. Yet through an immortal seed, structured in utter righteousness and with a Divine vortex from the Compassionate One, the intensity of feeling we have endured on our pilgrimage shall be channeled into a vibrational pitch, the essence of which shall equate to more than the substance garnered by spirit children of our own spirit age who remained within His perfect will. (Luke 15:21-32)
In that day we shall love Him all the more, as we enter into the enjoyment of all the winnings He garnered for us--incidental to our redemption. (Col. 2:15, 2 Cor. 3:18) He who is victorious, He who absolutely overcomes, shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My SON! (Rev. 21: 7) This eighth and greatest of the covenants was voiced by the Glorified One, and it was voiced for all who reach the cube of '2' in overcoming, the highest intensity of separation from error for joining Him in Truth.
C. Gordon Wolcott

For further study of Scriptural truth, the author has also written: "The Lord's Day--Prophecy for a New Era” as well as over 300 titles of studies containing "Treasures New and Old" published by the Brotherhood of Jesus, La Jolla, California.

Book is out of print. Author is deceased. Technically, rights belong to the organization known as Brotherhood of Jesus

Published (ca. 1976) by Brotherhood of Jesus, 5952 Germaine La Jolla, CA