In the previous posting I noted that there are two specific passages of Scripture that perfectly identify the will of God for every God seeker ever born.  These passages state in no uncertain terms what is required for a seeker to become one of His Very Elect, His remnant, His “little flock” of true believers.  One of those passages is found in John 4:34 where Jesus said that He had only one “meat”–reason for existence.  His reason for coming to earth as a man was to DO THE WILL OF THE FATHER and to FINISH HIS WORK.  In the previous posting, in fact in the entire 1900+ postings found on this website, I endeavored to inform readers as to the will of the Father as well as the responsibility of His saints in fulfilling His will.  In this posting, which will feature 2 John 7,8, we will focus on exactly what His will is for anyone who wishes to spend eternity with Him in His kingdom.  Let us honestly approach this most precious passage of Scripture and, through the Holy Spirit, receive revelation concerning His will for mankind.

Second John verses 7,8 directly address so-called sinners saved by grace (SSBG), which includes approximately 2.5 billion professing Catholics and Protestants living today as well as billions of others who lived in the past.  These, and those who will join them in Satan’s church system between now and the return of Jesus Christ, have not understood the words of the Apostle John relative to the salvation process which takes place from the time of one’s true conversion until his/her death or the return of Jesus Christ to earth, whichever comes first.  Contrary to universal church opinion, salvation is a process, not an event.  It is not an instantaneous happening relative to becoming a true Christian.  As the Apostle Paul wrote, only those who cross the FINISH LINE having FOLLOWED THE RACE RULES will receive the prize–eternal life.  The Institutional Church proclaims that her parishioners receive the prize simply by deciding to take Jesus as their Savior.  Supposedly having received the prize, they then design the race and run it according to those rules.  Let us see what God says about that theological doctrine.

Before getting into the subject, we must examine verses 4 and 6 which provide some “fine print” background for verses 7 and 8.  In verse 4 John states that we must “walk in (live according to the) Truth (God’s Word–Jn. 17:17) as we have received a COMMANDMENT” to do so from the Lord.  Then in verse 6 John tells us that we show our love for the Lord by “walking” in (obeying) THE (TEN) COMMANDMENTS.”  He then condenses the entire Law into one commandment, saying: “This is THE (one) COMMANDMENT (relative to the Law)–that we OBEY IT.   The Almighty, through John, is telling us that we must obey His Ten Commandment Law (including #4) in order to receive salvation.  The command comes with a warning.  “For many deceivers ARE (presently) in the world.”  These are professing Christians, including “ministers of righteousness” (false prophets), working under the “angel of light” (Satan)–2 Cor. 11:13-15–who refuse to confess that “Jesus Christ IS (presently) come (is now being revealed) in the flesh.”

How many billions of people, including myself in the past, have read 2 John 7 and wondered why anyone in the church would refuse to confess that Jesus Christ had come into the world in the flesh (as a human being).  Without the power of the Holy Spirit working from within, one cannot understand this “fine print” message.  The Holy Spirit is given the true believer upon being truly converted, meaning that he/she has totally reversed his/her “walk.”  True conversion comes only after one recognizes that he/she is a sinner, confesses and repents of his/her past sins, receives forgiveness of his/her sins and reverses his/her life’s walk.  This rarely takes place because the vast majority of God seekers refuse to accept God’s definition of sin–the breaking of His Law (1 Jn. 3:4).  Not accepting God’s definition of sin, they cannot receive forgiveness and, like the rest of the world, “remain in their sins” (1 Cor. 15:17).  Having “nailed the Law to the cross” and therefore refusing to obey it, they in fact remain in their sinful condition.  Satan convinces them that, though sinners, they are members of the Body of Christ.

Now let us see exactly what 2 John 7 actually means.  Notice the word “IS” in the statement: “Jesus IS come in the flesh.”  Understand that JESUS CHRIST DID NOT COME IN THE FLESH.  Rather, the Word (a God–Jn. 1:1-4,14) came to earth as a flesh and blood human being–Jesus the son of Joseph and Mary from the town of Nazareth.  He was a God named the Word.  He became Jesus only AFTER He was born as a human being.  What false Christians are saying is that Jesus Christ IS (presently) NOT BEING MANIFESTED IN HUMAN BEINGS TODAY, that His character and power are not being manifested by human beings today because that is impossible.  John calls these holiness deniars “deceivers.”  They deny that human beings can “walk (live) as Jesus walked” (1 Jn. 2:6), can be “pure as He is pure” (1 Jn. 3:3) and can “… overcome as I (Jesus) overcame (Satan) and therefore cannot qualify to “… sit with Me (Jesus) on My throne” in the Kingdom of God (Rev. 3:21).  In other words, church people believe that, due to Adam’s sin-transferral miracle, we were all born sinners who have no choice but to remain sinners until death.  As one such denier–a local preacher–said, we are “… nothing more than a society of sinners,” and that by trying to be holy we would make ourselves sick.   Another preacher declared that “… we are all flawed,” meaning that we cannot become unflawed in this life.  In other words, we cannot overcome Satan (as Jesus commanded in Revelation 3:21), and are destined to be overcome by him.  As one seminary student told me, we cannot help but sin.  Therefore, Jesus died so that we could sin (obey Satan) and get away with it.  Relative to 2 John 7, church people believe that JESUS CHRIST CANNOT BE MANIFESTED IN THE FLESH TODAY.  When God’s Words to the contrary are pointed out to them they proclaim that HUMAN EXPERIENCE proves that those Words cannot be taken at face value.  When God’s Word competes with human experience, God loses every time.

The Word became Jesus Christ Who walked in the flesh among men.  Second John 7 tells us that God’s true saints are Jesus Christ in the flesh today.  Just as Jesus manifested the character and will of His Father 2000 years ago, His disciples manifest His (Christ’s) character and will today.  Jesus said that “The Father and I are one” (Jn. 10:30), meaning that They were of the same will and character when He walked the earth as a man.  Just as Jesus was God in the flesh, His disciples are Jesus in the flesh as they walk the earth as men.  Church people do not believe that this is possible.  Why?  Because to do so would leave them without an excuse for living in sin.  By denying that man can live as did Jesus Christ, they can live any way they want and still call themselves God’s people.  In order to confirm their error, they employ hirelings (Jn. 10:12,13) to scratch their itching ears (2 Tim. 4:3) by telling them that, as one preacher told his congregation: “You’re all saved; that has been established.  This type of statement was what people in Isaiah’s day wanted to hear.  They told him to tell them “smooth things, lies and deceits” (Isa. 30:10).

In 2 John 8 the apostle issues a warning to those who know the Truth and are obeying it: “Take notice of yourselves so that WE (John included) do not LOSE WHAT WE HAVE GAINED, so that we can RECEIVE THE REWARD” promised by the Lord–eternal life.  Eternal life is promised only to those who qualify for it by living in righteousness (Rom. 5:21) and holiness (Rom. 6:22) until the end (Mat. 10:22).  In 2 John 9-11 he warns that anyone who does not ABIDE (remain) in Christ by obeying His doctrine (Law) is alienated from both God and Christ.  Those who deny Their Words prove that they DESPISE BOTH FATHER AND SON (Lk. 10:16).

Jesus stated that He came to “… finish His (God’s) work.”  Being at the right hand of God at the present time, He is finishing the Father’s work through those who manifest Him in the flesh just as He did God’s work by manifesting Him (God) in the flesh.  Jesus is finishing His Father’s work through his Very Elect.  Just as He (Jesus) was the “light of the world” while He was in the world (Jn. 9:5), His true saints are the same “light of the world” while they are in the world (Mat. 5:14).  He warned His “lights” that they would be rejected just as He and His original apostles were rejected.  True saints know that what I have stated many times is true: LIFE IS WAR.  Read the lives of the prophets, apostles and Jesus Himself for confirmation.  If one is not constantly under attack from Satan and his helpers, one is not a child of God.  Truly, the Almighty expects His true servants to be able to say, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Christ.” L.J.