The Deceitful Confession

- (Identity Theft) -
Post 310

(I John 4:1-3)

If even the very-rebellious Jewish nation has been destroyed but not abandoned by God (as proven by their miraculous 1948 return after nearly two thousand years, and Typed by the second generation’s success where the first generation failed 40 years earlier), are we now sufficiently convinced-- not only by very clear scattered verses but by the whole message of scripture-- that a person’s salvation is contingent only upon a laid foundation in God through the blood sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ that fulfills the Type of the animal sacrifices no longer in effect (Hebrews 9:12-14), and that through an Abrahamic faith alone, regardless of the condition of the temple that is thereafter built on that foundation and the resulting revelation by fire; anywhere from ashes to glorious (even with the actual location and condition of the ash-builder’s eternal habitation still undiscovered), while knowing that as Moses-- Typed by continued leading of the failed people in the wilderness until their death-- Jesus remains true to his people even after their failure to enter into his promised rest? (I know that’s a mouthful).
In short: How much support do you have for your faith in Jesus as the only element for your salvation?

I understand that without more than a casual reading of all that I have shown from the first Posts until now, you cannot possibly have retained more than a smattering of my detailed evidences to this indisputable conclusion that literally permeates my entire message, that is disputable in ignorance without such knowledge. But the sad fact is, that if you cannot digest the goods you eat, the nutrients are not yours to metabolize (*1) and they drop out in the waste, unused. If milk is all that you can digest after years of feeding, and that, fed to you one bottle at a time by someone less than infantile in faith, then rejoice, because at least by your juvenile faith in Christ Jesus your savior, you have a place in God’s kingdom… somewhere. My concern is that the Apostle Paul; the wise master-builder and foundation layer, was himself concerned about being castaway if he let his faith slip even while preaching to others (I Timothy 1:19+I Corinthians 9:27), and Paul of all people should know just what that means! (II Corinthians 11:25). So, apparently Paul was not content with having rightly possessed salvation alone (Philippians 3:10-14), and perhaps you shouldn’t be either (Philippians 3:15, II Peter 3:17) lest you find even your foundation destroyed before it counts (*2) (II Peter 3:16). But we have already sufficiently covered this concept before, and now we must move on with those who have protein-fed energy to use for heavy lifting.
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The Deceitful Confession:
Before we finally bring all our many studied parts dramatically together into a grand picture of a recognizable, though unfinished, tapestry, I feel it is important to make one last notation of distinction; and that is regarding illusion.
Just as the common simple Christian struggles with the dual sovereignty of man and God-- seemingly defying the definition of sovereignty itself (John 13:27: who’s sovereign here; Jesus, Satan, or Judas?)--, and the simplicity of an undisputable declaration of faith as a guaranteed ticket to heaven regardless of conduct, against the warning of falling short; so the common simple Christian panics when we seem to question the unquestionable scripture that protects any confession of Christ as unquestionably legitimate:

“Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God:…” I John 4:2-3a.

Pretty hard to argue with that.
But what does it really mean, in a “beyond milk” kind of way? That same passage begins with:

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God:…” I John 4:1.

In a juvenile faith we can clearly see that if we question or doubt the validity of a spirit, all we have to do is ask the question, and if the spirit replies in the affirmative we can be sure this is a spirit of God… even if its wicked… a lot like our five foolish virgins… apparently.
But let’s do a little cross-examination of this “proof positive test” just to be sure we have it calibrated right. What might we use as a baseline for our calibration? How about circumcision?

Every Christian knows that the Apostle Paul eliminated circumcision as a proof-positive evidence of being right with God, even though circumcision was God’s proof positive sign given that they were in fact God’s:

God says; “This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised…And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant” Genesis 17:10,14.

But the Apostle Paul, after the coming of the Messiah, says; “For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision” Romans 2:25. (The two are reconciled by Romans 4:10-13, [which actually doesn’t eliminate God’s intent for circumcision, that came after Abraham’s faith!]).

Paul goes on to say by comparison that physical circumcision is completely ineffective regarding spiritual salvation…

“For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God” Romans 2:28-29 (regarding Revelation 3:9).

…and that a person called to be a follower of Christ need not concern himself whether he is already circumcised or not circumcised at the time he is converted. It simply doesn’t matter to Christ because he looks at the heart to find the circumcision:

“Is any man called being circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God (circumcised or not). Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called (: in circumcision or in uncircumcision)” I Corinthians 7:18-20.

So now, applying this calibration to our “spirit of God test,” What if a wicked spirit confirms that Jesus came in the flesh? I John 4:1 warns us that some spirits will indeed tell us things that we shouldn’t believe:

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God:…” I John 4:1.

So how do you test a spirit that tells you things you shouldn’t believe? You ask them? That doesn’t seem to be a very good test. So what was Paul actually recommending as positive proof that a spirit is of God?
We can use circumcision as an example: does he keep the commandments of God regardless of what he “looks like” on the outside: i.e. Is his heart circumcised?
Am I stretching this scriptural concept beyond its intent? You judge:

“And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?” Matthew 8:28-29.

Need another example?”

“And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” Acts 19:15.

These spirits, declared to be evil, seemed to have no problem confessing that Jesus came in the flesh, and openly confessed that this Jesus was in fact the Son of God.

So we know then that a spirit’s confession, as used in the scriptural test to distinguish “good vs. evil” spirits, is not something specifically verbal-- like a secret password into a club-- but a confession by nature motivated by a specific truth: The question “Did Jesus Christ the Son of God come in the flesh for the redemption of all who would serve him?” is a concept of Lordship no different than our Bic-Test of people claiming to be Christians, such as Catholics and Mormons and Pop Stars, who all confess Jesus is the Son of God come in the flesh but act or believe contrary to that confession. The question: “Are you clean or unclean?” is the exploratory test that is asked rhetorically (*3) while we try (1381) the spirits as told to do in I John 4:1.

Try 1381 dokimazo; from 1384; to test (literally or figuratively); by implication, to approve:-- allow, discern, examine, X like, (ap-)prove, try.

So now if a person, or spirit, confesses the Lord Jesus Christ with his mouth, is that a foolproof guarantee that he is of God as Romans 10:9 seems to promise without argument? Let’s look at it to be quite sure of what it says:

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” Romans 10:9-10.

Hmmm, along with verbal confession that Jesus is Lord, which leads to salvation by “a committed public course,” we are also told he must believe in his heart that God raised him from the dead, which leads to righteousness by a committed private course. So we see that salvation comes in a set of factors, which both must be in effect for success. In America we use the phrase, “Put your money where your mouth is,” even if it is applied in the reverse, such as in this case:

“Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God” John 12:42-43.

Another American idiom; “Show me the money!” describes the concept that backing up the claim is necessary.
Again, this Romans 10:9-10 concept is so clear that it cannot be argued otherwise: Confession and belief result in salvation. Period.
But.
This is a passage of milk, designed for the nourishment of new life. Babies are utterly innocent of false motives, deception, subterfuge, and the like, so this clean verse for babies is absolutely pure and true without flaw. If/Then. It’s guaranteed. You can bank on it. "Do you want to be saved? Here’s how."
But now in a world of meat-eaters, this verse is not suggesting that someone who is intentionally deceitful is incapable of uttering these words or claiming these beliefs, or at least lead you to think they claim it (*4). The words are not a magic incantation. This is not witchcraft. Any actor on a stage can perform these lines and really give the impression that it comes from his heart. It doesn’t mean he’s saved... or of God.
So now that we understand that there is no magic in the magic words, the second half of the verse, like circumcision, and like the confession of spirits, comes into play:

“…and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead…”

Now we have to ask; How do we know if this individual actually believes this in his heart? We ask him? That doesn’t seem to be a very good test. So what was Paul actually recommending as positive proof that a person believes his claim? “Show me the money!”; is your heart circumcised?
Are you seeing how this “cross-calibration within scripture itself” works? Good. Because we are now in an age of professional identity-theft where a deceitful confession is extremely hard to detect, but it’s very important that we do, as evidenced by finishing the last of our three study verses:

“And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world” I John 4:3.

Knowing what this “unchristian spirit” is-- that might even verbally confess Jesus came in the flesh,-- doesn’t really change our judgment, it only establishes how important it is that we not fail to perform the test, in spite of the pseudo-biblically supported cries of “Don’t Judge!”

Not everybody whose temple burns will find a foundation under the ashes, even though they confessed its existence. Not every pigeon is a homer and the only sure proof is where they end up, but for the sake of interaction we can get an early good-idea by how they fly:

“They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error” I John 4:5-6.

This is the meaning of the “confession test,” very much like a young woman trying to figure out if a young man means it when he says he loves her from the back seat of a car (John 6:28,34-37=John 6:26 as the evaluation’s negative conclusion that knew the right answer from the beginning, just as did the girl).
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The Deceitful Covenant:
There is another Deceitful Confession of a slightly different presentation, which is important regarding those openly non-believers who we make covenants with for mutual advantage (I Corinthians 5:12-13). Like the man pretending to be our President, they can have all the right words and meaning if they were one with us as declared, but deceive us as to who they really are and therefore their words and meaning have a hidden, different, context that we would not have agreed to if we had known their true nature.

Joshua chapter 9 provides an example of some really smart people in the target land, who, because of their incorrigible wickedness like the rest in the land, God had told Joshua to utterly destroy and possess the land as their own. So because of their location of habitation in the path of sure destruction, they knew they would be killed, and therefore in careful preparation came to Joshua (the type of the returning Christ) pretending to be foreigners from a far away land, desiring to make a peace treaty of submission with the confessed people of God (defraud). And because God had not given any moratorium on peace with foreigners not in the land, Joshua, as Christ, shockingly made the covenant according to the terms provided in the deception, but the failure was in not counseling God in what seemed to be a no-brainer.
In otherwords: this is a false-identity problem not a covenant problem. The foundational lie affects everything above it, regardless of how good and pure those elements are. (I really encourage you to read chapter 9).
I don’t wish to take this curious last-end-time prophecy any further at this time because we need to stay on track. This is a topic that needs to be addressed in-depth at a later time for a later fulfillment, but for now, our application is in counseling the wisdom of the Lord (Holy Spirit) in even the most obvious issues. We simply don’t have the luxury of running on our own outside of the Lord’s protection even while following the letter of the Scriptures. Without declaration, this should automatically apply in the hearts of women in reference to their husband’s perspective rather than his law, as well as to Christian’s intimate relationship with God as opposed to simply living under the same roof. It’s not a rule thing; it’s a relationship thing, and the complex consequences of the wife’s emotional decisions must now be dealt with as a family matter (chapter 10:1-14). More will have to wait, but not as long as you think.
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Identity Theft:
I have stated more than once that every issue in our temporal reality is simply a reflection of a spiritual issue in the far-more important reality. Scriptural history is simply an early example for us to apply in our own period soon to be history too.
Today we have a huge problem with identity theft; this is many times more troublesome than having your house robbed, and God has made very plain that his blood boils hot at identity theft:

“Behold, I will (eventually) make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee” Revelation 3:9.

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness... Who changed the truth of God into a lie…” Romans 1:18,25.

In an age when people have learned by intentional creativity to deceive, and people actually love to be deceived intentionally: (CGI and special affects in Movies that are so good it cannot be distinguished from real, Tricks of illusion so good they “must be actually demonic magic,” women so cosmetically beautiful she "must be a goddess," GMOs passed as “natural,” etc.), the art of identity-theft, on every front, is now of the highest quality, and actually praised for its skill, as companies and governments pay huge salaries to employ these criminals, such as in the autobiography: “Catch Me IF You Can” (*5), long before the computer-age of crime on a new level.
In future Posts I hope to present relative current information in science and technology that only a decade ago would be utterly rejected as too fantastic to even be acceptable in sci-fi stories, but today it is just the next curious advancement. These “normal advances” are quickly bringing us to the fulfillment of scripture’s end-time prophesies as the whore of Revelation establishes herself as a player in the world’s field of powers, even before she mounts the beast.
By many previous Posts we are now quite confident that the Beast is in fact Islam, but “Who is the Whore?” that is the question we are answering. And by now, through our discussions, the disturbing answer should already be dawning in your subconscious mind.
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What does it take to be saved?
Having said all that, are you still with me? By milk or by meat, are you still completely confident in the undisputable fact that salvation comes ONLY via a confession of heart and mouth that Jesus is indeed the Messiah and savior of your soul by the sacrifice of his own blood to pay your death penalty for sin, and this is completely independent of any conduct; virtuous or otherwise? No magic scissors to snip bits of your flesh, no magic passwords to gain access, no bath in oil or water, no cracker or juice, no saint or virgin, no funds paid in the plate, no magic underwear or doily on your head; Just Jesus and only Jesus! (Colossians 2:8-9…-14…-17). All else are but symbolic expressions of what is real (Matthew 22:36-39=40); we call this Faith (Romans 4:9,13…-16…-18 oh just read to the end of the chapter!).
I say these things cautiously because people need such physical manifestations in order to make their faith feel real enough to trust. And in truth, faith without works is dead; meaning you must put tangible act to belief or it’s all just imagination, an illusion. My point is that the acts are simply manifestations-- or forgeries-- of something real…

“…And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me” John 11:41b-42.

…and are only useful as long as what they represent is not forgotten by replacing the belief with the act that represents it. And like words without the act; the act without faith is an illusion too. Have you metabolized the life force of God, or only eaten the Catholic magic cracker? (*6).
This question of salvation by Christ alone is not casual. It must be answered in the affirmative as surely as you need air to breath. And it needs to be as confident as the panic that sets in when that air is denied. I am about to show you why.
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(*1) metabolize: biology: to change (food) into a form that can be used by your body: to process and use (substances brought into your body) by metabolism - Merriam-Webster online dictionary.
Metabolism: biology: the chemical process by which a plant or an animal uses food, water, etc., to grow and heal and to make energy - Merriam-Webster online dictionary.
[See Psalm 119:11, Colossians 3:16, Psalm 1:2, vs. Isaiah 59:12-13].

(*2) Foundation destroyed before it counts:
(Philippians 3:16-19+ Psalm 11:3,
Post 063 “So What Happens If America Falls?” (http://when-did-reason-die.blogspot.com/2010/06/so-what-happens-if-america-falls.html),
Post 194 “Peace” (http://when-did-reason-die.blogspot.com/2011/05/peace.html), etc.

(*3) The exploratory test that is asked rhetorically:
The number of rabbit-trails seems to never diminish, and it seems important to keep the reader from taking them in the effort to stay on target: The spirits are indeed constrained to speak truthfully when honestly adjured (1844; to exact an oath) by God in proxy (Matthew 26:63, Mark 5:7), but not when adjured without valid authority (Acts 19:13). In this way the spirits are indeed obligated to answer in truth and the simple verse interpretation remains intact (Mark 1:27, Luke 10:17). We are exploring the depths that are not simple in an age of professionalized Identity-Theft… by both the asked and the asker.

(*4) See Post 272 “The Witchcraft of Uganda” (http://when-did-reason-die.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-witchcraft-of-uganda.html).

(*5) “Catch Me if You Can is the autobiography of Frank Abagnale, a former con artist who, as a young man, cashed $2.5 million worth of bad checks while impersonating a Pan Am pilot, a doctor, a teacher, and an attorney. The book is co-written by Stan Redding, and was adapted into a 2002 film of the same name by director Steven Spielberg, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Abagnale and Tom Hanks as the FBI agent who pursued him. … The [pre-movie, pre-2002] book ends with an epilogue telling the story of Frank Abagnale's final capture and the story of his rehabilitation which resulted in the creation of his security firm.” - (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch_Me_if_You_Can_%28book%29).

(*6) Catholic magic cracker of gore, or are we talking something else?
“Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But the flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat” Genesis 9:3-4.

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood”… Leviticus 17:11-12.

…“For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh…” Leviticus 17:14, (also Deuteronomy :22-24).

“…Man shall not live by bread alone, but every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” Matthew 4:4 (also Luke 4:5).

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…In him was life…and the Word was made flesh” John 1:1-14.

“…as many as received him, to them gave he the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believed on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" John 1:12-13.

“Jesus answered…if thou knewest the gift of God…thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water” John 4:10.

“For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world…And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” John 6:32-35 (and vv.48,51).

“Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eatheth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever” John 6:53-58.

“And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so much as this…how he (David) went into the house of God, and did take and eat the shewbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat but for the priest alone?” Luke 6:3-4.

If this historical Type of something more important works with bread/flesh as the simple and complex sustenance of life, is it not the same with the water/blood; the very life force of that life?
“Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.”
Bread/flesh, water/blood, milk/meat, juvenile/mature… are we seeing this yet?
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