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Hidden In Him

March 15, 2024, 06:01:31 PM
Attention: To anyone viewing this site, I will be moving to another forum. I will leave this one up until the end of the year so viewers can still view the material here, but after that this site will be shut down.

If you have any questions, you can contact me privately by becoming a member.

 

Hidden In Him

March 15, 2024, 06:01:15 PM
Attention: To anyone viewing this site, I will be moving to another forum. I will leave this one up until the end of the year so viewers can still view the material here, but after that this site will be shut down.

If you have any questions, you can contact me privately by becoming a member.

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awe-inspiring first encounter girls
 
 
 
 
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ytmp3music

September 23, 2023, 12:39:24 PM
Titanic post! I couldn't coincide more with your points. It's happy to give some thought to such mindful insights shared here.
Youtube to mp3 converter
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Hidden In Him

March 02, 2022, 01:44:01 PM
What a beautiful Spring day! Glory to God!
 

Hidden In Him

January 07, 2022, 06:49:10 PM
Alive and well!  :)

Happy 2022! This is gonna be a good one. I can feel it, Lol.
 

MoreBloodWine

December 30, 2021, 05:29:20 PM
You alive Chris ?
 

MoreBloodWine

October 14, 2020, 06:17:44 PM
But ya, any PM's sent they should be made aware of via email, if they have notifications set for receipt of a PM.

But even if so, my newsletter blast can ignore such settings so anyone registered will at least get my message. But I can name them specifically in it for *** & giggles.
 

MoreBloodWine

October 14, 2020, 06:15:17 PM
Still need to check some things but that will be easy enough to do via PM.

When the site is re-opened. It is now, but tech locked down... but when it's "back". I can send out a newsletter, anyone who has an email attached that they still use will be made aware / be able to come back if that's what they choose to do.
 

Hidden In Him

October 14, 2020, 05:56:59 PM
You're kidding... That would be something. Any way to contact ShadowKen and Indybones? And maybe Pineapple, LoL. I suppose if it's all intact I could just message and it would go thru to email.
 

MoreBloodWine

October 14, 2020, 01:53:33 AM
@HIM: The MP is back, but it will need to remain in maintenance mode until I can re skin it / fix some of the underlying addons, But it is loading again... all data should still be intact.

I've already alerted spddmn's wife to let him know ;-)
 

Hidden In Him

April 27, 2020, 06:37:28 PM
And after checking, it wasn't done yet, LoL. Looks like it is now (hopefully).
 

Hidden In Him

April 08, 2020, 10:37:46 AM
This one's pretty good, LoL. Should be fun to put on video some day.  :)
http://www.spiritualwarbiblestudies.com/index.php?topic=181.msg207#msg207
 

Hidden In Him

March 10, 2020, 12:43:23 PM
 :) :) :)
 

MoreBloodWine

March 10, 2020, 07:02:44 AM
Everything happens for a reason, even if it's rewriting old works ;-)
 

Hidden In Him

March 07, 2020, 07:12:18 PM
My wife dislikes the idea that I'm rewriting studies rather than writing new ones, but the Lord is now opening up Colossians to me like never before, and some work needs to be redone. Very excited about the new insight!  :)
 

Hidden In Him

February 29, 2020, 02:19:44 PM
...get back to making sure studies were ready to put on camera when the time comes.  :)

So how's life with you?  
 

Hidden In Him

February 29, 2020, 02:18:44 PM
I noticed you were still lurking around, LoL. Glad to see I'm not the only one happy about it.  :) Hard at work converting the garage into a recording studio & music room. Gonna be nice! The soundproofing is going to be work and money, but a lot of it is already purchased. In the meantime, I had to
 

MoreBloodWine

February 29, 2020, 01:59:43 AM
 :) :) :)
 

Hidden In Him

February 28, 2020, 05:43:50 PM
I'm officially going back to writing! Glory to God Almighty!! Having fun again already, and going to be going to work improving and the adding to the set on Colossians.

Blessings in Christ to all who visit,
Hidden
 

MoreBloodWine

November 02, 2019, 02:37:56 AM
I rarely ever used Tapatalk to log in to the site. Not sure if anyone ever actually did as the issue of it not working was never reported.

But for our mobile uses, certain things like this chat box will not be available through the app as this chat box is an addon itself. But all boards within the forum are available and currently confirmed working.

Ty & my apologies !
 

Hidden In Him

August 05, 2019, 03:21:06 PM
An excellent passage I am now writing a study on in the Book of Colossians.

"And I am now rejoicing in [my] sufferings over you, and filling up in my flesh what is lacking of the afflictions of Christ for His body's sake, which is the church, of which I became a servant
 

Hidden In Him

August 05, 2019, 03:20:49 PM
... of which I became a servant according to the administration of God having been given unto me, for you to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations but which has now been made manifest to His saints, to whom God wished to make known what

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Author Topic: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8  (Read 4036 times)

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Hidden In Him

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1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
« on: August 01, 2013, 03:04:40 PM »
Returning To When God Was An Avenger Of Adultery

     Adultery was and always has been a very serious matter in the eyes of God. In Old Testament law, Israelite men were warned not to lust after other men's wives, and for good reason. The punishment for being caught in the act of adultery was death:

     And God spoke all these words: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me… You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or his maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:1-2, 17)

     "'If a man commits adultery with another man's wife - with the wife of his neighbor - both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death. (Leviticus 20:10 NIV. See also Deuteronomy 22:22)

     While this punishment may not have always been meted out by the Israelites, an example of God's deep displeasure over this sin can be seen in what transpired between David and Bathsheba. Though David himself would be spared for stealing another man's wife, he did not go unpunished by any means. God's judgment upon him was that he would see the death of his own son:

     And the Lord sent Nathan the prophet to David. And he went in to him, and said to him, "There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. And the rich man had very many flocks and herds. But the poor man had only one little ewe lamb, which he had purchased, and preserved, and reared. And it grew up with himself and his children in common. It ate of his bread and drank of his cup, and slept in his bosom, and was to him as a daughter. But a traveller came to the rich man, and he spared to take of his flocks and of his herds, to dress for the traveller that came to him. He took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that came to him." And David was greatly moved with anger against the man. And David said to Nathan, "As the Lord lives, the man that did this thing shall surely die. And he shall restore the lamb seven-fold, because he has not spared."
     And Nathan said to David, "Thou art the man that has done this. Thus says the Lord God of Israel, 'I anointed you to be king over Israel, and I rescued you out the hand of Saul. And I gave you the house of your lord, and the wives of your lord into your bosom, and I gave to you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been little, I would have given thee yet more. Why have you set at nought the word of the Lord, to do that which is evil in His eyes?'"
     And David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord." And Nathan said to David, "And the Lord has put away your sin. You shall not die. But because you have given great occasion of provocation to the enemies of the Lord by this thing, your son also that is born to you shall surely die. (2 Samuel 12:1-9, 13-14 LXX)


     In Roman society during New Testament times, however, it was culturally acceptable for a man to practice adultery. Married women were expected to remain chaste, but it was generally accepted that a married man could engage in extramarital sex, so long as he adhered to certain rules:

     "In particular, it was socially acceptable and even expected for freeborn men to have extramarital sex with both female and male partners, especially adolescents, provided they (1) exercised moderation, (2) adopted the dominating role, and (3) confined their activities to slaves and prostitutes or, less commonly, a concubine or ‘kept woman’." (Dr. Neel Burton, Sexuality in Ancient Rome)

                                                     

     While these practices may have been acceptable for the Gentiles, in keeping with Old Testament precepts the Christian teaching was that adultery was not acceptable for the believer, and Paul reminded the Thessalonians that he had taught them this when he was with them. Having received the Holy Spirit, they were now in relationship with a God who would avenge all such sins if they were not repented of:

     Finally, then, brothers, we beseech and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that even as you received from us how you ought to walk and please God, you abound [in it] more. For you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification. You are to abstain from sexual immorality. Each of you is to know to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor - not in the passion of lust as the Gentiles do who do not know God - so as not to trespass and become [sexually] covetous in his brother's affairs, because the Lord is an Avenger concerning all such things, even as we told you before and testified. For God has not called us unto uncleanness, but sanctification. So, then, the one who disregards [us] does not disregard man but God, the One having given us His Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 4:1-8)
             
     Some believe Jesus somehow relaxed His high moral standards set forth in the Old Testament by forgiving the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11). But as Lord, He was simply showing mercy on this particular occasion. Under law, she was by all rights a dead woman. Yet Jesus was demonstrating His ability to forgive sins by giving her a second chance, yet she nevertheless was commanded by Him to repent. His clear command to her was, "Go, and sin no more," knowing that she would not be spared from such a judgment forever if she did not.
     As we shall see, evidence from the New Testament suggests the Holy Spirit was dealing with the early church in much the same way. God was showing sinners mercy, but they needed to repent, for just as the Jews executed judgment upon adulterers and adulteresses in Old Testament times, the apostle Paul was now warning the Thessalonians that God Himself would carry out judgments against those who continued to commit adultery without repenting of it. Paul even "testified" to this fact, which means he had already told them of actual instances where the judgments of God had come upon believers who refused to heed these warnings.

     Each of you is to know to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor… so as not to trespass and become [sexually] covetous in his brother's affairs, because the Lord is an Avenger concerning all such things, even as we told you before and testified. (1 Thessalonians 4:4-7)


Why New Testament Believers Feared The Lord

     Believers had genuine reason to fear the Lord during New Testament times. He was avenging His own in the here and now, not just putting such judgements off for a future time. A good example of this are the events that took place in the church at Thyatira, as described in the Book of Revelations. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself addressed this church as follows:

     “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God... I have this against you: You tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and teaches and misleads my servants into committing sexual immorality and eating meat sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time that she might repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling to repent of her sexual immorality. Behold, I will cast her on a [sick] bed, and those committing adultery with her into great affliction if they will not repent of their ways. And I will strike her children with death, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches hearts and minds, and will repay to each of you according to your deeds. (Revelation 2:18-23)

     Notice here that the Lord was not only warning Jezebel but the entire congregation when He said, "I will cast those who commit adultery with her into great affliction, unless they repent of their ways." This was not "spiritual" adultery, i.e. in the sense of sinning against God, but literal adultery being committed between Jezebel and certain men in the congregation. As a Gnostic, she wasn't just espousing sexual immorality in her teachings. She was practicing it with those who came under her influence.
     So, too, did a young man in Corinth narrowly escape death by the hand of God for practicing adultery. This young man was sleeping with his father's wife, and when the apostle Paul found out about it he chastised the Corinthians in a letter for not being concerned that the man might soon lose his life for such sins, seeing as how he was becoming a corrupting influence upon the entire congregation. Hoping to spare the man's life, the apostle Paul decided to pass judgment himself, ordering that the man be excommunicated. Better that he should be handed over to the Devil for the slow destruction of his flesh (i.e. through sickness and disease) than suffer immediate judgment from the Lord if he continued in this sin. If he had time to reflect, he might come to repentance, and receive salvation of spirit on the Day of the Lord.
     As Paul told them: 

     Sexual immorality is commonly being reported among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles, such as for one to have sex with [his] father's wife. And here you are having become inflated with pride, and rather did not mourn that the one having done this deed might [possibly] be removed from your midst! For, indeed, I being absent in the body but present in the spirit have already judged regarding the one having done this thing as being present: In the name of the Lord Jesus, when you have been gathered together in the power of the Lord Jesus, and my spirit, you are to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit might be saved on the Day of the Lord Jesus. (1 Corinthians 5:1-5)

     According to Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, this man did indeed eventually repent and was restored to the church (See 2 Corinthians 2:5-11). There were others in his congregation, however, who were not repentant over their sins, and the result was sickness and death, not for adultery but for causing the congregation to become divided to the point that they no longer even took communion together:

     So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep (i.e. have died). But if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. Nevertheless, when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world. (1 Corinthians 11:27-32)

     The natural byproduct of such judgments was that New testament believers truly walked in the fear of the Lord. They knew He would not tolerate the churches becoming corrupted by those who were continuing in sin indefinitely. As a result, Paul gave the saints continual warnings in his letters, imploring them not to tempt the Lord their God, lest He destroy them as He did the Israelites:

     We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did - and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died...  nor grumble, as some of them did - and were killed by the destroying angel. These things happened to them as examples, and were written down as warnings for us, upon whom the culmination of the ages has come. (1 Corinthians 10:8, 10-11)

     Quoting three promises from the Old Testament, Paul illustrated how God had a history of demanding holiness from His people, and that like the Israelites before them New Testament believers would have to separate themselves from the sinful cultures around them. If they continued to practice sins like adultery, they too might end up suffering destruction from the Lord:

     “Come out from among them and be separate," says the Lord. "Do not touch that which is unclean, and I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters," says the Lord Almighty. Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 6:17-7:1)


Sin Now Abounds In The Absence Of God's Judgments

     The Old Testament saints knew very well that it is actually the fear of God that causes men to depart from sin:

     Be not wise in thine own eyes. Fear the LORD, and depart from evil… By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil. (Proverbs 3:7 and 16:6, KJV, Cambridge Edition)

     Unfortunately, because God no longer executes judgment as He once did during New testament times the fear of God is by and large no longer present in the churches. Now some might think this a good thing, but the consequences are that sin now abounds because it keeps going unpunished. Adulterous affairs between Christians go on for years without being exposed or judged. Sometimes these even lead to murder, as was the case with Pastor David Love, a Baptist preacher who in 2012 murdered his mistresses' husband so he could continue his ten year affair with her.
     This story made headline news when it happened, disparaging the name of Christ in the process:
   
     Missouri Woman Admits Plotting To Kill Her Husband With Her Pastor, Published May 02, 2012, Fox News.com Independence, Mo. – A Missouri woman admitted Monday to plotting with her church pastor, who was also her lover, to murder her husband, Fox 4 reports. 40-year-old Teresa Stone pled guilty to conspiracy to commit murder in the March 2010 shooting death of her husband Randy Stone. Teresa Stone confessed that she and her 51-year-old church pastor David Love agreed one of them would kill Randy Stone. Randy Stone was later found shot to death in his office at an insurance company.
     David Love admitted shooting Randy Stone to death in November 2011, and pled guilty to second-degree murder and armed criminal action. He is serving a life sentence. Love's attorney admitted at the time that it was well known Love and Teresa Stone were having an affair. Randy Stone's relatives told Fox 4 they believe the affair last for as many as ten years.
     Love was once the pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Independence, and delivered part of Randy Stone's eulogy. He moved to South Carolina not long after the murder and was arrested there in November 2010.
     Teresa's Stone's guilty plea ensures she will not serve more than 10 years in prison. She will be sentenced in June, and remains free on bond. Her husband's relatives say they are outraged over what they see as a lenient sentence for a heinous crime. “I think she should have got a lot more time than 10 years,” Randy Stone's cousin John Stone told Fox 4. “I got 16 years for stealing cars and this woman takes my cousin’s life, a Christian, a good man, and 10 years? I just don’t understand the law.”

                                                 

     Was this merely an isolated incident? While the resulting murder certainly took things to the extreme, statistics suggest that both in the churches and in ministry, adultery is not as rare as we might be led to believe. From a web article entitled, "Adultery: Just the Statistics":

     There is grow­ing evi­dence that adul­tery is also a tremen­dous prob­lem in Chris­t­ian cir­cles. One could site many studies - the most recent from Chris­tian­ity Today shows that 45 per­cent of Chris­tians indi­cate hav­ing done some­thing sex­u­ally inap­pro­pri­ate, and 23 per­cent hav­ing had extra­mar­i­tal inter­course (Ander­son, 2000). These num­bers pretty much mir­ror the national averages. (Adultery: Just the Statistics, Dr. Kelly Bonewell)

     As for ministers of the gospel, a few decades ago the Journal of Psychology and Christianity pointed out one statistic that in all likelihood has not changed much since, and in fact may very well have gotten worse by now: "A study of pastors sponsored by Christianity Today found that 23% of 300 pastors admitted some form of sexually inappropriate behavior with someone other than their wives while in the ministry.” (Journal of Psychology & Christianity 8, no. 4 (Winter 1989) Torn Asunder, Dave Carder, pg. 26)

     If what the Spirit is saying to the churches is to be believed, there are even some who now go to church just to prey upon married men and women sexually. Since the judgments of God are no longer occurring in the immediate, they assume He will overlook their lifestyle of sin forever. The following account from Kathryn Baxter's testimony of Hell should serve as a warning to the foolish. Of the many souls she witnessed suffering in torment there, one was an adulteress who destroyed many lives through her sins:

     We stopped at another pit. I felt such pity for all of them and such sorrow that I was physically weak and could hardly stand. Great sobs shook me. "Jesus, I hurt so inside," I said.
     From the pit a woman's voice spoke to Jesus. She stood in the center of the flames, and they covered her whole body. Her bones were full of worms and dead flesh. As the flames flickered up around her, she raised her hands towards Jesus, crying, "let me out of here. I will give You my heart now, Jesus. I will tell others about Your forgiveness. I will witness for You. I beg You, please let me out!"
     Jesus said, "My Word is true, and it declares that all must repent and turn from their sins and ask Me to come into their lives if they are to escape this place.  Through My blood there is forgiveness of sins. I am faithful and just and will forgive all those who come to Me. I will not cast them out."
     He turned, looked at the woman and said, "If you had listened to Me and had come to Me and repented, I would have forgiven you."
     The woman asked, "Lord, is there no way out of here?"
     Jesus spoke very softly. "Woman," He said, "you were given many opportunities to repent, but you hardened your heart and would not. And you knew My Word said that all whoremongers will have their part in the Lake of Fire."
     Jesus turned to me and said, "This woman had sinful affairs with many men, and she caused many homes to be broken apart. Yet through all this, I loved her still. I came to her not in condemnation but with salvation. I sent many of My servants to her that she might repent of her evil ways, but she would not. When she was a young woman, I called her, but she continued to do evil. She did many wrongs, yet I would have forgiven her if she had come to Me. Satan entered into her, and she grew bitter and would not forgive others. She went to church just to get men. She found them and seduced them. If she had only come to Me, her sins would all have been washed away by My blood. Part of her wanted to serve Me, but you cannot serve God and Satan at the same time. Every person must make a choice as to whom they will serve." (Divine Revelation Of Hell, P.44-46)


The Story Of The Preacher Woman In Hell

     That is not the only such account, however. In the same visions of Hell, Baxter revealed an even more heart-breaking account of what happened to a minister of God who unfortunately could not find a way to forgive her husband of committing adultery:

     In the next pit was the form of another skeleton. I smelled the odor of death even before we arrived. This skeleton looked the same as the others.
     I wondered what this soul had done that it should be lost and hopeless, with no future except an eternity in this dreadful place. Hell is for eternity. As I heard the crying of the souls in torment, I cried too.
     I listened as a woman spoke to Jesus from the flames of the pit. She was quoting the Word of God. "Dear Lord, what is she doing here?" I asked.
     "Listen," said Jesus.
     The woman said, "Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father but by Him. Jesus is the Light of the World. Come to Jesus, and He will save you."
     When she spoke, many of the lost souls around her listened. Some swore and cursed at her. Some told her to stop. Still others said, "Is there really hope?" or "Help us, Jesus." Great cries of sorrow filled the air.
     I didn't understand what was happening. I did not know why the woman was preaching the gospel here.
     The Lord knew my thoughts. He said, "Child, I called this woman at the age of thirty to preach My Word and to be a witness of the gospel. I call different ones for different purposes in My body. But if man or woman, boy or girl doesn't want My Spirit, I will depart.
     "Yes, she did answer My call for many years, and she grew in the knowledge of the Lord. She learned My voice, and she did many good works for Me. She studied the Word of God. She prayed often, and she had many prayers answered. She taught many people the way of holiness. She was faithful in her house.
     "The years went by until one day she found out that her husband was having an affair with another woman. And even though he asked for forgiveness, she grew bitter and would not forgive him and try to save her marriage. True, her husband was wrong, and he did commit a very grave sin.
     "But this woman knew My Word. She knew to forgive, and she knew that with every temptation there is a way of escape. Her husband asked her to forgive him. She would not. Instead, anger took root. Anger grew inside her. She would not turn it over to Me. She turned more bitter each day and said in her heart, 'Here I am serving God all the way, and my husband is running around with another woman! 'Do you think that is right?' She said to Me.
     "I said, 'No, it is not right. But he came to you and repented and said he would never do that again.
     "I told her, 'Daughter, look inside yourself, and see that you have caused this yourself”
     "'Not me, Lord,' she said, 'I am the holy one, and he is the sinful one.' She would not listen to Me.
     "Time went on, and she wouldn't pray to Me or read the Bible. She became angry not only at her husband, but also at those around her. She quoted the Scriptures, but she would not forgive him.
     "She would not listen to Me. Her heart grew bitter, and great sin entered in. Murder grew in her heart where love had once been. And one day, in her anger, she killed her husband and the other woman. Satan then took her over completely, and she killed herself.  "
     I looked at that lost soul that had given up Christ and condemned her soul forever to the flames and the pain. I listened as she responded to Jesus. "I will forgive now, Lord,” she said. "Let me out. I will obey You now. See, Lord, I am preaching Your Word now. In an hour demons will come to take me to be tormented even worse. For hours they will torture me. Because I was preaching your Word, my torments are worse. Please, Lord, I beg You to let me out."
     I cried with the woman in the pit and asked the Lord to please keep me from all bitterness of heart. "Don't let me allow hatred to come into my heart, Lord Jesus,” I said.
     "Come, let us go on," Jesus said. (Divine Revelation Of Hell, P.52-56)

     Jesus brought her to this woman to illustrate the crucial importance of practicing forgiveness, and this whole tragic set of events might never have taken place had the fear of the Lord still been present in the churches. 


The Return Of Judgments To The Household Of God

     Again, sins like adultery continue in the churches because the Lord is more distant now than He was during New Testament times. But days are coming when the Holy Spirit will again begin exposing the hidden things of darkness, and dealing with them publicly. Examples have come to light in more recent times of the Lord using ministers to expose hidden and unrepentant sins going on in the church. Evangelist Jesse Duplantis gave one such example during one of his sermons. In the middle of preaching a message, and before he even had a chance to think about it, the Holy Spirit simply spoke through him to two couples in the congregation who had been living in sin.
     As he related the story:

     I was preaching in Bastrop, Louisiana. In the middle of my preaching - I would never say this, not in a million years - I was preaching loud, I mean it was a Holy Ghost night, and there was two couples sitting on the front row… and as I was walking, I just stopped [in front off them].  God fooled me. He made it come out of my mouth before my mind could hear what I said. I said [loudly], "You lady, are committing adultery with that man right there!" My God, the pastor jumped up and said, "Oh! Let's pray here. Let's pray. Let's pray here." I stopped, and everybody looked at me. All I could think of was "Rapture. Get me out of here. Now!" But I knew the voice of God.
     She jumped to her feet. I didn't know her. And her husband was sitting with her. I didn't know if he knew or not. Then the man that I pointed to, he jumps to his feet. All four of them were looking at me... I almost said, "I didn't say that. God said that. It ain't my fault, and I don't believe a word He said." That's what I wanted to say. [After five long seconds of silence] that lady said, "It's true." And then the man said, "Yeah. We've been wife swapping for three years." So they knelt down in Batsrop, Louisiana, and gave their life to God. Oh, it was a great time. Caused revival. The next night you couldn't get anybody in there. But nobody sat on that front row. (Jesse Duplantis, A Merry Heart Doeth Good Like A Medicine, Volume 4, Disk 2, Part 1)

     This is an example of how through the spiritual gifts, the Spirit Himself is going to again begin convicting people of their sins. The Lord Himself is also prophesying through visions and dreams that He is again going to be returning as Judge in the midst of His people. He will no longer tolerate sin as He once did when the church desired Him to be more distant:

     I am about to reveal Myself to the world as the Righteous Judge. First I must reveal My judgment to My own household. My people are about to know the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. They will know His power to convict of sin. They will also know that He will always lead them into the truth that will set them free. This is the truth that testifies of Me. When My people have come to know Me as I AM, then I will use them to testify of Me. I am the Judge, but it is better for you to judge yourself so that I will not have to judge you. Even so, My judgments are about to be restored to My people. I will judge My own household first. After that I will judge the whole world. (Joyner, The Call, P.30)

     He repeats these same promises later in the vision, warning those who will be chastised not to harden their hearts against Him. His chastisement will be for their good, so that they not be condemned with the world:

     In My mercy, I am giving you this warning. Warn My people that in My mercy, I will no longer let them presume upon My mercy. In My mercy, My discipline will be upon them. Warn them not to harden their hearts, but to repent and turn to Me… When I have finished judging My own household, I will then send My judgments upon the whole earth. In My righteous judgment, I will show a distinction between My people and those who do not know Me." (Joyner, The Call, P.54)

     Just as in New Testament times, God desires to make a distinction between those who know Him and those who do not (1 Thessalonians 4:5). As a result, the time is coming when those who refuse to repent will again come under judgment. In the meantime, however, the wise must walk in fear of God. The Spirit of God is now granting increasingly clear visions of the terrible consequences that await those who will not, but the fear of God as an Avenger will keep many from sinning against their brothers and sisters in Christ.





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