Bible Study at Surabaya - Monday, April 30, 2007

Based on Tabernacle structure, the epistle Jude refers to the covering of badger skins, which signifies the protection and attention of God towards the true church as well as separation from the false one. Both true and false are today inseparable as it were wheat and tares in a field; the false even seems to be more interesting. An extra caution by the anointing of Holy Spirit is needed to sensitize our heart and mind to distinguish them. Besides, God has equipped pastors with a special gift to weigh spirits. The true and false must be separated; the wheat will be gathered into the Lord’s barn, but the tares into hell fire.

There are four kinds of false church as follows:

• the church of the unshepherded / the church of antichrist
• the church of the law
  (It is like the ten spies causing the complaints of Israelites; consequently, they died in the desert and only Caleb and Joshua could enter Canaan. Besides, the church of the Law has the spirit of trade and complaint, not holding the word of God)
• the church of satan
• the church of the flesh
  (It is church whose dreams and revelations are not in line with the word of God but in falseness)

THE CHURCH OF SATAN

Jude 1:6-7
6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;
7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

Below are the signs of the church of satan that we have learned previously:

1. the pastor is a disobedient angel.
   A pastor is actually the angel of the church whose duty is to feed the church with angels’ food / shepherding word. A disobedient pastor, however, does not feed the church with angels’ food, so that he is making them the false church.
2. the pastor is a falling star like Lucifer.
   A pastor should work by willingness and devotion and become an example to the church.

The church of satan is like Sodom and Gomorrah (Jude 1:7), portraying the state of today’s world. In our day it happens much that the atmosphere of the world is brought into churches. Some people reason that pastors and male ministers should be long-haired to win long-haired young men. Then I would like to ask them this question: how to win a criminal and a harlot? Do we also have to do alike? To converse, pastors and ministers must try to draw in the midst of the congregation the throne of the Lord, not the atmosphere of the world.

Luke 17:28-30
28 "Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;
29 "but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.
30 "Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

Approaching the second coming of Jesus Christ, the world is going back to the state of Sodom and Gomorrah. A pastor should by no means show and apply worldly manners to service system (such as the method of playing music instruments), expecting to give pleasure to the congregation and youth. Such ought not to be so. Or else, the throne of God will go far away and Sodom and Gomorrah will come near; they all will become the church of satan.

There are three states of the church of satan / today’s world as follows:
(Luke 17:28)

1. eating and drinking = hanging on to sins
   As we can see in many offices that the upright people are dismissed and the sinful ones are saved. A sin retained and hidden will multiply and peak to eating drinking and sexual sins – since sins are like leaven.
2. buying and selling = measuring all things with money
   Money has controlled all life aspects in the world as well as in churches by these manners:
   • serving and ministering God just to get money and material things.
     It is written in Luke 5 that people pressed about Jesus to hear the word of God. We therefore go to church to seek nothing but the revelation of the word.
   • trading in the priest’s offices and gifts. Previously, in the section of the church of law, we find the seats of those who sold doves; everyone is allowed to serve God as long as they have much money – no matter how good the quality of their spiritual lives are. Now we know that the church of satan does not reflect scary pastors. It rather manifests to us the spirit of trade.
3. planting and building
   The world is busy planting and building secular matters and so is the church of God. Christians now focus much on material things that there is no more chance to take part in the forming of the body of Christ. This means they are involving themselves in the forming of the body of Babylon prepared for destruction. It does not mean that we may not plant and build our living, but we should not merely focus on them.

As it had happened to Sodom and Gomorrah, the world will be rained with fire and brimstone from heaven and drowned in the lake of fire burning with brimstone.

2 Peter 3:10
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

We have learnt the signs and the states of the church of satan. Let us now check our church whether there are the states of the church of satan or not. If there are such states, the judgments of God which has happened previously in form of fire from heaven will come again until the eternal one in the sea of fire and brimstone.
The Lord will not destroy the righteous with the wicked. Lot was saved and so will the true church be.

Genesis 19:17
17 So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, "Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed."

Those who were numbered of the children of Israel were six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty, but only two might enter into Canaan. Many were false but few are true. We should not be satisfied with a great multitude, therefore. Abraham prayed over Sodom and Gomorrah and asked the Lord suppose there had been fifty righteous within the city, would He have also destroyed the place and not spared it for the fifty righteous that had been in it? So the Lord said that if He had found in Sodom fifty righteous, then he would have not destroyed the city. Abraham conferred with the Lord for a time until he proposed ten righteous. Nonetheless, the Lord did not find the righteous as many as he had proposed. We can imagine how many inhabitants of the two cities were. I do not exactly but I am sure they were quite large in number, but ten righteous were not found there. Seeing that, we must take heed and not revel in great number.
Many proclaim that God is good. Yes, He is indeed good. Was the Lord not good as He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and wiped out those who lived in the days of Noah? Certainly not! God is good and fair. This ought not to be forgotten. God will not destroy the righteous with the unrighteous and false. Ten righteous were not found in Sodom and Gomorrah. There were only four: Lot, his wife and his two daughters, but his wife fell on the way. Now they became three.

How to escape from the fire of the Lord?
Genesis 19:17
17 So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, "Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed."

• “Do not look behind”
• ”Do not stay anywhere in the plain”
• ”Escape to the mountains”
• “Do not look behind”
  = Do not be bound to the lusts of the sins and the love of money.

Loving money means being stingy (giving no offering) and greedy (stealing the possessions of the others and the Lord, that is, tithe and special offering). Many churches now have become thieves and false church whom antichrist will seal with the triple six (Revelation); they will worship and belong to antichrist. Smartness and riches will be in vain without worshiping antichrist. They will be at last destroyed with antichrist in the lake of fire and brimstone.

Revelation 19:20
20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.

If we look behind, we will be consumed by fire and brimstone. Never we try to hide sins and the lust of money! Or else, we will not escape from fire and brimstone. The lust of money is a root of all kinds of evilness and uncleanness, which must be firstly uprooted to destroy all other sins.

How to uproot the lust of money?

1. As for God
   Matthew 27:3-4
   3 Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
   4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!”
   Jesus gave Himself to be bought and sold for thirty pieces of silver to die on the cross. Only the Innocent Blood is able to erase the mark of antichrist. By the Blood of Jesus, we are completely delivered from all roots of sin.
2. As for us, we, firstly pastors, ought to return tithes and special offerings. Otherwise, we have no sign of Blood, getting dried and sinned like Judas.
   Some people claim the tithe as a part of the law. It is completely not true. Abram had given tithes before the law was made and established. We thus should not hesitate to give a tithe.
   Genesis 14:17-20, 22-23
   17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him.
   18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High.
   19 And he blessed him and said: "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;
   20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And he gave him a tithe of all.
   22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth,
   23 "that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich?––
   Both Melchizedek and the king of Sodom met Abram. Whom will we choose in the days of our victory and blessing? Melchizedek or king of Sodom? Obviously Abram chose Melchizedek, picturing the High Priest Jesus Christ. Very often people reject to give a tithe because they are afraid of the pastor’s being rich. This is a big mistake. We give a tithe to Jesus the High Priest; a pastor is made the Lord’s confidence to receive tithes. That’s all.
   According to the above story, a tithe is given to confess that:
   • Abram/we are blessed of the Lord
   • Abram/we have found a way out and gained victory of none but the Lord. A tithe comes from the Lord and for the Lord.
   • Abram/we have no relationship with Sodom and Gomorrah / today’s world (verse 23)

A tithe is from the Lord and for the Lord, not for a pastor. Lest we be deceived! Our confidence is to return God’s possession through a pastor whom God trusts without partiality and to separate ourselves from Sodom (this world). Do not look behind! Lot’s wife could not do it; she looked behind and became a pillar of salt.

• ”Do not stay anywhere in the plain”
  The plain of Jordan reflects the world.
  do not stay anywhere in the plain of Jordan = do not follow the world by the following acts:
  • Making a friend with the world
    James 4:4
    4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
    Let all contents of the world take place: bustles, pleasures, and sorrows. But lest any of them draw us far from the Lord! The farther we go from the Lord, the closer we get to the fire of brimstone.
  • Having worldly mind
    Lot and Abraham dwelt together. Both of them had flocks, herds, and tents. Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together. And they separated from each other. Lot was allowed to choose where he would live, and he saw Sodom and Gomorrah due to his worldly mind.
    Genesis 13:10
    10 And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.
    Lot saw Sodom and Gomorrah like the garden of the Lord: rich and well watered, and so good for all his livestock. He never thought about the wicked there. It seemed that he got all things, but they all were finally destroyed by fire and brimstone. Besides, the worldly mind of Lot had finished his wife off. Thus, the world-minded will be in minus in the end.
    The worldly mind is defined as a desire to gain material things without a spiritual consideration, even with intent to sacrifice spiritual matters. For example, a young man is ready to sacrifice his faith in Jesus Christ to marry an unbeliever, a man forsakes godliness to get a job, or an officer commits corruption to get money. It is not forbidden to earn a living but must be reflected on religious sights.

Unlike Lot, Abram focused himself on the mind of the cross.

Genesis 13:14-15
14 And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: "Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are––northward, southward, eastward, and westward;
15 "for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.

The mind of the cross firstly seems hard to do, but it finally results in abundance and surplus. Abraham was blessed to his old age.

Genesis 24:1
1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.

The mind of the cross is defined as willingness to sacrifice worldly matters to get the spiritual ones. It sounds silly but the result is surplus.

• ”Escape to the mountains”
  Hebrews 12:22-23
  22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,
  23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,
  Mount Zion = heavenly Jerusalem.
  Revelation 21:9-10
  9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife."
  10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
  The mount refers to New Jerusalem; escape to the mountains implies becoming the perfect Bride of God (symbolized with the ark of covenant – http://gptkk.org/tabut-en.php). This is our purpose of following and serving the Lord Jesus Christ, not to get big church building or successful job/study. In such a manner, neither welfare nor deficiency shall effect our lives.
  Only the Bride of God may welcome Jesus’ second coming and enter the paradise and New Jerusalem, and live for the eternal life. There will be no fire and brimstone at all. This is our goal. Students of Lempin-El, do not be satisfied with big church building you will have some day. Besides, do not be hopeless with the small church building because it is not the main goal of ministry to the Lord. The goal is the New Jerusalem (heavenly Bride). Outside the New Jerusalem are fire and brimstone. There was only one object inside the most holy place, that is, the ark of covenant. It implies that glory and perfection is only found in New Jerusalem. The mercy seat is Jesus Christ and the ark is the Bride of God. We must be the ark on top of which the mercy seat is put. After all this, we are safe from fire and brimstone.

Renewal of life is a must to enter the New Jerusalem.

Revelation 21:5
5 Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."

Here is the beginning and the end of the renewal:
It begins with honesty.

Ephesians 4:23-25
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another.

Honesty has two meanings as follows:

1. speaking of the truth: “yes” is “yes” and “no” is “no”, no doubt.
2. speaking to increase the faith of the others.
   Satan is the father of liars. Thus, a liar is like Satan.
   The church of satan is so far described as something terrifying, such as slaying a woman as an offering. I do not know anything about it; what I believe is the Bible: the church of satan is real in liars that will not enter New Jerusalem but the sea of fire and brimstone.

The renewal ends in perfection in words.

James 3:2
2 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.

Only the perfect Bride of God may enter into New Jerusalem.
It is written three times that liars cannot enter the New Jerusalem:

1. liars will be cast into the lake of fire burning with brimstone (written twice)
2. liars may not enter the New Jerusalem.

Revelation 21:27
27 But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Lying signifies old life. Students of Lempin-El, do not keep lies while you are studying in Lempin-El because you will become the church of satan after you graduate (being pastors). In such condition, your study in Lempin-El will become useless at all because you enter the sea of fire and brimstone, nit New Jerusalem.

Revelation 22:15
15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

Outside the New Jerusalem is the lake of fire and brimstone, that is to say, the hell.

Revelation 21:8
8 "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

Let us now become true church as follows:

• Not looking behind but we have the sign of blood that we are free from the sins/lust of money.
• Not staying anywhere in the plain but we have the mind of cross, not of the world. So we become faithful and willing to sacrifice worldly things in order to get the spiritual ones. The time we are busy is the time of the test about faithfulness to the Lord. For example, students will fail if they do not study at school because of their activities at home; officers will be dismissed if they do not work in the office because of their activities at home. When we are busy, the test of faithfulness comes; whether we are faithful to the Lord or not.
• Escaping to the mountains
  We are renewed until we may become God’s Bride (reaching the ark of covenant)
  We are trying to be the Bride of God by renewal of life but we still cannot come to perfection due to our weaknesses. Lot also confessed himself unable.

Genesis 19:18-24
18 Then Lot said to them, "Please, no, my lords!
19 "Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die.
20 "See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live."
21 And he said to him, "See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken.
22 "Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there." Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
23 The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar.
24 Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens.

All efforts to escape from fire and brimstone must be struggled, but in fact, we are anyhow still far from perfection and nearer to fire and brimstone for our weaknesses and mistakes. Lest we pride ourselves and judge the others for we all are nearer to fire and brimstone than to New Jerusalem.
The true and false churches will be separated from each other; the true will get the sun and the false the rain of fire and brimstone (verse 23-24).
Either Lot and we cannot reach the perfection because of many flaws. In such condition, judgments are near. Formerly, in the days of the law, committing adultery had a consequence of being stoned. Now we have the mercy of God that He does not judge our unclean mind. Nevertheless, do not become proud of that such as having a thought “I do not go to church but God still bless me, not like others who go to church but have sorrowful life.” Do not have such thought because we all are under the mercy of God only.
Lot confessed himself unable to escape to mountains; he just could flee to a little city called Zoar; implying these objects:

1. the cross = the altar of burnt offering (http://gptkk.org/mkb-en.php)
   The ark of covenant is far on the mountain but Zoar is near enough to flee, referring to the cross/the altar of burnt offering church often belittles. Only the true congregation and pastors are able to exalt and not belittle the cross. Servants of God who insist or confess the glory of physical matters will be in danger because all activities will be so hard. On the contrary, we have to confess our flaws to the cross. Previously, animal was offered as a burnt offering but now Jesus is sacrificed on the cross. If we confess our flaws, Jesus’ blood will forgive us and there is no condemnation for us.
2. shepherding = holy place (http://gptkk.tabernakel-en.php)
   Luke 12:32
   32 “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
   Little flock are sheep under the Lord’s shepherd. Many people belittle the shepherding. Students of Lempin-El, someday when you have little flock (only four people attending the service), do not belittle it with saying “Let us change this Bible Study Service with Prayer Service which takes shorter time.” You must not do so because it is false church. True church will exalt the shepherding system. We find the shepherding in Holy Place, which is nearer than the ark of covenant. When the judgments come near, let us go to the near place that is to say the altar of burnt offering (cross) and the Holy Place (shepherding) both of which are one and must be in the true church. Not holding the cross, danger comes in form of fire. Not holding the shepherding, one cannot enter New Jerusalem.
   The cross and shepherding are one: “I am the good shepherd”, “The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” (Good Shepherd gives His life for us on the cross)
   If we appreciate the shepherding as well as the cross, we will be in the hand of Good Shepherd who gives His life for us. We will never be in the hand of Lucifer/Satan who leads the church of Satan whose states are like in Sodom and Gomorrah. As a shepherded church with the cross, we confess our flaws and not repeat them anymore. As the result, we are in the hand of Good Shepherd who gives His life for us.
   John 10:11
   11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
   By lifting the cross and shepherding on high, we will be reserved in the right hand of the Lord and find the love of the Good Shepherd / the Great Shepherd. Outside the hand of the Good Shepherd / outside the cross and shepherding is the rain of fire and brimstone.
   A Christian without the cross and shepherding is like the earth without the sun. The earth is nothing without the sun – no matter how perfect the earth is. Likewise, a servant of God without shepherding will be nothing although his ministry is great. We all have to be shepherded. Besides, we have to lift the cross so we are in Great Shepherd’s Hand. As the result, there is always the sunshine for us that we may shine to others.

Psalms 84:12
11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.

walk uprightly = be honest
The sun will shine on our honesty.
What is the sun for?

• shield / protection from the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah and from fire of the Lord.
• grace and goodness to make everything good.
  The Lord makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good. The Good Shepherd has given His life to make good all that is not good. Status does not always bring us to a bright future, but the hand of the Good Shepherd does.
• glory of the Lord to transform us as glorious as He is and make us His Bride to enter into New Jerusalem. There will be no fire and tear. As long as man sheds tears, he is still near to fire and brimstone.

Let us pray now, let the Hand catch us and we will rejoice forever with Him!