An article by Kemper
God’s higher ways and thoughts are the fundamental principles that make up the standard of truth. Our gathering to this Standard is the process that purifies our heart and soul as the truth is progressively revealed to us. Our immature ideologies will be sanctified from the falsehoods we’ve allowed to deceive us during our ignorance. Truth is the fire we all shall pass through. For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen (Romans 11:36). The Spirit of Truth is the all consuming fire that is our God (Hebrews 12:29), Who is illustrated as such in Proverbs 17:3, The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts.
Malachi 3:2 concurs, But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap. This visitation from the Truth is the baptism of fire John was referring to in Matthew 3:11-12, I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. When Jesus states in John 4:24, God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. It is the same as John’s statement of “he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.” Jesus continues this subject in John 16:13, Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth.
Truth is this Fire of the Spirit of God. The purification of the saints illuminates the light of God through the deeds produced from their heavenly conversation, of which a corporate body have gathered unto. These are the elect who would not sleep in ignorance nor were they deceived by strong delusion, but were saved through their love for the Truth (2 Thessalonians 2:10). Truth shall illuminate upon this ungodly world exposing its shameful lies and thus destroying the foundation thereof. For in 2:8 of the same epistle Paul writes; And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.
It has been traditionally taught that the removing of the Holy Spirit by taking the church out of the earth is what reveals the wicked one. This cannot be, for in Ephesians 5:13 Paul writes; But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Therefore its not the removal of the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Truth) that reveals the wicked one, but the presence of Him. With this in mind let us carefully read 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8; For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth (to hold back, hinder or restrain) will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed (made manifest),
whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. First, it is the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Truth) and not the wicked which has been held back and restrained thus allowing the mystery of iniquity to work.
When the Holy Spirit in all His glorious Truth will be revealed through the saints in an unrestrained manner, then the wicked will be revealed, because all things are manifest by the light. Therefore the “he who now letteth will let, until he be taken away” is the natural minded man who is influenced by the spirit of the antichrist (or spirit of this world) which denies Jesus Christ from being manifest in his flesh. For John instructs us in 1 John 4:3, 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.
When we refrain from walking in agape love (Christ’s nature) we are being influenced by the spirit of the antichrist. Because the antichrist resists Jesus Christ’s nature from being manifest in the flesh. When the old flesh minded man, who is resisting the Spirit of Truth, is finally taken out of the way, the Wicked will be revealed whom the Lord will consume with the spirit of His mouth (Spirit of Truth) and destroy with the brightness of His coming. This only happens when Christ is glorified in His saints in the presence of the ungodly (2 Thessalonians 1:9-10) and not by the removing of the church or the Holy Spirit as tradition has taught. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure (1 John 3:2-3). Those who look forward to His appearing purify themselves in preparation for His visitation. This willful pursuit of purification hastens His return. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:14-18).
These pursuers are the saints who watch for His appearing and become the firstfruits who are changed into His likeness, by whom Christ’s image is manifested unto the world as the standard for which all is to be judged. Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen (Revelations 1:7). John states that every eye shall see Him and when we see Him we will be like Him. For us to be like Him, that which does not conform after the image of Christ is destroyed. This is the death of the old man. For no man shall see His face and live (Exodus 33:20). When the Standard of Truth is revealed, the lies and deception of the wicked will be reproved and destroyed. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not
escape (1 Thessalonians 5:3).
The coming tribulation is the ungodly being reduced to nothing. The saints pursue and apprehend this quality willfully, which once it is apprehended is transferred upon the ungodly and overcomes them as a thief in the night. Isaiah 51:22-23, Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again: But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over.
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him (1 Thessalonians 4:54-10).
This quality of being reduced to nothing is illustrated by Jesus in Matthew 18:1-5, At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. For us to be converted back to our childlike state, there must be a destruction of that which we have built upon it. We
were not corrupt upon coming into this world, but we were corruptible, which is a state of being likely to become corrupt, which therefore we become. This state of being corruptible is this childlike state that has yet to become corrupt. Therefore corruption must be put off to convert back to this childlike corruptible beginning.
Paul refers to this reducing in 1 Corinthians 15:50-54, Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. Whereas Jesus illustrates this process as being converted unto a little child, Paul describes it as being reduced unto a corruptible state. Whereas Jesus says this “child is Me in your midst,” Paul says this “corruptible inherits incorruption.” We can equate the “child” as “corruptible” and the “Me in their midst” to “incorruption.”
God created the first man upright yet he was corruptible. After man’s fall into corruption, he was restored to righteousness by Christ, and through Christ man shall be restored again to a corruptible state for the inheritance of incorruption. To return to this corruptible state the corruption must be put off along with the old man as Paul explains in the following scriptures; That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts (Ephesians 4:22). Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin (Romans 6:6). Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). Once we have reduced ourselves to a corruptible state by putting off corruption through the truth found in Christ, all things become new. This process is accomplished as we pursue the truth. While the old dissolves away we become renewed to a childlike state.
The conversation of the old man is the “life lost” which Jesus refers to in Matthew 16:25-26, For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? The life (or conversation) of this soul is lost so it might be raised in the likeness of Christ. Paul affirms this in 1 Corinthians 15:36, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: and Romans 6:6 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is
crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. This death Paul refers to again in Galatians 6:14, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world (1 John 2:16).
Let us look at one other thing in the reading of 1 Corinthians 15:51-53; Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. The word “moment” in this verse is Strong’s G823, atomos, with its definition; that cannot be cut in two, or divided, indivisible. This atomos is a state in which there is no more that can be removed. For example; Water is purified by removing all contaminants. When that process has been accomplished the water has reached its atomos or moment of indivisibleness and has become pure. We in like manner must be reduced to this atomos for this mysterious change that Paul speaks of to take place.
This indivisible unity is only represented by the Truth which is the heavenly higher ways and thoughts of our Father found in His Son, Jesus Christ, who we are gathered unto. Whereby, speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ (Ephesians 4:15): Our gathering unto the truth which is contained within the mind of Christ, is the only way that Paul’s expectation of our unity is to be accomplished. He compels us in
Philippians 2:2, Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. In 1 Corinthians 1:10, again he implores us; Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. To be likeminded and to speak the same thing and have the same judgment we have to know the one and only Way, Truth and Life. For in John 17:3 Jesus spoke, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” Even as Paul states in Ephesians 4:13, Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
In summary, I do hope this wonder in heaven that appears on September 23rd, is a sign that the Rapture is here. Yet, if we still have our feet on the ground we can take comfort knowing we can still gather to Him in our heavenly conversation.